Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Xu Dachuan panicked, "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about! Our eldest daughter is getting married. Don't you know what I'm capable of? Do you think I have the ability to make someone move in with their family? We're living with our son-in-law!"

Wang Ximei knew that her youngest son and his wife were unreliable, but she never expected them to be so outrageous as to move into their son-in-law's house.

"Would they agree to that?"

“Why not? We’re not eating and living here for free. I help my son-in-law with chores, and Guizhi helps take care of the children. They can’t do without us.” Xu Dachuan said smugly.

Wang Ximei couldn't laugh. Her youngest son had lived half his life living under someone else's roof, and such a person was completely unreliable. But the family was already in such a state, and she couldn't just let her third son and his wife off like that.

After thinking for a moment, she slowly lowered her eyes and asked, "What does the eldest girl's husband do? Does he need any help?"

"Mom, why are you asking this?" Xu Dachuan's eyes widened, and his gaze towards Wang Ximei changed.

Wang Ximei glanced at him and sighed repeatedly, "Your father died because he couldn't accept that A-Jie couldn't carry on his family line. This illness needs to be treated. The hospitals here can't compare to those in the provincial capital. I want A-Jie to go to a big hospital in the provincial capital for a checkup."

That's only human nature.

Neither Xu Dachuan nor Zhang Guizhi said anything.

Wang Ximei continued, "Your eldest brother's illness also needs treatment. Why don't we both go to the provincial capital for treatment? Your eldest daughter's in-laws are locals, so they can help with the arrangements. Is that alright?"

Xu Dachuan understood what was going on, so he pretended to be clueless and said, "Mom, I have no objection to my older brother and A-Jie going to the provincial capital for medical treatment. I can take them with me, but I have to make it clear to you in advance that the provincial capital is very big. The city alone is divided into several districts, and there are countless general hospitals and specialist hospitals of all sizes. They will probably have to go to different hospitals to see doctors for their illnesses."

Once we get there, we'll have to rent a place near the hospital. Food and lodging will be problems. We also need to arrange jobs for my older brother and A-Jie. We can't just go there for treatment and come back in a day or two.

We're usually busy, so we can only visit occasionally. It's impossible for us to help take care of things; besides, I'm often away on business, and it's common for me to only go back every few days.

“Then let the eldest daughter go and help. After all, he is her uncle and cousin, and she can’t just ignore him. This matter is settled!” Wang Ximei didn’t want to hear her youngest son continue to make excuses, so she made her decision firmly.

Zhang Guizhi was so angry that her face turned black, and she walked out without paying any attention.

Xu Dachuan panicked, "Guizhi, Guizhi, don't go!"

Wang Ximei was still holding onto his hand tightly, so he couldn't run away at all. Zhang Guizhi ran even faster when she heard his shouts.

In his haste, Xu Dachuan didn't care about anything else. He forcefully pried open Wang Ximei's elbow and took several steps back. Seeing that Wang Ximei hadn't fallen, he immediately chased after Zhang Guizhi.

Wang Ximei, leaning on her crutches, cried and screamed hysterically, "Xu Dachuan, you heartless bastard, come back here! Oh my god, what sins have I committed to give birth to such a scoundrel who doesn't even care about his own mother anymore, waaaaah!"

She cried for a while before a few elders from the clan came to inquire. When they learned that Xu Dachuan and Zhang Guizhi had left the village, they also felt it was a difficult situation, but they couldn't interfere in such matters.

After all, Xu Dachuan's family had been away from the village for many years and their relationship with everyone had faded. They really didn't have the face to persuade them to stay. They could only take turns advising Wang Ximei to think more positively and to take good care of her eldest son.

When Wang Fengying returned from the hospital that evening, she found the old house pitch black and not a soul in sight. She habitually turned on the light in the yard first, and when she turned around, she found Wang Ximei sitting in the corner staring straight at her.

It almost gave her a heart attack.

"Mom! What are you doing sitting here so late at night instead of sleeping? And without even turning on the light!"

Wang Ximei said numbly, "The third son and his wife ran away, and I couldn't stop them." Wang Fengying was stunned for a moment, and her face turned visibly ugly. "If they are willing to help, I will be grateful to them. If they don't want to help, there's nothing I can do. From now on, we should all go our own way and not come to us if we need anything."

Wang Ximei punched her cane in dissatisfaction. "Now is not the time to be stubborn. It will cost a lot of money to treat Dashan's illness. How much can you afford? And we don't know how much it will cost to treat Ajie's illness, or whether he can be cured. What is money compared to face and status?"
The third brother and his wife must have saved up some money. They don't have a son, so it would be good to ask them to contribute some. I was originally planning to send Dashan and Ajie to the provincial capital for medical treatment, and also ask the eldest daughter and her sisters to help out. But now that they've run away, I don't know where to look for them.

Did the doctor say how much Dashan's illness would cost?

When money is mentioned, Wang Ximei's momentum weakens considerably.

Wang Fengying wiped away her tears and nodded slightly, "They said they want us to prepare five or six hundred thousand."

"Five or six hundred thousand? Where would our family get that much money!" Wang Ximei felt like the sky had fallen.

Wang Fengying slumped down and said with her head down, "A-Jie means to sell their house and use the money to pay for his father's medical treatment."

Wang Ximei cried, "That boy is filial, but without a house, can his wife continue to live with him?"

They already had a problem diagnosed, and now that they've lost the house, the woman will definitely file for divorce, and she might even come looking for compensation.

"I don't know." Wang Fengying was also quite bewildered.

She was a strong-willed person all her life and had never suffered much hardship, but she encountered all the biggest hurdles at once.

After thinking for a while, Wang Ximei shook her head decisively, "No, we can't sell the house. We'll borrow this money first and pay it back slowly later. We can't let A-Jie get divorced again because of Da-Shan's illness."

Having already become a celebrity in Pingxi Town after one divorce, if he gets divorced again, Xu Jie will never need to get married again.

"But Mom, this is five or six hundred thousand yuan. Who are we going to borrow it from?" Wang Fengying asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

The only person Wang Ximei could think of was Xu Dahai.

"You wait here, I'll go and talk to the village chief and a few elders to think of a solution."

The next day, Xu Dahai was summoned to the village committee by a phone call from the village chief.

The village chief also felt quite helpless, and tried to ingratiate himself by making him tea and offering him snacks.

Xu Dahai waved his hand, "Village chief, just say what you need to say, don't beat around the bush, I'm very busy over there!"

The village chief chuckled twice and leaned closer. "Da Chuan and his wife left last night without saying goodbye. We were originally planning to discuss the matter of Da Shan with you after your father's funeral."

Dahai, it's not that we're meddling, but your mother came to the village committee for help. She said that Dashan's illness costs five or six hundred thousand yuan and there's no guarantee of a cure. Xu Jie wants to sell the house to save his father, but if he really sells the house, his wife will definitely divorce him.

You'll be a bachelor for life, and your mother absolutely refuses to agree to that. This morning, she was crying here before the village committee even opened its doors. We had no choice but to ask you to come over.

No matter what, you are still mother and son. If you don't take care of them, no one else will. (End of Chapter)