Difficult To Raise Chapter 11
byChapter 11 The Hardship
Jiang Ran couldn’t help but start thinking. Old Man Chen was old; even if he was cured, he wouldn’t have many years left to live. If the treatment failed, it would be a waste of money. Moreover, strictly speaking, he wasn’t their biological grandfather.
But if they didn’t treat him, he might die.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ran recalled the incident from years ago. Back then, Jiang Jin was beaten until his face was covered in blood, barely breathing. Jiang Ran was frantic.
In the middle of the night, he carried Jiang Jin and knocked on the neighbors’ doors, knocking on every floor, up and down, but no one responded. Only Old Man Chen was willing to open his door, and he didn’t hesitate to help pay the medical bills, not to mention the dedicated care he provided afterward.
If it weren’t for him, if it weren’t for him…
A battle raged in his mind: on one side was the pitiful balance in his bank account, and on the other were images of Old Man Chen smiling while picking up and dropping off Jiang Jin.
After an unknown amount of time, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the last trace of hesitation was gone, replaced only by determination.
“Treat him,” he said. “We have to treat him, even if we have to sell everything we own.”
He wasn’t that noble, nor did he have much ability, but he was a brother, and he considered himself a man. He couldn’t do something so cowardly; otherwise, he would live in guilt for the rest of his life and never be able to hold his head high.
The doctor looked at the half-grown boy in front of him and knew how difficult it was for him to make this decision. But in this matter, he couldn’t offer much help, so he just nodded silently and promised, “We will certainly do our best.”
*
Saying they would treat him was one thing, but the difficulty of actually implementing it was far beyond what a half-grown boy like Jiang Ran could imagine. During the day, he had to attend High School; at night, he was stuck at the hospital guarding Old Man Chen, only managing to grab a bite to eat at the hospital cafeteria.
Family members couldn’t enter the ICU; they could only look through the window on the iron door. Jiang Ran stood silently by the door most of the time, afraid of missing a doctor’s call, afraid of something bad happening. Sometimes, he even felt that no news was good news.
Under this kind of torment, Jiang Ran truly didn’t have the energy to look after Jiang Jin. He could only tell Jiang Jin to eat at the school cafeteria. Yet, Jiang Jin never complained. He showed up at the hospital on time every day after school, helping him keep an eye on Old Man Chen.
After several weeks, one day when Jiang Jin arrived, he was carrying an insulated thermos.
“Ge, I brought you food,” Jiang Jin said, handing over the thermos with a faint smile on his face.
Jiang Ran opened the thermos. Inside were two steaming hot dishes: a plate of stir-fried pork with chili and a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, served with rice. The taste wasn’t exceptional, but it was much better than the hospital’s boxed meals.
“When did you learn to cook?” he asked casually, picking up his chopsticks and lowering his head to eat, completely missing the hand Jiang Jin was hiding behind his back.
Jiang Jin smiled. “What’s so hard about cooking? You just do it and you learn. Is this the first day you found out? Your little brother is very smart; I learn everything quickly. This little thing couldn’t possibly stump me, could it?”
Jiang Ran tried to force a smile, but his eyes reddened first.
“Gege, don’t worry. Even if the sky falls, I’m here. I can cook for myself now, and I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry,” Jiang Jin hugged him, patting his back repeatedly, like comforting a child. “Ge, don’t cry.”
Seeing Jiang Ran’s tears, he felt a sharp pang of pain in his heart.
Jiang Ran leaned on Jiang Jin’s shoulder, feeling the increasingly broad embrace, a momentary confusion in his eyes. But after only a few dozen seconds, he lifted his head again, and there was no longer any vulnerability in his gaze toward Jiang Jin.
He was the older brother. If even he couldn’t hold on, what would happen to Old Man Chen? And what about Jiang Jin? He couldn’t possibly let his younger brother take care of him instead.
It was very late when they got home that night. Jiang Jin was already asleep from exhaustion. Jiang Ran quickly washed up and lay down on the bed, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.
He thought about the increasingly demanding school curriculum, the high medical expenses for Old Man Chen, and the dwindling balance in his bank account.
His head ached from thinking. Seeing how late it was getting, and knowing he wouldn’t be able to wake up the next morning if he didn’t sleep, he finally decided to rest. Before falling asleep, Jiang Ran instinctively turned his head to look at Jiang Jin. When Jiang Jin slept, his posture was always neat and proper, his hands resting on his abdomen, looking very well-behaved.
Jiang Ran stared at his sleeping face for a few seconds, lost in thought. When he snapped back to reality, he suddenly noticed a strange mark on the back of Jiang Jin’s right hand. It was very noticeable against his fair skin.
Borrowing the moonlight from outside the window, Jiang Ran leaned closer to examine it carefully. He realized they were two broken blisters, clearly caused by an accidental burn while stir-frying.
Jiang Ran’s heart clenched suddenly, feeling sour and painful. So, the “learning quickly” Jiang Jin spoke of was achieved by fumbling alone in the Kitchen, cooking in a rush, and ending up with his hand like this.
In that instant, Jiang Ran was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He felt like he was the most incompetent older brother in the world. Not only could he not take care of his younger brother, but he was also forcing him to endure such hardship at such a young age.
Jiang Jin was a flower he had carefully nurtured in the palm of his hand. For all these years, he had never made him cook once, nor allowed him to suffer any grievance.
But now, he himself was enduring a storm and could no longer shelter him.
That night, Jiang Ran secretly cried while holding Jiang Jin, failing to notice that the boy, whose eyes had been closed, had opened them at some point, looking at him with the same pity.
*
During that period, the burden of life pressed down on Jiang Ran, almost breaking his spine. To treat Old Man Chen, he had practically emptied all the money the family had.
In the most difficult moments, he considered selling Old Man Chen’s house, but upon inquiring, he learned that when Old Man Chen’s son had an accident, Old Man Chen had already mortgaged the house to a distant relative to save him.
It was just that this relative wasn’t short on money and, seeing that he was a lonely old man and truly pitiful, allowed him to continue living there. The property rights had long since ceased to be in Old Man Chen’s hands.
As for their own house, that couldn’t be sold either. If they sold it, how would the two of them go to school? Where would they live? Would he have to lead a life of constant upheaval with Jiang Jin? As soon as Jiang Ran thought of this, he immediately abandoned the idea.
Jiang Ran felt that only one last straw remained before he was completely crushed.
Fortunately, the next day, good news came from the doctor: Old Man Chen’s condition had stabilized, and he could be transferred to a regular ward.
Jiang Ran breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the hardest days were finally over, but fate dealt him another heavy blow.
“The patient’s lower limb nerves are severely damaged. In the future… he might not be able to stand up,” the doctor’s voice was soft, but it landed on Jiang Ran’s heart like a giant stone.
Paralysis.
These two words brought Jiang Ran more despair than death. Taking care of an elderly person confined to bed would wear down even an adult, let alone him—a High School student who had to attend school, take exams, and also look after Jiang Jin.
But having treated him this far, Jiang Ran couldn’t just walk away; he couldn’t do it.
After returning, Jiang Ran silently hugged Jiang Jin, unable to stop the sadness in his heart. Why was life so hard? Why was it so cruel only to him?
Jiang Ran’s world was caught in a rainstorm. At the end of the downpour, he held Jiang Jin’s hand, persevering with both hope and despair. Then he met Old Man Chen, and this annoying old man used his aged back to hold up an umbrella for them, urging them to walk forward and look ahead.
If they just kept walking, they would wait for the rain to stop, for the sky to clear, for the dawn.
But heaven played a trick on him once again. Just a moment ago, he was still looking forward to the future, and the next second, he was dragged back into hell.
Jiang Ran felt despair, but he had to persevere, because he wouldn’t be lucky enough to meet a second Old Man Chen.
Jiang Jin didn’t speak, just gently patted his back, comforting him like a child.
After all these days, everything that needed to be said had already been said. The pain in his heart was no less than Jiang Ran’s, but he knew he couldn’t cry, couldn’t panic, or Jiang Ran would truly collapse.
Every night, he hoped that all of this was a Nightmare, and that when he woke up, Old Man Chen would still be cooking porridge in the Kitchen, and he and Jiang Ran could still have a hot meal waiting for them after school, just like before. But the next day, as soon as he opened his eyes, reality would still be coldly laid out before him.
The two hugged tightly, their worries heavier than the other’s. Jiang Jin lowered his gaze to Jiang Ran and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. When he looked up again, his expression had become exceptionally calm.
Jiang Jin silently vowed in his heart that no matter how difficult things got in the future, no matter what happened, he would stay with Jiang Ran and face it together.
*
At dawn the next day, a sliver of white appeared on the horizon, and Jiang Ran was already awake.
He quietly put on his school uniform without waking the sleeping Jiang Jin, then quickly headed to the hospital. Outside, he bought two large steamed buns, millet porridge, and a plate of smashed cucumbers.
When he arrived at the ward with the breakfast, Old Man Chen hadn’t woken up yet. He had lost a lot of weight recently, his eyes were sunken, his complexion sallow, looking severely ill.
Jiang Ran placed the breakfast on the bedside table, brought a basin of warm water, wrung out a towel, and carefully wiped Old Man Chen’s cheeks, neck, and hands.
Looking at Old Man Chen’s tightly closed eyes, Jiang Ran felt a heavy stone pressing on his heart. He knew that running back and forth like this was not a long-term solution, but for now, besides taking things one day at a time, he couldn’t think of any other way.
By the time Jiang Ran hung up the towel to dry, Old Man Chen slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps the car accident had injured his brain, or perhaps he couldn’t accept the sudden reality of his paralysis.
These days, Old Man Chen had become increasingly silent, his eyes often vacant, and his whole demeanor was dull. He often went an entire day without saying a word.
Jiang Ran initially tried to find things to talk about, mentioning school matters or asking what he wanted to eat, but Old Man Chen either closed his eyes and didn’t respond or just stared blankly out the window. The sight made Jiang Ran’s heart ache, but he was helpless.
He himself was already overwhelmed by these matters and truly didn’t have the extra energy to figure out Old Man Chen’s thoughts.
After staying in the hospital for less than half a month, seeing the daily rising hospitalization bills, Jiang Ran gritted his teeth and, together with Jiang Jin, insisted on bringing Old Man Chen home.
Their old house wasn’t large, but it had two bedrooms and a Living Room. He and Jiang Jin always shared a room, leaving the other room empty.
Jiang Ran cleaned that room thoroughly and laid thick mattresses on the bed for Old Man Chen to sleep on.
The medicine prescribed by the doctor was piled on the table, the colorful boxes occupying half the surface. Every box required real money to purchase.
Every time Jiang Ran went to the pharmacy to pick up medicine, watching the cashier announce the total, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
On the evening of the third day after returning home, Jiang Ran had just finished feeding Old Man Chen his medicine and was about to go to the Kitchen to make dinner for Jiang Jin, when Old Man Chen suddenly moved his fingers, pulled a key from his pocket, and said in a hoarse voice, “In my room… the bottom drawer. Open it. There’s a black box inside. Bring it to me.”
Jiang Ran was stunned for a moment. He quickly took the key and opened the door to the next room, walking into the room Old Man Chen used to live in. He pulled open the bottom drawer.
Sure enough, there was a black box inside. He took the box out and returned to the room, handing it to Old Man Chen.
Old Man Chen trembled as he opened the box. Inside was a yellowed bank passbook, its cover worn and frayed.
His hand, clutching the passbook, shook slightly. He pushed it into Jiang Ran’s hand, his voice raspy: “Take it… it’s all here.”
Jiang Ran didn’t hesitate and took the passbook. His fingertips touched the rough cover, and his heart suddenly tightened.
He flipped open the passbook, looking at the small deposit and withdrawal records spanning over a decade. The remaining balance in the account was pitifully small.
Only then did Jiang Ran belatedly realize that Old Man Chen hadn’t had much savings all these years.
The meals Old Man Chen cooked for the brothers, the medical expenses he covered, and the occasional snacks he bought were all supported by this meager savings.
Jiang Ran held the light passbook, but his heart felt incredibly heavy.