Chapter 559

Lu Qiao scanned the room.

It was about thirty square meters in size. There were two other people in the room: a young man slightly younger than the couple, and an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl who also looked indignant.

One has to know who is who.

Lin Dajie quickly got into the situation and asked Old Mother Bai, "Auntie Bai, tell me, what is your relationship with everyone else?"

Thus, it was learned that the couple were the old couple's eldest son and daughter-in-law, the others were the old couple's second son, and there was also Old Mother Bai's daughter, Bai Xiaomei.

This apartment was allocated to the eldest son by his work unit, and now the whole family lives here.

The eldest son also has two children, both in elementary school.

Wang Xiuxian, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Bai family, felt very embarrassed; she hadn't expected her parents-in-law to actually go to the neighborhood office.

They say family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, but for the sake of money, these parents-in-law really didn't care about anything anymore.

She also hadn't expected it to be Lu Qiao.

It is said that Lu Qiao is the most capable of handling problems fairly and impartially.

But it seems she hadn't heard of her handling matters of this nature.

Moreover, the parents-in-law naturally held the advantage, and Lu Qiao had no grounds to stop a son from being filial to his parents.

Technician Bai stood up with a grim expression and said, "I didn't expect such a small matter to disturb the neighborhood office. I'm truly sorry. Actually, it's nothing major. Mom, Dad, can we discuss this ourselves?"

After saying this, he looked at Lu Qiao again: "I'm sorry, Factory Director Xiao Lu, for wasting your time. We will handle this matter properly, please rest assured."

Lu Qiao didn't say she was definitely going to intervene.

She had learned a little about the family's situation.

Neither the old man nor the old woman had jobs, and after Technician Bai started working, they both followed him from the countryside.

Technician Bai could be considered quite capable; he found a job for his younger brother and even sent his younger sister to learn a trade. It wasn't clear when she would graduate, but she would certainly have a job after graduation.

Before Lu Qiao could speak, the old man slammed the table and roared, "What 'handle it ourselves'? Can you have the final say? You good-for-nothing! If you don't make things clear in front of the neighborhood office cadres, do you want to starve your mother and me to death? We two can't be compared to others; other people have retirement pensions when they get old, but we don't. If you don't take care of us, who will? And there's your brother's bride price money—if you don't help, who will? You are the eldest, you are the big brother, you should be helping your younger brother and sister."

Bai Guocheng said, "Big Brother, just treat it as me borrowing from you, okay? We'll have you write an IOU in front of the neighborhood office cadres. How about that? You're the big brother; you can't just watch me fail to get a wife and do nothing."

Technician Bai's face flushed red, as did Wang Xiuxian's. She clenched her hands tightly in anger and finally couldn't help but say, "You make it sound so easy! You open your mouth and ask for five hundred yuan. Where am I supposed to get that much money for you? Since I married your big brother, he has had to hand over thirty yuan to Mom and Dad every month. His salary is only seventy-something. You've been taking this for ten years—did I say anything? For so many years, your big brother has only been supporting himself. My salary and subsidies from my own family have been supporting me and the two children. Why aren't these things calculated? There's a limit to bullying people. I've endured the small things, but why should I have to pay for the bride price too? Do I owe your Bai family something, or did I borrow from your Bai family?"

The old man felt his authority had been challenged.

All these years at home, his son and daughter-in-law had always been filial and obedient.

He had assumed the family would always be like this.

But who could have imagined it would change just like that?

It was just bride price money; the eldest son's family could surely come up with it. If it really came down to it, the eldest daughter-in-law could go back to her maiden home to borrow it, just to get past this hurdle and bring the second daughter-in-law home.

The future second daughter-in-law also had a job; couldn't she pay it back slowly once she started earning money?

Wang Xiuxian was truly too selfish.

She refused to agree no matter what.

Not only did she refuse, but she also said that starting this month, she wouldn't give them a single cent of their salary.

The two of them had no retirement pension, and the second son didn't earn much and needed to be subsidized from time to time. If this money stopped, how would they live?

The old man slammed the table: "Wang Xiuxian, you've really turned against the heavens! Where is there any place for you to speak in this house? This is my Bai family, my eldest son's house—you shut your mouth!"

Lu Qiao didn't speak, but looked at the red-faced Technician Bai.

Technician Bai was also angry. He pulled Wang Xiuxian to his side, no longer caring about saving face in front of Lu Qiao, and roared, "Dad, can you put that act away? This is a new society. Gender equality isn't just a slogan. This home is also Xiuxian's, and she owns half of this house. She has done well enough. It's been ten years, and my second daughter is already seven. You can see how our family lives—it's my wife and I holding it all up. Without her understanding and support, how could you get thirty yuan every month? If we're talking about who owes whom, it's me who owes you, but Xiuxian doesn't owe you anything. If you keep making trouble like this and we end up divorced, will you be satisfied then?"

Technician Bai was practically shouting. Perhaps he had never shouted like this before; after all, he was a technician, wearing glasses, tall, thin, and scholarly—he didn't look like someone who could shout at people.

The old man seemed startled, staring with wide eyes, and once he reacted, he became furious, raising his palm and charging toward Technician Bai.

Wang Xiuxian seemed to have a very close relationship with Technician Bai, and the two were standing very close together.

Then, seeing the old man rush over as if to hit someone, Wang Xiuxian became even angrier and shouted indignantly, "What are you doing? You want to hit someone?"

She then rushed over as well, seemingly prepared to block the old man.

Lu Qiao shook her head inwardly and pulled the person over.

Are you stupid?

Why rush up at a time like this?

The old man might feel heartache if he hit his son, but he certainly wouldn't feel heartache hitting you.

Besides, why let him slap you?

Lu Qiao pulled Wang Xiuxian aside and then gently pushed the old man.

The force was well-measured. It wouldn't push the old man down, but it also prevented him from charging at Technician Bai.

Whether it was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey or if he really wanted to hit his son, where Lu Qiao was, fighting was not allowed.

Lu Qiao scolded sternly, "What are you doing? We haven't even finished talking—how can you just start using your hands?"

The crisp voice made the room go quiet instantly.

Then Lin Dajie saw that Lu Qiao didn't ask about the specific sequence of events, but instead pointed directly at Bai Guocheng, who was sitting on the side looking as if he were gloating.

"You, tell me first: how many years have you been working? What is your monthly salary?"

Bai Guocheng had been watching the show, not expecting Lu Qiao to call him out directly.

Bai Guocheng, being called out, was stunned for a moment.

Lu Qiao asked patiently again, "I am asking you: how many years have you been working? How many months of salary have you received?"

Bai Guocheng stared at Lu Qiao, finally coming to his senses and asking, "This... what does it have to do with you?"