Chapter Thirty-Four: A Mother's Kindness and a Son's Filial Piety

  In the dimly lit bridge cave, it was filthy and smelly, and Zhang Yi almost suffocated when he crawled in. In a place where tattered clothes were piled up, a disheveled woman with messy hair sat limply on top of them. Next to her lay severely damaged pots and pans.

  What shocked Zhang Yi the most was that on the woman's emaciated face, which was covered in dirt and grime, there was a shocking scar that looked like a centipede. Perhaps because the wound had not been treated properly, the surrounding facial muscles were already showing signs of decay and festering.

  "Son, he is..."

  The woman noticed Zhang Yi and struggled to get up, but failed after several attempts.

  Wang Xiaofei squatted down beside the woman, smiling and saying: "Mom, this big brother's name is Zhang Yi. Previously, there was a bad woman who let her dog bite me, but he saved me and also helped me treat my injuries. He said he's also willing to treat your injuries."

  The woman's face changed greatly, she didn't hear clearly what her son said afterwards, both hands quickly lifted up, with a tense face grasping her son's arms, and asked urgently: "Son, are you injured? Where is the injury? Is it serious?"

  As she spoke, tears were already welling up in her eyes.

  "Mom, I'm fine, it's nothing serious."

  The woman gazed through the blurry water curtain at her son's radiant smile, but her heart was in agony, as if cut by a knife. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes could no longer be held back and burst forth.

  Her thin hands, trembling slightly, gently cupped her son's face. The woman sobbed pitifully: "Son, I'm sorry, it's all because Mom is useless. Mom's legs are paralyzed and can't take care of you, but instead, you have to take care of Mom. Sorry, waaah..."

  How could she not know how much suffering her son had endured, how much pain he had suffered, and how many grievances he had borne in the past six months? Every time her son came back covered in bruises, he would force a smile on his face, carefully place the food he had begged for in front of her, saying that he had already eaten, that the wounds on his body were from his own falls, bumps and knocks. Her heart was bleeding, wishing it was she who was injured instead of her son.

  She is heartbroken, she is in pain.

  She would rather die herself to alleviate her son's burden.

  How many times she held a sharp shard of glass against her wrist, how many times she placed a rusty blade across her neck.

  She wants to die!

  But she was worried about her son, if she died, what would happen to him? If he were beaten by someone outside and suffered injustice, who would he tell? Who would he cry to? If he got hurt, who would bandage his wound?

  Time and time again, picking up something that could be fatal, and time and time again, putting it down with tears streaming down.

  The torment of a hard life, the pain and pressure that her little son's small body had to bear, filled her heart with despair and helplessness.

  At this moment, her eyes only had her son left in them.

  Sobbing and crying.

  Those heart-wrenching words, trembling as she spoke amidst her sobs: "Son, it's all mom's fault. If I weren't such a burden to you, you wouldn't have to work so hard, struggle so much, or get beaten by others. Mom is sorry, mom's heart aches..."

  Wang Xiaofei was also in tears at this moment, but he didn't cry out loud. With tears streaming down his face, there was a smile on that little face of his.

  That's right, it's a smile.

  It was a smile he forced out.

  "Mom, don't say that, you're not a burden to me, I'm not tired or bitter. Mom, stop crying, I'm really fine, your son has grown up, I can carry you on my back and hurry along the road, I can get food for you, seeing mom eat the food I got is the happiest time for me. Mom, don't cry..."

  Standing at the entrance of the bridge, Zhang Yi's body was slightly trembling, his eyes were already filled with tears, this mother and son had deeply moved him, touching the softest part of his heart.

  A filial son is born of a loving mother.

  This scene before his eyes suddenly reduced a lot of hatred for his mother in his heart.

  She gave birth to herself, but did not raise herself. Perhaps it was because she had an unspeakable sorrow. He believed that there was no mother in the world who did not love her own child. He also believed that his mother, who was now nowhere to be found, actually still cared about him and missed him.

  1. Filial piety moves Heaven;

  2. Playful tricks delight parents;

  3. Deer milk serves parents;

  4. Carrying rice for a hundred miles;

  5. Biting fingers in grief;

  6. Wearing reed clothes to obey mother;

  7. Tasting medicine for parents;

  8. Picking mulberries with different utensils;

  9. Burying children to bury mothers;

  10. Selling oneself to bury one's father;

  11: Carving wood to serve parents;

  12: Spring water and leaping carp;

  13: Holding oranges to give to relatives;

  14: Fanning pillows and warming quilts;

  15: Working as a laborer to support mother;

  16: Weeping at the grave upon hearing thunder;

  17: Crying over bamboo makes it grow shoots;

  18: Sleeping on ice to seek carp;

  19: Strangling tigers to save one's father;

  20: Allowing mosquitoes to feed until full;

  21: Tasting feces with a worried heart;

  22: Nursing an aunt without growing tired;

  23: Washing utensils for parents;

  24: Giving up office to search for mother.

  These twenty-four stories all exemplify filial piety without exception and are enough to move people to tears.

  Motherly love is boundless!

  Filial piety is the root of all virtues.

  Zhang Yi wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, turned around and walked out of the bridge cave. Breathing in the air outside which was infinitely better than the air inside, he adjusted his emotions and said to Wang Xiaofei who was still inside the bridge cave: "Xiaofei, carry your mother out, we'll take her to the medical center."

  The mother and son suddenly remembered at this moment that Zhang Yi was still here.

  The woman hastily wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice to Wang Xiaofei: "Son, is he really going to help me with my illness?"

  Wang Xiaofei nodded heavily: "Brother Zhang Yi is a good person, and no one has ever been willing to help me, but he helped me and protected me. The wounds on my body were all cleaned and bandaged by him."

  The woman nodded silently and said: "Son, carry me out! I want to thank them."

  Wang Xiaofei's face was covered with tears, but a radiant smile broke out from the bottom of his heart. He hunched over, gritted his teeth and used all his strength to carry his mother on his back from the pile of tattered clothes and crawled out of the bridge hole.

  Zhang Yi stood outside the bridge cave and watched Wang Xiaofei carry his mother out. Suddenly he said: "Give me, I'll carry her."

  "Brother, I can carry it," said Wang Xiaofei.

  Zhang Yi shook his head and, without paying attention to the woman's filthy condition, almost rushed to put her on his back, saying: "Auntie, I'll carry you to the medical hall."

  For Zhang Yi, the woman's body was really too light, he felt that he hadn't used any strength at all.

  The girl lying on Zhang Yi's back, with a hint of gratitude on her face, opened her mouth and said: "Thank you, but please put me down! I'm dirty and smelly all over my body, and I'll get your clothes dirty later..."

  Zhang Yi interrupted her: "Auntie, this is what I should do. What's the big deal about being dirty and smelly? When I used to work with my dad, I was also covered in dirt and smell. Besides, Xiaofei is weak and frail, he would have a hard time carrying you."

  The girl leaned on Zhang Yi's back, her lips moved a few times before she said in a low voice:

  "Thank you."

  The entrance of the hospital.

  Yaotiantian, with a devilish figure, had an absolutely beautiful face with a smile on it, and was telling fairy tales to YinYin who sat beside her, propping up her chin and staring at her with big, shining eyes.

  It's just that!

  Rich in fantasy colors, the fairy tale was told by Yao Tian Tian with a majestic and domineering tone, her hands waving from time to time, as if dancing with swords.

  When Zhang Yi walked up to them with a woman named Li Cuilian on his back, none of them noticed Zhang Yi.

  "What's going on? So happy?"

  Zhang Yi stopped in his tracks and asked with a smile.

  Yinyin lifted her little face, and upon seeing Zhang Yi, she suddenly cheered and exclaimed: "Uncle, Sweetie Auntie is telling me Andersen's fairy tales. Hmm... who are they?"

  Yao Tiantian also stood up, wrinkling her brow due to the foul smell. Her gaze swept over Li Cuie on Zhang Yi's body and Wang Xiaofei before asking:

  "This is..."

  Zhang Yi smiled and said, "He is Wang Xiaofei, a good kid I met. The one on my back is her mother. Yao Tiantian, you stay here and play with Tingting first, I'll go in to treat her."

  Yao Tiantian nodded slowly with a look of surprise.

  Upon entering the clinic, Zhang Yi introduced Li Cuie to Hao Chengxiao and then placed her on the bed at the very back.

  "Hao Qianbei, on the way back, I've examined her and found that her lower body is paralyzed. In this case, my treatment won't be very effective. Can you, sir, cure her?"

  Zhang Yi asked with a hint of expectation.

  Hao Cheng Xiao didn't mind the filthy state of Li Cui E's body at all, and walked up to her side, grasping her wrist with one hand while diagnosing her pulse, and with the other hand, he tapped her legs a few times.

  "Don't you feel anything?"

  Li Cuilian hesitated for a moment, with a few points of trepidation, and said: "There is a little bit of feeling, more numbness, just pinching it a few times, only a thread of pain."

  Hao Cheng Xiao asked: "How long have you been in this situation?"

  Li Cuilian said: "Eight months."

  Hao Cheng nodded silently, releasing Li Cuie's wrist and said: "This is what someone else did to you, right? Your pelvis is fractured, your nervous system is dead, and the muscles in your legs are severely bruised, leading to internal bleeding. In many ways, this has caused you to gradually lose sensation in your lower body. If you had been treated early on, an ordinary hospital could have cured you, but now that eight months have passed, treatment will be extremely troublesome."

  Trouble?

  Does this represent being cured?

  "Whoosh..."

  Wang Xiaofei knelt down in front of Hao Chengxiao, knocking his head on the ground several times. The wound on his forehead, which was bandaged, began to bleed again. With a pleading expression, he said: "Grandfather Hao, please, I beg of you, help my mother get better. If you can cure my mother's leg, I'll do anything for you, even if it means being your servant."

  Hao Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a long silence, he finally spoke up: "Wanting to cure your mother's illness isn't impossible, but I need a certain medicinal herb. Without it, even with treatment, she won't be able to recover."

  "Quickly asking: 'Hao senior, what medicine?'"

  Hao Cheng Xiao said: "Jintai Teng."

  Zhang Yi quickly asked: "Where is the Golden Tail Teng? I'll go find it."

  Hao Cheng Xiao said: "I don't know either, Jintai Teng is a rare and precious medicinal material, worth thousands of dollars. Once it appears on the market, it will be bought immediately by those who recognize its value. However..."

  "What's wrong?" Zhang Yi asked.

  Hao Cheng Xiao said, "However, you can go to the neighboring state of Zhu City's medicinal material market. According to reliable sources, the Zhu City Medicinal Material Conference, which is held once every three years, will be held for three days, and at that time, there will definitely be a wide variety of medicinal materials available."

  Xuancheng City?

  Medicine Material Conference?

  Zhang Yi said in a low voice: "Hao senior, I will go to Zhoucun city three days later."