Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 766 Taking the Old Man to the Doctor

The old man said, "Back then, Wang Laosi had his eye on your house. Let me ask him about it for you. If it's feasible, we can just sell it to him."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, then you can ask around for me."

Zhang Futeng suddenly stood up, his face turning pale, and stormed out without looking back, slamming the door behind him. His stepmother, shuffling in her slippers, chased after him, calling out, "Baby, where are you going? We're not like them."

Zhang Fu turned around and pushed open the door, saying, "Zhang Wei, remember this: when I have money, you'll be begging me one day." He turned and walked out, with his stepmother pulling his arm and coaxing him from the side.

The old man chuckled coldly and said, "This guy's completely finished. I'll be lucky if he doesn't get a few years in jail. There's nothing I can do about it, so let him be. Xiao Wang, go to that box on top of that cabinet and get my blue vest."

Zhang Wang went over, stood on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), opened the box and rummaged through it a few times. He took out a vest and threw it to the old man. The old man propped himself up on the kang with both hands and moved around. He took the vest in his hands, squeezed it, found the right spot, and tore the vest open along the seam. He then took out a savings book from inside.

The old man opened the passbook, looked at it, and handed it to Xiao Wei: "This is my last savings. Keep it for me. Xiao Wang is in Fengtian. If you ever feel he's capable and want to do something, give him this as capital. If he can't, he can work for you and get a salary. Keep this money for my retirement."

Xiao Wei took it and looked at it; it was 21,640 yuan.

The old man gestured: "Put it in your pocket."

Xiao Wei tucked the passbook into his pocket and said with a smile, "Grandpa, you're quite wealthy, you have so much savings."

The old man said, "This is what I've saved over the decades. Xiao Wang was only two years old when I saved the first ten yuan. Now his wife is pregnant. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but Xiao Fu hasn't saved anything since he started junior high school. This kid..." He shook his head and said, "It's just that the mother and son haven't found out yet. Otherwise, they would have stolen it and spent it long ago. They're a pair of spendthrifts. If you rely on them to support you, they'll starve to death sooner or later."

Xiao Wei said, "If I take all this, what are you going to do if you need the money?"

The old man said, "There's still a little bit left." He pointed to the cabinet: "I've been holding onto it every day, and with this year's earnings, there are still a few thousand yuan left. Xiao Fu came back to ask for it because he figured he could get some money after selling the grain at home. Otherwise, do you think he would have stayed home?"

Xiao Wei said, "Grandpa, I really admire you now. There aren't many families in the city with more than ten thousand yuan these days. You really know how to save up."

The old man laughed and said, "Relying on the fields is definitely not going to work. I usually like to move around, and when I have nothing to do, I go up the mountain to hunt for something to sell. That's how I make my money. That year, I caught a red fox, and it didn't have a single stray hair. An official in the city gave me five hundred yuan right away. Rabbits, pheasants, roe deer, badgers, plus some other mountain products, that's how I've saved up this little bit over the past ten years."

Chen Hui sighed and said, "It's so hard. Life is really tough for farmers."

Xiao Wei said, "My uncle is very capable in the whole commune. He's a well-known wealthy household. It's really not easy for ordinary families. You've never even met him."

The old man pointed to the vest: "Xiao Wang, put it back and fold it neatly."

Zhang Wang folded the vest neatly, climbed up, and put it back in the box.

The old man said, "You've made a mess that your aunt will definitely notice. I can't stand up, so be it, let her find out."

Xiao Wei said, "It's that serious? Why aren't you going to see a doctor? No, come with me later, let's go to the hospital for a proper check-up, don't delay."

The old man said, "No need. Going out would cost money. I'm much healthier than your father. I can't afford to have anything happen to me."

Xiao Wei said, "You're really capable, don't argue with me. Once Brother Wang is all packed up, we'll all go in one car and we can stop by my house to get acquainted with it."

Chen Hui asked, "Will the car arrive soon? What time did you book?"

Xiao Wei checked the time and said, "It's about time. Let's go move. Grandpa, I'll come pick you up when I'm done."

The group returned to Zhang Wang's house after leaving the old man's house. Sure enough, the truck had arrived. The driver was leaning against the truck smoking. Xiao Wei got out of the truck and said, "Here you are, driver. Sorry to have kept you waiting outside for so long."

The driver stood up straight and said, "It's alright, I just arrived."

As the group entered the courtyard, the sister-in-law had already packed their luggage. Zhang Wang had only gotten married last year, so he didn't have much stuff at home, and most of it was still in relatively new condition, so she brought it all along.

The chickens, ducks, and geese were put into cages, and the dog was leashed. It took about half an hour to load and tidy up the truck. There weren't any large or heavy items, so it was easy.

Xiao Wei ran to the vegetable garden, picked a basket of vegetables, loaded them onto the truck, and then sent the driver away. The truck was slow, and he could catch up with it every half hour.

They fed the pig, led it with a rope into the old man's pigpen, and then went inside to help the old man out.

Aunt Ji had already returned, sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) looking very unhappy. She didn't say a word when Xiao Wei and the others entered the room.

Xiao Wei said, "Auntie, I'm taking Uncle to Fengtian to see a doctor. It might take a few days. Do you want to come?"

The old lady was somewhat tempted, but still angry, she didn't want to change her mind immediately, so she remained silent. The old man said, "Why go? What will happen to the house if you go? Who will take care of the chickens, ducks, and pigs? The vegetables in the garden still need to be picked. I'll go by myself. We can let her go when we have time at the end of the year; it's not far anyway."

After rolling her eyes, the old lady said, "Little Fuqi has run away. I'll go check on Xiaoqin tomorrow."

Xiaoqin is the aunt's younger sister and Zhang Fu's second aunt. Her family lives in the county. Zhang Fu usually stays at his aunt's house when he goes to the county, otherwise he wouldn't even have enough money for lodging.

Xiao Wei and Zhang Wang helped the old man up. The old man, panting heavily, said, "If you have any sense, you should take care of the house. At least you can contribute some money. If you don't want to take care of it, just say so. I'll ask Lao Si and his wife to help look after it."

After giving the old man a few cold glances, the old woman still stood up: "How come you've gotten so heavy all of a sudden? I'll just go see you for a quick look and come back the same day. I won't feel at ease if I don't check on you. Should I bring some clothes?"

He climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), rummaged through his trunk, took out two hundred yuan, thought for a moment, then took out another two hundred, saying, "I'll keep some money on me just in case."

Xiao Wei said, "No need, Auntie, just give me a couple of clothes. I don't have anywhere to spend money."

After the old lady found two pieces of clothing, she put the money in the pocket of one of the clothes and said, "The money is in the pocket of this blue short-sleeved shirt, don't lose it." She found a cloth, wrapped the clothes up, and handed them to Chen Hui, who took them.

When they went out, Xiaowei and Zhang Wang practically had to carry the old man out; he was indeed quite heavy. That's how rural people are—they just endure it and leave it to fate.

Because of the injury to his back, which made it difficult to carry him, he had to move step by step. After a difficult time getting him out of the yard and into the car, his aunt followed him out, looking a little worried. Xiao Wei said, "Don't worry, Auntie. I'll take Uncle to the military hospital. I guarantee he'll be fine."

The old woman took a breath and said, "Then I'll trouble you. Please let me know if anything happens."

Xiao Wei nodded. Chen Hui and Zhang Wang got into the car. Xiao Wei turned to the old woman and said, "Auntie, let me say something. We can't spoil Xiao Fu like this anymore. It's not that I don't care about him or help him, but helping him like this now is harming him. He's my brother too. How can I really ignore him? But we have to discipline him. Otherwise, he won't be able to do anything. It's okay now that he's young, but what will happen when he grows up? Can you take care of him forever?"

The old woman forced a smile and said, "Okay, let's go quickly, it's so far."

(End of this chapter)