Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 974 - 970: Mortal World
"Alas, what a pity." Back in the car, Taozi was still lamenting Gao Jianjun’s plight. She leaned against the car window, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the glass.
"Grandpa Gao has been through so much, coming all the way from Bali Town, traveling dozens of kilometers with the joy of reuniting with an old comrade, only to find himself paying respects at a grave. Just think about it, and it feels suffocating."
Shen Siyuan, sitting beside her, rubbed the fabric on his knee with his fingertips and softly said, "When people reach this age, birth, aging, sickness, and death are the norm. It’s already rare that they still remember each other after decades."
Despite this, he couldn’t help but envision the aging figure of Gao Jianjun waving goodbye, feeling that the late regret ultimately left a bitterness in his heart.
"Life is like this; nine out of ten things go awry. How can everything go smoothly?"
Ruan Hongzhuang, with her eyes focused on the road ahead, casually chimed in with a tone that carried an understanding.
At this moment, the RV had turned around and was heading toward the highway entrance, with the distant mountains gradually fading into the twilight.
Taozi immediately retorted, "How not? Aren’t you the one whose life goes so smoothly? You’ve achieved success in your career, practically a winner at life."
Ruan Hongzhuang heard this and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Taozi through the rearview mirror, but the corners of her mouth slightly lifted: "Stop teasing. I earned this through my own efforts, not just by inherent fortune."
"Tch~"
Taozi showed a strong disdain for her statement.
However, because of this banter, the atmosphere inside the carriage gradually relaxed.
The heaviness caused by Gao Jianjun’s situation was also slightly dispelled by this small talk.
Tang Tang and Dou Dou slept soundly throughout the journey, only waking up one after the other as the vehicle approached Han Zhong City.
Dou Dou rubbed his drowsy eyes, stretching lazily like a little kitten just waking up, and murmured, "Mom..."
He seemed not fully awake yet.
Tang Tang also woke up. She sat up, her little head swaying back and forth, still a bit confused as she saw the unfamiliar street view outside the window and couldn’t help saying, "Oh～" while pointing outside, as if asking what place this was.
Mao Sanmei took out a tissue and gently wiped Tang Tang’s mouth.
When the car entered Han Zhong City, the sky was completely dark.
At some point, fine raindrops began to fall from the sky, pattering against the car windows, forming winding streaks of water.
Ruan Hongzhuang turned on the car lights, the warm yellow light penetrating the rain, illuminating the street ahead.
The night view of Han Zhong carried a gentle charm.
Street lamps on both sides of the road lit up one after another, their orange-yellow light glowing in the rain, like scattered gold flakes.
Shops lining the streets hung red lanterns, their paper surfaces wetted by the rain, making the red color appear even more tender.
Occasionally, pedestrians hurried past under umbrellas, water droplets falling from the umbrella surface and splattering small puddles on the ground.
In the distance, the banks of the Han River were ablaze with lights, the light strips on the bridge outlining graceful arcs, reflected in the river, gently wavering with the water, an enchanting view.
"Wow, the night view is so beautiful!" Taozi exclaimed, leaning against the window in awe.
The rain blurring the scenery outside, adding a touch of hazy beauty to the night, like a soft ink painting.
Ruan Hongzhuang slowed down the car, admiring the night view while searching for the pre-booked hotel.
As the vehicle drove onto a relatively quiet street, a scene by the roadside made her instinctively hit the brakes.
Shen Siyuan and the others followed her gaze, seeing a middle-aged woman standing under the eaves by the roadside.
She wore a faded blue jacket, her hair dampened by the rain, sticking to her cheeks.
Most heart-wrenching was her empty hands, sleeves neatly rolled to her elbows, clearly indicating her hands were disabled.
In front of her lay a small bamboo basket with a dozen or so pairs of colorful wool socks, tightly stitched and appearing exceptionally delicate.
Beside her stood a five or six-year-old boy, wearing an ill-fitting raincoat, obviously altered from adult clothing.
He tightly gripped a large umbrella, its surface noticeably tilted toward the woman, nearly covering her entire body.
But the boy’s own shoulder was exposed, allowing rain to drench his raincoat and stream down the hem, soaking his pants.
His small arms seemed strained, yet he continued to grip the umbrella handle tightly, trying to keep his mother dry.
"It’s so cold and raining, why are they here selling things?" Taozi’s voice carried a hint of pity.
Shen Siyuan’s brow furrowed tightly.
He could see the woman struggling to use her toes to pick up a pair of wool socks, raising them high to show passing pedestrians, softly saying something, presumably selling her socks.
But on a rainy night, pedestrians were rare and rushed, few stopping to notice her.
The boy seemed to say something, and the woman lowered her head, gently nuzzling the boy’s forehead with her cheek.
The warmth between mother and son appeared so beautiful.
Yet beneath this beauty, lay the harshness of life.
She struggled to use her toes to find a dry towel from the basket to wipe the boy’s raindrops off his face, but her toes, with limited dexterity, repeatedly dropped the towel to the ground. The boy quickly bent down to pick it up and clumsily wiped his face.
This scene left everyone in the car silent.
Ruan Hongzhuang did not drive away immediately but turned to Shen Siyuan, "Shall we buy a few pairs of socks?"
Shen Siyuan nodded, opening the car door.
The icy rain hit him, carrying a chill.
He and Taozi stepped out of the car, rushing to the woman, with a gentle smile on his face, "Ma’am, how much for your socks?"
The woman, seeing someone stop, brightened and quickly picked up a pair of blue socks with her toes, gesturing, "Ten yuan for three pairs, all made by me, excellent quality."
Her voice was hoarse but carried a sense of sincerity.
Upon hearing this, Taozi knelt down and began to rummage through her basket.
"My mom made them all; they’re very warm," the boy eagerly added.
He seemed to want them to quickly buy a pair.
"Ten pairs for adults and children," Taozi stated.
The woman paused, seemingly surprised that someone would buy so many, then realized these young people were likely sympathetic to her disability and moved to buy more.
Despite wanting to sell, she suddenly felt reluctant.
"Thank you both for your kindness. Just buy one or two pairs; buying too many would be wasted. I don’t need pity for being self-reliant," she said.
Her words left Shen Siyuan and Taozi slightly taken aback.
Taozi laughed, pointing to the parked RV by the roadside, "There are many of us; we’ll definitely use them."
By now Tang Tang, Dou Dou, Duoduo, and Xiao Ya were lined up at the car window, peering out.
Seeing this, the woman glanced at the boy beside her, noticing his cold and tired look, a softness crossing her eyes, she nodded and thanked them.
She then struggled to sort the socks with her toes, while the boy hurried to help.
