Traveling with My Mother

By Zhu Chengyu

My mother’s eyesight has become seriously weakened because of her diabetes.We have done a lot in remedying her illness,but it has all been in vain.Seeing our gloomy appearance,she comforted us,“Never worry about my eyesight for it doesn’t affect my diet.Moreover,out of sight,out of mind.Wouldn’t it be nice?”

We let out a smile.We are now accustomed to a nagging mother,and while we disliked it at first,a bit of love has gradually come into the picture and now it just became a part of our life.The nagging has become a loveable melody in our ears,as well as in our souls.It’s hard to imagine how many sweet notes would be lost if she stopped one day.

My siblings decided to take her out to go sightseeing in the hope of cherishing more good memories before she is totally blind.So I volunteered to accompany my mother since I was the favored one among my siblings.However,I seldom stayed with her on the excuse of business.

Having arranged with my work,I took a two-month leave to accompany her to visit the beautiful places all over the country.My mother was surely delighted,yet nagging,“How can you take so long a leave since you are so busy? Tell me if there is something wrong in your work.”

“Nothing is more important than accompanying you no matter how busy I am.” I’ve always been able to coax my mother into a happy mood since I was a child.

We set out with bags fully packed.It was not an easy job to take care of my poor-sighted mother along the way.I kept my high spirits,though.Seeing I was bustling around,my mother drank less water to reduce the trouble of going to the toilet.

I accompanied her to visit many places in Beijing,Tibet,Yunnan,and the like.Whenever arriving at a scenic spot,my mother would eagerly widen her eyes,seemingly trying to view the whole world at once.I kept taking pictures of her and she would beam brightly before each shot.

In those moments,I strongly felt my mother wa smuch younger,with a girlish blush on her cheeks.

Every time she returned to the hotels,my mother would spend time looking back at the pictures of every landscape she visited on that day.

“I’m so delighted.I have never seen such good views before in my life,” she murmured.

How easily my mother could be satisfied! Thinking of it,I felt a little guilty that I was too busy to spare time to travel with her before now,with her eyes weakened and failing.

After one long journey,her legs swelled.I fetched hot water to soak her feet.While massaging her feet,I talked about where the next stop would be.My mother was so tired that she fell asleep while listening.I kept thinking whether my engagement was good or bad for her,because the traveling seemed tough on her.

It sometimes seemed that we were forcing some fragments of memories into her mind.Is it fair for her?

I was tired too and soon fell asleep.In the dream,I ran fast with my mother in a field,holding a pinwheel in my hand.She held me up high and turned in circles.The sunlight was caught in the pinwheel.It was like cotton candy,so warm and sweet that I felt dizzy.I couldn’t help giggling in the dream and then I vaguely felt being touched by a pair of warm hands.

It was my mother quietly sitting on my bed.I secretly narrowed the eyes to see my mother straining her eyes to stare at me,seemingly to imprint me into her heart.During my childhood,my mother also used to stare at me when there were power failures.Holding a candle,she would always watch me until I fell asleep,snoring happily in the sound dream.

I could not help bursting into tears.In her eyes,the best landscape was her own children,at whom she could look for all her life and would never be tired.

I pretended to be asleep because I enjoyed being held by her hands.It was these wrinkled,coarse,and hardened hands that brought me a soft,warm,and smooth life.

The next day we refreshed ourselves and went on to see the scenery.On the hillside,sitting down,I asked my mother how the scenery was that day.She echoed,“My son,nothing is better than you,even if I have visited all the landscape around the world.Where you are,there is a good landscape.”

Yes,that is Mother.What she sees is not scenery but her children wherever she goes.

It is Mother who will give a firm hold to her child’s hand even in the dark valley.She would rather scrap her bones to make a great fire to warm me if I felt cold.

I know that we have been deeply imprinted in our mother’s life since we were born.Her children are the landscape she can see anywhere,anytime,even if she is blind.

It turns out that a mother’s memory is always full and satisfied because her children have fully occupied her mind.

(Translation: Qing Run)