Chapter 273: Bangeng Gets Beaten

Next door.

Jia Family.

After saying all the nice words, seeing Bangeng still not being honest, Qin Huairu raised the feather duster in her hand and shouted loudly.

"Bangeng, I'm giving you one last chance—hand over the rest of the money to me."

One thousand five hundred.

Even if Bangeng had spent a hundred.

There were still one thousand four hundred waiting for Qin Huairu.

"Otherwise, don't blame me, your mother, for not showing mercy."

Bangeng clenched his teeth, stubbornly enduring.

He thought Qin Huairu wouldn't hit him.

Beside her was Jia Zhangshi; knowing Bangeng's understanding of Jia Zhangshi, the expert protector of calves, Jia Zhangshi would certainly not stand by and watch Qin Huairu hit him—she would surely intervene.

In that case.

Bangeng was thus safe.

He also had his own scheme in mind: if he gave the money to Qin Huairu, he'd surely never get it back, and then how would he spend this money?

Resenting Xiao Dang's informing, he decided not to bring Xiao Dang, but to enjoy the remaining money himself, buying pig's trotters, roasted chicken, roasted duck, etc.

In Bangeng's mind, never mind that Qin Huairu wielded a feather duster and shouted warnings—her feather duster had no chance of landing on him.

He never expected Qin Huairu to be truly furious.

Jia Zhangshi also had the idea of using Bangeng as a scapegoat; knowing full well that Bangeng would get beaten, she pretended not to have seen anything.

Bangeng's thoughts instantly amounted to nothing.

Unable to bear it any longer, Qin Huairu waved the feather duster in her hand and lashed out hard at Bangeng's buttocks.

Then came a crisp 'pa' sound.

Bangeng, standing on the ground and still trying to show his manliness, let out a loud 'ah', his feet as if fitted with springs, he jumped up over a foot, and his hands covered his beaten buttocks.

When his feet landed again, Bangeng no longer had that earlier righteous resolve of 'you can hit me and I won't say anything'; tears welled up in his eyes, and he let out a pleading voice.

"Stop hitting, Mom, I'll speak."

Bangeng, whose buttocks had been struck by the feather duster, finally realized the gap between him and Qin Huairu. Seeing how furious Qin Huairu was, he knew that if he didn't tell the truth, he'd likely get hit again.

A hero doesn't suffer immediate losses.

To avoid being beaten.

Bangeng, feeling numb, spoke the truth.

"The money wasn't stolen by me; I picked it up—I found twenty yuan on the road."

Qin Huairu's face showed a cold smile.

Picked up on the road.

What he said sounded better than singing.

She roams the streets every day—she hasn't even picked up a single cent, let alone twenty yuan.

Even Jia Zhangshi didn't believe Bangeng's words.

"Bangeng, your good grandson, at this point, how can you still lie to your mother? If you said you'd picked up a few cents or a few dimes, your mother might believe it, but to suddenly pick up twenty yuan—neither your mother nor I, your grandmother, would believe it. Who could just lose twenty yuan? Losing twenty yuan would drive anyone crazy!"

Bangeng's mind.

Was dazed.

In his impression.

Jia Zhangshi has always unconditionally supported him; no matter what Bangeng says or does, in Jia Zhangshi's eyes it's always right.

Like today, not believing Bangeng's words.

It really is the first time.

Bangeng felt things were going to go badly.

The greatest reliance, Jia Zhangshi, is gone.

This is intolerable.

"Grandma, I really did pick up twenty yuan."

Qin Huairu wore a grim expression, tapped the feather duster on the tabletop, and said to Bangeng: "Bangeng, I'll tentatively believe you picked up twenty yuan—where is the money?"

Jia Zhangshi also looked at Bangeng with expectation.

What's the situation with the Jia family?

As the person involved, she knows best.

Truly reduced to bare walls with not a penny in savings, the Jia family of five needs money for food, drink, and bodily functions; yet the Jia family's situation is broken, and the neighbors in the courtyard won't give them any aid—if the Jia family doesn't want to drink the northwest wind, they can only pin their hopes on the twenty yuan Bangeng picked up.

Jia Zhangshi felt for the first time how important twenty yuan was.

"Bangeng, give the money to your mother."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Jia Zhangshi rarely spoke so reasonably.

Qin Huairu, staring at Bangeng, caught a glimpse of Jia Zhangshi in her peripheral vision.

Since the Jia family moved into the rear courtyard, Jia Zhangshi has become very abnormal.

When did dogs stop eating feces?

When did Jia Zhangshi stop being greedy for money?

A bold idea flashed through Qin Huairu's mind: perhaps Bangeng really didn't pick up twenty yuan, or perhaps the claim that he stole 1,500 yuan was nothing but baseless nonsense made up by Jia Zhangshi.

From beginning to end, it's always been Jia Zhangshi speaking, saying that as a grandmother she's taking the blame for Bangeng.

Qin Huairu also speculated about Bangeng, imagining that Jia Zhangshi hadn't been thinking about being swindled out of 1,500 yuan; she thought Jia Zhangshi couldn't stand Huaihua and wanted to pocket the money under the pretense of throwing away money.

The reason for letting Bangeng take the blame.

It's to secretly misappropriate this money.

The matter of the money.

Still need to plan long-term.

For the present plan.

It's to get the money from Bangeng's hands.

"Bangeng, give me the money."

"Spent, it's gone."

Bangeng's little abacus calculations are shrewd, probably surpassing Yan Fugui.

I admit picking up the money, and saying I spent it, this money is naturally mine.

But underestimated Qin Huairu's determination to get the money.

Without a word, another feather duster hit Bangeng's butt.

Little brat.

Needs education.

Bangeng, feeling the pain, quickly piled the remaining money from inside his shoe onto the table.

Watching the scattered money Bangeng pulled out from under his shoe insole.

Qin Huairu's face.

Turned completely green.

This is far from enough twenty dollars.

"Mom, I'm telling the truth." Bangeng looked at Qin Huairu crisply, "I picked up twenty dollars inside the house, Xiao Dang and I spent nine dollars on roast duck, firecrackers, malt sugar, candied haws and other snacks, the remaining eleven dollars, to keep Mom from seeing, Xiao Dang and I made an offensive-defensive pact, and hid the money in his cloth shoe."

Jia Zhangshi is purely pretending to be foolish.

At this time.

Still praising Bangeng.

"Bangeng truly is Grandma's fine grandson, this mind is clever, ordinary people couldn't think of this idea, the Jia family's gate, relying on my old wife, must be glorified by my good grandson Bangeng."

Qin Huairu speechlessly glanced at Jia Zhangshi.

Favoritism has deceived to this extent.

It's completely hopeless.

She doesn't know whether Jia Zhangshi is genuinely muddled or pretending, or deliberately stirring trouble.

"Bangeng, you first said the money was picked up on the street, but just now you said it was picked up inside the house—where exactly did you pick it up?"

"Inside the house."

"Which house inside?"

"Just our family's house."

Qin Huairu's heart.

A wave of chill.

There's no logic in picking up money inside one's own house.

If he really picked up the money, he wouldn't be this angry; listening to Bangeng's words, it's clearly theft.

His anger flared up instantly.