coobybook Chapter 158 2 Children
Chapter 158 2 Children
Li Xiaonuan said that chili peppers contain a toxic substance, but people can still eat them. There are also people who can't eat them, but such people are few.
Such contradictory statements are usually the least believable. However, many people who had been in contact with Xiao La Jiao (Little Chili) did indeed experience the symptoms described by Li Xiaonuan. Therefore, everyone deeply believed Li Xiaonuan's claims.
"Xiao Nuan, what should we do if your eyes are really poisoned?" The question came from an elderly man who walked in with difficulty.
The old man's hunched and weathered back revealed the kind of life he had endured. His slightly tattered clothes suggested that he was not doing well now either.
"Grandpa, whose eyes got poisoned?" Li Xiaonuan asked curiously.
The old man was bent over the whole time and couldn't straighten up. Furthermore, his head was constantly lowered, as if he couldn't lift it anymore. Therefore, Li Xiaonuan failed to notice the sadness and anger on the old man's face.
"They are my two good-for-nothing grandsons. Their eyesight is very bad now, and they're about to lose it all. Xiao Nuan, please have pity on your grandfather, I don't have much time left, and help my two grandsons." As the old man spoke, tears streamed down his face.
But Li Xiaonuan was very unhappy. From the old man's words, it was clear that his two grandsons had ruined the chili peppers. However, the old man's words even contained a hint of coercion.
If Li Xiaonuan refuses to help the elderly, she will be seen as disrespectful. If she agrees to help, the matter of the damaged chili fields will be dropped. But which chili farmer would be happy about that? In the end, Li Xiaonuan will still suffer the loss and take the blame.
“Old man, from what you’ve said, I know you’re a learned person. But I dare not respond to what you’ve said. Look at the land around your feet, how do you feel? Which of those landowners doesn’t have an elderly person in their family? Who doesn’t rely on the crops from the land to make a living?”
"Xiao Nuan doesn't know why your grandson was poisoned by chili. But judging from the current situation, your grandson is definitely involved in the crop damage. Grandma, why don't you let your two grandsons come out and tell us what happened?"
As Li Xiaonuan recounted her story, those present began to understand the underlying meaning. Many people familiar with the old woman eagerly shared their stories about her two grandsons with Li Xiaonuan.
"Xiao Nuan, Old Song's two grandsons were adopted by him. The older one is only eight years old this year, and the younger one is not even five years old yet," Aunt Zhou whispered in Li Xiao Nuan's ear.
"Auntie, what about his family? I remember he seemed to have a son." Li Xiaonuan hadn't expected that his so-called grandson would be like that.
Aunt Huang sighed, "His son is a good-for-nothing. He does nothing all day and just loafs around. He hasn't come back in a long time. Old Song used to have some family fortune, but unfortunately, his wife and son squandered it all. Even his original position as a private tutor was ruined by those two."
Li Xiaonuan was shocked, never expecting that Old Song was actually a schoolteacher: "Auntie, where did Grandpa Song pick up these two children?"
"That happened two years ago. Old Song went to the city to set up a small stall and write letters for people. Someone abandoned these two children at his stall and ran away. There was nothing Old Song could do but take the two children home and raise them," Granny Yu said.
Li Xiaonuan instantly felt guilty for her presumptuous thoughts. She apologized to Old Song, saying, "Grandpa Song, I was too impulsive. I apologize. Come on, let me go to your house and cleanse your two grandsons' eyes."
As she spoke, Li Xiaonuan turned her head and whispered some things to Zhou Jingjing. After listening, Zhou Jingjing ran off with a smile.
Old Song lived in a dilapidated house on the far west side of Jiuzhou Village. Although the roof was covered with tiles, many of them were missing. The mud walls of the courtyard had long since crumbled and were overgrown with various weeds and vines.
Li Xiaonuan stepped into the overgrown courtyard and sighed as she looked at the crooked, openwork main gate. A faint aroma of fresh chili peppers wafted through the air.
When Old Song led her into a sunny room on the left side of the main house, Li Xiaonuan was frightened by two small figures curled up on the wooden bed.
Perhaps because the spiciness was unbearable, the smaller one had scratched his own eyes until they bled, and was now weakly groaning, having lost the strength to struggle.
The older one could handle it, but still rubbed its eyes from time to time.
The sight of the two children in such a wretched state broke Li Xiaonuan's heart. They were so small and weak; it was clear they hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. Their exposed necks and faces were nothing but skin covering their bones, with hardly any flesh left.
This reminded Li Xiaonuan of the days when she first transmigrated, when her family also drank only thin porridge until they were half full. The whole family was thin and frail.
Seeing the little child reach out his hand towards his eyes again, Li Xiaonuan quickly stepped forward and grabbed it.
"Aunt Zhou, could you fetch me a basin of clean water to wash these two children's eyes? No, they need to be washed thoroughly. If I'm not mistaken, these two children should be the ones who went to the field to pick chili peppers last night. As for who took them there, we'll have to wait until they feel better before asking," Li Xiaonuan said.
Aunt Zhou, her eyes red, went out to fetch a basin of water. Old Song stood quietly to the side the whole time, only glancing worriedly at the two children when he came in, and then made no other move.
"Aunt Huang, could you help them find some clean clothes? Their clothes are covered in chili juice. If they don't change quickly, they might die from the spiciness," Li Xiaonuan said as she helped the two children take off their clothes.
The sight of the two children, barely recognizable until they were undressed, shocked those who had come to see what was happening. Their thin, bony bodies were covered in bruises, seemingly freshly applied just yesterday. Their already emaciated frames, reduced to skin and bones, were a truly heartbreaking sight.
The two children only stopped their weak whimpering after being placed in a basin of cool water. Li Xiaonuan carefully used the clean water in the small basin and the clean cloth that Old Song handed her to gently wash the children's eyes to relieve their burning pain.
Zhou Jingjing quickly arrived at Old Song's house carrying a jar of liquor and a small jar of vinegar. Li Xiaonuan had someone bring back clean water to wash the two children, and then poured the entire jar of liquor into an empty basin.
"Aunt Zhou, Aunt Huang, help them rub the wine on themselves, don't stop. Jingjing, pour half a bowl of vinegar into that small basin, then fill it halfway with water for me. Grandpa Song, if you have any clean handkerchiefs, find me a couple too." Li Xiaonuan spoke in quick succession, and the people responded and moved.
Li Xiaonuan finally breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to cover the two children's eyes and faces with a handkerchief soaked in vinegar water.
P.S.: Sorry, physical discomfort is beyond human control. I'll try my best to write two chapters tonight. Tomorrow, I'll update with 10,000 words to make up for today's and yesterday's shortcomings. Thank you all for your support!