Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Chapter 51 Give the Old Lady Dentures

In their village, when they need to go to the county, they have to wait by the roadside for a bus. They can flag down passing buses from the town to the county seat, and it costs 15 cents per person. However, the buses are not very frequent or reliable.

"Grandma, you don't get motion sickness, right?"

"No, I don't; I never get motion sickness no matter where I go!"

"That's good."

They waited by the roadside for over an hour before they finally saw a bus approaching. After paying the fare and buying tickets, they were able to take their seats.

To travel from the village to the county, they had to take a mountain road. At this time, there’s no highway available, and the road is full of dirt and gravel. As they drove along the mountain road, it kicked up clouds of dust that filled the air. Looking out of the window, all they could see was dust. Ye Yaodong felt the heat but didn't dare to open the window.

The mountain road had eighteen bends, and sitting in the car felt like swaying and shaking from left to right. They had to hold onto the armrests tightly on the sides of their seats. The winding journey continued for almost an hour before finally reaching the main road.

In later years, with the development of highways, it only takes 15 minutes to travel from their village to the county. However, at present, the transportation infrastructure is not well-developed.

It's fortunate that the old lady doesn't get motion sickness and is in good health. Otherwise, considering her advanced age, he wouldn't dare to take her out.

Throughout the journey, he kept hearing someone in the back seat of the bus vomiting.

After reaching the main road, it took another ten minutes to reach the bus station. He held onto the old lady, who was about to get up, "No rush, let's let others get off the bus first."

The old lady smiled and squinted her eyes, "Alright, then..."

The old lady moved slowly, so they didn't mind letting others go ahead and avoid being squeezed. They weren't in a hurry and would rather be the last ones to get off the bus.

The current county is not as large as it will be in the future. The surrounding villages are not incorporated into the county, but it is still a county and not considered small. The distance from the bus station to the county hospital is quite long.

The entrance of the bus station was filled with rickshaw drivers vying for passengers. Considering that the old lady was elderly and might get tired from walking for too long, he decided to hail one instead.

"Ah, do we still need to take a rickshaw? Let's just walk by ourselves and save some money. Don't waste it unnecessarily. I can still walk…”

"It's alright, I'll help you get in. We shouldn't worry about a few cents. If I let you get too tired and worn out, my father will scold me when we get back.”

Throughout the journey, the old lady couldn't help but express her concern repeatedly, "Why go through all this trouble? Spending so much unnecessary money. At my age, how many more days can I eat? It's not easy for you to earn money, so keep it for yourself. I'm just an old bone..."

It's precisely because there aren't many years left for her to enjoy that he wants to take good care of her and be filial...

"Are you thirsty? Want to have a sip of water before we continue talking?"

The old lady playfully slapped him while smiling and sighing, "I'm trying to talk to you seriously, but you still haven't grown up. I know you're filial, but truly, Grandma doesn't have many years left..."

"Ah, don't say such unlucky words. We'll be at the hospital soon, and it won't cost much."

Feeling helpless, she had no choice but to let him have his way, but deep down, she felt deeply moved and appreciated that her grandson cared for her so much. She believed that her love was not in vain.

By the time they came out of the hospital, it was already noon. The old lady's dentures had been successfully fitted during their visit.

Having taken care of the matter he had been concerned about, Ye Yaodong felt relieved and in a good mood. He asked the old lady, "Did you remember what the doctor told you? Remember to wear the dentures when you eat, and after finishing, take them out and give them a good brush. It's easy to use, right?"

"I know, I know, I'll do it. But these dentures are quite troublesome. I used to only brush them once a day. Now that I have these dentures, I have to take them out and brush them after every meal. I told you not to get them for me, but you insisted..."

"Well, now you can eat anything you like, even bite into corn. You enjoy eating peanuts, right? When the small peanut field you planted is ready for harvest in August, you'll have teeth to bite them too!"

The old lady smiled widely, her eyes disappearing with joy at the thought of being able to eat her favorite foods again. However, she couldn't help but ask, "Tell me honestly, how much did these dentures cost? You even gave a wink to the doctor to stop him from telling me. I still have some savings, so consider it as if I paid for them myself..."

"You don't have to worry about it. It didn't cost much at all. It's already noon. Are you hungry? How about going to have some noodles?" 

"What kind of noodles can we eat? You shouldn't spend money recklessly anymore. The food outside is so expensive. Let's go home and eat. It's only an hour's ride back home. I'm not hungry. Let's head home quickly.”

"Okay, let's go back now."

At this time, the county appeared worn-out and dilapidated, lacking the vibrancy of their own town. There wasn't much to see or explore, and it was inconvenient for him to move around with the old lady. Moreover, if she saw him spending money, it would only cause her more distress.

He waved his hand and, like before, hailed a rickshaw to go back to the bus station.

The old lady knew that her words were futile. Ye Yaodong would never let her walk such a long distance. She decided to keep quiet this time to avoid getting thirsty as the water in the bamboo tube was running out.

On the way back, they encountered the same winding mountain road with its eighteen bends. Despite not having walked much throughout the day, the constant swaying of the vehicle made the old lady feel tired, even though she hadn't shifted her position the entire time.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, the old lady let out a sigh of relief. "We're home. Our village is still the best.”

"Wait a moment, since we're right by the road, let me go to the field across the road and pick some corn. We can cook it later, and you can nibble on a nice snack." 

"Good, good..."

The old lady waited for him patiently as she watched him pick and peel the corn. He also went to the nearby melon patch and picked two zucchini. He gathered them in his arms before running back to her and saying, "You can also munch on these zucchinis."

"Alright, alright... Let's go back home." 

By now, it was already past mealtime, and Mother Ye didn't know when they would return, so she hadn't prepared their dinner. Ye Yaodong wasn't skilled at cooking on the traditional stove either. It was the old lady who took charge and made some doughball soup for them to eat.

He hadn't tasted this dish in many years. Since his wife passed away, no one has cooked it for him. The old lady made it a special meal by adding some clams, oysters, and dried shrimp to the soup. The broth was exceptionally flavorful, and he was indeed hungry. He finished every last bit, not even leaving a drop of soup behind.

As he watched the old lady enjoy her meal and even bite into the clams, he smiled and said, "The dentures are working well, aren't they?"

"Very useful! Very useful!" the old lady replied with a smile. "Now I can eat anything."

"Do you still think I wasted money?" 

"I won't be able to eat for many years." 

"Oh, why are you saying that again? Eat up. Afterward, rest at home. You've been tired from the morning's journey. Don't wander around. I'll go check on the homestead.”

"Alright, alright... I'll stay at home and recite some scriptures. I haven't done it today. May the Bodhisattva bless us… Mazu bless us…”

Hmm... these few words are the old lady's catchphrase...

When Ye Yaodong left, the old lady stopped reciting scriptures and instead went for a stroll at the doorstep, proudly showing off her dentures to the neighbors. She smiled so wide that her eyes became slits, telling everyone that her Yaodong took her to the city hospital to get them fitted.

She pretended to complain, saying that she already had one foot in the grave and wouldn't live for many more years, yet this silly child insisted on getting her dentures, wasting so much money…

Only when she heard others praise Ye Yaodong for being filial and blessed did she reveal a satisfied smile.

After wandering around the village for an afternoon, almost all the elderly people in the village knew about it...

And when it was mealtime, even the middle-aged people in the village came to know that the third son of the Ye family, who was currently building houses, turned out to be quite filial...