Chapter 9: The Zhang Family Was Once Wealthy

Lin Bingwei: “…”

She could only sigh that ignorance is harmful.

If this were twenty years later, they would have already taken the child to see a doctor.

“At three years old, how can he still not speak? Besides, you said he could babble when he was over a year old. It’s not that he can’t speak; he just doesn’t want to.”

Both of them looked at Zhang Jianguo in surprise.

Lin Bingwei squatted down to coax him, “Jianguo, come on, recite with your aunt. Goose, goose, goose, bending its neck to sing to the sky.”

Zhang Jianguo was very nervous, gripping Lin Bingwei’s sleeve tightly, opening his mouth several times but unable to say anything.

Zhang Yuanxiu and Li Yurong were even more anxious; could he really speak?

They looked at Zhang Jianguo with hope.

“Jianguo, quickly recite for Grandpa and Grandma.”

Lin Bingwei was also quite nervous, fearing he wouldn’t open his mouth; wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

She said, “Dad, Mom, don’t stare at him; if he gets nervous and scared, he won’t be able to speak.”

“Alright, if Jianguo is scared, we’ll turn our backs. If we turn around, you can recite well.”

They hurriedly turned away from him.

Lin Bingwei said to him, “Jianguo, only little kids get laughed at for not having parents. There are many adults without parents; look, your grandparents don’t have parents, and even Wang Pozi doesn’t have parents, yet no one laughs at them, right?”

Zhang Jianguo nodded.

Lin Bingwei continued, “Do you know what adults get laughed at for?”

He shook his head.

Lin Bingwei explained, “When you go to school and become a student, people will laugh at those who are poor at studying, who can’t recite poetry, who can’t write well, or who can’t solve math problems. When you grow up to your uncle’s age, people will laugh at those who can’t find a wife or those who are poor. When you’re old, people will laugh at those who don’t have children or who aren’t married.”

Zhang Jianguo listened, feeling a bit confused.

Lin Bingwei continued, “When you grow up, if you don’t want to be laughed at, you need to be able to recite poetry, study well, and be able to earn money; that way, you can marry a wife. The first step is that you must be able to open your mouth and recite poetry. Do you understand?”

After saying that, she taught him again.

This time, Zhang Jianguo finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Goose… goose… goose, bending…” he said with great difficulty, and Lin Bingwei saw him shaking all over, his face pale.

Lin Bingwei hugged him tightly and said, “Alright, alright, Aunt heard you; our Jianguo is great!”

Such things cannot be rushed; it was already a great effort for him to say a few words.

Zhang Yuanxiu and Li Yurong were moved to tears.

“My grandson, finally spoke!”

“Hahaha, my Jianguo isn’t a little mute; he can recite poetry too. Come here, Grandpa will hug you.”

Zhang Yuanxiu picked him up, while Li Yurong kept wiping her tears.

Seeing Grandpa holding him and laughing non-stop, he also smiled a little.

Now both of them were even happier.

This child not only couldn’t speak but also didn’t cry or laugh.

Saying he was a late talker was a way to comfort themselves, but in truth, they were still a bit anxious.

Li Yurong said, “We originally planned that if he still didn’t speak in two years, we would take him to the hospital for a check-up.”

So they had indeed planned to take him to the hospital.

Unfortunately, according to the original storyline, there wouldn’t be two years left.

Zhang Tingyuan’s body was brought back, and one of them became paralyzed while the other fell ill; this family completely collapsed.

“Weiwei, thank you. I really appreciate it. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t know why Jianguo wasn’t speaking.”

Although Zhang Yuanxiu didn’t say it, it was clear he was genuinely grateful to Lin Bingwei for helping Zhang Jianguo speak.

Lin Bingwei smiled and said, “Mom, it’s just a small matter; family doesn’t need to say thanks. But you must pay attention in the future and mention his parents less. If outsiders bring up his parents, you must scold them on the spot.”

“Alright, we understand. But how can a child his age understand these things? This must be a heart problem, right?”

“Jianguo is very smart, smarter than other children his age. So while other kids might not understand, Jianguo does.”

Zhang Yuanxiu nodded, sighing, “So this child is just too smart, which is why he thinks so much.”

Now the whole family was happy, and Zhang Yuanxiu walked around the village holding Zhang Jianguo.

He originally wanted to carry Zhang Jianguo and chat with the neighbors to set an example for him, but being a person of few words himself, he didn’t know what to say.

After walking a few circles while holding him, he greeted people who said hello, but they couldn’t really chat.

In the afternoon, they went to work. Lin Bingwei was stewing ribs and said to Zhang Jianguo, “Later, let’s tidy up the house. You can help your aunt, okay?”

Zhang Jianguo nodded.

Lin Bingwei took some tools and brought Zhang Jianguo along.

She occasionally asked him to help fetch things, pass her the cloth, and let him participate.

He could occasionally utter a few words.

For example, when she asked him to bring her the cloth, Lin Bingwei was cleaning the dust off the shelves with her back to him, holding her small hand up for a long time, pretending not to see.

He was anxious and finally spoke, “Aunt, here.”

Seeing his urgency, Lin Bingwei almost laughed out loud.

“Alright, thank you, Jianguo.”

The Zhang family’s house was an old one.

It seemed their ancestors were indeed wealthy, with a tall front hall and a sloped roof, the highest point probably five to six meters high.

The supporting beams were made of several solid wooden pillars, so thick that Lin Bingwei couldn’t wrap her arms around them.

Zhang Tingyuan even had a separate study with intricately carved bookshelves.

The chair in front of the desk was also carved, heavy and sturdy.

The Zhang family had quite a few such pieces of furniture; for instance, the bed they slept on was also a carved big bed.

The carvings were exquisite, the materials ample, and the bed legs were quite thick.

While tidying up the study, she found some textbooks from the 1970s. The books still had names in them, specifically Zhang Tingyuan’s name.

It seemed these were the books he had used when he was studying; she picked out some useful ones.

The drawer in the study also contained several certificates, and quite a few at that.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Tingyuan had been a top student in his childhood.

Lin Bingwei smiled and said, “Look, this is your uncle’s certificate. It’s for doing well in school, awarded by the teacher. Oh, and there’s a little red flower. Jianguo, do you want it?”

Zhang Jianguo nodded.

Lin Bingwei continued, “Unfortunately, it belongs to your uncle. If you want it, you need to speak up and study hard. If you do well, the teacher will reward you too.”

Zhang Jianguo rummaged through the drawer, looking eager.

Lin Bingwei also found some related books and certificates in the study, realizing that a few years ago, after the college entrance examination was reinstated, Zhang Tingyuan had directly participated in the military school exams while in the army.

His qualifications were decent, one might say very good.

Unfortunately, his family’s reputation wasn’t great.

A few years ago, when his father was showing someone a burial site, the family dug in the place he designated and unexpectedly unearthed a coffin. Thankfully, they found it; if they had dug shallower and not discovered it, wouldn’t they have buried someone on top of that coffin?