Chapter 61: Strong Contrast

Jiang Nian asked Ye Zhiqiu to take Zhang Er to clean up the kitchen and yard. Actually, she knew they would do it even if she didn’t say anything, but she really didn’t want to be involved with Yan Jin any further, so she had to find an excuse to avoid him.

Yan Jin clearly understood her meaning and left dejectedly.

There wasn’t much to clean up, mainly the ground and the straw mat in the yard were stained with muddy water. They simply took the straw mat outside and burned it, then shoveled away a layer of mud from that area.

She adjusted the medicine Zhang Er needed to drink and prepared a new prescription.

Time passed peacefully.

A week later, Zhou Shugen came for a follow-up visit.

The boils on his body had disappeared, and the pain hadn’t recurred, indicating that the illness was indeed cured. However, his body and face were covered with pitted purple-red marks, and he had some other embarrassing problems.

Jiang Nian didn’t care if he looked good or not. Anyway, Yan Jin and the village chief had gotten the labor force they wanted back. Zhou Shugen could work perfectly fine.

After dragging his feet for a long time, he finally asked, “Doctor Jiang, do you think there’s any way to remove these marks on my body? And… and…”

Seeing that his already purple face was even more painful, Jiang Nian interrupted him. “Comrade Zhou, even if you remove these marks, it will cost a lot. And I really can’t do anything about it. Why don’t you go to another big hospital?”

“Doctor Jiang, there’s something else. It’s… it’s that since Little Chrysanthemum’s mother died, I… I can’t get it up…”

Zhou Shugen was eventually kicked out by Jiang Nian, who called Zhang Er to do it. The key was that he didn’t dare to fight back.

The village chief saw this and hurried over to mediate. “What’s going on? What’s going on?” He glared at Zhou Shugen. “What did you do to offend Doctor Jiang again?”

Because of Zhou Shugen’s matter, Jiang Nian’s attitude towards him had been lukewarm lately, and the village chief could feel it.

But he really couldn’t do anything about it. Life in the village was already difficult, and they couldn’t afford to support a few burdens.

Moreover, it wasn’t like those years of natural disasters. If someone really starved to death, it would be his negligence as the village chief, and Yan Jin would also be responsible. So they, as leaders, had to take care of it.

“You’re a grown man. My teacher is a girl. How dare you say that to her?” Ye Zhiqiu shouted without restraint. “Grandpa Village Chief, he’s being a hooligan.”

“No, no, that’s not true. Don’t talk nonsense.” Zhou Shugen pulled the village chief aside and whispered the whole story.

The village chief kicked him angrily. “You’re lucky to have been cured thanks to Director Yan’s help. You haven’t even fully recovered, and you’re already thinking about those messy things. I wish you had just died in pain!”

“Uncle, I was just asking. It would be best if I could be cured. Look at my situation now. I have old people and young children at home. That stinky woman just ran away without any consideration. My mother is still bedridden. How can I live without a woman in the house?”

The village chief didn’t give him any face. “It’s all your own doing. Little Chrysanthemum’s mother was very kind to you, but what happened to her in the end? Zhou Shugen, don’t blame me for not warning you. Just live your own life. Raise your children well. Don’t think about those things. You know that Little Chrysanthemum and Doctor Jiang don’t like you. Don’t come here anymore. If you have something to do, take another route. Don’t let them see you.”

Zhou Shugen was reprimanded and went home with a frown.

Zhang Er’s parents came over, bringing two old hens and a bag of eggs. They had already sent a rooster before, so they didn’t have any roosters to send.

“Father, Mother…”

Zhang Er was very happy to see his parents. He ran to the courtyard to greet them from afar. He had become quite skilled at some things, like putting the chickens in the coop.

Zhang’s mother, seeing her son’s efficiency, said with red eyes, “Old man, did you see that? Our son seems to be truly cured?”

“I saw it, I saw it.” Zhang’s father wiped his old face and said with a smile, “Our Zhang family must have been blessed by the ancestors. We had given up hope for so many years. We never thought we would see a good day like this.”

Why did they insist on finding a wife for Zhang Er? They were afraid that when they got old, their son would be left alone and helpless. They wanted to have a child for him while they were still able to move, so that he would have someone to rely on in the future.

This kind of thinking cannot be judged by morality or right and wrong. But most people are selfish. It’s good enough to be able to take care of the present. And if they had been ruthless enough, Ye Zhiqiu wouldn’t have been able to wait for Jiang Nian to save her.

It was also because this family’s attitude had always been very good, they only persuaded and didn’t force, so during Zhang Er’s time here, Ye Zhiqiu had always taken good care of him.

As soon as they saw Jiang Nian, the old couple wanted to kneel down to her.

Ye Zhiqiu and Zhang Er were both startled. Fortunately, Jiang Nian was used to dealing with this kind of situation and quickly stopped them.

“Doctor Jiang, thank you so much. You are the benefactor of our entire Zhang family.” Zhang’s father said with tears in his eyes. “We country folk don’t have much ability, but we understand gratitude. In the future, if you need anything, just say the word. I’ll do anything to repay your kindness, even if it means risking my old bones.”

“Uncle, treating and saving people is my duty. Don’t say such things anymore. Don’t bring anything next time either. I don’t lack anything here. And your son is very sensible. He’s helped a lot here. I have things to do. You all can talk and take a good look at his changes over this period.”

Although treating Zhang Er was a losing proposition, the whole family was very kind. It was much more pleasant to get along with such people. It didn’t feel bad to take a little loss.

“Doctor Jiang, wait a minute.” Zhang’s father stopped her and then hurriedly took out a tightly wrapped bundle of cloth from his pocket. He opened it to reveal the money inside. “Doctor Jiang, this is the subsidy that the commune applied for after knowing our situation. They went to town. And the villagers donated some money. It’s not much. Plus the 100 yuan we put together, it’s a total of 268 yuan and 60 cents. Don’t think it’s too little.”

Originally, the donated money was scattered, with a few cents and a dime here and there. Before coming, Zhang’s father had specially exchanged it for whole yuan, making it easier to take and store.

Jiang Nian looked at the money in her hand and thought for a moment. “Uncle Zhang, your family is not well-off either. I’ll keep the money the commune raised and the subsidy. You can take this 100 yuan back.”

She could guess that this money was probably scraped together. She didn’t know how much difficulty the old couple had gone through to get it.

But Zhang’s parents refused to take it back. “Doctor Jiang, please take it. We won’t feel good if you don’t. We know what our son is like. We took him to see a doctor back then. This money is not much, but it’s worth it to cure his illness. I know you’re kind and don’t want to take it, but you two girls are not easy to live either. Just take it.”

Zhang Er also asked her to take it.

Some things really can’t be compared.

Because she was in Zhoujia Village, she was definitely kinder to the villagers here than to those from other villages. But just a few days ago, the village chief wanted her to find a way to bear the cost of Zhou Shugen’s illness.

The money Zhang’s parents gave her wasn’t much, but it was the best they could offer.

After all, Jiang Nian had said at the beginning that if he was cured, she would charge 80 yuan for the medical expenses. It was reasonable for them not to give more, but they still tried to make sure she didn’t lose too much.