Chapter 222

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"Hehe what, is your throat uncomfortable? Oh my, Cousin Sister... you must take care of your health." Chai Mi's words were not only enthusiastic, her actions were even more enthusiastic; she directly pulled Chai Min along, looking exactly like a pair of close sisters...

Then she walked over to a table, took out a big handful of soft candies from a bag holding soft candies, stuffed them into Chai Min's hands, and even specially tore open a piece, handing it to Chai Min: "Cousin Sister, eat more candy, and your health will get better."

The corners of Chai Min's mouth nearly twisted in anger: Treating me like a country bumpkin to coax?

But there were many people around, so Chai Min couldn't flare up; after all, once she got angry, it would ruin her White Moonlight image...

Chai Mi didn't tangle with Chai Min further, turning instead to Chai Youfu and saying: "Second Uncle, look at you, the gift cannons were bought by the family. Making you spend money."

But very quickly Chai Mi lowered her voice and said to Chai Youfu: "I heard the old man say my paternal aunt is back today; about your private teacher salary matter, do you want to go talk to my paternal aunt about it?"

Chai Youfu had already converted from private to formal status, but his salary had never been adjusted much; others all got three or four hundred a month, while he only got a little over two hundred.

Chai Youfu's face showed difficulty: His wife had just beaten his mother a few days ago; what good things could his parents say about him in front of Chai Chunwei?

After a bout of coaxing from Chai Mi, in Chai Zhongxiao's eyes Chai Youfu had already become the worst son, even more outrageous than Chai Mi, that "unfilial daughter" who demands repayment, picks faults, and cleans up Chai Zhongxiao all day long...

Today Chai Youfu didn't even dare let Song Qiuping come up, afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back and would start fighting with Wang Huirong again...

If that happened, the scene would be awkward to the extreme.

Just as Chai Youfu was in a dilemma, Chai Min came staggering over, looking weak and frail as if she might fall flat on her face at any moment...

"Cousin Sister is busy with myriad affairs, yet you still remember this trivial matter. But this thing isn't urgent; in a few years when nine-year compulsory education is popularized, all private teachers will be able to convert to formal status and get raises."

Chai Mi frowned, narrowing her eyes at Chai Min, sneering inwardly: A matter for a few years later, and she knows it too; she's even more calculating than Sun Yuguang.

"Second Uncle, then I won't worry about it. Where's my Second Aunt? How come she didn't come... Grandmother said she misses my Second Aunt so much..."

Chai Youfu's face twitched: Chai Mi, you really know which pot not to open and lift which...

Come come come, you tell Second Uncle, how exactly does your grandmother miss your Second Aunt?

Does she miss giving your Second Aunt a few big slaps, or does she miss your Second Aunt pulling your grandmother's hair?

"Your grandmother... this... that... her health seems to have improved." Chai Youfu said: "Over there with the cooking and such, I'll go take a look."

Chai Youfu found an excuse and left.

Chai Min herself, however, swayed about, looking here a moment, looking there a moment...

Finally, she saw Zhou Fang...

Instantly, Chai Min's saliva flowed down: Wow kaka, such a handsome man, I want him!!!

Chai Mi naturally knew this cousin sister's preferences differed from normal people... and couldn't be bothered to deal with her, going off to busy herself with her own matters.

Chai Min, however, found an excuse and strolled over to Zhou Fang's side: "This comrade is..."

"Comrade?" Zhou Fang froze for a moment; this form of address was quite unusual. After all, normal people in the village didn't address people like this. "Zhou Fang."

"Can we get acquainted?"

"No."

Chai Min's smile stiffened on her face again: "Why not?"

Zhou Fang didn't know why either; he just felt this Chai Min was very weird.

Everyone is from the village, what's there to be acquainted or not acquainted about.

Just felt, a particularly out-of-place appearance.

"I heard your Cousin Sister say you often skip class to come home. That's not a good habit. Your father supporting your studies isn't easy; you should just go study properly." Zhou Fang said: "Studying makes one progress."

"Those books... are too simple, I've learned them all." Chai Min said with feigned ease.

"Then let me test you. You say boiling one egg takes five minutes; how long to boil three eggs?"

"If boiling three eggs simultaneously, it's five minutes. If boiling separately, it's fifteen minutes."

Zhou Fang finally lifted his head to glance at Chai Min: "A cultured person. Then can you keep the gift ledger?"

"Keeping the gift ledger together with you, that is naturally the best; I agree." Chai Min actually said with some shyness.

But she was subsequently pressed into a chair by Zhou Fang: "You agree, then you do it. I have to go out for a trip..."

"You're going out? Then I..."

Song Qingshan looked laughing at Zhou Fang leaving in a hurry, and said: "Chai Min, today the two of us grandpa and granddaughter will cooperate. Right, how's your mother..."

"Second Granduncle... my mom is at home sulking by herself." Chai Min's mother is Song Qingshan's niece, so calling him Second Granduncle is just right: "My mom says there are basically no good people in the Old Chai Family, she doesn't really want to come eat this meal, to avoid seeing certain people and getting annoyed."

"That's fine too."

"Right, Second Granduncle, that person called Zhou Fang, what's his background... feels like he's not from our local area..."

"Him... it's a long story..."

More and more people arrived; many villagers, even some not here to give gift money, just heard that Chai Mi's family seemed to have a big official from the township coming today... came to watch the excitement.

Sanjiacun has quite a lot of people; generally it's mostly the clan's closer relatives who interact more; if the whole village interacted, besides the Xiangli Chief, ordinary people really couldn't afford it.

In this era, gift money is generally in the range of ten or twenty yuan, but for ordinary commoner families, this also counts as an unexpected expense, so it's not a small sum either.

"Heard the Xiangli Chief say the Township Head is coming to give gift money too... really don't know who the Chai Mi family knows? To have such capable relatives..."

"Then maybe the Township Head's son fancied Chai Mi? That's not impossible either... Chai Mi looks so spirited, has the height, has the looks..."

"I've seen the Township Head... he only has one daughter, seems to be Huang Weiwei; when did he get a son..."

The villagers' wild guesses also proved this matter had actually drawn quite a bit of attention.

Naturally, it also attracted the attention of Che Lianyun and Chai You De, the couple at the old house.

Of course, mainly it attracted Che Lianyun's attention; after all, Chai You De still hasn't woken up from his drunkenness.

However, Chai You De wasn't still asleep from drinking too much last night; he had drunk too much this morning and had just fallen asleep……

"Chai Lao San, do you fucking look at what time it is? You're still sleeping?" Che Lianyun cursed with a twisted expression, hurriedly changing clothes while urging her eldest son Chai Dajun to go to Chai Mi's house first.

Chai You De blearily opened his eyes: "What's wrong……"

"What's wrong…… Your father died…… What's wrong……" Che Lianyun scolded: "I was blind for several lifetimes, marrying you this useless waste. Dajun's paternal aunt actually went to Chai Mi's house today to give gift money. You ask what's wrong…… I had the old man and old woman go over first, then we'll look into my senior professional title promotion."

Che Lianyun was extremely concerned about her own senior professional title promotion. She felt she had worked hard for countless years, and the reason she couldn't become a senior professional title was because she didn't understand human relations and social graces, didn't know how to treat people to meals and give gifts, didn't know to visit the principal during New Year festivals, so the principal and others didn't like her, causing her senior professional title to never have any prospect.

In the entire Old Chai Family, the only one who could be said to have seen the world was Che Lianyun......

Of course, this was Che Lianyun's own thinking.

Che Lianyun had attended high school. Although she didn't get into university, she could be said to be of the same intellectual class as Chai Chunwei. That Chai Chunwei helping her pull strings to solve her senior professional title problem should, in principle, be a matter between "friends" with common language.

Second, in the Chai Family, Che Lianyun was the most favored among the three daughters-in-law. Chai Zhongxiao showed her extra care. First, because Chai You De himself was the youngest son living in the old house. Second, because Che Lianyun herself was capable, giving birth to two sons. In Chai Zhongxiao's worldview, only Che Lianyun hadn't let the Old Chai Family die out. Third was harder to say. Chai Zhongxiao himself was the type who liked to curry favor with the powerful. Che Lianyun, the highest earner in the family, naturally received even more favor from the old couple at the old house.

Finally, Che Lianyun felt that given her education and years of work, promotion was a matter of course. If she took the exam, she should pass in autumn too, but just in case she didn't, it would be an extra insurance. Moreover, whether she could further transfer to a township elementary school or a county elementary school was even more crucial.

Che Lianyun absolutely didn't want to stay cooped up in this small village for a lifetime.

"My dad and the other one went, right? Then there's nothing more to say. That's my own little sister; she guarantees she can handle it for you. You can set your mind at ease." Chai You De yawned, reeking of alcohol: "Last night, Chai Chunfang made such a scene...... You ask what she was making a scene about? Chai Mi scared her, so she didn't dare go find trouble with Chai Mi, but turned around and made the old man spend money to avert disaster. Really convinced by her...... She doesn't do a single good deed, never suffers a single loss all day, just scheming to get advantages. When she ate mutton during New Year, how come she didn't know to bring some to her mother's family? When trouble happened, she remembered to ask her mother's family for help. How can she have such thick skin."

"Hehe, isn't it because you're useless? If I hadn't seen the second brother asleep yesterday and didn't feel like going over, I would've kicked her out long ago. Your dad went to ask her to borrow some money from home, to help settle the debt owed to Chai Mi. Result: not only was the matter not settled, but she herself brought a whole pile of chaotic trouble. Chai Lao San, I'm warning you. With your eldest sister's virtue, next time even if she hangs herself with a rope, you'd better not go near her, lest she bites whoever she sees like a mad dog." Che Lianyun reckoned she would never repay this money anyway. Although back then Chai Zhongxiao borrowed from Chai Mi's family because he was building a new house for Che Lianyun and her husband......

Chai Zhongxiao lives there too, after all.

The money the old man gets from selling that bit of corn is just rent, basically.

These years Che Lianyun felt that not asking Chai Zhongxiao and his wife for money was already good enough. Since Chai Zhongxiao and his wife live here, the other brothers have all moved out separately — how much more peace of mind.

Just based on this lack of peace of mind, making Chai Zhongxiao repay the money himself — Che Lianyun felt she was being magnanimous.

If it were Song Qiuping.....

Hehehe....

Song Qiuping would've beaten Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong rolling all over the ground long ago.

"Mm, definitely. Yesterday I mediated the fight. My eldest sister even came at me." Chai You De said: "You tidy up and go over first. Don't worry about this matter. The old man and the other one care more than you do. They'll definitely talk to my little sister."

"Mm." Che Lianyun's mood improved slightly. She then told Chai You De to hurry up and get up, or he wouldn't even catch hot shit to eat.

And Liu Xuejun and the others, sitting in that eighth-hand Alto, had also returned to Ke County very quickly, heading straight for Sanjiacun.

On the road before entering the village, Secretary Wang looked somewhat melancholy at Geng Yanfeng, who had snatched his rice bowl. He felt uncomfortable: County Investment Promotion Office funds were tight. The leader had only him as a secretary. He had worked diligently for seven or eight years. Result: this Geng Yanfeng suddenly came as a driver, with triple the salary of other drivers. Where could he go to reason?

But Secretary Wang had no choice either. He knew the leader had worried his hair white for the sake of investment promotion. This wasn't the time for him, as a secretary, to complain.

"Leader, when we get to Chai Mi's house later, how much gift money is appropriate?"

"In the countryside now, gift money should be ten or twenty yuan. For relatives, thirty or fifty. Let's not put on airs. All in personal names. Absolutely don't, once we arrive, make a show of status. Remember that."

"Then give a hundred?"

"Deal."

Then Secretary Wang fished through all the money in his pocket — twenty-eight yuan total……

The embarrassed Secretary Wang scratched his head: "Leader, I…… I don't have enough money……"

"How much short?"

"Eighty short……"

Then Liu Xuejun felt his pocket. He'd forgotten his wallet when he went out……

No small change either.

Then the atmosphere in the car fell into a weird, awkward silence……

Even Geng Yanfeng frowned: Won't the transfer to Ke County mean no salary paid…… This leader and secretary are this poor. As the driver, what do I do……

Secretary Wang asked cautiously: "Leader, this gift money doesn't take IOUs…… How about we make a trip back to the county seat?"

Just as they were speaking, a car ahead blocked them. Liu Xuejun stuck his head out to look — it was precisely Township Head Huang.

"Hey, Old Huang, Old Huang. Got money…… Lend me two hundred. I'll pay you back when salary comes."

Fortunately, Township Head Huang had money.

Township Head Huang happened to be coming to pick the two of them up. Seeing they had a car, he just rode along.

After all, the county only had one eighth-hand Alto. Township travel relied entirely on bicycles.

This point really isn't exaggeration. It's the real truth. The township only had one car at the police station. Everyone else basically had no cars. Commuting to and from work was also mainly by bicycle.

In this era, bicycles were still quite common. Sedans were truly luxury goods……

"Old Huang, thanks. I rushed out today and forgot money…… But honestly, I don't have much spare cash either. Month-end broke, not enough to spend. When salary comes, I'll definitely pay you back first."

Township Head Huang's daughter Huang Weiwei actually ran a factory herself, had substantial family assets, naturally didn't care about these two hundred, and declined to take it.

But Liu Xuejun was a principled person. Borrowed money must be repaid. The two didn't need to argue too much, so they didn't say more.

"This trip of ours is mainly to leave a good impression on the other party…… Absolutely don't start talking investment promotion right away. Just eat simply, pretend to meet by chance simply. Absolutely don't make a fuss……"

"Leader, it's too late…… The whole village knows now……"