Although the position of village chief is not that of a cadre, it is not something that can be taken lightly. Even after the land was distributed to households, Zhao Youtian still had to go to the town for meetings and then, upon returning to the village, convey the latest policies from above to the villagers. He was very busy.
In Zhaojiagou, if Zhao Youtian came to visit, that family would be the one showing respect. Even if others wanted to curry favor with Zhao Youtian, they would still have to wait in line.
Zheng Qiulian was also one of those who wanted to curry favor with Zhao Youtian.
"Hey? Brother Youtian, what a rare guest!" Zheng Qiulian said with a wry smile.
"Mrs. Hongsheng, are your parents-in-law home?" Zhao Youtian didn't want to deal with Zheng Qiulian. Zheng Qiulian was a married woman from another place, and Zhao Youtian had a bad impression of her ever since she made Aunt Gu sick during the New Year.
"In there! The old lady is weak all day long and can't do anything, and she needs someone to serve her. Hongsheng and I are busy all day long, and my father-in-law is always busy chatting nonsense with the old lady and doesn't even help with the household chores." When Zheng Qiulian heard Zhao Youtian asking about Aunt Gu and her husband, she started to complain.
"Mr. Hongsheng, why do you say that? Your parents-in-law have worked hard all their lives and they must take a rest when they are old. Why do you say it as if they are lazy?" Zhao Youtian couldn't help but get annoyed when he heard Zheng Qiulian's contemptuous tone when she mentioned Aunt Gu and her husband.
"My family is so poor. How can we support the elderly if they don't help with the work?" Zheng Qiulian muttered.
"Mr. Hongsheng, the country has regulations that it is the responsibility of children to support their elderly parents. Don't forget that you will also be old in the future." Zhao Youtian couldn't help but scold Zheng Qiulian when he heard her becoming more and more unreasonable.
"My parents-in-law gave birth to more than just Hongsheng. Why should my family take care of them in their old age?" Zheng Qiulian gets furious whenever she thinks of this.
"Mr. Hongsheng, this matter was already discussed in the first month of the lunar year. The bamboo craftsman uncle and his wife will live with your family from now on. You also agreed to talk about it at that time. Everyone knows that the little coffin money left in the hands of the bamboo craftsman uncle and his wife was given to you and Hongsheng. Now that the old man is old, you still come to despise him. Isn't that too unreasonable?" Zhao Youtian couldn't help getting angry when he heard Zheng Qiulian bring up the old things again.
It was people like Zheng Qiulian that Zhao Youtian despised the most. When the Zhao Hongsheng brothers separated, Aunt Gu and her husband were only in their forties, still able to work, and had a considerable amount of savings. Zheng Qiulian rushed to "take care of" them, and it was easy for them to live with them in their old age.
Over the years, Aunt Gu and her husband helped raise Zheng Qiulian's children, and their savings were gradually "taken care of" by Zheng Qiulian. Zheng Qiulian only regretted it now and asked her uncle's family to jointly support the elderly. Isn't this obviously taking all the benefits and then passing the burden to others?
"Hmph! How can I not agree? The old woman is making a fuss, as if I, the daughter-in-law, am deliberately bullying others. Uncle Youtian, you are talking without any concern. My family is so poor that we can hardly even afford to eat. My child's uncle's family has everything he wants, but they don't even bother to be filial to those two old guys." Zheng Qiulian and Zhao Youtian didn't get along at all, and Zheng Qiulian didn't bother to please Zhao Youtian. She turned around with a sullen face and walked into the yard.
Zheng Qiulian was in no mood to waste time talking to Zhao Youtian. Her eldest son had finally gotten engaged, so if she had the free time, she might as well order more vegetables and sell them at the market for some money!
"You really don't know how lucky you are." Zhao Youtian muttered as he looked at Zheng Qiulian's back.
Over the past six months, the affairs of Aunt Gu's family have caused a stir in the village.
Aunt Gu has always had a good reputation in the village. She is efficient and has a harmonious relationship with the villagers.
Such a good person was tricked by his daughter-in-law when he was old. The good one was supposed to take care of his retirement, but Zheng Qiulian didn't want to do that anymore.
Elderly people around Gu's age were all worried. The wives in the village were all ordered by their husbands and mothers-in-law not to have any contact with Zheng Qiulian.
Really, Zhao Youtian really envied Zheng Qiulian's ability to bear children. With a daughter as promising as Zhao Cao, Zheng Qiulian's bad reputation would probably be quickly forgotten by the villagers.
Zhao Youtian shook his head and was about to shout at the top of his voice to call Zhao the bamboo craftsman again, but Zhao the bamboo craftsman helped Aunt Gu out of the door.
Aunt Gu was not in good health and walked slowly, with Zhao the bamboo craftsman supporting her attentively. Both elderly people had a look of numbness on their faces.
In the past six months, Zheng Qiulian had been causing a lot of trouble at home. Aunt Gu was in poor health to begin with, and after being angered by her daughter-in-law, she became completely listless. Zhao Meijiang had no sense of presence at home to begin with, and after Aunt Gu fell ill, Zhao Meijiang could only worry.
Looking at the old couple's messy white hair, Zhao Youtian felt a little sour in his nose.
Zhao Youtian felt that he, as village chief, had done a terrible job. He recalled that when Zhao Qingshan was the village secretary, no one dared to disrespect the elderly. This time, he wanted to ask the old secretary for advice on how to strengthen the Zhaojiagou villagers' respect for the elderly and love for the young.
"Youtian, it's you! I heard someone calling our boss outside the house, but he didn't believe it." Zhao the bamboo craftsman was not good at speaking and was not very good at greeting people. He was talking to Aunt Gu.
"It's me, auntie. I'm here to tell you the good news!" When Zhao Youtian saw Auntie Gu, his originally drooping face immediately turned into a smiling look.
Seeing the lack of energy in Aunt Gu and her husband, it's clear they've had a rough time over the past six months. Zhao Hongsheng is a filial son, but he couldn't resist Zheng Qiulian's determination to drive the elderly away. While Zheng Qiulian wouldn't normally mistreat the elderly, she'd still say harsh words. Aunt Gu and her husband were thankful they didn't die from anger.
Zhao Youtian can be in charge for a while, but can he be in charge for a lifetime?
Zhao Youtian came today to announce the good news. No matter how much he hated Zheng Qiulian, when facing Aunt Gu, Zhao Youtian quickly put on a smiling face.
"What kind of happy event can there be in my family?" Aunt Gu sighed.
If there were a pill to regret, Aunt Gu would definitely buy one. Raising a son to provide for old age? Better to have money yourself! Had she known this would happen, Aunt Gu would have spent all her money on Zhao Hongsheng and his family.
Zheng Qiulian's voice was so loud just now that even if Aunt Gu didn't want to listen, the sound kept drilling into her ears. Every time she heard Zheng Qiulian's harsh words, Aunt Gu wished she could be as deaf as her husband.
Old people are always disliked by their children and grandchildren! Aunt Gu knew Zheng Qiulian's thoughts. She wanted to make the two old people angry and run away to live with her second son!
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