Northern Myanmar: Years of Dehumanization

"Alas, your parents passed away many years ago..."

When I heard this, it was like a bolt from the blue and I stood there in a daze for a moment.

I thought something happened to my dad, but I didn’t expect that something happened to my mom too.

Who can bear this?

"Why, why is it like this?"

I took a deep breath and asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I remember it was in 2011, your mother was sick, she had cancer, she stayed in the hospital for three months, spent a lot of money, but in the end she passed away."

The second uncle also had sadness in his eyes as he recalled the past.

"cancer?"

When I heard this, I thought about the day when Xiao Xun and I got married. I did call my mother, and she said a lot of strange things. Now that I think about it, everything makes sense.

So that's how it is. No wonder my mother said that.

I asked Minglong for a lot of money, which I used for this purpose. I thought at the time that the money was enough.

But who would have thought that it would be such a disease, how could it be enough?

At this moment, I hated myself for not being able to transfer more money, otherwise, I wouldn't have...

However, cancer is not a disease that can be cured simply by having money.

Thinking of this, I felt sad. After all, my mother didn’t get to see my wedding day, nor was she able to enjoy happiness.

"What about my dad?"

I looked at the second uncle and asked in a sad voice.

"Just the medical bills have left your family in debt. Your dad has no choice but to work very hard to pay back the debt and support your brother and sister in school."

The second uncle said this, paused and continued:

"Your father has difficulty walking, so he opened a shoe stall. He only had two steamed buns for a day. One time, on his way home, he had an accident. Your father was hit by a car."

"When we arrived at the hospital, your father was almost dying. Before he left, he told me that you were the one he felt most sorry for in his life. If you came back one day, he would definitely say sorry to you. He believed that you would definitely come back..."

When the second uncle said this, his face became serious and he said sorry to me seriously.

At this moment, it was as if I was possessed by my father.

"Old man, why don't you wait until I come back and tell you whether I forgive you or not..."

I heard what the second uncle said, and then I said it through gritted teeth.

When his emotions calmed down a little, the second uncle continued:

"That driver paid your family a lot of money. Originally, the money was enough to support the two of them to finish college, and there was still a lot left. Who would have thought that Jiang Qing would use it for gambling..."

"I don't need to tell you what happened next, but you already know..."

The second uncle said these words with an angry look on his face. When I heard them, I really wanted to give Jiang Qing a good beating.

I even said that if this incident happened in northern Myanmar, I would make him remember it for a long time.

You like gambling, right? Cut off one of his hands and see if he dares to do it again.

The only thing is, we are in China now, so we naturally cannot do it this way.

"Second Uncle, where are my parents buried?"

I sighed, my eyes slightly moist, and asked.

The second uncle did not reply, but looked at the sun outside and said:

"It's almost noon. Go call Xiaoying over. After dinner, let her take you. She has suffered a lot."

After hearing what the second uncle said, I nodded, and then took Ading to the location the second uncle told me.

"Brother Bai, let me tell you, your brother is nothing."

Ading heard the whole story and of course he could express his own opinion.

"This is something that anyone can understand."

When I heard Ading's words, I also squinted my eyes and replied.

When Ading saw me like this, he stopped talking, fearing that I would teach him a lesson.

When we arrived at the location the second uncle mentioned, the simple one-story house formed a sharp contrast with the two-story buildings on the other two sides.

When I thought about my sister living in a room like this, I felt a sense of sadness in my heart.

In today's world of advanced transportation, my sister's only means of transportation is an old bicycle.

I looked at the simple door and easily entered the yard.

As soon as I entered the yard, I heard the barking of the little black dog tied nearby.

When Ading and I arrived at the house, there was no one inside.

Yes, but it was just a bowl of pickles and half a steamed bun.

The room was extremely simple, with only a few pieces of furniture, a bed that was as old as it could be, and a large, outdated cabinet.

"Ying'er, it's my brother. I'm back."

My heart was in a knot. Even when I was abused, beaten and scolded in northern Myanmar, I never felt this way.

Ying'er is the name I use exclusively for my sister, and outsiders don't know it.

When my sister said this name, she should have known my identity.

"Crench."

The tall cabinet made a sound, and after a while, the cabinet door slowly opened.

A girl about 1.6 meters tall, with baby fat on her face, big almond eyes, and beautiful yet cute, appeared in front of me.

"Brother, it's really you!"

When my sister's eyes fell on me, her almond-shaped eyes were filled with thick mist, and she rushed up and hugged me.

Perhaps, others may not recognize me because of my white hair, but my sister can recognize me at a glance.

My sister's tears wet the clothes in front of me, and I patted her thin back gently with some heartache.

Baby fat does not mean that the body is a little fat.

Some girls are very thin and may also have this.

"Don't cry, don't cry, brother is back, and no one will bully you anymore."

I was comforting my sister and she cried for a long time before she stopped.

"Brother, I didn't expect you to come back. If I had known, I would have bought some delicious food..."

My sister rubbed her eyes, then looked at the pickles and steamed buns on the table and said with some embarrassment on her face.

"Let me try..."

I looked at the rough shirt and dirty jeans my sister was wearing, with some pain in my eyes, and wanted to taste what she usually ate.

"Brother, don't eat. I'll prepare something else for you..."

When my sister saw that I wanted to eat pickles, she also wanted to stop me.

"What? You don't want me to eat?"

I walked over to the bowl of pickles first and asked with raised eyebrows.

"It is not......"

When my sister heard my question, she hurried to explain, but I had already put the pickles in my mouth.

The pickles were rotten. I swallowed them with difficulty and then said:

"Ying'er, is this what you usually eat?"