Le Xia brought her son over to play, as the Li family's child didn't like going out.
Then, the young lady gained another younger brother.
Le Xia watched her son tumbling on the kang with unwavering attention.
"Sister-in-law Tian, why does Fang Qiuhong's son cry and fuss so much? It's disturbing our sleep."
Always crying?
Could it be cerebral palsy?
"Don't interfere, don't say anything. Let her deal with it herself."
"Sister-in-law Tian? You, you mean?"
"There's definitely a problem with his intelligence. Look at these two babies trying to roll over; aren't their eyes looking around?"
"That's curiosity about their surroundings."
"Observe Fang Qiuhong's son closely; he's definitely not like that."
Within a few days, Fang Qiuhong and Le Xia had a fight.
When Tian Jing heard about it, she sighed, this Le Xia, having grown up in such an environment, was still too soft-hearted with children.
Perhaps it was because she had become a mother herself, unable to bear seeing a child's development delayed.
However, could cerebral palsy be cured?
Tian Jing called back her sister-in-law, who had been released from confinement during the New Year, to look after the children. With two babies walking while holding onto the wall and one crawling all over the kang, she couldn't leave.
Li Min obediently returned to watch the children. "Little sister-in-law, go and see; Fang Qiuhong has scratched Le Xia's face all over."
"Serves her right. That's what happens when you meddle."
Li Min didn't understand.
Tian Jing waved her hand. "You don't need to understand. Just remember that not everyone deserves sympathy."
"Oh."
Tian Jing still went to see.
Lin Sirai and Lin Erilai also had a fight.
Lin Sirai defended his wife and wanted to beat Fang Qiuhong.
Lin Erilai couldn't stand by and watch; he intervened, and was then beaten by Lin Sirai.
So, saying Lin Sirai and Lin Erilai fought is inaccurate; it was Lin Erilai being beaten down by Lin Sirai.
After the beating, Lin Sirai still wanted to state the facts.
"My wife kindly reminded you that your son always cries and fusses, and that there might be a problem. We suggested you go to the hospital. What's wrong with that?"
"If we didn't care about the child, why would we bother with your family's affairs?"
"Your wife scratched me without a word, are you feeling guilty? Do you know your son's constant crying is abnormal?"
Listening to the cries from Lin Sirai's home, the villagers' eyes flickered. Was constant crying abnormal?
Then why did Fang Qiuhong brag about her son loving to cry and fuss?
Doctor Yang stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Lin Erilai, who was slumped on the ground motionless.
"Er Lai, back then, I didn't agree with you keeping this child. You said you were looking at the heavens."
"The heavens giving you this child doesn't mean he's healthy and normal. After all, your wife took too many miscellaneous medications."
"The village spread rumors that your child cries and fusses. When I heard that, I sighed, thinking you had ruined your own future and brought this child into the world to suffer."
"Go on, take him to a major hospital for a check-up. Don't delay any longer; the sooner it's treated, the better."
Lin Erilai scrambled to his feet and rushed home. He would take his son to be checked. If there was nothing wrong, he would come back and give Sirai a good beating.
Fang Qiuhong also followed her husband home.
The excitement subsided, and the villagers dispersed. Le Xia saw Tian Jing.
Tian Jing shook her head at her. Le Xia touched her face and sighed. What a shame to have been scratched for nothing.
Lin Sirai, holding his wife, went to Doctor Yang. "Doctor Yang, please give us some ointment."
Doctor Yang was surprised. "How did you know?"
Lin Sirai smiled enigmatically.
...
A week later, Lin Erilai and his wife returned.
However, only the couple returned; the child was nowhere to be seen.
What does this mean?
Thinking of Fang Qiuhong's tendency to scratch at the slightest disagreement, the villagers dared not ask.
However, eighty percent of them understood.
Le Xia regretted her actions.
She thought she had helped the child, but instead, she had harmed him.
"Sister-in-law Tian, I was wrong."
Tian Jing did not comfort her. "If you want to pity a child, you have to consider the character of the child's parents."
"You got scratched for nothing, and the child was abandoned. If he was just thrown away and found by a kind person to be raised, or sent to an orphanage, that would be considered good."
"If he was directly choked to death, or abandoned on a mountain to be fed to wolves, then, as the saying goes, good intentions lead to bad results, understand?"
Le Xia panicked. "What should we do now?"
What to do? Still want to cause trouble?
Tian Jing picked her up and escorted her out the door, then forcefully closed the gate in front of her.
Le Xia went to find Ouyang Meihua and received a scolding.
"Go home and take care of your child. Are you too idle? You've caused trouble, and now what? Do you want to continue causing trouble? Who are you expecting to clean up after you?"
...
Seedlings were being planted, and the Li family was planting watermelons.
The villagers diligently planted cotton.
Li Zhengguo selected a few people from the workers to help plant the watermelon seedlings.
He also kept the workers' addresses, saying that if he was too busy in the future, he would send for them to help.
The workers were naturally happy.
The villagers, however, were unhappy.
But there was nothing they could do; the village chief was unwilling to manage it.
Seeing the Li, Wang, Niu, and four other families selling vegetables and planting watermelons, the villagers were so envious they could have shed blood.
Li Weikang brought his brother, saying his brother could also guard the melon fields for only five yuan a month.
Li Zhengguo agreed.
Li Weikang had changed considerably, no longer the stubborn calf who knew only defiance.
As long as hatred was not continued, this small amount of money was nothing.
"Good, hire him. When it's time for cooking, have him go back to cook. You two will take turns eating and taking your lunch breaks."
"As long as you guard this hill properly, I'll give you bonuses after the watermelons are sold."
"Yes."
"Yes."
The brothers responded energetically.
Li Zhengguo felt even more at ease, seeing that the brothers were both physically and mentally sound.
...
After selling the watermelons this time, Li Weikang received a fifty yuan bonus, and Li Weiwei received a thirty yuan bonus, along with two small watermelons each.
Carrying the watermelons home, Li Weiwei gave the bonus to his elder brother. "Big brother, here you go. Pay back the money you owe."
Li Weikang was stunned. "Who do we owe money to?"
"Auntie Tian."
Li Weikang shook his head. "I won't pay it back."
"Big brother."
Li Weiwei disagreed. "We've owed it for over a year. Let's pay it back, and we'll have peace of mind. Auntie Tian doesn't care about this little money, but our attitude in doing things and being people is most important."
"Her, her prices were outrageously high."
"Wasn't that because you were unwilling to accept them at the time? Go and pay it back. She won't charge us the high price."
"If you want to pay it back, you go."
"If you won't go, I will. Get the ledger you've been keeping, and let's calculate it."
When his elder brother took out the small ledger, Li Weiwei looked bewildered. "Big brother, what are all these big circles and small circles?"
"This big circle is for Chinese cabbage, and the small circle below is for one Chinese cabbage. This middle circle is for radishes, and this is..."
Li Weiwei was speechless.
Li Weiwei went to the Li family to repay the money.
Tian Jing only accepted a one-yuan banknote. "That's enough."
"But..."
Li Wei looked at the more than twenty yuan in his hand. This didn't even cover the market price, and they had borrowed various things continuously.
"No 'buts.' That's enough. Go back, keep the money safe. There are quite a few envious people."
"Mm-hmm."
...
In September, family planning was established as a national policy, and the county family planning office went to the countryside to promote it.
Tian Jing registered for an IUD insertion.
She went to the hospital and returned with a certificate. She also received a lot of criticism.