In early April 2018, a large crowd gathered outside the intensive care unit of the hospital, crying and Shouting to patients to “be sensible” so they could make a final decision for their families — “Obviously, you know what makes the most sense.”
Lying inside was Chen Yueh-ngo, 39. I don’t know if she can hear, but I know that everyone out there, except the doctor, is the only one who wants her to wake up.
I want her to wake up, pay off her debts, wait for her older son to settle down, wait for her younger son to get his passing grades, and have all three of her men standing in front of her, protecting her…
1
Chen Yueh – ngo and I got to know each other through debt.
In 2016, when the Spring Festival was approaching, a relative came to me and told me that Chen Yuehu owed her 5,000 yuan and asked me to go with her to collect the debt. Only when we arrived did we find that there were quite a few people outside Chen Yueh-ngo’s house, all demanding debts. There was no way to get in the doorway. People were swearing that they were going to give up the house. Someone had moved a 30-inch TV to their side, which seemed to be the only thing in the room that could be exchanged for money.
Sitting in the middle of the room, with her hair dishevelled, She was sewing her own cotton shoes — such shoes would only cost 30 yuan to buy a new pair at the market — and facing the public’s outcry, she did not look up but said in tears: “What did you make me do with the money he borrowed?”
Once in a while someone stepped forward and kicked her to the ground. She did not get angry, but got up and continued to sit on her stool. The relative of the same party couldn’t stand it, let everyone collect the debt, don’t hit the person, everyone shouted: “whose money is not the wind blew, his husband that year to lend us money, said to interest, the person ran away, hide not to see, not to find her to find who?”
Seeing that it was us, Chen Yuee quickly stood up and took out a wok of change from her pocket and put it into the hands of her relatives. “Sister Hua, I borrowed the 5,000 from you for my son’s treatment. No matter how hard and tired I am, I will pay it back. Only this year to feed the three pigs were also dragged away, chicken and duck are all gone, there is no money. After the New Year, I will go out to work and pay you back as soon as I get paid. As for the others’ money, I haven’t taken it from me, and since I’ve come, I’ll admit it and let you beat me up…”
The man nearest To Chen yueh – ngo slapped her across the face, grabbed a cup and threw it on the floor, swearing and walked away. Chen Yuee covered her face and apologized repeatedly. Several people beside her did not start, sighed and went out of the door. The remaining three or four were still deadlocked, and let Chen Yuee must give an explanation.
At this time, out of the bedroom rushed a tall boy, about 1.8 meters, holding a mobile phone in his hand, is playing a game, the voice is still a little childish, Shouting at the crowd: “Are you still finished? Chattering affects my playing games and causes me to lose several!”
It was Chen Yue-‘e’s youngest son, 14, a smartly dressed 14-year-old with a pair of Nikes that sell for 800 or 800 at a specialty store, and clothes that look just as good. Standing here, she felt as if she had come from the city to experience life.
Chen Yuee a panic, hurriedly pushed his son back to the room, turned and knelt down, “Children don’t understand, you don’t mind, I now go to make tea, you sit for a while calm down.
Several people looked at each other, lost their temper, and finally left one after another. Only me and my relatives were left there. The reason we didn’t hurry was that we were afraid something might happen to her, and that our relatives had a few words to say to her.
The house around the moment quiet, the distance occasionally heard a few firecrackers, but more desolate inside.
The ground was littered with glass, millet, POTS and pans, and everything was in a mess. Chen Yue-‘e was cleaning up with a broom and said she wanted to stay for dinner.
“Forget eating. You’re a mess. This is a lawyer, and I’m going to see if you want a divorce. Think of your own way out.” After the relatives said so, Chen Yue-‘e’s little son ran out again, staring at us and saying, “Why don’t you two leave? ! It’s noisy.”
“You were sick,” she said, pretending to be angry. “They were the only ones who lent you money. They saved your life.”
“It wasn’t me who borrowed the money from them. It was the doctor who saved me. The doctor took the money.”
Chen Yueh-ngo went over again to coax, “How to talk, like what…… Why don’t you go in first and I’ll buy you a good pair of headphones in a few days.” And then turned to us slightly apologetically, “The child is still young, not sensible, you don’t care.”
The relative shook his head and gave her my cell phone number before leaving, saying that if she wanted to leave the house, we could help.
2
Chen didn’t call me until April 2017. It was a relative who led her to me.
Chen Yuee went to the city to work. At first, she did some small work on the construction site, but her little son went to school and needed to pay for the living expenses every month. The money on the construction site was usually paid at the end of the year.
My relatives asked me if I knew anyone in the factory and said something nice for Chen Yue-e, saying that her hands did not peel at ordinary times and that she had been allergic to something she should not have touched.
I said just wait until you’re ready, because there’s a lot of hiring out there. But the relatives sternly scolded me, “you have suffered, but now good, just a word to dismiss people, people are desperate to find you, a day earlier good day…”
Chen Yue-e was at a loss what to do. “I don’t care about myself, but I’m afraid I can’t feel sorry for my son. He is a man of honor and won’t go to school as long as he can’t get any money.
I have nothing to say.
I had a college classmate who worked as a legal clerk at the company, but I didn’t have much contact with him before, so I had to call him. Things went well, and Chen Yueh – ngo started her job that day.
More than a month later, Chen Yue-‘e called me and asked me to have dinner with her relatives. She said that she had paid her relatives 4,000 yuan and planned to pay them 2,000 yuan in advance. I’m not 40 yet, and I can save up for my older son and start a family, and my younger son wants to go to college. I have the energy. There is still something to look forward to, and you must come.”
Chen Yueh – ngo’s laughter came over the phone. It sounded like she was really happy. Even I was infected by her.
However, when My relatives and I came to Chen Yue-e’s rented house with fruit, she was sitting with disheveled hair on the ground. The folding table was broken in two, and the ground was littered with porcelain tiles and soup.
Her little son was still lying on the bed playing games. When she saw us coming, Chen Yue-e picked herself up with difficulty on her waist and peered to the ground. “You can laugh at me, or I’ll go out and buy some pickled vegetables if you wait a minute.”
The relative stopped her and asked what was the matter. Seeing that she did not speak, she turned to her son, who rolled over and answered angrily, “Ask me, who shall I ask? I also did not eat, who let her take money so seriously, is really enough funny, also blame me.”
When the relative saw that he was becoming more and more insignificant, she patted the edge of the bed and swore outrageously. Chen yue-e hurried up to the relative again, saying that her husband had just come and robbed her of her bank card and forced her to tell him the password. “It’s not his business. My son is still very sensible, just fun.”
Chen yuet-ngo’s husband used to earn a little money a year from his small shop on a construction site, but has become increasingly unreliable since he joined several bosses in the project. Chen Yue-e took care of her mother-in-law in her 80s at home, so she couldn’t go out. Her little son followed his father and often had a full meal.
“Said, she squatted down to pick up scattered egg dumplings on the ground, put it in her mouth to blow, and the outside of the egg skin peeled off:” I heard that the little lawyer like to eat egg dumplings, think he is also disgusting outside, do a big bowl, think back to you take some back, did not expect stained with ash. I had a hard time when I was a child, so I tried everything to make my child better.”
Hearing this, Chen Yue-e, a relative who is already a mother, turned to her younger son and said, “You see how hard your mother is and how good she is to you. Your father beats your mother and you just watch while not knowing how to protect her.”
The younger son looked up at us sideways. “It’s not the first time. She’s been beaten as long as I can remember. Can not go on divorce ah, why!”
3
Chen Yueh – ngo came to my house almost once a week after a relative knew my house was in a mess and asked her to help. Sometimes it was to help me clean up, sometimes it was to make soup, but I could not stop it, always saying that she would help even if her relatives did not tell her, “Poor child without parents around, you should not eat takeout often.”
I insisted on giving Chen Yueh-ngo an hourly fee, but she refused to pay me anything. A few times in succession, I was angry to let her not to come again, to the weekend also specially called an aunt of the domestic service company to come, that day, she stood awkwardly at the door for a long time.
After the housekeeper left, she said, “Why don’t you do something for me too… My son is going to take his senior high school exams. It’s a pivotal moment in his life. There are always parent-teacher meetings at school, and he wouldn’t let me go. Of course, his main concern is that I am busy at work, not asking for leave, will go absent-minded, just want to ask, can you go for me, so good?”
I asked her to go with me and told her son I could drive him to school, but his mother had to go, too.
I clearly remember when the teacher told me that Chen Yue-‘e’s son was still smart and learned quickly, that he was introverted and had no concentration. After the meeting, she said to me, “There is still hope for my son. He is not too far from passing grades. It is good that he can give up playing games.
She’s always looking on the bright side of things.
Some days later, When I was coming home from work, I saw a man pushing her in front of the factory. Chen Yueh – ngo begged him: “you give me some face, this is the door of the company, and colleagues…”
I pulled over and asked Chen Yueh – ngo what was wrong. Her husband seemed to know me, and did not speak, but stood by. Chen Yue-‘e pointed to me and said to her husband, “This is sister Hua’s relative, a lawyer.”
Chen Yue-e’s husband handed over a cigarette, “What a broken factory! The wages are not paid on time. The unscrupulous capitalists know how to squeeze the labor of the workers, which has no guarantee at all.
I asked Chen Yueh-ngo in front of the man whether she wanted to apply for a new bank card. I could take her there. Her husband was worried, but he did not dare to lose his temper with me. He ran to the gate of the factory and shouted, “It is getting dark. This factory is not paying my wife’s salary. This is to force my wife Chen Yueh – ngo to go out and steal –“
Before the security guard could come, Chen Yue-‘e ran over and grabbed him. “Please save face for me, save face for my two sons, one is still in school and the other is not married yet. Will they be able to hold up their heads in the future if you do this?”
The man kicked Chen Yuee’s knee on, “you dare to change bank card, I let you lose face this pick up can’t afford!” Say that and walk away.
When I asked Chen if she was calling the police immediately, she waved her hand and asked me to help her to sit on the stone bench.
“Good thing he didn’t hit hard… What if he kicks his kneecap to pieces? It’s not that I don’t want to divorce him. I don’t know how long it will take to litigate at this point. It’s not good for the kids.” Chen Yueh – ngo struggled with the pain.
I said that’s not to let his family abuse. Chen Yueh – ngo rubbed her knees, looked up at the lamp and said: “Being beaten is the easiest thing in my life. I’ve been doing this my whole life. If I get A few beatings, I’ll get better. He doesn’t owe me that much, and my son gets more As.”
She suddenly smiled, “Don’t you know that once I was thrown out by him in the evening. I was afraid of sleeping outside. I was afraid of bad guys robbing me and other things, so I squatted on the roadside all the time, looking at the plants along the street, you know? I actually saw the appearance of the flowers, like a beauty in the dance, twist the body, suddenly darted in front of you, so beautiful. When the time comes, our family will get up. As long as I get through these years, everything will be different.”
The last 48 hours as wife and mother
I could not say much more. I had offended her husband this time, and thought that if he had not feared my relatives, I should have been beaten.
4
Chen Yueh – ngo was always saying that when she got rich she would treat me and my relatives to a big dinner. When she mentioned it again, it happened to be a relative’s birthday, so she asked me to take Chen Yue-‘e with me to her home, saying that it was all the same to whomever was invited, as long as anyone arrived.
Chen Yue-‘e insisted on buying a gift for her relatives. I said that the relatives had promised to treat her, but whoever wanted to buy a gift for her would not let her go, so I gave up.
On the way there, she saw a chain of civilian clothing stores offering discounts. She wanted to go in, but hesitated for a moment and said, “This kind of famous brand clothes is comfortable to wear, but I didn’t expect to have a big sale. When I have money, I will buy a bag.”
In the car, Chen’s phone rings nonstop. When she gets through, she says over and over, “My son didn’t borrow any money, you fraudsters.”
When I got to my relatives’ house, her phone was still ringing, so many of them pointed to me and said, “Why don’t you let him answer it, see what the other party says and then harass me? I’ll leave it to him to deal with it.”
Chen yue-ngo’s eldest son borrowed 2,000 yuan from an online loan platform, which was overdue. His mobile phone was also unreachable, so they could only find his mother through her address book to ask for repayment. The other side said that they could issue the loan voucher, if necessary, they could send a copy, the money is not much, there is no need to fake.
After hanging up the phone, I told Chen that the debt should be real and that the other party knew the id number of his eldest son and could show his phone address book, including the electronic iOU, which did not sound like a fraud. She banged the table and stood up, Shouting: “My son is definitely not like that. I bought him a mobile phone.”
Chen yue-‘e’s aggressive behavior startled everyone present. Relatives rushed to comfort her, and then called her eldest son’s new number with her cell phone to ask if he had borrowed any money. After being denied, relatives asked him to add me WeChat, said I was a lawyer.
I didn’t see a friend request on WeChat until after dinner. Chen yueh said that she had communicated with her eldest son when she went to the bathroom, and that it was someone else who used his identity to do a small loan, so she asked me to add his eldest son WeChat. “he said yes, but you didn’t respond, maybe the signal was bad or the phone was poisoned.”
I added her son WeChat in front of Chen yueh – ngo, but there was still no reply.
After all the guests had gone, I asked Chen Yueh-ngo if she wanted to go back. She suddenly dropped to her knees and startled me. “I have no conscience and shouldn’t be angry with you, but if I don’t do that, my son’s reputation will be ruined, and there will be no matchmaker for him… He’s in his early 20s, and that’s when I had to bite the hand that fed him.”
Ms. Chen said she was well aware that her eldest son, who had worked outside the home for a year, had not sent a penny and was still asking her for thousands of yuan for various reasons. This time her eldest son said he would come back and asked her to transfer 500 yuan for his journey.
I did not go to help her, thinking of the three men in her home, not a fuel saving lamp, the future of the restless life of the endless.
My relatives seemed to see that I was disheartened, and after picking up Chen Yueh, they pulled me into the room. “Even if you are disappointed again, you still have to help her for me at the critical moment. She is a good woman, when we went to the south to work, only 15 years old, life depends on her care…”
On the way back, Chen Yue-‘e kept talking in the car, saying that she could be a cow or a horse herself, but she did not want her child to suffer the same pain again. Chen Yue-‘e’s mother was disabled, and her father took care of the family by himself. He was very angry at Chen Yue-‘e at home. When I was a child, I had to walk for more than 2 hours on the mountain road to go to school. I also had to herd the cattle first, and then I drove to school. It was noon. Every time he said he wanted to read, he was beaten and dropped out of primary school after finishing reading. “When I was a child, I used to do laundry and cook, cut firewood and graze cows. When I came back, I still had no food to eat and sometimes I was beaten. Adults didn’t treat me like a human being.
After working for a few years, Chen yue-e went home for a blind date. When the matchmaker told her the location of the man’s home, Chen yue-e was moved — she thought the man’s home was close to the school, so children should not have to walk so far to go to school in the future — that was the reason why she married the man.
It was said that Chen Yueh-ngo’s husband had been spoilt by her and had not been so unreliable before. Since Chen Yuee got married, she had to do all the work, eat and cook, take two bowls of pickles off one dish, and carry a load of 100 jin on her shoulders. The man kept all the delicious and easy to use, and never asked about his life outside. As time passed, the man did not take Chen Yuee seriously.
“I have counted my fortune, and the fortune-teller says I am blessed, that I shall not be beaten again after forty, and that I shall make a little fortune. And that my children and grandchildren will have their own grandchildren, and that this house, which I have been protecting so desperately, will surely prosper.”
At the door of the rental room, she insisted on asking me to go in and have a cup of tea, saying that she had brought some fried tea from her hometown, and that if she didn’t finish her remarks today, she would not be able to face me in the future. “In fact, there is really no one to talk to me.”
The broken folding table was mended by Chen Yueh-ngo and was leaning against the corner. She wants to wash an apple for me, pick one up and put it down, pick one up and put it down, all bad. To ease the embarrassment, she quickly poured me a cup of tea, saying that she did not really like tea. “I want to try the taste of the milk tea that young girls like to drink, why they are so obsessed with it, I heard it is still a little expensive.”
I decided to do one last thing for Chen Yuet-ngo after listening to her for a long time, even if the sky were falling down. Of course, I had said this many times since I became a lawyer, but I still softened up.
I drew up a divorce agreement, called my legal classmate, asked her to speak to Chen’s supervisor, and asked him to find a way to arrange a new dormitory for her in the company and get a new pay card.
A few days later, my classmate replied that Chen Yuee did not want to move to the company dormitory, saying that she did not want her son to come back at the weekend and had no place to go. She also wanted to improve her son’s food. As to pay card, say dare not change.
I felt I had done all I could, and Chen Yueh-ngo never came to me again. I thought of her once in a while and hesitated to call her to see how she was doing, but finally held back.
5
On the morning of April 2, 2018, I received a strange phone call from a man who claimed to be Chen Yueh ‘e’s husband. I hung up immediately. After a while, a relative called again, saying that Chen Yueh-ngo had suddenly fallen down at work and had been sent to the hospital.
When I went to the hospital, I found Chen Yue-‘e’s husband arguing with someone at the door of the emergency room, with relatives in the middle of the room. After looking at them for a while, I realized that they were all Chen Yue-‘e’s colleagues, who were held by her husband to pay for the treatment. Seeing me coming, Chen Yueh-ngo’s husband quickly pointed to me and said, “This is my wife’s lawyer.”
One of the leader-looking men gave me his phone number and said it would be nice to have someone who understood. “We don’t want to talk to that kind of person,” he said.
After they left, I asked Chen’s husband to hand me a power of attorney. Answered, I have never look into the pocket, see a different doctor hurriedly walked into the door, after several hours, until someone out, relatives stopped a asked the doctor, the doctor said cerebrovascular ruptured, and the situation is very serious, want to see her accident, “the key is these two days, through, can pick up back to a life, as to what state is hard to say, likely to be in a vegetative state, may be paralyzed, families to prepare.”
I could not see that Chen Yue-‘e’s husband was at all worried. Instead, he was swearing and saying, “These coward doctors don’t speak words. They are equivalent.
The relative redden his eyes. “What do you pretend? Now that I know she’s your woman, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
Looking at this scene, I was a little tired, said anyway to keep there is no use, so I went back first, if there is any news to tell me.
Chen Yuee’s husband saw me down the stairs. When the car opened, he knocked on my window. “Please don’t turn off your phone. There’s nothing I can do for my wife…”
Early the next morning, I received a phone call from Her husband, who asked, “How much do you charge for an hour? Just ask if you will come.”
“I said angrily:” That at least 1000 yuan.
“1000 yuan is not expensive, you come to see my wife, her situation is a little complicated.”
I thought this man had finally found his conscience when his wife was dying. On the way, I heard from relatives that this man had not slept a wink a night or a day. Money is angry words, almost the past 24 hours, I was going to see.
Chen Yuet-ngo had been transferred from the emergency room to the intensive care unit. I thought things were getting better, but I was still glad to see Chen Yuet-ngo’s husband kept looking at his watch. I joked, “Now That I know she is important, I hope she wakes up soon.
Chen Yueh-‘e’s husband looked left and right, looked at his relatives and stopped. As he walked back and forth in the corridor, he suddenly whispered to me, “Did my wife get injured in the work? You know how things are at home. No savings.”
I say calculate calculate inductrial injury, score circumstance, if be the disease that has nothing to do with the job causes death also not certain, “now somebody else company pays medical expenses actively, and general big company bought insurance, this don’t need to worry about.
“” bylaw of inductrial injury insurance” the 15th regulation is true, hear to be in working hours and working post, sudden disease dies or be inside 48 hours classics rescue is invalid dead, can be affirmatory inductrial injury, right?” Chen Yueh – ngo’s husband opened his palm and read the words.
I ignored him and just stared at the icu.
6
Twenty-four hours passed before the show began.
Chen Yue-‘e’s husband suddenly sat down on the aisle, sniffling and crying, and said, “Don’t blame me. It’s only two days. In the first 24 hours, I have been watching you with all my heart. The next 24 hours you want to be sensible, you did not wake up in the first 24 hours, it seems that you do not want to suffer this suffering, you don’t worry, go where you want to go…”
When a passing nurse heard this, she took off her mask, and tears welled up in her eyes. When a relative slapped him in the face, he continued to cry, “There is no way the world could misunderstand me. In the end, neither my parents nor my children are reliable. In the end, it is the couple who love each other most.
In the past, I would have been furious, but when I saw a lot of things, I would not be surprised. I thought that I would not be angry with Chen Yueh-e. After so many years, she had seen many absurd things about this man, but she was still willing to believe in the future.
Soon, Chen’s two sons were also called to the hospital. The little boy still said nothing and said, “What’s wrong with her?” Then sit on the chair and play games. The eldest son, his hair greasy with dirt, turned his head to the window and said, “The other day he said he was going to transfer a thousand dollars to pay my debts, and he’s lying down on the day of payment.”
Furious, the relative slammed the door and said that if she stayed here, she, too, would have to go into ICU.
I stopped a passing doctor and asked if the ICU was soundproof. The doctor looked at me strangely and gave me no answer. Chen Yueh – ngo should have known how sad she must be when the three men of her family came crying in secret.
But once the fun starts, there’s no stopping it.
Chen Yue-e’s husband’s debt collection phone rang again, this time he was full of anger, “even this money means to urge me, maybe in a few days I will pay you hundreds more, I have a project here, I will pay the bill, you do not urge.
“You rest assured, I dare to open the mobile phone now, that my funds to account, I can not only pay back the money, but also investment.”
The eldest son’s eyes lit up when he heard his father’s words. “So mom left us a lot of money? As it is, we can only accept the reality. Dad, will you do for us what Mom did and not give away all the money? She said she was going to find me a date.”
In my opinion, After all, Chen Yue-e did not love her little son in vain — although she was still playing games, but at least she did not say anything hurtful, and at the end of a game, she would look at the ward.
As the hours ticked by, Chen’s husband fidgeted more and more, checking his phone and hanging around outside the doctor’s office. I had made up my mind to accompany Chen Yueh – ngo through the 48 hours, so I did not leave.
It was nearly 10 p.m., another 12 hours, and by 10 a.m. the next morning, Ms. Chen had survived 48 hours. Chen Yueh – ngo’s husband, who was getting more and more anxious, floated up to me again. “The family should be able to pull out the tube if they give up the treatment, right? The family has a little time to go in every day to see the sick. My wife must not suffer such a death sentence.”
I said that if a family member went in and pulled out the patient’s tube without any procedure, it might be suspected of a crime.
“What then? The doctor should be able to do that. I’ll ask again.” Just as he was going to the doctor’s office, Chen yue-ngo’s supervisor arrived with a file bag, saying that a colleague at the factory had donated 50,000 yuan to her. The supervisor did not want to give the money to Chen Yue-ngo’s husband, but said it was for her son. Before the words were finished, Chen Yue-e’s eldest son quickly stopped in front of me, “I am my mother’s son, you just give me the money, thank you, the good man will be rewarded.”
When Chen Yueh-ngo’s husband rushed over from the doctor’s office, swearing, I told him about the supervisor’s visit. He seized his eldest son. “When will it be your turn in the house? Give me the money. I want to turn the world over.”
Then he continued, “The doctor says they don’t pull out the tube. What the hell are we going to do? If not, who’s going to treat her?”
7
At dawn, Chen yue-‘e’s husband started playing mournful music on his cell phone. It was very quiet, but I could hear it.
I couldn’t resist, so I went up to him and said, “You’d better play ‘Good Day.’ Have pity on her.”
I do not know when I fell asleep leaning back in the chair, and when I was awakened by a noise, it was already after 8 o ‘clock. I saw Chen Yueh-ngo’s husband was sweating heavily, and I asked him what was wrong. “He said.” The doctor’s in. My wife’s reasonable…”
Finally, Chen did not survive for 48 hours, and doctors declared her “dead”. At this, Her husband turned his face to the wall and howled a few times.
Stunned, I hurried downstairs to look for the chain store, thinking that she would die without fulfilling her wish to “wear a designer label,” the only thing I could do, only to find that it would not open until 10 o ‘clock.
When I returned, Chen’s husband pulled me aside again. “It didn’t take more than 48 hours, either from the moment she fell to the ground or from the moment she entered the hospital. Surely this insurance company isn’t going to be a rascal?”
I said if they play rascal, you ask me to apply for arbitration, to Sue, to pay the line.
A few days later, a relative also advised me to go to help Chen Yuee’s husband to have a work injury ascertained that the money that should be taken back should be taken back. After all, Chen Yuee had gone away, which was a different matter. I have prepared the relevant documents, bring the certificate, in case Chen Yu’e company find all kinds of reasons not to cooperate.
Well, it turns out I’m not. The person in charge of the company said that they have reported it and the materials are ready. They will wait for the labor and social security administrative department to confirm it. If I want to transfer the monitoring, they can comply with all reasonable demands of the family members.
Before long, Chen Yue-‘e’s compensation for work-related injury death came down, totaling more than 800,000 yuan. ‘It’s a real relief when I get the money,’ says Ms. Chen’s husband.
When we met, he gave me a handbag, “There was $55,000 in cash, of which $5,000 was to pay back Sister Hua. I’m here to pay my wife’s debt. I mean what I say. If you help my wife get the money back for her ashes, I should give you a fair bit of compensation.”
In all these years, Chen Yue-‘e’s husband has never bought her anything for a cent. Now he is suddenly so extravagant that it is not worth my while to replace Chen Yue-‘e. But I didn’t say no. I took the money, took a hard copy out of my bag and asked him to sign it.
On the very day she left, after she was taken to the funeral home, her little son suddenly dropped his phone on the floor and began to cry. I took him back to the rented room, which was less than 30 square meters. I wanted to help collect things, but there was nothing inside.
I saw the divorce agreement I had given Chen Yuet-ngo, which she had signed and tacked to the wall, and I tore it off. Later, Chen yueh-‘e’s husband, proud of the compensation, signed his name with a wave of his pen.
Later, instead of attending Chen’s funeral, I asked my relatives to take the hard copy of the divorce agreement and burn it. After Chen’s funeral, her husband asked me to return the apartment with my little son so that I could get the 400 yuan deposit. In my room, I told my little son, who was huddled on the floor, “If you go to college and you come to me, I’ll give you the money. You don’t have to pay it back. You can pay your tuition or buy nikes.” The younger son said nothing.
May Chen Yueh-ngo rest in peace.
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