In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 681 Observations (9)

Ultimately, it was because the people of Xia were too poor.

Because of poverty, they cannot afford to support elderly people who have lost their ability to work, and the elderly, in order to ensure the survival of their descendants, are willing to give up their right to live...

This is the tragedy of our times, and it is also the situation that Li Mingyuan has always wanted to change. He hopes that the world can become the way he imagines it, where children are cared for, the elderly are supported, every citizen can live and work in peace and contentment, and everyone can live with dignity on this land.

But this was ultimately just Li Mingyuan's wishful thinking. In Xia Kingdom, where land was limited and the vast majority of it was occupied by powerful families, his wish was ultimately just a beautiful but impossible fantasy.

That's why Li Mingyuan felt so conflicted when he saw the relaxed old people in Baicaotang.

He had always tried to achieve this, but what he couldn't do even after most of his life became a reality in Chenjia Village.

Here, the elderly no longer seem to be a burden on their families. They don't need to give up their right to live. Even if they fall ill, they can go to the clinic for treatment instead of lying in bed waiting to die.

"Grandpa is the only doctor in the shop, and he's usually quite busy because there are a lot of patients coming in!"

Su Qiaoxi said as she led the group inside.

"It seems that most of the patients here are elderly?"

Zheng Qiuyan looked around the lobby and then asked.

"Yes!"

Su Qiaoxi nodded, "Young people are generally healthier and get sick less often. On the contrary, the elderly are often frail and prone to illness due to their age, so most of the people who come to Baicaotang for treatment are elderly."

"I see."

Zheng Qiuyan suddenly realized.

Li Mingyuan suddenly asked, "Miss Su, can these elderly people afford the fees for medical treatment?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qiaoxi laughed: "The medical treatment at Baicaotang is not expensive. Common headaches and fevers can be cured for only twenty or thirty coins. Even with the medicinal herbs, the cost of a single visit is only about one hundred coins. For the villagers of Chenjia Village, this expense is still affordable."

Upon hearing this, Li Mingyuan glanced at Su Shihua, who was taking someone's pulse, and thought to himself: This Doctor Su is indeed compassionate. Although headaches and fevers are just minor ailments, it is quite cheap to cure them for only one hundred coins.

"Moreover, the elderly in Chenjia Village do not rely entirely on the young people for their livelihood; they also receive relief grain."

Su Qiaoxi said again.

"Relief food? What is that?"

Li Mingyuan asked in confusion.

Su Qiaoxi thought for a moment and explained, "The relief grain is a welfare program provided by Chenjia Village to the elderly in the village. Any elderly person with a household registration in Chenjia Village who has no income and whose family is in financial difficulty can apply to Chenjia Village for relief grain. They can receive about 50 catties of grain per month."

The relief grain in Chenjia Village was essentially a pension policy. Everyone with a household registration in Chenjia Village had contributed to the development of the village, and Chen Dao would never allow them to face hardship in their old age.

Therefore, Chen Dao devised a relief food policy aimed at helping elderly people who had lost their ability to work to survive.

Fifty jin of grain a month may not seem like much, but it's barely enough to maintain basic living needs. This is the limit that Chenjia Village can currently manage, after all...

No matter how wealthy Chenjia Village is, it's impossible for them to provide the elderly with lavish meals until they die of old age.

"The Chen family village has certainly considered everything very thoroughly!"

Li Mingquan's eyes showed appreciation. 50 catties of relief grain a month, that's 2.5 catties a day. This amount might not be enough for able-bodied laborers, but it's enough for the elderly. At least it can barely keep them alive and prevent them from starving to death due to loss of their ability to work.

"Yes!"

Su Qiaoxi's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she said with admiration, "Young Master Chen has always treated the villagers kindly. He once said that as long as Chen Family Village has the ability, he will never let any villager starve or die of disease!"

Will we never let a single villager starve to death?

Li Mingyuan repeated these words in his mind, and from them he felt Chen Dao's lofty ambitions.

Preventing a single villager from starving to death sounds simple, but only by doing it yourself will you know how difficult it is.

And it is obvious that Chen Dao has succeeded. At least so far, Li Mingyuan has not seen a single hungry villager from Chenjia Village.

As they were talking, Su Qiaoxi led the three of them to sit down inside the Hundred Herbs Hall. The old man sitting next to Li Mingyuan seemed to be quite talkative. After seeing Li Mingyuan and the others sit down, he smiled and said to Li Mingyuan, "Old man, is that your granddaughter next to you? She's really pretty."

Upon hearing this, Li Mingyuan laughed and replied, "More or less."

Zheng Qiuyan is indeed similar to Li Mingyuan's granddaughter. After all, these days there is a saying that a teacher for a day is a father for life. Zheng Qing is equivalent to Li Mingyuan's son, and Zheng Qiuyan is naturally equivalent to Li Mingyuan's granddaughter.

After saying that, Li Mingyuan asked with a curious look, "Grandpa, what illness do you have?"

"How would I know what kind of illness it is!"

The old man smiled and shook his head, saying, "As people get older, they tend to have more minor ailments. I just felt a little unwell today, so I came to see Dr. Su."

"That's it!"

Li Mingyuan's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated. The fact that he went to see a doctor just because he felt a little unwell reflects the wealth of the villagers in Chenjia Village.

In other places, people would probably be reluctant to see a doctor, let alone feel unwell or even be bedridden with illness.

In Chenjia Village, people would seek medical help at the slightest sign of discomfort...

By comparing the two, one can clearly feel the wealth of the villagers in Chenjia Village, or rather, how cheap medical care is in Chenjia Village.

"Sir, are you a local from Chenjia Village?"

Li Mingyuan asked curiously.

"Of course!"

When talking about his identity as a local of Chenjia Village, the old man's face was full of pride: "My surname is Chen, and my three sons also have the surname Chen. So, do you think I am a native of Chenjia Village?"

"Grandpa, you have three sons?"

A look of surprise flashed across Li Mingyuan's face.

As is well known, the minimum monthly income for workers with Chenjia Village household registration is 800 wen, and the minimum income for the three sons is 2.4 taels of silver.

With such a high family income, it's no wonder this elderly person can easily go to the clinic for treatment.

"hey-hey!"

The old man smiled proudly and said, "I not only have three sons, but also two daughters. Together, the five of them can earn four taels of silver a month!"

"Great!"

Li Mingyuan couldn't help but praise him.