Chapter 1008: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 1008: Those Who Left Can Never Return

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Erhai was just thinking about rectifying the trend of rural people playing Liucun.

At this moment, Zhong Zhiming walked over.

"Erhai, let me tell you something!"

Zhong Zhiming handed a cigarette to Wang Erhai.

Wang Erhai hurriedly received it with both hands:

"Uncle Zhi Ming, what's the matter?"

Zhong Zhiming said:

"My dad's funeral, thank you for specially running back from the county town to help."

Wang Erhai responded politely:

"No need to thank me, it's what I should do. After all, I'm a village cadre of this village, and your dad was the old village doctor of this village. He made quite a few contributions to our Shanggou Village."

While speaking, Wang Erhai took out a lighter, first lit the cigarette in Zhong Zhiming's mouth, then lit his own.

Zhong Zhiming took a drag, exhaled smoke:

"My dad died because of playing Liucun. You should know this too. Since you're a village cadre, don't you have the responsibility to rectify this trend in the village?"

Wang Erhai nodded:

"I was just thinking about how to rectify it!"

Zhong Zhiming said hatefully:

"Call the police over, shut down that Baldy Lao's den in the neighboring village!"

But Wang Erhai shook his head:

"That treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Shutting down Baldy Lao's den only buys a little peace. There are too many rural people like Yang Xiaocai who idle away their days with nothing to do. That is the fundamental cause of mass gambling in the countryside."

Wang Erhai truly lived up to having been a big boss outside; he saw through to the essence of the matter at once.

Those rural people who idle away their days with nothing to do — without Baldy Lao's gambling den, in a few days they'll just gather at someone else's house to gamble.

"Then what do you say we do?"

Zhong Zhiming was filled with indignation:

"This Liucun thing truly harms people deeply!"

Wang Erhai glanced at Zhong Zhiming, didn't refute anything.

But in his heart he was thinking: everyone says Zhong Jianguo's death wasn't just because of playing Liucun, but also because Zhong Zhiming quarreled with Zhong Jianguo as soon as he returned home.

In other words, if Zhong Zhiming hadn't quarreled with Zhong Jianguo, then even if Zhong Jianguo played Liucun, he wouldn't have just passed away all of a sudden.

But now, it's obvious Zhong Zhiming is attributing all responsibility to Liucun.

Maybe Zhong Zhiming also knows he was wrong, but things have come to this pass, and he can't possibly admit his own mistake.

Zhong Zhiming spoke again at this point:

"As a village cadre, you'd better hurry up and think of a way to rectify this Liucun trend. If it really won't work, just let the police come and arrest everyone playing Liucun and lock them up for a few days!"

Wang Erhai found Zhong Zhiming's proposal somewhat laughable and helpless.

How could he possibly do something so extreme?

Even if he were willing to do it, the police at the town police station wouldn't be willing to help with this favor.

Right now almost every village has people playing Liucun. If they arrested them all, even if the police station's main hall were converted into detention rooms, it probably still wouldn't be enough to hold them all!

"Uncle Zhi Ming, don't be anxious. I'll think of a way to rectify this trend!"

Wang Erhai gave his promise.

This wasn't him perfunctorily brushing it off.

Even if Zhong Zhiming hadn't come to tell him this, he would still think of a way to rectify this Liucun business.

After all, his own father went to play it too.

If he doesn't rectify it in time, later his own father will sink deeper and deeper, unable to extricate himself, and then it'll be too late.

"Alright alright, I've just said this much. You handle it as you see fit. I have to go back to the city today."

Zhong Zhiming said this one sentence, then bid farewell to Wang Erhai and left.

He took his wife and children and drove back to the city together.

He left in such a rush that even the health station at the village entrance wasn't cleaned up or managed.

Neither transferred to someone else, nor were the medicines on the shelves tidied up.

He just shut the gate, locked a big padlock, and left.

Shanggou Village's health station closed its doors just like that in a flurry.

Not even a single greeting was called out.

And once this door is shut, wanting to open it up again later is almost impossible.

Just like Shanggou Village Primary School.

Once suspended, it's impossible to reopen.

The torrent of the era gently sweeps over, yet in this speck of dust called the countryside it stirs a silent giant wave.

Under policy orientation, the emergence of the urban-rural population scissors gap causes rural people to continuously stream into the cities.

The hollowing out of the countryside, even its abandonment, has already become an irreversible situation.

Initially people's ideas were simple: go to the city to work, earn money, and come back to build a big house.

But who could have expected that.

Those who went out never came back.

And those who didn't go out were still desperately trying to get out.

Farmland lay fallow, one plot after another.

Houses stood empty, one after another.

First the convenience store went bankrupt, then the primary school closed, and now even the health station has shut its doors.

The times have developed, and technology has advanced too.

But why does the rural area seem to be regressing instead?

Regressing, regressing, regressing all the time.

Regressing to an era when all trades were in decline.

It was nearly the end of the year, yet Shanggou Village remained very quiet.

In the past, as the Spring Festival approached, it was always very lively.

Adults returned from working elsewhere and visited each other's homes to chat.

Children on winter vacation played in groups of three or five everywhere.

The New Year flavor could be said to be abundant.

But now, not a single child could be seen outside.

Few adults had returned either.

Even if they did return, they stayed in their own homes playing on their mobile phones.

Very few came out to visit others.

"Tomorrow is already the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month, why is the village still so deserted?"

Wang Zhanggen walked around Shanggou Village with his hands behind his back, seeing few young people who had returned.

So after returning, he couldn't help but mutter a few words.

"Nowadays young people come back for the Spring Festival relatively late, mostly returning on the twenty-ninth or thirtieth, and some don't come back at all, so it's very normal for it to be deserted now!"

Li Xiulan casually responded with a sentence.

Wang Zhanggen then said:

"I'm worried that not many people will come to our new house housewarming tomorrow. I've already ordered fifty tables of dishes for the flowing water banquet. If too few people come, it would be a waste!"

Li Xiulan said:

"I think you're not afraid of waste, but afraid of losing face!"

That hit Wang Zhanggen right where it hurt.

He was indeed afraid of losing face.

Holding such a grand new house housewarming ceremony.

If by then only two or three people came, and not even half the banquet seats were filled, that would truly be a great loss of face.

Seeing Wang Zhanggen not speaking, Li Xiulan said again:

"I told you back then to just keep it small, not make such a big show, but you wouldn't listen! Many people still haven't even gone home by the twenty-seventh!"

Wang Zhanggen smoked with his head down, but refused to admit his mistake, instead saying:

"If I had known, I would have done the housewarming on the twenty-ninth. By then everyone in the village should have come back!"

Li Xiulan laughed helplessly and could only comfort him:

"It's all booked, so don't think so much. At least we can be sure that our three sons will definitely come back tomorrow. As long as they come back, it doesn't matter whether others come or not!"

Li Xiulan had a good mindset.

She didn't care how others saw her, nor whether she lost face.

As long as her own family lived well, that was enough!