PNB Chapter 226 Real Five-Year Guarantee Households, and Fake Five-Year Guarantee Households
Chapter 226 Real Five-Year Guarantee Households, and Fake Five-Year Guarantee Households
Several men dragged a 700-pound wild boar, and the smell of the chopped-up boar wafted far and wide, attracting all the wild animals in the vicinity.
Li Guaizi was still somewhat resentful, thinking that all the prey he had set traps for in the past month had disappeared, and he felt a nameless anger rising in his heart. He asked Li Ju'an if he wanted to buy a jumping cat.
"Xiao Li, I'll stay here for a while. You keep this jumping cat, and I'll give you two yuan and forty cents later."
The jumping cat weighs about six pounds and can be sold for less than two yuan and twenty cents after the New Year. He calculated that he even overpaid.
Li Ju'an waved his hand and said, "Brother Li, take it if you want. Don't worry about these trivial things. You don't treat me like one of your own."
When Li Guaizi visited during the last New Year, he brought so much meat that I hadn't finished eating. I buried it under the snow in the yard, so how could I possibly accept money from Li Guaizi?
Li Guaizi didn't say anything more. He carried the flea, its neck snapped in the trap, and the trap itself towards the gentle slope of the hill. He suspected it was stolen by hunters from Eagle Village, but he had no proof. If he could catch a hunting falcon on the spot, he would definitely confront Zhao Pao of Eagle Village face to face.
Uncle Chen and his family, beaming with smiles, followed Li Ju'an down the mountain. The dog sled, laden with a heavy load of wild boar meat, brought the Chen family of Xiaoling Village to their happiest. The troubles that had been troubling them for the past few days were finally resolved.
Uncle Chen chatted and laughed all the way, saying, "Li Pao Tou'er, you're young, but your marksmanship is excellent. You have no idea how much I suffered trying to kill this beast."
The Chen family all burst into laughter. Chen's nephew, who was about the same age as Li Ju'an, had no self-control and would blurt out whatever came to mind.
"Last time, Uncle Chen led his hunting dogs and formed a team to hunt this big wild boar. As a result, they were chased for two miles and three of his hunting dogs were killed. The hunting dog that was most seriously injured had its intestines ripped out by the wild boar's tusks. It was a terrible sight."
They hadn't seen Uncle Chen for several days, and heard that he had caught a cold and was hiding at home, refusing to come out. In the end, it was his eldest nephew who went to find Uncle Chen. As soon as he entered the door, he saw that Uncle Chen's face was covered with scratches and bloodstains. Several bloody marks looked like they had been scratched by tangled tree branches.
The eldest nephew asked him what happened. Uncle Chen covered his face and stammered that he had run into a ditch in the mountains, tripped, and fallen into the bushes, scraping his face. As a result, his wife came out of the house and started yelling at him, making him too scared to utter a sound. The eldest nephew was completely confused, and then he realized that Uncle Chen hadn't killed the wild boar and had brought back three injured dogs.
His wife felt sorry for the dog she had raised since it was a puppy, and the couple were fighting.
The eldest nephew chuckled and said, "After Auntie beat him like that, Uncle was really angry. If he didn't kill the wild boar, the whole village would laugh at him for a whole year. He would lose face. Uncle went out with his head down for the next few days. All the aunties and sisters-in-law in the village saw how embarrassed he looked and they were all secretly laughing at him."
Uncle Chen, feeling embarrassed by what he'd been told, tried to salvage the situation by saying, "Your aunt is reasonable. She knows what's important. She should treat the dog's illness first, and only start arguing with us after she's cured. Doesn't that make sense?"
Several people couldn't stand it anymore. Uncle Chen really had a good attitude. The fact that his wife's fight was being publicized didn't make him angry. Instead, he kept praising his wife. He even knew how to prioritize things and dealt with the dog first.
The people around him burst into laughter. What do you call this? Uncle Chen looks serious and unapproachable, but he's actually henpecked and very concerned about his image.
Li Ju'an and the Lu brothers were laughing so hard that the Chen family shook their heads: "That's just how he is!"
Further ahead lies Xiaoling Village. Li Ju'an stood on the ridge, gazing at Xiaoling Village. This village was large, and in the past it was adjacent to the production brigade, but it had a large number of impoverished households, as well as many people receiving the five guarantees (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans).
The "Five Guarantees" system refers to the system for elderly people, disabled people, and minors in rural areas who have no ability to work and no source of income. In the past, many young people in Xiaoling Village chose to join the army. After their deaths, their elderly parents, orphaned and without children or spouses, lived lonely and destitute lives, becoming recipients of the "Five Guarantees" in their old age. The system guarantees food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and burial.
Over a decade ago in rural areas, people looked down on those receiving the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans). When villagers talked about someone who was on the program, they would do so with disdain. Back then, the "Five Guarantees" had a low social status and suffered hardships. Later, as policies improved, their benefits and living conditions improved. Those once looked down upon became the envy of the villagers.
Uncle Chen mentioned that his great-aunt was a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans). She lost her husband early in life, and later her three sons died on the battlefield. She had no children or spouse and lived a lonely life, relying entirely on the support of her relatives.
Now, Grandma Chen has no worries about food and clothing. With her rural five-guarantee support certificate, she has free medical insurance, and can be hospitalized for free when she gets sick. She doesn't do much work, just wanders around and plays. She chats with the young wives in the village and lives a very comfortable and carefree life.
Li Ju'an nodded and said, "Your village has quite a few people receiving the five guarantees, while we in our family village don't have many."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiqiang said, "Why isn't anyone there? Isn't Uncle Dong from the Li family one?"
Lu Jinyang was also surprised, as he had never heard of it before. He asked, "Uncle Dong is only in his forties, how could he be eligible for the Five Guarantees?"
"Ah, that's for sure. Uncle Dong receives a government subsidy every month, and he plays cards with Dad every day. When we went to repair the yard, Dad asked him to help out, but he kept saying he was too busy. He had time to play cards, though. Can't you believe it?"
Li Dong is from Jiaxing Village and is only in his forties. He managed to get a spot as a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans). What surprised the villagers was that he has both sons and daughters, so how did he manage to be selected?
Li Dong has two daughters and a son. He beat his wife years ago, and she ran away to her parents' home and never came back. Moreover, he is very lazy; he doesn't farm, doesn't go out to earn money, and doesn't hunt. Life is very difficult, and he also has an elderly father to support.
No one knows how he got the "Five Guarantees" status. He keeps a low profile and receives his monthly government subsidy. He doesn't do odd jobs in the summer because it's too hot, and he doesn't want to do them in the winter because it's too cold. If his fellow villagers need help with anything, like slaughtering pigs or sheep or building houses, he doesn't offer any assistance. If anyone asks him about it, he'll just say, "This is called earning a living through one's own abilities. If you're so capable, why don't you get a 'Five Guarantees' status yourself?"
Isn't it infuriating? Lu Zhiqiang spoke through gritted teeth, yet there was a hint of envy in his eyes.
Those who are truly recipients of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans) have a much better material life than before, but their lives are incredibly lonely; they don't even have anyone to talk to. There are quite a few people like Li Dong in the Xing'an Mountains who somehow managed to get the "Five Guarantees" designation and live very comfortably.
Lu Zhiqiang suddenly realized that his father had been out playing cards for the past few days and hadn't seen Li Dong in the snow shed for several days. He wondered what the guy was up to. There were three children in the family, and he was never serious.
Suddenly, Lu Zhiqiang's eyes widened, and he said, "Could it be that this idle person stole our clips?"