Uncle Wang held the bowl but didn’t drink the water. He just covered his hands as if he was cold.

　　”The dead cannot be resurrected, Uncle Wang, you should focus on the important people first. If you feel unwell these days, Uncle Wang, please don’t work hard, let the people who should work hard do it. The more capable you are, the harder it will be. It’s a good time to take care of your health and take care of more.” Gu Zhao touched Xiaotian’s head and said, “The future cannot be the same as before. Who else can Xiaotian rely on?”

　　Uncle Wang on the bed twitched his eyelids, glanced at his son, then took a sip of hot water from the bowl and said in a hoarse voice, “Thank you Zhou Zhou and Gu Shulang, I understand.”

　　Li Zhouzhou waved his hands. It was no use thanking him for such a small thing. Seeing that Uncle Wang was in better spirits, he and his husband left the Wang family yard without staying for long. He would leave the pot here for the time being, and he could come and get it in the afternoon.

　　As the two of them left, Uncle Wang patted the edge of the kang. Xiaotian went over and Uncle Wang touched his son’s face with his rough, bony hands. “Does it still hurt?”

　　”It doesn’t hurt anymore, Dad. I’m fine now, don’t be sad.”

　　Uncle Wang burst into tears, hugged his son, and murmured, “Your father is dead, dead in the field, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid Xiaotian…”

　　The hand that was around his back was shaking violently.

　　Xiaotian lay obediently in his father’s arms, with a confused look in his eyes, and said nothing.

　　The village chief and the elders in the village discussed with Wang Ergou’s father and asked a young and strong man to carry Wang Ergou’s body back to Wang’s house first to set up the mourning hall. As soon as they entered the yard, Wang Ergou’s father called Wang Xue’s name, meaning that Wang Xue should come out to take care of it.

　　Wang Xue finally got down from the kang, but he seemed to faint again after taking only two steps. His face was sallow and his eyes were lifeless. It was obvious that he had suffered a severe blow and was in a critical condition. How could he hold a funeral like this?

　　The village chief frowned and spoke fairly: “The funeral of Wang Ergou was handled by the help of the elder men in the village. How can you let your daughter-in-law speak out? It’s done, it’s your turn.”

　　This is really nonsense. Is it okay to let a new widow discuss things with the men in the village?

　　Wang Xue went back to the house and lay down. He opened his eyes, looking at the dirty roof. He could hear the noisy voices of the villagers. Where should the body be placed? Incense and candles should be bought. There were also paper figurines. Who could run errands to the town to buy them? And who could move the tables, chairs, benches, bowls and chopsticks for the banquet…

　　”Dad, you should take a good rest.” said Xiao Tian.

　　Wang Xue hummed and closed his eyes, clenching and then unclenching his hands under the quilt.

　　Really dead.

　　He didn’t know why, but he did that last night.

　　It’s a long story. Ever since Wang Ergou won two taels of silver in the town’s gambling house during the New Year, he brought back wine and meat, and was in a bad mood. He asked Wang Xue to warm up the wine and meat for him, but he didn’t bring a penny of the two taels of silver to his family. He stayed in the house for less than two days, eating and drinking. Wang Ergou got tired of the smell of Wang Xue grinding beans to make tofu all day long, so he left again.

　　Two taels of silver can buy you a lot of fun in several villages.

　　The Wang family’s yard was quiet for quite a while. When the New Year came, Wang Ergou came back to ask for money. It turned out that he had lost all the two taels of silver. He also said that he owed someone in the town a car. If Wang Xue didn’t give him the money, he would sell his land.

　　There is a law in Dali: A man is born with five mu of paddy field and five mu of dry field, and a woman and a boy are each given five mu. After the people have moved on, the fields will be taken back, but one mu of paddy field and one mu of dry field will be left, which is the ancestral land accumulated by the ancestors.

　　Wang Ergou’s grandfather sold the ancestral land. Now the Wang family’s land should not be sold. If Wang Ergou sells it, and Wang Ergou dies in the future, his descendants will have to pay the money for the sale of the land, otherwise they will be punished by military service.

　　Isn’t this clearly a trap for Xiaotian?

　　Uncle Wang really had no choice but to give one tael of silver and still be scolded by his parents-in-law. He was used to such a life. It was like this every time. But since Wang Ergou started gambling big and earned two taels of silver, he could no longer play small. He looked down on the few or ten coins he had made before, and always thought about getting his money back and the two taels of silver he had earned before.

　　He spent money like water and came back every few days to ask for money. Uncle Wang had saved up a lot of money, so if Uncle Wang refused to pay, Wang Ergou would beat him. During that time, Uncle Wang’s arms and face were covered with bruises and looked very uncomfortable.

　　In early April, the temperature dropped due to a late spring cold. Xiaotian caught a cold and had a fever, so Uncle Wang boiled some medicine for his son to drink. Wang Ergou, who had just returned, saw this and kicked the medicine jar and beat Uncle Wang.

　　I asked you for money and you said you had no money. How could you get the money to buy medicine?

　　Wang Ergou’s parents couldn’t stand it. Xiaotian was the blood of the Wang family. Did they really want their grandson to die of illness? But Wang Ergou was furious. Wang Ergou’s parents didn’t dare to say that they paid the money. They couldn’t stop them. Only Uncle Wang protected Xiaotian and got beaten.