"etc."
"What's wrong, Grandpa?"
"The password to the passbook is your birthday. Also, this is the last of our family's money. We have no money left."
"I know, Grandpa, don't worry, I'll work hard to earn money, and when I do, I'll come and take care of you." Qin Zheng had lost patience to listen to the old man's rambling on.
He turned and left.
Third Uncle stood there for a full thirty minutes, his cloudy eyes staring blankly at the police station in front of him.
A policeman came out of the police station.
"Sir, what's wrong with you?"
"Young comrade," Uncle San said openly, "could you do me a favor?"
"Sir, you see, our people's police are here to serve the people, so there's no need to be so polite with me."
"Okay, please call two cars for me. I'm an old man, not in good health, and I can't walk that far. I need to go somewhere, but there are no cars here."
"Sir, where are you going? Do you need me to accompany you?"
"No need, don't trouble yourself. Just call two cars. My family will come to pick me up when we get there."
"Okay, please wait a moment!"
Soon, a taxi stopped in front of Third Uncle.
Uncle San gave the driver an address, the driver glanced at it, and then started chatting with Uncle San; "Grandpa, going home?"
The address given by my third uncle was a village near Beijing, not far from Qin Family Village.
"Yes. I want to go back and take a look."
"Oh? You just got back? You're lucky. If it had been ten or twenty years earlier, I probably wouldn't have brought you here. These past few years, only that place, 'Qin Family Village,' has been doing road construction everywhere, making the roads wide and spacious, saving me from those dirt roads that were so annoying..."
The driver was very talkative; he kept chattering away the whole way.
Third Uncle didn't stop them, and would occasionally chime in with a word of agreement.
We took a taxi and arrived at a village.
This village has a beautiful name: Fengxia Village.
There aren't many people in the village; this has almost become the reality. Most of the young people have left, especially those living near "Qin Family Village." "Qin Family Village" is like a vortex, absorbing the young and middle-aged labor force from nearby villages. The reason Qin Family Village can still be called Qin Family Village is simply because of the name. According to normal naming conventions, this place should be called a small industrial town.
They opened more and more plots of land, and the places they built grew bigger and bigger.
Fengxia Village is one such example. During the day, most of the villagers are just elderly people lazily tending their land, with no other worries. For them, this is the best life possible. Many people talk about letting rural people move to the cities, but in reality, if these people who own land were to move to the cities, setting aside national policy issues, they would actually find it very difficult to survive.
In the village, there are almost no expenses. The land they grow is enough to feed themselves, and what's left over each year is enough to buy seasonings and some meat. In extreme circumstances, rural people can even rely solely on the mountains for sustenance, surviving through barter; no one will starve. But if you move to the city, you buy a house, and then there are property management fees and various transportation costs.
This is undoubtedly forcing them to die, so most elderly people are unwilling to live in the city. In their view, it's too terrifying, given the cost of living there.
Uncle San walked to the village entrance, where several old men were enjoying the cool shade under the trees. It was July, and the heat was unbearable.
Several old men saw their third uncle, whose hair was completely white and whose face was full of wrinkles, and quickly came over.
He asked, "Brother, who are you here to visit in Fengxia Village?"
This kind of thing actually happens quite often. Now that the environment is better, many people are gradually going around looking for their families and ancestral homes. Of course, some want to find companionship for their later years. And then there are the worst cases, those who have no money or connections, and they look for their relatives purely for the sake of old age.
To be fair, Uncle San's clothes were quite nice. So, the old man at the village entrance didn't think Uncle San was there to find someone to retire to; he was probably looking for a relative.
"I'm looking for Xiuyan." The third uncle's voice was calm, and there was no indication that there was anything wrong.
"Xiuyan?" The old men exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion. "Never heard of her, brother. You must have the wrong person."
"There can't be any mistake."
“Wait… Xiuyan… Fifth Aunt!” an older man suddenly said.
"So Aunt Wu's name is Xiuyan..." someone suddenly realized.
"Yes, it's her. Is she still alive?"
"Yes, yes, come on, brother, I'll take you to her."
This "Fifth Aunt" is not related to Third Uncle.
There's a bizarre practice called "eating the property of a family without heirs." If a family has no heirs, it means their assets will have no one to inherit them. This leads many people to target these "family-less" individuals. Generally, the later years of a "family-less" person are not comfortable, and most people eyeing their assets hope they die soon so they can obtain their wealth quickly.
Because of this practice, another profession emerged: "filial piety substitute." In ancient times, filial piety was highly valued. Filial sons were expected not only to care for the daily lives of their elders but also to provide them with emotional support, thus fulfilling their filial duty. In feudal society, filial sons could even receive official positions or honors for their acts of filial piety.
"Substitute filial piety" was a way to give those who had no descendants a dignified way to survive.
The threshold for such "filial piety on behalf of others" is often quite high. A family without heirs can have a considerable amount of property targeted, and the process is very complicated. For example, if the elderly person is from a village, but the person performing the "filial piety" is not from that village, and the elderly person's property consists of land, what do you do? The hardships involved are beyond the comprehension of outsiders.
As it gradually evolved, the practice of "substitute filial piety" also began to evolve, and there are some people they no longer accept.
Fifth Aunt was a "duty surrogate" whom Third Uncle met by chance. These days, there are almost no people willing to do this kind of work.
Not only is it troublesome, but it might also cause you a lot of trouble.
"Fifth Aunt, Fifth Aunt!" An older man led his third uncle to a house on the edge of the village and called out.
"They're here! They're here!" The voice carried a hint of age, but was still full of energy.
Fifth Aunt strode out; although she looked quite old, she was still very robust.
"This gentleman said he came to see you, we'll bring him here."
"Okay, thanks! Come over for dinner sometime!"
"Hey, we're just showing you the way. You guys can chat about what you want to eat, we won't bother you."
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