RYEY -Chapter 467 Kneeling

Cheng Qiao took water from the space to give Li Bing’s mother, but her lips were tightly closed. She could only wet some gauze and dab it on her lips.

“Uncle, why are you here?”

Cheng Li, exhausted and drowsy, felt someone approach the ward. He forced his eyes open and realized Li Bing had returned. He quietly greeted him.

Cheng Qiao and Li Huan both turned to look. Li Bing stood at the door of the ward, his face showing the dust of travel and immense guilt. He had failed his mother and not fulfilled his duty as a son.

“Big brother, you’re here. Have you eaten? Want some food?”

Li Huan pointed to some simple porridge and rice by the bedside. Li Bing nodded; he was indeed hungry, but he didn’t eat first. Instead, he asked everyone present, and upon learning that they weren’t hungry, he quickly ate.

After finishing, Li Huan poured him a cup of tea. Only after drinking it all did he hesitantly ask:

“Big brother, did something happen to you?”

Li Bing nodded and told Li Huan what Qin Daqiang had said. Then, somewhat embarrassed, he sought Li Huan’s opinion:

“Little brother, if… I say if they make me retire, I can only go back home.”

“Transfer isn’t possible either?”

“From what the commander said, it seems difficult. Ye Chengying is under a lot of pressure. My future is ruined; I don’t want to trouble Ye Chengying any further.”

Cheng Qiao’s heart shuddered. Ye Chengying was exceptional in both intelligence and emotional intelligence; all his pressure stemmed from her.

Some people above had set their sights on Cheng Qiao and wanted her to serve them, but Ye Chengying insisted that Cheng Qiao belonged to the state, to the army. With her there, the soldiers would have confidence.

Cheng Qiao began to ponder deeply. Perhaps what Uncle Lata had said was right—only by joining a special department would those people who wanted to scheme against her be unable to stir up trouble anymore, and Ye Chengying’s days would also become much easier.

Li Huan didn’t know what Cheng Qiao was thinking, but he could guess some of it. There was nothing he could do to help in these matters, nor did he know how to comfort Li Bing, so he could only speak frankly:

“Big brother, you left home to join the army when you were very young. You’ve worked hard all these years. If you really can’t transfer to civilian work, then come home. There are only Mom and Cheng’er registered in the household now.”

“I know. As the eldest son, I’ve failed badly. Everything at home has been held up by you and sister-in-law. If I go back now with my wife and son, it would be like enjoying the fruits of your labor without contributing.”

Li Bing thought of the newly rebuilt house back home, and all the furniture and daily necessities inside—clearly the result of Cheng Qiao and Li Huan’s careful planning and effort.

“Big brother, that’s not right. Lele and I were also raised on your military allowance. In a sense, you’ve already played the role of a father. Now that you’ve run into trouble, of course we’ll help.”

Hearing this warmed Li Bing’s heart. His many years of effort had not been in vain—at least his younger brother was someone with a conscience.

Li Le also ran over and sat beside Li Bing. In truth, she didn’t have many memories of this eldest brother, but their mother had always repeated to her that Big Brother sent his allowance home every month.

“Big brother, this isn’t your fault. If we’re talking about who’s the worst, it’s still Sister-in-law’s mother. I don’t know what illness she has—she’s always targeting Second Sister-in-law. Second Sister-in-law doesn’t owe them anything. Is her brain broken or what?”

“Lele, I’m sorry. It’s all because I’m incompetent…”

Once he said that, Li Le didn’t know what to say anymore. Big Brother always took all the responsibility onto himself. It seemed he wouldn’t divorce Big Sister-in-law—but if he didn’t, how were they supposed to live in the future?

“Lele, I’ve already asked around. Yuan Qin will probably receive a heavy sentence this time. If my transfer fails, I’ll go back to the old home. Wherever you live, it’s still living.”

When Li Bing spoke of returning to his hometown, his heart ached. From then on, he would have to leave the army, leave his comrades and the familiar environment.

At the same time, he also felt a bit of longing for going home. Guoqing had said that now in Xiangyang Village, every household raised pigs and farmed the land. Two harvests a year were already enough to keep everyone well fed, and when the pigs were sold, it would be another considerable income.

So Xiangyang Village was completely different from when Li Bing had left. Even Niqiu, whose family used to be the poorest, had built a brick-and-tile house and bought a tractor.

The three siblings were each lost in their own thoughts, and the room grew quiet for a moment. On the hospital bed, Mother Li seemed to hear Li Bing’s voice; her eyelids fluttered rapidly. Cheng Qiao quickly took out a silver needle and inserted it into her philtrum acupoint.

Mother Li felt a sharp pain there and finally opened her eyes. Seeing Cheng Qiao with a needle in her hand, she knew it was her daughter-in-law who had saved her.

“Qiao, is Li Bing here?”

Mother Li’s voice was very soft, but Li Bing had sharp hearing. He immediately stood up, walked to the bedside, his legs giving way as he knelt with a thud in front of the bed.

“Mom… your son has been terribly unfilial.”

Cheng Li shuddered. That sound hurt just to hear. Uncle was far too straightforward—when he knelt, he really knelt… sincerely.

“My son, Mom doesn’t blame you. This is Mom’s tribulation. If I get through it, I’ll live to a hundred. If not, there’s nothing to be done.”

“Mom, you’ll definitely get through it. With Cheng Qiao here, with all of us here, you can rest assured.”

Li Bing knew Cheng Qiao’s medical skills well. He looked at her, his eyes full of pleading—you saved my life, please save my mother’s life too.

“Big brother, Mom’s life can definitely be saved, but her physical condition will be much worse than before. For a long time, Mom will only be able to rest quietly.”

“Leave it to me. I promise I’ll take good care of Mom.”

Hearing this, Mother Li became anxious. If she collapsed like this, wouldn’t she become a burden? What about her son and daughter-in-law? They both had their own jobs and families—how could they have so much time to care for an old woman like her?

“Mom, didn’t you always say that raising children is for old age? Now it’s time for children to support their parent. You just eat when it’s time to eat, sleep when it’s time to sleep. When your health improves, go chat with the neighbors.”

“How can it be that easy? There are still such young children at home, especially you—you only have one son, how is that enough? You should have at least two more.”

“Then, Mom, you first get well. When I give birth to another son, you can help me look after him.”

Mother Li was happy hearing that, but when she thought of Yuan Qin, this in-law, she couldn’t help worrying for Li Bing. People say a harmonious family brings prosperity—how were the children supposed to manage in a family like that?

“Bing’er, Cheng’er must have been badly frightened today, right? I kept hearing him cry. I was anxious, but my hands and feet wouldn’t listen to me—being anxious was useless. Where is the child now?”

“Mom, don’t worry. Chenger is fine. Meili is taking care of him. She originally wanted to come, but her dad and Cheng’er were both a bit unwell. She said she’d come early tomorrow morning.”