Chapter 1044: The Odd Neural Circuitry Withdrawal (1)
Through Zhao Dasha’s muddled responses and Zhao Laoda’s supplements, Mo Yan largely figured out Zhao Dasha’s identity. It turned out that his mother was a daughter of Chen Family Village who, many years ago, married into a village dozens of miles away and gave birth to only this son, Zhao Dasha.
Zhao Dasha was not born intellectually disabled; he became ill with a severe sickness when he was six. Due to the negligence of the adults who didn’t promptly consult a doctor, his condition was delayed, and his brain was damaged, leaving his intelligence perpetually that of a five- or six-year-old child.
Having an intellectually disabled child was a source of constant mockery from the other villagers for Zhao Dasha’s parents. They had hoped to have more children to ensure someone would take care of them and their son in the future. But for reasons unknown, they never had another child.
Despite their disappointment, they doted on Zhao Dasha greatly, but their happiness was short-lived. Recently, to save money to buy a wife for his son to continue the family line, Zhao Dasha’s father went to work for a merchant caravan on the recommendation of an acquaintance. Tragically, he was killed by bandits.
With the breadwinner gone and the only son being intellectually disabled, Zhao Dasha’s mother, Mrs. Chen, settled her husband’s funeral matters only to have her in-law’s family seize the meager family assets. Treated like an ill omen, she and her son were driven out of the door of the Zhao Family.
Left with no other options, Aunt Chen could only bring her son back to her parental home to seek help from her elder brother. With both her parents gone and her only brother aged, the family affairs were all decided by her nephew, who was already married with children.