Chapter 25: Is This His Last Burst of Energy?

When Lin Bingwei came out, her mother-in-law, Li Yurong, smiled and called her over to eat.

Lin Bingwei felt touched and said, “You all should’ve just started without me. There’s no need to wait.”

Li Yurong replied, “The food’s been kept warm in the pot. If we took it out earlier, it would’ve gotten cold. Eating cold food in this weather might cause an upset stomach.”

Zhang Yuanxiu said, “From tonight on, we’ll eat first. Once we’re done, we’ll bring food to that brat.”

Lin Bingwei objected, “Forget it. Let’s just give it to him first. Mom said eating cold food can cause stomach issues. If he gets sick, we’re the ones who’ll suffer for it.”

Li Yurong chuckled. “See? His wife still cares about him the most. Unlike you, old man. Your son is in such bad shape, yet you don’t even feel sorry for him.”

Zhang Yuanxiu didn’t say anything, but in truth, he did care about his son. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a stroke from the shock of hearing that Zhang Tingyuan had died.

Having his father-in-law at home was actually convenient—Lin Bingwei no longer had to help Zhang Tingyuan to the restroom, as his father could assist him instead.

But after only a few days of rest at home, another family came asking for him to conduct a ritual.

Zhang Tingyuan already knew that his parents were not well-liked in the village. People considered his father’s work unlucky. So, upon hearing that his father was going out for another ritual, he was displeased.

“Dad, are you really that restless? It’s almost the New Year. Even the production team has taken a break. Why can’t you?”

Zhang Yuanxiu’s two apprentices had come to fetch him and were helping him pack. Without stopping his hands, he casually responded, “If I don’t work, what are we supposed to live on? The whole family will be eating nothing but cold wind.”

“I made a contribution this time, and the higher-ups are rewarding me with a sum of money. They said it’ll be sent before the New Year.”

“What does your money have to do with me?”

Zhang Tingyuan: “…”

“Your money is for your wife. I have to earn money to support your mother.”

By the time he finished speaking, he had already packed up his things and began instructing his apprentices: “Xiaozhang, carry this set of gongs. Xiaoli, take the drum. Let’s go.”

Seeing them about to leave, Zhang Tingyuan became anxious and shouted, “Dad! People talk behind your back, saying you bring bad luck, yet you still go help them? Why put up with their nonsense for just a few bucks? Don’t go!”

Zhang Yuanxiu stopped in his tracks. He knew this brat was just being sharp-tongued, always jabbing at him with his words. But at the end of the day, he was only worried about him.

Still, this line of work… ever since he started, his own father had told him that being disliked and considered unlucky was inevitable.

But someone had to do it.

Take those who clean public toilets in the city, for example. The stench was unbearable, and even the neighbors avoided them. But could they just stop doing the job because of that?

If they didn’t do it, the work would still be there—someone else would just have to step in.

Zhang Yuanxiu said, “If I don’t go, what are they supposed to do? Just dig a hole and throw the body in?”

Zhang Tingyuan scoffed, “Then let them dig a hole and be done with it.”

“Hey, you brat! The dead deserve respect. No matter what people say while they’re alive, once they’re gone, they still rely on me.”

With that, he urged his apprentices and strode off without looking back.

Outside the courtyard, one of his apprentices asked, “Master, it seems like Tingyuan doesn’t want to take over your work.”

“Mhm. He won’t.”

The two apprentices exchanged glances.

Sure, this job was considered unlucky, but it was also lucrative—much better than farming.

Master only had one son. If he refused to carry on the family trade, he wouldn’t just let it die out, would he?

Wouldn’t that mean he’d have to pick one of them as his successor?

Both apprentices quietly took note of this thought.

It was ironic—people despised this profession on the surface, yet deep down, they were envious of the skills it provided.

…

That day, Lin Bingwei and Li Yurong went to the brigade to calculate work points. It was the final year before the land was divided among households.

After settling accounts, they returned home carrying their share of grain and pork, along with some food and fabric ration coupons.

There were still three cows left in the production team, which hadn’t been distributed yet. They remained in the team’s cowshed.

The village chief explained that even though the land was being divided, the fields still needed to be farmed. And for farming, they needed cows—so they couldn’t just slaughter them for meat.

The cows would still be raised collectively, with the entire village taking turns caring for them—each household responsible for one month at a time.

When needed, the cows would also be used in rotation.

No one had any objections.

After returning home, Lin Bingwei and Li Yurong didn’t see Zhang Yuanxiu. Instead, they found Zhang Jianguo playing in the courtyard.

Lin Bingwei asked, “Jianguo, where’s your grandpa?”

Zhang Jianguo could now say a few words occasionally.

“Went to earn money.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yurong came out of the house. “He went to perform another ritual. Took all his things with him.”

“He didn’t say where he was going?”

Li Yurong called into the house, “Tingyuan, did your dad say which family it was?”

“The Wang family’s village.”

“Oh, that’s a bit far. He probably won’t be back tonight.”

Lin Bingwei said, “Then what about this meat…”

Li Yurong replied, “We’ll eat a piece today and cure the rest to make preserved meat.”

“Mom, we’ve been eating meat every day lately.”

Li Yurong chuckled, “It’s rare for the whole family to be together. Let’s just eat meat every day. Look at you and Jianguo—you’re both too thin. And besides, Tingyuan has such a big wound in his chest. Who knows how much blood he’s lost? He needs nourishment, doesn’t he?”

Well, supplementing Zhang Tingyuan’s health was a good thing too. But if he spent months recovering like this, he might just get fat like a pig.

After all, eating well every day while being unable to exercise—it was easy to put on weight.

As for herself… Lin Bingwei pinched her face. She had definitely gained a lot of weight recently.

…

Before they knew it, it was time for Zhang Tingyuan’s follow-up checkup at the city hospital. The hospital sent a vehicle to pick him up, and Lin Bingwei went along.

The villagers watched as he was once again carried onto a stretcher and lifted into the vehicle, whispering among themselves.

“Sister Yurong, why is Tingyuan still bedridden after so many days? Is he going to make it?”

“What do you mean, ‘is he going to make it’?”

“I mean, why is he still lying down? He was even walking around last time. Could it have been his ‘final burst of energy’?”

“Get lost! Who has a ‘final burst of energy’ that lasts this long?”

“Oh, right. Then what’s going on? Has he gotten worse?”

Li Yurong was clearly unhappy upon hearing this. “If you don’t know how to talk properly, then just keep quiet, will you? What do you mean ‘final burst of energy’? What do you mean ‘gotten worse’? He’s lying down to recover properly.”

“Oh, I see. Then how much longer does he have to stay in bed?”

“Didn’t they say he broke a rib? Bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. It’ll be a while.”

Lin Bingwei had two things to do in the city today. First, she needed to take Zhang Tingyuan for his follow-up and get more medicine.

Second, she had to withdraw money for the New Year.

Zhang Tingyuan had received a bonus, but since he wasn’t in any condition to collect it himself, he had given Lin Bingwei his documents to withdraw it for him.

There was a bank right next to the hospital. She had Zhang Tingyuan wait in the hospital room while she quickly withdrew the money.

The medical examination results came out soon after.

“Doctor, has his injury improved?”

“Young people recover quickly. Comrade Zhang Tingyuan’s condition has improved significantly—he’s a lot better. However, he still needs to rest in bed as much as possible and continue his medication. If he really feels cooped up, he can get up and walk for a bit with assistance.”

“Ah, thank you, doctor.”

The doctor smiled. “No need to thank me. His next checkup is in a month. We’ll send a vehicle to pick you up again.”

When the nurse came to remove the IV drip, Lin Bingwei stopped her. “Comrade, can I take this with me?”