177, Life of a Miser

"Xiao Qi, it's not like you don't know about the difficulties at home. My father-in-law, your uncle, is currently relying on the few acres of land in his hometown to earn some pension money. You want eighty yuan, how can he get it."

The original sister-in-law shamelessly excused herself, saying that the old man's money would definitely be reserved for her husband, the eldest son, so how could she be willing to spit out the money she got?

Besides, Yan Chu's father also borrowed the money. What qualifications did his son have to ask for it? He didn't write any IOU at the beginning, it was just a verbal promise. They can also say that his father supported this cousin.

"Sister-in-law, I have six children to support. Isn't it difficult for me?"

The door to the yard was not locked. For such a long time, a circle of neighbors had gathered outside to watch the excitement. They pointed inside. No matter how shameless the Yan family's relatives were, they still couldn't stand it.

"We are all relatives. How will we get along with each other in the future if you are so fussy about it?" Yan Laoliu's daughter-in-law said in annoyance.

Her husband had already graduated from high school and had been working for six years. How stingy he was to suddenly bring up the debt he incurred six years ago.

Besides, the conditions of the third uncle's family were the best among all the relatives. What's the point of helping his promising nephew?

"Before my father passed away, he told me to get along well with your relatives. I think so. After all, we are all born from the same ancestor. In the past, when you were having a hard time, our family should help. But now, whose family is having a hard time? I A grown man, just for the sake of so-called face, is watching my daughters have no food to eat. If they want to wear beautiful clothes, I, my biological father, can only buy them these white cloths that no one wants? "

Yan Chu waved the yellowed white cloth on his hand, with grief and anger suppressed on his face.

"I regard you as a relative, so what do you regard me as? In this case, it's okay that this relative is not here."

His words were loud and clear, almost pointing at the noses of these relatives and scolding them for being shameless. Several women's bodies trembled with rage, but they could not refute Yan Chu's accusation.

"Okay, okay, this is what you said. Don't recognize this family from now on."

Yan Chu's sister-in-law in the lobby couldn't stand the whispers and looks of people outside. Holding back her anger, she covered her face and pushed away the onlookers and rushed out.

The remaining people saw her leaving and followed her with harsh words to Yan Chu.

"Second sister-in-law, don't forget to prepare money, otherwise I will go to the factory office to sit there another day."

The second sister-in-law staggered when she heard Yan Chu's words, almost fell to the ground, and left in a hurry with a grimace on her face.

Jobs are hard to come by, and it is definitely impossible to pay them back. However, their family's situation is different from the old debts in the past. In order to improve their competitiveness among several brothers, the two families were originally If you sign a contract, it's written in black and white, and you won't be able to default on it even if you want to.

The second cousin-in-law clutched her chest and sighed. This was two hundred yuan. Her husband had just started working and was getting a newcomer’s salary. If the money was given out, most of the work would be in vain. But in the long run, of course, it must be given. With this money, the worker's position is an iron rice bowl, which can be passed down to his children in the future. With this job, the whole family will not have to worry about having food for generations to come.

As for being laid off? There is no such thing now. How can someone who works for the country be laid off?

"It's a joke for everyone."

Yan Chu walked outside the yard and said lonely to the neighbors.

"What a joke, we all watched your kid grow up."

Of course the neighbors couldn't admit that they were just here to watch the fun, but to be honest, this family has been stupid since the generation of Yan Chu and his father, Yan Laosan, and it was common for people to take advantage of them. I didn't expect this. One time, Yan Chu actually rose to prominence and decided to cut ties with his relatives there. This was something the neighbors did not expect.

"I'm not afraid of making the family scandal public. My dad and I have known to everyone about them over the years, but what's going on in our family now? They don't say they want to help, and they always take advantage. Are they really treating us as relatives?"

It is a maxim that Chinese people should not publicize family scandals. They would rather keep the good and bad in the pot than let outsiders see it.

Yan Chu doesn't think this sentence is absolute. Family ugliness also depends on what kind of family ugliness it is. For example, it doesn't matter if the family ugliness that he is responsible for is spread out. Anyway, he is not the one who is embarrassed.

"Your eldest and second uncle are indeed, tsk tsk..."

The neighbors shook their heads, then looked at Yan Chu with sympathetic eyes, comforted him a few more words, and then dispersed.

For such a big drama, they probably couldn't help but want to help spread it.

Nowadays, no one thinks that Yan Chu went to Shencheng to become a gangster. If he really made money by becoming a gangster, how could he be so careless and quarrel with his relatives today?

I think life was really hard, so I started asking my relatives to collect debts. I never thought that these relatives were unreliable, and they would get into trouble when they got angry.

This farce unexpectedly cleared away the suspicion among the neighbors that Yan Chu was going to be a bad guy during this trip.

Yan Chu closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief, finally ending this farce.

"Ah Chu."

Lu Aihua struggled with her son's abnormal reaction throughout the whole process. She wanted to interrupt several times but didn't know what to say. Until now, her relatives were angry and she began to struggle again whether this was a good thing or not.

The older generation feels that it is difficult to live alone. If you have many relatives and friends, you don’t have to worry about being bullied by outsiders.

But the old lady also knew the temperament of her relatives very well. Before she was bullied by outsiders, she was probably already scratched several times by these people.

It may be a good thing to cut ties with such a relative, but according to the feudal thinking of the older generation, it feels awkward and uncomfortable at the same time.

"Mom, don't think too much. This time I went to Shencheng, I finally understood something."

Yan Chu helped the old lady walk into the house: "When it comes to relatives, someone like my aunt is a real relative. If she hadn't asked her cousin to take me to many small factories that outsiders didn't know about during this trip to Shencheng, I would have You may not be able to find such high-quality and cheap goods, and they haven’t asked me for any benefits, just because of our blood relationship.”

"And what kind of people are the first and second uncles there? Haven't you understood these years? In order to save more money, I would like to allow Daikin and the others to go to school, so that they could live in a spacious place when they were older. You also feel sorry for Daikin and the others. You can’t bear to drink even a sip of egg water. You always have to leave some good things to them. We save food and drink like this, and would rather treat ourselves badly. Why don’t you feel bad about this at all? Our so-called relatives can take away things from our house that we are reluctant to eat or wear, and can borrow money from us without any scruples but never mention repaying the money. Do we have the word "big boss" written on our heads? ?"

Yan Chu's words also brought up those bitter memories in the old lady's heart. In the early years, her husband helped several cousins, and she, the daughter-in-law, even said a few words, but she was said to be stingy and inconsiderate. She also experienced this several times. , she gradually became silent and no longer expressed her opinions on her husband's help to those relatives.

But the old man has been helping all his life, and he has never said a good word in the eyes of those people.

The old lady wiped her eyes and suddenly felt that it was a great pleasure for her son to tear everything away today.

"Besides, Mom, what I do in this business now is just stepping on the wire rope. There is no guarantee when I will get in. What we can do now is save more money. As long as life is a little easier, I will stop and look for A more peaceful job.”

Yan Chu's words reminded the old lady that her son would be jailed if he was a bad guy now. He earned such hard money not just for the six children in the family, so why should those people take advantage of him?

The old lady felt a raging fire in her heart, and suddenly felt that she should be tougher. She could not let her son go out to make money when the time came. She stayed behind to hold her son back, and she and her children were taken advantage of by those so-called relatives.

Yan Chu noticed that the old lady's demeanor had changed, and he felt relieved. The old lady had to help with the current situation at home, and he couldn't do it alone.

"Also, Mom, I've been thinking recently, why don't we move?"

Several children were playing in the house, and they didn't know if they heard what happened in the yard just now. Yan Chu took the old lady back to her bedroom, and then discussed business with her.

"Moving, I have lived here for most of my life." The old lady was wiping tears when she heard her son talking about moving and asked in surprise.

"I'm in the business of being a prostitute now. If I want to sell my things, it's definitely more convenient in the provincial capital, where there are more rich people. And mom, can all the relatives in the family really be cut off? I'm afraid we won't be able to live well by then. If the situation is a little better, all those people can be found, so moving is a must. When we go to the provincial capital, they don’t know where we will stay and they won’t be able to find us.”

Yan Chu didn't just make this decision. The old lady's only relative was a nephew whom she didn't have much contact with. Her original wife's mother died early, leaving her no brothers or sisters. The stepmother gave birth to several younger brothers.

The original man and his wife were in a free relationship. The wife's natal family demanded a lot of gift money, and the two parties were completely severed. Therefore, if you really think about it, they didn't have any good relatives, and they had nothing to miss when they moved. of.

He had thought about it, those old debts would probably never come back. He would get the two hundred yuan from his second cousin's house and leave with his mother and six children. Then he would go to a new place and start a new life.

"The most important thing, Mom, didn't you hear our relatives and neighbors whispering in the ears of Dajin and his sisters?"

"Why don't they love them anymore after giving birth to a younger brother? Why will they let their sisters work as cows and horses to support their younger brothers in the future? When they get older, they will find a random man to marry them off at a high price and use the money they earn as bride price to build a house for their younger brothers. As an adult, I can't stand to hear those words about marrying a wife. They think it's a joke, just to make the children happy. But if Dajin and the other sisters really hear it, what will they think? Will they really feel it? I, the father, am not good to them?"

"What I am doing now is for their siblings, and I don't want to be blamed by my own children in the end."

Yan Chu feels that the environment in which children grow up is also very important, otherwise there would not be the story of Meng’s mother moving three times in ancient times.

The original wife died in childbirth. Under the aggravation of outsiders, it was easy for Yan Jin and others to think that their younger brother killed their mother. At the same time, this younger brother also came to compete with them for the favor of their father and grandmother, as well as the few resources in the family. .

When I was young, I had good feelings. But when I grow up and know more things, my childhood feelings may not be pure.

Yan Chu could not leave this hidden danger to the children from the beginning.

"Then let's move."

Lu Aihua has lived in this small courtyard for most of her life, so she is reluctant to give it up. However, her son's words make more sense. Parents always think about their children unconditionally. In Lu Aihua's heart, her son and grandchildren are obviously more important.