The next morning, my father woke me up, sweating profusely, telling me a piece of news that instantly woke me up from my daze.
Lin Miaoke committed suicide.
"Where?" I got out of bed, started getting dressed and asked.
"Last night, in the ancestral hall," my father replied.
I was completely shocked, and wished I could slap myself twice! Why didn't I walk into the ancestral hall when I saw her last night?
I got dressed and rushed over to Lin Sanshui's house and found it crowded with people. At this moment, I am grateful for yesterday's discussions about me and Lin Xiaoyao, because of that, I can pay attention to Wu Miaoke openly.
It's understandable for a prospective son-in-law to care about his future mother-in-law. Otherwise, others would question why I'm so concerned about Lin Sanshui's family.
When I burst into the room, I saw Lin Xiaoyao sitting on a stool, covered in blood. She looked lost. I shook her a few times, but she showed no response, so I called out loudly, "Xiaoyao, wake up!"
She turned her head to me as if just waking up and then burst into tears, throwing herself into my arms, crying, "Xiaofan, my mom is dead!"
I patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down, and asked, "Take it easy, tell me what happened."
Lin Xiaoyao, with a crying voice, told me that last night, Lin Sanshui was drinking alone at home. After getting drunk, he scolded Wu Miaoke a few times, and the two didn't argue. Wu Miaoke went out alone, and that's when she went to the ancestral hall, as I found her.
At first, Lin Xiaoyao thought Wu Miaoke had gone somewhere else to vent her feelings, as visiting a neighbor’s house to chat when feeling down was normal. But when she didn't come back past eleven, Lin Xiaoyao realized something was wrong and started looking for her, visiting every house in the area and even asking my dad when she arrived at my home. Unfortunately, I was too drunk at the time to be woken up.
Later, they found Wu Miaoke in the ancestral hall, lying in a pool of blood. She had used a broken bowl to cut her wrists.
"Where is your mom now?" I asked.
"My dad took her to the hospital on a bicycle. My dad didn't let me go," Lin Xiaoyao said.
I breathed a sigh of relief. She had been taken to the hospital, so she hadn't died. What Lin Xiaoyao saw was only Wu Miaoke collapsing in a pool of blood after cutting her wrists.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital," I said to Lin Xiaoyao, who was apathetic. I was burdened with guilt. If something happens to Wu Miaoke, I would become a criminal.
If I had entered the ancestral hall yesterday, even if nothing happened between us, I might have been able to console her and prevent her from committing suicide.
The tragic turn of events and my remorse engulfed me. I no longer cared about the gazes of the crowd and hurriedly took Lin Xiaoyao back to my house, got on my old bike, and headed to the town. Before leaving, my father even gave me a few hundred yuan to buy something to see my loyal neighbor, Lin Sanshui, who had done everything he could for my family, and me.
When we reached the town and the hospital, Lin Xiaoyao's appearance again attracted attention. She, who had rarely been out and seen the world, looked lost and allowed me to guide her through each department.
She was a country bumpkin, and I wasn't much better. I didn't even know where to seek information at the reception or which department to look for. We went from one ward to another, frantically searching.
Eventually, in the corridor of the emergency department, we saw Lin Sanshui crouched on the ground, bloodshot eyes and red-rimmed eyes. When he saw Lin Xiaoyao, a man in his forties, his eyes turned red, and he slapped himself, muttering, "Xiaoyao, Dad's sorry."
"What happened to my mom?" Lin Xiaoyao was scared when she saw Lin Sanshui’s expressions and heard what he said like that.
"She's still being treated," Lin Sanshui said, then burst into tears.
In my mind, Lin Sanshui was a strong man. Of course, this was just in our village. When I was a child, he was still young and vigorous. While other farmers were still working in the fields, he was already driving a cart to collect grain from several villages in the area to sell. He would also bring seasonal fruits back from town to sell in the surrounding villages. He had greenhouses, a brick factory, and was passionate and active. Otherwise, how could he have married Wu Miaoke, who was renowned even before she got married?
But at that moment, the man in his forties was crying like a child, feeling very uncomfortable in my heart. This was the village head of Linjiazhuang who had once directed the villagers at my grandfather's grave, right?
Wu Miaoke's rescue continued until the afternoon, and her life was snatched back from the hands of death. In the doctor's words, it was a miracle to save her life after losing so much blood, especially considering that the victim herself had no desire to live.
"What did you people do to her? I've seen many suicide cases, but it's the first time someone hasn't come to their senses on the brink of death," the doctor asked.
Lin Sanshui opened his mouth, with a look of bitterness on his face. The doctor shook his head without further inquiry, saying, "Try not to stimulate the emotions of the injured person, she needs peace."
Regardless, Wu Miaoke was saved, and all three of us breathed a sigh of relief. It was at this moment that I realized the awkward position I was in. In the eyes of the villagers, I could be considered the prospective son-in-law of Lin Sanshui's family, but I didn't dare and couldn't pretend in front of Lin Sanshui. So, I said to the both of them, "Xiaoyao, Sanshui, now that Auntie is fine, I'll go back first and reassure the villagers."
"Don't, you and Xiaoyao stay here to take care of your aunt. She definitely doesn't want to see me now. I'll go back and take care of some household matters." Lin Sanshui took out a few bills from his pocket and handed them to me, saying, "Buy whatever you want to eat. You've been hungry all day. I'll come back early tomorrow."
We went to Wu Miaoke's hospital room. Lin Xiaoyao tried to suppress her crying. At this moment, even though Wu Miaoke had been saved, she was still in a deep coma. Lin Xiaoyao wanted to go and see her, but I stopped her and told her that the patient needed to rest, but she was not willing to listen.
"Didn't you hear the doctor say that my mom doesn't want to live now? She only wants to live if she sees me." Lin Xiaoyao gave a reason that I couldn't stop.
Next was a touching scene between the unfortunate mother and daughter. As a grown man, I felt out of place. Moreover, since morning, I had not had anything to eat or drink, and my stomach had been growling, so I left the hospital room, went outside, and got some takeout to bring back.
When I returned to the room, I found that Wu Miaoke, who had been in critical condition and at high risk, had actually woken up.
"Auntie," I called out.
She nodded at me, even managing to force a pale smile, and because I was full of remorse, I couldn't speak properly, and just quietly placed the takeout on the table, and said to Lin Xiaoyao, "Xiaoyao, you've been hungry all day, so have something to eat."
I don't know why, but at that moment, looking at Lin Xiaoyao's face, which was covered in freckles, I could see a hint of redness.
She was obviously famished too, still holding the food as she asked Wu Miaoke, "Mom, will you eat?"
"Silly child, how can I eat like this? You eat." Wu Miaoke said with a smile.
"Xiaoyao, don't let your aunt talk too much. Hurry up and eat." I also told her.
Lin Xiaoyao picked up the bowl, ate the noodles, and wiped away tears. Halfway through her meal, she suddenly burst into tears, throwing herself on Wu Miaoke, saying, "Mom, what will I do if you die?"
Wu Miaoke weakly raised her hand, saying, "Since Mom didn't die this time, I won't die. The King of Hell said my time hasn't come yet, so I won't be taken."
I felt that I was superfluous in this situation, and extremely awkward. My relationship with Lin Xiaoyao was not yet defined, and the scene that unfolded between us and Wu Miaoke that day made me want to take a few bites and then find a small hotel to stay in for the night.
Little did I know that before I could do that, Lin Xiaoyao had already put down her bowl and said to me, "Xiaofan, you take care of my mom. I'll go wash my face." After saying this, she left, even casting a meaningful glance at me before leaving.
I already felt awkward, and now, after Lin Xiaoyao left, I was left alone in the room with Wu Miaoke. My mind automatically replayed the scenes I had seen when I was eleven years old, and the intimate moment we shared that night, which made my face turn red.
"Auntie, I dared not come see you today because I was afraid of causing you distress. I'll come by early tomorrow." I said, struggling to find words.
"Last night, I saw a shadow cast through the window onto the ground. I knew it was you." She said, answering my statement with a question.