Chapter 28 - For the first time, he felt that letting this woman back into their lives was the right decision. (2)
Tong Xuelu feigned a sigh. “Of course we do but my grandmother had lost her mind a while back and needed constant care. My two uncles are very filial and wanted to stay in the village to take care of her. That is why we are going to sell the position.”
“Oh, lost her mind?”
Xu Baigen and his wife were shocked.
When Old Mrs. Tong came to visit 6 months ago, she demanded meat at each meal and sounds very lively when she was yelling at others. How did she suddenly lose her mind?
Tong Jiaming, too, was taken aback when he heard that. He turned and gave Tong Xuelu a look.
But he quickly lowered his head and didn’t call her out on it.
Tong Xuelu continued to lie through her teeth with the most serious look. “The doctor said it’s Alzheimer’s or something like that. She isn’t entire out of her mind. Sometimes she can recognize people and looks normal but other times she will have an episode and yell and hit people. I heard that many in the village had been hit by her!
“That is the reason that my two uncles dare not move with her to the city. They had planned to come after they had wrapped up with their work in the farm but were delayed by my grandmother’s illness.” Tong Xuelu sighed.
Zhou Fang was worried after she heard that. “That serious? Will she be able to recover from that?”
Tong Xuelu sighed again and waved her hand. “I don’t think so. I hadn’t seen my grandmother yet but I am still sad to hear that this has happened to her in her old age……”
Toward the end, her eyes were red and her voice broke. She looked like she was in great sadness.
Tong Jiaming, “……”
He almost fell for it.
Xu Baigen and Zhou Fang, on the other hand, felt that Tong Xuelu was a filial child.
There were all sorts of rumors about Tong Xuelu before her return, especially during the period of time immediately after the death of Tong Dajun and his wife. That was when the worst rumors came out.
Now it looked like everyone had misunderstood her. She even felt this way toward her grandmother whom she had never seen before, so how would she be someone who was chase behind wealth and hate the poor.
“Are you and your siblings going to move to the village then?”
Tong Xuelu shook her head. “No, we won’t. There aren’t a lot of work back home already and now grandma needed caring for. Us going back there will only add on to our uncles and aunties’ burden.”
“Besides, I’m an adult already. I can make money and support by brothers and sister. Once I can save up some money, I will send some nutritious food back home to my grandmother.”
Zhou Fang’s look became even more tender after she heard that. “You are such a filial girl. I am sure your grandmother will be very happy when she heard that.”
“Being filial to the elders is the right thing to do.” Tong Xuelu gave a shy look when she heard that. “Oh right, Brother Xu, Sister Zhou Fang, have you considered purchasing the stevedore position?”
Zhou Fang was taken aback a little, “Purchase it? But we have no use of it.”
Stevedore was a job that required physical labor and had only been held by men. Xu Baigen was the only son in the family; they would have no use of the position.
Tong Xuelu, “You can purchase it for now then look to trade it with someone else. You will have a much better chance of getting a suitable job than continue to wait around like you are doing right now.”
Xu Baigen and Zhou Fang exchanged a look.
She was right. How come that had never occurred to them before?
It would be much easier to have a position to swap with others than just waiting for an open spot, except that……
“How much do you want for that, big little sister?”
“You just need to pay me 350 yuan, Brother Xu and Sister Zhou Fang.”