Chapter 14: Mom's Plea Just This Once

“Rumble... rumble...”
In the night sky, thunder roared like a mighty beast, wave after wave, shaking the entire village.
The raindrops, unwilling to be outdone, pelted the earth densely, accompanied by lightning that occasionally tore through the darkness.
On this stormy night, Li Aimei lay in bed, the pain of rheumatism like thousands of needles wandering through her bones, making it hard for her to sleep.
She curled up, brows furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
On nights like this, her daughter Lin Junwan must have been awakened as well.
Lin Junwan was particularly sensitive to sounds, especially the deafening thunder.
Thinking of this, Li Aimei could no longer remain lying down; she slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard.
Her gaze pierced through the dim room, as if it could see through everything, reaching back to those difficult days gone by.
Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had with Wang Guifen earlier that day.
Li Aimei sat upright, her hands clenched tightly, knuckles roughened by the passage of time.
She whispered softly, as if speaking to the air or confiding in distant memories.
“Ah, Wan, you know, a mother’s heart is a complex brew, full of all flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty.”
Her voice was low and hoarse, like an ancient organ slowly playing in the quiet night, tinged with a faint tremor barely perceptible.
“Your father left us too soon, leaving the three of us women alone in this world. I, a frail woman, had to be both the strength of a father and the gentleness of a mother, sweating and crying, raising you and your brother with sheer grit. What is it that I truly hope for in my heart?”
At this point, Li Aimei’s eyes began to redden.
Tears, like pearls broken from their string, quietly slipped down onto the slightly worn quilt.
Lin Junwan lay beside her, listening to her mother’s words, feeling as if a great weight pressed upon her chest, making her breath heavy.
She struggled to control her emotions, but tears welled up uncontrollably, her voice choked with sobs: “Mom, please don’t say anymore, I already know...”
Li Aimei continued, “I know you don’t like hearing this, but all my life, I’ve only wished for a good future for you all, that the Lin family’s flame of heritage would never die out. That’s a heavy stone pressing on my heart.”
“Rumble... rumble...”
At that moment, thunder crashed again outside the window.
Li Aimei raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye with a white-worn coarse cloth handkerchief, then blew her nose fiercely.

---

“I remember back then, the house was so poor it echoed with emptiness, you were as thin as a stick, skin stretched tight over bone. Your brother always saved the little good food we had for you. In the coldest winter months, worried you might freeze, he would tuck your little feet under his chest at night to keep them warm. Have you forgotten all this?”
Hearing this, Lin Junwan’s tears poured forth like a bursting dam; she sobbed, “Mom, how could I forget how good my brother was to me? I’ll remember it for a lifetime. But... but we can’t let Yonggang down!”
A complex emotion flickered in Li Aimei’s eyes, but she said softly, “I know, Yonggang is a diligent and kind child. Plowing fields, threshing, cutting wheat—he always rushes to help. But I have no other way left. You all must bear some hardship, just this once. Wan, I beg you this one time—it will be the last...”
Every word Li Aimei spoke was weighted and tear-streaked.
Lin Junwan tossed and turned in bed.
Amid flashes of lightning and thunderclaps, light filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled patterns across her face, reflecting the turmoil and unease within her heart.
Lin Junsheng’s words were like prophecy, accurately predicting her weakness.
Even before Li Aimei threatened to take extreme measures, Lin Junwan was already trapped in a web of conflicting feelings.
She closed her eyes, trying to cast all worries aside, but those words haunted her like a nightmare, entwining her thoughts and making sleep elusive.
At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds to illuminate the ancient village, Li Yonggang was already standing at Lin Junwan’s doorstep.
He saw her emerge with dark circles under her eyes and felt a pang of sympathy, mistakenly assuming the stormy night had robbed her of rest.
“Wan, didn’t sleep well? We need to head to the fields early today—the irrigation channels must be cleared, or the crops will suffer.”
“Ha! Okay.” Lin Junwan yawned.
Seeing this, Li Yonggang showed concern, “How about you rest at home, and I’ll go handle it?”
“No, let’s go together.”
Side by side, they walked along the path leading to the fields. Villagers, some carrying hoes, others buckets of water, cast curious glances their way.
“Oh, Yonggang, look at you two—almost becoming the village’s scenery!” an elderly man chuckled, his face creased with laughter lines blooming like flowers. “When’s the wedding? We’re all waiting for a celebration!”
“Don’t rush, sir, it’s still early,” Li Yonggang scratched his head awkwardly, cheeks flushed.
“Not early, not early!” another auntie interrupted, carrying freshly picked vegetables. “Look at Wan’s eyes—clearly from a busy night, haha! Hurry up and have a big, healthy boy, and our village will be lively!”
“That’s right, that’s right. Young people must seize the moment. Miss the right time, and it will be hard to find again!”
The villagers chimed in, laughter and chatter blending together.
Li Yonggang and Lin Junwan exchanged smiles, their cheeks flushed with rosy hues.
They weren’t new to working in the fields, and had never heard such talk before.

---

What was going on with everyone today?
Both wondered.
What they didn’t realize was that a casual moment by the haystack yesterday had become the village’s favorite topic of gossip.
Several children playing hide-and-seek nearby had witnessed their kiss.
Once one child spread the word, all the kids knew.
The village children were ecstatic—after all, it was a scene not meant for their eyes.
Curiosity mingled with a sense of shame.
They ran about spreading the news, feeling like little heralds of a budding romance.
Each child returned home, narrating the event with vivid, though varying, detail.
“I heard from Er Gouzi that last night he saw Brother Yonggang and Sister Wan kissing by the haystack!”
“Wow! Really? Does that mean they’re getting married?”
“Of course! Who else would marry Wan if not him?”
Unaware of the vivid tales weaving through the village, Li Yonggang and Lin Junwan had already started clearing the irrigation channels with their hoes.
Even the village’s cats and dogs seemed to sense the flavor of gossip in the air.
That morning, Li Aimei carried a bamboo basket and a sickle, ready to cut pig grass.
Several dogs barked and circled her.
Nearby villagers chuckled.
“Aimei, you’re about to be a grandmother! When will we get to eat your red eggs?”
Li Aimei looked at them in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.