1
It was that beautiful sunny day, one of those days Mrs. Wei Qing loves the most, especially when the sun is shining brightly, accompanied by very calming weather that calms anyone’s mood. Mrs. Wei Qing was sitting under a tree inside her compound, taking note of this very weather while making preparations to cook something for herself and her son who had left for school.
“Will they chase him out of the school today again?” She mulled, her mood suddenly becoming pessimistic despite the wonderful weather she found appeasing. “Today’s business was one of a kind and very fair to a poor widow like me, but yet, the little change I made today is not something to be proud of, but all the same, I thank God for at least, I was able to buy this food with the little money I made.” She sighed, miserably with her sad thoughts.
But again, she smiled tightly when she looked up to heaven and was greeted by the calming breeze that brushed against her cheek, making her forget about her worries. “If only Meng Yao, my wonderful cunning husband was to be alive, all these burdens would’ve been lifted from my shoulders a bit, but unfortunately, death chose to snatch him away from me untimely.” Single tears leaked out from her teary eyes but she immediately wiped them away on hearing the shuffle and sniffling noise coming through the entrance of her house.
Mrs. Wei Qing widened her eyes on seeing who was coming inside with a gloomy face. “I guess, they chased him out.” She thought and waited for her son to walk closer to her. “Ah, what is the problem, Ying? Why is your face like this?” She asked once her son invaded closer, but she noticed one thing, he wasn’t looking at her face but was looking down. She guessed, he was feeling depressed as usual.

“And you’re even crying?” She blurted out on finally taking a close look at her son’s sad face. “What is it, Ying? Why are you crying? Talk to me, my son and stop shedding tears.” She urged him, making Ying look at her this time around and Mrs. Wang saw how his tears were puffing uncontrollably and she widened her eyes, surprised.
Wei Ying tried so hard to hold back a sob on looking at his mother’s curious and worried face but he couldn’t help it. He nibbled his lower lips to hold it back and replied, “Mum, the principal announced today...” He said but his tears wouldn’t let him complete what he wanted to say as he broke out sobbing bitterly.
“Announced what? Talk to me..” Wei Qing calmly asked, though she had already known what he wanted to say she just wanted him to say something, especially to stop him from crying further since it was obvious her son’s tears were breaking her heart and doesn’t think she can stand seeing his tears anymore if he continues like this.
Wei Ying sniffled and wiped his dripping nose with the back of his palms as he looked at his mother again. “The principal announced today that those that haven’t paid their exams fees won’t sit for the exams.” There, he finally said it and Wei Qing wasn’t even surprised. She was expecting to hear the cruel fate that had befallen her and her son, poverty.
She gasped knowingly, “Ah, is that why your face is like this? Because of the announcement you’re crying?” She asked, sounding as if it wasn’t much of a big deal when within her heart, she was already bleeding hearing that from her son. Why always her son, she soliloquized, painfully.
Wei Ying looked at his mother and fiddled with his fingers as he cried out, “He’s threatening not to write the names of those who haven’t paid the fees on the exam board and in the whole school, I’m the only one who hasn’t pay, everyone has paid, including Earth and Chen FeiYu, my friends.” He lamented, traumatizing, his heart-wrenching at the thoughts of the mockery look other students were giving him when he was called out in front of the whole school and was disgraced of being the only one who hasn’t even paid a quarter of the money, talk more half of it. It was painful it was a shameful experience.
Wei Qing sighed deeply on watching how her son’s tears were ruining his beautiful face and was finding it difficult to hold back her own tears but she just had to hold it in and consoled her son who was the one that faced the shame. She smiled as he looked at her and gestured to him to come closer and that’s exactly what Wei Ying did. “My son, stop this. Stop crying please and listen to me, before that time, I’ll get the money, I promise. Please, don’t cry again and wipe your tears before I’ll be disheartened.” She consoled him. “Do you want me to start crying with you? I’ll pay the money before the exam date, that I promise you.”
On hearing her consoling words, Wei Ying sat beside his mother and wailed even more that Wei Qing finds it even more difficult to hold in her tears from rolling. She brought Wei Ying to her embrace and embraced him warmly. “Oh, my baby, stop crying and wipe your tears or do you want mummy to cry with you?” She broke the hug and made Ying look at her. “Now smile for me, my darling, my one and only beautiful son. My A-Ying is good boy, eyaah...eyaah oh.” With that song, Wei Ying laughed out his tears.
“Now you’re doing it, I like that beautiful smile you get from your father. Always smile for mummy, because that’s what your face deserved and not these ugly tears you’re shedding.” She encouraged while giving her son her sincere dashing smile. She took out the strand of hairs from Wei Ying’s face and patted his head adorably. “Now go inside and change to your casual wear. I’ll quickly prepare food for us and don’t cry, okay.” She smiled and watched as Ying nodded and started going inside.
“Stop crying, my pretty boy. Don’t cry son, don’t dare shed any more tears.” She slowly said looking at her son’s retreating. “Tell me, why won’t he be crying? Why will he not cry?” She cried out sorrowfully once her son went inside. She looked up to heaven with her dripping tears and wailed, “Meng Yao, where are you?! Where are you?! Are you happy lying down there, watching your wife and your son suffering? Where are you, my husband? Why did you have to die, leaving us in misery and pain?! Why?”
She lamented bitterly, her tears streaming, her heartbreaking for the wicked predicament that had befallen her and her son. “If you were to be alive, your family wouldn’t have taken all the things you left for us! Now look at me, suffering under the sun, rain, and yet, nothing is coming out! Why, my husband? Why did you have to die?” She wailed, pathetically and didn’t even care how her tears were burning and blurring her vision.
“I can’t pay common exams fees for our son? I know how much I sacrificed and suffered to pay his school fees and now, his exams fees are a problem to me! Death, I hope you’re satisfied? You’ve done your worst!” She cried until she decided to stop before her son would come out and find her like this.
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At night, the thoughts of her son’s exams fees wouldn’t let her sleep. She doesn’t even know if the food she ate with her son was tasting sweet or not, all she thought about all day was her son’s exams fees and how to get the money. “What do I do? Where will I get money to pay for Ying’s exams fees? I don’t even have any decent clothes to sell anymore? No property to sell! Where do I go from here? It’s remaining two weeks to the exams and I don’t even have a quarter of the money talk less of half.”
“The little gain I made from my vegetable business we use it to feed daily. Who will I run to for help that wouldn’t ask for my body in return? I’m just tired of all this! I’m tired... Or should I borrow from Peru? Will she agree to give it to me? But do I have a choice here? Beggars don’t have a choice and I have to do anything, everything to see my son sit for those exams, even if it means sacrificing my body again. I’ll do it.”
Wei Qing thought, her eyes glistening in tears but she tried as much as possible to muffled her voice to not wake her sleeping son. “For you, Ying, I can do anything to make you happy. I love you so much, baby.” She brought her embrace to her sleeping son who snuggled to her warmth and squirmed in his sleep on getting his mother’s warmth. She kissed his forehead and lay with her tears, crying until she cried herself to sleep.
“Anything for you...” She mumbled, closing her lid that slowly leaked down tears.
