Chapter 199

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan chopped the rooster into pieces, using the chicken head, feet, and bones to stew radish soup, the chicken intestines, kidneys, and liver to stir-fry greens, the chicken meat to dry-fry, and she also specially kept the two large chicken drumsticks.

When they were young, Wang Dashan, Wang Erhai, and Wang Xiaohua all loved eating chicken drumsticks.

They would even fight over the drumsticks.

Now Wang Xiaohua is studying at school, and one rooster with two large drumsticks happens to be exactly one each.

As for the small drumsticks, none were kept; in the past when Li Xiulan killed a chicken, she would always call the wing joints small drumsticks too, and small drumsticks counted as drumsticks, otherwise one chicken's drumsticks wouldn't be enough for the three brothers.

Wang Erhai ate the chicken drumsticks his mother cooked, feeling myriad emotions; at that moment he clearly felt the warmth of family, he couldn't help his nose turning sour, and in his heart he swore he would definitely repay his parents well in the future.

This night was the best night's sleep Wang Erhai had in the past two months.

Although at night he still inevitably had nightmares, dreaming of Yang Xiaoxiong baring fangs and claws at him, beating him like a demon, startling him awake, scaring him into a cold sweat.

But as soon as he opened his eyes and found himself at home, he would quickly calm down, quickly settle the panic in his heart.

The next day at early morning, Wang Dashan prepared to return to Guangzhou.

Zhang Zhihao called again, asking when he would return to work.

Wang Dashan was very grateful to Zhang Zhihao for waiting for him this long, so he planned to return to Guangzhou today.

As for his second brother Wang Erhai, he would let him stay in their hometown to recuperate for a period of time.

Once his inner trauma healed, it wouldn't be too late to let him go out and find work.

Wang Erhai felt some reluctance at his big brother's departure:

"Brother, you're leaving this fast?"

Wang Dashan could only smile bitterly:

"No choice, the boss urged again; actually I've already been out for over two months, and that boss is still willing to wait for me, I can't let him wait any longer. You recuperate well at home, in another month or two come to Guangzhou and find me, then I'll take you to find work."

Wang Erhai nodded:

"Okay, big brother, I'll come find you then."

After the pyramid scheme deception, Wang Erhai now wouldn't believe anyone in the outside world; he only trusted his big brother, and this trust would also become a kind of dependence. Now letting Wang Erhai go out alone to find work, he didn't dare; he already had a psychological shadow toward the outside world.

After Wang Dashan left, both parents had to go to the construction site to start work.

Now Wang Changgen and Li Xiulan were leading several workers, building Shanggou Village's cultural room.

They needed to finish by the end of this year, so they were very busy.

Every day after eating breakfast at a little past six they set out, working until dark before returning; the noon meal they all solved at the construction site.

Only Wang Erhai remained at home.

Wang Erhai had nothing to do; his body slightly better, he would wander aimlessly around the village.

Only the elderly remained in the village, not even many children, not lively like before.

Arriving at the village entrance, many old people sat under the big tree cooling off and chatting; they greeted Wang Erhai warmly.

Wang Erhai smiled in response, hurried past.

Whether it was because his nerves were too sensitive or some other reason, Wang Erhai always felt these village old people must have discussed him plenty behind his back.

He was the first person from Shanggou Village to be deceived into a pyramid scheme; he was tortured by pyramid scheme thugs to the brink of mental breakdown; he was cheated out of not a small sum of money; these were probably all their talking points.

Had he, Wang Erhai, already become a joke in their mouths?

Wang Erhai felt a sense of shame in his heart, making him feel utterly humiliated.

This thought of his had no basis, yet it grew heavier by the day.

Making him feel he couldn't continue staying in the village.

So after only staying a little over two weeks, he urgently wanted to leave.

"Dad, Mom, tomorrow I'll go to Guangzhou to find my big brother."

This evening while eating dinner, Wang Erhai suddenly said this sentence.

Wang Changgen and Li Xiulan both couldn't help but stare blankly.

"Leaving this fast?"

Li Xiulan felt some reluctance in her heart.

She actually hoped Wang Erhai could stay at home a while longer; ever since the three brothers went to high school, they rarely stayed home to accompany their parents.

Li Xiulan knew in her heart the children had grown up, and chances to stay by her side would become fewer and fewer, so this time she hoped Wang Erhai would stay home longer.

Even if Wang Erhai did nothing at home, as long as he could chat with her every day, say a few words, she would feel very satisfied.

Wang Changgen also didn't want Wang Erhai to go to Guangzhou this fast; to be exact, he didn't want Wang Erhai to go out to work again.

This second son of theirs was truly stupid to death, actually getting tricked into a pyramid scheme; with his ability, he probably wouldn't amount to much working in the city either; he might as well follow me and learn masonry, master a trade, and then he won't have to worry about starving.

"Why don't you not go to the city? Follow me and do masonry; masonry wages aren't low now, skilled ones get over a hundred a day, a month comes to at least four or five thousand yuan, and it's flexible — if it's windy or rainy you can skip work; it's just a bit hard."

Wang Changgen spoke like this.

This was also for his second son's future.

"I don't want to stay home doing masonry; what young person would stay in their hometown doing this?"

Wang Erhai directly refused.

He spoke the truth; the rural construction worker trade is basically all middle-aged and elderly people; few young people do it.

Even if young people do masonry, they go to the city to do it.

The city has tons of real estate projects needing construction workers, needing renovation workers; that earns far more than in the countryside.

Most importantly, staying in the rural area at such a young age would make people laugh.

Wang Erhai inherited his father's concern for face and dignity; the reason he was anxious to go out was also simply because he didn't want to be laughed at by others.

"Follow me and I'll teach you the trade hand in hand; once you've mastered the skill, whether in the rural area or the city, you won't starve to death in the future."

Wang Zhanggen tried to persuade Wang Erhai to follow him as an apprentice.

Wang Erhai, however, was quite uninterested in this:

"I want to go to Guangzhou to find my Eldest Brother and have him take me along to do sales."

Wang Zhanggen kept a straight face, somewhat displeased, and muttered a sentence:

"That job your Eldest Brother does — is it something you can handle?"

Wang Erhai replied unconvinced: "If my Eldest Brother can handle it, why can't I? My Eldest Brother's exam grades used to be worse than mine! He always ranked at the bottom of the class; I could at least rank in the middle."

Wang Zhanggen, however, poured cold water:

"Your Eldest Brother could join the army — can you? Your Eldest Brother could run three kilometers in one breath — can you? Your Eldest Brother, to save you, went alone to Guangxi to find you for two months — can you? Don't you know your own measure?"

Wang Zhanggen looked down on this second son of his from the bottom of his heart.

In contrast to the Eldest Brother's strong physique and the Youngest Brother's clever mind, this second son of his appeared extremely mediocre; ever since Wang Erhai was cheated into a pyramid scheme, he looked down on Wang Erhai even more, feeling Wang Erhai was as stupid as a three-year-old child.

The most important reason he didn't want Wang Erhai to go to the city again was still fear that Wang Erhai would be cheated again in the city.

"Since childhood you all have looked down on me!"

Wang Erhai's sensitive inner heart was touched, and he immediately flew into a rage:

"I admit I'm not as strong as Eldest Brother, nor as clever as Youngest Brother, but I'll definitely carve out my own career! I don't want to stay, because I know if I stay I'll become the Village people's laughingstock! Just like when you went to the city and couldn't make a name for yourself, only able to return to your Hometown with your tail between your legs — that would become everyone's tea-time joke!"

As soon as Wang Erhai's words came out, they immediately struck Wang Zhanggen's nerve.

With a "Bang" of a dull sound, Wang Zhanggen suddenly slapped the table and stood up:

"Wang Erhai, you've rebelled against heaven! I'm your father! I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice; if you weren't my son, I wouldn't waste my breath on you!"