After Su Yue and Fu Shen returned, Su Shizhong was filled with remorse. He slapped his calloused hands several times, muttering to himself as he did so, "Look at you, meddling in other people's business. You saved a thankless wretch and made your daughter suffer so much."
The next morning, Fu Shen went to the village secretary and told him that Su Shizhong would no longer herd sheep and hoped that he could help write a letter of introduction so that they could take him away from here.
Upon hearing this, the village secretary picked up a pen without saying a word, quickly wrote a letter of introduction, stamped it, and handed it to Fu Shen, saying sincerely, "After you take Lao Su away, remember to take him to the hospital for a thorough medical check-up. In recent years, his diet has taken a toll on his health more than some people who are starving. I know it was unfair to assign him a job herding sheep, but given the circumstances at the time, I really had no other choice."
“Unlike the educated youth from other places, Lao Su came with his household registration. Even if he worked in the fields, he wouldn’t get any grain from the village’s harvest. He only managed to avoid being driven away by doing the work that others didn’t want to do.”
"When I first met Lao Su, he looked completely bewildered. He was holding a sheep and staring blankly as he said he wanted to roast it and eat it, haha."
As he spoke, the village secretary couldn't help but chuckle, and then continued slowly, "Back then, his mind wasn't as sharp as it is now. He looked dazed and silly, and his reactions were very slow. Every day when he came back from herding the sheep, the scorekeeper had to help him count them. I'm not saying this to absolve myself, but just to let you know how difficult life Old Su was living here."
Fu Shen: "I understand. But I still want to thank you for keeping my father here, so he has a place to live and food to eat."
The village secretary waved his hand, "No need for thanks. As long as Old Su is doing well in the future, that's all that matters."
After Fu Shen nodded and left, the village secretary's wife walked up to him and whispered to comfort him, "Don't feel too guilty. Old Su's situation was so special when he first arrived. It's already very good that you, as the village secretary, were able to keep him in the village. You've done a lot for him behind the scenes too."
Sigh, when the sheep went missing, his husband was even more anxious than Old Su. Every night, under the cover of darkness, he would secretly search for them on another mountain, trying not to let the villagers know.
The village secretary glanced at his wife, his face full of guilt, and said, "How can I not feel guilty? Anyone who sees their family members being treated differently would feel uncomfortable, even if there is nothing they can do about it."
"What can you do if you're not feeling well? You're just making trouble for yourself."
The village party secretary said helplessly, "I'm not talking to you anymore. The sheep herding needs to be done by drawing lots again. I'm going to go and make the preparations with them."
With that, he hurriedly left.
His wife called out anxiously from behind, "Don't eat breakfast before you go!"
"Come back and eat," he replied without turning his head.
Su Yue had already prepared breakfast and was about to bring it inside when she saw Fu Shen return. She asked, "Is the letter of introduction ready?"
Fu Shen took out a letter of introduction from his pocket. "It's ready."
As he spoke, he glanced into the room, where Su Shizhong was sitting at the dining table, holding Ping An with a loving expression, and said in a low voice, "The village secretary thinks it's not fair to assign Dad a job herding sheep."
Su Yue listened, then silently pursed her lips and said nothing.
After breakfast, the two carefully packed their things and delivered the remaining rice, flour, and blankets to the village secretary.
While waiting for the car, Su Shizhong looked back at the village with a complicated expression.
Su Yue looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "When you're better, you can come back here a few years later as a vacation."
Su Shizhong slowly shook his head, "I'm not coming anymore. I'm just feeling a bit sentimental about how I got here back then."
Not only did Su Shizhong not understand, but Su Yue and Fu Shen also didn't understand.
How did a southerner manage to travel such a long distance to the north, especially when a letter of introduction was required before even leaving home?
Su Yue smiled and said, "That's good. I thought Father would be reluctant to leave this place."
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