Chapter 3073 The Foundation of Freedom
Aunt Sun stood under the eaves and waited until they finished talking before she said, "If you need any work outside, you can call me."
Hu Dalang turned his head and looked over at her pretty smiling face. He blushed and bowed, "Thank you, madam."
Aunt Sun raised her chin slightly and said, "No need to thank me."
Hu Dazhu did not leave. He spent money to find a small inn in the county town to stay in, sleeping on a large bunk bed with others, and only spent ten cents a night.
It doesn't sound like much, but including food, even if you are the most frugal, it will cost eighteen cents a day, not to mention that Hu Dazhu is not a wealthy person who can afford to let himself go.
So his daily expenses were not small. He hid in an alley not far from the medical office and waited. He did not see his second daughter and youngest son go out for three consecutive days. Instead, Hu Dalang went out to run errands from time to time, or delivered ready-made medicines to some pharmacies and other people, or went out to carry medicinal materials and run errands to buy some things.
Hu Dazhu waited for three days but didn't see the person he was waiting for. Thinking about the money that was getting less and less every day, he couldn't help but stop his stubborn eldest son again.
Hu Dalang was well prepared and said to him, "Wait for me to return the things to the hospital. I'll come out to find you later."
Hu Dazhu said, "Call out your brothers and sisters. I haven't seen them for a long time."
Hu Dalang didn't respond and didn't call anyone out.
Hu Dazhu was waiting in the alley. Seeing him coming alone, he couldn't help but frown, "Where are your brothers and sisters?"
Hu Dalang: "They are working. If you have anything to say, just tell me and I will tell them."
Hu Dazhu was a little annoyed, but the last time he made a scene, nothing happened. He vaguely knew that this time, if he made a scene again, the result would be the same. He endured it and asked, "You don't get paid for working in the hospital?"
Hu Dalang lowered his eyes and said, "Yes, but it's not much. Besides, Mother and we need money to eat and buy food. We left many things behind when we left, such as quilts, clothes, shoes and socks, and so on. We need to buy them, so we borrowed a lot of money from the hospital on credit. Dad, can you help us pay it back?"
Hu Dazhu was furious. The reason he was reluctant to leave was that he wanted to get some money from Hu Dalang. The New Year was coming soon, and the family couldn't afford to be without money...
Hu Dazhu asked carefully back and forth, and after confirming that Hu Dalang really had no money, he said angrily: "Since your mother can go out to work, why is she still staying here? Go in and tell her to pack up, and go home today."
"Mom's illness hasn't healed yet. Master Zhou said she needs to be treated for a while longer."
"Treat her, treat her, and you won't farm the land anymore?" He cursed angrily, "Even if your mother is cured, she can't work in the fields. What's the difference between good and bad? She'll just lie down anyway. You might as well go home and save money..."
Hu Dalang let him scold him without moving. When he got tired of scolding him, he said, "Dad, if you don't have money, please send us some food. That way we don't have to buy food, and the money we save can be returned to the hospital as soon as possible."
Hu Dazhu was furious and turned to leave. Then he thought of something and said, "Call your brothers and sisters out. It would be expensive to keep so many people in the city. Now that your mother can work in the fields, one person is enough. You..."
He wanted to say, "Come home with me," but thinking of his temper, he choked and changed his words, "You can stay here with your brother. You can still work to pay back the hospital bill. Let your sister come home with me."
Hu Dalang said, "Sister, you can also work and earn money here."
"How can the money earned be worth the money spent?" Hu Dazhu shouted. "Just call her out when I tell you to. We have so much land at home. If you don't farm it, will your whole family just starve?"
Hu Dalang: "There's no work in the fields right now."
"Who says there's no work? Doesn't composting require people? Doesn't loosening the soil require people? Everything has to wait until spring. There are only a few people in our family who can work. How can we finish it?"
Hu Dalang raised his eyelids and looked at him, "Dad, do you want my little sister to go back and wash your clothes and cook for you?"
"She's my daughter. Isn't it natural for her to wash my clothes and cook for me?"
Hu Dalang was a little annoyed and didn't want to continue talking to him. He asked directly, "Dad, are you going to send us food? I'm doing laundry here to make money, and I have to take care of mom, so I don't have time to go back."
Seeing that Hu Dazhu was about to get angry, he said, "If you don't want to give it to us, forget it. Don't come to us anymore. We won't go back. Let's wait until mother recovers."
During this period, Hu Dalang has been on his own and has seen the vastness of the outside world. He used to have to work very hard to face his father's anger, but now he no longer takes Hu Dazhuo seriously.
Especially when he realized that he could find a way to make a living outside and did not necessarily need to rely on his father, he knew that the world was vast and he could go anywhere.
Mr. Zhou was right. As long as they had the ability to survive, there was no place they could not go. What bound them should be responsibility and love, not the feeling that they had to stay here and rely on someone to survive.
Hu Dalang's eyes became determined. He glanced at his father, then turned and left.
Hu Dazhu didn't expect him to leave so easily. He was so angry that he reached out to grab him. A loud shout rang out from outside the alley, "What do you want to do?"
Hu Dazhu paused and turned to look, only to see two yamen runners rushing towards him angrily. They glared at him and asked, "Why are you here again? How dare you start a fight in front of the medical office?"
"Sir, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I just wanted to talk to my son."
"If you want to talk, just talk nicely. What's the point of being so hesitant?" The yamen runner turned to Hu Dalang and asked, "Do you still want to talk to him?"
Hu Dalang shook his head.
The bailiff waved his hand and said, "Then you can go."
Hu Dalang turned and left.
Hu Dazhu glared and couldn't help but said to the yamen runner, "I'm his father. Can't a father even talk to his son?"
"Okay, but your family still owes the medical office money, right? The adults told us to keep a close eye on you. What if you don't pay back the money and run away with the patient?" The yamen runner said, "If you want to talk to your son and bring him home, it's easy. Just pay the money you owe the medical office."
Seeing Hu Dazhu's pale face, the yamen runner snorted and said, "Otherwise, let your son stay and work honestly to pay back the money."
The bailiff simply warned him and left, continuing to patrol the streets.
Hu Dazhu stood at the door of the medical department for a long time, but finally turned around and left unwillingly. He could not stay in the city anymore. The longer he stayed, the more money he would spend.
Hu Dalang strode towards the backyard, walking faster and faster, and finally rushed to the backyard at a trot.
Hu Xiaomei was sitting on a stool grinding the medicine with her foot. He rushed to her and said to her seriously, "Xiaomei, you have to learn some skills!"
Hu Xiaomei looked up in confusion, "Huh?"
Hu Dalang looked at him seriously and said, "You have to learn some skills, such as weaving and embroidery. It would be even better if you could learn some medical skills from Master Zhou. If you learn these skills, you will be able to support yourself in the future and go wherever you want."
See you at 7pm
(End of this chapter)
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