pjbooks Chapter 63 is the only chapter.
Chapter 63 is the only chapter.
"What did you say?"
Wang Lanhua stared at her younger brother and asked again angrily.
Her younger brother could tell his sister was angry, and he said in a low voice with his eyebrows down, "It's nothing, I'm just unlucky. When there are a lot of people around, I just raise my hand and she grabs it."
"Bullshit!"
The Tang family couldn't say anything, but Wang Lanhua, as his older sister, cursed him without restraint, spitting in his face: "How could someone grab your hand? Did they put their pocket on your hand, or their buttocks?"
Tang Huaiyi's eldest uncle lowered his head and remained silent.
Tang Huaiyi's second uncle grinned sheepishly, "Sister, why are you yelling? I didn't mean to..."
"You're talking nonsense! The first time, I genuinely thought you'd been scammed by a female hooligan. I even begged your brother-in-law to take out the little money he had left to help you settle things. Because of this, my second child, who's such a good student, almost couldn't go to school!" Wang Lanhua cursed while wiping away tears. "And this happened a second time? That can't be a coincidence, can it? You deserve it for being so impulsive!"
"You're still asking my family for money? Where would we possibly have any money to lend you?"
"You...you're going to drive me crazy, you useless brat!"
"Orchids..." Tang Huaiyi's eldest uncle said in a low voice, "We really don't have the money for this..."
"We have no money at home, neither do we," Wang Lanhua said curtly, staring intently at her good-for-nothing brother, her chest heaving with anger.
"Sigh, this..." Tang Huaiyi's eldest uncle sighed again, "When I came here, our parents' intention was..."
Hearing her parents' names, Wang Lanhua couldn't help but feel troubled, and she lowered her head to wipe away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Dad and Mom?"
"Our parents know we're all from the countryside, and life isn't easy. There's nothing we can do if we don't have money. If we really don't have any money, we won't borrow any more. How about we let our second son come over to visit you and stay for a couple of months?" Tang Huaiyi's uncle said in a low voice.
Tang Zhengcai was taken aback and blurted out, "Harboring someone?"
Tang Zhengjin and Wang Lanhua both looked very unwell.
Grandpa and Grandma didn't look too good either—visiting relatives and staying for two months is nothing unusual; they can squeeze in for meals, so it's not like they can't get any.
But if we harbor such a person, and their family does nothing, they become accomplices, how can that be allowed?
"No, no," Tang Huaiyi's uncle explained. "After this woman grabbed the second brother's hand, the second brother told her to give her fifty yuan as an apology and not to go to the police."
"As a result, fifty yuan turned into two hundred yuan... This matter will definitely not be reported to the police, but if the second son were at home, I guess we would never be able to finish the calculation."
"My parents' idea is that the second son should run away, and our family will try to find a way to get things done by bargaining for fifty or a hundred yuan. After all, rural women are easier to coax than urban women."
"If the second child stays at home, two hundred yuan might not be enough."
"This is just a matter of relatives helping each other out, doing a favor. After the wheat harvest next year, I'll send some grain over as food expenses for the second son. It's not like he's eating and drinking for free."
Wang Lanhua was a little suspicious: "You really aren't asking my family to harbor them?"
"No, it's just that the woman's family is difficult to deal with; no matter how much money they ask, it's never enough," said Tang Huaiyi's uncle.
My second uncle nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, yes!"
"I don't believe it. I have to ask your brother-in-law," Wang Lanhua said. She really couldn't believe her family's words. Last time, she really thought her brother had been swindled out of money, which was why she borrowed money to get through the crisis. Now she knew that she was not wrong at all. Her brother was just a rogue who couldn't resist money.
Tang Huaiyi's eldest and second uncles were quite frank about this matter: "If you don't believe me, just go and ask them; it's really true."
"It's good to ask."
After they had finished talking, Grandpa said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, ask around. If it really is a relative who is in trouble, they can come and stay for two or three months. There's no need to ask for any food expenses. It's too formal to talk about these things between relatives."
"If it's something else, we'll reconsider and think of other solutions."
Although he spoke as euphemistically as possible, his meaning was very clear: if Wang Lanhua's brother were to be arrested, the Tang family would not help harbor him; but if it was just that Wang Lanhua's brother was going out to avoid trouble so that the Wang family could negotiate a better deal, they wouldn't mind letting him stay for a while.
Wang Lanhua nodded: "I'll go back to my parents' home tomorrow to check. If he's really not hiding from the police, I'll let him stay for a few days."
She was so angry that her eyes swelled up and hurt, and she couldn't help but pinch her head and rub her eyes to feel a little better.
Tang Huaiyi's eldest and second uncles were also a bit embarrassed, after all, it was such an unsavory thing to ask for help. After saying a few polite words, they took their leave.
Wang Lanhua hurried to the door and asked in a low voice, "Did you touch someone's pocket or their butt?"
Tang Huaiyi's second uncle blushed and whispered, "Douzi... she held my hand down in her clothes, I didn't have time to run away..."
"Douzi" means "bellyband," which naturally means to touch one's bosom.
Wang Lanhua gritted her teeth in anger: "How could this be an accident?"
"I'm telling you, this is the only time! If there's a next time, not only will we not be able to lend you money, but you're also not allowed to show your face at your brother-in-law's house! My family can't afford to lose face like that!"
"And also, if you get sued, my family won't take you in either!"
"Sister, what you're saying..." Tang Huaiyi's second uncle said awkwardly.
"What's wrong? You don't like it? If you don't like it, then don't do it! What have you been doing since I got married?"
Wang Lanhua stormed home and slammed the door shut.
Upon entering the house and seeing her parents-in-law, Tang Zhengjin, and Tang Zhengcai still looking worried, Wang Lanhua said in a low voice, "If you feel it's not appropriate, I'll not let him come tomorrow. It would really be embarrassing!"
"It's not about your brother, it's about the third son," Tang Zhengjin explained. "Teacher Xu is having a bit of a hard time, so she talked to the third son and agreed to let him get married in the county."
"The county said that if the two of them want to get married, they need two letters of introduction, one from the township and one from the village. The township letter of introduction can only be issued after seeing the village letter of introduction."
"Then let's open it. Let's ask Old Jia to open it," Wang Lanhua said. "If he can get into the city, that would be a good thing."
Tang Zhengcai explained, "Sister-in-law, Old Jia never gave our family any good land when the land was distributed before; he's no good. Now he's having an affair with Widow Ma. Now that he sees me going to the city to live a better life, will he give me this letter of introduction?"
"That's really true..."
Wang Lanhua asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Let's do as Huaiyi says," Tang Zhengcai said. "Before I came here, Huaiyi came up with some ideas for me. He's really sharp now that he's been studying, and I think his ideas are excellent."
"What method?"
"Our family will first go to Jia Laoyi to get a letter of introduction. If we get it, great; if not, I'll have to pressure Jia Laoyi, tell his wife about Widow Ma, and report him to the township for having an affair. Anyway, this matter won't be over until I get the letter of introduction," Tang Zhengcai said. "I'm going all out. If I don't marry Teacher Xu, I'll never find such a good wife in my life. Anyone who gets in my way, I'll make them pay."
After listening, Grandpa nodded: "The method Huaiyi came up with was a desperate measure to break off relations."
"Let's buy some cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks, and then go and politely ask Old Jia for a favor, like we're asking him for one."
"If he's willing to help, then we can talk to him nicely. Widow Ma and the like have nothing to do with our Tang family anyway, so let them do whatever they want. If he's not willing to help, then we'll do as Huaiyi said, and we'll have to tear off the mask if necessary."
"Teacher Xu, whom Huaiyi introduced to our third son, is truly a wonderful wife we've married above our station; we can't let this opportunity pass us by!"
The Tang family members inside the house listened and all nodded.