But Jiang Panmei couldn't say anything anymore.
He stared at his mother in a daze, his red eyes filled with tears. Tears slid down his cheeks one by one, and the crystal tears fell into the river, creating ripples, just like his uneasy mood at the moment.
It turned out that it was not his fantasy, his mother really came.
But as his mother asked the question, his heart sank again, and he suddenly realized that he was already in this state. He had just seen his reflection in the water and felt scared and sick.
Even if he went back with his mother, it would only make life at home more difficult. His mother would be laughed at by the villagers, his grandmother would look down on her even more, and his younger brothers would have a hard time getting married in the future.
Maybe mother will pity him and feel sorry for him now, but there is still a long time in the future, and sooner or later mother will regret saving him, because he has lost his only good face, and he is just a useless waste.
It felt like there was a knife in Jiang Panmei's heart, cutting into it again and again. He fell into self-denial, with more and more despair in his eyes.
Mingyue saw that something was wrong with him, so she squeezed his wrist again and shouted, "Panmei, look at me."
Jiang Panmei looked at her mother in a daze, her long eyelashes trembling, she turned her head to look into the river, pursed her lips and said softly: "Mom, you go back, I also want to go to where I should go."
How could Mingyue not know what he meant? He wanted her to go back, but he still wanted to continue to seek death.
She was so angry that she gritted her teeth. How could one want to die when encountering trouble? If he was not afraid of death, why couldn't he live? She felt sorry for his misfortune and angry at his lack of resistance.
Besides, it’s not like she can’t restore his face. This silly kid is really going to piss her off to death.
"Jiang Panmei," Mingyue's eyes were filled with anger, and she suddenly raised her voice: "Listen carefully, I gave you this life. I gave birth to you and raised you up, not to let you drown in this ditch. Come back with me, now, immediately, come back with me."
The wounds on Jiang Panmei's face had formed shallow scabs, and the blood that had not been wiped off had solidified, making this face full of scratches look even more terrifying.
The emotions in his eyes rolled violently, but in the end he just lowered his head, shook his head and said: "Panmei is unfilial, I just hope that I can have a daughter in the next life, then I will be reincarnated as your child."
If he were a daughter, his mother would not be rejected by his grandmother.
If he were a daughter, Jiang Xueer wouldn't dare treat him like this.
If he were a daughter, Daddy wouldn't be ashamed.
No matter how wrong he was, the reason was that he was a man.
As her thoughts were churning, Jiang Panmei suddenly and forcefully pried Mingyue's hands apart, closed her eyes, and fell into the river behind her.
Mingyue was not prepared for his sudden attack at all, and this time he actually succeeded.
Jiang Mingyue's body was almost as tall as the malnourished Jiang Panmei. The river water had already reached Mingyue's neck. Seeing Jiang Panmei fall down like that, she was anxious, angry and furious. However, the only thing she could do now was to suppress all thoughts and drag Jiang Panmei ashore first.
But Mingyue overestimated the physical fitness and strength of this body.
Jiang Mingyue had been ill for a long time, and after so many things today, her body was already exhausted to the point of breaking point. The moment Mingyue dived into the water and held Jiang Panmei's hand, both of her legs cramped.
Mingyue didn't expect to fail at the critical moment. She wanted to pull Jiang Panmei out of the water, but she could no longer exert any strength. She even felt that her body was getting heavier and heavier, and her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, as if she could hardly open them.
Mingyue's grip on Jiang Panmei's arm began to loosen, and the mother and son began to sink to the bottom of the water together. Almost at the moment when her mother held her arm, Jiang Panmei suddenly opened her eyes, with a flash of disbelief in her eyes.
Why does his mother still want to save him even after this
It was obvious that he was not worthy of being saved. He wanted his mother to let go and leave quickly, but when he opened his eyes, he saw his mother's painful expression and she was also sinking into the water.
At this moment Jiang Panmei finally panicked.
He felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head, and horror appeared in his eyes.
"Mother..." he shouted silently, grabbed his mother's arm tightly with his backhand, and began to pull her upwards desperately.
At this moment, he didn't care about anything else. There was only one thought in his mind, which was that he must not let anything happen to his mother.
It was almost there. He could already see the sky above his head. It was almost there.
But the weight of his mother became heavier and heavier, and his hands... seemed to have lost some strength.
The moment Jiang Panmei's head emerged from the river, he didn't even have time to be surprised. He turned his head and saw that his unconscious hands were empty, with nothing in them. He did not hold his mother.
His head buzzed and he felt as if struck by lightning. The taut string in his brain snapped.
Where's mom? Where's mom? She's still in the water.
"Mother, mother, I'm here to save you." He murmured hoarsely, then lowered his head and plunged into the river.
Just as he was looking for his mother's figure in the river, he met a pair of gentle eyes.
Mingyue's legs were cramping just now and she almost couldn't hold on, but at the critical moment she pressed a few acupoints on herself, stimulating her body to unleash its greatest potential.
After realizing that Jiang Panmei had no strength left, she immediately broke free from his hand and adjusted her breathing as quickly as possible. Just as she was about to swim out of the water, she didn't expect that Jiang Panmei, who had already swam out, would come back.
No matter how angry Mingyue was towards the child before, it all disappeared in that instant.
He may be a timid child who likes to escape from reality, but he has the most sincere love for his mother, which is enough to offset all his shortcomings.
Mingyue swam to Jiang Panmei's side and stretched out her hand towards him.
Jiang Panmei's eyes were red, but he put his hand in his mother's palm without hesitation. He still hated this world where women were superior to men, but he understood that as long as his mother didn't want him to die, he would live and live with his mother and brother.
The mother and son rushed out of the water.
Mingyue held Jiang Panmei's hand step by step, walking from the center of the river to the riverside, and then back to the dilapidated temple.
Mingyue didn't ask anything on the way. She would check what she wanted to know. She didn't want to cause a second trauma to Jiang Panmei in such a short time. She only talked about what Qiumei and Laimei had exchanged, what to eat tonight, tomorrow, and the future...
As Jiang Panmei listened, her eyes gradually lit up. This was the life of him, his mother, and his younger brothers.
(End of this chapter)