Chapter 259

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Mi was idle with nothing to do anyway, and she was in a good mood today, so she led Chai Xiu along, pretending to make a trip to the small shop.

Sometimes, a smart child, she has been smart since childhood.

Take Chai Xiu for example.

As soon as Chai Mi mentioned taking Chai Xiu out and wanting to buy her some candy, Chai Xiu immediately became alert, but Chai Xiu hadn't explicitly said it in front of her mother Su Wan yet; once they were out the door, Chai Xiu carefully asked Chai Mi: "Eldest Sister, you said you want to put eye drops on the old man and old woman, you're not going to make me do it, are you?! I'm still little……"

"Little what little? You're already seven, after the New Year you'll be eight. This family, it's about time you stepped up to support it……"

Chai Xiu had a dazed expression: Uh……

Look at my Eldest Sister's words, she makes it sound like I'm seventeen or eighteen.

Eldest Sister really thinks highly of me, but Eldest Sister doesn't treat me like a person at all……

"Some words, it's not convenient for me to say. You say them, it's just children's innocent talk……"

"What words?"

"Don't know…… you'll need to self-study and become talented at this……"

The two sisters left the house, walked for a few minutes, and arrived at the small shop.

In front of the small shop, it was rather deserted now.

After all, this morning the big fellows were busy watching the excitement, standing there with emotions running high, they were already exhausted.

Moreover, that delayed their afternoon nap, so they should all be at home sleeping, not coming out.

So in front of the small shop, there was no one.

Chai Mi and Chai Xiu went in; Da Lao Song was sitting on a stool, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"Da Lao Song, get a few pieces of almond candy."

Almond candy is a kind of candy block the size and shape of an almond, tastes good, and is very cheap, five fen a piece, one yuan for twenty pieces.

Da Lao Song didn't say anything either, went to get the almond candy with some sighs, counted out twenty pieces and handed them to Chai Xiu: "Count them…… see if it's enough……"

After Chai Xiu finished counting, she ate one piece: "Enough, thank you Uncle～"

Da Lao Song laughed heartily: "Xiu'er, your little mouth is really sweet……"

"My mouth isn't as sweet as my Grandmother's mouth, my Grandmother's is the truly sweet one?"

"Hm?" Da Lao Song frowned.

Wang Huirong's mouth is sweet?

That's a stretch.

Da Lao Song and Chai Zhongxiao's couple have been in-laws for over ten years, twenty-some years, and this is the first time he's heard that Wang Huirong's mouth is sweet.

Is that Wang Huirong's mouth being sweet? That's a mouth spewing shit……

If it were someone else saying this, Da Lao Song would definitely retort a few sentences, but Chai Xiu is too young, not knowing is normal, so Da Lao Song adjusted his mood and said with a smile: "Xiu'er, then you tell me, why is your Grandmother's mouth sweet?"

Chai Xiu ate another candy, revealed a mouthful of little white teeth, hee-hee-hee'd laughing: "If her mouth wasn't sweet, Da Lao Song, how would you have been willing to marry your daughter to my Second Uncle back then? That mouth must have been especially sweet, if my Grandmother's mouth wasn't sweet, my Second Uncle would have ended up a bachelor. Then there wouldn't have been my Grandmother later specially running to swing on that big willow tree at your doorstep……"

Chai Xiu turned back and pointed at that big willow tree: "I can even dream about it now, someone in a white lab coat, sticking out a big red tongue, bulging eyeballs, swinging on a swing on this tree…… Da Lao Song, aren't you afraid when you sleep at night?"

Da Lao Song went from being speechless to burning with rage, finally grinding his teeth in anger.

The thing he regretted most in his life was marrying Song Qiuping to Chai You Fu back then.

Although, Chai You Fu had no issues, looked pretty good, was a teacher with a formal position back then, had a salary, got rice and white flour on holidays, was quite shrewd too, but Chai You Fu had a "good mom"……

The matter goes back to twenty years ago, this Wang Huirong was a total rogue, not a decent thing. And back then Da Lao Song and his wife weren't too willing about the matter between Song Qiuping and Chai You Fu either.

After all, in that era Chai You Fu had broken off an engagement once……

In short, Chai You Fu once had a girlfriend, but later broke it off, and there seemed to be some stories in that.

And pushing back twenty years, in that era, breaking an engagement was more serious than a wife dying. So, Da Lao Song and his wife were unwilling.

But, Song Qiuping was willing.

This has to mention Chai You Fu's special skill, which is bragging.

This habit of bragging isn't something Chai You Fu only has now; Chai You Fu bragged before too, and could brag even more. The problem is, there are lots of braggarts in this world, some you can tell at once they're talking big, unreliable.

But, when Chai You Fu brags, people believe him.

Chai You Fu brags about his family, that guy's family is awfully rich, brags again that at home he, Chai You Fu, has the final say.

And whether it's bragging or sweet talk, this Chai You Fu is proficient in all. Song Qiuping at that time was a lady from a good family, didn't know a single big character, suddenly such a cultured man appears, looks passable, and has exceptionally good eloquence, she fell for it.

Not only Song Qiuping, even Da Lao Song was hoodwinked by Chai You Fu's bragging, and later agreed to this marriage with a full mouth.

Of course, once married, it all fucking fell apart……

"Sigh……" Da Lao Song sighed endlessly, but because Chai Xiu was young, he couldn't say much, just said: "When Wang Huirong was alive, I wasn't afraid of her, now that she's dead, I'm even less afraid of her."

"But my Second Uncle is afraid of her, that's why my Second Uncle plans to repay the money owed for building the house to my Grandmother……" Chai Xiu said softly.

With Chai Xiu saying this, Da Lao Song immediately frowned; he knew about this matter. He watched today's excitement too, but back then his daughter and Chai You Fu did take Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong's money; although a son building a house, the elders adding some money is proper, but now Chai Zhongxiao shamelessly demands it, it can only be given.

If not given, can't withstand Wang Huirong making trouble.

Da Lao Song's mood wasn't too good, so he didn't say much more, but in his heart he was thinking it would be good if this money didn't have to be given to Wang Huirong.

Chai Mi saw that Chai Xiu had said what she should say, so she pretended to scold Chai Xiu a few sentences: "Child, talking nonsense. Da Lao Song, then I'm leaving……"

Chai Mi first put some eye drops on Da Lao Song, then strolled leisurely to Song Qiushui's house.

Hadn't been to Song Qiushui's house for several days; when Chai Mi came, she felt Song Qiushui's house seemed even more chaotic.

Several puppies getting bigger and bigger, already started fighting on their own in the courtyard.

They bit at each other without stopping, and kept on barking.

Song Qiushui gaped, her eyes a bit vacant as she stared at those few dogs, but in the end she didn't have the strength to say anything.

The yard also had a huge pile of wild mountain apricots; some had the apricot kernels removed, some were just piled there like that.

Meng Shi was right there shelling apricot kernels.

In the village, pedlars would buy these wild mountain apricot kernels — seven or eight mao per catty; the price was decent, much more expensive than corn.

Song Qiushui's family had a hundred or eighty mu of apricot forest, with very, very many wild mountain apricots; every year they would sell some.

Actually, Song Qiushui's family's main harvest was selling wild mountain apricot kernels.

"Aunt, busy?" Chai Mi greeted her.

Meng Shi laughed and called out Song Qiushui's name, then went back to busily shelling her apricot kernels.

This work actually had a huge, huge workload; the only one in the family who could do labor was Meng Shi herself, so she could only race against the clock.

Song Qingshan was the accountant, busy running around the village with no time.

And Song Qiushui...

First, Song Qiushui's body was weak, she couldn't bear hard labor; the spiritual little sister stayed up late every day, extremely listless during the day, plus she originally hadn't been napping well recently, so Song Qiushui was even more listless.

Of course, Meng Shi also couldn't bear to let Song Qiushui do labor.

Yawning continuously, Song Qiushui saw Chai Mi and Chai Xiu arrive and could only muster three seconds of spirit: "Sisters, how do you get such abundant energy? I'm now sleepy to the point of being muddled. Can't fall asleep when sleeping, yet especially sleepy... when I can fall asleep, these damn dogs keep woof-woof-woofing, I want to kill them all."

Chai Mi rolled her eyes at Song Qiushui: "You wouldn't dare kill these few dogs, you're just talking. Later if someone asks you for one, you wouldn't part with it either."

"That's true enough." Song Qiushui was irritable, but still irritable.

But these four dogs were her few sources of happiness and good partners to pass the time.

Song Qiushui was different from Chai Mi; she had no work.

And that was the kind where she had not a single bit of work.

All day just eat then sleep, sleep then eat, occasionally diet... feeding the dogs the food she saved from her own rations.

Although these four dogs were noisy, they also had obedient moments; mainly when Song Qiushui was bored, she would stroke the dogs' bellies and play, also a way to pass these boring years and time.

Song Qiushui's age was not too old not too young, right in adolescence, but her family didn't allow her to date, and the boyfriend she once wanted to date, now she had completely lost interest afterwards, she became even more idle.

So she lived the retired life everyone envies eighty years early.

Every day walk the dogs, grow flowers, nothing else.

"What's up? Any instructions?"

"Have your dad go ask Chai Zhongxiao for money."

"Ah..." Song Qiushui immediately frowned: "That poor wretch, doesn't have a single fen. How to ask?"

Song Qiushui knew about this matter.

Over these years, Chai Zhongxiao owed the village a lot of grain.

This grain, every household would pay, but Chai Zhongxiao didn't pay much. Chai You De also didn't pay, but Chai You De owed relatively less.

Originally this kind of thing, not many people cared.

But Chai Zhongxiao made the newspaper, and the matter blew up.

The township told the village: Chai Zhongxiao's owed grain, no matter what, must be collected.

Chai Zhongxiao owed thirteen years of grain in total, and it was owed based on Chai Zhongxiao's family of five people, roughly a thousand catties per year, totaling over ten thousand catties owed.

Actually, this grain wasn't much.

Chai Zhongxiao himself farmed twenty or thirty mu of good fields, not even half the yield could cover it. But Chai Zhongxiao just didn't pay before.

Now, the township told the village.

The village, forced by circumstances, could only go ask Chai Zhongxiao.

Result...

Result: Chai Zhongxiao had nothing, only a few bags of cornmeal and sorghum rice left for eating, nothing else.

The village went twice, didn't collect a single catty of grain.

"My dad went twice, he had nothing... sigh... absolutely no way. This thing can't be robbed either; he only has like five bags of grain left, a bit extra... let me tell you..." Song Qiushui sighed: "Might not work out well, the village might even have to lose some grain to compensate Chai Zhongxiao, otherwise that couple might easily starve to death."

Song Qiushui was quite helpless about this: "You say Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong those two old codgers, living their days... even a rat would shed tears looking at them, truly too miserable to behold. I remember, Chai Zhongxiao only paid back four thousand or five thousand yuan to your family? How did he become poor like that? He sells grain every year, can sell seven or eight thousand, where's the money?"

"Don't know. You ask me, who do I ask? Guess it was eaten and drunk." Chai Mi wasn't clear either, but from the previous life's many life trajectories, saying more really was eating and drinking: "Chai You De drinks three meals a day, that cheap sorghum liquor, three or four yuan a catty right? Two catties a day, that's ten-something yuan. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, Chai You De drinks every day, rain or shine. He alone drinks down four thousand yuan, all paid by Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong. Plus seeds, fertilizer and such, estimate year in year out it's gone."

Song Qiushui frowned: "By your account, about right. But Chai You De drinks like that, no one cares?"

"You say... you sleep till ten, no one cares either."

"Not the same, I'm sleepy, and besides, these are obviously two different concepts, me sleeping in doesn't cost money. Chai You De just guzzles a ton, what family can withstand it? He drinks and then smokes some foreign cigarettes, perfect. Even famine got dragged out..." Song Qiushui suddenly remembered something: "Good thing you were wise and mighty back then, told me those things in advance."

Song Qiushui referred to a few months ago, Chai Mi stopping Song Qiushui from dating Chai Dajun.

But at the time Chai Mi didn't know Chai Zhongxiao dragged this much famine.

Chai Mi only knew, the old residence was just an empty shelf, completely not the real thirty-thousand-yuan local tycoon in people's eyes.

The old residence was just gilded outside, rotten inside.

"Hehe. Back then it wasn't just anyone, still wanted that thing..." Chai Mi mocked.

Song Qiushui half-closed her eyes, yawning continuously: "Sigh... don't mention it. I was blind back then... then again, my blindness wasn't just a day or two, please forgive. Xiangli has no good young men either, my mom a couple days ago introduced me one... from her mother's family side. My god, showed me a photo... looked like a stupid cunt... hair longer than mine, and a blondie. Of course the key is thin like a monkey, one look and the family is poor as hell, a look like they can't even afford meals, scared me into burning his photo, even burned some paper money for him, afraid this grandson would cheat me."

Chai Xiu burst out laughing.

Chai Mi was also amused by Song Qiushui into hehehe laughing: "Your mom that's..."

That's teaching according to aptitude... no, should be someone found matching Song Qiushui's appearance.

Song Qiushui herself dyes her hair, wears sunglasses, a spiritual little sister getup, so Meng Shi followed that style and found a spiritual young man.

Result Song Qiushui still wasn't satisfied.

Too damn picky.