When I crumpled up that soaking wet help-help flyer and threw it in the trash, I didn't realize that this little act of mine would completely change the fate of a family.
It was a rainy winter day, and I had just finished a boring party and was walking home alone. The cold wind was biting, and I clenched my pockets hard, thinking that I just wanted to hurry home and get into the bed.
Just then, the wind blew a flyer at my feet, which I picked up nonchalantly and glanced at hastily. It tells the story of an 85-year-old man in a village: his daughter has been married to another place for many years and has not been in touch, and his son died in a car accident early, and he and his granddaughter are dependent on each other.
However, the day before, the girl did not say goodbye, leaving the old man alone in the empty room. The flyer begged passers-by to take care of it, but it wasn't my business, I just wanted to sneak home quickly.
I can still vividly remember when I threw the crumpled piece of paper into the trash can, and it happened that a strong wind blew through it, and the leaflet circled in the air a few times before falling to the bottom of the black bucket. Later I would often wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of the hysterical plea on the piece of paper and the terrible wails of its fall. Every time I think about it, my stomach cramps like I'm going to vomit all my internal organs.
I don't know how I got to Li's house, and when I stood in front of that fragile wooden door, my stomach was still churning. I gently pushed open the creaking door, and a damp and stale smell came over me.
It's a typical old country house, dilapidated and ready to collapse at any moment. A dim lantern flickered in the living room, and I saw Li Lao huddled on the edge of the fire, his thin body trembling slightly. Hearing my footsteps, he slowly raised his head, and I could clearly see that his wrinkled face was expressionless, and only two stagnant eyes stared at me vacantly. "Kid, who are you?He asked hoarsely.
I insisted on reporting my name and saying that I had accidentally seen his situation when I was passing by and came to visit him. "Oh. He replied faintly, and lowered his head again, as if my existence had nothing to do with him. I stood still, embarrassed and helpless. I realized how stupid it was, that I had no connection to this strange old man, that it was purely impulsive, and that my own life was hard enough.
As soon as the thought came to me, I couldn't wait to turn around and leave. Just then, I suddenly heard a murmur behind me: "Hungry." I'm really hungry.
I scrammaged through the old man's humble kitchen, but found only a small bag of rice and a few packets of instant noodles in the pantry. It seems that the poor old man has not had a proper meal for a long time. I hurriedly lit the firewood on the pond, washed the rice and poured it into the worn-out cooking utensils.
When the water boiled, I suddenly remembered that today was the Chinese New Year's Eve, and all the shops outside had long been closed. Elder Li is destined to spend Chinese New Year's Eve alone in this simple earthen house tonight.
The thought stung my heart, and I couldn't hold back my emotions anymore, and tears welled up in my eyes. Maybe it was because my cry was too loud, and Li Lao staggered over.
He patted me gently on the shoulder, as if to comfort a sad child: "My son, don't feel sorry for me, I'm an old man who has lived so old and has long been accustomed to the hardships of the world. To have a kind child like you who is willing to help me, God really treats me well.
I wiped away my tears and solemnly said to Mr. Li, "Uncle, I want to spend the festival with you here." I will take care of you through every difficult day until the day your daughter returns!The excitement with which I said this had caused me to abandon all my worries, and I had completely forgotten that I was also experiencing tremendous stress in my life.
I simply wanted to help this poor and strong old man through this difficult time. When Elder Li heard me say this, tears appeared in his eyes. He whispered, "Good boy," and turned and went into the inner room. I was left in the kitchen to prepare a loving dinner for him.
Since then, I have been going to Mr. Li's home every weekend and holiday to take care of him and talk to him. Mr. Li, a mild-mannered and well-informed man, told me about his experiences in the army as a young man and talked to me about his beloved daughter, Xiaohong.
I learned from him that Xiaohong rarely went home after marrying in other places. At first, I would call ** from time to time, but gradually the message was cut off. "Xiaohong's mother's temperament is too hot, and the little couple often quarrels. I think she was also bitter in her heart, so she left without saying a word. Speaking of this, Li Lao sighed, and a melancholy look appeared on his face. I didn't expect that the happy Li family also hid such painful family conflicts. "Uncle, I'll help you find Xiaohong's and reunite your father and daughter!"I confidently assured Mr. Li.
I started using the information on the Internet to look around for cities that Red might have visited. During this period, I helped Mr. Li with cleaning, going through formalities, buying medicine, and doing my best to take care of his daily life. Gradually, Mr. Li loved me as his grandson. And I feel like I've found the warmth of a loved one I've been missing for a long time.
However, the good times did not last long, and after the winter, Li Lao's condition deteriorated, and his body deteriorated day by day. I had to take a long leave of absence and go to Li's house every day to take care of him. Mr. Li was so thin that he was only skinny and bones, and I often had to help him get up and move. But even though he was so weak, he never bowed to his illness.
As soon as he had free time, he sat on the kang and sewed new clothes and shoes for Xiaohong and them. I advised him to slow down his life, but he just said lightly, "I'm still alive, I can't let my daughter worry about it." Looking at his increasingly thin body, my heart ached. On this day, I suddenly received a ** from the hospital, saying that Li Lao fell and was injured and hospitalized.
I hurried to find him lying unconscious on a hospital bed, his face covered in blood. The doctor said that if the condition is not good, it can be dangerous at any time. My eyes were red, I clenched Li Lao's hand and shouted, "Uncle, you must hold on!."Xiaohong is almost found, you must live to see her for the last time!In the dead of night, Li Lao suddenly opened his eyes, and a wry smile squeezed out of the corner of his mouth: "My son, I'm afraid that my old body won't last until the day I see my daughter."
Elder Li's words pierced my heart deeply. I realized that this old man had missed his daughter as much as blood, and his only wish was to see her at the last moment of his life.
I didn't dare to slack off any longer, and began to do my best to find Xiaohong's whereabouts. Finally, at the last moment of Li Lao's life, I found Xiaohong, who was far away in Xinjiang. I rushed to the ward overnight, only to see that Mr. Li had been removed from the life support device and passed away quietly at the last moment.
I walked to his bed crying with my mobile phone, but I heard a heart-rending cry from the other end of the ** - Xiaohong was in pain after learning the news of her father's death in **. She whimpered in ** and told me what she had experienced for many years.
She has always been kind and gentle, and she did not expect that her father-in-law's change in personality would cause such serious domestic violence. "If I had come back a little earlier, I wouldn't have lost my last reunion with my father. Xiaohong couldn't cry in **. The cry on that end overlapped with the scene of life and death in front of me, making my heart feel like it had been cut by a thousand cuts. I knelt down in front of Mr. Li's body, tears pouring out of my eyes. I knew I could no longer make up for it, and father and daughter lost their last reunion forever.
Mr. Li's funeral was very simple, and no one else attended it except me and a few distant relatives. Xiaohong couldn't rush back because of something, and she felt infinite remorse and self-blame in her heart.
I watched as the staff slowly lowered Mr. Li's coffin into the earthen pit, and at that moment, a huge hole suddenly appeared in my heart. Maybe from the moment I picked up that flyer, I subconsciously looked for the long-lost father's love and the scarce warmth in this long life in Mr. Li.
And his death made me re-experience the heart-rending pain of "losing a loved one". Old Li, you left me like this, and there will be no intersection from now on. And I will always remember that cold winter night, with what little kindness I had left, I pushed open the fragile door of your life.
I don't have time to do anything for you, you're going to grow old and leave this world. After a short time together, it gave me a long-lost excitement and touch. There are too many helpless people in this world, and warmth is often so hurried. Each of us has a responsibility to care for others and to fulfill their lives. For the rest of my life, I will miss the little warmth you gave me, uncle. Good bye.
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