After Zhao Youtian followed Zhao Qingshan into the house, he never stopped talking.
"Old Secretary, tell me, how can people these days be so shameless? When the family split up, Zheng Qiulian rushed to take Aunt Gu and her husband to live with them. Now Aunt Gu and her husband are old and can't work anymore, and even their pension money has been spent by Zheng Qiulian and her family. And Zheng Qiulian turns around and thinks the old people are a burden. It's outrageous."
"There are fields, and these hundreds of varieties of rice feed hundreds of different people! There are so many people in the world, how can they all be good? There are so few people as kind-hearted as Gu Daya!" Zhao Qingshan couldn't help but sigh. Back then, when Gu Daya was young, everyone in the surrounding area praised her for being a good hand at making ends meet. To think that in her old age, she'd be rejected by her own children, surely it must have been hard for someone as strong-willed as Gu Daya?
"Yes! It's a pity for Aunt Gu. Zheng Qiulian started making trouble after the Chinese New Year, insisting that her brother-in-law's family should also bear the responsibility of supporting the elderly. She didn't even think about the fact that her family got the largest share when the family was divided. The most hateful thing is that after Zheng Qiulian started making trouble, two families in our village also started making trouble over the issue of supporting the elderly. Now the fields have been divided among the villagers, and I, the team leader, can't speak as effectively as before." Zhao Youtian frowned tightly when he talked about these things.
When the fields were still collectively owned, Zhao Youtian, the team leader, had great power. No matter which villager had a dispute in his family, as long as Zhao Youtian stepped forward, no one dared to disobey.
Since the second half of last year, when the village's farmland was distributed to each household, the words of the team leader, Zhao Youtian, were no longer effective. He had warned Zheng Qiulian several times, but she continued to make noises. Zhao Youtian couldn't deduct points from Zheng Qiulian's salary like he did during the collective era, so he could only remain angry.
"Youtian, this kind of evil trend cannot be allowed to go on. If they really don't listen to advice, just call the town and ask the police to come down and arrest these unfilial guys and detain them in the police station for a few days. Humph! I really don't believe that they are not honest!" Zhao Qingshan was furious.
Zhao Qingshan hated unfilial children and grandchildren the most. When he was the village Party secretary in Zhaojiagou, whenever an elder complained about their younger generation's lack of filial piety, he would call the town police station and have them come to the village to arrest them and teach them a lesson. Because of this, Zhaojiagou has always maintained a good moral character.
"Old Secretary, you have a wide network of contacts. How can I get the police to do things for me?" Zhao Youtian shrank his neck and muttered.
In rural China, most people would subconsciously feel scared when they saw a police officer in uniform. Even though Zhao Youtian was the village chief, he didn't like to interact with the police unless it was necessary.
"Youtian, you, after so many years, you are still so timid." Zhao Qingshan couldn't help but scold Zhao Youtian when he saw his cowardly look.
"Old Secretary, you are a man who has seen the world. I have never left Yuyuan County in my life. It is normal for me to be a little timid. It is normal." Zhao Youtian smiled awkwardly and passed the matter over.
"Youtian, when the Gu Daya family split up, didn't Hongsheng say something nice? He said that as long as he had something to eat, he would never let the old people starve. And now? Zhao Hongsheng just lets his wife act like a fool?" Zhao Qingshan pointed out.
"Oh! Don't mention it. This Zhao Hongsheng, he talks nicely but he only knows how to smooth things over when it comes to his actions. Aunt Gu and her husband love their son and don't want to embarrass him. Zhao Hongsheng should control his wife's mouth. Look, in just half a year, Aunt Gu has become so emaciated that she could be blown away by the wind." Zhao Youtian sighed repeatedly when talking about Zhao Hongsheng.
"Hiss! With the Zhao Hongsheng couple being such good people, their daughter...could she be just a bitch?" Zhao Qingshan couldn't help but take a deep breath. It was no wonder Zhao Qingshan's words were so harsh. Zhao Xiaocao was the girl Zhou Jiasheng had always wanted to marry. What if Zhao Xiaocao was just faking her virtuousness like her mother? How could Zhou Jiasheng live like this? After all, there aren't many opportunities for good shoots to grow out of bad bamboo.
"That's not the case. Xiaocao grew up with Aunt Gu. She's kind-hearted and hardworking, just like Aunt Gu." Zhao Youtian couldn't help but speak well of Zhao Xiaocao. If he had complained about Zhao Hongsheng and his wife in front of Zhao Qingshan because of him, and if that had ruined Xiaocao's marriage, Zhao Youtian would have felt bad.
"That's good." Zhao Qingshan nodded, finally relieved. Zhao Qingshan knew that Zhao Youtian was a little timid, but he would never tell a lie.
"Old Secretary, I was planning to hold a village meeting in a few days to criticize Zheng Qiulian for her unfilial behavior towards the elderly. I didn't expect that you, Old Secretary, would come back to the village to propose marriage to their family on behalf of your grandson..." Zhao Youtian stopped talking here.
Zhao Qingshan understood. Zhao Youtian had originally wanted to hold a meeting to criticize Zheng Qiulian, but now, considering Zhao Qingshan's marriage to Zheng Qiulian's family, the original plan was difficult to implement.
"Youtian, this matter cannot be solved by criticism alone. Let me think about it, is there any way to let the elderly in our village enjoy their old age?" Zhao Qingshan had a vague decision in his mind, but when it came to implementing this matter, it would definitely not be possible for Zhao Qingshan alone to do it.
Zhao Qingshan planned to discuss this matter with Zhao Yunxiang and Zhao Guohui, brother and sister, after returning to Kyoto City, and ask his children to allocate a little more of their annual charitable donations to the elderly in rural areas.
Rural residents work year-round, scraping by the soil for food. After raising children, they barely save a penny by the time they reach old age. Rural residents lack pensions, and when they lose their ability to work, they essentially rely on their children's "handouts" to survive. For families with filial children, the elderly can still have a full meal. For those without such care, they often wish the elderly dead.
Zhao Youtian smiled happily when he saw Zhao Qingshan agreed to find a solution. In Zhao Youtian's mind, Zhao Qingshan was omnipotent. As long as Zhao Qingshan was willing to intervene, this matter would definitely be resolved.
"Old Secretary, I'll be leaving first. Before I left home this morning, my wife killed two chickens at home. Old Secretary, please do me a favor and bring the children to my house for lunch at noon." After finishing his official business, Zhao Youtian began to talk about personal matters.
In rural areas, when villagers who have lived away from home return to their village, their relatives and friends will treat them to a meal to show their affection. For example, Zhao Youtian killed two chickens to entertain his guests, which was the highest standard of hospitality for the villagers.
Zhao Qingshan remembered that he had brought back a bunch of gifts, but it seemed that he had forgotten to bring rice, flour, grain, oil, etc., so he really had no way to cook for his family's lunch.
"Okay, Youtian, we'll come to trouble you at noon." Zhao Qingshan was not polite to Zhao Youtian.
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