If this were a women's novel, Wang Gen Sheng would certainly be the foolishly filial man being drained by his family. All his salary would be used to support the family, leaving him stretched thin, and his wife and children would also certainly be bullied.
But reality is not a novel. In reality, Wang Gen Sheng's family lived in hardship.
Wang Gen Sheng's father died at only 47 due to chronic overwork from heavy labor and a leg injury.
His eldest brother also died at 55 from overwork. His sister-in-law contracted tuberculosis from a coworker while working at the state cotton factory and died at 58.
His second brother and elder sister, unable to find jobs after returning to the city, chose to stay in the Northwest, engaging in arduous labor for years, suffering malnutrition, and died at 49 and 51, respectively.
And Wang Gen Sheng's mother died the second year after their home was demolished.
