Everyone who saw it felt terrible.
Lin Dawu patted his shoulder and suppressed his sorrow. "Once you have the money, take your wife to get proper treatment. When you come back, we'll live our lives well."
"Thank you, thank you—" Before Old Chen could finish, he covered his eyes and squatted down, his voice thick with tears. "You're all good people—A Mo can be saved!"
As he spoke, he suddenly burst into loud sobs while squatting on the ground.
Who knew how much grievance and lingering fear those cries contained?
Mrs. Chen, her eyes red, went to pull him up. "Honestly—you should stop crying. Da Wu and the others are watching."
Old Chen could not spare the attention. Squatting there as though his feet had taken root, he did not move, and each sob came freer than the last.
Mrs. Chen slowly began crying too and went to get tissues for him.
The couple pressed their heads together, wrapped their arms around each other, and wept bitterly.
Watching the scene, Lin Dawu and the others did not feel awkward. They only felt deeply saddened.
The Chen Family Village chief's eyes reddened as well. He forcefully wiped his nose and said hoarsely, "I'll see you out first."
Lin Dawu patted Old Chen on the shoulder, then headed back with Lu Ao and Qi Yan.
The three remained silent on the way.
As they neared town, Qi Yan spoke. "Given Brother Chen's situation, could I call for donations?"
"They're proud people. Others tried to donate before, but they refused."
"They weren't in such dire straits before. Now they really do need help." Qi Yan asked quietly, "How about I give it a try?"
Lin Dawu knew something about his platform. "Aren't you forbidden from posting donation requests? This job was hard for