country bumpkin

Chapter 100 Bad News

Rainy weather is the least suitable for the elderly. They are already at the age of frailty and cannot withstand any more hardship.

The 24th day of the ninth lunar month is Frost's Descent. Due to continuous rainfall last week, the temperature dropped sharply.

Even now, some raindrops still dance wildly on the dimly lit path, weaving a cold net that envelops the entire world.

The wind seemed to blow from the depths of hell, carrying a biting chill, and swept through the streets and alleys.

The withered yellow leaves drifted helplessly in the wind, eventually being mercilessly slammed onto the rain-soaked ground, making a dull and desperate sound.

Mu Shuyun walked home alone, her figure appearing particularly thin and lonely in the cold wind and rain.

Every step felt like wading through a muddy swamp, heavy and difficult.

Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes empty and dazed, as if her soul had been ripped from her body, leaving only a walking corpse, mechanically moving her feet.

Yesterday, a visit from her family brought devastating news that struck her like a bolt from the blue, shattering her last shred of reason.

Her mother, at the age of 88, the one who gave her life and accompanied her through countless storms, passed away forever in this rainy autumn when the temperature suddenly dropped.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and the whole world stopped turning.

Mu Shuyun felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, her legs went weak, and her body fell straight backward like a kite with a broken string.

The rain relentlessly lashed her face and body, mingling with the tears streaming down her face.

Everything around her became blurry, her consciousness gradually faded, and she fell into an endless abyss of darkness.

Her eldest brother, Mu Zhijie, caught her anxiously. Because their mother had passed away so suddenly, Mu Shuyun hadn't been able to see her one last time. Overwhelmed with grief, she fainted in despair.

In that dark world, memories of the past surged forth like a tidal wave.

She seemed to see her mother's warm embrace when she was a child, her mother's figure mending her clothes under the dim light, and her mother's anxious and concerned eyes whenever she was sick.

Those warm moments she had once overlooked now felt like sharp knives, piercing her heart painfully.

She desperately hoped it was all just a nightmare, and that when she woke up, her mother would still be in that familiar corner, smiling and waiting for her to come home.

However, the cruelty of reality was like an insurmountable wall, trapping her tightly in this endless suffering.

She knew that from then on, there would be no longer the person who loved her the most in her life, the harbor that would shelter her from the wind and rain no matter when or where.

The wind continued to howl; the rain continued to fall in a drizzle. Mu Shuyun lay quietly on the cold ground, letting the rain wash away her sorrow; her world had been plunged into darkness.

Yunya was also terrified and couldn't help but cry, "Grandma, Grandma, what's wrong? Wake up... Waaah... Waaah."

"Uncle, what's wrong with my grandma? Why isn't she awake yet? What should we do? I... hiccup... I... hiccup... I'll go find Doctor Li in the village."

Yunya hiccuped as she cried, her voice trembling with fear as she sobbed and screamed.

Mu Zhijie said anxiously, "Okay, hurry up and find a doctor to take a look at my little sister and see what's wrong with her."

He was also very worried, and although he was in pain, he was still able to control himself.

Despite the drizzling rain, Yunya ran to Dr. Li's house at the village clinic.

Upon hearing that Mu Shuyun had fainted from grief, Doctor Li quickly followed Yunya to the Kong family.

As soon as Dr. Li entered the room, he quickly took Mu Shuyun's pulse to check her condition. After 5 minutes, he stood up and slowly said, "There's nothing seriously wrong. She's just overly saddened. She'll wake up after a short rest."

He went on to explain: "Symptoms of excessive grief are generally called vasomotor syncope, also known as vasovagal syndrome."

Excessive sadness can excite the vagus nerve, causing a reflex slowing of the heart rate and cardiac inhibition. It also causes dilation of the skin, muscles, and blood vessels throughout the body, reducing peripheral resistance and thus decreasing the amount of blood returning to the heart. This leads to a decrease in cardiac output, a drop in blood pressure, and a reduction in blood supply to the brain.

It can cause a brief, transient lack of blood supply to the brain, resulting in fainting, and may also be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, paleness, and blurred vision.

They usually recover naturally and return to normal without special treatment. During an attack, keep them in a supine or head-down position and prevent injury.

Yunya, still confused, asked directly, "Grandpa Li, please explain it simply, I don't understand any of this."

Dr. Li suddenly realized, "That's right, why should I explain anything to the child? I can just tell them the result."

He said, "Simply put, I'm fine. I just need to rest for a bit, and once I calm down, I'll wake up soon."

The eldest brother, Mu Zhijie, was also relieved. He still had to go back to keep vigil and couldn't stay any longer. If his mother hadn't told him before she died to personally tell his sister about this, he wouldn't have made this trip.

He said to Yunya, "Girl, you stay with your grandma for now. I have to hurry back and get back to work. Remember to tell her that you should go back when you feel better after waking up, so she doesn't faint again."

Having finished explaining things, Mu Zhijie quickly drove the donkey cart back home.

In Mujiazhuang, a coffin has been brought to the family's home and placed in a corner of the yard. Many neighbors have come to help.

In the main room, directly opposite the door, there was a small table with an incense burner on it, filled with burning incense.

On the table was a full oil bowl containing a wick made of coarse cotton thread, which was burning continuously.

To the north of the small table was a bed made of wooden planks, with hollow bricks underneath, wooden planks on top, straw mats on top of the planks, and a mattress on top of that.

Mu Shuyun's mother's body lay on the mattress. Her burial clothes were already on, and a piece of joss paper covered her face.

On either side of the wooden plank bed were children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The men knelt on one side, and the women knelt on the other.

The adults knelt on the ground covered with woven bags, weeping. The children sat on them, looking around in amazement.

The second son, Mu Zhiyong, has returned, and his wife and children have also come back to mourn.

Because the eldest daughter, Mu Shufeng, lived in the village, she arrived in time and saw her mother one last time.

My brother-in-law, Liang Yutian, also came along.

The eldest grandson and granddaughter are already married, and they only brought their children to the funeral on the day of the funeral.

The grandson must come today to mourn and keep vigil. Unmarried granddaughters should come along. Married granddaughters only need to come on the day of the funeral.

You can tell from the different customs that a married daughter belongs to a different family.

Besides her biological daughter who came to keep vigil with her brothers, her grandson also needed to keep vigil.

When Mu Shuyun from Kongjia Village woke up, it was already 9 o'clock, which was morning.

My older brother arrived before dawn, delivered the message, and waited until Mu Shuyun finished seeing the doctor before leaving around 7 a.m.

Kong Tongming was at work, only an hour into his shift, when he heard that his mother-in-law had passed away, so he took leave and went home.

When he got home, he saw his heartbroken wife sitting on the bed, and he felt a pang of heartache. He was also very sad, as his mother-in-law valued him highly as her son-in-law.

When the family was struggling financially, his mother-in-law often helped him out.

Although he later became more filial to his mother-in-law, often bringing her food and such, they rarely met.

Kong Tongming had Yunya inform his second son, Kong Xiangdong, and he himself informed his eldest son, Kong Xiangguang. Then he returned and took Yunya and Mu Shuyun on a donkey cart to Mu Family Village.