Chapter 902

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"Uncle Grandpa Zhang……"

Wang Erhai greeted him softly.

Zhang Zhongtian slowly turned his head:

"Erhai, you've come……"

He propped himself up with hands like rotten wood, wanting to sit up from the bed.

Guests had come; he couldn't receive them lying down — this was the rule for receiving guests.

"Uncle Grandpa Zhang, stay lying down, rest well, don't sit up."

Wang Erhai hurriedly stopped him.

But Zhang Zhongtian still forced himself to sit up, leaning against the wall by the bed.

He squeezed out a smile with difficulty:

"Erhai, thank you for coming to see me. Now that I'm like this, the people who take the initiative to visit me are truly few — not like before, when those relatives and friends would take the initiative to come over every few days."

Zhang Zhongtian was dying, and his family had also declined.

It was normal for those relatives and friends not to come see him anymore.

As the saying goes, the world's coldness and warmth — nothing surpasses this.

Zhang Zhongtian had long known this scene would come, but now witnessing it with his own eyes, he still couldn't help feeling a sorrowful desolation.

"Uncle Grandpa Zhang, don't think too much. Take good care of your illness, get your body well first, then we'll talk."

Wang Erhai comforted him.

But Zhang Zhongtian shook his head:

"This illness of mine won't get better. I'm now neither human nor ghost — are you afraid just looking at me?"

Wang Erhai didn't know how to answer for a moment.

He was indeed a little afraid in his heart.

He wasn't afraid Zhang Zhongtian would turn into a ghost to haunt him.

That fear was etched in the genes — fear of death.

Zhang Zhongtian spoke again:

"A few days ago my grandson was even scared to tears by my appearance. He wanted to play in the first-floor courtyard, so to avoid frightening him I moved upstairs to the second floor — though inconvenient, at least I don't add trouble. Also my son, he dislikes me terribly — actually it's not quite dislike, just fear. He himself just walked back from the gates of hell; seeing me looking like I'm about to die, fear is normal."

Zhang Zhongtian rambled on, saying a lot.

It was clear no one had kept him company chatting for a long time; he had suppressed things in his heart for too long, so with someone coming to visit, he couldn't help but say a few more sentences.

"Erhai, my son, my wife, and my grandson — in the future I'll have to trouble you to help support them more."

At this moment Zhang Zhongtian suddenly gripped Wang Erhai's hand, his gaze toward Wang Erhai carrying a humble plea:

"My son — never mind that he's not capable by nature; now he's ended up disabled too. He can barely fend for himself, let alone be expected to take care of my wife and grandson. You're a village cadre; after I'm gone, you must pay more attention to them, otherwise they might not survive. When I was Village Committee Secretary, I helped your family quite a lot……"

What Zhang Zhongtian was most unable to put his mind at ease about was his grandson; he truly didn't dare imagine what kind of plight his precious grandson would fall into after he passed.

"Uncle Grandpa Zhang, rest assured. I'll definitely do my utmost to fulfill my responsibility — whatever help I can give them, I will."

Wang Erhai made the promise.

He knew this promise was heavy.

Once this responsibility was on his shoulders, it would be very hard to let go again.

But he also knew he had to shoulder it.

Even though he was only a Temporary Village Cadre, not even counting as a formal employee.

"With your words, I can rest easy……"

A weary smile appeared on Zhang Zhongtian's face.

"Right, Uncle Grandpa Zhang, I came to find you to ask you something."

Only now did Wang Erhai remember his purpose for coming here.

"What matter?"

Zhang Zhongtian asked.

Wang Erhai then said:

"Near the village entrance by the highway, isn't there a bit over an acre of wasteland? Who does that land belong to now? I want to lease that plot to raise free-range chickens."

Zhang Zhongtian then said:

"That's Yang Xiaocai's farmland. You'd better go find another place. Yang Xiaocai and your parents don't have a good relationship; if you ask him for that land, he might not give it to you."

Wang Erhai then said:

"Then I'll look for other land. Do you have any suggestions?"

Zhang Zhongtian then said:

"I don't know where's better for raising chickens either. Right now around Shanggou Village, wasteland is everywhere. You walk around more, search more — you'll surely find a suitable one."

Wang Erhai left Zhang Zhongtian's home.

He immediately went for a walk around the village surroundings.

In the end he discovered that Yang Xiaocai's wasteland was still the most suitable for raising free-range chickens.

Wang Erhai thought to himself: why not try going to ask?

If Yang Xiaocai didn't agree, he would go find another place.

So Wang Erhai came to Yang Xiaocai's door and knocked on the door.

A hunchbacked man opened the door and walked out.

This was Yang Xiaocai.

He actually wasn't that old, just in his early fifties, but his back was already hunched as if he were carrying a turtle shell.

The reason was none other than that Yang Xiaocai had contracted ankylosing spondylitis, which slowly evolved into his current state.

He actually quite wanted to get treatment, but he himself didn't have much money; his son Yang Jiahao went out to work at sixteen, but up to now, after working so many years, he hadn't saved a single penny.

But this was also normal; as the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. This degenerate teenager Yang Jiahao, at fifteen, went with others to steal Shangou Primary School's big iron gate to sell it, and was caught and taken to the police station for a reprimand.

That incident caused quite a stir in Shanggou Village at the time, but when Yang Xiaocai arrived at the police station, he said what's the big deal, said his son was just being playful, it didn't count as a crime.

Under such a growth environment, Yang Jiahao went out to work; not earning money was one thing, but he also didn't commit few offenses.

It was heard that last year, Yang Jiahao was even caught and put in for theft, and was only released this June.

"Wang Erhai, what are you doing at my house?"

Yang Xiaocai saw Wang Erhai and immediately his eyes showed vigilance.

Wang Erhai was now a Temporary Village Cadre.

He was very afraid Wang Erhai had come to find him to settle scores.

Because the night before last, he had gone to the Wang Family's vegetable garden and stolen quite a lot of vegetables.

He thought Wang Erhai knew about this matter and had come to demand an explanation.

But actually Wang Erhai didn't know at all.

Because Li Xiulan, upon learning the vegetable garden had been stolen from, didn't say anything.

Her vegetables were growing very well now; if no one came to pick them, many would get old and tough.

Since someone came to pick them, she might as well treat it as giving them away.

She didn't quibble over every little bit.

Because she knew, in the rural area, if someone needed to steal vegetables, that person must be in great difficulty.

Now her family environment had improved, her heart had also broadened; there was no need to make a big fuss over a bit of greens.

"Uncle Xiaocai, I've come to ask you something."

Wang Erhai smiled politely.

But Yang Xiaocai wore a long face:

"Don't ask, even if you ask I won't know!"

In his heart he thought, he would rather be beaten to death than admit to the vegetable-stealing behavior.

How shameful that would be.

Wang Erhai was surprised:

"That patch of wasteland near the highway at the village entrance, isn't that yours? How would you not know?"

Yang Xiaocai was stunned, then let out a breath of relief:

"You're asking about this matter? This I know; that is indeed mine. What do you want to do?"

Wang Erhai said:

"That land, you're leaving it fallow anyway; better to rent it to me. Name your price."

Yang Xiaocai suddenly realized:

"So you've come to rent the land. Three thousand yuan a year! Non-negotiable!"

He thought to himself, he'd take this chance to gouge Wang Erhai hard; anyway, Wang Erhai's family wasn't short of money.

Three thousand yuan a year, and only a bit over one acre of land; in the rural area, this was indeed considered very expensive.

But Wang Erhai merely thought for a moment, and in the end still agreed:

"Fine, no problem, but you have to sign a contract with me, to avoid disputes later!"