Chen Yang and Fang Xu quickly got out of the car to check on the old woman. Seeing that she was mostly unharmed, just a little frightened, they breathed a sigh of relief. The situation had been incredibly dangerous. It was two or three in the morning, on a wide, empty six-lane road. No one would expect someone to suddenly dart into the fast lane. Luckily, the Mercedes was top-of-the-line, and Chen Yang reacted quickly, preventing a major accident.
Chen Yang helped the old woman up and asked in the local Nanpu dialect:
"Grandma, are you alright? Why are you out so late? It's dangerous!"
At this moment, Su He hurriedly got out of the car. She rushed to the old woman, crying,
"Grandma! What are you doing here! You scared me to death, you know?"
After saying this, Su He hugged the old woman tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling. Chen Yang and Fang Xu exchanged bewildered glances. This was a mess! Su He's uncle's family had searched for most of the night without success, and they, driving on their way, hadn't even entered the city yet, and the first person they encountered was Su He's grandmother!
Thinking back to how he had almost run over Su He's grandmother, Chen Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He also muttered to himself, "This old lady is incredibly resourceful! Su He's house is in the south of the city, and this is the north gate of the county. She's practically walked across the entire county and even walked onto the highway leading out of town! If it weren't for this chance encounter, they would have searched the whole county and still wouldn't have found her!"
The old lady looked at Su He with cloudy eyes, a look of confusion in them. After a long pause, she hesitantly said,
"Xiao He? My dear girl, weren't you studying in Rongcheng? Why are you back?"
The old woman had forgotten many things, but this beloved, unfortunate granddaughter was etched firmly in her heart. She could forget her son and daughter-in-law, forget the way home, even forget who she was, but she would always remember her granddaughter, her precious little girl…
Su He looked at her grandmother with teary eyes, sobbing, and said:
"Uncle said you were lost, it scared me to death… Grandma, why did you run out alone again? Didn't I tell you to stay home?"
One of the most obvious characteristics of Alzheimer's disease is memory decline. As the disease progresses, patients may even forget their closest relatives, and forgetting the way home becomes commonplace. Therefore, Su He repeatedly told her uncle's family not to let the elderly woman go out alone, but unexpectedly, this still happened.
The old lady affectionately stroked Su He's hair, her voice trembling as she asked,
"Yes! My dear, how did I get here..."
Seeing this, Chen Yang stepped forward and gently patted Su He's shoulder, whispering,
"Su He, you won't get anything out of Grandma. Let's take her home first! Your uncle and the others must be very worried."
Su He quickly helped Grandma into the car, and the group drove through the county town, arriving at Su Weimin's house in the south of the city. It was a three-story house, the low courtyard walls covered with green ivy, clearly an old building.
After getting out of the car, Chen Yang saw that the house was completely dark, without a single light. He felt a pang of curiosity; were Su Weimin's family still searching outside? Su He, also unsure of the situation, helped Grandma to the door and knocked.
There was no response from inside.
Seeing this, Fang Xu stepped forward and pounded on the door. The loud banging was unusually jarring in the early morning. After a while, finally a light came on inside the house, and an impatient middle-aged woman's voice came from within:
"Who is it! Knocking in the middle of the night! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Su He quickly said:
"Auntie! It's me, Su He!"
The house fell silent again. After a long while, they heard a rustling sound. The door opened, and a sleepy-eyed middle-aged woman poked her head out. Her hair was disheveled, her face bore deep marks from the bamboo mat, and there were traces of drool at the corners of her mouth; she was clearly fast asleep.
This was Su He's aunt, He Chunzhi. Upon seeing the old woman beside Su He, He Chunzhi immediately erupted in fury, rushing out of the room and pointing at the old woman, bombarding her with questions like a machine gun:
"Where have you been?! Your son has been looking for you all night, you know! Can't you give me a break?! I work myself to the bone serving your whole family, and you still cause trouble..."
Fang Xu couldn't understand He Chunzhi's local dialect at all, but he could tell from her expression that she wasn't saying anything nice. He pulled Chen Yang aside and asked:
"What is this woman saying?"
Chen Yang had never encountered such an extreme daughter-in-law before. He shook his head in disgust and said:
"Anyway, it's nothing nice! You'd better not know, it'll only cause you trouble!"
However, this was Su He's family matter, and Chen Yang couldn't interfere for the time being, so he just watched Su He. Su He, supporting her grandmother, asked weakly,
"Auntie, why did my grandmother suddenly run away all by herself?"
He Chunzhi glanced at the old woman guiltily, a fleeting, unnatural look crossing her face. She retorted loudly,
"How should I know! She has legs; do you think I can watch her 24/7? There are old people and young children at home; I'm busy all day long, how can I possibly take care of everyone?"
Faced with her sharp-tongued aunt, Su He seemed somewhat powerless. She was rendered speechless by He Chunzhi's retort. After a long pause, she asked again,
"And what about my uncle?"
Speaking of Su Weimin, He Chunzhi was even more furious. After searching for him for a while that evening, Su Weimin was called away by his boss with a phone call. He said that provincial and municipal leaders were coming for an inspection the next day, and he needed to prepare for their reception overnight. So Su Weimin told her to continue looking for her mother in the neighborhood while he hurriedly went to work overtime. He Chunzhi had long harbored resentment towards her burdensome mother-in-law. As soon as Su Weimin left, she couldn't be bothered to search anymore and went straight home to sleep. Now, Su He mentioning her uncle only fueled her anger, and she said sarcastically:
"Your uncle? He's a very busy man! He didn't even have time to look for his parents when they got lost. He's still working overtime at that lousy company at this hour!"
Seeing He Chunzhi's aggressive and incessant chatter, Chen Yang frowned and stepped forward, saying:
"You're Su He's aunt, right? The old lady has been walking all day and is very tired. Why don't you let her go inside and rest first? We can talk about the rest tomorrow!"
Chen Yang's words carried an undeniable air of authority. He Chunzhi was taken aback. The young man before her was dressed simply but possessed an extraordinary air, and she had never seen their car before, but its appearance clearly indicated it was expensive. He Chunzhi was unsure of Chen Yang's background. However, Chen Yang spoke in the local dialect, which greatly reduced He Chunzhi's apprehension. Relying on her husband's position as a county government official, she felt a strange psychological advantage in front of locals. Therefore, after only a moment's hesitation, she rolled her eyes and asked:
"Whose child is this? How can he be so disrespectful! Is it any of your business what the Su family's affairs are!"
Seeing her aunt's harsh words, Su He, fearing Chen Yang's anger, quickly said:
"Auntie, this is my college classmate, many..." "Thanks to him bringing me back overnight, we found Grandma on the highway north of the city!"
Seeing He Chunzhi's shrewish demeanor and Grandma's helpless eyes, Chen Yang felt a surge of anger. Ignoring that this was Su He's family matter, he said righteously,
"No matter who I am, I have to remind you! Children have a guardianship obligation for elderly people who have lost their ability to protect themselves! If anything happens to the elderly woman this time, you and Su Weimin will both be held accountable!"
He Chunzhi's face... Just as Su He was about to retort, a childish voice rang out:
"Mommy! What are you doing here! I couldn't find you when I woke up..."
A four- or five-year-old boy ran out the door. Seeing Su He and her grandmother, his face lit up with joy:
"Sister Xiao He! You're back!"
Su He, seeing her cousin, affectionately stroked his hair and asked with a smile:
"Tongtong, why aren't you asleep so late?"
Tongtong pouted and said unhappily:
"Tongtong was already asleep, but you woke her up with your voices!"
At this moment, Chen Yang's heart stirred. He stepped forward, took Tongtong's hand, and squatted down to ask:
"Tongtong! Tell your brother, why was Grandma naughty today? Why did she run out to play by herself?"
Tongtong looked at Chen Yang with a puzzled expression and blurted out:
"Grandma wasn't naughty! Mom asked Grandma to buy milk for Tongtong, but Tongtong waited all afternoon, and Grandma still hadn't brought the milk back..."
Upon hearing this, Su He's expression changed drastically. Chen Yang sneered and looked at He Chunzhi. He Chunzhi, feeling guilty, grabbed Tongtong and slapped her bottom several times, yelling:
"I'll teach you to talk nonsense! I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"
Tongtong immediately burst into tears. Fang Xu, who had been watching coldly, grabbed the child and scolded angrily:
"What's wrong with you! You even hit a child!"
Su He stared into He Chunzhi's eyes and asked:
"Auntie, what's going on? Is what Tongtong said true? You know Grandma has this illness, how could you let her go out alone?"
Su He became more and more agitated as she spoke, her delicate body trembling slightly.
He Chunzhi stubbornly retorted:
"The convenience store is right at the intersection. I was busy cooking and couldn't leave. Tongtong was crying for milk. How was I supposed to know she could get lost in just a few steps? She's such a grown woman, and she can't even look after herself..."
The old lady looked at the crowd arguing with a bewildered expression. Seeing the noise getting louder, she fearfully tugged at Su He's sleeve and said:
"Nannan, don't argue with others. Let's go home!"
She had already forgotten her daughter-in-law and grandson. In her eyes, they were all strangers; only Su He was her family.
Chen Yang couldn't bear it any longer. He helped the old woman up and said to Su He:
"Why waste your breath arguing with someone like that! Can you leave your elderly relative in a house like this? Let's go!"
Su He looked at He Chunzhi, opened her mouth, but her gentle and mild-mannered nature prevented her from saying anything harsh. She turned and helped her grandmother, walking silently towards the car. He Chunzhi was still yelling behind him:
"If you've got the guts, don't come back! That old hag, he might as well just die out there, coming back only to burden his family!"
Su He, who had just gotten into the car, heard He Chunzhi's words and, seeing her grandmother's dazed state, couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Fang Xu, turn around and drive north. Find a hotel to stay in! Get Grandma settled, and we'll settle accounts with them tomorrow!" Chen Yang said grimly, looking at He Chunzhi still jumping up and down cursing outside the car window.
He Chunzhi was a shrewish countrywoman, which was one thing, but was Su Weimin, a government official, also a shrew? Could he really abandon his own mother? Chen Yang was truly enraged this time.