Chapter 235

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Zhongxiao was raging outside, but Chai Mi quickened her pace, went straight into the courtyard, and then bolted the main gate: "Grandpa, let me tell you. Right now there's a main gate between us, I didn't touch you, so you can go cheat whoever you want, just don't try to cheat me."

"Open the gate for me... I'm not here to cheat anyone." Chai Zhongxiao cursed a few sentences, but finally remembered the real business of borrowing money: "I'm here to ask you to lend me a bit of money."

"I sure as hell don't believe you! You just want to cheat me, Grandpa you don't look like someone borrowing money at all, this is you coming to extort money. Let me tell you, if you were borrowing I'd actually lend it to you, but you're trying to extort me, so you won't get a single cent." Chai Mi said bluntly.

"I really fucking am here to borrow money..." Chai Zhongxiao said cursing and grumbling.

"Look at that, Grandpa, with that tone of yours, this is someone coming to borrow money? You're definitely here to extort money... In this world, the person who can extort me hasn't been born yet. Grandpa, save your breath, you can't extort me. Besides, Grandpa look at yourself, you're pushing seventy, you've already passed the age of 'ears obedient to counsel.' People say 'ears obedient' means listening to advice. Grandpa, listen to a piece of my advice: the sea of suffering is boundless, turn back and you'll reach the shore, stop extorting people, do something proper... At seventy-odd years old, extorting people, isn't that humiliating?"

Chai Zhongxiao was infuriated by Chai Mi.

No longer caring about his real business, he started cursing abusively.

But Chai Mi had already gone into the house.

The house lights had long since been turned on...

And not only were Chai Mi's lights on, the neighbors' lights were on too.

After all, someone cursing in the street in the dead of night, that's heard crystal clear.

"Who the fuck is out there howling like a wolf and crying like a ghost? This is fucking damned... Still fucking not letting people sleep..."

"Sleep, sleep, whatever you do don't go out. Didn't you hear clearly? Sounds like the Chai family's old master ran to Chai Mi's place in the dead of night to extort someone... This old codger is now so poor his underwear is flying off, so he's got to try to extort whoever he sees..."

"Chai Zhongxiao is truly fucking shameless, wanting to extort someone in the dead of night, can't make a living anymore? Truly a fucking poor deadbeat, can't make a living, what kind of thing is this... At such an old age still fucking extorting people, truly doesn't want a shred of face..."

Although the neighbors were all awake, before long they turned off their lights and went back to sleep.

Su Wan ran into the courtyard in a panic, saw Chai Mi, and let out a breath of relief, then frowned and asked in a low voice: "What's up with your grandpa? Why did he come cursing at someone in the dead of night?"

Chai Mi spread her hands, face full of amusement: "Don't mind him, if he's not afraid of tiring himself out, let him howl out there. The one losing face isn't me... He'll howl a few times and then run off."

Chai Mi then pulled her mother Su Wan into the house, and sure enough Chai Zhongxiao cursed a few shouts outside, heard no movement, and left.

Su Wan asked with some worry: "Then your grandpa won't come again tomorrow, will he?"

"Come again? How would he have the face to come?" Chai Mi smiled: "I was just waiting for him to curse me a few sentences, after that I'll have plenty of excuse not to lend money. Otherwise, it really wouldn't be easy to refuse."

"You know your grandpa came to borrow money..."

"I know..."

"Then since he's borrowing money why did he start cursing? You said you wouldn't lend?"

"That's not it." Chai Mi knew to serve different dishes to different people; dealing with Chai Zhongxiao this kind of person, plugging up his own mouth was enough: "I said he came to extort me... so he got angry. Really fucking can't take a joke..."

Su Wan's face stiffened: No wonder the old master was so angry...

Chai Zhongxiao this person isn't too different from others, normally he still wants some face...

Although he basically doesn't do anything face-worthy...

Chai Zhongxiao just wants face in words...

But today Chai Zhongxiao didn't even want face in words, that shows Chai Mi really pissed him off.

"Sleep, it's almost two o'clock, why so late getting back? How many scorpions did you catch?"

"Not many, I gave them all to Qiu Shui. She's just in it for fun, two days and she'll stop going. Catching scorpions can indeed earn a bit of money, but the road's too far, and there aren't many around here, not very worthwhile. Tomorrow I still have to go handle the matter of where to drill a well, once that's settled, I still have to go see Liu Zhanggui..."

Chai Mi said with a sigh: "Although the Village Chief has stepped down and is staying home now, sooner or later he'll have to go back. Besides, we owe him a favor to begin with, it should be repaid."

Su Wan didn't say anything more, everything at home was decided by Chai Mi, so she was at ease.

The next day after eating breakfast, Chai Mi washed up meticulously, then specially changed into a teal-green short-sleeved top, a pair of capable-looking nine-tenths pants, wearing a pair of light green sneakers, just about to go out to buy some things, when the sickly Chai Min actually showed up.

Chai Mi looked at her cousin sister's willow-weak... pfft, looked at her cousin sister's body that looked like it could collapse and die at any moment, walking three steps and panting four times, yet still stubbornly walking all the way to her own house, Chai Mi couldn't help but say: "Cousin sister, I heard they sell that kind of motorcycle in the county town, have Second Uncle buy you one, then going out would be convenient too."

Chai Min stopped her steps, hands on hips panting for a while, using her hand as a fan to fan herself, but bean-sized sweat beads on her forehead just kept increasing...

Chai Min complained in her heart: This body has issues, totally a damn sickly ghost... This Chai Mi is definitely mocking my weak body...

Hehe!!!

Your mother isn't weak at all, your mother has a disabled body but unyielding will...

Uh...

Pah!

Let that damn Chai Mi confuse your mother into a muddle.

"Cousin Sister, look at what you're saying, this is only a few steps of road, no need to ride a motorcycle, I'm not like you with so much money, buying whatever you want, I can't even afford a bicycle."

A wave of sourness came rushing at her face.

Chai Mi knitted her brows: Hehe! This sickly one isn't being sarcastic, instead she's starting to act like a bitch.

A bit interesting.

"Who came..." Su Wan asked from inside the house.

"Nobody, Chai Min came." Chai Mi answered.

"Come in quickly..."

But Chai Min clearly had no intention of entering, directly cutting to the chase and asking: "Chai Mi, early this morning Chai Zhongxiao went to my house, had my dad lend a bit of money to Third Uncle Chai You De for medical treatment, what do you think?"

Chai Mi wasn't fond of Chai Min's way of fishing for words, just said indifferently: "You've started calling me Chai Mi, shouldn't you call me Cousin Sister?"

"Uh... Cousin Sister, you say what to do about this?" Chai Min asked, able to bend and stretch.

"This matter you ask my dad, in our family my dad makes the decisions."

Chai Min didn't believe Chai Mi's ghost words for a second: Chai Youqing able to be the master of the house? Hell fucking no.

"Seriously, Cousin Sister you say how to handle it? Third Uncle is hospitalized right now..."

"I'm being serious too. Go ask your granduncle — he's inside the house..." Chai Mi said, turning back to shout toward the room: "Dad, your great-niece is here asking you: her family doesn't want to pay money for my Third Uncle's treatment, asking what you think about it?"

Chai Min's face instantly reddened. She said somewhat angrily: "Cousin Sister, don't talk nonsense. When did I say my family doesn't want to pay..."

"So you do want to pay for Chai You De's treatment..."

"I didn't..."

"Then you still don't want to pay."

Chai Min was driven crazy with anger. She didn't understand how, in just a few sentences, she had been trapped by Chai Mi.

She had originally wanted Chai Mi to say her own family wouldn't pay, then her family wouldn't have to pay either. If anyone asked, she would say Chai Mi's family wasn't paying, so her family not paying would be normal.

As a result, Chai Mi turned the tables on her.

Chai Min left in a huff...

"Hey, Chai Min, why are you leaving..." Chai Youqing, who had just come out of the room and was a bit slow on the uptake, asked.

Chai Min didn't look back, cursing inwardly in a huff: Damn it, the whole family is putting on an act for me...

Chai Youqing, baffled, watched Chai Min leave with a blank face, muttering to himself in a low voice: "This child, how can she just leave without saying a word..."

After Chai Min left, Chai Mi waited a moment, then finished tidying up. She turned to Chai Youqing and said: "Dad, change into clean clothes first. The two of us will go see the Village Chief. I'll go out and buy some things; you just wait for me to come back."

After that, Chai Mi went out the door.

Only after leaving did she feel a pang of melancholy. The family bicycle was gone too — truly a sinful waste.

Some time ago, when Chai Youqing rode the bicycle to Chai Mi's maternal grandmother's house, the bike was beaten out of shape by several uncles. Chai Youqing had carried it back on his shoulder at the time.

Chai Mi had no choice but to brace herself and go borrow a bicycle from a neighbor.

The neighbor was still prying: What happened last night? Is your grandpa sick? Making a ruckus in the middle of the night? What exactly happened...

Chai Mi didn't mind painting things even blacker: "My grandpa just wants to cheat me... there's something wrong with him. Now that he sees Chai You De is sick and needs money, he has none so he wants to cheat me..."

Neighbor: "That Chai Zhongxiao really isn't a thing..."

Chai Mi was delighted inside, and couldn't help praising the neighbor a few times. Then she borrowed the bicycle and went out.

Chai Mi planned to go to the town's street area to buy some things, and go see Liu Zhanggui.

Although the village's small shop had quite a lot of things — food and daily necessities — they were all things not worth much money.

And if she bought from the village, it would inevitably get out, which wouldn't be good...

This was the main point.

Chai Mi arrived at the Gongxiaoshe... the Gongxiaoshe still existed in this era, though barely better than nothing, not much business anymore, yet the kind with all internal organs complete.

Chai Mi picked out a pair of sunglasses... cost five yuan.

Then she bought some tonic gifts, cost several tens of yuan.

Finally bought ten packs of Da Childbirth fragrant cigarettes, cost over three hundred.

They were the kind in red hard-soft paper boxes, standing out with a distinctively different good look.

Mhm, Liu Zhanggui is a cigarette fiend; giving cigarettes is most appropriate.

Of course, Chai Mi also bought a case of relatively expensive baijiu, cost over two hundred...

Should be enough.

After that, Chai Mi rode the bicycle home.

After arriving home, Chai Mi first put the things in the courtyard, then went to return the bicycle, then came back into the house.

"Dad, are you ready? It's time to go out."

As Chai Mi spoke, Su Wan also came out holding the child. She looked at the purchases, a bit pained at the money spent: "Why buy so much... it's all cigarettes and wine. Wouldn't you buy some proper gifts? He's injured, giving cigarettes and wine... can that work? And it's a bit too much..."

"He doesn't like other things, and they're no use. Giving something practical — seems like a bit much... but he gave us two pigs, so consider it returning a gift."

Chai Mi didn't think it was much; instead she felt that recently these two days Liu Zhanggui had given two pigs and gift money of two thousand, which was actually a bit too much.

Chai Mi herself felt a bit embarrassed.

You have to know, in this era, these two thousand yuan are equivalent to Chai Youfu's annual salary — that is what's too much...

Even marrying a wife, the bride price is only eight hundred...

Of course, in this era marrying a wife is mainly for living life together, not for the bride price.

Chai Youqing unusually expressed support for Chai Mi: "I think these are fine. Liu Zhanggui likes drinking and smoking; giving this is suitable. But this can't let outsiders know. If outsiders know, they'll say our family gave gifts to the Village Chief."

"It won't come to that..." Chai Mi dismissed it: "The first two days giving things wasn't too good, but now Liu Zhanggui isn't Village Chief anymore. It's just two families visiting. Doesn't matter. Of course, best if no one mentions it. If someone asks, I'll say Da Zhi asked me to buy it for his dad."

"Mhm."

Chai Mi then instructed Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, later have Mom pick some vegetables for you, send them to Aunt. By the way tell Aunt that Dad's back, tell her not to worry needlessly."

Chai Xiu nodded obediently.

After that, Chai Mi and Chai Youqing put the things in a urea bag. Chai Youqing shouldered it and they set off.

Of course, Chai Mi wasn't empty-handed either; she carried that case of wine...

"Dad, that thing of yours... you go buy a bicycle..."

"Ah... didn't you tell me to go dig a well today?"

Chai Mi froze a moment, then remembered this matter: "Almost forgot. I forgot about this. I'll go buy a bicycle myself when I have time later..."

"Just repair mine, repair it, still usable..."

"How usable? The wheel rims are all warped..."

"Then replace the wheels..."

"Last time you came back carrying it on your shoulder..."

"Then you carry it to the street area to repair it..."

Chai Mi was completely speechless: Fine fine fine... estimating repair costs more than buying new.

But it really is a pity. That bicycle actually hadn't been ridden for very long.

Chai Mi figured that if the afternoon didn't work out, she'd find Song Qiushui to take the tractor for a trip to Jie Li...

If there were no bicycle, she could walk there to buy one. But she couldn't really carry a bicycle there, could she...

Chai Mi didn't blame her father Chai Youqing for arguing back; she herself had come from bitter days. A bicycle, though bicycles now cost only a little over a hundred yuan, this money wasn't much for Chai Mi, but everything has its value. Chai Mi wouldn't just buy one casually because she could afford this bicycle now, buying it even if it was useless, without considering that old bicycle.

Chai Mi really couldn't learn that nouveau riche style.

The two walked for a few minutes and arrived near Liu Chang Gui Jia's home.

The two families weren't very far apart; it was just that because they were carrying things this time, they walked a bit slower.

Fortunately, they didn't run into too many people on the road, and it was quiet all the way, saving a lot of trouble.

"Dad, don't mention the Village Chief stepping down too much later; this isn't a good thing... he should be quite taboo about getting angry."