But Xiaotian had caught a cold and was frightened, so he had not recovered and had to lie in bed.

　　Uncle Wang really wanted to die during this period. He went to the river to wash clothes and met Gu Shulang. After hearing those words, Uncle Wang smiled bitterly in his heart. The money would eventually run out…

　　Yesterday was Qingming Festival. Uncle Wang went to burn paper early in the morning. When he came back, he saw Wang Ergou going out. Uncle Wang avoided him and didn’t dare to say anything. After Wang Ergou left, the mother-in-law said, “Ergou went to Shili Village and said he would be back today. You can check it out when it gets dark. Don’t let him walk at night during Qingming Festival. Don’t be lazy, or he will come back and beat you up.”

　　Uncle Wang had no choice but to agree.

　　As soon as it got dark, Uncle Wang looked around outside the village entrance and said he didn’t see anyone. This kind of situation also happened. When Wang Ergou left, he said he would be back the same day. Sometimes he would play for a few days and not go home. Wang Ergou’s parents thought that he might not come back today. Before going to bed, they would blame Wang Xue for not being able to keep a man and letting Ergou hang out all day.

　　Wang Xue had a wooden face. His parents-in-law spoke without avoiding him for fear that he would hear them, and they even spoke loudly on purpose. He was used to it, so he boiled some hot water for his son to wash. He saw that his son’s face was still red and swollen, and he couldn’t cry at all because his tears had dried up.

　　If it weren’t for him, he would have wanted to die.

　　Not long after lying down, Wang Xue couldn’t fall asleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw Wang Ergou kicking the door and beating him angrily, asking why no one came to pick him up when he came back today and made him walk at night.

　　Wang Xue was scared of being beaten, so he put on his clothes and carried an oil lamp. He didn’t light the oil lamp when he went out, for fear of wasting oil. In the fields, he could walk in the dark by the moonlight, and it wouldn’t matter if he fell. If he picked up someone, he would come back to pick them up. If he didn’t, it would be better.

　　My parents-in-law were sleeping so soundly in the house that even thunder couldn’t wake them up.

　　Wang Xue walked along the road from the village entrance to Shili Village. On the dark ridge of the field, he saw a figure humming and cursing. Wang Xue would never forget it even after his death. It was the voice of a drunk Wang Ergou.

　　He was just hesitating whether to go up when he saw the shadow fall and roll into the paddy field.

　　Wang Xue hurried over and stood on the ridge of the field, watching Wang Ergou paddling in the paddy field. Wang Ergou, who was usually tall, was so drunk that he didn’t even have the strength to stand up. He was choked by the paddy field and kept cursing and coughing.

　　If I fall down while walking at night, in this weather, I might fall into the paddy field and die that night…

　　Wang Xue’s outstretched arm stopped in the air, and Gu Shulang’s words instantly came to his mind. If Wang Ergou was gone, then no one would beat his son, no one would ask him for money, and no one would beat him?

　　Wang Xue looked at Wang Ergou in the paddy field, stood there in a daze for a few seconds, then seemed to come to his senses and hurriedly ran back with the oil lamp in hand. He ran so fast that he fell down, and his pants and clothes were covered in mud.

　　Only after returning to the yard and closing the door did Wang Xue become scared. The more he thought about it, the more scared he became.

　　If Wang Ergou was not dead, if Wang Ergou saw him, when he ran away, did Wang Ergou call his name from behind? If someone in the village saw it.

　　Wang Xue took off his muddy clothes and soaked them in water, then went into the house in a single layer of clothes. His parents-in-law were snoring loudly, but it didn’t wake them up. Wang Xue quietly opened the door to the inner room and turned on the oil lamp. His son Xiaotian opened his eyes in a daze and asked, “Dad, where have you been?”

　　”I just went to the bathroom and fell.”

　　Xiaotian struggled to get up. Wang Xue calmed down now. He pushed his son back to bed and said, “Dad is fine. You can continue to sleep. It’s just that your clothes are dirty.”

　　If Wang Ergou is not dead, then just beat him to death.

　　Wang Xue slept soundly that night. The next morning, it was drizzling again. His jacket was still soaking wet, so he could only wear a single layer of clothes. Someone was knocking on the door outside the yard, and Wang Xue’s heart was pounding. He opened the door, and the big bull from Zhang Zhuzi’s family said, “Your Wang Ergou died in my field.”

　　After that, the parents-in-law didn’t believe it and went to the ridge to identify the body. Wang Xue’s face was pale, blowing the cold wind and being drenched in the rain. He felt indescribable in his heart. He had been afraid for so many years. If Wang Ergou spoke loudly, he would be so scared that he would tremble. Wang Ergou was dead.

　　Really dead.

　　”It was Wang Xue. It was Wang Xue who killed my Ergou.” The mother-in-law came up and beat him.

　　Wang Xue stood there motionless. He was the one who killed him. He didn’t extend a hand to help him, but he didn’t regret it.

　　After hearing what Wang Ergou’s mother said, the villagers were shocked. Everyone in the village knew that your Ergou had gone out to gamble for several days and had not come back. Could it be that Uncle Wang was really asked to wait in the fields all night?