Chapter 270

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Watching Xiao Doubao get so angry she nearly fainted, Chai Mi couldn't help but laugh.

Chai Mi knew Che Lianyun had a bit of heart disease.

After all, a tiny heart simply couldn't bear her weight of two hundred seventy or eighty jin. It was a case of a small horse pulling a large cart — it wouldn't hold up sooner or later. The heart is only so big; it won't grow larger, but Che Lianyun's weight kept increasing year after year. In her previous life, Che Lianyun suffered a sudden heart problem in her early sixties and collapsed.

As a result, her heart was revived, but because of her excessive weight, nothing else broke in the fall — only her head was damaged, and she was gone.

However, Chai Mi wasn't too worried about Che Lianyun kicking the bucket; it would be better if she did, saving people from her harm.

Chai Mi was laughing happily, then turned and saw Chai You De leading Doctor Xiao Chen out. Only then did Chai Mi stop laughing and fall silent.

Looks like Wang Huirong has woken up.

In that case, Chai Mi should head home too.

Wang Huirong won't die; there's no excitement left to watch.

"This family member..." Doctor Xiao Chen said, "The old lady is fine. It's just that there was a bit too much bleeding in the head, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain, so she passed out. I just stitched it up. No big deal — only seven or eight stitches. Just don't let her bump it again. As for anything else, there doesn't seem to be anything special to watch out for. Do less work, rest more, eat a bit better."

Chai Mi and the others all said they understood.

Afterward, Doctor Xiao Chen looked awkwardly at the three brothers Chai Youqing: "Um... who's settling the medicine fee? Including stitches and medicine, it comes to thirty-five yuan total..."

Chai You Fu immediately turned away, eyes tilted forty-five degrees toward the sun.

Chai You De yawned, pretending he couldn't hear.

Chai Youqing's face was bitter; he had no money on him.

Doctor Xiao Chen's face turned awkward as he asked again: "Th... then should my father-in-law and I go?"

None of the several people spoke.

Doctor Xiao Chen was helpless and went back inside. Chai Zhongxiao had no choice but to take out money and pay, muttering curses under his breath: "Gave birth to three turtle bastards..."

Doctor Xiao Chen didn't stay long and left after that.

Seeing the doctor leave, everyone left too. Only Lao Liutou, this one "outsider," remained; the rest were all their own family.

Chai Zhongxiao walked out of the room, looked at the three brothers Chai You De, and instantly flew into a rage, cursing: "Your mother's thirty-five yuan medicine fee, and you three brothers won't pay? Turtle bastard things — how did I give birth to you three scourges!"

Chai Mi turned her head away laughing, not saying a word.

Chai You De immediately got indignant, putting on an act of being the most filial: "Dad, you know me — I've never had any money..."

Chai You De spoke shamelessly, twisting wrong into right: "All these years I've had no money. Besides, I've been at the old courtyard looking after you and Mom. If there's no merit, there's hardship. If it weren't for me seeing Mom was about to go and fetching the doctor, she might not have made it today. I'm the one who went to trouble, so that thirty-odd yuan should be paid by my eldest and second brother."

As soon as Chai You De finished, Chai You Fu was the first to jump out, unhappy: "Chai Lao San, you're talking nonsense. Isn't it because you talked nonsense that I didn't bring money? You and eldest brother went to my house and said Mom was sure to die. I rushed over in a panic — not bringing money is normal. If you'd said Mom just had a minor illness, I wouldn't have been so anxious. Not so anxious, I would've brought money."

Chai Youqing held it in for a long while, then simply gave up speaking. After all, he didn't know what to say either, just turned and glanced at Chai Mi.

Chai Mi, with a dead-pig-not-afraid-of-boiling-water attitude, said: "Anyway, it's not my turn as a granddaughter to spend money. My grandma has these several sons alive, so it'll never fall on me. Grandpa, if you want my dad to pay, you go talk to my dad."

Chai Youqing hemmed and hawed for a long time; he had no money, so he had no confidence, and afterward chose silence again.

Chai Zhongxiao gave the several people a sidelong glance, couldn't be bothered listening to these brothers quarrel — anyway, not a single good thing among them.

But right now he still harbored a fantasy, and said: "Your mother's awake. Go take a look."

After that, the several people scrambled into the room.

That speed — each faster than the last.

As if falling behind would make them unfilial.

Chai Mi didn't go in; she couldn't be bothered to look at Wang Huirong, and knowing Wang Huirong wouldn't die, she wasn't too willing to get involved in this mess.

Anyway, she wasn't paying, and Chai Zhongxiao didn't look favorably on her either, so staying put held no appeal.

Let those brothers go quarrel.

Chai Mi happened to want to cook some crab at noon, and since she had to call Song Qiushui anyway, she didn't mind calling a few more people.

Chai Mi led Chai Xiu home.

As soon as they arrived home and she was about to have Chai Xiu go call people for lunch, she saw Song Qiuping at her house.

Chai Mi froze for a moment, thinking: Song Qiuping, a player who wouldn't leave her house in a hundred eighty years — how did she end up visiting my place?

"Aiya, Chai Mi's back... how's your grandma's side? Earlier, my dad came to my place saying your grandma didn't look good, and you even bought paper money to go over... how is it now?"

Before Chai Mi could ask anything, Song Qiuping had already "confessed" everything.

Song Qiuping really never went to school, has no schemes, and is straightforward to a fault.

Simply put, she's easy to fool.

If she weren't easy to fool, Song Qiuping wouldn't believe whatever others tell her.

Actually, Chai Mi feels Song Qiuping is a pretty good person, no ill intentions — that point makes her completely incompatible with the Old Chai Family bunch.

The Chai Family — they're all fucking top-tier trash.

Only Song Qiuping is comparatively kind-hearted.

With Song Qiuping asking like this, Chai Mi felt a bit embarrassed and said: "Aiya, I was just messing around earlier. I told Da Lao Song my grandma was done for, but that was based on Chai You De's damn nonsense. When I went over, nothing was wrong. The old lady did faint, but it's no big deal — just bumped her head open, bled a bit. Her diet's been poor lately, malnutrition, probably low blood sugar faint. She's fine now."

Song Qiuping patted her chest: "Good that it's nothing. Otherwise, that old lady could've extorted my dad. My dad went to give her money, ran into the Village Chief and them. That money got taken by the village. That old lady would definitely think it was a setup by my dad and his brothers to screw her. But my dad really didn't know — if they wanted to screw the old lady, not giving her money would've been enough."

"Extra to give her. I just said it casually that day; who knew you'd actually give? That old lady is a bottomless pit — giving is wasted. Now Chai Zhongxiao still owes several tens of thousands from the famine; how much would fill that hole?"

"The front courtyard was a mess earlier — no big deal, right?" Song Qiuping actually cared about this.

And right now the old courtyard is still noisy.

Probably those brothers quarreling again inside the room.

Chai Mi naturally heard it.

After all, they lived too close.

But Chai Mi genuinely couldn't be bothered to get involved in anything. Just that little bit of trivial trouble, and the problem still wasn't solved, yet she didn't know what the three brothers were arguing about.

Want money? None of them had any.

No money, yet acting like big shots.

Besides, Wang Huirong just fainted. Just now Doctor Xiao Chen, he was also a half-baked doctor. If Doctor Xiao Chen's skill was high, he wouldn't have ended up a barefoot doctor, would he?

Even Doctor Xiao Chen dared to stitch Wang Huirong's head without anesthetic, not even a veterinarian would dare be that reckless...

The problem is, Wang Huirong had nothing wrong with her afterward.

Proving that Wang Huirong's constitution was even tougher than that of a draft animal.

Wang Huirong just lost some blood and fainted, that's all. These country people have little experience, so they think fainting must mean a serious illness... Of course, the three brothers arguing most likely wasn't because of Wang Huirong's illness, but because of those thirty-five yuan...

A family of "filial sons and worthy grandsons" indeed.

"It's fine. The old lady's faking. Nothing's wrong, just trying to scare you." Chai Mi started stirring up hatred against Wang Huirong: "That old lady just wants to swindle some money out of you. She and Chai You De agreed to say you gave the money, which caused the old lady to fall ill, to swindle you. My Second Uncle definitely wouldn't agree, so afterward the brothers started arguing, no need to pay attention."

Only then did Song Qiuping feel a bit more at ease.

Afterward Song Qiuping took her leave and hurried home.

After seeing her off, Chai Mi had Chai Xiu go call Liu Zhanggui.

Chai Xiu was a bit reluctant to go, and asked: "What if Liu Zhanggui says he won't come, what then?"

"If he doesn't come, forget it. But you'd better call Da Zhi over, I have something to ask him. If he won't come, you just eat at his house." Chai Mi instructed.

Chai Xiu went helplessly.

Inviting someone to eat also has an art to it. This time Chai Mi mainly wanted to call Da Zhi to help in a few days to get a set of gazi cans, and by the way fix up that inverted donkey properly, repair it.

Chai Mi had already made up her mind; still, setting up a stall to do a bit of small business was better. Renting a house wasn't too suitable for her current actual situation.

First, most people here are in remote countryside, the economy is backward, people who can afford to eat at restaurants are far too few; if she rented a house the business might also be limited. And opening a shop to do business, she wouldn't be able to look after the home side, while Mother brings the child, the third is too small, Chai Xiu has to go study, relying on Chai Youqing to do anything is probably a bit difficult; if it all depends on her fighting alone, it definitely won't work. Chai Mi felt she didn't even have a helper, so rashly renting a house or whatever, if it fails, this bunch of useless people at home would still be dragging their feet.

Second, Chai Mi herself has never done even a single day of business. She has only watched, never experienced it personally, so everything is zero. She still needs to feel out some experience first.

So, calling Da Zhi over today to eat a meal, and by the way have him do some work. If calling Da Zhi, then Chai Xiu going is the most suitable.

Because Chai Xiu most likely wouldn't be able to call Liu Zhanggui...

Chai Mi herself also needed to go call people; she discussed with her mother Su Wan: "Mom, I think I'll call the neighbors from Shang Yuan. A distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor. Our calf is also about to be born, at that time we might need manpower. Now the relationship with the old house is quite stiff. The few relatives we have left in the countryside can't figure out this bit of work either. Better to get on good terms with the neighbors."

Su Wan said: "Calling Liu Chunren and his wife is fine, but will they come? Their family never meddles in village affairs, and basically never helps with anything in the village..."

"I'll go call them."

Actually, overall, Chai Mi's family's relationship with the Shang Yuan neighbors was still pretty good.

But, it was limited to pretty good.

Due to family hardship, they had never invited the Shang Yuan neighbors to eat a meal; this was the first time.

Chai Mi went over and persuaded them nicely, saying that early summer when Mother was sick, everyone came to visit, so they should have invited everyone to eat, but busy with this and that, delayed until now to come invite Liu Chunren and his wife to eat, really quite embarrassed.

Seeing Chai Mi seemingly had no other business, just purely inviting them to eat, the Liu Chunren couple didn't decline further.

The couple had three children, two sons and a daughter. The eldest Liu Baoping, the second Liu An Ping, the third a daughter named Liu Yanping. But the eldest had already married and moved out, the little daughter was still studying, only the second Liu An Ping was at home; he was twenty-eight this year, an old bachelor in the village.

Chai Mi also specially called Liu An Ping to come eat.

Liu An Ping this person actually has no shortcomings, no faults. But maybe inherited a bit of a problem. Liu Chunren's eldest son and little daughter both grew up especially delicate and pretty. But Liu An Ping grew up not too ideal.

Skin a bit dark, mainly a very large birthmark beside his left eye on his face. Other than that normal, not ugly, not short, but after all a pretty big birthmark, seriously affecting the aesthetic. This delayed the matter of marrying a wife.

Plus Liu Chunren himself used to eat from the big pot, a family of several mouths, the land divided was only those three to five mu, family income not high.

Actually, from daily life we can also see, in this era those who ate from the big pot, with homes still in the countryside, would face big difficulties, generally not too well-off. For example Chai You Fu, the family relied on his salary alone, indeed somewhat hard-pressed.

Liu Chunren's family was the same.

Married a wife for the eldest, and had to support the little daughter's studies, family conditions became even more difficult.

Plus Liu An Ping's birthmark issue, led to him slowly becoming the village's biggest bachelor group. Liu An Ping still had no trade...

The land the family could farm was extremely little, no trade, he could only occasionally go do odd jobs; his only skill was driving, the rest he didn't know. But the vehicles he could drive were just tricycles, tractors, that sort. Occasionally doing a bit of work at the township's farm machinery station.

Chai Mi sincerely invited, so they all came over.

Su Wan enthusiastically received them, brought out lots of fruit, brewed tea, brought out cigarettes.

Su Wan asked Chai Mi again: "Should we call Song Qiushui too?"

Chai Mi curled her lip: "Forget it, she'll definitely come. She organized eating crab, how could she not come? Can't find her when there's work, but for eating she'll definitely come early."

Just as she finished speaking, Song Qiushui swaggered in from the doorway.

In her hand she was still carrying half a rack of pork ribs, the other hand holding some long beans and chili peppers.

Chai Mi walked out laughing: "Aiyo, you this guy eating a meal and bringing your own provisions. Who knew you'd make such progress; from now on I'll arrange for you to eat every day."

"Aiya, that which uncle of mine came... right, my maternal uncle came. Gave my mom a rack of ribs, then sent my maternal grandma over. Aiya... the old lady isn't a good thing, senile, curses whoever she catches. I figure she even cursed me, so me taking half the ribs isn't excessive... give her less to eat, save her from being idle with nothing to do and having the energy to curse people..."