Chapter 24 (1/2)

“Darling, why are you doing this again? Put it down quick and let me do it.” A petite woman walked out from the cottage, her face hardened from life’s challenges, the rough skin on her hands evident of her lack of skincare. She looked old, but from the gentle expressions on her features, it was still possible to see that she had breathtaking beauty, and that she was not an old lady.

“It’s fine. I can’t have nothing to do all the time anyway. You’ve been through so much hardship by staying by me all these years.”

“What are you saying? I’ve had a great life with you, and I’m more than happy for that already. Sadly, God didn’t bless such a good man like you, and you’ve lost both of your legs…” The woman said, tears streaming down her cheek.

Outside, Fang Ning was silent as he watched their exchange.

“Do we do it now?” The System prompted.

“Let’s wait for a while.”

“You’re the one who wanted to get it done and over with, and now you’re asking me to wait. You humans are really a troublesome bunch.” Sir System was not amused.

“Cut with your bullshit.” Fang Ning was a huge introvert that has had minimal interaction with other humans, and even he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Are those your long-lost biological parents?” Sir System continued.

“Please. I’m 28 this year, and that woman is obviously younger than 40.” Fang Ning was speechless. The pair spoke again in their courtyard.

The man mumbled, “How is this a case of unrewarded good-heartedness? Despite everything, God did let me survive that. The only thing is that I dragged you down this life with me.”

“Don’t worry. Our savings are nearly enough now, and we’ll just need to wait for a few more years before we go to the hospital and get you the best artificial limbs. Then, you’ll be able to stand up once again.”

The man was overwhelmed with happiness at first, but his face dropped right after. “Where did you get so much money from? Haven’t you spent all our savings throughout the year by paying our debts gradually to those people?”

The woman hung her head low, quiet in the face of accusation.

“Why are you not answering me? Did you do that behind my back? If you did, I rather slam into the nearest wall and die!” The man hissed and started to steer his wheelchair outside.

“What are you even thinking of?” The woman reached out and held the wheelchair in place. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid that you would return the money. All these years, there’s been a person that’s been sending us some money every month. The amount was small initially, but it’s increased through time, and there was a sudden leap these few months. I’ve finished clearing our debt and interest, and the amount we have left is still enough for you to get artificial limbs.”

“Who is that person? I, Zhao, don’t remember any friends or family that still remembers me after that incident.” The man was bitter, entirely unbelieving.

“That person did leave one message before, saying that it’s from a student you’ve sponsored during earlier years.”

“Student?” The man’s face looked like he had waded back into a pool of memories, and was now reaching for those that were deep down in the line of time. He soon shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, “I remembered I was feeling charitable during that year, and money was not an issue before. I joined a sponsorship program and had only helped 5 people, but none of them called me or messaged me during the sponsorship period. I did receive one call when I stopped sponsoring after the incident, and you know what he said?”

The petite woman shook her head in reply.

“He just said one sentence. ‘Didn’t you promise that you’ll sponsor me until the end of University?’ So, now you’re expecting me to believe that a student I sponsored all those years ago has been sending me money?”

The man shook his head. The good-man-rewarded argument he used just now was just an effort to comfort his wife. He never believed the concept of humanity after living the years after his accident; even if he was a good-natured person, he was only human, not an all-forgiving Bodhisatta.

Frustrated, the woman went into the house to dig out a postcard. It was slightly worn out, but on it was the face of a young man, and a simple ‘I’m working now.”

The man took the postcard and gazed at the face. He was confused at first, but his eyes brightened soon after he recalled a long-lost memory. “How could it be him? How is it possible! That’s just a military jacket that I’ve had for the longest time.”

His memories brought him back to those years, when he was a still a very young man, one that was tired and hungry. He was driving a truck on an unfamiliar road to stop and get himself some rest in the nearby motel. It was close to winter then, and at the edge of his vision, he saw a high school student rushing to school by the road. He stopped the youngster to ask for directions, who was very patient in pointing out the economical motels that did not attempt to cheat their customers.

He soon noticed that the young man was only clad in thin clothing. He asked if the latter was cold, and had passed the military jacket he had on his passenger seat as a gift to the youngster. The latter was hesitant at first, but accepted it in the end. He thanked him when he took the jacket, and asked for his name before he left. He did take quite a few glances at his vehicle registration number before he disappeared.