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.
