To get to the county town from their village, they had to wait by the roadside for a bus.
There were passing buses, but it wasn’t always easy to catch one.
The fare was fifteen cents, but sometimes they would wait a while.
"Grandma, you’re not carsick, are you?"
"I’m not, I’m not! I can go anywhere without feeling sick!"
"That’s good then."
After waiting for over an hour, they finally saw a bus coming.
After paying the fare and buying their tickets, they settled into their seats.
The journey from the village to the county was along winding mountain roads.
Back then, there were no highways, just bumpy, muddy paths that kicked up clouds of dust.
Looking out the window, all they could see was dirt, and Ye Yaodong didn’t even dare to open it because of the heat.
The road twisted and turned, making the ride feel like a roller coaster.
They swayed from side to side in their seats, gripping the armrests as they navigated the curvy road for almost an hour before finally reaching the main road.
In the modern world, the trip would only take fifteen minutes with a highway, but transport was not as developed back then.
Thankfully, Grandma didn’t get carsick, and she looked fairly robust for her age.
If she had been weak, he wouldn’t have dared to take her on this trip.
Throughout the ride, he kept hearing someone behind them throwing up.
Once they hit the main road, it took another ten minutes to reach the bus station.
Ye Yaodong held Grandma back, "No need to rush, let the others get off first."
Grandma smiled with her eyes crinkling, "Okay, okay…"
Since Grandma was older and moved slowly, he didn’t want her to get jostled by other passengers.
They weren’t in a hurry, so they decided to be the last to get off.
The county town wasn’t as big as it would be later on.
The neighboring villages weren’t included within its boundaries, but it was still a county town, so it wasn’t too small.
The distance from the station to the county hospital was considerable.
At the station entrance, there were rickshaws offering their services.
Knowing Grandma was old, he worried she might tire from walking too far, so he decided to hail one.
"Oh, do we have to take this? Why don’t we just walk? We can save money. I can manage…"
"It’s fine, I’ll help you up. A few cents won’t break us. If you tire yourself out, Dad would kill me!"
Throughout the ride, Grandma fussed, "Why go through all this trouble and spend so much? I’m old, how much longer can I eat? You work hard for your money; you should save it for yourself. I’m just an old bone now..."
Because you can’t eat for many more years, I just want to take good care of you…
"Are you thirsty? Want some water before we continue talking?"
Grandma helplessly patted him, "You’re just a handful, always not serious. I know you care, but I really don’t have many years left…"
"Oh, come on, don’t say such unlucky things. We’ll be at the hospital soon, and it won’t cost much."
She reluctantly let him have his way but felt warm inside, glad that her little grandson hadn’t forgotten her.
When they came out of the hospital, it was already noon, and Grandma’s dentures were ready.
Ye Yaodong felt relieved to have taken care of this issue, and his mood brightened. “Did the doctor explain everything to you? You need to wear them when you eat, then take them out and rinse them after. They fit well, right?”
"I know, I know! But these dentures seem so troublesome. I used to brush my real teeth just once a day; now I have to take these out for every meal! I told you not to get them, but you insisted…"
"Now you can eat anything. You can even bite corn. You love peanuts, right? When the peanuts you planted in August are ready, you’ll be able to enjoy them with your own teeth!"
Grandma’s smile was radiant; there was joy in being able to eat what she liked.
However, she asked, "But honestly, how much did these dentures cost? I saw you making eyes at the doctor to keep him quiet. I still have some savings; I’ll pay for them myself…"
"No need, it really wasn’t much. It’s noon already; are you hungry? Want to grab some noodles?" He quickly changed the subject.
"What noodles? You can’t keep wasting money! Things outside are expensive! Let’s just go home to eat; it’s only an hour away. I’m not hungry; let’s head back."
"Okay, we’ll go home now."
At this time, the county town looked rather shabby compared to their bustling town; there wasn’t much to explore.
It wouldn’t be proper to wander around with Grandma, especially since she’d just worry about him spending money again.
He waved and hailed a rickshaw back to the station.
Grandma realized there was no point in arguing; she wouldn’t be allowed to walk such a long distance anyway, so she kept quiet, hoping to save her breath and water, as her water flask was almost empty.
Once back on the winding mountain road, Grandma hadn’t walked much all day, but the bumpy ride made her feel tired.
When her feet finally touched the ground, Grandma sighed in relief.
"We’re home! It’s much better in our village."
"Wait, I’ll just go across the road and pick a few ears of corn. I’ll cook them for you; it’ll be nice and fresh."
"Okay, okay…"
Grandma waited as he picked and peeled the corn, pulling his shirt to his stomach before heading over to the nearby vegetable patch to gather some cucumbers.
He returned loaded with vegetables, saying, "Look, you can munch on these too."
"Ah, ah… okay, okay… We’re home now…"
By this time, it was already past mealtime.
Ye’s mother didn’t wait for them and didn’t leave any food for them.
Ye Yaodong didn’t know how to use the traditional stove, so it was Grandma who cooked some dumpling soup.
It had been years since he tasted this; after his wife passed, nobody cooked for him.
Grandma had put in a few clams, fresh oysters, and dried shrimp, and the soup was incredibly flavorful.
He was truly hungry and cleaned his bowl, even finishing the soup.
Watching Grandma eat happily, finally able to bite into the clams, he smiled and asked, "The dentures are good, huh?"
"Very good! Very good!" Grandma beamed, "Now I can eat anything!"
"You don’t think I wasted money then?"
"I won’t be able to eat for many more years…"
"Oh no, not again. Just eat. After you finish, you can rest at home; you’ve been on a bumpy ride all morning, so don’t walk around much. I’ll check on the house."
"Alright… I’ll just stay home and chant some sutras. I haven’t chanted yet today. May the Buddha bless… May Ma Zu bless…"
Yes... these are Grandma's common phrases…
As soon as Ye Yaodong stepped out, Grandma stopped chanting.
She put on her new dentures and walked out to show them off, grinning ear to ear, revealing her teeth to her neighbors, saying that Dongzi took her to the town hospital to get them fitted.
Pretending to complain that she was already half in the coffin and wouldn’t live long, she’d tell them it was a waste of money for him to buy her dentures.
But when she heard others praising Ye Yaodong for being filial and saying she was lucky, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
She roamed around the village for the whole afternoon, and soon everyone of age in the village knew about it…
Come mealtime, even the adults in the village learned about it—Ye’s family’s third son, who was building a house, turned out to be quite the good grandson…
(End of Chapter)