godfather

Shaotang called the child's elder aunt again, saying, "My elder brother may be gone, but he can't, or he's gone."

Shaotang also said, can Meng Xiaojing be contacted, tell him to go back to Xi'an, Meng Xiaojing was brought up by his biological parents since he was a child, don't let the child leave lifelong regrets.

In the early morning of the second day, Shaotang rushed to the local area and rushed to the hospital.

Several daughters of the Meng family held a meeting overnight, and everyone cried.Xiaobei's aunt, uncle, and third aunt arrived on the next plane, and they only kept it from the elders at home.

Shaotang was the first to arrive, and the corridor was quiet in the early morning. A stretcher carrying a patient on a ventilator hurried past him.

The entrance to the ICU was quiet, Meng Xiaobei sat alone on the ground in the corner by the wall, with his face buried between his knees.Shaotang bent down and pinched his son's shoulders, Meng Xiaobei's face was expressionless, his eyes were bloodshot and dull, and he was about to cry blind, his face seemed to have been covered with tears over and over again, forming a crystal layer with white salt particles.

Shaotang carried a box of money, all the cash on hand at the time, and several passbooks.

The hospital rescue was timely, and there was no delay in this regard.The people in the family compound of the factory knew about it immediately, and the leaders of the trade union came to negotiate in person, imploring the hospital to do their best to rescue them.

Shaotang gradually understood the situation at that time.

Meng Jianmin and Ma Baochun came out of the Huaqing Pool scenic spot. They were walking on the street in the evening. When they crossed the road, they encountered a large car entering the city.The big car was speeding, and the driver was probably tired. He didn't look at the pedestrians, and went straight to the zebra crossing... The driver fled, and the passers-by called the police.Both Meng Jianmin and his wife have ID cards and employee cards on them, which can prove their identities.

When Meng Xiaobei came home in the evening, the stove was cold, and there was no one in the house, so he couldn't find his parents.

It was raining in the city of Xi'an, and the sky suddenly became overcast, as if encountering a strange and terrifying celestial phenomenon, or as if a cauldron had been turned upside down in the sky, and it suddenly became dark and oppressive.When Meng Xiaobei rushed to the hospital, he stood in front of the emergency room, and the doctor told him that his father was dying.

Meng Jianmin's organs probably ruptured on the spot when he was hit, and his whole body failed. There was no way to save him.

His mother has been rescued inside and is in a critical condition.In the morning, experts from two departments of the hospital consulted to prepare for the second and third rounds of surgery.

Meng Xiaobei watched the doctors and nurses come in and out all night, all wearing hats and masks, drying their hands, some nurses went in with bags of blood, and then said there was no blood, and the blood was transferred from other hospitals .Meng Xiaobei's own blood type was incompatible, and several uncles from the trade union rolled up their sleeves and gave him a blood transfusion.

The surgeon came out and said regretfully, "We did our best."

The leader from the factory said with tears in his eyes, "I have to try my best to save him. It's been so hard for this man to live most of his life. It was so hard to bring up his two sons. Now both sons are promising, both college students!"Before you can enjoy the blessings of your descendants, you have to save your life no matter what. If you are alive, you still have hope.

The chief surgeon hung the mask on one ear, looked dignified behind the glasses, and shook his head.

The doctor said: "This person is unconscious now, and he is dying. With the support of equipment, he can probably last for an hour."

The neighbors and colleagues in the compound present, as well as several uncles and men, were so sad that their eyes were red and tears.

The doctor asked: "Which one of you is a family member? We need the consent of the family members."

The leader looked sad, and pointed at Meng Xiaobei: "Only he is a relative, the child is still young, and the rest of the family are in Beijing, so there is no time to arrive, anyway, you can wait for another day and a half, and let Jianmin wait for his relatives. "

The doctor asked Meng Xiaobei frankly: "Are you an immediate family member? It's up to you to decide. If you agree to unplug the device now, sign, and terminate... we will terminate it. The person is indeed hopeless. Let's discuss and prepare for the funeral at home. "

Meng Xiaobei burst into tears, and ran to call Shaotang crying.

He can't decide, can't accept the reality, why should he experience and decide this kind of thing?

Meng Xiaobei renewed his name many times that night.

It was the first time in my life that I felt the most deep-rooted fear and helplessness in life, life and death.No one else in the family was around, and he was the only one to face and bear the burden. His two closest relatives by blood were lying there, waiting for him.He was holding a bunch of things outside, turning pages and signing for his parents page by page.

Others were already dumbfounded, dumb, and couldn't figure out what they signed. It seemed that there were surgery resolutions, blood transfusion consent forms, hospital waiver forms and so on.

He sat upright on the hall bench, thinking about what his dad had said to him that morning.Meng Jianmin said to him gently, let's go out as a family of three, where do you want to go, what restaurant do you want to eat, Dad treats you to something good.

The doctor came over and asked again, whether to pull out the tube, Meng Xiaobei shook his head nervously: "If I don't pull out the tube, I want my dad to come back to life."

He asked his father if he had left any words.The nurse said that the person was just like that when he was sent, and he could not speak for a long time, and did not leave a word.

As the only immediate family member present, Meng Xiaobei was allowed to enter the room wearing a disinfectant suit and a hat to see his father for the last time.

He stood at the head of his father's bed, looking at the familiar and vicissitudes of life face on the bed.Meng Jianmin looked very calm, his face was intact without any damage, as if he had fallen asleep.He was indeed unconscious, his chest rose and fell extremely heavily and slowly, and the fluctuating line on the heart detection screen was in critical condition.

Meng Xiaobei called out in a low voice, "Father."

The surroundings are quiet, and several instruments and pipes interweave to make monotonous and low-pitched sounds.Meng Xiaobei said, "Dad, I'm sorry."

Meng Xiaobei's shoulders trembled, his voice was hoarse, and he cried, "Dad, I made a mistake. Can you come back?"

The nurse walked around the house with regular routes and footsteps, as if she had walked thousands of times every day, and had seen such farewell scenes of dying relatives countless times.The nurse reminded from behind: "Don't cry, tears can easily bring out bacteria."

Meng Xiaobei bit his lip hard, forced himself not to cry out, and took a few steps back to prevent the pouring tears from falling on his father.

The room suddenly darkened, the lights faltered, and the wind picked up.

It shouldn't be windy in the ICU.

However, Meng Xiaobei definitely felt a gust of wind blowing above his head and around him that night.He stood upright, his body was blown through by the wind, like a thin piece of paper, and he lost more than 120 kilograms of weight.The wind blew past his ears, circling, and there were bursts of footsteps in a trance.This may be because his father wanted to say something to him, but he couldn't say it out of his mouth, he could only communicate with his soul.

Meng Xiaobei saw his father's eyelids move slightly.

Tears flowed from the corners of both Meng Jianmin's eyes, showing two lines of wet marks.

Xiaobei choked up and said, "Dad, it's not dawn yet, and Shaotang said he would be here in the early morning."

"Dad, can you wait for Shaotang a little longer?"

"Dad, I'm sorry."

Meng Xiaobei believed that his father definitely heard him speak and heard him cry and admit his mistake.

Meng Jianmin responded to him, his chest visibly rose and fell, agitated.Every breath is very hard and heavy, trying to support and prolong life.

Halfway through, his heart stopped for about 3 minutes. Meng Xiaobei was about to collapse, feeling hopeless. He wanted to send his father away alone, and bear the pain and guilt that he could not get rid of in his life.Doctors and nurses came around to check and were ready to declare death.However, at this moment, Meng Xiaobei saw that the line on the instrument jumped again.

The doctor said that this person could only last for an hour or two, not for long.

The nurses were very surprised, why did this happen, and why hasn't it stopped.

In the early hours of the morning, Meng Jianmin began to breathe again, and it was very difficult to hold on, as if his mind was unfinished, he was reluctant to leave, and knew that this hour should not be left.His son has no relatives around him now, how pitiful, how can he leave his son alone and let his son be alone and no one to take care of him?No matter what, you have to wait for someone who can trust you.

Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes again.Meng Xiaobei will never forget that scene, there were big teardrops rolling down from the corners of his father's eyes.

……

After Shaotang arrived at the hospital, he asked the chief surgeon about the situation, paid the operation deposit for his sister-in-law, and completed all the procedures.Shaotang told the doctor, don't tell my sister-in-law the truth, the couple have been loving each other for many years, just say that my elder brother is still being rescued and he is still alive.

Shaotang was the last person to see Meng Jianmin.He stood in front of his elder brother's bed, with his hands hanging upright. Meng Jianmin's cheeks were thin but his bones were hard and intact, his forehead and brow bones were firm, and his face was intact and dignified.

Shaotang yelled several times, bent down and approached to ask about the will, but Meng Jianmin couldn't say a word.

Meng Jianmin was just waiting for Shaotang, and he held on tenaciously for another six hours, until morning, when it was dawn.The bell tower in the distance seems to be emitting a deep murmur from the dust of the ancient wilderness. The smog clears and the dew moistens the city, giving the city a new look.

Shaotang choked up at the time and said, "Brother, if you disagree with that matter, please tell me, and I will respect your wishes."

"Brother, give me an expression, shake your head if you disagree, I can understand."

Meng Jianmin neither nodded nor shook his head, trying very hard to respond to Shaotang, wanting to speak, his chest rose and fell, clearly wanting to tell something, tears welling from the corners of his eyes.

Shaotang's eyes were red and she was also crying, choked up and unable to breathe.Shaotang said: "Brother, I will definitely take care of my sister-in-law for you and Xiaobei for the rest of my life. I won't let him suffer in the future. I will take care of our parents and they will treat them as my biological parents. Don't worry."

Meng Jianmin finally felt at ease when he heard Shaotang's promise, and slowly calmed down, no longer struggling to breathe, and his tears stopped unexpectedly.

Jianmin's face was calm and peaceful. The countless hardships and ups and downs in his life all came to an abrupt end at that moment, as if he had nothing else to worry about or mourn.Meng Xiaobei watched from afar, gazing at his father's calm expression through blurry teary eyes.In fact, Meng Jianmin didn't confide a word, maybe this is Meng Xiaobei's wishful thinking, hesitant hope in his heart.He felt that his father agreed at that moment, the tears flowed for him, and his father still loved him.

……

******

The flight of the Meng family's relatives was one step late, and they failed to catch up with the last one.The sisters hugged each other and cried outside the door.

His aunt also felt sorry for her elder nephew, so she hugged Meng Xiaobei and cried to comfort her.

The police came at noon, and Shaotang went out to negotiate with the police.At that time, someone reported to the police, and the traffic police left an accident report on the scene investigation, and a wanted person was issued.

Xiaobei and his third aunt cried for a while, and occasionally burst out a few words: "Shaotang, who did you say this was caused by?! If it weren't for you and Meng Xiaobei, would something happen to my brother? My brother would suddenly be alive like this!" Is a person gone? He is gone!..."

Shaotang leaned against the wall of the corridor, with the corners of his mouth tightly closed, standing upright speechless.If Meng Jianmin shook his head at him and asked him to separate from Xiaobei when he was dying, even if it hurt and sad for a while, it would be relief.

He is the one who is alive and strong enough to take responsibility. If he abandons Meng Xiaobei and breaks away from the relationship at such a juncture, being a man is also a kind of cowardice and disappointment.

The aunt stopped the others at that time: "Don't say that, and you are not allowed to say that in the future!"

The aunt said sternly: "It was an accident, it was an accident! Didn't you listen to what the police said just now? The accident report came out. It was the driver who was speeding and didn't look at the sidewalk. Our elder brother and sister-in-law were walking on a zebra crossing. The eldest brother and sister-in-law are completely irresponsible, and the other party is [-]% responsible! No one in our family is at fault!!"

There was no sound in the corridor, and the whole family stood there.The aunt said: "In the future, when you tell our parents about this matter, you should also say the same thing. This is an accident, and no one wants it to happen! If you want to blame, blame the person who caused the accident, arrest him and sentence him to death." , I want to cut him into pieces! Meng Xiaobei is not responsible, and our whole family is absolutely not responsible!"

Meng Xiaobei hugged his aunt and wept non-stop.

The aunt later held Meng Xiaobei in her arms and told a lot of stories intermittently, "Your father was very good to the younger sisters when he was young. The other younger sisters are young, and my brother and I are the only ones who are close in age, and my brother took me to play together. The factory cooperative picks up vegetables and leaves, picks up fruits to eat, so my brother and I have the deepest relationship. My brother just has a bad life, and he can't fulfill his wishes in everything in this life."

"When something goes wrong, it's most taboo for a family to blame each other."

"When people are gone, the family cannot be separated."

Auntie said.

At that time, the family tried their best to contact the crew through the head of the school department and inform Meng Xiaojing to go home.It's a pity that Meng Xiaojing came back one day late. He came out of the Northwest Gobi Desert Film and Television City by car, and couldn't make it in time, so he couldn't see his father for the last time.

When Meng Xiaojing came, Nie Hui followed.The two hugged their heads and cried in the corridor of the hospital.Nie Hui looked really sad, and her face was flushed, probably because she was thinking about the kind and pleasant care of her Uncle Meng during his lifetime.Then the in-laws sent their secretary over to ask the hospital leader about Ma Baochun's surgical treatment.The mother-in-law Meng Xiaojing climbed up to was, in all fairness, very righteous and good at life, and understood the principle of giving charcoal in a timely manner. At that time, she helped coordinate the hospital, arranged for the best local surgeon, provided the best medical conditions, and performed an operation on Ma Baochun.The operation was a success and the danger was passed.

Based on this point, Meng Xiaojing also had to remember his mother-in-law's lifelong kindness, and dared not repay her kindness.

Nie Hui's mother said that our family has no son, and we will use Meng Xiaojing as our "son-in-law" from now on.How sad it is for a child to lose his father when he is young.

The family visited the doctor, but they didn't tell the sister-in-law that the man in the family was gone, and they didn't say anything, and it took a month to say it.

Ma Baochun was lying on the bed, looking out the window in a daze, sometimes wiping tears quietly, but he was also very strong.

She once asked Shaotang: "I actually guessed, is your elder brother gone?"

Ma Baochun said: "I remember clearly that he pushed me and pushed me away. He must have hit me first. Your eldest brother is such a person, and he will always be like this. He doesn't want to let the rest of the family suffer. In the end, all the hardships of the whole family were left to him alone."

Both Meng Xiaobei and Meng Xiaojing were sent back to Beijing at the beginning of school. In order to hide it from their grandparents, they had to continue studying in Beijing. The senior year was also related to graduation assignments.

For half a year, Shaotang traveled between Beijing and Xi'an, hiring a nurse for his sister-in-law to take care of her daily life in the hospital.

The perpetrator of the accident, who was arrested one day after the incident, was an illegal garbage truck with incomplete procedures.Shaotang made several trips to the traffic police station and the court to deal with the tedious aftermath, and then went to Meng Jianmin's factory to discuss the follow-up treatment costs of the wounded in Xi'an, and negotiated with the insurance company.In the chaotic situation at that time, the Meng family did not have any other males who could fight, quarrel, and take care of things. All relatives were working in Beijing, so Shaotang could only run away to seek justice for his elder brother and sister-in-law.

Occasionally, when you feel uncomfortable, think about Meng Jianmin staring at him in the blue sky above your head.

The insurance company is not kind, and originally wanted to renege on the debt, saying that this is a criminal liability case. If the suspect is caught, the perpetrator will be compensated. We don’t care about the compensation, and we can’t let you get double.Shaotang was in a hurry to talk to the insurance company about the legal provisions, saying that I have signed contracts with people all these years, thinking that I don't understand the law and have never seen a contract?You can pay me whatever is written in the terms, otherwise I will ask my lawyer to file this lawsuit with you.

The insurance company bullied the weak and feared the strong, looked at the name of the company on Shaotang's business card, weighed the pros and cons, and guessed that he couldn't offend him, so he paid out.

It was also because of this situation that no one cared about the resentment and blame that might have been aimed at Shaotang.Jianmin is not here, the head of the family is the old lady, and no one else can take her turn.Furthermore, in the current situation, whoever drives He Shaotang away will take charge of the widows and children left behind by Meng Jianmin. In the future, who will take care of the needs of the orphans and widows?

The judgment of the case was relatively smooth afterwards. Those who should obey the law and those who should lose money should pay the money. According to the situation at the time, it can be regarded as a huge sum of money for an ordinary worker's family.But how much money can save a fresh life?

Earlier, when his mother was recovering from the hospital, Meng Xiaobei and Meng Xiaojing went home to sort out their parents' things.

On the wine cabinet in the big house, there is a black and white portrait of Meng Jianmin and two incense candles.Meng Jianmin was handsome and upright when he was young, with radiant eyes.My aunt reminded me that on the night of the first seven, the two brothers burned a pot of paper money outside their compound gate at the intersection of the main road, which was regarded as burning seven.

Meng Xiaobei packed some clothes and daily necessities for his mother from the closet, and prepared to take them to the hospital.

Nie Hui has been comforting her boyfriend.The way girls comfort others is mostly crying, shedding tears, and being tender and aggressive.It is also an effective method to alleviate the emotional and spiritual pain of the other party in this way.

But Shaotang couldn't cry too.Shaotang and Meng Xiaobei didn't talk to each other from the beginning to the end, they just buried their heads in packing their things.

Meng Xiaojing sat sideways on the window sill of their house, looking at an open area in the distance, dazed for a moment, then turned his head and said: "Meng Xiaobei, Dad will always love you more after all these years."

Meng Xiaojing's backlit figure turned into a cluster of silhouettes in front of the window, with dark eyes, and said, "Dad just didn't wait for me, ignored me, and the person he misses most in the end is you."

Meng Xiaobei seemed to have experienced so many things since that year, his personality became more introverted and stable, his tone of speech changed, and he grew up all of a sudden.

He is not the kind of person who is sentimental and self-pitying by nature, and he will not be excessively self-destructive and exile in life.He will not accept his fate, he has always been stronger in the face of setbacks, and he can live a good life.

Meng Xiaobei went to Beijing to make a long-distance call to Qi Liang, and said on the phone: "Liangliang, it's okay, I'll ask you how you are, live a good life, don't wander around anymore."

Qi Liang: "What are you doing? I don't know why. My life is going well! You really worry about it."

Meng Xiaobei said: "Something happened to my family. My father and mother were in a car accident, and my father is gone."

Qi Liang didn't say anything on the phone for a long time, and it took a while to react. A 20-year-old boy doesn't have the concept of "father is gone".

Later Qi Liang told Meng Xiaobei that after hanging up the phone, he immediately called Qi Jiandong and his mother respectively.Qi Jiandong was very excited at the time, his voice was very loud on the phone, and he talked and laughed proudly, thinking that his son took the initiative to find him for reconciliation and bowed to him, and the grievances between father and son were wiped out!

Qi Liang called Teacher Xiao, summoned up his courage and said to Xiao Yi: "I just want to ask, how are you doing? Can I still call you Xiao Yiyi in the future?"

Xiao Yi was also surprised: "Xiao Liang, what's the matter with you?"

Qi Liang pouted and said in a low voice, "I've been thinking about you all the time, I'm sorry to tell you, I'm afraid you will laugh at me and no one will take it."

There is a row of potted plants on the window sill of the big house. They have not been watered for more than a week in summer, and they are collectively wilting.Meng Xiaobei hurriedly took the watering can to water the flowers.This is his father, who tended a few flowers and plants on weekdays during his convalescence.Plants include Chlorophytum, Clivia, and Asparagus, all of which are plants with elegant temperament.

Looking back on the two years of high school when I lived in this house, Meng Jianmin was indeed very ill at that time, coughing every night.Meng Xiaobei reflected on himself, he didn't seem to have poured a glass of water for his father.His mother was always embarrassed to instruct him.The two sides were separated by a floor, and Ma Baochun called Meng Xiaojing to pour water into the spittoon every time.

There is a photo album in the wardrobe, Meng Xiaobei took out the photo album to read.This is the kind of old-fashioned photo album with small black and white photos. Each page has a few photos pasted in a random layout, and then covered with a layer of film and glued.Meng Xiaobei picked out an old photo of their family of four, took it off and put it in his wallet.At that time, he was still living in Xigou, in the compound of the old factory dormitory. Meng Xiaojing obediently let his mother hug him, while he himself was like a little mud monkey, riding on the back of his father's neck playfully, domineeringly occupying their house Commanding heights, eyes narrowed into two slits with joy.

Meng Xiaobei went to the hut to sort out the textbooks and sundries he left behind, and packed two big cardboard boxes.

He found two red passbooks in the corner of his desk.

His name is written in the passbooks, one is the meager salary he earned in high school for two years, and the other is about the money he earned in college for several years. He can't remember clearly, and he doesn't care much about money.In the passbook, small sums of income were remitted; every time Meng Xiaobei handed over the manuscript fee, Meng Jianmin immediately recorded it and deposited it in the passbook.Pay another small notepad to record the date of each amount entered into the account. It may be afraid of being confused with other money at home, and it is very detailed.

Before leaving the house that day, Meng Jianmin sat for a long time in front of the eldest son's desk, and then left a note on the blank page of the notepad.

[Xiaobei, this is the manuscript fee you have earned hard for painting in the past few years. We have been keeping accounts for you.You are about to graduate from university, so I will leave it to you for safekeeping... No matter what happens in the future, if you are wronged, or something happens in that area, you should come home.Dad loves you. 】

It seems that Shaotang shed tears first, standing in the middle of the room, his eyes gradually turned red, feeling that he loved his son enough, maybe not deep enough, sometimes selfish.

Holding the two passbooks, Meng Xiaobei slowly squatted down, heartbroken, shaking so hard that he couldn't breathe, and Shaotang grabbed his shoulders from behind.

Shaotang met this family 15 years ago. He went to climb the window sill of Meng Jianmin's house at night, trying to steal bacon to eat, but the little wolf cub ruthlessly poured wolf urine all over his body.At that time, Squad Leader He was so young and fearless, free and easy, and thick-skinned, he would carry two bottles of Xifeng, humming a ditty, and go to people's homes to eat noodles with glutinous rice noodles.He earned back a godson, a big baby, to be his lifelong companion.

He Shaotang later discussed with his sister-in-law to buy a cemetery in a newly built cemetery in the southern suburbs of Xi'an.

Ma Baochun instructed to buy a husband and wife cemetery, put one person in first, and then restart it after a few years, and put the other person in.

In the autumn of this year, Meng Xiaobei and Meng Xiaojing lost their biological father.Meng Jianmin was buried and his bones were buried in Xi'an. He watched the desolate river and the howling west wind. He thought about it all his life, hoped for it all his life, regretted it all his life, and never returned to Beijing.

The author has something to say: Xiaobei's father passed away more than ten years ago.I love this person very much, so let's start with Jianmin's son and end with Jianmin's death.There will be an epilogue and postscript tomorrow.Touch the readers who have been abused, cherish the people in front of you, be happy and healthy~ love you~