Old Man Hua completely understood that Gouwa must have done something reckless, leading to people disabling him. Yet, now the village chief wants the people to compensate, but these people aren't easy to deal with, so how could they possibly pay?
Gouwa's condition is entirely self-inflicted, but the village chief only has Gouwa as a son, and cherishes him greatly. With such a matter, the chief naturally wants justice for his son.
But seeking justice doesn't mean reporting to the government; instead, he's asking for one thousand taels of silver? However, upon reflection, even Old Man Hua feels the chief is correct in doing so.
Ah! Poverty stifles ambition! Gouwa became incapacitated, but won't he still need to live on? Certainly, getting silver is better, but isn't a thousand taels too much?
A hundred taels should do; as long as it's not squandered, some land could be bought, and life could improve.
