"I've been lying in this hospital room for two weeks, I feel like I'm going moldy."
Chen Yang looked at his fingers, now flexible and free after the bandages were removed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Apart from the scar on his palm, there wasn't any significant impact.
Zhang Weiyang knew he had an accident on his way home after drinking. The next day, he rushed over with Lin Erdi and Lei Baoguo to visit. Now, the three of them had already gone to Jinling. This time, Lei Baoguo's return to Jinling wasn't just for Chen Yang to give him leave to see Li Jing, but also to complete a task assigned by Chen Yang.
The task was to find his fellow retired comrades. Chen Yang was in need of bodyguards, men with good fighting skills, who were loyal and honest. Chen Yang was willing to pay them. Chen Yang offered a salary of fifty yuan a month! In those days, fifty yuan a month was considered a middle-to-upper income even among state-owned enterprise workers.
However, Chen Yang was willing to pay this amount because these men would be his bodyguards. While they might have nothing to do most of the time, when necessary, they would have to risk their lives. Without showing some sincerity, why would they risk their lives for him? If they encountered danger in the future and showed bravery, he would give them additional rewards. This way, people would truly fight for him, and in critical moments, they could save his life!
"You brat, still not satisfied. Xue'er helps you downstairs for sunshine every day, treating you like a master. Your mother never took care of me like that." Chen Liming glared at his son unhappily. He had seen all the meticulous care his daughter-in-law, Shen Xue, had shown his son these days.
"What? You're saying I'm not attentive enough to you?"
"Do you want to be hospitalized too? I'll take good care of you, let you be a master for a change?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Qin Lifen walked in and overheard him. Chen Liming quickly put on a placating smile.
"I was just teaching our son a lesson. How could I possibly be dissatisfied with you? We've been married for so many years."
Chen Yang chuckled at his father's predicament in front of his mother.
"Daddy, hug!"
The little one, with her stubby legs, immediately scrambled into Chen Yang's embrace. Children are young, and she had mostly forgotten about what happened that day. Every day, the hospital would occasionally echo with the silvery laughter of the two little ones. Even the mood of the other patients who were hospitalized with them had improved considerably.
"Wow, my darling, Daddy's little cotton-padded jacket. You've really become a little meatball now, so plump."
Since the stitches hadn't been removed yet, Shen Xue was afraid of injuring the wound and had forbidden the two little ones from hugging Chen Yang. The little one missed being held by her daddy. Chen Yang also hadn't held his daughter for two weeks. As soon as he picked her up, she felt indeed much plumper, her weight a solid presence in his arms.
"I ate so many delicious things. The hospital cafeteria is really tasty."
"Daddy, why don't we move the house to the hospital?"
The little one tilted her head. Although she missed home, there were really a lot of delicious things at the hospital. After all, they had to cook for many patients, so the cafeteria's variety of dishes was definitely more than a home-cooked meal. The little one would pick whatever she liked to eat, so of course it was delicious.
"Daddy, I like the hospital too, it's delicious." Chen Hao also seriously agreed. This little fellow's opinion on food was surprisingly consistent with his sister's.
"Silly goose, you can't treat a hospital like home. When we go home, whatever delicious food you want, your maternal grandmother and your paternal grandmother will make it for you." Chen Yang was helpless. With two little foodies at home, what could he do?
"Yay, yay! I can go home!" The little one danced with joy. For the past two weeks, Shen Xue had taken the two children to live at her eldest aunt's house. There was no other way; it was too troublesome to travel back and forth. Only the elders from both sides would go home after staying the night to keep watch for Chen Yang. All in all, Chen Yang, his wife, and the two little ones hadn't been home for two weeks. It was no wonder the little one missed home!
"This time when you go back, you'll be happy. The irrigation canal from the dam to the fields has been completed."
"The rice field fish are growing really well. Technician Zhou has also cleared out all the wild ponds in the entire commune."
"We'll just wait for spring next year. Not only will we release fish when planting seedlings, but we'll also release fish into these wild ponds. When it's time to harvest the fish, the team will share the money equally." Shen Futang was very happy. He knew that this good thing was brought about by his son-in-law.
These days, the villagers looked at him, Shen Futang, with high regard. He knew very well that they were giving him face because of his son-in-law's reputation. Director Liu of the commune and the old party secretary had personally visited Chen Yang in the hospital. In fact, many villagers wanted to visit the hospital. Many people had made money by selling fish with Chen Yang. That's how rural folks are; this was a matter of gratitude. If anything happened to him, they would feel concerned. However, Chen Yang feared causing trouble and thus didn't allow it. After all, a trip to the hospital, even with a few cents or a small gift, cost money. In those days, life wasn't easy for anyone. Chen Yang himself wasn't lacking in this regard, so there was no need for people to spend money.
However, Chen Yang didn't know that although the villagers hadn't come to the hospital, they were all waiting for him to be discharged and go home. They would still pay a visit then. This is how relationships are built between people. They felt indebted to Chen Yang. With such a major event as his hospitalization, they felt they had to show some consideration and reciprocate.
"This is truly good news. Our village will have a good life in the future." Chen Yang thought that next spring, Shenjiaba would still be a production brigade. It was estimated that when the grain production data from Xiaogang Village in Fengyang came out and became famous nationwide, Shenjiaba, located in the same province of Anhui, would surely witness the wave of household contract responsibility systems and the implementation of 'bao gan dao hu.' At that time, everyone would probably be vying for the承包权 (contracting rights) of those wild ponds.
"Who says not? Everyone in the village is thinking of your kindness now."
"Wherever I go, people greet me and chat with me."
"I say, now that you're going back today, quite a few people will probably come to our house later." The father-in-law was a bit smug; he cared most about appearances. In the past, people would only visit if they were distantly related or if they were highly respected elders in the village. Now, his son-in-law was young, and people took him seriously. As the father-in-law, he also gained face and prestige by association.
"Dad, let them come, but we won't accept any gifts. These days, life isn't easy for anyone." Chen Yang knew that rural people were simple, and visits between villagers were a matter of reciprocation. He could excuse not letting villagers visit him in the hospital by saying he needed rest. But now that he was discharged, he couldn't refuse them if they came to visit. If he refused, it would seem like he was putting on airs, and they might think he looked down on them.
"Accept it all, just keep a record in the account book. Next time they have a wedding or a funeral, remember to return the favor."
"If you don't accept it, they'll think we've become rich and our heads are in the clouds, looking down on people." The father-in-law ultimately understood human relationships better. Chen Yang hadn't said much more. Their perspectives were different, but what the father-in-law said was also reasonable. Perhaps he didn't want to take advantage of others, but in everyone's eyes, it might just mean he had become wealthy and was looking down on them. For matters of human interaction, it was best to follow the father-in-law's approach.