Chapter 249

Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Nine Plus One: Scolding

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Youqing and Chai You Fu, these brothers, ultimately decided: just go to the Laozhai to take a look, then leave immediately, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Chai Mi had already said what she needed to say; she couldn't stop Chai Youqing and Chai You Fu too much, or it would look like she wasn't human, as if everything was done by Chai Mi.

Anyway, as long as Chai Mi didn't pay money, the rest was up to them.

Chai Youqing and Chai You Fu went along the road, just reaching outside the Laozhai wall, not yet at the Chai Family Old Wu Zi Neighbor's Door, when they heard Wang Huirong complaining inside the house.

"You only know now, they're all a bunch of white-eyed wolves, and I wonder how I gave birth to such a bunch of worthless wretch playthings? Is it my fault for giving birth to them? Which child wasn't raised by me with handfuls of shit and piss? Now that they've grown up, they're all like this, and it's my fault... everything's my fault? You, as the father, Liu, don't have a bit of responsibility?"

"What responsibility do I have? You still talk back?"

"Who told you to give those several thousand yuan to Chai Mi back then? If you hadn't given it to her, would there be those later things? Now there's nothing to eat, nothing to drink, everything depends on others' faces? I don't even have money to go to the market, yet you eat bangli corn cakes, those were all stolen from others..."

Clang—

It was the sound of a chaguanzi falling.

Ask, why is it the sound of a chaguanzi falling?

After all, all the bowls and teacups were smashed, Chai Zhongxiao temporarily couldn't afford to buy new ones, so he could only smash chaguanzi.

Chai You Fu and Chai Youqing looked at each other in dismay.

"Big Brother, should we still go in..."

"Since we've come all this way..."

Chai You Fu and Chai Youqing, the two brothers, steeled themselves and entered the courtyard, then went straight into Chai Zhongxiao's room.

After all, Chai Zhongxiao was still alive; even if they came to see Chai You De, they should first come see how Father and Mother were doing, that's what propriety required.

The Laozhai was still that same Laozhai, only now it was a bit unrecognizable.

The Chai Family Old Wu Zi Neighbor's Window glass still hadn't been put in; the kang inside the house seemed to have been torn down and redone; the originally white baili walls were black everywhere from smoke and fire; the menkuang was crooked, the screws on top had already fallen off, only the bottom screws were holding it, making the door look like a door.

On the stove sat a few bowls smashed halfway; the pot's rim had a hole...

At this moment, it could only be said to barely be a pot.

And inside the room, it was even more dilapidated; two small mirrors shattered to bits; thermos, teapot, tea bowls, all cleanly gone...

It could truly be described as — home with four bare walls.

If Chai Mi saw this now, Chai Mi would definitely give Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong a "serves you right"...

Of course, Chai Mi would absolutely never come.

Chai Youqing looked at Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong with some melancholy, and called out: "Dad, Mom."

Chai You Fu lowered his head and didn't speak.

"Don't call me Mom? I can't bear that title." Wang Huirong's face still had palm prints that hadn't subsided from swelling, likely beaten by Chai Zhongxiao recently; seeing these two sons, she was furious: "I was truly blind, giving birth to you few, each more beastly than the last. Your dad and I have no money for food, you two pretended to be dead at home, and now you have the nerve to show your faces?"

Chai Youqing and Chai You Fu remained silent.

Wang Huirong then raised her voice and continued scolding: "Oldest, let me ask you. Tell me, from childhood to adulthood, your dad and I worked hard to raise you. You married a wife in your twenties; back then the family had no money, couldn't even come up with two hundred yuan for bride price, wasn't it your dad who scraped it together?"

Chai Youqing nodded, but in his heart he thought: when he was sixteen or seventeen, he went out to work, earned over two hundred a year, gave Chai Zhongxiao over eight hundred total, but when it came time to marry, the family couldn't even produce two hundred yuan...

But Chai Youqing didn't speak up.

"When you were little, I rose early and slept late cooking for you, tell me, isn't that how it was? Now, your mom can't even get food to eat. Last time I went to your house, what did that beast Chai Mi in your family say? She said: just won't lend!!! I was borrowing money, not demanding money; this little money, you can't even decide? I raise a dog for forty years, it should be tamed by now! How did I raise such a plaything as you?"

Wang Huirong finished scolding Chai Youqing and started scolding Chai You Fu: "Chai You Fu, you're even more not a thing. At seventeen or eighteen, just after middle school graduation, you ran off to be a teacher at the school, didn't do a lick of housework. Then they got you a wife, married a demoness, one thing after another; result was, over eight hundred yuan bride price, took over two years to get back. Then got you a second wife; the family raised you, you didn't do a bit of work. Then your wife raised hell, you still helped your wife; today want to build a new house, tomorrow want to build a new house. Result: your dad went to the credit union and got several hundred yuan of famine relief; now look, that famine relief became forty-three thousand; this money, you must repay."

"Ah..." Chai You Fu was hearing this for the first time. "No... Mom, what I heard wasn't this version. I remember people saying Dad borrowed twelve thousand yuan, which turned into forty-three thousand. For my house, the family gave two to three thousand total; don't blame everything on me. This money wasn't spent by me?"

Wang Huirong was also dazed; she looked at Chai Zhongxiao: "Wasn't it several hundred? Is it one eye two three?"

Chai Zhongxiao glared with round eyes: "Anyway the money was spent on you. You turtle-egg plaything. You still want to default!!! Unfilial you are!!!"

Chai Youqing was also dazed; he didn't know about this.

Anyway the loan wasn't borrowed by him.

As for how much was borrowed, he didn't know either.

The question is, what kind of family borrows twelve thousand? That was twenty-some years ago!

The point is, Chai Youqing didn't get a single cent of this money.

Chai You Fu reacted violently: "Dad, don't you pin this shit basin on my head! I clearly remember, you took out 1700 yuan first from that red cabinet, later I said it might not be enough, you took out another 1300, finally took out 200 from your pocket. Total 3200 yuan. Later, I secretly saved some wages, after four or five years, I repaid you 1100 yuan. I got 2100 total. Don't pin the shit basin on my head. That twelve or thirteen thousand, I only took two thousand one hundred. The rest you lost yourself; don't talk nonsense."

Chai Youqing was bewildered; he truly didn't know this.

Turns out when Second Brother built a house, the family added two thousand plus?

In contrast, when I built a house, the family didn't give a single cent...

Chai Youqing suddenly felt a bit unbalanced in his heart; he remembered what Chai Mi once said, those things he once thought impossible, finally turned out to be true.

"Fart! Clearly all given to you!!!" Chai Zhongxiao scolded: "I gave it all to you!"

Chai You Fu refused: "Dad, you're talking nonsense. You lost your money, you go find where to get it. I didn't take it, what would I admit? Besides, at the family division, didn't you say you'd give me money to build a house? Result: you only put in that little money, you still default, and you want to wrongly accuse me."

"Unfilial you are!!!"

Chai Zhongxiao flung a chaguanzi over.

Chai You Fu dodged.

Then Chai You Fu left the room; Chai Zhongxiao wanted to chase, Chai Youqing hurriedly blocked: "Dad Dad, you're so old, calm down."

But how could Chai Zhongxiao calm down?

That twelve or thirteen thousand borrowed back then, now nowhere to be found; he knew how it was spent, but he couldn't admit it.

And regardless of whether they acknowledge it or not, the point is, someone has to repay this money.

They can't possibly expect my youngest son Chai You De to repay it, right?

After arguing for half a day, Chai Zhongxiao was finally persuaded to leave by Chai Youqing.

However, at this moment Chai Youqing's mood inexplicably improved.

At least, no matter whether it was fair or unfair back then, I didn't get a single cent. So I don't need to repay it.

Whether the interest has grown to over forty thousand, or this twelve or thirteen thousand principal, none of it has anything to do with me, Chai Youqing.

Chai Youqing had also heard about many things Father did, but whether in the village or at home, no one spoke to him about it.

Even Chai Mi didn't tell Chai Youqing.

The newspaper stated it clearly, but Chai Youqing didn't know.

Chai Mi mainly couldn't be bothered to tell Chai Youqing; telling him would be useless, so she didn't say anything. Chai Youqing only heard it when others were whispering: Chai Zhongxiao and his wife, they're done for this time, they've hauled a whole buttload of famine debt.

But judging from what was just said, Chai Youqing actually believes Chai You Fu more. If they really borrowed twelve or thirteen thousand back then, and Chai You Fu took three thousand, then the majority of the rest went to Chai You De.

But, it's very obvious, Chai Zhongxiao wants Chai You Fu to repay, not Chai You De.

Chai Youqing shook his own head: These parents, they've gone a bit mad.

Just after placating Chai Zhongxiao, Chai Youqing came out and saw Chai You Fu hadn't left yet, so he asked: "So are you going inside or not?"

Chai You Fu shook his head.

"What exactly happened with that money?" Chai Youqing asked.

"How would I know. Anyway I didn't spend it."

"But you used over two thousand? And you haven't repaid it now?"

"The money Father and Mother took to build me a house, why should I repay it?"

Chai Youqing didn't know how to answer; he turned his pockets inside out, searched for half a day, no cigarettes.

Right now he wanted to smoke a cigarette, to calm down a bit.

Result: before he could say anything.

Inside the room Wang Huirong started cursing: "What do you mean 'money to build you a house'? Why should you repay? What do I and your father owe you? We raised you to eighteen, that's enough. The rest you spent our money, you must repay us. And you Chai Youqing, the money for your marriage, repay us too..."

Chai Youqing didn't say anything.

Actually, the money for Chai Youqing's marriage, he had already earned back long ago.

And with plenty to spare.

These parents...

Chai Youqing didn't quite know what to say.

He just wanted to leave quickly.

Then, ignoring Wang Huirong's continuing abuse, he glanced at Chai You De lying on the kang in the west room drinking wine and frowned.

Chai You De still had gauze wrapped around his head, his pinky finger was fractured, his collarbone was fractured, several ribs were broken too; although it had been over twenty days, his drinking was somewhat outrageous.

If it were before, Chai Youqing would definitely have intervened.

But today he had no mood for it.

He staggered a bit, only saying one sentence: "Mother, I have things to do at home, I'm leaving first."

"Pretending to have business again? What business do you have with your mother?! You turtle spawn, a bunch of turtle spawn. How did I give birth to you turtle spawn..."

Wang Huirong's cursing still rang in his ears, but Chai Youqing had already arrived home.

Chai Youqing, returned home, like a soulless person, lay directly on the kang.

For a long while, without a sound.

Su Wan came over and asked a few times, but Chai Youqing didn't speak.

Su Wan felt something was off, so she went out to ask Chai Mi.

Chai Mi was boredly weeding in the vegetable garden; hearing Su Wan ask, she pursed her lips and said: "My dad went to the old house and got provoked. I told him not to go, but he insisted. Well, now it's done."

"There must be a reason though?"

"Because of money. This is so simple... now the old man and old woman lack money, and they still live in the old house, they both want to die. As the saying goes, when a person is poor their ambition shortens, when a horse is thin its hair grows long. No money means nothing can be done... of course, no money is secondary. No small change, you can survive a few days eating tree bark, but they not only have no money, they also have a pile of famine debt. Put anyone in their shoes and they'd suffer." Chai Mi said, standing up and wiping sweat: "But they absolutely must not be allowed to get away with it. When they had money, they gave it all to Chai You De. Now they're poor, they go ask Chai You De for it. I reckon they don't even dare ask Chai You De, and instead want my dad and Chai You Fu to pay up, then they started quarreling. I heard it all just now, but I couldn't be bothered to deal with them."

"The rumors outside, ninety-nine percent are true. These two owe the village over ten thousand catties of grain, and owe the credit union money. Originally, after so many years it was all dead debt. But the newspaper doesn't care about that, it reported it, so what can the credit union do? They're designated to come collect from them."

"But they don't have any money either..." Su Wan also knew the old house's current financial situation; it really had reached the end of the road.

"No money? Can't even repay the principal? You don't repay a single cent, the credit union doesn't care if you have it or not, they'll just sue you. The saying goes, debts must be repaid, it's only right. Although it's the credit union's money, and so many years have passed, repaying a bit would be fine. But not repaying a single cent, they can only sue. Once sued, the authorities must handle it; at minimum they'll haul them to the detention center to squat for half a month first." Chai Mi said smiling: "And since this has been brought up, it won't be a dead account anymore. They'll keep watching. If they don't repay, they'll bear it for life. Whenever the credit union goes bankrupt, that's when it's over."

"Ah... so serious." Su Wan wasn't clear on this, just felt Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong had no money: "Then truly none?"

"Whether they have it or not isn't for that to decide. Who told them to borrow in the first place? Besides, who says they have none? Che Lianyun's younger uncle's marriage, the family built a house, Che Lianyun helped out plenty. The old man and old woman farming these years also had no lack of income. Where's the money?" Chai Mi said coldly: "They enjoyed the blessings, can they avoid the suffering?"

Heaven's reincarnation is fair, since ancient times who has it spared?

"Don't worry about this. They'll have trouble these few days. Earlier Qiu Shui said the township issued an order to the village, telling Chai Zhongxiao and Chai You De to make up the money owed to the village. If the village hadn't blocked them, the township would've come long ago. Every household, year after year, each person pays four hundred catties of grain; Chai Zhongxiao hasn't paid for seven or eight years? On what grounds? Because he looks good? What's owed must be repaid sooner or later."