This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Wangjiakou is not the farthest administrative village in Zhonghu Town, but it is the highest one in terms of geographical location. Central Jinzhou has an altitude of 1,500 meters, while this village is at 3,100 meters. Every time one comes here, especially in the morning, it feels like stepping on clouds and flying through mist; the clouds are right under your feet.

Moreover, due to the high altitude, the government has closed hillsides to facilitate afforestation for over twenty years. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking. The air is especially fresh and unpolluted. Inhaling deeply, you are met with the pure fragrance of plants and trees.

When the sun is just rising, if you stand above the clouds, themselves bathed in multicolored sunlight, and gaze towards the downtown area, you get the distinct impression of looking down upon all the mountains. The entire Jinzhou city district lies beneath a thick blanket of clouds.

However, after ten o'clock in the morning, don't bother looking; the sky is just a black pot lid, completely sealing off the downtown area. Beyond black, it's still black.

When Du Heng came in March, it was a cloudy day, so he missed the beautiful sight of treading on colorful sunlight. Today, he had arrived too late again; looking back, all he saw was a black pot lid.

There is one thing that sets Wangjiazui apart from other villages. In the four communities of their brigade, everyone shares the surname Wang, except for the women who have married into the village. This is unique, not just in Zhonghu Town but in the entire Shanghu District. Duke Village is considered large, with seven communities and five surnames. Ma Village brigade is small, with only three communities, yet it has three different surnames.

Du Heng drove around a few bends and arrived at the entrance of the Village Committee.

The village director, Wang Juguo, a man in his forties, had received notice and was already waiting at the entrance. However, Du Heng and he were old acquaintances, so after exchanging pleasantries, they got straight to the point.

"Director, what exactly is the situation with Wang Shiyuan's family? The information I have says his wife has a mental illness, and theirs is a case of poverty due to illness. Could you give me the details?"

Wang Juguo rolled a cigarette for himself using newspaper, biting off the excess paper with his teeth. He lit it and took a couple of deep drags. Thick smoke billowed from his oral cavity, was drawn up into his nasal cavity, and then puffed out again from his oral cavity.

Du Heng had seen this before, but every time he watched Wang Juguo smoke, he felt it was a unique skill.

"Wang Shiyuan is thirty-six this year. His wife is the same age; I was the one who introduced them," Wang Juguo said. By the time he finished this one sentence, the thumb-thick cigarette was already half-smoked.

"Wang Shiyuan attended a technical school and knows how to fix cars. When he was doing best, he even ran his own car repair shop. Later, his wife gave him a big, healthy son, and the three of them lived quite well."

As Wang Juguo spoke, he seemed to be shrouded in smoke, his figure indistinct.

"Usually, Wang Shiyuan would be repairing cars, his wife would help by fetching things, and their son would play nearby. One day, a customer came for a repair. Wang Shiyuan went to fix the car. After finishing, he asked his wife to reverse the car out. Who knew their son was squatting right behind the car playing? Neither of them noticed, and then... their son was run over by the reversing car."

Without Wang Juguo needing to continue, Du Heng already knew what came next. To accidentally drive over and kill one's own child—the outcome is either madness or death.

Wang Juguo continued, his voice heavy, "After that, his wife went days without eating or drinking. She still had some reactions then, but later, she just... wasn't right. She became vacant, like a fool. Wang Shiyuan spent all their savings and even borrowed money to get her treatment, but it was all for nothing. And ever since, though she looks vacant, she'll wander off if you don't watch her. If you lock her in a room, she harms herself when she's alone." He took two more deep drags, then, feeling the cigarette butt burn his lips, he pulled it away, dropped it to the ground, and stamped it out with his foot. "Under those circumstances, Wang Shiyuan couldn't keep his car repair shop going. He transferred it to someone else and came back here with his wife."

Du Heng looked at the information in his hand again. "Isn't there anyone else in their family?"

"His parents died young, and he has a younger sister who's married off." Wang Juguo took out his tin of dry tobacco, preparing to roll another cigarette.

"They have land to farm, don't they? How could they have reached the point of being classified as an extremely impoverished household?"

Wang Juguo sighed, the motion of rolling his cigarette pausing. "His wife wanders off uncontrollably, and you can't just lock her up. Wang Shiyuan has no choice but to tie her to himself with a rope. But with things like this, working becomes a problem. Every year, while others' farmland is neatly weeded, the grass in their plot grows better than the crops." He skillfully finished rolling the cigarette, but this time he didn't light it, instead tucking it behind his ear. "We suggested sending his wife to the Third Hospital, but Wang Shiyuan refused. Besides, whenever he gets a little money, he tries all sorts of treatments. A lot of money has been spent foolishly, but with no results at all. And what's more, during the day his wife is vacant, but at night she sings and dances, cries and fusses. Basically, without her medicine, there's no peace."

Du Heng closed the file and frowned. "Doesn't her maternal family help at all?"

"How can they? They have their own lives to lead. They can help for a time, but not forever. If it weren't for their maternal family's occasional assistance, Wang Shiyuan wouldn't even have money for medicine."

"Then, Director, what do you think is the best way to help them escape poverty?"

Wang Juguo had indeed considered this question and had many solutions in mind. So, when Du Heng asked, he answered without hesitation.

"Wang Shiyuan knows how to fix cars. He could open a repair shop again, get back to his old trade, or find a job. Actually, there's an even better option: start an agritourism venture."

Wang Juguo gestured vaguely towards the road. "Lately, more and more tourists have been coming to the mountains. Wang Shiyuan's place is in the best location. Starting an agritourism venture there definitely has potential. Look at the few families near them—they're all doing quite well with theirs. If he could get one going, he'd absolutely make money."

He sighed again. "But when it comes down to it, their family's problem is his wife. As long as she's like this, as long as she isn't cured, Wang Shiyuan can't have a good life."

Indeed, considering Wang Shiyuan's actions over the past few years, it was unlikely he would give up on her or send her to a mental hospital.

If this root cause wasn't addressed, everything else was just pointless talk.

If there were other people in his family who could help Wang Shiyuan look after his wife, or at least keep an eye on her, then with Wang Shiyuan's ability to run his own repair shop, getting their lives back on track shouldn't be a problem.

But the current issue was that there was no one else in their family.

Du Heng thought for a moment and said, "Director, could you take me to their house? I'd like to understand their situation firsthand."

"Sure, I'll take you. Wang Shiyuan might be in the fields right now, so there might be no one home."

"Let's go see first," Du Heng said.