"Village Chief Zhang, I'm calling to discuss my brother-in-law Wang Dajiang's matter with you."
"Dajiang?"
Village Chief Zhang asked in a puzzled tone.
What's wrong with him?
Su Jianguo organized his thoughts.
"My mother-in-law's biggest worry is Dajiang. Xiulan wants to bring her older brother to live in the city so she can take better care of him. I'd like to ask you to help make the arrangements; I'll cover all the expenses."
The sound of Village Chief Zhang pacing could be heard from the other end of the phone.
"Jianguo, about this matter..."
Village Chief Zhang seemed to be carefully choosing his words.
"Logically, this is your family matter, and I shouldn't interfere. But given Dajiang's current situation..."
Su Jianguo's heart tightened.
"What happened to Brother Dajiang?"
"Sigh, you have no idea."
Village Chief Zhang lowered his voice even further.
"Ever since Dajiang became paralyzed, his daughter-in-law... never mind, I'll go check on her now. If Dajiang is willing, I'll personally take him to the city!"
Su Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much, Village Chief Zhang. How many people do you need? I'll pay them ten yuan per person per day."
"We don't need that many!"
Village Chief Zhang quickly replied.
"There are a few young men in the village who are just sitting around doing nothing anyway. I'll find two reliable ones, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."
Then, Village Chief Zhang hung up the phone immediately.
Su Jianguo was somewhat worried. Judging from the tone of Village Chief Zhang's words, his brother-in-law was probably having a hard time right now.
at the same time.
On the dirt road in Lijia Village, Village Chief Zhang was hurrying towards the east end of the village.
Before they even reached Wang Dajiang's house, Village Chief Zhang heard a sharp cursing voice coming from the yard.
"You old hag! You can't even hold a bowl properly, yet you have the nerve to waste food while eating and drinking for free!"
The voice was very high-pitched, and it was clear that the woman was difficult to get along with.
"I'm telling you, you're not eating tonight! And you're not eating tomorrow either. It'll be better if you starve to death!"
Village Chief Zhang's expression changed, and he quickened his pace.
I just pushed open the creaking courtyard gate.
Then they saw Wang Dajiang's daughter-in-law, Song Guixiang, standing with her hands on her hips at the entrance of the main room, with broken porcelain shards and spilled porridge scattered on the ground.
"Gui Xiang! What are you doing?"
Village Chief Zhang shouted sternly.
Song Guixiang turned around abruptly, her face still contorted with rage.
Upon seeing the village chief, she immediately forced a smile.
"Oh, the village chief's here! I was just... educating the elderly about the importance of cherishing food."
Village Chief Zhang ignored her and walked straight into the main room.
In the dimly lit room, Wang Dajiang was curled up on a dilapidated rattan chair, half of his face was swollen and red, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.
His clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable, and he was so thin that he was just skin and bones.
"Dajiang..."
Village Chief Zhang felt a pang of sadness and quickly stepped forward.
Wang Dajiang's cloudy eyes slowly focused, and after recognizing the village chief, his lips trembled but he couldn't speak, only able to make "ah ah" sounds.
"Look what you've done to this old man!"
Village Chief Zhang turned around and glared angrily at Song Guixiang, who had followed him in.
"This deserves to be struck by lightning!"
Li Cuihua pouted.
"Village chief, what are you saying? He fell on his own, what does it have to do with me? Besides, a cripple is just a burden..."
"Shut up!"
Village Chief Zhang was so angry that his beard trembled.
"Your father-in-law sacrificed so much for this family, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk, and this is how you treat him now?"
Song Guixiang rolled her eyes and swayed her hips as she walked toward the kitchen.
"I'm going to cook, believe it or not."
Village Chief Zhang took a deep breath, squatted down, and grasped Wang Dajiang's withered hand.
"Dajiang, your sister Xiulan wants to take you to live in the city. Would you like to?"
Wang Dajiang's eyes suddenly lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
He shook his head with difficulty, making muffled sounds in his throat.
"No...I won't go...I'll be a burden..."
"nonsense!"
Village Chief Zhang's eyes reddened.
"Your sister is doing well now. Your parents are living there. When you go, someone will take care of you, and you'll even be able to see your mother..."
When his mother was mentioned, Wang Dajiang suddenly burst into tears.
He raised his hand, trembling, and pointed to the cabinet in the inner room.
Village Chief Zhang understood, walked over and opened the cabinet, inside which was a small cloth bag.
Upon opening it, I found a faded family photo.
The image above shows young Wang Dajiang standing behind his parents, holding young Wang Xiulan in his arms.
"Your mother is in the hospital now, and her condition isn't good..."
Village Chief Zhang's voice choked with emotion.
"She's thinking about you, Da Jiang."
Wang Dajiang suddenly started coughing violently.
Village Chief Zhang quickly helped him up, only to find that the old man's clothes on the back were soaked with cold sweat.
"I'll go and call the barefoot doctor to take a look."
Village Chief Zhang stood up and called out to the kitchen.
"Gui Xiang! Pour your father-in-law a cup of hot water!"
A cold snort came from the kitchen.
"Why would a cripple drink hot water? It's a waste of firewood!"
Village Chief Zhang was trembling with anger. He strode towards the kitchen and pushed the door open.
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