Chapter 6: The Second Full Courtyard Meeting

Qin Huairu then turned and arrived at the Second Elder's house. The Second Elder's family was also eating; the whole family sat crowded around, and the Second Elder was enjoying a plate of scrambled eggs all to himself.

"Huairu is here? Have you eaten?" Seeing Qin Huairu, the Second Elder's wife stood up in a hurry. The Second Elder also stopped his chopsticks and ordered his sons to serve tea and water.

"No need, Second Elder, Second Elder's wife. I came because I wanted to borrow some money to bail Bang Geng out first." Qin Huairu wiped her eyes and spoke with some difficulty while looking at the large family.

"Guangfu's mother, go get the money for Huairu. It's not that your Second Elder is lecturing you, but you really should educate Bang Geng properly. How could he steal things? If you don't have something, you can borrow it, but stealing is a character issue, don't you think?" The Second Elder got into the spirit, putting on the airs of a leader.

"Yes, you are right, Second Elder. But Bang Geng is still young, and for just one chicken, isn't this punishment too heavy?" As soon as she spoke, Qin Huairu began to cry again.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. Saving the person is what's important. You take the money first, no rush to pay it back." The Second Elder's wife took the money and stuffed it into Qin Huairu's hand.

"Thank you. I will pay you back as soon as I get my wages. I'll go check at the Third Elder's house now. Please enjoy your meal." Qin Huairu put the money away, thanked them hurriedly, and walked out the door.

"Sigh, what kind of mess is this? It's all Xu Damao and Shazhu's fault. Now it's come to this; if Bang Geng really can't get out, how am I supposed to act as Second Elder?" The Second Elder took a sip of wine and sighed.

"Who told you to be so eager to go to the Public Security Station? If you ask me, you deserve it!" The Second Elder's wife snorted and sat back down.

"Wasn't it Shazhu who told me to go? How was I to know it would blow up this big? Fine, I'm going out to take a look." The Second Elder finished the wine in his cup, stood up, and walked out.

Liuguangfu and his brother saw the remaining scrambled eggs on the plate and reached for them with their chopsticks at the same time.

"What are you doing! You're not allowed to eat that! It's being saved for your father when he gets back! If you want to eat, pay up!" The Second Elder's wife angrily swatted their chopsticks away and cleared away the scrambled eggs and the wine bottle.

"Heh, keep being stingy, Mom. Let's see who will support you in your old age!"

"Exactly, parents are not kind, children are not filial!"

"Get out, get out, get out."

At Xu Damao's house, Lou Xiaoe returned home and sat on the bed sulking, with the hat Shazhu gave her still hidden inside her clothes.

"Hey, I'm telling you, Xiaoe, stop being angry! Who knew it would turn out like this?" Xu Damao sat beside her, speechless, constantly stroking his small mustache.

"Sister Qin's family is having such a hard time. Now it's like this, what should we do? Why don't we lend them some money? Let's bail Bang Geng out first." Lou Xiaoe thought for a moment, then turned to discuss it with Xu Damao.

Lou Xiaoe never lacked kindness in her heart, but due to her family background, she, a young lady from a prominent family, had married down to Xu Damao. However, she followed the custom of "marrying a chicken, follow the chicken; marrying a dog, follow the dog," and without any children, she had no status in the house.

"Grandmother! Lend it to her? Can she afford to pay it back? Are you stupid? You spendthrift woman, if it weren't for you not being able to watch a single chicken at home, would it have come to this?" Xu Damao glared!

"Then, are we just going to let Bang Geng sit in the detention center? See what you say when Sister Qin comes over later." Lou Xiaoe felt a wave of panic when she saw Xu Damao glare; Xu Damao really did hit her.

"Then what can we do? Forget eating, pack up, let's go eat outside." Xu Damao pursed his lips, stood up, and began to put on his clothes again.

"Xu Damao, you really have no humanity." Lou Xiaoe complained, but still obediently followed him up, and incidentally snuck out the hat Shazhu had given her.

"Where did that hat come from?"

"Given by home."

"Heh, you capitalist parents."

"Xu Damao!"

"Fine, fine, fine, let's go, hurry up, or Qin Huairu will be here."

Once dressed, Xu Damao pulled Lou Xiaoe and quickly left the Courtyard.

The First Elder also arrived at the Public Security Station and met with Officer Zhang.

"Leader Zhang, a child from our Courtyard was arrested today. Look, the punishment is just too heavy." The First Elder stood in front of the desk and asked in a low, humble voice.

"Sit down, Laoyi. I know about this matter of yours. How should I put it? It's not that we won't handle it, but there's no saying, there isn't any single thing where we can say it must be done a certain way. It's not that it's impossible, but we say that human effort can achieve things. We can think of a way, right? You do this, later, a little later, you take a look, oh, but, well, it's like this." Officer Zhang pulled over a chair, casually picked up a tea mug, poured a cup of water for the First Elder, and then explained.

"Oh, please stop beating around the bush. Then, how much money in total would it take to pay the fine and lift the detention? He is still young, and having this record will ruin him. Can we pay the fine and let him reform properly?"

"Right now, there really isn't any other way. After all, we are currently making an example of someone. If he doesn't go to the Juvenile Detention Center, we need a written guarantee, a letter of forgiveness issued by the victimized family, and a one-yuan security deposit, plus a total fine of two hundred yuan." Officer Zhang blew on his tea and thought for a moment.

"Ah? That much!" The First Elder was shocked.

"This is theft, what did you expect? If it weren't for the fact that he's young, he'd be in for at least three or two years, and he'd have to be paraded through the streets. This is already out of respect for the neighbors." Officer Zhang slammed his tea mug onto the table, then spoke again: "Laoyi, it's not that I'm not giving you face, but this is a crime. The law does not allow anyone to trample on it!"

"Yes, yes, you are right. Then please don't send Bang Geng to the Juvenile Detention Center yet, we'll go back and get the money right now." The First Elder stood up hurriedly. Two hundred yuan! That was more than two months of his wages; how could Qin Huairu's family possibly come up with that?

"Good, bring it over before noon tomorrow. After noon, Bang Geng will have to be transferred to the Juvenile Detention Center." Officer Zhang stood up, shook hands with the First Elder, and then saw the First Elder out.

The First Elder walked back to the Courtyard in a hurry, and Qin Huairu had also finished borrowing money around the Courtyard and returned home.

"What? Two hundred?!" Upon hearing the First Elder's words, Jia Zhangshi almost lost her breath and collapsed onto the kang with a thud.

Qin Huairu's body trembled, her face showing despair.

Over two hundred—that was nearly a year's wages for her whole family without eating or drinking.

"Huairu, how much have you gathered?" The First Elder took a handful of loose change from his pocket and placed it on the kang. Men, who doesn't have a little secret stash?

"Sob, First Elder, I've only gathered twenty-one yuan in total, plus what we have, it's not even two—"

"How can it be so little?" The First Elder was puzzled. There were over twenty households in the Full Courtyard, adding up to over a hundred people; no matter how he calculated it, it shouldn't be this little.

"I didn't borrow from the Third Elder; his interest is too high, thirty percent interest. There was no one at Xu Damao's house, I don't know where they went, and the other families don't have money either, sob." Qin Huairu's sorrow rose from her heart; she truly felt inferior to everyone else.

"What about Zhuzi?" The First Elder thought for a moment. He had seen that Shazhu had money. Besides, in the same Courtyard, Shazhu's wages were thirty-seven, and he usually had no expenses living alone; he must have at least one or two hundred yuan on hand.

"He, he didn't lend it to me, sob, First Elder."

"He's rebelling! Call a Full Courtyard Meeting! I'll discipline him! Go invite Long Laotaitai over!" The First Elder left Qin Huairu's house angrily and began shouting loudly in the Courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi let out a sigh of relief: "It's fine now, Shazhu is most afraid of the First Elder and Long Laotaitai. You, you, doesn't Shazhu listen to you the most?"

Qin Huairu just counted the loose change the First Elder had left on the kang and said nothing.

She had to keep track of who she borrowed how much from; she would have to pay it back later, otherwise, how could she continue to live in this Courtyard?

It's just... when will she pay it back? Sigh.