Chapter 37: Impotence

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Impotence

"Plus, I get a daughter out of it for nothing." Zhang Ci Hao paused, his voice heavy with grief. "Mom, the doctors in town said I’ll never be able to have children of my own."

"...What did you say?" The moment the village chief’s wife heard this, her ears began to ring violently, and her legs gave out. She tried to walk toward her son, but stumbled.

"Show me your medical records. No, wait, that won’t do. We’re going to the clinic to get you checked right now." She grabbed her son’s arm, ready to drag him out the door.

Zhang Ci Hao didn’t move. Instead, he led his mother to a chair and gently pushed her down into it. He was being willful this time, but he had no regrets.

"I found out a while ago. It was when I broke my left arm jumping over a wall. I was worried I might have hurt something else, and since I had some extra cash, I decided to get a full-body checkup. That’s when I found out. I tore up the medical record right after walking out of the ward."

Zhang Ci Hao turned his head away. Before his mother could point out any inconsistencies, he flushed bright red and continued, "If you don’t believe me, I’ll go to town and do it again. I just won’t tear up the record this time. But I don’t want to get checked at the village clinic. What if the doctor lets it slip?"

Seeing her youngest son’s hesitant and awkward demeanor, the village chief’s wife felt her heart sink. She closed her eyes in profound grief, recalling how difficult his birth had been. She was already an older mother by then and had been in labor all night. It wasn’t until she gave the newborn several slaps on the bottom that he finally let out a weak cry.

Her two older boys had stayed up all night in the courtyard with their father, watching basin after basin of bloody water being carried out as they helped boil water and fetch supplies. While the village chief took care of his wife during her postpartum confinement, the two boys had taken on the responsibility of looking after their drastically different younger brother.

He had been frail and sickly from birth. When he was little, even the midday sun would cause him to break out in a red rash. Fortunately, he loved running and jumping around, and with more physical activity, his health had improved somewhat. Even so, the village chief and his wife had never dared to overwork him, nor did they ever push him to work in the fields.

Because of this, they spoiled their youngest son rotten. Watching him grow up to look no different from the other men—only slightly fairer and thinner due to years of idleness, making him look exactly like a cultured and energetic young man from the city—they had finally breathed a sigh of relief. Little did they expect that his physical shortcomings would manifest in that particular area...

"So... so that’s where the problem is. It’s my fault. I’ve failed you," the village chief’s wife sobbed, tears rolling down her face.

Zhang Ci Hao never expected his mother to believe him so easily, nor did he anticipate such a strong reaction. No one had ever told him the circumstances of his birth. All these years, he assumed he was just naturally lazy and lacked exercise, which explained his sickly childhood.

He sprang up instantly, grabbed a handkerchief, and began wiping his mother’s tears. "Don’t be sad, Mom. It’s not a big deal," he comforted her. "I couldn’t accept it at first either. But then I thought about it—my eldest and second brothers are so healthy, they practically radiate fertility. If worst comes to worst, I can just adopt one of theirs.

"If I end up with Comrade Deng Yuyuan, I won’t even need to adopt. Tuantuan can look after me in my old age. We can bring in a live-in son-in-law. If not, we can always hire a nanny, or at the very least, I’ll have company in a nursing home."

The village chief’s wife shot him a glare and waved him off. "Spare me your nonsense for now. I’m in no mood to deal with your budding romance. Let me just process your illness alone for a minute."

"Got it." Zhang Ci Hao prepared to take his leave.

"Wait," she stopped him. "Go to a different hospital and get a second opinion. There’s always a chance of a misdiagnosis. I need to see medical records from at least two hospitals before I fully believe you. Also, from what I can tell, Deng Yuyuan doesn’t seem to have any feelings for you—at least not right now. Don’t go running your mouth out there. If I hear any rumors about her, I’ll have your father deal with you on charges of hooliganism."

The threat of "hooliganism" had a history. When the higher-ups first notified the village about the arrival of the educated youth, the village chief convened a general assembly. He mandated that the local men keep their distance from the female youth. Aside from necessary communication for work or announcements, no harassment of any kind would be tolerated. If caught, even for verbal teasing or casual obscenities, the offender would be reported for hooliganism.

If a man of a similar age pursued a female youth using normal, appropriate methods, it was allowed. Furthermore, boys under the age of ten could hold hands, hug, and chat with the female youth, provided they had their consent.

Thanks to the village chief’s strict enforcement, Dazhang Village boasted the best moral climate in the area, allowing the female youth to live there with peace of mind.

Over the next few days, Zhang Ci Hao quickly used his connections to procure the required medical certificates.

After reviewing them, the village chief and his wife were left utterly devastated. They silently burned the records.

"Since you want to be with Deng Yuyuan, we’ll keep this from your brothers for now," his mother said. "I’ll find time to feel her out. If she’s planning to remarry just to have a son, then you’d better give up."

Zhang Ci Hao didn’t take kindly to that. "Mom, listen to yourself. How many times have you said that? Telling me to ’give up’ every day is bad luck."

His mother laughed in exasperation. "If Zhang Jiahua wasn’t such a capable, good-natured fool with no sense, you’d never stand a chance anyway. You need to hurry up and find an honest living. I know you’ve got ways to make money in town, but I bet it’s only a step above petty theft. Behave yourself these next few days, and I’ll see if your father can arrange a cushy job for you."

She didn’t know exactly what her youngest son did in town. But considering that his splurging mostly consisted of handing out candy, and he only bought expensive items once every six months to a year, she figured his gig couldn’t be all that lucrative. Even if it was illicit, the sums involved were small enough that he wouldn’t face much jail time.

Oblivious to the fact that his mother had completely underestimated him, Zhang Ci Hao gave an obedient nod.

From that day on, Deng Yuyuan woke up early every morning to warm up before heading up the mountain to forage and hunt. She also made a trip to town every other day. The others at the Knowledge Youth Institute found it odd. Her complexion grew rosier by the day, yet her skin didn’t darken in the slightest—it merely turned a bit red from the sun. She borrowed some aloe vera from the villagers, applied it to her face at night, and the redness vanished by the next morning. (Author’s Note: Aloe vera has soothing properties, but given modern skincare advancements, applying raw plants directly to the face is not recommended.)

The village chief’s wife began visiting frequently, bringing Fubao and her brothers along. This saved Deng Yuyuan the trouble of babysitting, allowing her to spend even more time deep in the untamed wilderness.

Little did she know, the village chief’s wife was starting to question her own sanity. Why could she never seem to catch a glimpse of the woman?

At first, the village chief’s wife had strictly guarded against Zhang Ci Hao visiting the Knowledge Youth Institute. But now, it didn’t even matter. Since Deng Yuyuan was rarely around anyway, if he wanted to come and babysit, he might as well.

Even though Deng Yuyuan had taken a hands-off approach to parenting lately, Tuantuan still adored her the most. The moment her mother appeared, she would instantly abandon whoever was holding her, her eyes fixated entirely on Deng Yuyuan as she reached out her little arms for a hug.

Onlookers watched with burning envy; having a daughter like that was truly a blessing.

Soon enough, Granny Zhang was released from prison.