Chapter 257

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

As the saying goes: the soft fear the hard, the hard fear the reckless.

Chai Mi had lived two lives; she knew Wang Huirong's character all too well. This old codger was terrified of death, and only bullied the weak-natured like her mother Su Wan. When she ran into a hard nut, Wang Huirong was scared to death.

When she ran into the reckless, Wang Huirong ran faster than a rabbit.

However, since Wang Huirong was capable of doing this kind of thing once, she was extremely likely to do it a second time. To nip the trouble in the bud, Chai Mi decided not to let Wang Huirong off.

So, just as Wang Huirong started to run, Chai Mi broke free from the crowd's restraint, turned back, picked up that brick again, and gave chase.

Wang Huirong ran even faster in fright...

"You old codger, stop right there for me. Today I'll kill you, wasted a whole day of my time." Chai Mi pursued unhurriedly from behind.

From the village east side, she chased all the way to the front of the old residence...

All the onlookers in the village knew: Chai Mi wanted to kill Wang Huirong today...

Some ran along, ready to go watch the excitement at the Chai family old residence; some chased Chai Mi, afraid she'd act on impulse; some went to Chai Mi's home to notify Chai Mi's parents...

And Chai You De, who was originally halfway there, preparing to play the "filial son," hadn't even arrived when he saw things going bad, turned tail and ran...

Chai You De ran even faster than Wang Huirong...

Whoosh whoosh...

"Dad, it's bad. That little bastard Chai Mi wants to smash my mom to death with a brick..."

Chai You De shouted at the top of his lungs the moment he entered the courtyard gate.

Chai Zhongxiao's hand, which had been smoking, trembled: "She's gone unfilial..."

After a moment, Chai Zhongxiao puzzled it out: "Wait, wasn't your mom going to scare them with a suicide hanging? How come Chai Mi didn't pull her back, but wants to smash your mom to death? Where is your mom? Did she scam Chai Mi?"

Chai Zhongxiao thought to himself: Is Chai Mi stupid? She originally wanted to scam her, but she struck back instead...

Isn't that money delivered to the door?

"My mom..." Chai You De said with a sincere face: "My mom ran away... Chai Mi really had a brick and was swinging it at my mom's head..."

"Confused..." Chai Zhongxiao was instantly furious: "She wouldn't really dare kill someone, would she? Those are all scare tactics. Your mom is done for..."

Chai You De sneered inwardly: Old man, did you forget how my leg got broken back then? Chai Mi wasn't bluffing, she really wanted to kill you... The look of bluffing and the look of really wanting to kill you, they're not the same!!!

"Go, come with me to see. I want to see what this little shrimp can do!!!" Chai Zhongxiao said with a displeased face.

But Chai You De didn't want to listen to Chai Zhongxiao's bragging at all, wearing a 'you go die if you want, don't drag me' expression: "Dad, if you want to go, go yourself. I'm not going. I still want to live a couple more days..."

Chai Zhongxiao gave Chai You De a sidelong glance, then cursed: "Third son, how are you so useless? Is Chai Mi a tiger or something..."

Chai Zhongxiao's words weren't finished when the next second he saw Wang Huirong run faster than a rabbit, whoosh, she darted into the courtyard, then slammed the main gate shut.

After that came the sound of a brick hitting the main gate.

Clang.

"Wang Huirong you old codger, get out here nice and quick. If I don't kill you today, I'll take your surname!!!" Chai Mi shouted from outside the gate.

Chai Zhongxiao and Chai You De both felt a simultaneous chill of fear...

Chai You De silently ran back to his own room, pulled the blanket over his head, praying inwardly: Can't see me, can't see me...

Chai Zhongxiao silently turned around, wearing an 'I heard nothing' expression...

Wang Huirong was in a sorry state, hair disheveled, egg yolk all over her head, yet she still cursed defiantly: "If you've got the guts, come in..."

"You said it!!!" Chai Mi immediately tried to vault the wall to get in.

A crowd of onlookers finally arrived in time, everyone holding Chai Mi down tight, not letting her move: "No no no, don't be impulsive... Chai Mi, what are you doing? You really want to kill your grandma?! Is that proper?!"

"Chai Mi, you're still young, it's not worth it, not worth it. Wang Huirong won't live much longer anyway. If you kill her, it's not worth it..."

"Right, absolutely don't be impulsive. Even if you hit her, don't kill her. Beat her into a vegetative state, at most you do three to five years... Absolutely don't kill anyone..."

The crowd discussed heatedly.

Someone even gave Chai Mi a "good idea": "Chai Mi, just hit Wang Huirong's thighs, break her legs, three years max..."

"In my opinion, break both arms and legs, still three years..."

"That's not good. Should make Wang Huirong strike first, then you strike back. Me and your Second Uncle will testify for you, you were beaten and forced to defend yourself, accidentally killed this old codger..."

Wang Huirong was so angry her face turned iron-green: "Song Qiuping you dog-spawned bitch, you're afraid Chai Mi won't beat me to death, aren't you? Are you even speaking human language? Does anyone give ideas for someone else to commit murder and arson?"

The ones giving ideas from outside the gate were precisely Chai You Fu and his wife.

Song Qiuping heard Wang Huirong cursing her and immediately didn't back down: "I'm willing, what's it to you? I'll give ideas... When Chai Mi beats you to death, I'll spend money to hire the best lawyer to redeem her, I'll let you die for nothing..."

"Angering me to death..." Wang Huirong was furious.

Wang Huirong never expected in ten thousand years that a crowd would gather to watch, yet no one would side with her; instead they all leaned toward Chai Mi, afraid Chai Mi wouldn't beat her, Wang Huirong, to death...

"You've gone unfilial!!!" Chai Zhongxiao finally couldn't bear it anymore, roared at the outside: "A bunch of disrespectful things. One wants to beat her own grandma to death, another actually gives ideas for her own niece to beat her own grandma to death, are you even human?"

"Chai Zhongxiao, no need for your snide remarks inside? In a bit I'll chop you up too and feed you to dogs. Killing one is killing, killing two is killing, I don't mind killing one more..."

With Chai Mi shouting like that, Chai Zhongxiao didn't dare speak anymore.

Just then Song Qiushui, who had rushed over, ran to the front, blocking Chai Mi: "Chai Mi, stop making trouble. You're just bluffing..."

Everyone saw it was Song Qiushui and knew Song Qiushui and Chai Mi had the best relationship, figured Song Qiushui could definitely persuade Chai Mi, so they eased up a little.

"Your family doesn't even have dogs, how are you gonna chop them up and feed them to dogs? In my opinion, just chop chop, throw them in the river bend to feed turtles. Turtles eat that and they're sure to grow big... Then, stew turtle soup, definitely delicious..."

The crowd looked at each other in dismay...

This soup, who the hell would dare drink it?!

Wang Huirong was also scared stiff. Seeing no one helping her, she started quibbling from inside the gate: "Chai Mi, I'm telling you, I'm an adult who doesn't hold grudges against a child. Today's matter has nothing to do with you, not a single cent. I just wanted to commit suicide by hanging, scare your Second Uncle a bit, wasn't targeting you... Don't you aim randomly!"

Hearing this, the crowd outside the door wore even stranger expressions: Oh, Wang Huirong confessed without being pressed — it really was a fake suicide, actually a scheme to swindle money…

The small portion of people who had still been unsure whether Wang Huirong truly couldn't survive or was faking it instantly switched sides and began buzzing with discussion.

Song Qiuping took the lead in cursing: "I said you old undying thing had no good intentions — turns out you'd already plotted at home to swindle our family's money… The famine debt you incurred building Chai You De's house, why should our family repay it? Why don't you make Xiao Doubao repay it? Isn't it just because you're afraid of Xiao Doubao…"

At this moment Lao Liutou was also outside the door cursing Chai Zhongxiao: "Chai Zhongxiao, you're over sixty years old — how can you be so shameless? You sent your wife to fake a suicide, deliberately making things difficult for the whole camp. Even if you're short on money or pulling famine debt, can't this damn matter be settled behind closed doors? You had to make the whole camp know? You've made our Old Chai Family lose face too badly. How did our Old Chai Family produce such a shameless thing as you? Already in your sixties, nearing death, you didn't leave a single cent for your descendants, and you still damn well pulled a pile of famine debt… Chai Zhongxiao, when you die you won't even enter the ancestral grave — our Old Chai Family's ancestors can't afford to lose this face."

Chai Zhongxiao, who had always taken "Righteousness" as his personal duty, immediately panicked. Although he no longer cared much about his own reputation, after death he still wanted to enter the ancestral grave.

Then Chai Zhongxiao opened the door…

One look and Wang Huirong immediately ran far away, terrified Chai Mi would smash her to death with a brick.

Chai Zhongxiao, hardening his scalp, explained to some of the Chai Family clansmen: "This isn't entirely my fault — Chai You Fu really did take money from me when he built his house. Two or three thousand yuan, that can't be faked… At the time his wife was making trouble about returning to her mother's family, everyone knew this. I asked him for the money and he wouldn't pay, the old woman couldn't think straight — that's not excessive either."

After Chai Zhongxiao finished speaking, he also asked several people who had experienced that incident back then; several of them said the same thing, confirming that when Chai You Fu built his house, Chai Zhongxiao had indeed secretly taken three thousand yuan or thereabouts — anyway, he took it.

"Then does Chai Mi's family owe you money?"

"Chai Mi's family doesn't owe me money, but… I'm down and out anyway, have no money, I still have to keep one bowl of water level, right? Three sons, each family chips in some, let's get past this hurdle."

"Then…" Several Chai Family elders looked and felt this matter didn't seem complicated and wouldn't be hard to handle, then said: "Then let everyone disperse — it's just a small matter."

But the onlookers wouldn't listen: You say disperse and we disperse — who do you think you are? We onlookers still have to listen to you blather… Anyway watching the excitement isn't illegal, we'll just keep watching.

"What's this 'one bowl of water level'?" Chai Mi frowned and demanded: "When giving money, you didn't keep one bowl of water level. Now that famine debt has come out, you remember 'one bowl of water level'? Are you truly senile, or are you pretending to be stupid here? Furthermore…"

Chai Mi paused: "You can fool others, but fooling me — I think that's a bit unnecessary. You owe over forty thousand in famine debt; even without my Second Uncle's two or three thousand, even without interest or whatever, the principal alone is at least ten or twenty thousand yuan. This money — my family didn't take it; you know perfectly well who you gave it to. You say split it among three sons, ten-plus thousand per son — who can come up with that? And what about the three daughters — don't they count? Shouldn't they be called over now too, everyone split it equally? Each person hands you five or eight thousand, so you can keep squandering, keep wasting?"

Hearing Chai Zhongxiao's famine debt was actually over forty thousand, everyone instantly went dumbstruck.

They stared at each other, not daring to speak.

Even the usually "refined" Lao Liutou was a bit dazed, muttering to himself: "Holy shit! Chai Zhongxiao is too fucking awesome — over forty thousand yuan in famine debt! His balls are too big — even an ordinary person eating and drinking the best their whole life couldn't pull this much famine debt! This is an astronomical figure, totally excessive, can't be repaid…"

The rest of the Chai Family people almost all held this view.

Over forty thousand really is too much.

It's simply not something an ordinary family can bear.

In this era, building a new house doesn't even cost over forty thousand yuan. And building a new house — a couple would probably have to scrimp and save their whole lives to build one.

The number is too big; it's destined to be unpayable.

Fortunately Chai Zhongxiao is near death — then don't repay it; let the debt die with the person…

At this moment, Che Lianyun, who had been hiding to the side, came out. She expressed that as Chai Zhongxiao's son, Chai You De was willing to share his old father's worry, willing to pay money — and then actually took out two thousand yuan and gave it to Chai Zhongxiao…

Che Lianyun gave the money.

Chai Zhongxiao immediately looked at Chai Mi.

Chai Mi smiled: "Who does this little trick fool? Nothing but a left-hand-to-right-hand trick. Che Lianyun, this money can't be given to Chai Zhongxiao — if you're capable, let our Chai Family clansmen in the village hold it, then repay the bank later; don't let Chai Zhongxiao hold it, or in a moment he'll just give it back to you. You're willing to pay — our Old Chai Family elders aren't all dead yet; let one come out and keep it for Chai Zhongxiao."

Lao Liutou immediately volunteered: "Right. Chai Zhongxiao takes money but doesn't go repay it — what then? I think this money is safe with me. He can pull forty thousand in famine debt; even if he and Che Lianyun aren't passing it back and forth between left and right hands, he might still lose it somehow — then no cents left, still can't repay. Better let me hold it…"

Che Lianyun immediately refused and snatched the money back from Chai Zhongxiao's hand.

As for Chai You Fu and Song Qiuping, they fell into a dilemma, not knowing what to do.

Chai Mi silently took out a newspaper she had conveniently picked up that day at the market fair and handed it to Chai Zhongliang.

Chai Zhongliang had originally been principal at the village primary school, and later served as a manager in the county city for several years — an upright man with solid work style.

The newspaper reported all of Chai Zhongxiao's misdeeds: arrears of over ten thousand catties of grain that should have been handed in to the village, arrears to the credit union of over forty thousand principal and interest, some petty theft matters — and most critically, a work style issue: Chai Zhongxiao and Che Lianyun's relationship was very unclear…

After reading, Chai Zhongliang crumpled the newspaper into a ball.

There were many illiterate people in the village, so although Chai Zhongxiao's matter made the newspaper, not many people knew.

"This famine debt — Chai Zhongxiao, you created it yourself. Don't burden the children. Chai You Fu spent two or three thousand — that's been given these past two days. Chai Mi's family doesn't owe you — don't ask. The rest — you figure it out yourself. You made this mess — you bear it yourself." Chai Zhongliang said in a rather unkind tone: "Don't end up with your reputation ruined."