Chapter 34: This Money Cannot Be Given

Xu Dashan arranged for the others to finish chopping the wood, then turned to Zhao Zheng and said, "You three brothers should head back now. After an incident like this, I don't even know how I’m going to explain it to your mother."

"I will visit the Zhao household once I return," he added.

No one else had any objections. Of the three brothers, one was limping, one had a broken arm, and the third was unconscious—it was truly a miserable sight. Xu Dashan arranged for four men to escort Zhao Wei away, knowing full well that this debt would inevitably be laid at the feet of the Ma family.

Ma Dazhu’s face turned dark. This was a massive favor he now owed, and he had no idea how he would ever repay it. He was filled with seething resentment. He blamed it all on that damned Zhao the Third; if he hadn't claimed there were four bears on Golden Chicken Mountain, he never would have come out to hunt them. Yet, despite his anger, he still had to put on a mask of gratitude and comfort the Zhao brothers.

After seeing the Zhao brothers off, Xu Dashan said, "Dazhu, the villagers have done all they could; we’ve done our part. When you get back, you need to bring some gifts and visit the Zhao brothers."

Ma Dazhu nodded stiffly. "Alright, I understand."

Xu Dashan sighed with exhaustion. "Let’s continue the search..."

In the small hours of the morning, Zhao Zheng and the others descended the mountain. Zhao Zheng was also bone-tired. Walking at the very back, he stealthily spent a few coins from his system shop to buy a bottle of eight-treasure porridge and a seasoned chicken leg, devouring them ravenously. Only after he was full and satisfied did he catch up with the others. It wasn't until daybreak that he finally returned to the village.

On the way back, Zhao Wei had regained consciousness, but he was paralyzed from the neck down. He had howled all the way back. "I'm ruined! I can't move! What am I going to do now?"

Zhao Wei was in a state of panic. He couldn't feel his hands or feet, nor could he feel his manhood. He had a young, beautiful wife waiting at home; if he were truly crippled, wouldn't she eventually betray him behind his back? Most importantly, if he couldn't even manage the basic necessities of life, what was the point of living?

"Fourth brother, take me to see the Immortal Sun and have her treat me."

Zhao Yi, growing impatient, snapped, "Stop your howling! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have broken my arm!" He harbored deep hatred for Zhao Wei. If it weren't for his desire to teach the Third brother a lesson, would they have ended up in such a sorry state? He was now filled with regret.

Zhao Wei knew Zhao Yi's temperament well, so he immediately turned his gaze toward Zhao Zheng. "Third brother, I know you’ve always listened to me the most. Take me to Immortal Sun—no, take me to the township..."

Zhao Zheng replied, "You are my eldest brother; I will certainly take you to get medical help. Don't worry, brother won't let you become a cripple."

"I knew you were the one who listened to me most!" Zhao Wei said with 'gratitude.'

Soon, the group arrived at Immortal Sun’s place. She could handle Zhao Yi’s arm, but regarding Zhao Wei’s condition, she shook her head and said, "The fall was too severe; his spine is fractured. Take him to the township; perhaps there is still hope."

Zhao Wei’s face turned ashen.

Before long, the Zhao family matriarch, Mao Xiaofang, along with the Fourth brother’s wife and son, arrived. Seeing her two sons—one lying motionless on a wooden frame and the other with a broken right arm—the old woman wailed in distress, "Oh, my poor sons, you’ve suffered so much."

Zhao Yi’s wife also cried out, "Times are already hard enough, and now that your arm is broken, how are we supposed to live!" Mao Xiaofang was sobbing uncontrollably as well.

Immortal Sun felt as though her head would explode from the wailing. "Enough! Don't howl in my place. Just take your eldest to the township for treatment; the longer you delay, the more troublesome it will be."

The Zhao family matriarch finally regained her senses. "Right, I’ll go at once." As she spoke, she looked at Zhao Zheng and, seeing him standing there perfectly fine, cursed, "How are you acting as a brother? Why didn't you look after your brothers?"

Zhao Zheng sighed. This was proof that not all mothers loved their sons equally. Favoritism was just like that—it made no sense at all. They were all her sons, yet if it were he lying on the ground, the old woman probably wouldn't even have glanced at him. What kind of hatred was this? They were all her own flesh and blood, so why treat them like enemies?

"Fourth brother was holding the torch and walking in front with the eldest. I had an injury to my foot and was trailing behind in the dark. Did they ever care about me?" Zhao Zheng shook his head. "You are far too biased." Without looking back, he walked away.

The Zhao matriarch stared at Zhao Zheng as if he were an enemy, then turned to her grandsons. "Dabao, Erbao, carry your father to the township..."

Zhao Zheng returned home, and the news of the Zhao brothers' injuries spread throughout the village, becoming the talk of everyone. Having not slept all night, Zhao Zheng was exhausted; he didn't even eat upon returning home and collapsed into bed.

Yang Zhaodi and Zhang Xiao’e did not disturb him. They silently heated the brick bed and kept the food warm so that whenever Zhao Zheng woke up, he would have a hot meal waiting.

Zhao Zheng slept until evening. When he finally woke up, his exhaustion had vanished. "Zhaodi, Xiao’e..." Zhao Zheng rubbed his stomach.

Both women hurried in from outside. "Father-in-law, you’re awake! You must be hungry. I’ve kept the food warm; would you like to eat?"

"Father-in-law, I heard the eldest uncle and the fourth uncle were severely injured. What exactly happened?" The two women hovered around him, their eyes filled with concern.

Compared to that biased old woman and those two heartless brothers, these two daughters-in-law were genuinely good to him from the bottom of their hearts.

"I’m perfectly fine, don't worry. As for those two, as long as they aren't dead, leave them be!" Zhao Zheng was in a good mood. Zhao Wei was likely suffering from high paraplegia and would almost certainly never recover. Zhao Yi had broken his right arm; with bones and tendons taking a hundred days to heal, and given how difficult it was just to fill their bellies, his recovery would be even longer. He wanted to see how the two of them would survive the days to come.

"Today, the eldest aunt and the fourth aunt came to make a scene, saying our family should pay for the medical expenses for the eldest and fourth uncles. It was Grandmother's idea," Yang Zhaodi said with a frown.

"And how did you respond?" Zhao Zheng asked curiously.

"I didn't agree," Yang Zhaodi replied, looking a bit nervous. "I... I felt that if the eldest and fourth uncles had been good to our family, paying would be the right thing to do. After all, we are family and should help each other through hard times. But they have bullied you, Father-in-law, and they have bullied our family. They never treated us like family at all, so this money cannot be given!"

Zhang Xiao’e, fearing that Zhao Zheng might be angry, added timidly, "Father-in-law, please don't be angry..."

Zhao Zheng smiled. "Well done. The money must not be given. Both of you, remember this: from now on, you don't need to care about what anyone else says, except for me. That includes the eldest and the fourth. We have already separated from the family, and it doesn't matter if we never speak to them again."

"The old woman gave birth to me, so providing for her is a duty. However, I have already paid ten taels of silver to buy my independence for five years. During these five years, we don't need to concern ourselves with her. If she says anything, just treat it as wind passing your ears. Maintain basic respect—at least enough to keep up appearances in front of outsiders so they don't think you two juniors are disrespectful to your elders. Do you understand what I mean?"

Yang Zhaodi’s eyes lit up, and she nodded heavily. "I understand!"

Zhang Xiao’e also smiled sweetly. "I do!"

The two women looked at each other, and they could both see the pleasant surprise in each other's eyes.