Chapter 57 Using Shameless Methods to Beg for Food

Wang Yuqing wiped her mouth and laughed, "Aunt Liu, why would you rather throw it away than give me any? You're so stingy. Besides, what do you mean I'm a robber? Didn't your son tell me to sit down and eat with him?"

She turned to look at Liu Huo: "Comrade Liu Huo, don't you think so? Everyone heard it just now, you were the one who told me to sit down and eat with you."

Liu Huo still had a smile on his face, but his hands were clenched into fists.

Aunt Liu slammed the soup bowl down on it with her hand, angrily saying, "Your skin is thicker than our mud wall! You think you can just eat whatever we offer? And you even finished our whole meal? Are you a reincarnated starving ghost? Or is your family so poor that you have to come and steal our food?"

Wang Yuqing still had a smile on her face, but her eyes sharpened a bit: "Comrade Liu, if you don't want to give me any, then don't pretend to be polite. You have such a good reputation in our brigade, I would believe you if you really let me sit down and eat."

Liu Huo stood up, putting on a good-natured expression, and said, "I did ask you to sit down and eat, but I didn't ask you to eat all of my parents' food. Wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?"

Indeed, some people laughed.

Wang Yuqing didn't care. She sighed and said, "How can I be shameless if I'm eating my own food? But Aunt Liu said my skin is thicker than an earthen wall, so your skin is thicker than a city wall."

Liu Huo's face darkened.

Liu's father sat in his seat, puffing out his cheeks, as if he was about to take action at any moment.

Aunt Liu craned her neck and pointed at Wang Yuqing: "What are you doing? You're calling my son shameless? Everyone, listen to this! This shameless little hussy came to my house to steal food and drink, and even said that she was eating her own grain. She actually dared to say that my son is shameless. Everyone in the whole brigade knows that my son is excellent and has good character."

Wang Yuqing pointed at Aunt Liu with her chopsticks and stopped being polite: "You old hag, listen carefully to your deaf ears. When your precious son was serving in the army with my Ji Xuening, he shamelessly pestered Ji Xuening to borrow food coupons, saying he would pay them back next month, but he still hasn't paid them back."

Liu Huo's expression was contorted with embarrassment.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu jumped up and shouted, "You're talking nonsense! How could my son possibly borrow your grain coupons, Ji Laosi? I think you're just desperate for money and starving. You're only trying to extort grain from my son because he's a nice person."

Wang Yuqing jumped onto the stool she had brought with her and yelled at her, "Your mother will die if she doesn't fart! What kind of good person do you think your son is? When he was in the army, he was lazy, cunning, and all he could think about was messing around with women. Ask your son how he begged, pleaded, and cried to get Ji Xuening to lend him his food rations!"

"Your son said it himself this morning, what did he say again?"

Wang Yuqing repeated Liu Huo's words verbatim, even mimicking his tone and adding some shameless expressions: "How could it be a loan? We're brothers who grew up together. Didn't you give it to me voluntarily?"

"Brother, don't you think you're being petty and womanistic, acting like a grown man? I only took your ration coupons because I considered you a good brother, and I didn't even care. Now that everyone's been demobilized, you're asking me for them? And you even say you lent them to me? You can't live like that, can you?"

Although it's impossible to tell whether what he said was true or false, it made the people around him angry; it really was a dog's face.

Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, then spat out a mouthful of saliva: "Pah, don't talk nonsense here. How could my son say such a thing?"

Wang Yuqing looked at Liu Huo: "Comrade Liu Huo, don't forget what you said! What's wrong? You borrowed grain and didn't return it, and you think it's perfectly normal and your right? Just because someone wants what belongs to them back, does that mean they're a bad person? Whether they gave it to you voluntarily or not, if they gave it to you and want it back, you have to return it..."

"I only took your grain rations because I treated you like a brother. Is your shamelessness hereditary? Ji Xuening treated you like a brother, and now he's asking me to come to your house for 37 jin of grain. Why don't you give it to him?"

Wang Yuqing's words sounded convincing, and everyone began to believe him, discussing how shameless Liu Huo was and how he had always been good at pretending.

Liu forced a smile and retorted calmly, "I didn't say that. Besides, how could I possibly borrow Ji Laosi's food coupons from the army? Does he have any proof?"

Wang Yuqing sneered: "I knew you'd say that. It's all my fault for being so honest back then. I didn't know to make you write an IOU. Now that there's no evidence, you can get away with it."

"But everyone knows what kind of person my fourth brother Ji is. Why would he need to slander you? Why doesn't he slander Zhang San, Li Si, or Wang Ermazi?"

The crowd around her began to stir as she spoke, all thinking that Ji Laosi didn't seem like a liar.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu addressed the crowd, saying, "Don't believe her. They say my son borrowed 37 jin of grain from them. If they're so capable, let them produce evidence! They're just spouting empty words."

Wang Yuqing continued to stand on the bench and said loudly, "I knew you wouldn't admit it, so I don't expect you to believe me. I just hope you can watch the show. As for your shameless refusal to give it to me, then I'll ask for it in a shameless way."

After saying that, she jumped off the stool, carried it to the main room of the Liu family, and placed it directly in the middle. Behind her was an offering table, and on the wall hung a picture of the leader.

She sat there, legs crossed: "From today onwards, I will eat and sleep here in front of your ancestors and the leader. I fear neither heaven nor earth, and my conscience is clear."

Seeing Wang Yuqing's posture, Lei Yongxia said to Niu Zhenzhen beside her, "This is both facing the ancestors of the Liu family and our great leader. I think this matter should be true."

Niu Zhenzhen nodded: "I also think it's true."

Liu's father couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table and glared angrily at Wang Yuqing inside: "You scoundrel, are you trying to bully my Liu family's ancestors?"

Wang Yuqing was not intimidated: "I did not bully your ancestors. It was your precious son who disgraced your ancestors. Why don't you have him come here and swear an oath to your ancestors and the leader that he did not borrow Ji Xuening's grain?"

All eyes turned to Liu Huo, who was clearly feeling guilty and scared.

Aunt Liu suddenly burst into tears: "Oh dear, how could there be such a person? You're such a scoundrel, running into my house in the main room. You're a real scoundrel, trying to steal my grain."

Wang Yuqing scolded without hesitation: "Old man, stop crying, it's disgusting my eyes. The more you cry, the more disgraced your ancestors will be."

The work bell rang, but no one wanted to leave. Suddenly, Liu Huoba got angry, picked up a hoe, and swung it at Wang Yuqing inside the house.

Wang Yuqing remained completely calm: "Come on, fight! Make a scene! Make it big! It would be best if it went all the way to the commune. If the commune takes it seriously, they'll send people to the army to investigate, and the truth will come out."

"dad……"

Liu Huoque panicked and felt guilty. He grabbed his old man, glared angrily at Wang Yuqing, and then whispered, "Give her the grain and let's get to work. If we don't, she'll keep making a fuss."

Liu's father still wanted to rush up and hit him.

Liu Huo gripped his hand tightly, gritting her teeth as she cried out, "Dad..."

The old man looked at his expression and eyes, and seemed to understand.

Liu Huo shouted, "Wang Yuqing, I only gave you the food because your man grew up with me and we joined the army together, and because Grandma Ji was so hungry from digging for wild vegetables that she was poisoned and hospitalized because of your arrival. Don't cause trouble at my house anymore. My parents are in poor health. If you cause them any problems, I won't let you off the hook."

Wang Yuqing chuckled: "Liu, as long as you're willing to return all 37 jin of grain to my family, not a single ounce less, you can come up with whatever excuse you want. It doesn't matter if you don't admit it."

Liu Huo: "..."