Chapter 13: Something Big Has Happened

Lin Yuanxi paced back and forth in the clinic, rubbing his hands together in agitation.

Why hadn't the village secretary’s family arrived yet?

He had carried the little boy all the way here, and plenty of people had seen him.

No matter how slow the news traveled, they should know by now, right?

"The child is fine." Dr. Shen finished cleaning and bandaging the little grandson’s wounds, prescribed some pills, and then walked over, pushing up his reading glasses. "Just let him rest at home for a while. Don't let him run around. However, looking at him, this boy doesn't seem to be from your family."

The Lin family had three boys in total—two were frail, and one was tall and sturdy.

None of them looked anything like the boy in the room.

"Dr. Shen, this is the village secretary’s little grandson." Lin Yuanxi adjusted his eye mask and couldn't help but let out a fart. "My mother and I found him in the back mountain."

This was a favor from the village secretary’s family.

If he played his cards right, would he ever have to worry about getting good work assignments in the future?

"I see," Dr. Shen said with a chuckle.

Before long, the village secretary and his eldest son came running in.

Behind them followed a woman in a blue jacket, panting and out of breath.

"Dr. Shen, is my little grandson here with you?"

"He's inside." Dr. Shen pointed to the bed. "The one behind the curtain in the back."

"Thanks to the Lin family's second son; otherwise, if your child had been brought in any later, he might have lost too much blood, and the situation would have been dire." Dr. Shen shook his head. Under the village secretary’s questioning, he added, "He’s fine now. The wounds are bandaged, and here is the medicine. Take him home and give him some good food to recover. Children heal quickly, so don't worry too much."

Seeing Dr. Shen say this, the village secretary finally breathed a sigh of relief. He signaled for his eldest son and daughter-in-law to go look after the boy, then stroked his beard and said to the honest-looking second son standing nearby, "Yuanxi, thanks to you. Otherwise, our little grandson would have suffered."

The eldest son and the little grandson were the old man’s lifeblood.

This little grandson, Wen'an, was his eldest son’s child born in his later years. If anything had happened to him, it wouldn't just be a blow to the eldest son’s family; even he, an old man, wouldn't be able to take it and might fall ill from the shock.

"It’s nothing. We’re all folks from the same village; we have to help each other when something happens to a child." Lin Yuanxi knew this favor was in the bag. He spoke with humble courtesy, bid the old village secretary goodbye, and left the clinic with a happy expression.

As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate at home, he heard his wife’s voice, loud enough to blow the roof off.

"What are you arguing about?"

"Husband, you're finally back!" Zhang Miao grabbed his collar and dragged him inside. "Mom brought back a ginseng root earlier! She wants to take it to town to sell tomorrow!"

"Is there a problem with that?" Lin Yuanxi thought about it; there wasn't any major issue. It was normal to sell ginseng if you found it.

A high-quality ginseng root could fetch a lot of money at a shop in town.

He remembered a family in the village who had sold ginseng in town repeatedly, saved up a fortune, and even moved to town. They were living very well now.

Zhang Miao looked resentful. "Mom has lost her mind!"

"She wants to take a portion of the money to buy nutritional supplements for that little money-loser in the third branch!"

"Our Da Ni and Er Ni didn't get any, so why should a newborn nursing brat get supplements?"

"I hope she chokes on them!"

Hearing the commotion, Wang Cuilan knew the second son was back. She came out of the kitchen, intending to explain her plans for the ginseng, but she didn't expect to be met with such vicious words from her second daughter-in-law.

Wang Cuilan was instantly enraged. She stepped forward and slapped her across the face. "Good! Second daughter-in-law, you dare curse my precious granddaughter!"

She had known all along that if the ginseng were sold, the money would either be turned over to the public fund for everyone to use—buying grain or cloth—or, if she insisted on setting aside a portion for the third branch’s girl, the other two branches would definitely be unhappy.

But this ginseng had been found because her precious granddaughter had pointed it out. Without her, how would they even have had the chance to fight over the money?

Zhang Miao took the slap, but she didn't dare glare at Wang Cuilan. Instead, she glared fiercely at Zhou Zhaodi and Fang Hongying, who had followed the sound out.

Zhou Zhaodi was so frightened she shivered. Even though she wanted to secure some benefits for her daughter, she was naturally timid and cowardly, having been bullied for years. Reflexively, she didn't dare make a sound under Zhang Miao’s glare.

"The people do not fear poverty, but they fear inequality." The old saying was surely correct.

"Mom, since this ginseng is to be sold, it should be turned over to the public. If anyone needs money later, they can just ask, and no one will say anything. But you are being too biased."

Fang Hongying was the type to explode at the slightest provocation. Hearing that a portion of the money was to be set aside for the third branch, her voice was even louder than Zhang Miao’s. "She’s just a girl, why does she need expensive supplements?"

"She’ll be married off sooner or later, why treat her so well?"

"Bullshit!" Wang Cuilan put one hand on her hip and pointed at Fang Hongying with the other. "My precious granddaughter is so wonderful that even her poop smells sweet! Why shouldn't I treat her well?"

"I’m making it clear to you today!"

She spat on the ground. "This money is going to be spent, whether you like it or not!"

"Otherwise, we won't sell the ginseng at all!"

"We were only able to find the ginseng because of my precious granddaughter’s blessing!"

"Don't you dare be ungrateful!"

"Mom!" Fang Hongying threw caution to the wind. "If you're going to set aside money, you have to give a share to Dafu and Erfu! They are the boys who will carry on the family line, your own grandsons, and they aren't in good health either. They need supplements too!"

Wang Cuilan was fuming as her two daughters-in-law took turns attacking her. Of course, she remembered her grandsons, but before she could speak, Fang Hongying cut her off.

Fang Hongying struck while the iron was hot. "Mom said Dafu and Erfu couldn't be named because their fates were bad and they needed cheap names to suppress it, but the third branch’s girl got a name as soon as she finished her first month, and now she’s getting supplements. Mom and Dad are being way too biased."

The matter of the names had been a grievance all along, and with this new incident, Fang Hongying was determined to vent her frustrations.

Lin Dawei rolled a cigarette, his sallow, gaunt face showing no expression. "Dafu, Erfu, and Sanfu will each get a share of supplements. As for the girls, only the precious granddaughter gets some."

He thought for a moment. "Forget about Da Ni and Er Ni. They’re just girls; why should they compete with their brothers and sisters?"

Seeing her father-in-law come out to uphold justice and secure benefits for her two sons, Fang Hongying sneered at Zhang Miao.

See? You still have to give birth to a son.

Zhang Miao was so angry her lips trembled. "Dad, I haven't given Yuanxi a boy yet, but..."

She stopped, the red mole on her lip particularly striking. "I’m pregnant again. I shouldn't be left out of these supplements, right?"

Lin Yuanxi, who had finished work early and was listening to the family fight for benefits while smoking, was stunned. In his wild joy, he let out several farts. "What?"

"Miao, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah!" Zhang Miao looked proud, her head held high. "I'm two months along!"

Pregnant?

Lin Xiangrong opened her eyes, immediately thinking of that healthy male fetus Zhang Miao had been carrying, which had been miscarried after being bumped by the Liu family’s eldest child.

However, that happened when Zhang Miao was eight months pregnant.

There was no need to remind her now.

So, she lay back in Zhou Zhaodi’s arms, feeling at ease and dazed.

Zhou Zhaodi whispered, "In that case, everyone gets a share."

She pursed her lips and gathered the courage to speak again. "My branch needs two shares. This ginseng was only found because my daughter brought us there!"

"What does it have to do with your little brat?!" Fang Hongying glared at her.

"Fine, one share per family. The third branch gets two shares—the extra one is for Xiangrong." Lin Dawei tapped the table, spat out a mouthful of chewed-up tobacco, lit the rolled cigarette in the stove, and began to smoke.

With the head of the family having spoken, Fang Hongying and Zhang Miao didn't dare say anything more.

Only Lin Yuanxi, hearing his wife was pregnant, kept farting in his joy. The smell was so bad that the three boys in the room screamed, "It stinks, I'm going to throw up!" and ran outside. Da Ni and Er Ni didn't dare say a word, just silently moved to stand in the draft.

"Dad!"

Lin Yuannan burst through the door, his dark gray clothes covered in blood. "Dad!"

"Something happened!"

"Something big happened! Come quickly!"