Shuttle buses between the county and the township run on the narrow highways, kicking up puffs of dust from time to time.

It's March 2003, and it's just like this time of year. After a winter of monotony and depression, the bright green grass and flowers blooming on the branches are not only pleasing to the eye, but also make people feel a little self-confidence, love and yearning for life from their hearts.

It seems that life will be as vibrant and full of flowers as this good spring.

At this moment, Lu Xiaoqing, who was sitting in the car, was in a bad mood, and glanced out the window anxiously from time to time, estimating how long it would take to reach her destination.

Finally, a three- or four-story building with staggered heights appeared in the sight ahead, and Lu Xiaoqing breathed a sigh of relief.

It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon, and there were not many people in the town at this point, and today was not the market day of the 1st, 4th, and 7th, so it was even more deserted.

Lu Xiaoqing was a little stunned when she got out of the car, this is her familiar and cordial hometown, she only came back during the Chinese New Year, but at this moment, she inexplicably gave birth to a dazed trance.

Calming down, she hurried and familiarized herself to the area where vegetables and meat were sold, bought some meat, tofu, fresh green peppers, and celery, and left in a hurry.

Her home is not in town, so don't expect a car to go to the village at this time.

In the past few years, you could only travel on two legs, but now there are motorcycles carrying passengers, and when you pass through the short street where you are hospitalized, there are many car owners who are enthusiastic about welcoming customers.

Lu Xiaoqing chose a middle-aged car owner who looked quite stable, negotiated the price, and sat down.

The road from the town to the village is a yellow mud road, and on rainy days, there are often sections of muddy mud, and it is common to see tractors and small trucks like trapped fighting beasts struggling desperately, only to struggle no matter how hard they struggle, and finally they can only rely on people to push down.

Fortunately, the season is good, the motorcycle is light and fast, and it takes less than ten minutes to reach the village.

Lu Xiaoqing hurriedly walked towards her home in the east of the village, and said hello to the people in the village when she met them on the way.

"I'm back!"

"yes, I'm back."

"Hey, why did Xiaoqing come back again? Don't work? ”

"Look at what you said, her mother's illness is dying......

"yes, I'm so forgetful, I can't think of ...... all of a sudden"

The Lu family lives in almost the easternmost part of the village, and there are only residents in the far distance, and the lonely houses with black tiles and mud walls seem a little deserted.

Under the afterglow, a faint smoke drifted out from the roof of the stove, and a hot current suddenly surged in Lu Xiaoqing's heart, her nose was slightly sour, and the water was hazy.

Pushing open the door and entering the house, Lu Xiaojing, who was squatting in front of the stove and puffing out her cheeks to blow the fire, heard the sound and subconsciously turned around. Seeing that it was Lu Xiaoqing, Lu Xiaojing was stunned, tears flowed down, and she threw herself into Lu Xiaoqing's arms and cried miserably, as if she wanted to vent all the panic and fear of these days: "Sister, Mom is going to die, woo woo, Mom is going to die!" What to do? What are we going to do......?"

"You-" Lu Xiaoqing's tears also came up, she didn't dare to cry, the second sister has always had shallow tears, if she also cried, she would cry endlessly.

Suppressing the tears, Lu Xiaoqing gently patted the second sister's back, a little distressed and a little helpless and comforted: "Okay, okay, don't cry, what are you talking nonsense?" Did you talk like that? ”

Lu Xiaojing wiped her tears and sobbed again and again, and stopped crying. The thirteen-year-old girl has to save face in the end, and it's really embarrassing to cry like this.

She looked at Lu Xiaoqing with red eyes: "But, but they all said that they all said that they were ...... mother."

Lu Xiaojing covered her mouth and endured two whimperes, and her tears were hooked up by these words again.

"They have the final say? Don't be stupid when you read, right? ”

“......”

"I bought some food and came back, you cook, make something light and delicious for Mom, I'll go see Mom first."

Lu Xiaojing let out an "oh", thought about it and said again: "Sister, you, don't tell your mother that I called you back, I'm afraid she will scold me......"

Lu Xiaoqing couldn't help but smile and nodded, and snorted.

There was no light in the room, and her mother's coughing sound came from the darkness, which made Lu Xiaoqing's heart throb and her eyes moist.

Standing in the doorway, she took a few deep breaths, wiped away the tears that had fallen, and was able to fully control her emotions, before gently pushing open the hidden door and walking in.

"Mom."

"Y-big sister?"

"Well, Mom, I'm back."

With a "pop" sound, the light was turned on, Qin Cuifang sat up and looked at Lu Xiaoqing in surprise: "Why are you back?" It's the dead girl of the second sister, isn't it? She called you back? ”

Seeing that her mother was angry, Lu Xiaoqing hurriedly stepped forward to pick up a pillow and lean on the head of the bed to help her sit more comfortably, while saying, "Don't blame her, you are so sick that you don't allow me to come back?" ”

Seeing that her mother, who was healthy more than a month ago, had a sallow face, sunken cheeks, cloudy eyes, and a dull twilight in her whole person, Lu Xiaoqing's heart hurt like a pinprick.

Qin Cuifang smiled reluctantly: "It's not that I don't have anything, it's just a cough, and it will be fine in a few days." You only came back for the Chinese New Year, and now you are on leave, is the boss willing? Don't bother you...... You are the first genuine college student in our village, and now the state does not include distribution, and it is said on TV that college students are not easy to find jobs. If you lose your job, it's not—"

"Mom, I won't!" Lu Xiaoqing smiled bitterly: "You are sick, I can still work with peace of mind, then I am not a person." If you don't want to affect me, you can get better quickly, I promise, I'll leave as soon as you get well. ”

"Alas!" Qin Cuifang couldn't help but smile, her smile was full of love and comfort, but also a little sad.

The mother and daughter talked for a while, and Lu Xiaoqing had already asked about her mother's illness.

I felt even more guilty, it turned out that before the Chinese New Year, my mother felt uncomfortable, and she was also coughing, she didn't take it seriously at that time, and she didn't notice it, but she didn't expect it to suddenly become serious and become a major symptom.

Lu Xiaojing cooked the meal, the sisters ate it while it was hot, and the steamed tofu minced meat on the stove was for her mother.

The sisters ate well and went into the room to feed their mother.

Qin Cuifang frowned as soon as she saw the food, and after eating a few bites, she stopped eating, "I can't eat it, it's bitter in my mouth, it's bitter to eat anything, take it away, don't eat it." ”

Lu Xiaoqing still wanted to persuade her, but Lu Xiaojing hurriedly pulled her away.

"Don't persuade me, I won't eat it if I persuade my mother, and I'll be angry."

Lu Xiaoqing sighed and worried: "How can you nourish your body if you only eat so little?" I can't bear it even if I'm not sick! ”

Lu Xiaojing: "But mom just doesn't eat it!" ”

Lu Xiaoqing is also out of line.

Lu Xiaojing began to decoct the medicine again.

A black clay medicine pot is burned on the wind stove, and after it is burned, a bowl of black and strange smell of medicinal juice is poured out and put aside to dry.

Lu Xiaoqing was a little dumbfounded, "What kind of medicine is this?" Where did you get it? ”

Lu Xiaojing: "Uncle Luo helped get it, the herbs found in the mountains, there are still two packets there, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow." Stay up in the morning, warm it up at noon and drink it again in the evening, you can drink it for a day. ”

Lu Xiaoqing opened a plastic bag, which contained many herbs, which were mixed together, or broken branches, or churned into balls. There are also various fallen leaves, flower buds, and bud packets in the plastic bag.

She didn't know any of them.

Looking at this big bag of "herbs", and then looking at the bowl of black steaming medicinal juice, Lu Xiaoqing felt a chill in her heart.