Rural Area

I never imagined that Zhao Hang would be so arrogant.

He's completely turned into a mad dog now, biting anyone he sees. If he bites me, I might ignore him and move aside, but he curses at me, and even curses at my mother.

All eyes turned to me, staring at me intently, waiting for my next reaction.

Zhao Hang was being dragged along by two people, his eyes cold yet tinged with smugness.

Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped up and slapped him across the face: "You bastard, Uncle Zhao scrimped and saved to send you to school, making you a respectable person, but you come back to the village like a mad dog. Who do you think you are?"

After I slapped him, Zhao Hang finally came to his senses, broke free from the two people holding him, raised the wooden stick in his hand, and smashed it down on my forehead.

If it were before, I might have been afraid of him, but I am no longer the same person I used to be.

I jerked my body, and in the instant his wooden stick swept past me, I raised my fist and punched him squarely in the forehead. The punch landed right on his left cheek, and with a thud, Zhao Hang collapsed to the ground.

At that moment, Chen Hai and the villagers present suddenly surrounded us. Some surrounded me, some surrounded him, and they finally managed to pull us apart.

I punched Zhao Hang, and his left cheek was bruised and purple. He was being pulled away by the crowd, trying to get revenge on me, but there was no way he could. And I decided to stop there.

After all, his father died, so we can't make a big fuss. If he doesn't curse at me, I really will put up with it.

But what happened next was completely unexpected. Zhao Hang suddenly ripped off his mourning hat and tore off his white clothes, shouting loudly, "Li Nan, take our son and daughter, let's go home!"

As soon as he shouted, a woman dressed in white mourning clothes took off her clothes and then called over a boy and a girl, both teenagers.

Zhao Hang glanced around with a wicked look in his eyes and shouted loudly, "Aunties, older women, brothers and sisters, you all saw it. I came home for my father's funeral, and I got beaten up. My father deserved to die. Whoever wants to bury him can bury him; I don't care anymore."

After saying that, he grabbed his wife with one hand and his son with the other, while his wife grabbed his daughter, and they walked straight toward the Aion in front of them.

Before anyone could react, Zhao Hang and his family of four drove away.

Seeing this, Zhao Chuan walked over, clutching his forehead: "What business is it of yours what we brothers have to do with each other? Now that my eldest brother is gone, who's going to pay for the funeral expenses? Who's going to cover all the costs today?"

Seeing the blood on Zhao Chuan's head, I said helplessly, "Brother Chuan, go get it bandaged up first. Can't we discuss the old man's matter later?"

Zhao Chuan gave a sinister smile: "You beat up my older brother, and now that he's gone, I don't care anymore. The old man committed suicide, so I have no obligation to bury him." After saying that, he actually took off his mourning clothes and hat, called out to his wife and children, and drove away.

Chen Hai was stunned when he saw this, and the people around him who were helping him were also dumbfounded.

What's going on? His father died, and the eldest and second eldest sons just abandoned him and left without a second thought. How much money can be spent on burying their father?

Chen Hai nudged my arm: "Brother, this isn't your fault." Then he shouted loudly to the side, "Zhao Shanhe! Zhao Shanhe!"

A young man walked over and said, "Village chief, Zhao Shanhe also sneaked away earlier, taking his wife with him."

Having no other choice, Chen Hai said, "Zhao Xiuxiu, Zhao Qingmei, you two sisters should call your three brothers. The old man's remains haven't been cremated yet, so we can't bury him. They have to come."

Zhao Xiuxiu said expressionlessly, "We are daughters, and my father gave all his money to his three sons. When I got married, he didn't even buy me a car."

Since my three older brothers have all left, I'll leave too. Even his son doesn't care, so why should we daughters? Qingmei, are you leaving or not? You can stay here if you want, but we're leaving.

Without turning her head, Zhao Xiuxiu called her husband and son, and rode away on her motorcycle.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingmei, tears streaming down her face, approached Chen Hai: "Village Chief, you know, of the five sisters, I'm the worst off. My husband fell from the scaffolding and is still in bed. I don't have money for my father's funeral. Just consider me dead, do whatever you want with me."

After saying that, she grabbed her daughter's hand and rode away on her electric tricycle.

Seeing this scene, I was stunned, and everyone around me was stunned as well. Some of the elderly people nearby sighed, some cursed, but most were indignant on behalf of Zhao Jianshan.

I always thought the countryside was simple and honest, and farmers were the kindest people. In my memory, Zhao Jianshan was very capable. I never saw him wear anything nice; he smoked tobacco leaves picked from the fields and wore handmade sandals with melon-shaped slats.

They raised five children: two college students, one vocational school graduate, one technical school graduate, and one high school graduate. I always thought that higher education would lead to better character, but I never imagined that their children would behave so shockingly after their parents committed suicide by poisoning themselves.

An elderly man in his fifties approached Chen Hai, and with a helpless, bitter smile, said, "What can we do? His three sons and two daughters are all gone. How are we going to bury them?"

At that moment, I felt a pang of regret and frustration. Zhao Hang had just cursed at me; couldn't I have simply pretended not to hear and walked away? Why did I have to punch him?

Now look what's happened. This punch was the fuse, this punch is the sin.

I stepped forward and asked the man in charge, who was in his fifties, "Uncle Ma, how much will this funeral cost in total?"

Uncle Ma thought for a while and said, "A banquet, plus the cost of all the firecrackers, drummers, musicians, and fireworks, etc., 8 yuan should be enough."

"Those Zhao brothers are really something. Their father hasn't even been buried yet, and they're already trying to sell the house. I've figured it out. Selling the house is just a pretense; they really don't want to pay for the funeral expenses."

I took out my phone and said directly to Uncle Ma, "Uncle Ma, since you're in charge, I'll transfer the money to you. I'll transfer you 100,000 yuan, and you'll definitely give Grandpa Zhao a grand funeral."

As soon as I said that, everyone around me was stunned.

One hundred thousand yuan may not seem like a lot of money, but in the eyes of rural people, it's definitely not a small amount.

"Chen Dong, are you serious? This has nothing to do with you. You hit Zhao Hang, and he deserved it for his foul mouth. If the three brothers don't show up, I think the village can contribute some money, cancel the banquet, dismiss the musicians, stop setting off firecrackers, and just bury his father. That would only cost a few thousand yuan," Chen Hai said.

I shook my head and said, "Uncle Zhao had a hard life. He didn't have a good life when he was alive, and he died in a undignified way. Let's give him a grand funeral."

I'll cover all the expenses.