Free Web NovelChapter 85: Chapter 85: Broken Arms and Legs
Su Li had just reached the gate to the Tang Family’s home when she met Little Tang Mo coming out.
They came face-to-face, stopping short.
Su Li’s eyes lit up when she saw Little Tang Mo, while he froze for a second upon seeing her.
Just as Su Li was about to call out to him, Little Tang Mo let out a WAIL and burst into tears.
His cry was piercing; it was no exaggeration to call it heart-rending.
Hearing his cries and seeing the large tears rolling down his face, Su Li’s heart clenched painfully.
In her past life, wracked with guilt, Su Li had dreamed countless times of Little Tang Mo crying just like this. Each time, she would jolt awake, her own face streaked with tears, her heart aching unbearably.
This was the first time the real Little Tang Mo had ever cried this way, but for Su Li, it felt all too familiar.
At the sound of his sobs, the color drained from her face, and her heart constricted into a tight knot.
"Little Mo... what’s wrong?" Su Li’s knees gave out, and she sank to the ground to pull him into a hug.
Hearing her voice and feeling her arms around him, Little Tang Mo’s cries grew even more piercing, thick with grievance.
"Mama... Mama..." he sobbed, his eyes squeezed shut as he clung tightly to Su Li’s neck, refusing to let go.
"I’m here, sweetie. Don’t cry, Little Mo..." Su Li held him close, patting his shoulder soothingly as a sting pricked her own nose.
"Mama..." Little Tang Mo’s repeated calls made Su Li’s eyes well up.
"Don’t cry, Little Mo. What is it? Did something happen?" Su Li asked, looking up as she held him.
The Tang Family’s house was standing just fine; it hadn’t collapsed.
Su Li tried to pull back to get a look at him, but Little Tang Mo just clung to her desperately.
"No, Mama, I’m scared... SOB..." His mother’s movement only made him cry louder.
"Okay, okay, I won’t. I won’t let go." Su Li immediately conceded, letting him cling to her.
"Mama... don’t leave... Don’t go anywhere... I thought you... you weren’t coming back... again..."
Little Tang Mo sobbed, his voice choked and broken, full of fear and a sense of being wronged.
"SOB... I’m scared... Grandma... SOB..."
He called for his grandmother but was crying too hard to explain what had happened.
Su Li’s brow furrowed. "What about Grandma?"
’Did something happen to Mrs. Tang?’
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Li simply scooped Little Tang Mo into her arms and walked into the Tang Family’s courtyard.
Su Li had just stepped into the courtyard when she heard an anxious cry from Mrs. Tang’s room.
"What’s wrong with Momo? Momo... Ouch..."
The words were followed by another cry of pain and the faint sound of a thud.
Frowning, Su Li quickened her pace.
Little Tang Mo must have heard it too, as his sobs began to subside.
Still holding Little Tang Mo, Su Li pushed open the partially closed door to Mrs. Tang’s room.
The moment she opened the door, she saw Mrs. Tang on the floor. One arm was in a sling, and her leg was in a splint. She was groaning in pain as she struggled to get up.
"Grandma..." Little Tang Mo finally let go of Su Li. With tears still streaming down his face and his breath catching in hiccuping sobs, he rushed over to his grandmother, wanting to help her up.
Su Li set Little Tang Mo down. "What happened?"
"Ouch... Su Li, you’re finally back!" Mrs. Tang said from the floor, then quickly turned to comfort her grandson.
"Don’t cry, Momo. Your mama’s back. Hearing you cry all of a sudden gave Grandma a fright..."
Su Li stepped forward and struggled to half-carry, half-drag Mrs. Tang back onto the bed. "What happened?"
"Grandma’s leg... is broken. Her arm is broken, too," Little Tang Mo said from the side, hiccuping through his tears.
"Stop crying, now. Ouch... my little treasure." Mrs. Tang wiped away Little Tang Mo’s tears before turning to Su Li.
"Why are you only just getting back now? My arm and leg are both broken, there’s no one at home, the pigs, ox, and chickens have nobody to tend to them, and there’s no one to look after Momo!"
Her hair was a mess, and she looked utterly wretched.
"It was raining, so I couldn’t get back," Su Li said, raising an eyebrow at Mrs. Tang. "How did you break your arm and leg?"
’The Tang Family’s house is fine. How could she have broken her bones?’
"Don’t even ask!" Mrs. Tang grimaced, unable to stop a cry of pain from escaping. "Ouch..."
Her broken limbs were already agonizing, but having just struggled and fallen off the bed made the pain even more intense.
"Grandma, I’ll go get Uncle Shuanshu," Little Tang Mo said, wiping his tears as he started for the door.
"No, don’t, Momo," Mrs. Tang called out quickly, then turned to Su Li.
"Take Momo out of here. I’m fine."
Su Li nodded. "Little Mo, let’s let Grandma rest. We’ll go outside."
She really couldn’t bring herself to feel any sympathy for Mrs. Tang’s miserable state, so she simply picked up Little Tang Mo and left the room.
’I didn’t expect so many houses in Xinghua Village to have collapsed, or that Mrs. Tang would end up with broken bones.’
Su Li carried Little Tang Mo into the kitchen, setting him down to check him over carefully. "You’re not hurt, are you, Little Mo?"
With Mrs. Tang injured, she worried that Little Tang Mo might have gotten scraped or bruised somewhere.
"No, Mama, I’m okay." Little Tang Mo’s eyes and nose were red, and he was still hiccuping. "What about you? Are you okay, Mama?"
As Su Li examined him, Little Tang Mo looked her up and down, his eyes never leaving her.
Seeing the look on his face, her heart melted completely. She stroked his head. "I’m fine."
Little Tang Mo squeezed Su Li’s hand and let out a huge sigh of relief. "As long as you’re okay, Mama. I was afraid something happened to you like it did to Grandma, and that’s why you weren’t coming back."
As he spoke, his eyes reddened again. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"There now, no more crying." A sour feeling rose in Su Li’s heart. She wiped his runny nose and looked him up and down, her expression unreadable.
The Tang Family’s financial situation had always been considered decent in Xinghua Village. Old Tang was a clever man who knew how to make money.
Tang Yuanxiao was also successful and filial, sending most of his earnings home as support. At a time when some families in Xinghua Village couldn’t even afford to build a thatched hut, the Tang Family had already built a house with a tiled roof.
Even though they lived in a rural village, Little Tang Mo had always been much better cared for than the other children.
Mrs. Tang doted on him like the apple of her eye, always giving him the best food and making sure he never wanted for clothes.
He might not have gotten new clothes every day, but even his old ones were always kept spotlessly clean.
But now, the boy who was once the cleanest child in Xinghua Village had turned into a grimy little mud monkey, so much so that she almost didn’t recognize him.
He was dirtier than she had ever seen him. His clothes were spattered with mud, and his once fair, clean face was now streaked with grime like a stray cat’s.
His beloved woolen hat, which he usually never took off, was nowhere to be seen. His hair, which had grown out a bit, was filthy and matted.
The sight of him so dirty was unprecedented, and it made her heart ache even more.
"Let’s get your face washed," Su Li said, her heart aching for him.
"Okay," Little Tang Mo nodded, clutching her hand. "Mama, I thought you weren’t coming back... that you didn’t want me anymore..." freeweɓnøvel.com
He nestled into her embrace. "Mama, don’t go anywhere ever again, okay? Or if you go somewhere, take me with you, okay?"
This time, nearly half a month had passed between Su Li’s departure and her return—even longer than the last time—and to make matters worse, disaster had struck.
Most of the houses in Xinghua Village were thatched-roof huts. When the rains began, they merely leaked. But by the third day of on-and-off downpours, they started to collapse.
Mrs. Tang placed great importance on neighborly relations. She was an eager helper who always lent a hand when she could. So, when she heard a house had collapsed, she rushed over to her old friend’s home.
But her trip was an unlucky one. She had just stepped into her friend’s home, taken one look at the water flooding the room, and exclaimed, "What a disaster!" when the house gave a loud CREAK and collapsed.
Mrs. Tang had no time to run before a roof beam fell and hit her, breaking her leg and her arm.
Fortunately, she hadn’t brought Little Tang Mo with her. But life hadn’t been easy for the boy after her injury.
With Mrs. Tang injured and Su Li still not back, Little Tang Mo had become truly terrified.
