Chapter 57 Why Can't the Disabled Buy It?

These people have no idea how hard my fist is; I can break a stack of fifteen bricks in a single blow—the calluses on my knuckles were not built in a day.

The men always darted their eyes away, glancing at me sideways like thieves.

People are born to be looked at, and sometimes I would even holler loudly, terrified that others wouldn't notice me, parading myself everywhere.

The Madam paid for the items and led me along the way. Many gazes stared at us, but I pretended not to see them.

Passing to the opposite side, above a six-meter-wide doorway, a few large red characters read: "Farmers' Market."

A wave of commotion drifted closer; pedestrians came and went, and vegetables were sold everywhere.

Someone was wielding a large cleaver, chopping with loud thuds; rows of chopping blocks rested on meter-high long tables, displaying all kinds of meat...

The pork butcher had hot sweat beading on his head; the echoing sounds came from right here.

There were many people buying groceries in the morning; since it was Saturday and there was no school, students could be seen everywhere...

Just at that moment, a sweet song played out. I picked up the mobile phone hanging by a strap around my neck, glanced at it, recognized who the caller was, tapped the screen, and held it to my ear: "Hello?"

A familiar voice immediately came through: "Do you still remember me?"

"Remember, remember; aren't you the woman whose money was snatched?"

"Yes; today is Saturday, do you have time to come over to my place and hang out?"

"Probably can't; I have a mountain of chores at home; right now I'm at the farmers' market buying groceries with my mother."

"If you can't come, then forget it! I'm so lonely by myself! We've known each other for so long, we could grab something we like to eat together along the way; I even have a gift for you!"

"Thanks! Let's get in touch another time when I'm free!"

The person on the other end hung up first; I left the phone hanging on my chest. The Madam had walked ahead and was still discussing business with someone. I immediately walked over. Before I could speak, she asked first, "Who was that calling?"

I couldn't keep anything from the Madam and recounted what had happened. The Madam, however, had her own thoughts: "What's done is done; stay out of it next time! What is a party involved? It's a role within the unfolding of events; if you participate, you become a party involved. Why can't a disability be bought? Because no one is foolish enough to buy a disability and turn themselves into a burden."

"What does selling a disability mean?"

"If those disabled people stay at home, who is going to give them a single penny? Therefore, they have to push themselves into the market; everything that comes into the market belongs to a commodity. If you feel pity for them and are moved by compassion, on the surface you are giving them a bit of sympathetic money; but in reality, you are buying their disability from them! Isn't this turning a good deed into a bad one? Those who get scammed often don't understand the meaning behind it; those who know turn a blind eye—that is the best way to protect yourself."

"Mom, I saw with my own eyes Jiang Meili give a disabled person ten yuan, and she even made her cry her eyes out!"

"What the disabled person is selling is precisely this money; do you understand?"

As we chatted while walking, the Madam knew the local situation like the back of her hand, and she had a specific price range in mind for whatever she wanted to buy...

Passing rows of neatly arranged vegetables, the vendors were very proactive. As soon as anyone approached, they pointed their fingers and asked passersby if they wanted any.

Being a newcomer, I stuck close to the Madam, looking around as we walked, and picked up some items she wanted me to carry...

To be honest, just looking at them killed my appetite; I needed sweet food, and I had no idea why the Madam was buying these things.

After walking a huge circle, we hadn't bought much, but I had gained a preliminary understanding of the farmers' market.

We walked along the path into the residential compound and arrived at the fourth-floor tin door. The Madam unlocked it with her sharp-toothed key; the sight inside was shocking!

Niu Zhenqing was still sleeping on the floor, rolling around incessantly and throwing tantrums like a child. In particular, the tin door bore numerous dented marks from being hammered, and a wooden mallet lay crookedly to one side.

I couldn't help shouting, "Dad, what on earth are you trying to do?"

Niu Zhenqing smiled foolishly: "Madam; Mom won't let me go out; so I had to smash the door, and when it wouldn't break, I just rolled around on the floor."

A look of disappointment crossed the Madam's face, and she gave Niu Zhenqing a couple of tugs. Seeing that he stubbornly refused to get up, she simply left him be.

Upon entering the living room, the glass on the left window was shattered, with fragments scattered all over the floor; the sofa cushions were piled in a messy heap near the door; and the garbage that had taken so much effort to pack into plastic bags had been rummaged through and thrown out onto the living room floor. The larger bedroom was in an even greater state of utter wreckage...

The Madam held me tightly in her arms and wept softly: "Zhengtai, how are we going to live our lives from now on?"

It wasn't that I hadn't thought about it. He was Zhengtai's father; even if he had lost his mind, we couldn't just drive him away! Yet, rummaging through the house like this... I shuddered to think what other chaos he might cause in the future.

After crying for a while, the Madam still had to figure out a solution.

I took the newly bought groceries into the kitchen and tossed them into the refrigerator to be done with it.

The Madam grabbed a large stack of plastic bags and began stuffing the items from the floor into them.

Under her direction, I swept the shattered glass into a pile, putting the large pieces into plastic bags and the small ones into the trash can.

Niu Zhenqing came in, shouting frantically, "Madam, I'll help you." He squatted down and grabbed a large piece of glass with his bare hand, letting out an ouch of pain.

Seeing that his hand had been cut by the glass and was bleeding, I had no choice but to shout, "Mom, Dad's hand..."

Hearing the commotion, the Madam rushed over. Seeing Niu Zhenqing foolishly sucking the blood from his hand, she couldn't help roaring, "Can't you just sit quietly for a single moment? I don't have time for this!" The Madam grabbed him, wondering where to put him. If he went into the big bedroom, he would rummage through everything again, so someone had to keep their eyes on him at all times.

The trash filled several large plastic bags. As I lifted one containing glass, the bag tore, forcing me to find a disposable rice sack as a replacement...

The Madam had no alternative and had to keep her eyes glued to Niu Zhenqing every second. The task of taking out the trash fell back on me—so I lugged it down the stairs...

My mobile phone rang out with a captivating song. I casually took it from the strap hanging on my chest, glanced at it, placed it to my ear, and waited to speak.

A moment later, Wei Jinglan's voice came through: "Is that Zhengtai?"
Such a strange question to ask. Since it was my phone, who else could it be? Annoyed, I asked, "Do you need something?"

The caller responded without a trace of politeness: "You promised to teach me martial arts; today is Saturday, no school, and we have plenty of time."

The house was in a complete mess and couldn't let her see it; plus Niu Zhenqing was in that state and required constant supervision. I said, "You have time, but I don't!"

The phone hesitated for quite a while before her voice came through: "Then how about I go to your place? We can start learning a little bit, taking it slow."

I was utterly annoyed! I had no idea what her relationship with Jiang Meili was, but offending her wouldn't be good either, so I said, "My mom is home, it's not convenient for you to come."

For someone determined to learn kung fu, this excuse wasn't enough to stop her. After pondering for a moment, she changed her tune and replied: "How about this! You make time to come over to my place; we'll keep in touch by phone!"

This I could accept. I hummed indifferently and hung up the call. My mind raced with various thoughts, yet still I found no other way out...

I walked a distance and tossed the garbage into the large public dumpster, returning amid a reeking stench. A strange odor always clung to my body, so I stayed in the bathroom scrubbing for a long time before I felt slightly better.

The Madam had changed Niu Zhenqing into a clean set of casual clothes, and his soiled garments were whirling away with a humming sound in the washing machine... The Madam had business to attend to and had to go out. Before leaving, she instructed me: "Keep a close eye on Dad, and don't let him rummage through things..."

As soon as she stepped out of the living room door, Niu Zhenqing threw a fit. He chased after her, shouting, "Mom, I want to go too; don't leave me behind at home!"

The Madam stood by the open doorway to comfort him: "I'll be right back. Zhengtai is here, she will take care of you!"

Niu Zhenqing wore a foolish smile, clearly unwilling: "No, I don't want to stay with the Madam, she hits people."

The Madam couldn't reason with him and had no choice but to forcibly shut the door...

Like a child, Niu Zhenqing started jumping up and down, ignoring the clothes he had just put on, rolling around on the floor, and howling continuously...