With a gentle push, the wooden door creaked open.
The room was pitch black.
Xiao Shuai reached out to find the light pull on the wall and gave it a tug. "Click," but the light didn’t turn on.
Of course, without him around and with his mother’s poor eyesight, there was no way she could remember to pay the electric bill. It must be a power cut.
By this time, his mother should be asleep in the inner room.
Xiao Shuai raised his voice and shouted.
A faint cough came from the inner room, followed by the sound of shuffling and groping.
A moment later, an elderly woman with graying hair and a stooped figure groped her way out of the inner room.
It was Xiao Shuai’s mother, Li Guifen.
Her skin was sallow, and time had left marks on her face that made her look far older than her actual age.
Her eyes were deeply sunken, lacking any sparkle, clearly showing signs of vision problems.
"Is it Ren? You’re back!"
Li Guifen followed the sound of his voice, a delighted smile breaking across her face. She reached out her withered hand, wanting to touch her son.
The fact that Xiao Shuai had been in jail was naturally kept from his mother. He had someone send word that he was working on a ship far away, earning big money.
Now, seeing his mother trembling as she came over, he worried she might fall and also feared she might notice the wounds on his face.
So he quickly stepped forward a few steps, held her arm, and repeated:
He took the opportunity to hand her the fruit, cheerfully saying:
"I passed a fruit stand on my way and saw that the bananas and apples were fresh, so I bought you some."
Li Guifen took the somewhat heavy net bag, which felt weighty in her hand, and chided:
"You child, what’s the point of spending money ; these things can’t be eaten as meals."
As she spoke, she carefully felt her son’s arms and waist, full of concern, asking repeatedly:
"Is it hard on the ship? Why does it seem like you’ve lost a lot of weight? Have you eaten? I’ll cook for you right now."
Saying this, she was about to shuffle towards the stove when she stopped, remembering that there were only a few withered vegetable leaves left at home.
So she turned around and said:
"I’ll go to Li’s at the street corner to get some cold dishes to welcome you home properly."
Saying this, she started to feel her way back to the inner room to get money.
In Chen Chen’s office, Xiao Shuai indeed had some wine and dishes, but he was preoccupied and didn’t eat much, so his stomach was still a bit hungry now.
But seeing his mother , he quickly took her hand to dissuade her:
"Mom, no need to bother, I ate on the ship, I’m full."
He helped his mother sit down on the broken wooden stool propped up with a brick:
"You just sit and rest a bit and talk with me, that’s enough, I’m not hungry, just walked a lot and a bit thirsty."
He felt for the enamel mug on the table, poured some cold boiled water, and tilted his head back to gulp a few mouthfuls.
Then, smacking his lips in satisfaction, he said:
"There’s nothing like the sweet water from home!"
Li Guifen, hearing this, smiled with contentment:
"Of course, the water on the ship must be salty and astringent, nowhere as clear and tasty as here at home."
"Mom, you’re right, that’s just how it was on the ship..."
Xiao Shuai responded casually, making up various experiences of working on the ship to divert his mother’s attention.
Meanwhile, his gaze swept casually over the home he’d been away from for so long, inadvertently catching sight of the dining table.
There, a worn porcelain bowl covered with a net held a small amount of now-black pickled vegetables.
Beside it was half a dried-out bun, faintly giving off a sour smell.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Shuai’s gaze seemed fixed in place, stunned for a moment.
A surge of bitterness rushed from his heart straight to his nose.
Immediately, his nose tingled, and his eyes began to heat up.
Xiao Shuai quickly turned his head, pretending he was choked, covering his mouth tightly.
His Adam’s apple moved uncontrollably up and down, pressing the sob that almost escaped back down.