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墨書 Inktalez
“Er Ya, if you go to the capital, will you be able to get into a key university?” What Gao Qingzhen knew was that universities were divided into regular undergraduate programs, key undergraduate programs, and vocational schools.
“It should be possible, not too difficult!” Jiang Yizhou felt a bit relieved yet guilty. “But will you and Dad go with me? I’m not often in the capital; someone has to accompany my sister!”
Perhaps this was a good opportunity to bring his parents to the capital. Although the environment might be a bit lacking, the average life expectancy was indeed among the highest in the country, with the best medical resources available, and his parents were still in good health.
Unlike Grandparents, who were older and didn’t have any major illnesses but were constantly unwell, for elderly people, maintaining health was more important than treatment. Their bodies couldn’t withstand much strain; they could only stay indoors, which could easily lead to illness. It would be more suitable for them to move to the suburbs of the city, buy a house for retirement, close to nature, which would be conducive to their health.
“But didn’t we just finish building this house? And your Grandparents also need someone to take care of them!” His mother was indeed conflicted; this was unavoidable. It was often impossible to manage everything.
“Mom, you really need to think about it. If you want to go to the capital, I can help you prepare a place to live, handle the household registration and school enrollment. But I’ll only be there for a short while before I leave!”
Jiang Yizhou let his mother choose; this kind of thing didn’t matter much to him. However, he still felt it was better to avoid complications. In an unfamiliar place, and considering Xiao Ya’s easily swayed nature, it depended on whether his mother could make a decision.
After that, Jiang Yizhou went back inside to take a nap. As long as conditions allowed, it was fine to catch up on sleep. Besides, there wasn’t much going on at the moment. His attitude towards acquaintances from his past was not one of natural familiarity; aside from a few close family members he interacted with daily, he only exchanged a few words when he ran into others.
Without the right to be picky, he could only avoid these memories of familiar faces.
“Sister-in-law, did you hear Jiang Yizhou is back?” For some reason, there seemed to be more visitors than usual. They quickly asked about Jiang Yizhou, who had just returned. This woman was the wife of Jiang Maoqiang’s cousin; by the way, her son was sixteen years old.
“Between planes and trains, he’s exhausted from rushing home; he’s still sleeping!” Gao Qingzhen shot her husband a glare; whenever their son returned home, it was probably because he had been chatting with others and let it slip.
“Well, he really is busy! Unlike my son, who hasn’t gone back to school yet and doesn’t have a proper job!”
“Hey~~ not just busy but also has high demands!” Gao Qingzhen continued along with her words. “In his company, they generally don’t hire anyone without a college degree; otherwise, the salary is high. If you don’t have some skills, you can’t last long. Jiang Xiaojuan, that’s Jiang Qingyu’s daughter; he didn’t even hire her and let a friend take her on as a favor!”
Sister's face darkened a bit. A college student, there hadn't been one in the village for five or six years; wasn't this a direct rejection? After entangling with Gao Qingzhen for a while, she realized there was no room for maneuver, especially regarding Jiang Xiaojuan's IOU, which was truly merciless.
She followed Gao Qingzhen and also criticized Jiang Qingyu a few times before making an excuse to leave.
In fact, many people had originally sought out Jiang Yizhou, but she had intercepted them, effectively discouraging them with her sharp words.
Gao Qingzhen was not the kind of person who was overly rigid. While he valued face, he also understood human relationships; it depended on whether one was soft-hearted or not and how well one could communicate.
...
Not far from the old house was Uncle's House, the first to be divided off, with the chosen plot of land close to the Old House.
Due to the urgency of returning, Jiang Yizhou didn't bring much with him. However, he had previously asked his parents to buy several courses of medicine for treating his chronic ailments, which cost over a thousand yuan and were now gone. Besides Aunt grumbling about the waste and suggesting they might as well save it for a good meal so they could enjoy it together, the two elderly people had poor appetites and couldn't eat much.
"Zhou'er is here! He's really grown into a handsome young man!" Grandpa, lying in bed, had more old ailments than ever—chronic diseases and injuries. The old man had already lost some weight; it was uncertain how many more years he could hold on.
One winter, he might suddenly catch a chill, like a fuse igniting one ailment after another in his body. It had long become an insurmountable burden; if he managed to endure another year of hardship, he would survive; if not, he would take his last breath, and the family would replace the couplets with white ones.
To be able to pass away peacefully and healthily during a midday nap without ever opening one's eyes again was rare. Most often, it happened during one harsh winter after another when one could no longer endure and departed from this world.
This was all a result of having worked too hard in youth and damaging one's body. However, those who toiled in the fields mostly had no choice; some only had strong bodies to show for it.
"Grandpa, how are you feeling?" Jiang Yizhou looked at the elderly man before him, resembling a kind old man from a book titled "My First Eighteen Years," whom he admired greatly but felt less close to.
"Alright, alright, it's so good that I don't want to leave!" Grandpa made a not-so-funny joke. "By the way, those medicines you sent really work; my appetite has improved a lot."
Jiang Yizhou held the old man's hands while sitting by the bed. Grandma sat on the other side; her health was a bit better than Grandpa's, and she could still get out of bed, cook, and do some cleaning.
"Since they work, I'll buy some more and bring them over later! If there's anything you need or want in the future, Grandpa can just tell me!" Jiang Yizhou had never experienced this feeling before; his grandparents had passed away early in his previous life. With his somewhat naive understanding of emotions, all he could think of was giving whatever was lacking. Although Aunt might take advantage of him, she would still do what needed to be done.
Grandpa laughed heartily. "That's enough, that's enough. Just having your filial piety is enough for me. I've got nothing else to ask for in this life; I'm just waiting to die without bothering you anymore. Cough, cough..."
Grandpa spoke too much all at once and struggled to catch his breath. Grandma quickly leaned forward to pat his back. According to previous examination results, one of the issues was with his lungs; aside from major surgery for removal, there was only relief available.
However, even if the old man could come down from the operating table, he probably wouldn't last long. A serious problem with modern medicine is that the treatment methods can cause significant harm to patients.
Many "filial children," regardless of their authenticity or reasons, use various traumatic treatment methods to give their parents a little more time to breathe, which can be excruciatingly painful—living like this is worse than dying.
A person's lifespan is generally predictable, except for some wealthy individuals who are unwilling to grow old, like the head of a prominent American family who has undergone six heart transplants and two kidney transplants—those are rare cases.
Providing end-of-life care for the elderly is important, rather than prolonging their lives at the cost of immense suffering before death. Jiang Yizhou strongly agreed with this philosophy.
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