2007, Haishi First People's Hospital.
"Ms. Xia, you are already one week behind on your payments. You keep saying your family will come to pay the fees, but no one has shown up. This puts us in a very difficult position. Furthermore, your condition cannot be delayed any longer. If we don’t perform the surgery now, I’m afraid it will be too late."
"We will hold your bed for one more day. Please, go home and get the money for the fees. If you can't pay by then, we will have no choice but to give the bed to another patient in need."
The nurse reluctantly delivered the ultimatum to the aged woman standing before her.
Though she was only forty-eight, she looked like a woman of sixty or seventy. Her face was etched with deep wrinkles and a grayish pallor—not merely from the toll of her illness, but from a lifetime of suffering.
"I understand, Nurse Liu. I’m sorry. I will find a way to pay the fees; I won’t make things difficult for you."
A flash of humiliation crossed Xia Xian's eyes, yet she offered a sincere apology and a promise. She draped her coat over her shoulders and stumbled toward home.
She had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor. It was caught neither too early nor too late; if treated properly, she could live for another three to five years, perhaps even longer. But if she didn't…
She had been hospitalized for ten days since her diagnosis, and she had only managed to cover the first three days of costs. Her husband and daughter had told her they were going home to get money, but they had never returned.
When she called them, they initially said they were too busy to come and told her to hang in there. Later, they claimed they were busy raising funds for her medical bills. Eventually, they stopped answering her calls altogether.
Yet, she believed her daughter and husband weren't doing this on purpose. Surely, something must have tied them up, or perhaps they were simply too preoccupied with gathering the money to answer the phone.
Clinging to hope, she dragged her frail body for over an hour to return home, only to find the house empty. She didn't have a key and couldn't even get through the door.
Xia Xian hung her head in disappointment. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she headed toward the house next door, only to find it locked tight as well. Not a soul was to be found.
For some reason, Xia Xian’s heart lurched, as if she had sensed a premonition. Just then, Sister Wang, who lived behind them, rode by on her motorbike. Noticing her standing there, she pulled over, confused, and called out, "Xia Xian, what are you standing around for? Why are you dressed like that? Today is Nannan and Xiao Jun’s wedding day, and it’s the day you move into your new home—a double celebration! Why are you back here instead of over there hosting the guests? I was just on my way to the new house for the wedding feast."
"Though I must say, you and Old Chu are certainly generous. Xiao Jun and his mother didn't have the money to buy a house for the wedding, so you two bought one for them and even let his mother move in with them, leaving you stuck in this dump. Sometimes I don't know what you're thinking, giving away a house just to marry off a daughter."
Sister Wang sighed, clearly unable to fathom her actions.
At these words, a sharp pain pierced Xia Xian’s heart. She clenched her fists so tightly her teeth sank into her withered lips, nearly drawing blood. Her mind went blank!
Chu Nannan was her daughter, and Xiao Jun was the neighbor's son. But she knew nothing about a wedding or a house being bought and gifted!
And why did Chu Nannan have to marry Xiao Jun of all people? Xiao Jun’s mother had grown up with her husband, but she was five years his senior. She had married young and divorced early, returning to her parents' home with her seven-year-old son in tow!
She had originally married Eldest Master Chu, but he fell suddenly ill and, hiding it from her, had her marry into the family. He passed away just one week after their wedding.
The second son was also of age to marry, but the Chu family was poor and couldn't afford a bride. Back then, she had only agreed to marry because Eldest Master Chu was handsome and honest. She hadn't asked for any bride price at all; had they gone through the traditional motions, neither of the Chu brothers would have been able to afford a wife!
Later, when she wanted to return to her own family, Mother Chu had insisted she stay, forcing her to continue living with the second brother and telling her to "make do." She insisted she should have at least two children—one for each brother’s lineage—claiming it was a long-standing family rule. At the time, her heart had softened, and she had agreed.
Sadly, all these years later, she had only given birth to one daughter, Chu Nannan. But she believed she had never once wronged the Chu family!
She had balanced working to earn money, caring for her children, being a filial daughter-in-law, and managing all the cooking and cleaning! The household expenses were paid for by her wages, while the second brother kept his own salary. Sometimes it wasn't enough, and she had to subsidize him! He didn't care for the household, but he would frequently provide for the family next door, claiming that since she was a sister he grew up with, he couldn't bear to see her suffer so, especially with an innocent child.
They fought whenever the subject came up, but after so many years, with a daughter between them, she could only muddle through the days.
Xiao Jun had never been any good since he was a child—sowing discord, framing others, and stealing—he had done it all! She had repeatedly warned her daughter to stay away from him, so how could she be marrying him in the blink of an eye?
What had these two been doing behind her back!
Though there was no wind, Xia Xian felt as if she were standing on the street in the dead of winter, shivering uncontrollably.
In that moment, she didn't know whether to feel more chilled by her husband’s actions or her daughter’s betrayal.
"Xia Xian? Are you alright? Why are you..."
"Sister Wang, please, take me there!"
Before Sister Wang could finish, Xia Xian lunged forward, grabbing her arm, her eyes filled with tears and desperation.
"Alright."
Sister Wang sensed something was wrong and silently took her there.
She arrived in a panicked rush, just in time to witness the bride and groom bowing to their parents and offering tea!
How ironic. In the brightly lit new home, Chu Sheng and Xiao Jun’s mother, Bai Lian, sat side by side, accepting the tea from her daughter. The two of them were smiling intimately at each other; anyone unaware would think they were the actual couple! Her daughter was an ingrate, too!
Seeing this, Xia Xian was so furious she felt she might suffer a brain hemorrhage. Years of grievances and resentment exploded in an instant. She charged forward, heedless of anything else, snatched the teacup from Chu Sheng’s hand, and slammed it directly into his face. His nose began to bleed instantly, but she only wanted to vent her fury!
"Damn it!"
"Ah! Mom! Why are you here?"
"Xia Xian! Have you lost your mind?"
"You bitch!"
"Why is Xia Xian so unreasonable, causing a scene on such a big day?"
Xia Xian didn't care about anyone’s reaction. With madness in her eyes, she grabbed Bai Lian by the hair, raising her hand to slap the shameless woman, but her hand was intercepted mid-air. It was Xiao Jun!
"You dare hit my mother! Get out!"
Xiao Jun was incensed. Before Xia Xian could break free, he kicked her, sending her flying across the room. Her head slammed hard against the wall before she slumped to the floor.
Xia Xian was already at the end of her rope—her body frail, her heart overwhelmed by rage. The kick and the impact caused her to stop breathing immediately! Her eyes were wide open, looking as if they might pop out, and she even shed tears of blood; she could not die in peace!
She hated them! Oh, how she hated them! Why hadn't she seen their true colors sooner? Why hadn't she been given the chance to take revenge? Why! Why!
Even as a ghost, she would not let them go!
Xia Xian was filled with unwillingness, but her life faded away with the wind, and her consciousness plunged into darkness.
The last sense to leave a person after death is hearing. She heard her daughter’s disdain, complaining that she had ruined her big day; she heard Bai Lian crying pitifully while Chu Sheng tried to soothe her, cursing that he never should have married such a piece of trash, a madwoman, like Xia Xian…
She wondered when they would finally realize she was dead.
The moment Xia Xian’s hearing began to fade, she should have been truly gone, but her body twitched twice, and she suddenly snapped her eyes open!