The Shibajie fried dough twists on the table were still wriggling their waists enthusiastically, but Second Brother had already disappeared. He had gone back to Tianjin. Although he was in Jinghai, he always claimed to be in Tianjin.
His two sisters took turns to look after him on duty again.
His pain was like a raging wildfire, burning all the way to his toenails. It was okay during the day. The sunlight and the birdsong played hide-and-seek with him through the old glass. But the thick night seemed endless.
When Elder Sister was there, he would at most let out groans of "Ouch, ouch". Elder Sister was already in her seventies. He understood the hardships of the old nurse and wanted her to get more sleep.
When Second Sister was there, he would shout out unrestrainedly when the pain was intense. He was like an old dog at night, whining. Second Sister would come over to take a look and then go back to sleep.
Sometimes, he would curse angrily, as if setting off a string of firecrackers, making noise in the night. Second Sister was used to it and just regarded it as Fifth Brother speaking a foreign language.
However, Liu You's wife, their neighbor, could always hear him clearly. The next day, Liu You's wife rushed over like a gust of wind and asked Second Sister, "What's going on with Li Dafa? He was yelling all night long."
Second Sister said, "It's the pain. Isn't it always like this in the end stage of this illness?" Liu You's wife said, "I heard there's a kind of injection, called something Ding? It can make the pain go away."
Second Sister said, "What Ding? Don't tell me it's the dandelion on the field. That's easy. There are plenty of those."
The dandelion is what they call "popo ding" locally. In late autumn, the flowers were gone and the leaves were falling.
Liu You's wife shook her head. "Definitely not. It's a kind of injection. Once you get the injection, you won't feel pain anymore. I'll go and ask."
With that, she rushed back home like a gust of wind and called her son-in-law, who was a pediatrician in the city's Children's Hospital.
She then rushed back to Li Dafa's house like a gust of wind again and said to Second Sister, "It's not the dandelion. It's called Dolantin. One injection and the person won't feel pain anymore, and they'll suffer less when they pass away."
Second Sister asked, "Is it expensive?"
Liu You's wife said, "It doesn't seem expensive, but it can't be prescribed casually. You also need some kind of certificate. Alas, his yelling was even worse than a cat in heat. I couldn't even sleep. Could you?"
Second Sister said, "If staying up all night could cure his illness, I'd sit like a Buddha every night."
Liu You's wife said, "Who says a bachelor is all alone and has no one to rely on? I think Li Dafa is lucky. Thanks to his two good sisters who take care of him, even cleaning up his excrement and urine. Otherwise, he would have long gone to..."
At this moment, her sharp ears caught the grunt of the pig in her pigsty. At the crucial moment, she got stuck with the word "Yama" in her throat, and another exclamation slipped out of her mouth, close to the word "Yama": "Alas... Second Sister, every family has its own troubles. Did you hear my pig grunting just now?"
Second Sister said, "It seemed that Fifth Brother was making noise."
Liu You's wife continued to talk about the pig on her own: "The old sow in my pigsty is about to give birth. It looks like there will be at least ten piglets in a litter. There are also two boars in the sty. They're used to being domineering. I'm really worried that once the piglets are born, they'll be trampled to deaths by those boars. Fathers are just not as caring about their children as mothers are."
Second Sister gave Liu You's wife a suspicious look: "How can animals be compared to humans? My husband, the scholar, is more anxious about our children than I am."
Liu You's wife continued to talk about the pig on her own: "Why don't I borrow your big pigsty for a couple of days and drive the boars over? When the piglets are a month old, I'll sell them all. Then there'll be a space, and I'll bring the boars back home."
Second Sister thought to herself, one old sow and two boars. Your old sow has two mates. No wonder it's going to give birth to ten piglets. So it's the offspring of two fathers.
However, she didn't say this. She knew that since Li Dafa was diagnosed with lymphoma, Liu You's wife often rushed over like a gust of wind. Sometimes she brought the noodles she had rolled out herself, sometimes the dumplings she had wrapped herself, and sometimes the big steamed buns she had made herself. Li Dafa often mentioned the kindness of Liu You's wife to his two sisters. The sisters, listening to this, couldn't help but think of a truth in unison: "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative."
However, the two sisters thought that Liu You's wife was acting suspiciously. They had eaten more dumplings than Li Dafa over the years, so naturally they were more shrewd.
Since Liu You's wife had come over enthusiastically to offer suggestions just now, Second Sister didn't know what to say, so she said to Liu You's wife, "Well, I'll discuss this with Fifth Brother and Elder Sister and get back to you. Anyway, your old sow won't be giving birth right away."
Of course, Second Sister didn't discuss this with Li Dafa. Her simple-minded brother would surely, out of gratitude for those noodles, dumplings, and big steamed buns, warmly welcome the two boars from the neighbor's house to stay temporarily. One should repay kindness with greater kindness.
Second Sister said to Elder Sister, "Liu You's old sow is about to give birth. Liu You's wife said that her old sow is going to have ten piglets. I think she's exaggerating. Pork is so expensive these days, and so are piglets. Only her old sow has a fertile belly, laying golden eggs for her. There's no room for her two boars in their sty, and she wants to use our big pigsty. There are shovels and big brooms in our big pigsty, and there's no space either. What do you think we should do?"
Second Sister also said to Elder Sister, "That woman has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Why is she being so nice to a dying man? She must be after something. Haven't you seen those cases where the neighbors occupied the old houses left by the people who died in the family? First, they put things there, and then gradually they took over the place legitimately. I know this basic common sense. No way. Even if her boars were emperors, they couldn't come in."
Elder Sister agreed. She also thought that Liu You's wife was acting suspiciously.
Second Sister said, "When I was taking away the corn last time, I saw several sacks of pig feed there. I asked Fifth Brother, and he said it was Liu You's. It seems that she had planned this long ago. First, she used the pig feed to occupy the north room, and then she used the boars to occupy the south pigsty. Her plan is so obvious that people in ten villages around can hear it. I think this is a good opportunity to ask her to take the feed away too."
Elder Sister agreed again. Remembering the corn that had been taken away by her sister, her heart skipped a beat. Second Sister finally concluded with a statement: There is no love without a reason, nor is there hate without a reason.
Second Sister felt quite learned after saying this. One is influenced by the company one keeps. Who told her to marry a scholar? She was only three years older than Li Dafa and was considered a trendy person in the new countryside.
The next day, Liu You's wife came again and said that her old sow had been a bit restless these two days, always fighting with the boars. She guessed that it was about to give birth, and the scientific term for it is prenatal depression.
Second Sister said, "Yesterday, the blind man in our village told a fortune. The blind man said that if we want Fifth Brother's condition to improve, there shouldn't be any animals that are incompatible with his Chinese zodiac sign in the due south direction. Fifth Brother is a Monkey in the Chinese zodiac. Monkeys and pigs are incompatible. If your pigs go into his pigsty, isn't that cursing him to die early? Although his illness is hopeless, we are close relatives. We still can't bear to see him go. So, this is absolutely not allowed. If he were in good health usually, it wouldn't matter if we raised a whole yard of pigs, let alone two."
Liu You's wife said, "Monkeys and pigs are incompatible? Liu You is a Monkey and I'm a Pig. We've been together for most of our lives. Except for the time when our kids were small and he was beaten lame by my rolling pin during a fight, we've been living just fine. This is the first time I've heard of this."
Second Sister said, "In your family, it's the woman who is a Monkey and the man who is a Pig, which is exactly the opposite. When the order is reversed, bad things turn into good things. So, your life will get better and better. Look, your your life will get better and better. Look, your old sow is going to give birth to ten piglets in one go. Oh my, that's amazing."
Liu You's wife knew that Li Dafa's Second Sister was a talkative and shrewd person. The plan to let the boars occupy the pigsty failed. Before she could feel sad and angry, something worse happened.
Li Dafa's Second Sister asked her to take the pig feed in the west wing back to her own home, with the reason: "These pig feed is for the animals that are incompatible with Fifth Brother. It also has a secondary incompatibility effect."
Second Sister was smiling when she said this. She was leaning against the door frame. Liu You's wife was also leaning against the door frame, but she had lost her confidence like a gust of wind without force.
Liu You's wife asked, "Did you give Li Dafa the dandelion injection? No, it's Dolantin! I heard him howling again last night."
Second Sister said, "My eldest nephew went to the hospital to get it today. The hospital said they still need a certificate from the village. It's clearly where he had the operation. Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart, an unnecessary step?"
At dusk the next day, the eldest nephew brought a box of Dolantin and invited Wok Lid, the doctor, to give the injection.
Wok Lid said, "This is something even better than gold. Use it sparingly. Have an injection every three days."
Late at night, Liu You's wife was all ears, like a bat coming out of its cave. But surprisingly, she didn't hear Li Dafa howling. Instead, the old sow in her pigsty was howling all night.
Dolantin was really better than gold. The raging wildfire of pain was reduced to ashes. Li Dafa's life would never spring back to life again, but it would be okay to freeze at a certain moment. Although winter hadn't arrived yet.
Every morning, before seeing the sunlight, he would first hear the first chirping of the sparrows. He would always wonder if there was any spilled grain left in the yard. He had been lying in bed for half a month. Maybe the sparrows had already pecked up all the remaining corn kernels, sorghum kernels, and millet kernels.
Early in the morning that day, a magpie on the sycamore tree was chirping merrily. When the sun was setting, his eldest brother from Jiamusi arrived.
Come to think of it, Li Dafa hadn't seen his eldest brother for almost ten years. The eldest brother was the second in the family in terms of age, but his back was hunched, and his face was covered with a web of wrinkles, looking extremely old. When Li D Daf a saw his Second Brother, Second Brother was heartbroken and shed tears. When he saw his eldest brother, the eldest brother was indifferent, and instead, he himself felt like crying out of heartache.
The eldest brother said, "It's already snowed twice in Jiamusi."
Elder Sister said, "It's really cold. Here, a woolen overcoat is enough."
The eldest brother asked, "What? What happened to your girl? Did something happen to the eldest or the second girl?"
Second Sister reminded Elder Sister, "He has a hearing problem. You have to speak louder to him."
But Li Dafa didn't have the strength to speak louder. At night when the eldest brother was on duty, he was a light sleeper, but with his hearing problem, even if he heard the noises Li Dafa made, he couldn't understand what they meant. Drinking water was a small matter and could be endured, but there was a pool of urine under him. The night was already deep and the dew was heavy. The warm urine soaked into the old clothes and quickly cooled down. Pure cotton was okay, but many synthetic fiber clothes don't absorb water. Li Dafa felt that he couldn't endure the long night. He couldn't hit his eldest brother with a wooden stick like he did with Second Brother. In his heart, he respected and cared about his eldest brother.
The scholar came to visit the eldest brother again. After the Frost's Descent, the cabbages in the field had already formed tight heads, and the dumplings made with them had a real cabbage flavor. Li Dafa was lying in bed watching them eat. The nutrient solution in the drip bottle was like the snow water that had just melted after the sun came out, dripping one by one, as if the dripping water was wearing away the stone.
He saw the dumplings, round and plump like the voluptuous girls he had seen when he was young, which made him have the desire to eat. But with a mouth that couldn't even swallow the pesticide, he was not entitled to the most ordinary delicious food in the world.
His body was temporarily calm, and he didn't dare to provoke it. Even just watching them eat, he also felt a sense of happiness.
Just that, he had a latent worry. He was afraid that the scholar would lift a certain curtain and let everyone see the scene that they knew would happen in the future but didn't dare to face directly now.
The eldest brother didn't drink, but the scholar had four small cups of wine on his own. His face was red again like a dyed cloth. The scholar said to the eldest brother, "Big Brother, once you go back to the Northeast this time, who knows when we'll see each other again. Whenever I think about not knowing when we'll see each other again, I feel so sad..."
After saying that, he took off his glasses and wiped a bit of moisture out.
Li Dafa thought to himself, fortunately, the scholar wasn't talking about him.
The eldest brother said, "How come you've lost more weight? You weren't that fat before, right? It's hard to buy being thin in old age. Among our family, Second Brother is the fattest. Fifth Brother wasn't thin before either. Look at him now. Alas..."
Once the eldest brother said that, Li Dafa's heart sank again.
After the meal, the scholar was about to go home. Before leaving, he saw the rectangular thing covered with a towel on the table. He said to Li Dafa, "I think this DVD player is out of date and you don't need it anymore. I'll borrow it for a while. Maybe it can be used to play music at weddings or funerals."
The word "funeral" lifted that curtain again, making Li Dafa unhappy.
The scholar lifted the towel, blew on the DVD player, and then wiped it with his hand. His breath blurred his glasses, so he tucked the DVD player under his arm, wiped his glasses again, and then took the towel that covered the DVD player with him.
He said, "The steelyard can't do without the weight, an old man can't do without his wife, and the DVD player can't do without the towel. They're a perfect match."
The eldest brother only stayed for four days and was ready to go back to the Northeast. Whether Li Dafa was dead or alive, it took him a week in total including the time on the way back and forth, of course, including the tiring journey. The eldest brother had found a job in his later years, guarding the gate of a revolutionary martyrs' cemetery. He was afraid of losing this job if he went back late.
When the eldest brother came, the things he brought were as light as a feather. When he left, he had big and small bags, as if returning home in glory. The scholar sent him to the town on an electric tricycle. The electric tricycle was loaded with a bag of peanuts, a bag of sweet potatoes, half a bag of Chinese yams, ten pounds of ginger, five pounds of fried chicken chops, four pounds of pig intestines, two roasted ducks, and a plastic bag of cicada nymphs.
The eldest brother said in Northeast dialect, "We don't have these things in our place." Second Sister said, "Looks like even though Big Brother is living in the city, his life isn't that great. Jiamusi is really a poor place."
Elder Sister said, "It's good that he's leaving. He can't do much here and we have to take care of him."
Before leaving, the eldest brother sat by Li Dafa's bedside for a while. He stretched out his equally withered hand. His withered hand was like a river, flowing over Li Dafa's bald head, passing his forehead, crossing his nose, and then stopping on Li Dafa's sunken cheeks, gathering into a pool.
There were still a few precarious leaves on the branches in late autumn, just waiting for the wind to come and let them fall. This parting means that they will never see the tender buds on the branches in spring again. The eldest brother is getting older and older, and maybe there will be no reason for him to return to his homeland again. Hearing the sound of the scholar starting the tricycle, Li Dafa suddenly let out a whine in his throat, like a circling bomber, flying low over the sky of memory, tearing a hole in it.