After all, she was old and had been living a comfortable life, so it was only natural that she suffered backaches after being out in the yard for too long.
She was clutching her waist while sitting limply on the bamboo chair in the yard, frowning in pain.
After clearing away the few weeds left in the yard, I washed my hands and handed her the pain-relieving medicine.
She frowned, unwilling to accept it.
I pursed my lips. “These are painkillers. They are not harmful.”
Having said that, I put the medicine in her hands. Then, I went inside and fetched a cup of warm water for her.
She seemed stunned. Perhaps unable to bear the pain, she accepted the cup of water and took the medicine.
As I kept the rest of the medicine aside, I said, “This medicine has few side effects. If the pain is intolerable, you can take one or two tablets to relieve the pain.”
She glanced at me with her lips pursed and turned her eyes upon the yard, saying, “Your voice sounds so nasal. If you have a cold, please don’t pass it to me.”
I couldn’t help letting out a laugh. She was obviously concerned about me, but she just had to put up a mean front.
Forget it.
She is, after all, an arrogant lady of a privileged upbringing.
Being childless and way past half her life, perhaps she was thinking of spending her twilight years alone in peace.
“Yeah, I’ll go back and take some medicine.” It was commonplace to get the flu during the winter months.
She then got up and went into the house. When she came out, she held a bag of Isatis tinctoria root in her hand. “Make drinks with this using hot water, twice a day. You’ll get better in a couple of days. It’s not bitter.”
Nodding, I took it and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Aunt Sally.”
She grunted in reply without saying anything.
It had stopped snowing in K City. The sun was out, and most of the snow had melted. With the sun high in the sky, it was not very cold.
Besides, Sally had started a fire in the yard, which warmed up the place.
At noon, she looked at me and asked, “Would you like to stay for lunch? It’s been snowing for a few days, so I only have some dry rations.”
I nodded. “Anything would do!”
A person’s life could be refined or simple. Although it was only dry rations, it wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying ourselves.
There was already a fire in the yard, so she brought out some potatoes and sweet potatoes for me to peel. Then we cut up some meat and washed some vegetables.
In no time, we were having a barbeque in the yard.
I always felt that a barbeque for two was too quiet. However, when she brought out some red wine from the cellar, the atmosphere of the meal was elevated.
Silence was the best way of interaction for some people. Although there was not much conversation between Sally and me, some things need not be said as long as we understood each other.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: When There Is Nothing Left But Love novel (Ashton and Scarlett )