Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

Over all these years, I have never called that man "Dad".

He doesn't deserve it.

My mother knew who I was talking about, and after a moment of silence, she slowly said, "He hasn't woken up yet."

"Dead?"

I almost dropped my phone; my legs were trembling, and my head was buzzing.

"no."

My mom sighed on the other end of the phone: "She's been sleeping the whole time, and the doctor can't say for sure when she'll wake up. It's probably for the best, though, because she won't bully anyone while she's asleep."

So he wasn't dead after all!

I breathed a sigh of relief; in just a few seconds, the back of my clothes was soaked with cold sweat.

Perhaps guessing what I was going to ask, my mom added, "Xiao An, don't worry, I haven't told anyone about this. I just said he drank too much and fell down, hitting his head. He often gets drunk and passes out on the roadside, and no one in the village suspects anything."

That's good, that's good.

The weight that had been hanging over my heart has finally been lifted.

After gathering my emotions, I stammered, "Mom, there's something I want to tell you."

When my mom received my call, she was very happy and jokingly asked, "What's up, Xiao An? Did you find a girlfriend in the big city? Are you bringing her home to meet your mom?"

Zhang Dongting's face inexplicably flashed through my mind, and then Su Wan's face appeared in my mind.

My face flushed, and I quickly denied it: "Mom, I just want to make money right now, I don't have a girlfriend, it's just... I just wanted to tell you about my cousin."

"Your cousin?" My mom was taken aback.

I gritted my teeth and said, "My cousin... he's passed away."

Immediately afterwards, I heard a loud crash on the other end of the phone, like something had broken.

"Mom, are you alright? What did you drop?"

"Mom's alright. What did you just say? Xiaolong is dead? How could this happen... Xiao An, don't scare Mom..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled uncontrollably, trembling with sobs, and faint sobs could be heard.

My mom and aunt are sisters, and my cousin is someone she watched grow up, just like her own child.

Hearing the news of her cousin's accident, she was overwhelmed.

I said, "It's true. My cousin owed millions in high-interest loans and was afraid of being found by debt collectors, so he hid in an unfinished building. As a result, he accidentally fell from the building."

"Owes millions in high-interest loans? Oh dear, how could this happen, how could this happen..."

I could tell from my mother's voice that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

After waiting a few minutes and hearing that her crying had subsided, I asked, "Mom, my cousin-in-law said she wants to go back to her hometown to visit Aunt and Uncle, but I'm worried they won't be able to accept the news. Do you think we should keep it from them?"

My mom was devastated when she heard the news of my cousin's accident, let alone my aunt.

My mom was sobbing on the other end of the phone, saying, "We can't hide it from them anymore. They might not be able to accept it right away, but we can't keep it from them. I'll talk to your aunt and uncle so they can be prepared."

"Tell Su Wan to think positively. People can't come back to life, and there's a long road ahead. And you too, whatever you do, don't borrow money. We can be poor, but we must never do bad things, understand?"

I nodded and said, "Mom, don't worry, I work a proper job and I definitely won't do anything illegal. You should also take good care of yourself."

After hanging up the phone, Su Wan had already packed her things when she went upstairs.

I originally planned to leave tomorrow, but Su Wan said we should set off tonight and arrive during the day tomorrow.

Zhang Dongting added from the side, "Just listen to your sister-in-law. The police station just called and said they would notify the village. They've probably already made the call. It's better if you go sooner rather than later."

So fast?

We didn't dare delay, so we had Zhang Dongting drive us to the train station and bought the fastest train tickets.

Upon arriving at the train station, Zhang Dongting checked the luggage while saying, "I've checked everything for you. Please double-check that you have your ID cards. Don't lose them. Would you like to buy some snacks and water for the journey?"

My heart warmed, and without caring that Su Wan was beside me, I gently took her hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, everything is packed. Your ID card is with you. You should go back and take care of your work at the company. Don't stay here with me."

"No rush, I'll leave after you get on the bus."

Zhang Dongting glanced quickly at Su Wan, and seeing that Su Wan hadn't noticed, she quickly pulled her hand back, blushing as she asked me, "Should I go with you?"

I shook my head and said, "Forget it, there are too many relatives in the village, and too many people will talk too much. It would be better if you were here."

Zhang Dongting understood this principle, nodded, and didn't say anything more. She pulled Su Wan aside to whisper to her.

Soon, the train's departure announcement sounded.

Zhang Dongting tiptoed slightly and straightened my collar: "Be careful on the road, and let me know you're home safe as soon as you get there."

While Su Wan was looking towards the ticket gate, I gave her a tight hug: "Then I'll be going now."

Zhang Dongting glanced nervously at Su Wan, and seeing that she wasn't paying attention, she hugged me tightly as well.

"Go ahead, call me if you need any help, I'll wait for you to come back."

……

I took a train for thirteen hours and then a bus for three hours.

By the time we got back to my cousin's house, it was already 2:30 pm the next day.

A white banner with black lettering hung above my cousin's door. The gate was wide open, and villagers who came to help were coming and going. Occasionally, you could hear my aunt crying from inside the house.

My mother was sitting in the yard with several elderly women, folding gold ingots.

As soon as Su Wan and I entered the door, my mother immediately put down the paper money in her hand and ran up quickly.

"You must be exhausted from the journey, right? Did you eat anything along the way?"

It had been a long time since I'd seen my mother, and her temples had turned white. It made my heart ache.

I don't know how she got through the time I was away.

"Mom, don't worry, she's already eaten. Auntie..."

I turned to the side and peeked into the inner room. I saw my aunt holding one of my cousin's clothes in her arms, wiping away tears.

Seeing this scene, my nose tingled again.

My mother's eyes also reddened, and she shook her head with her lips pursed: "She fainted several times after learning about Xiaolong's accident. If your uncle hadn't stopped her, she might have gone with Xiaolong."

At this point, she took Su Wan's hand and gently patted the back of her hand: "Xiao Wan, you've suffered so much. Xiao Long is gone, you have to be strong!"

"Ma'am..."

Su Wan suddenly threw herself into my mother's arms and burst into tears.

"Good child, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It's okay, don't cry, it's all over now!"

My mother gently patted Su Wan's back and whispered words of comfort, but her own tears were streaming down her face.

Just then, a loud scream of "Ah!" suddenly came from the inner room.

Before we could even react, we saw my aunt, who was over sixty years old, rush out with a kitchen knife.

He chopped off Su Wan's head.

"I'll kill you, you jinx!"