NOVPUBChapter 136: Chapter 136 The Old Lady’s Plan
Chapter 136 -136 The Old Lady’s Plan
Fang Xiaoshan was sleeping soundly. He had played cards with a few friends all night long, and only returned at dawn. It wasn’t even dark yet, which meant it wasn’t time for him to get out of bed.
The old lady smacked Fang Xiaoshan on the back, “Xiaoshan, wake up, get up! Get up!”
Fang Xiaoshan turned over and continued to sleep, treating his grandmother’s voice as if it were a mosquito buzzing. In his dream, he saw Bai Mei’s fair skin, drooling with desire.
“Xiaoshan, get up! Your uncle is back, hurry up and get out of bed.”
Fang Xiaoshan finally woke up because he heard that his uncle was back. That sentence was the most effective. He had lost everything last night and was counting on asking his uncle for some pocket money in the next couple of days. Now that his uncle was actually back, wasn’t that the same as rushing over to give him money?
He scrambled up, “Why is my uncle back? Does he know I’m getting married? Is he bringing my bridal gift?” Fang Xiaoshan knew that expecting a bridal gift from his own parents was out of the question, but his uncle was different, he had a business in town! Even if it was just a little store, he never stopped giving him money; surely he had more money than his parents.
The old lady pouted her lips! She had just been scolded by her son and was also angry. She’d always felt that her son’s return this time seemed different from before, his tone when speaking to her wasn’t as gentle, and there was a hint of resentment, especially the words he just said that had pierced right into the old lady’s heart.
In the past, Fang Jianping would never have said such things, he would have probably just endured it. Surely it must be that daughter-in-law who can’t birth a son, stirring trouble behind his back. A few whispers by her pillow were more powerful than anything; Yang Mei wasn’t an easy person to deal with. Otherwise, why would Fang Jianping not want to divorce after all these years without a son? He must have known how formidable Yang Mei was.
They were resentful against them! They felt they were squandering their money, inciting their son to quarrel with them behind their backs.
“Clean up the house, your uncle and aunt are coming back to stay. The little store in town has gone bust!” Only when talking about this did the old lady show her resentment.
A slap landed on Fang Xiaoshan’s back, though not with much force; she couldn’t bear to hit him hard.
“It’s all your fault, you damned kid, gambling again! This time the loan sharks came knocking for two thousand. Your uncle didn’t have the money! They smashed the store and even injured your uncle. The doctor said that if it doesn’t heal well, he could end up paralyzed! Why do you have to cause such trouble, isn’t it great to have your uncle’s support? It’s made life so much easier for our family, and now you’ve messed it all up! Our family is in for some hard times now!” The more the old lady spoke, the angrier she became.
The second son would give them no small amount of money every month; even the food and drink they had were provided for by him. And now what would they do?
Fang Xiaoshan was stunned, “What? My uncle is paralyzed, and the store is gone?” Only then did he realize the gravity of the situation. If his uncle couldn’t earn money, who would give him his spending money?
He thought about it, loan sharks?
My God, yes!
It seemed that last month, he had gambled in the neighboring village! It was a bit much, and he lost several hundred yuan in one go. Who could have imagined that with the accumulated interest, it would become so much? Two thousand yuan! My God, this was a disaster.
“So did my uncle pay off the debt for me?” This was what Fang Xiaoshan was really concerned about. If his uncle hadn’t paid it off, the loan sharks would come looking for him, breaking arms and legs, and he had seen it happen; he didn’t want to end up crippled or disabled.
“Where would your uncle get the money to pay it off? If he did, would the store have been smashed, would he have been beaten up? He didn’t pay it, and your uncle said they didn’t have that much money, they couldn’t pay it back! Why can’t you just do something good, instead you’ve caused such a big disaster, what are we going to do now?” The realization finally dawned on the old lady, if the money wasn’t paid back, then the loan sharks would indeed come to their door.
Now it was indeed a matter of life and death.
“What? Not paid back yet! Then why did I come back the second time? Not rushing to borrow money to pay me back, isn’t this asking for a high-interest loan deathtrap!” Fang Xiaoshan couldn’t stand it any longer, the usurers dared to hit Fang Jianping, of course, they would dare to hit Fang Xiaoshan as well.
The voice was too loud; Fang Jianping, Yang Mei, and the old master heard everything clearly. Lying there, Fang Jianping’s mouth twitched, true enough the girl didn’t speak wrongly, if he’s not one’s own flesh and blood, he’s just an ingrate.
Suffering as he was, Fang Xiaoshan wasn’t worried about how others were faring; instead, he was only concerned about his own unpaid debts.
“Shut your mouth! Your second uncle is lying right there, why don’t you just keep shouting so that the whole village will know! Let me tell you, since your second uncle has run a shop for so many years, he must have some savings. Your second uncle is not someone who doesn’t plan ahead. You should now properly take care of your second uncle, make him happy, and when the time comes, you can ask for the money to repay the debts, hurry up and get married, bring a wife home to take good care of you!” The grandmother suggested a plan.
Fang Xiaoshan nodded, indeed Grandma was shrewd. With a burst of sweet talk, he coaxed Grandma’s face into blooming like a flower. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
“Hurry up and clean up; your second uncle will be coming to stay here!”
The grandmother felt much better now.
“But this house is for my marriage, it’s all been painted over. Second uncle can’t live in that small house of mine, can he?” Fang Xiaoshan was not pleased; his second uncle’s house was spacious and bright, besides, he had always regarded it as his own bridal room. Now, being abruptly told to move out, he was utterly unwilling.
“Think about your second uncle’s money!” The old lady whispered a reminder.
Fuming, Fang Xiaoshan spat, “Fine, I’m only doing this for the money’s sake; otherwise, I wouldn’t vacate this house. Second uncle should think twice; still expecting me to support him in his old age, he’d better treat me well, or don’t blame me for being unfilial when it comes to ‘performing the final act of filial piety’.” In his eyes, everything of his second uncle had long been his, Fang Xiaoshan’s.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Is that something you should say? Go call your second aunt to clean the house, and go be affectionate with your second uncle!” The old lady pushed Fang Xiaoshan out of the door.
Fang Xiaoshan tousled his hair, forced a smile, and entered his grandfather’s room, “Second uncle, second aunt, I heard you’re back. Second aunt, grandma is calling you over there. Second uncle, it’s all my fault, causing you to get beaten. I’ll definitely reform, please forgive me!” When Fang Xiaoshan really wanted to ingratiate himself with someone, he could indeed be very adept.
Yang Mei glanced at Fang Jianping and saw that he seemed to have calmed down; she then left the room and went into her own. The room was a mess; the ashtray on the table was full of cigarette butts, leftovers were still there, the quilt on the bed was in disarray, and there was even spit on the floor. She knew without the need for words that the old lady must have sent her here to tidy up; who else in this household would do it?
Without speaking, she opened the window to air out the room, first hung the quilt outside in the courtyard for airing, Fang Xiaoshan was not particular, even sleeping with their marriage quilt that had been stored in the wardrobe, now taken out. Then, using a broom, she swept the bed, changed the sheets, and took the swapped-out laundry outside.
As she started to sweep the floor and tidy the table, the old lady covered her nose and left with a cold snort, heading for that room. The moment she left, the room erupted into a chorus of laughter and banter.
Yang Mei frowned. If Fang Jianping continued to play dumb after this ordeal, she would really file for divorce. This kind of life was unbearable; Fang Xiaoshan now even had the audacity to owe two thousand yuan, his guts would only grow bigger in the future.
She wouldn’t wait until they were destitute to think of a solution. Bai Xiao had reminded her, she had three daughters, and daughters too were human beings. Speaking of which, her daughters were filial; they came to see their old parents every now and then, far better than Fang Xiaoshan by countless times.
