"Never mind then, I'll just stay here and rest until I'm more or less recovered," Dong Cheng said, then turned to the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how long will it take for me to fully recover?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment, and said, "Hmm... at least ten days to half a month, but with your head injury, it's hard to say. You might have aftereffects for a year or two, and you'll be bedridden and unable to do anything. You'll need someone to take care of you all the time."
"What? So troublesome?" Mrs. Dong exclaimed in surprise. It would be better to... no, no, it can't be like this. He can't die yet; if he dies, her son Acang will die too.
"If it really takes a year or two to recover, what will happen to our jobs?" Mr. Dong asked with a worried frown, concerned about the lack of income and the burden of having a dependent.
“I can go to Director Xu and get a leave of absence without pay,” Dong Cheng said, putting on a pitiful look as he looked at his mother. “Mom loves me, she shouldn’t mind me just sitting at home doing nothing, right?”
Mrs. Dong's face twitched, and she forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Suddenly, she had an idea and perked up: "If you can't do it, you can transfer the job to Acang!"
Dong Cheng: "..." She was always thinking about her youngest son. Even though she had long since given up hope, she couldn't help but feel sad and envious. They were clearly the same parents and both biological children, yet their treatment was worlds apart.
"Forget it then." Dong Cheng said with a look of utter despair, "How about we split up? I'll go with you to the police station right now to pick up Dong Cang, or I'll go back and stay here with you until I die."
Seeing Dong Cheng act like a rogue for the first time, Dong's parents were a little flustered.
After a moment of contemplation, Mr. Dong said with a dark face, "We can separate the family, but you have to leave with nothing."
"Honey..." Mrs. Dong called out hurriedly. It wasn't that she felt she had mistreated Dong Cheng, but rather that without blood to suck, they wouldn't be able to make a living.
Mr. Dong reached out to stop Mrs. Dong, his gaze dark as he looked at Dong Cheng, awaiting his answer.
Without a second thought, Dong Cheng immediately agreed: "Okay."
Mr. Dong's expression wasn't very good. Were they really that impatient?
He glanced at Fu Hong. He had indeed made a mistake in choosing this daughter-in-law; she had influenced his son to the point that he could hardly recognize him anymore.
"Have you thought this through? If you leave the family empty-handed, how will you get married in the future?" Mr. Dong warned.
"It's alright, I can marry into the family," Dong Cheng said casually, then suddenly realized something and turned to Fu Hong, asking, "Is that alright, Xiao Hong?"
Fu Hong looked at him in surprise: "Are you serious?" There were only two elderly people and a younger sister in her family. She had considered having someone marry into her family, but these days it's not easy to find a suitable man who is also willing to do so.
"Of course," Dong Cheng said sincerely.
Fu Hong smiled and said, "Of course I'd love to."
Mr. Dong's face darkened: "No, I don't agree. If you marry into someone else's family, where will I put my face in the future?"
Dong Cheng chuckled: "You don't really think our family has any face left in the village, do you?"
Mr. Dong: "..." There's no need to be so blunt.
Someone nearby couldn't help but chuckle.
Mr. Dong's face immediately turned even uglier. He really didn't want to continue arguing, so he decisively said, "You leave with nothing, and give us 30 yuan a month for support until we die. Then I will agree to separate the family. Whether you want to marry into the family or not is none of my business. From now on, we will never see each other again."
Those around him couldn't help but hiss in disbelief. These days, an average factory worker only earns twenty or thirty yuan a month, yet he was demanding 30 yuan.
Dong Cheng's face also darkened. He knew the old man was greedy, but he didn't expect him to be this greedy: "My monthly salary is only 50 yuan. You want 30 yuan from me? Do you think I won't be able to support my wife and children in the future?"
Mr. Dong, with an air of utter indifference, said, "I don't care. Even if we've separated the family, we're still your parents, and you have to pay your support."
Dong Cheng's face darkened, and after a moment's thought, he said, "20 yuan."
“29 yuan,” Mr. Dong said.
“21 yuan,” Dong Cheng said.
After some haggling, the father and son finally settled on alimony of 25 yuan.
Dong Cheng looked at the doctor beside him and said, "Doctor, could you please help me write a family division agreement?"
The doctor nodded: "Okay."
The nurse who followed excitedly brought over paper and pen.
Dong Cheng looked at the other people in the ward: "I would also appreciate it if you uncles and brothers could be my witnesses."
The people around them nodded in agreement, saying, "No problem." They had long disliked the parents.
The old man lying on the bed opposite Dong Cheng said in a strong voice, "If they go back on their word, you should come to me. My son is the vice chairman of the Revolutionary Committee."
Dong Cheng said gratefully, "Thank you, sir."
Mr. Dong's face turned ashen, but at this point, he had no face to regret it.
The doctor wrote a family division agreement in triplicate, and had other people in the ward sign it as witnesses.
The old man on the opposite bed not only wrote down his full name, but also his son's name and workplace, which made Mr. Dong not dare to utter a sound.
There are three copies of the family division agreement. Dong's father keeps one copy, Dong Cheng keeps one copy, and Dong Cheng will keep the remaining copy for now. It will be sent to the village for filing later. I believe no one will have any objections.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong lived for over 30 years, passing away in their seventies. Dong Cheng paid them 25 yuan a month, not a penny more. When they died, he didn't even go back to see them. He paid the last funeral expenses and had the village help with burning and burying them.
"Can we go to the police station now?" Mr. Dong asked impatiently.
Dong Cheng nodded, borrowed a wheelchair from the doctor, and asked Fu Hong to help push him. He then went to the public security brigade with his parents.
Zhao Bin frowned when he saw Dong Cheng's appearance and said, "You're Dong Cheng? You're in this state, why aren't you resting in the hospital?"
Dong Cheng smiled helplessly and said, "I had no choice."
"Captain Zhao, my eldest son is here. He can testify that my two sons were just playing around and accidentally hurt someone. We don't plan to pursue the matter further. Can you release my son Acang now?" Dong's mother stepped forward and asked anxiously.
"Are you really not going to pursue this?" Zhao Bin asked Dong Cheng.
Dong Cheng nodded.
"Understood. I will withdraw this case." After saying that, Zhao Bin turned around and prepared to leave.
Seeing that something was wrong, Mrs. Dong quickly went over and pulled the man away: "Captain Zhao, now that the case has been dropped, when can my son be released?"
Zhao Bin glanced at her sideways: "Come out? What are you thinking? He's involved in another theft case. If you want to come out, wait until that case is over. But the chances are slim. You'll be lucky if you can keep your life."
Mrs. Dong's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Dong Cheng was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing so heartily for the first time.
After laughing, he looked at Fu Hong pitifully and said, "Xiao Hong, I feel dizzy."
Fu Hong gave him a reproachful look: "You could laugh any louder."
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