Chapter 17 Aunt
He Shu's home is on the third floor, and it was the first time he felt the third floor was so high.
I looked down at the opened antipyretic medicine in my hand and realized that I had a fever. No wonder I felt so weak this afternoon.
My palms are swollen because I washed too many things yesterday and wore gloves all day today.
The anti-inflammatory medicine I took this morning didn't seem to work...
While distracting himself from the discomfort in his body with random thoughts, He Shu slowly moved his legs, holding onto the rusty stair railing.
When I reached the third floor and there were still a few steps to go, a large suitcase appeared in front of me.
He Shu looked up and saw a woman with short hair standing at the door of his house. When he saw the woman's face clearly, He Shu felt dazed.
Thousands of thoughts flooded his brain. He Shu tried hard to open his eyes, but his vision became increasingly blurred.
"mom?"
…
Qi Xue looked at the impoverished room in front of her, and her eyes finally fell on Qi Yue's urn.
In the photo placed in front of the urn, my sister's smile is still gentle.
We met again after many years, but unexpectedly we were separated by Yin and Yang.
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Qi Xue reached out and touched Qi Yue's urn, wanting to ask her sister if she also regretted it, but in the end it only turned into a heavy sigh.
I walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. The kitchen was so clean that it reflected light.
Apart from half a pack of noodles and some rice, there were no other ingredients.
There were a lot of things hanging on the balcony. Qi Xue touched them and found that the sheets and clothes were dry, so she raised her hand to help put them away.
The bathroom was equally clean, with every tile spotless.
In the corner there were two large basins on top of an old-fashioned washing machine.
This is my sister's home, the home I was determined to defend...
Qi Xue returned to He Shu's bedroom, and before she could even recognize her nephew whom she had just met, he fell seriously ill.
She reached out and touched the back of He Shu's neck. It was still hot, but he wasn't sweating.
Qi Xue got up and boiled some hot water. She then wiped He Shu's neck, helped him up and took off his shirt.
Seeing her nephew's emaciated body, Qi Xue felt uncomfortable and used a wet towel to wipe his body to dissipate the heat.
"Mom?" He Shu felt someone holding him. He struggled to open his eyes, and his mother's face appeared in front of him again.
"Well, go to sleep, you will be fine after a good night's sleep."
He Shu closed his eyes obediently. He felt like he was dreaming. If it was really a dream, he didn't want to wake up.
Qi Xue sat on the edge of the bed, hugged He Shu, and wiped his armpits and neck over and over again.
When he raised his arm, he discovered blood scabs and scratches on He Shu's elbow.
Qi Xue put down the towel and began to check carefully. Only then did she discover that there were scratches not only on the face.
There were cuts and bruises on his elbows, palms, and knees, and there was a large bruise on his back.
The palms and knees might have been caused by myself falling, but how did the ones on my back get there?
That night, Qi Xue almost didn't sleep all night. She wiped He Shu's body from time to time and woke him up at around 9 o'clock to feed him medicine.
By around 11 o'clock at night, He Shu was sweating all over, and the sheets and pillow under him were wet.
But Qi Xue was relieved, thinking that she would be well soon after sweating.
He Shu occasionally opened his eyes and called her "Mom", and she agreed, then sat by the bed and stayed with him all night.
The next day, when the alarm clock rang, He Shu opened his eyes and sat up, feeling much more relaxed.
He turned his head and saw medicine, a cup of water and a thermometer on the bedside table. He was stunned for a moment and suddenly jumped out of bed and ran to the living room barefoot.
There was a noise coming from the kitchen, and He Shu felt his heart beating faster and faster.
He walked to the kitchen door and saw a woman who looked very similar to his mother, concentrating on cooking porridge. She was still wearing his mother's apron.
She really looked like her, but He Shu knew clearly at this moment that this was not his mother.
He opened his mouth and it took him a long time to utter a word: "Who are you?"
"Silly boy, you can't even guess it? My name is Qi Xue, and I'm your aunt!"
"Aunt?"
"You don't believe it? Don't I look like your mother?" Qi Xue turned her head and smiled at He Shu.
"Like." He Shu's throat tightened, and he couldn't hide his disappointment. He thought his mother was alive: "But my mother didn't say that."
"Hey, that happened many years ago . You weren't even born at that time. There was a misunderstanding between your mother and your grandparents. It's hard to explain in a few words. You're a little kid, so don't ask too many questions. I'll tell you slowly later."
Qi Xue frowned and kept stirring the rice porridge in the pot, but the smell of burnt rice still floated up.
"He Shu, your pot is not working. The bottom is burnt."
He Shu hurried over to turn off the fire and took the pot aside: "There is a rice cooker."
I scooped up the rice with a spoon and saw that it was not fully cooked. I really don’t know why the porridge was cooked like this?
Seeing that He Shu was about to pour the porridge into the rice cooker, Qi Xue couldn't help but said, "Forget it? It's all mushy. Let's just go to the breakfast shop to eat."
"It's okay, it's still edible." He Shu added water again, cut two pieces of green onion and threw them in, then covered the lid and pressed the cooking button.
With this interruption, He Shu's previously chaotic emotions actually calmed down.
He Shu had already believed the identity of the person in front of him who claimed to be his aunt. After all, this face couldn't lie.
However, it has been so many years since my mother passed away, and I have never heard that she has any sisters or relatives. He Shu still thought that my mother was an orphan.
"You..." He Shu didn't know how to start. He remembered that he saw his mother in a daze last night, and his mother hugged him.
Although he now knows that the person who hugged him last night might have been his aunt, he still can't bear that feeling in his heart .
Qi Xue saw that He Shu was still barefoot and pushed him back to the room: "Actually, we met when you were 2 years old."
2 years old? He Shu shook his head: "I don't have any memory of that time."
"Then let's deepen the impression?" Qi Xue pointed to Qi Yue's room: "I plan to live here for a while, He Shu, you don't object, right?"
He Shu didn't say anything. Even though she was his aunt, she was just a stranger to him.
"If you don't say anything, it means you agree."
Qi Xue took off her apron and said, "I see you have nothing at home, shall we go out for a walk?"
At this point, He Shu suddenly remembered that he still had to wash the car today. When he looked at the time, it was almost eight o'clock and he was going to be late.
He Shu hurriedly found clothes to change and washed his face. He stopped just before going out.
"You can stay here if you want, but don't touch my mom's things. I have something else to do today. Let's talk when I get back."
After saying that, He Shu ran out quickly. He was very conflicted now. He wanted this aunt who looked very much like his mother to stay, but he was also a little worried about her.
If she didn't leave quickly, He Shu was afraid that he would not be able to control himself and kick her out.
But thinking about last night, that dream-like feeling, He Shu kept brainwashing himself while running.
This is my aunt, it must be my aunt, she can’t be a bad person.
She will stay for a few days. Once I have learned everything about my mother's past, I will let her go immediately...
