Chapter 41: These Are Two Human Lives

Seeing that no one dared to make a move, Zhang Wumao was instantly overwhelmed by despair. He collapsed onto the ground and wailed bitterly.

"I'm begging you! Just sell me to anyone, anywhere! It doesn't matter how little money I bring! I have to save my brother, I have to save him! There's only the two of us left in our family. If my brother dies, how am I supposed to live on alone? I might as well just go with my mom, dad, and brother!"

With his sallow, emaciated appearance, it was clear at a glance that Zhang Wumao had suffered from chronic malnutrition his entire life.

Right now, subjected to such an intense emotional shock, his fragile body simply could not withstand the strain if he continued to carry on like this.

In these barren, famine-stricken years, countless people suffered from hunger, and countless more starved to death.

Nor were there a few who, driven by the terror of starvation and psychological trauma, suddenly lost their minds.

Zhang Yang acutely realized that what lay before him was not just one human life, but two—little Wumao and little Siwao, both of their lives hung in the balance!

He could not simply stand by and do nothing.

Thud!

With decisive swiftness, Zhang Yang delivered a swift, chopping strike with the edge of his hand to the back of Wumao's neck, knocking the boy unconscious first.

"Zhang Yang! Have you lost your mind?!" Zhang Haiquan scolded.

Zhang Yang calmly explained, "Wumao couldn't take in a single word at that point. It was useless trying to reason with him. If I had let him keep crying and screaming like that, he would have completely lost his mind!"

"Besides, the county town is a long and arduous journey away, and a delicate kid like him would never survive the trip. I can't possibly drag him along. It's better to leave him here in the settlement and let the villagers look after him for now."

"I bear a responsibility in this matter. I'll take Siwao to the hospital in town first and figure out what's actually wrong."

Zhang Haiquan had been thinking along the same lines.

The only problem was that medical expenses were a completely unpredictable matter.

Zhang Siwao's family certainly didn't have any money to spare.

If further treatment was required after the initial examination, where on earth would such a massive sum of money come from?

Zhang Haiquan turned his gaze toward the men from Wulipu. "Empty your pockets and bring out every last cent you have on you!"

The man with the mole gave a dry, awkward laugh. "Brigade leader, you know our situation just as well as anyone! How could any of us have money on us?"

"Don't think you can brush this off with a few casual words! Such a massive chaos broke out today, and you folks from Wulipu cannot wash your hands of it! If you're too stingy to part with a few scraps of loose change right now, then when I pursue this matter further later on, don't say I didn't warn you—not only the few of you, but your entire militia squad will pay the price for this!"

The mole-faced man remained defiant, stubbornly denying any responsibility.

"People die all the time in days like these! Who knows if this kid already had some underlying condition? He froze in the mountains last night, and after stumbling around a bit when he got back, he ended up like this..."

The mole-faced man began to fake tears. "Brigade leader, you can't pin this on us! No one even saw us lay a hand on him!"

Zhang Haiquan was thoroughly enraged. "It seems my words as brigade leader carry no weight anymore! Fine, if you refuse to cough up the money right now, then get lost and crawl back to your homes! Stop blocking the way and getting in everyone's path!"

This time, he didn't utter any specific threats of punishment, yet his words sent a wave of panic through the men from Wulipu.

If he had explicitly stated the punishment, they could at least have prepared for it.

Without a clear verdict, who knew where and how they might be targeted and squeezed in the future?

After all, the man was the brigade leader.

His words carried immense weight!

Someone could no longer contain the anxiety gnawing at his heart and fished a few crumpled bills and ration tickets from his pocket.

With someone taking the lead, the others stopped struggling.

They rummaged through every pocket on their bodies, pooling their resources together, yet they managed to scrape together less than two yuan.

"The money in our households is all managed by our wives... We truly don't have a few coins on us..."

Zhang Yang had no reason to doubt their words.

In these times, there were hardly any places to spend money.

If neighbors needed something from one another, trading a portion of grain was entirely acceptable.

Thus, nobody carried cash around.

Zhang Yang glanced at Zhang Haiquan. "I'll run home and get some money first, and then the brothers can use the handcart to take Siwao to the county seat. We can discuss the rest later—saving a life takes precedence."

Zhang Yang had money at home?

Right.

The kid had even promised to pay Wang Jie's family five hundred yuan in compensation!

He wondered how the aftermath of their wolf-selling venture turned out.

Zhang Haiquan desperately wanted to press for details, but as the commune brigade leader, it wasn't appropriate to interrogate him in public. He could only wave his hand and tell Zhang Yang to go home and fetch the money.

As soon as Zhang Yang returned home, Li Huifang hurried over to him.

"How was it handled?"

Zhang Yang gripped Li Huifang's shoulders firmly and gave her repeated instructions.

"I'm taking Zhang Siwao and his brother to the county hospital! While I'm away, you and Dongzi keep the doors locked tight. If anyone comes looking for trouble, shout at the top of your lungs and get the neighbors from next door to come over!"

Zhang Yan came running out from inside the house.

"Why do you have to go all the way to the county town? It's so far away, and I haven't even finished making your new shoes yet! If you go out wearing those ragged old shoes, what state will your feet be in by the time you get back?!"

Zhang Yang paid no mind to such trifles.

He turned his instructions to his elder sister. "As long as people are alive, everything else remains possible! Sister, while I'm not home, you need to be the steady one. Don't let anyone in the family get pushed around!"

Zhang Yan felt tears welling up, sensing that her younger little brother's journey was fraught with grim uncertainty.

Little did they know, Zhang Yang harbored a faint, unspeakable sense of anticipation for this trip.

He took twenty yuan, tucked the dark stone he had picked up from the black market cellar into his bosom, and kept it close to his chest.

Fighting back her tears, Li Huifang hurriedly baked seven or eight flatbreads, had Zhang Yan fill two flasks with yellow rice wine, and packed them for Zhang Yang to use as dry rations on the road to the county town.

"Child, your mother trusts that you know what you're doing. Go early and return soon, stay safe on the road, and everything will be fine!"

Zhang Yang flashed a resolute look at Li Huifang and Zhang Yan.

"Don't worry yourselves. Just stay safe at home and wait for me to come back!"

With that, he gathered his things and returned to the village clinic.

Zhang Haiquan and the barefoot doctors had already rearranged the handcart, rigging up some rudimentary cold-weather protection for Siwao.

Zhao Dong had mentally prepared himself to tag along, but Zhang Yang made him stay behind.

"With me gone, there can't be no able-bodied man left in the house. You need to stay and guard the place for me."

"Wei Guo didn't show his face today. I have no idea what petty schemes he's cooking up again."

"There are still a few dozen yuan at home. If Wang Jie comes knocking for money while I'm away, hand him those few dozen yuan first, make him write a receipt in front of witnesses, and tell him I'll pay the remainder within a month."

"In short, avoid any further conflicts, don't let him touch anyone in the family, and definitely don't give my mother and sister anything to worry about."

"I don't trust many people, but you're like a real brother to me. I'm leaving the household in your hands these next couple of days."

Zhao Dong listened, his face streaked with tears.

"Yangzi, stop talking. If you say another word, I'll start thinking you're walking straight to your death..."

Zhang Yang still had a bellyful of unspoken words, but seeing Zhao Dong in such a state, he decided to say no more. Together with the Gao brothers, Gao Wen and Gao Wu, he hoisted the handcart, and they set off toward the county town.