Chapter 10, The Compassionate Heart of Parents

In the corner to the right of the kitchen, there is a large water tank, so big that a person cannot wrap their arms around it. It is also empty. Zhao Ziqiang, as if fueled by adrenaline, desperately tries to push the water tank. The tank is too heavy, and after pushing for a long time, he has made no progress. Sweating profusely, he turns to Wang Xiaobai and calls out without any hesitation: "Buddy, come over and lend a hand!"

The county town is neither too far nor too close to Liuhe Town. It is not possible for students in the county to return home every day, but they can still go home for the two-day weekend. Early on Saturday morning, apart from the students from the county town, those who needed to go home have already left, while some who live farther away did not return home. There are not many people left on campus. Wang Xiaobai and Chen Jianbin each rode a bicycle and set out at eight o'clock in the morning to find Zhao Ziqiang

Wang Xiaobai sighed and said: "Even if they are disappointing, they are still my relatives. Since I have heard about them, I might as well meet them once."

As I rode forward into the alley, before I even reached Zhao Ziqiang's house, I saw two men fiercely beating a man in front of his door. The man was desperately pleading for mercy: "Big brother, I never said I wouldn't pay you back the money I owe. I will repay it tomorrow, I will repay it tomorrow..."

Upon arriving at the ramen shop, Chen Jianbin sat down and began to chatter incessantly, pouring all the information he had gathered onto Wang Xiaobai. Wang Xiaobai sorted through the details and began to understand the situation. The Zhang Chunhua he saw at the grave was a solitary figure; her husband had died early, and their child had passed away when he was five years old, leaving Zhang Chunhua and Zhao Ziqiang to rely on each other.

Wang Xiaobai dragged Chen Jianbin to eat ramen, and Chen Jianbin said to him: "Xiaobai, is Zhao Ziqiang really your relative? I chatted with the old man who sells pickles, and Zhao Ziqiang is not a good person. He graduated from a technical school, hasn't found a job, and just stays at home living off his parents. He doesn't even have a wife; people look down on him for being poor..."

It is not difficult to understand why Wang Xiaobai saw Zhang Chunhua in that state, and why she was reluctant to walk the path to the underworld; she was still worried about her unaccomplished son. No wonder the old lady's sigh sounded so heart-wrenching, filled with helplessness and concern. It truly reflects the old saying, even in death, one cannot rest easy.

Your relative is truly not a decent person, Xiaobai, are we really going to meet him? What if Zhao Ziqiang wants to borrow money from you?

After searching all morning without success, the two decided to split up. They agreed to meet for lunch, and during the meal, Chen Jianbin excitedly said to Wang Xiaobai: "I found out that Zhao Ziqiang's house is to the east, in a row of bungalows, quite remote. An old man who sells pickled vegetables told me!"

Zhang Chunhua, fearing that her son would suffer grievances, never sought a man and raised her son on her own, doting on him excessively. Zhao Ziqiang initially seemed to be doing well, but after failing the college entrance examination, he suffered a blow that led him to become somewhat self-destructive. He enrolled in a technical school, where he studied to become a chef

How did it come to this state of poverty? It is likely that Zhao Ziqiang sold everything that could be sold in the house. Upon entering, Zhao Ziqiang sat down on the kang, panting heavily, and looked at Wang Xiaobai in a daze, asking: "Who are you? We have no relatives in Liuhe Town. With someone like me, even if there were relatives, they wouldn't come to see me. Speak, why have you come to find me?"

It should be, this is really too much bullying, they have even come to the doorstep!

Wang Xiaobai felt that he had made the right decision after listening to what Chen Jianbin said. Regardless of the circumstances, the old lady's final wish was for her son to be well. Twenty thousand yuan is not a large sum; it can be considered her last wish, right? However, after understanding the background and the consequences, Wang Xiaobai felt a bit uncomfortable and thought that Zhao Ziqiang was truly disappointing.

The assailants were two bald men in their thirties, their faces marked by excess flesh, and wearing gold chains around their necks, clearly individuals from the underworld. Wang Xiaobai did not need to guess; he knew that the one being beaten was definitely Zhao Ziqiang. He stopped the car, preparing to find something suitable to use, such as a brick or a stick. Chen Jianbin also stopped his car and asked, "Is the one being beaten Zhao Ziqiang?"

Before Wang Xiaobai could finish speaking, Zhao Ziqiang jumped up and shouted, "What the hell!" He rushed straight to the kitchen, his speed startling Wang Xiaobai, who followed him. Turning into the kitchen, they found that the dark kitchen was filled with jars and containers, all covered in dust inside and out, clearly indicating that no one had used them for a long time

Zhao Ziqiang still did not understand, curiously looking at Wang Xiaobai, and continued to push the water tank. When he reached the fifth brick, the brick became loose. Wang Xiaobai pried the brick out, and underneath it was a bank card wrapped in a plastic bag. Before Wang Xiaobai could see it clearly, Zhao Ziqiang stopped pushing the water tank and snatched the plastic bag from Wang Xiaobai's hand, exclaiming with joy: "Today, I am going to turn my luck around, damn it, I will win back everything I lost!"

Wang Xiaobai looked up and saw that the two ruffians had cursed and walked away. The man lying on the ground was groaning in pain. Wang Xiaobai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was best that the two high school students had avoided a fight with the ruffians, as it would have brought trouble. He pushed his cart and quickly ran over to the man lying on the ground, asking, "Are you Zhao Ziqiang?"

Wang Xiaobai pondered for a moment and said softly, "Yesterday, I went to the East Mountain to pay respects at the grave and ran into your mother"

Chen Jianbin is quite simple-minded, standing in the yard on lookout. Wang Xiaobai helped Chen Jianbin into the house, and upon looking around, he couldn't help but sigh. Their home is truly impoverished, appearing as if it had been washed with water. Not only is it dark and dingy, but even the cotton quilt in the pit has lost its color. The place is a complete mess, with nothing of value in sight, not even an old television.

Wang Xiaobai stiffened, stood up, and said to Zhao Ziqiang: "Your mother hoped that you would use this money to find a wife or to live a good life. Even after her death, she still worries about you. Can't you let her rest easy?"

In theory, chefs should have no trouble finding work, yet Zhao Ziqiang has somewhat high expectations and low abilities. Good restaurants do not want him, and he is unwilling to work at inferior ones. He simply took all the savings from his family to open a small restaurant and even found a partner. However, the business did not go well at all. After a year, the restaurant could no longer operate, resulting in significant losses, and he also lost his girlfriend.

The old man who chatted with Chen Jianbin was the one sitting next to Zhang Chunhua, buying pickles. He was well aware of the affairs in Zhang Chunhua's family. When the old man spoke of Zhao Ziqiang, he was filled with anger, puffing his beard and glaring, filled with righteous indignation. From the information gathered by Chen Jianbin, it is not difficult to deduce that the old lady had secretly saved up 20,000 yuan for her son to marry, but the illness came too suddenly, leaving her no chance to inform Zhao Ziqiang

With just one son, Zhang Chunhua was not unwilling to give him money, but playing mahjong was not a proper way to make a living. Zhang Chunhua also hoped to save some money to help his son marry a wife. How long could he live in his old age? He could not take care of his son for a lifetime. Every day, he worked tirelessly making and selling pickled vegetables, waking up earlier than anyone else and returning home later than anyone else. Eventually, he could not endure it any longer and died of a sudden heart attack at the vegetable market

Wang Xiaobai ignored him and said to himself: "What I encountered was your deceased mother, or rather her ghost. She is worried about you and has not yet departed for the afterlife. She entrusted me to help her with a few matters, to find you and inform you that under the large water tank behind your kitchen, there is a Construction Bank card containing twenty thousand yuan..."

Zhao Ziqiang rolled his eyes at Wang Xiaobai while holding a bank card and said, "What business is it of yours! Who do you think you are? You dare to lecture me, really taking yourself for my family?"

Zhao Ziqiang's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "What did you say? My mother has been dead for almost a year, what nonsense are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?"

Since then, Zhao Ziqiang became even more despondent, simply doing nothing and relying on his family for support. Fortunately, Zhang Chunhua made excellent pickled vegetables, such as spicy cabbage, garlic eggplant, and pickled garlic. The taste was very authentic, and every day she pushed a cart to the market to sell her pickled goods, which did fairly well. However, despite the decent business, it was still just selling pickled vegetables, and she couldn't earn much money.

Wang Xiaobai picked up a brick, and just as he was holding it in his hand, Chen Jianbin pulled him and said: "Stop looking, they have all left!"

Wang Xiaobai was so angry that he trembled, unable to utter a word. He turned and walked away. When he reached the door, he heard Zhao Ziqiang calling him: "Hey, that kid, what is the password?"

I am your distant relative, from Liuhe Town, Ziqiang. I have something to discuss with you, let's go inside and talk

Wang Xiaobai did not even know how he spoke so fluently; after finishing, he turned around and left, leaving Zhao Ziqiang alone in the room, staring blankly at the bank card...

Wang Xiaobai took a deep breath, feeling that Zhao Ziqiang was truly despicable without any bottom line. He turned around and said seriously to him: "Zhao Ziqiang, your mother raised you for over thirty years, not expecting you to support her, nor expecting you to be filial to her, and she cannot expect that either. She has worried about you her whole life, and even after her death, she is still not at ease. Let me tell you, you are stuck there, but up until now, have you ever asked about your mother? You are truly worthless. Your mother owes you nothing, and I owe you nothing either. You deserve to be beaten to death for being like this. By the way, the password is 123456. Go ahead and gamble. If you think you can face your mother, then keep gambling. After all, in the next life, she might not even be your mother..."

Zhang Chunhua tirelessly supports this family, hoping that one day her son can pull himself together, find a good job, and get a wife, which would put her mind at ease. However, Zhao Ziqiang not only failed to improve but instead developed a gambling addiction, playing mahjong every day, losing nine out of ten times. Without a job, he could only ask Zhang Chunhua for money daily; if she refused, he would steal. He spent all his time in mahjong parlors, accumulating significant debts, and when creditors came to collect, it was Zhang's mother who had to pay them off. Yet, Zhao Ziqiang not only failed to improve but instead developed a gambling addiction, playing mahjong every day, losing nine out of ten times. Without a job, he could only ask Zhang Chunhua for money daily; if she refused, he would steal. He spent all his time in mahjong parlors, accumulating significant debts, and when creditors came to collect, it was Zhang's mother who had to pay them off.

Zhao Ziqiang's intelligence... Wang Xiaobai is also quite helpless. Zhang Chunhua is an elderly lady who hides the card under the water tank. Is she supposed to move the water tank every time? It must be impossible to move it. The kitchen floor is made of bricks, so it must be hidden under one of those bricks. Wang Xiaobai shakes his head and squats down, prying up one brick after another.

Wang Xiaobai perked up and said to Chen Jianbin, "I will treat you to ramen, and after we finish, let's go to his house."

A man in his early thirties, somewhat thin, wearing a tattered hoodie, with disheveled hair, a pale complexion, and vacant eyes, had a head injury from which blood was flowing down his scalp. He looked quite miserable. Upon seeing Wang Xiaobai, he paused for a moment and asked, "Are you here to collect debts as well?"

After finishing their ramen, the two rode their bicycles to the row of bungalows where Zhao Ziqiang lived. Upon inquiring, they quickly learned the location of his home. However, whenever Zhao Ziqiang was mentioned, everyone would curl their lips in disdain, indicating just how unpopular he was.

Go ahead, you all, my friends will hold the door for you

Wang Xiaobai parked the bicycle, helped Zhao Ziqiang up, and walked towards the house. Chen Jianbin followed them into the courtyard. Wang Xiaobai suddenly had an idea and said to Chen Jianbin: "Old Chen, you keep watch at the door for us. If anyone comes to collect debts again, just call us."