Under Suspicion

The rough hemp bed curtain blocked out the view of the bed, leaving only a faint outline of a person lying still. His heart sank and his body shook slightly.

When the two brothers saw this, one helped their mother, and the other planned to pull back the curtain. However, just as he took a step forward, the middle-aged man stopped him.

"Father?" The son looked back at him.

"I will do it."

The middle-aged man's voice was hoarse, and if one listened intently, one could hear his voice quivering slightly. Nonetheless, he still prevented his son from approaching. Taking heavy steps, he approached and reached out to pull the curtain back. Yet, the curtain felt as heavy as a thousand catty.

"Father?" The son saw this and called out again. 

The middle-aged man finally pulled back the curtain after taking a deep breath. The sight that met his eyes caused him to stagger back, nearly falling to the ground.