Difficult To Raise Chapter 3
byChapter 3 The Only One
Jiang Ran was completely stunned. He endured the pain and slowly crawled, inch by inch, until he reached Jiang Jin. Trembling, he reached out to hug him, but his hands met with a sticky wetness. The tears he had been holding back instantly streamed down, falling drop by drop onto Jiang Jin’s face.
Jiang Jin felt it. He struggled to grip his clothes and comforted him in a small, milky voice, “Ge… don’t cry. I only hurt a little bit.” He stretched out his small hand, seemingly trying to make a gesture for “a little bit,” but lost strength halfway through.
Jiang Ran looked at him with red eyes for a moment, then suddenly buried his head in his body, sobbing uncontrollably. Jiang Jin was already a crybaby, and at this moment, he couldn’t hold back either, sniffling and clinging to his brother.
Later, the man got drunk and fell asleep, no longer bothering them. Jiang Ran carried Jiang Jin and went to knock on the neighbors’ doors. After knocking on several, only Old Man Chen opened his door.
The old man looked at the children’s miserable state and cursed, “Damn it, that inhuman bastard! How could he lay a hand on such small children? He’s an animal!”
Jiang Ran’s eyes were red. “Grandpa Chen, please help me. Send Little Jin to the hospital.”
Old Man Chen sighed. “Wait, I’ll go inside and grab something.”
It was already very late. The streets were deserted, with only the streetlights casting a faint yellow glow. The two children and the old man waited on the road for a long time, but no car appeared.
Jiang Ran was extremely anxious. Old Man Chen said, “I’ll just call 120.”
Just as Jiang Ran was about to nod, a black car stopped right in front of them.
A head quickly popped out of the car—a middle-aged man wearing glasses, looking serious. He assessed the three of them and asked, “Do you need help?”
It was help arriving just when they needed it most. Old Man Chen quickly said, “Yes, yes! Please, could you take us to the hospital? Thank you so much!”
The middle-aged man nodded slightly. “Get in.”
Without time for further words, Jiang Ran quickly got into the car, holding Jiang Jin. Old Man Chen followed him in.
Only after getting in did they realize there was another person sitting in the passenger seat. That person had been dozing off, but hearing the commotion, he instinctively looked back. The sight startled him awake, and he muttered, “Holy crap.”
Jiang Ran glanced at him, noticing it was a boy about his age. But he was worried about Jiang Jin and had no mind to speak, so he remained silent.
Old Man Chen and the middle-aged man also didn’t seem inclined to talk to him.
The boy waited for a long time. Seeing that everyone was silent, he probably found it boring and stopped talking, only occasionally glancing back.
By the time they reached the hospital, it was nearly two in the morning. The doctor said Jiang Jin had a slight concussion and needed to be admitted for observation, asking the family to pay the fees first.
Jiang Ran was frantic, but his pockets were empty. He didn’t have a single penny on him, and going back to ask his father for money was certainly impossible.
He didn’t know what to do. No matter how much he pretended to be strong, he was still just a child, completely lost in this situation.
Jiang Ran hesitated for a long time, then could only plead with the doctor, “Can we pay later? Please let Little Jin be admitted first. The money, I… I will find a way.”
The doctor ignored his request, frowning as he looked at him. “Why are you the only child here? Where are your parents? Notify them quickly. A concussion is not a small matter for a child this young.”
Jiang Ran stood there with red eyes, silent. The doctor watched him for a while, seeming to sense something. Just as he was about to speak again, an elderly man with partially gray hair walked in.
The old man knocked on the door and asked, “Where do I pay the fees?”
The doctor pointed the way and handed him the forms, adding, “Are you their family member?”
The old man was clearly taken aback, but only for a moment. He nodded, raised his voice, and stated firmly, “I am this child’s grandfather.”
Jiang Ran turned his head in astonishment, only seeing Old Man Chen’s back. The old man took a few steps forward, then turned back to him, saying impatiently, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and look after Little Jin.”
Jiang Ran forced his tears back and replied in a muffled voice, “Okay.”
Seeing Jiang Jin settled in the hospital room and having followed the doctor’s orders to give him medicine, the doctor told Jiang Ran that vomiting in the middle of the night was normal and he shouldn’t panic. Jiang Ran nodded, feeling half the weight lift from his chest.
He watched over Jiang Jin’s bedside for a while. Looking at his pale, bloodless little face, he felt an overwhelming ache in his heart. He touched his face, then kissed his forehead. Seeing him sleeping soundly, he finally left the ward.
Jiang Ran searched outside for a while before finding Old Man Chen. The old man had been busy all night and was exhausted, sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, resting.
Jiang Ran didn’t want to disturb him, but the old man wasn’t asleep. He woke up when he heard the footsteps. He opened his slightly cloudy eyes, glanced at him casually, and asked, “How is Little Jin?”
Jiang Ran pursed his lips and said, “He’s fine now.”
Old Man Chen looked a little happy, showing a small smile. “That’s good. When he gets better, we need to get him something good to eat. The child is still small; he’s suffered enough…”
As he was talking to himself, he suddenly heard a crisp sound. Jiang Ran was kneeling on the ground, bowing his head deeply to him. “Thank you… Thank you, Grandpa Chen.”
His voice was choked with emotion.
Jiang Ran was clumsy with words and didn’t know how to say flowery things, but he silently made a resolution in his heart: in the future, he would take care of this old man who was disliked by others.
…
In those years, Jiang Ran’s greatest wish was for his father to die quickly. He fantasized about him getting drunk and drowning in the river, being hit by a car on the way home, or even a kind person descending from the sky to execute him, like Ultraman fighting monsters.
But he never expected that his father would be accidentally beaten to death in a bar fight over a woman.
He stood expressionless in the hospital, watching the other party’s family members kneel before him. It was a pregnant woman, heavily pregnant, staring at him tearfully and heartbrokenly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
She spoke haltingly. “We are willing to compensate. Can you please forgive him? Our… our child is about to be born. Please.”
Jiang Ran looked at her belly, feeling an empty ache in his heart. He said, “But murder means going to jail.”
The woman smiled, a smile uglier than a cry. She lowered her head, tears streaming down. “I know…”
She whispered, “Even a few years less would help. He wasn’t… like this before.”
Jiang Ran tugged at the corner of his mouth. He felt like he was smiling, but tears were flowing from his eyes. He felt his soul splitting in two—one half crying, one half laughing. After an unknown amount of time, he heard himself say in a hoarse voice, “Fine, I forgive him.”
No matter how much he wished for his father’s death, the man had still raised him for so many years. He had once held him, loved him, cherished him, and protected him like a treasure. Now that this day had come, he still felt incredibly sad.
At some point, it seemed to have started raining in his world. As time passed, the rain didn’t stop; instead, it grew heavier. What should he do? Jiang Ran wondered. If I keep moving forward, will the rain ever stop?
After leaving the hospital, he went home and cooked dinner as usual. Jiang Jin clung to him, acting spoiled, with the innocent look of someone unaware of sorrow. Jiang Ran endured it, but finally told Jiang Jin the news during dinner. Jiang Jin just responded with a cold “Oh,” showing no other reaction.
Jiang Ran frowned, watching him until he stopped picking up food.
“What is it?” Jiang Jin asked.
Jiang Ran said, “Little Jin, aren’t you sad? He was your father too.”
Jiang Jin thought for a moment, then said, “Ge, I don’t want a father. I only want you.”
Jiang Ran’s furrowed brow didn’t relax. Jiang Jin observed his expression. He was very smart and immediately saw that Jiang Ran was unhappy, and he almost instantly realized the reason.
He thought for a moment, then countered, “Ge, are you sad?”
Jiang Ran hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Actually, I’m very sad too, but… but I know if I’m sad, Ge will only be sadder, so I can’t be sad.” His eyes were slightly red as he whispered, “I don’t want Ge to be sad. I don’t want to see Ge cry anymore. I hope Ge is happy.”
Jiang Ran’s eyes instantly welled up. He stroked Jiang Jin’s head and said softly, “You idiot.”
Jiang Jin pulled his chair away, walked over to Jiang Ran, and buried himself in his embrace. He pressed against his chest, listening to his pounding heart, concealing the dark light in his eyes.
Why should I be sad? I hope everyone who bullies Ge disappears. It’s right that they disappeared.
That year, Jiang Ran was 11 years old, and Jiang Jin was 7.
It was also that year that Jiang Ran planned to send Jiang Jin to elementary school. Skipping Kindergarten was fine, but elementary school was not.
He discussed the matter with Old Man Chen. Old Man Chen thought about it and volunteered to handle the arrangements. Jiang Ran hesitated for a while, then suggested moving Jiang Jin’s household registration under Old Man Chen’s name.
“From now on, Little Jin will be your real grandson,” Jiang Ran said.
For the past two years, whenever Jiang Ran was at school, Old Man Chen had been looking after Jiang Jin. He took excellent care of him, never letting the brothers lack good food or drink. If either of them had a headache or fever, he was the one who took the child to the hospital. He was practically their biological grandfather.
Old Man Chen was stunned when he heard this. He was a little happy but also had some reservations. He murmured, “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it.” Jiang Ran knew what he was worried about, so he said, “I will talk to Little Jin about it.”
That night, when they were lying in bed, he told Jiang Jin about the matter. Perhaps because they had relied on each other for so long, and he wasn’t an adult himself, he was accustomed to discussing everything with Jiang Jin. Although Jiang Jin was a crybaby, he often had his own ideas, and Jiang Ran thought his little brother was very smart.
Sure enough, Jiang Jin blinked his eyes. Unlike other children his age, he wasn’t ignorant. He asked pointedly, “If the household registration is moved, I won’t be your brother anymore, right?”
Jiang Ran stroked his face. The baby fat had faded, and the contours of a young boy were beginning to show, but he was still beautiful, like he was glowing.
“You will always be my brother,” he said softly.
“Then Ge has to promise me that you will still sleep with me every day, you will cook for me, and Ge can never abandon me.” Jiang Jin held his hand, pressing a gentle kiss into his palm, and pleaded, “Gege, promise me, okay?”
“How could I abandon you?” Jiang Ran thought in his heart as he stroked his soft hair. You are the only one I have left.
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