Chapter 5: Qin Huairu Borrows Money and Grows Resentful

Qin Huairu returned to the room crying, lying on the kang with her shoulders heaving as she sobbed loudly; Bang Geng's grandmother also walked in, wiping away tears.

"Crying, crying, crying, all you know is how to cry. Let me tell you, Qin Huairu, if anything happens to my precious grandson, I will fight you to the death!"

Jia Zhangshi dragged her fat body and sat down on the kang with a thud; with the whole family relying solely on Qin Huairu's wages, it was a miracle she could eat herself this fat.

"Then what can I do, boo-hoo." Qin Huairu raised her head, feeling aggrieved, her nose red from crying.

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi sighed and said, "Don't hold a grudge against Mom. Mom only has this one grandson; you tell me what we should do."

Qin Huairu wiped her tears, took out all the money hidden on her person and in the cabinet at the head of the kang, laid it out on the kang, and counted it while crying.

Including what she had on her, it totaled only four yuan, seven jiao, and one fen; suddenly, sorrow welled up from her heart, and she could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobs.

"Stop crying, what use is crying? Can crying bring Bang Geng back?" Jia Zhangshi had calmed down a bit and patted the edge of the kang.

"Mom, don't I give you three yuan for your pension every month? Can you..." Before Qin Huairu could finish, she was interrupted by Jia Zhangshi: "It was spent long ago, figure it out yourself."

Huai Hua and Xiao Dang also ran in with teary eyes, standing by the edge of the kang and sobbing incessantly.

"That's enough! Stop crying, your grandmother isn't dead yet! You two money-losing goods!" Jia Zhangshi panted heavily; seeing the two little girls made her feel incredibly annoyed.

"What are you saying, Mom!" Qin Huairu raised her head; Jia Zhangshi had been favoring boys over girls for more than a day or two, but this had nothing to do with the children.

"If it doesn't work, we'll sell them both for money to redeem Bang Geng! Hmph!" After complaining, Jia Zhangshi got off the kang and walked out, huffing and puffing.

When Xiao Dang and Huai Hua heard they were to be sold, they were startled, shrinking into a corner, covering their mouths and sobbing, not daring to make a sound.

"Alright, don't be afraid, Grandma was just scaring you." Qin Huairu forced herself to calm down and lifted the two girls onto the kang.

"Then what about brother?" Huai Hua's tears welled up again.

"I'm going to beg your Uncle Shazhu; he has money, Mom saw it. Xiao Dang, you stay with your sister and don't go out; stay at home, Mom will come back and cook for you in a while."

Qin Huairu coaxed Huai Hua and gave Xiao Dang a few more instructions before getting off the kang.

That damn Shazhu, he has money but won't help, and he even leaned against the door frame to watch the show; he didn't even come to check when she entered the room crying!

Qin Huairu gritted her teeth, washed her face, and tidied her hair before entering Shazhu's room.

"Boo-hoo, Shazhu, please help your sister." As soon as she entered, Qin Huairu saw Shazhu lying diagonally on the kang and immediately began to cry.

He Yuzhu didn't speak, just watched Qin Huairu cry with a cheerful expression.

She had almost caused Shazhu to have no descendants, yet she still had the nerve to cry.

Qin Huairu cried for a while and noticed that He Yuzhu hadn't moved, only looking at her with a strange gaze, his eyes flashing with a light she was familiar with; her heart settled, and she felt confident.

Wiggling her body, Qin Huairu turned her head: "Shazhu, tell me, what should we do? Boo-hoo, where would I get that much money? Bang Geng is still so young."

"Sister, do you think the fine is the important part? You thought wrong." He Yuzhu stopped playing coy, sat up, and let his hand rest on Qin Huairu's shoulder.

Qin Huairu's face flushed; she swayed her body, but when she didn't shake He Yuzhu's hand off, she stopped caring and asked anxiously: "Then what is important?"

"Detention, labor reform; with this criminal record, within three generations, Bang Geng is finished." He Yuzhu chuckled.

"What?! How can you still laugh at a time like this! Just tell me if you're going to help your sister or not!"

Seeing He Yuzhu's smile, Qin Huairu was suddenly furious; she broke free from He Yuzhu's embrace and stood to the side, pouting as she asked.

"I can't help, sister. You go ask someone else first; if you really have no other options, come back to me."

He Yuzhu rubbed his hands with a bored expression and lay back on the bed; let me tell you, the Down Suit padded under the quilt was soft.

"You! Fine, Shazhu, consider me, Qin Huairu, blind! Hmph!" Qin Huairu stood in place, stamped her feet hard, and made a few harsh remarks; seeing that He Yuzhu remained indifferent, she turned and left He Yuzhu's room in disappointment.

As soon as she got outside, Qin Huairu shed tears of grievance, squatting at He Yuzhu's door without leaving, and began to sob.

But the scene she imagined where He Yuzhu would come out did not happen; after waiting for a long while, the sound of He Yuzhu stir-frying fish rang out from inside the room.

Qin Huairu stood up resentfully and ran toward the First Elder's house.

As soon as she entered, she saw the First Elder and the First Elder's wife eating.

"First Elder, First Elder's wife, please save Bang Geng." Qin Huairu looked at the First Elder and knelt down, giving the old couple a fright.

"Qin Huairu, what are you doing! Get up quickly." It took a lot of effort for the old couple to pull Qin Huairu up from the ground.

Qin Huairu sobbed: "First Elder, First Elder's wife, our family really has no money; I beg you to help our family, lend us some money to redeem Bang Geng first."

The First Elder frowned, sighed, and was about to get up to get it.

The First Elder's wife immediately glared at the First Elder in displeasure, then took money out of her pants pocket and stuffed it into Qin Huairu's hand.

"Qin Huairu, don't talk about lending or not; you take it and use it first. You know the situation here with the First Elder's wife; every family has its own troubles."

"You!" The First Elder's eyes widened, but he was glared back at by the First Elder's wife.

Qin Huairu clutched the money tightly, her eyes teary as she prepared to kneel again, grabbing the First Elder's wife's hand and crying: "First Elder's wife, I beg you, lend me a little more; I will pay you back as soon as I get my wages."

"Huairu, it's not that the First Elder's wife won't help you; you know my health is poor, and there isn't much money left after paying for medical treatment every month, sigh."

"I know the head of the Public Security Station; I'll go ask about the specific situation and see if they can be lenient." The First Elder had no heart to eat anymore; he put on his clothes and walked out.

Watching the First Elder walk out in a sulk, and the First Elder's wife looking troubled, Qin Huairu wiped her tears helplessly, thanked them, and walked out.

Once out of the Courtyard, Qin Huairu sighed.

When people are poor, their ambitions are short; when horses are thin, their hair is long.

The Public Security Station was found by the Second Elder, and she still had to be humble and subservient to borrow money; if Jia Xudong were alive, she wouldn't be in such a miserable state.

Being taken advantage of by Guo Dapiezi for a few Grain Coupons, being taken advantage of by Xu Damao for a few steamed buns, the three gold-swallowing beasts at home eating non-stop, and her mother-in-law Jia Zhangshi always looking at her with eyes that suggested she was a disgrace to public morals.

So tired, her heart is so tired; if only there were a shoulder to lean on right now.

She didn't know what had gotten into this Shazhu, being so cold to her; he clearly had money, and he clearly knew that Bang Geng having a criminal record would affect three generations, yet he could still laugh.

This Shazhu is too heartless; she usually takes such good care of him, and besides, they are all in the same Courtyard, and he has nowhere to spend his money anyway, so what would it hurt to help her?

Sighing again, Qin Huairu wiped her eyes and walked toward the Second Elder's house.