Chapter 46: Can You Give Me Some Money?
In the center of the crowd, Zhang Li and Lai Pi Tou, covered only by simple clothes, were soaking wet. They felt like vomiting as soon as they opened their mouths, their eyes bloodshot, and their broken arms and legs unable to move.
The mocking, disdainful, and amused expressions of the people surrounding them made the two elderly men blush with embarrassment.
Some of the bolder older women joked about their exposed thighs and arms. Grandma Liu, an elderly woman in the village, had lost all her teeth, but she still struggled to squeeze into the crowd with her cane. Her usually droopy eyelids were now stretched upwards by her wide-open eyes, almost covering her eyebrows. The wrinkles on her neck were stretched out, and her hunched back looked straight.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Who ate shit?"
She spoke in a trembling voice, her eyes scanning the ground, and the onlookers laughed out loud.
Ma Daya was still sobbing, her hair was still messy and she looked very disheveled. When others saw her, they just assumed that she had been beaten too badly last night. The children behind her still had red eyes, but none of them went near Zhang Li.
Having somehow gotten the news, Granny Zhang staggered over and, seeing her son who was covered in stench and unable to move, let out a "woof~" and pounced on him, but stopped about a meter away from Zhang Li.
"My son, my son, what's wrong with you? What kind of heartless beast treated you like this? My poor son, sob sob sob..."
“Ma... ouch... Ma Da... ouch..."
When Zhang Lixiang confessed to her, Ma Daya's breath hitched, but fortunately he couldn't speak. Seeing this, she hesitated for a moment but still didn't go over. Granny Zhang cried and wailed for a long time, but no one went to persuade her. She suddenly turned her head and glared fiercely at Ma Daya.
As if she had finally found an outlet for her anger, she rushed over and started hitting him. Just then, Zhou Li and Lü Jianshe and their group of men were standing in front of her. Shen Yuzhu had previously instructed them to help Ma Daya if she was bullied.
Seeing Granny Zhang rushing over, the two men acted decisively, each grabbing one of her arms.
"What are you doing? What does this have to do with Qiancheng's mom? Why are you hitting her?"
"That's right, Auntie, aren't you the one who loves Qiancheng's mother the most? How could you lay a hand on her?"
"Good heavens, how can you be so unreasonable, old woman? You start hitting your daughter-in-law right away. Your son beat her up last night, and now you're hitting her again. I knew you weren't a good person."
"Now you know how to cherish your son. Where were you before? You were busy sneaking into your old man's bed. You deserve it."
.........
Granny Zhang's face turned red from the rebuke. Even Guo Rou, who had always been on good terms with her, was now siding with Ma Daya. It wasn't for any other reason than that Ma Daya was too pitiful, and they couldn't just bully her because she was an outsider.
"Auntie, Qiancheng's mother was beaten and cried all night yesterday. If you don't believe me, ask the child. None of us know how Lai Pitou and Zhang Li got together and were beaten... This really has nothing to do with Qiancheng's mother!"
"Xiaorou, how could you say that? She's my son's wife. She didn't even know her own husband was hanging in a cesspool. What good is she?"
"What are you saying? Where have you been? You know your son is a troublemaker, especially since he's bedridden. Where have you been? I told you to come back, but you wouldn't. Didn't I already say to wait two months? Wait two months before going to see Old Chang? Are you in such a hurry to die?"
Lu Guangzhi suddenly appeared, furious, and started cursing at Granny Zhang.
It was during the double harvest season, and every production team was working hard for the crops in the fields. But their Xiangyang production team was holding a big meeting in the cesspool early in the morning for two filthy things.
If word gets out, it will make everyone look bad.
"Everyone disperse, everyone disperse. Jianshe, find two people to take Lai Pitou and Zhang Li to the clinic. Bring them back after the harvest season is over."
Lai Pi Tou tried to speak, sobbing, but was suddenly slapped across the face by a member of the commune who was carrying him.
"Shut up. It's better if you don't speak. Once you open your mouth, people will think someone has pulled a poop. You're just causing trouble and wasting half a day. You won't earn any work points."
Lai Pi Tou was crying and sniffling, his face hurt so much, and it seemed like he was missing two back teeth. Now his hands and feet were broken, and he was a bachelor. If he couldn't be cured, wouldn't he just be waiting to die?
Zhang Li also wanted to speak, especially when he passed by Ma Daya. He glared at her fiercely, as if he was about to tear her apart. The latter covered her face and, where no one could see, slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth.
This further enraged Zhang Li. He struggled to stand up, but the people carrying him were fed up and, ignoring his injuries, put him on the flatbed cart like a pig.
"Your man is injured, what are you standing there for? Go and take care of him!"
"Mom, I... I have no money... You took a lot of money with you when you went to Uncle Chang's house, could you give me some? Zhang Li still needs to see a doctor!"
"(ノ⊙ω⊙)ノWow! Granny Zhang even brought her dowry! Hahahaha..."
"Well, she's so old, living with an old man. If she didn't have some family wealth, would the Chang family treat her well?"
Granny Zhang's face flushed red, her lips trembled for a moment, but she didn't say anything. She turned and left without uttering a word about the money.
If her own mother wasn't willing to care for her son, it was understandable that Ma Daya wouldn't care either. However, Ma Daya still tearfully borrowed twenty yuan from the villagers and went to the clinic with them.
Zhang Liren was no longer useful, but the Zhang family could still receive a subsidy of five yuan every month. This was a subsidy from the county to Zhang's father. As long as he was alive, this subsidy would continue. After Zhang Liren passed away peacefully, the subsidy naturally stopped.
When Granny Zhang left, she took seventy yuan with her, which she had painstakingly saved from her allowance. She did have some savings at home, but they were all in Zhang Li's hands, and no one knew about them except him.
Fangzi, who lives with Guo Rou, had a fever today and took the initiative to take care of Zhang Jie's children. She is a kind-hearted person, and Ma Daya is very relieved.
The morning's hustle and bustle quickly subsided, and the double harvest continued. Lü Jianshe and Zhou Li still came to find her when no one was around.
"Don't look at me like I'm a ghost."
"No, we just think you're awesome."
"Yes, yes, and how could you secretly tie two such heavy men to the latrine?"
Zhou Li glanced at Lü Jianshe and silently rolled his eyes. His brother Jianshe clearly wanted to ask if Shen Zhiqing had personally stripped them naked.
Not only is it hard to imagine, but the two old men with wrinkled, dark skin are also quite disgusting.
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