Chapter 002 Su Xiaoxiao, a heart broken into pieces
Peiya o Peiya, you just went ahead by yourself. You pushed away all the responsibilities for me to face. Tell me how should I face your family members then.
Xiao Bing deeply sighed, tapping the door gently.
A creaking sound could be heard when the door opened.
Facing him was a young girl at around 20 years old. She was wearing a small white garment with a pair of jeans, feet on slippers and her overall dressing felt refreshing. Her looks did have some resemblances with Su Peiya. However, Peiya had a warm aura and unrestrained att.i.tude whereas Su Xiaoxiao’s temperament was colder instead.
Looking at the young girl, Xiao Bing asked, “You’re Su Xiaoxiao?”
“You’re?” The young girl looked at the worn out army uniform worn by this man who had an unique temperament and a pair of big eyes. His gaze somehow portrayed a bit of vigilance and resistance.
Xiao Bing with a heavy chest, voiced out in a deep tone before sighed. “I am Su Peiya’s leader. Also her friend and comrade in arms…..”
Su Xiaoxiao’s facial expression changed immediately. She shut the door hard in an instant, preventing Xiao Bing from entering into the house.
Xiao Bing did not expect such a big reaction from Su Xiaoxiao. He was surprised but quickly went to block the door from being closed completely, exclaiming, “I’m really your sister’s friend! What’re you doing?”
“Get out from here! I don’t have any sister.” With an emotional tone she continued, “If you still do not let go of your hand from the door, I am going to call cops!”
“Even though you call the cops, I will still stand here and say what I want. When your sister was giving her service, she would often chat with me regarding you. When you were in junior high school, a male always wanted to walk you home. In the end, your sister eventually fended him off. Your favourite food is osmanthus cake and you like to drink milk tea…..”
Xiao Bing noticing that Su Xiaoxiao’s strength gradually decreased, took advantage of it, “She also said that the person she loved the most in her life is you, her little sister. Also, you are more sensible than her. Although you are younger than her, you know better than her on how to take care of your parents……”
“Every time she talked about you, I could notice that from her gaze, you occupied a very important place in her heart. You are free to not recognize her as your sister but do you know that your doing would greatly disappoint her?”
Su Xiaoxiao then slowly opened back the door voluntarily. A pair of small, smooth soft hands dragged Xiao Bing to enter into the house. Without even changing into indoor slippers, Xiao Bing was dragged all the way by Su Xiaoxiao into a room.
The room looked clean and tidy. Although it was not big, it was comfortable enough to live in. On top of the bedhead, there was a wedding picture on the wall. That should be her parents’ picture. Whereas, a black and white picture of her dad was hanging on the opposite side of the wall. Xiao Bing’s heart suddenly had a bad feeling.
Su Xiaoxiao pointed her finger at the bed. With red eyes, she said, “This was my parents’ room. Since then, they had always slept on this bed. But starting from 2 months ago, only one person would sleep here instead because my dad was involved in an accident and died. During his final moment, the person whom he wanted to see the most was my sister. However, we couldn’t do anything at all. We had no way to contact her. Did you know that my dad pa.s.sed away with such regret? Tell me how could he rest in peace!!!”
Xiao Bing’s head was banged with such news. His heart’s guilt grew deeper. 2 months ago, Xiao Bing brought his men to Africa to carry out a mission. According to the army rules, in order to not expose danger to their family members during implementation period, no communication was allowed between them. Obviously Su Peiya would be clueless of such incident happening in her home.
Su Xiaoxiao while enduring her tears, sneered, “Now do you understand why I hate her so much? During her college years, she was selected to join the army. However, during these 5 years, she had only called back a few times. She did come back home twice. But even she came back, she would only stayed for 2 nights. When she called us, she would always use public phone. She did not even leave her mobile phone number for us to contact back.”
“We did indeed understood her circ.u.mstances. We knew she was fighting for our country. Being selected by the army was something we were proud of but…..not matter how great you are, how can you neglect your own family members, even worst your own parents? When my dad was in accident, where was she?! When my dad wanted to see her for the last time, where was she again?”
“No matter how special the nature of her work is, can’t my sister even give a tiny bit of attention to her family when she was providing her service? From the moment when my dad couldn’t die in peace,I no longer have any sister in my life!”
Xiao Bing sighed. With a sad expression, he said, “You might hate her but she had already left this world. Everything should have been offset then.”
Su Xiaoxiao’s body trembled for a moment. From Xiao Bing’s face, her sight moved downwards till she saw the casket on his hands. Her face turned pale immediately. Her mouth was struggling to voice out a few words. “You lied to me…..Who are you exactly?......You lied….”
Perhaps she was still young. To receive successive huge blows, Xiao Bing started to hate himself. He shouldn’t have come here at this time. He shouldn’t have told her directly at this timing. Too bad it was too late for him to regret. Looking at Su Xiaoxiao, Xiao Bing said with extreme difficulties, “5 days ago, she was on a mission in Africa. Unexpectedly, she met a mishap there…. Before she pa.s.sed away, she asked me to bring her ash back to her home and gave me your family home address.”
Su Xiaoxiao’s throat somehow felt like being stuck with something. Her tears dropped continuously. The thin and weak Su Xiaoxiao was now like a raging lioness and with a push, she used all her force on Xiao Bing’s body. A voice which could made one’s soul trembling, she shouted, “I don’t believe!”
“I don’t believe!”
“I don’t believe!”
Su Xiaoxiao kept pushing Xiao Bing’s body. Xiao Bing did not dare to use any force to block her, worrying that he might accidentally harm her instead. So he kept moving backwards till his back reached the wall. Since he couldn’t get backwards anymore, he just stood there, letting her push.
“You big liar! There will never be anything happening to my sister!”
Su Xiaoxiao cried. Xiao Bing’s eyes did have some traces of redness. He looked down and took out a letter from his pocket. That letter was written by Su Peiya before she died. Su Xiaoxiao had a glance at the letter and her whole body felt weak instantly. Xiao Bing without any delay embraced her to prevent her from falling.
In the letter, Su Peiya apologized to her family members. She entrusted her parents to Su Xiaoxiao to take care of. Although they were separated for long duration, Su Xiaoxiao was still able to recognize her own sister’s handwriting.
Xiao Bing hugged her tightly. He felt her soft, slightly trembling body and could understand that her current heart state was close to crumbling into bits. Xiao Bing with a sour tone said every word clearly and firmly. “Xiaoxiao, believe in me. Even though your sister is gone, I will replace her to take care of your family. I will!”
Out of nowhere, the telephone in the living room rang continuously. The still crying Su Xiaoxiao who was on Xiao Bing’s arm, found an excuse to get herself off from Xiao Bing’s embrace. She rushed to the living room to pick up the phone. Xiao Bing sighed and eventually followed her into the living room.
On the phone was a middle age woman’s panic voice. “Xiaoxiao, you faster come here….Our store had been smashed by someone. Your mother had a heart attack just moment ago. She does not seem to be in a good shape….”
The voice from the phone nearly made Su Xiaoxiao collapse. When her family economical condition was getting better these past few years, Su Mujiu opened a noodle shop. Slowly, his business was getting better day by day. Now, his shop had moved to a nearby university city. After his death in the accident, Su Xiaoxiao advised her mother to stay at home due to her poor heart condition. However, her mother did not listen to her at all. Just now the person who called Su Xiaoxiao was the aunty worker in the noodle shop. She would never joke with such matter.
When Su Xiaoxiao was answering the call, Xiao Bing stood beside her and was able to listen to their conversation clearly. He then saw Su Xiaoxiao quickly rushed out from her house that she even forgot to close the house door. Worrying about her safety, Xiao Bing also followed her out.
After rushing out from the neighborhood, Su Xiaoxiao reached out her hand to stop a taxi. Xiao Bing wanted to enter into the same taxi too but unfortunately, he was pushed outside by her. Out of desperation, Xiao Bing stopped another taxi. “Follow the car in front. Do not lose sight of it!”
“No problem. What happened? Couple quarrelling?”
Xiao Bing was in such a bad mood. He fiercely stared at the taxi driver. Looking at his stare, the taxi driver had gooseb.u.mps. He quickly shut his mouth and obediently drove the taxi to catch up to the one in front.
Su family’s noodle store was near to a university city. Because today was a holiday, the business should be more than usual. As Xiao Bing reached the house of Su family, Su Xiaoxiao was actually preparing herself to go help at the noodle store. Because of the shop being smashed till nothing look similar anymore, the shop currently had zero customer.
When Xiao Bing arrived at the store, he saw Su Xiaoxiao squatting on the ground. She cried loudly, “Mum, you can do it! Insist on living! The ambulance will arrive very soon…”
Lying on the ground was a woman approximately 50 years old. She wore ordinary clothes with an ap.r.o.n on her waist. Her forehead somehow looked similar to a degree to both Su sisters and her current face was pale like a paper. It seemed that she could die at any moment.
Xiao Bing had never expected that her mother would be ill to such degree. Worrying that her mother might not last till the ambulance arrive, Xiao Bing finally made up his mind. Approaching Su Xiaoxiao, he said, “Just entrust your mum to me.”
Su Xiaoxiao with a panic expression looked at Xiao Bing. “You…..You know how to save her?”
“At my friend’s place, I did learnt some basic first aid measures. Aunty might not be able to last any longer. Thus, we can’t just wait here without doing anything like a r.e.t.a.r.d. Let me try.”
Anyone who pa.s.sed by would be able to notice that her mother was in a very critical condition. Su Xiaoxiao nodded her head as a signal of consent without any hesitation.
Xiao Bing asked, “Did aunty took any medication when her heart attack flared up?”
Beside the scene, a 40 years old woman voice out, “When Sister Li started to show the symptoms, I did let her eat the quick relieving medication for heart attack. However, the condition was still the same till now.”
Xiao Bing turned his head and gave a very grateful look to the woman. If not because of her quick act to give the medicine, her mother would most probably not able to last until now. With a serious tone, he instructed Su Xiaoxiao. “The first aid measures, I will tell you what to do. First, open up her clothes b.u.t.ton and remove the ap.r.o.n from her waist.”
While Xiao Bing was instructing, Su Xiaoxiao quickly acted accordingly.
“Align your middle finger of your left hand at the sunken part of her bottom neck. Place your left palm in the middle of the chest. Your right hand would be giving the pressure to your left. Two palms overlap each other with interlocking fingers. Gently push downwards her chest……..Then slowly let off the pressure……Yes, that’s right. Just repeat these steps accordingly….You can increase the intensity. The most ideal rate would be 100 compression per minute.”
When everyone was panicking, Xiao Bing’s tone was so calm with hint of high self-confidence that it started to affect the others too. The trembling hands of Su Xiaoxiao finally settled down.