Chapter 51

Pei Huaiye's extremely cold roar shocked everyone, including the two old folks, Chen Lianzhen. They had never seen their eldest son so angry!

"And you, Li Cuiyan! I went on a business trip to the Capital in June and lost a key. Was it picked up by you?

You opened my house door without permission and colluded with others to steal my property. This is against the law! I'm going to report this to the police and sue Li Cuiyan and Pei Fugui for colluding to commit breaking and entering and robbery!"

Two men stepped out of the Jeep: one with dark skin wearing camouflage, and the other, Liu Qiang from the County Police Station.

Liu Qiang took out silver handcuffs. "Li Cuiyan, speak clearly: where did the key come from? Otherwise, you can go to the police station and say it there!"

Li Cuiyan was so scared she couldn't make a sound, her legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the ground. She was pinched hard by Wang Juqin. "Tell the truth, Cuiyan! Do you want to watch your father and me be angered to death?"

Li Yongtie regretted it deeply; he should have locked the door and not let her out a few days ago. "Cuiyan, tell me clearly, where did the key come from? Comrade Police, my daughter is young and ignorant. If she tells the truth, can her sentence be reduced?"

"That depends on whether Pei Huaiye pursues it."

Pei Huaiye said coldly, "Tell the truth, then apologize to Qingyue! Otherwise, I will pursue this to the end!"

Li Yongtie pulled Wang Juqin and knelt down to Pei Huaiye to beg for mercy. Pei Huaiye frowned and helped the two up. "Li Cuiyan! Are you worthy of your parents?!"

This was the only sentence Li Cuiyan heard Pei Huaiye say to her today; his eyes were filled with disgust and disbelief.

Looking at the white hair on her parents' heads, a wave of immense shame suddenly surged in her heart.

Li Cuiyan raised her hand and slapped herself twice, then knelt on the ground to beg for mercy. "Comrade Police, the key was actually... actually picked up by me. I kept it in my pocket the whole time.

Su Qianqian said that if I wanted Brother Pei to marry me, I had to settle the marriage with Uncle Pei first.

After Pei Fugui knew I had the key, he told me to open Pei Huaiye's door, saying he would definitely let me enter the Pei family's door. That's why I... I was foolish..."

After Li Cuiyan finished explaining, she cried and apologized to Su Qingyue, "Su Qingyue, I'm sorry. Everything I said was to lie to you, wuwu..."

Su Qingyue said lightly, "Fine, I accept your apology. Let's turn the page on this matter. Help your parents back home!"

Li Cuiyan cried and hugged Wang Juqin. "Mom, I was wrong. I'm sorry to you and Dad!"

"Tsk tsk, didn't she just say Pei Huaiye gave her the key himself? I didn't expect this girl Cuiyan to lie."

"It's all because of love that people get hurt."

"Why did Su Qianqian instigate people to frame Su Qingyue again?!"

"It's a bad heart, harming others and oneself. If she's pregnant, that kick just now might have caused a miscarriage..."

"Oh, the tractor is back. Hurry and call Brigade Captain Xiang to divide the family!"

Someone shouted, and Xiang Jianming walked over in a hurry, listening to the crowd's chatter and additions to the cause of the matter as he walked.

Chen Lianzhen thought of the family's savings of over a hundred yuan; if the family were divided, wouldn't she lose half? She immediately lay on the ground like a rascal and threw a tantrum. "No dividing the family, I won't divide the family!"

Pei Huaiye looked at Chen Lianzhen coldly. "It must be divided! I don't want a single cent of your family savings; just don't interfere with my life in the future!"

Pei Fugui and Chen Lianzhen exchanged a look, somewhat incredulous. "You really don't want a single cent of the family savings?"

Zhang Dongmei immediately snatched the words. "There isn't any even if you wanted it. There are only three rooms in the house: one for Huai-gang and me, one for Mom and Dad. After the grandson is born, won't we need a room? There's no money, and anyway, Eldest Brother doesn't earn work points, so there really isn't anything to divide for you."

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to speak up for justice.

"Pei Huaiye is a second-level fitter at the machinery factory, with a monthly salary of twenty-eight yuan, and he hands over twenty yuan to the family every month!"

"That's a huge sum of money saved up. I don't believe there are no family savings!"

Chen Lianzhen sighed. "Where would there be family savings? My health is poor, and I often take medicine and see doctors. With a whole family to feed, how could money be saved?"

Zhang Dongmei chimed in, "Eldest Brother's schooling and military service, which one didn't cost money? My parents-in-law cultivated him to study and join the army. It's only right for him to help the family more after retiring and changing jobs."

When Zhang Dongmei married Pei Huaigang, she heard her parents-in-law nagging like this, so she thought this was the truth of the matter.

Xiang Jianming listened with a frown, knowing it wasn't like that at all, but since Pei Huaiye didn't say anything himself, he couldn't speak directly.

"Dividing the family is fine, but Pei Huaiye must continue to hand over twenty yuan for living expenses to us in the future. It wasn't easy for us to raise you, you can't be unfilial to your parents. After the family is divided, you can handle your own marriage; we won't interfere!" Pei Fugui made the final decision.

The crowd listened carefully and felt this made sense. After all, Pei Fugui and Chen Lianzhen were his parents, and it was only natural for children to be filial to their parents.

Pei Huaiye was capable now, but no matter how much of a rift there was with his parents, he couldn't disregard the grace of raising him.

"Pei boy, you can divide the family, but you can't sever ties. You still have to pay living expenses to your parents." Pei Sanbo from the clan spoke up.

Xiang Jianming glared at him. "Pei Huaiye only makes twenty-eight yuan a month, and after dividing the family, he still has to give his parents twenty? Is he not supposed to eat or drink? Not supposed to get married and raise a family?"

Chen Lianzhen snatched the words. "Eight yuan is enough for him to eat and drink alone, we have a whole family..."

Before she could finish, she was poked twice in the arm by Zhang Dongmei.

Sure enough, the crowd caught the handle. "Are you using the money Pei Huaiye gives to raise a whole family? No wonder the money is spent so fast! You haven't helped the younger son less, have you."

"The big house they live in now, Pei Huaigang's wedding, the bicycle in their house—it was all Pei Huaiye's money. Look at the life the Pei family lives; are there patches on their clothes? Have they ever been without eggs and pork every day?

Who dares to eat like this? Look at the cottage Pei Huaiye lives in? Are your hearts crooked, or are your eyes blind? He has done enough; are you trying to force him to his death?"

Pei Huaiye stopped the agitated Xiang Jianming. "Brigade Captain Xiang, I'll say it myself."

Pei Huaiye's voice was low and cold. "When I was thirteen, my leg was broken, and I lived in a cave for several years."

Pei Fugui hurriedly stopped him. "Alright! If you can't give twenty yuan, fifteen is fine. What's the point of talking about the past!"

He didn't dare to think that if his foolish eldest son turned over the past, how would their descendants conduct themselves in the future? How would his daughter get married?

Pei Huaiye thought that he must divide the family this time. They could bully him, and he could endure it, but they couldn't bully his Qingyue.

He also couldn't let the Su family elders feel cold-hearted, otherwise, the Su family would definitely not agree to him marrying Su Qingyue.

Furthermore, it had been over twenty years; he knew his parents' hearts were completely biased, and he had already accepted the fact that he had never received any family affection.

Pei Huaiye said with a dark face, his voice devoid of any warmth: "Back then, the family was poor and there was no food or fruit. The whole family was so hungry we chewed on tree bark. I went into the mountains and caught a few bird eggs. Because I didn't give them to my younger brother and father first, my parents broke one of my legs.

They shared the bird eggs and told me to go into the mountains to keep looking for food. I didn't want to be beaten, so I found a cave to live in.

I helped a hunter design hunting traps, and he helped me set my broken leg and left me medicine and two books. Since then, I haven't returned home, relying on hunting for a living.

In three years, I chased away wolves, killed many wild boars and pheasants, and finished learning the two books. When my benefactor came to hunt again and saw I was still living in the cave, he took me to the army. So, my schooling and military service didn't cost the family a single cent.

In the two years since I retired, I have given the family a total of 480 yuan, 200 for building the house, 200 for Pei Huaigang's wedding, 180 for buying the bicycle, plus the 150 I left at home when I went on a business trip that was taken away—I have given the family a total of 1,210 yuan."