"...Uh, Mom, I borrowed the money from a friend. I can pay him back slowly later. He's a wealthy boss. And I'm planning to drive my motorcycle to the bus station to transport passengers and make money." Chen Lao Er was momentarily stumped by the question, but quickly came up with a lame excuse.
“You spendthrift! What’s the use of this motorcycle that cost you eight thousand yuan? How many people can it carry? Wouldn’t it be better to save the money? Now that you have the money to buy a motorcycle, don’t come to your older brother for help if you ever have any difficulties.”
Grandma Chen actually wanted to say, "Stop coming to your eldest son for money. This second son always comes to our door crying poverty, and he's such a scoundrel. If she weren't sure he was her biological son, she would have kicked him out."
“Mom, you are my own father and mother, and my own elder brother. Of course I should ask my elder brother for help when my family is in trouble. I will go to my elder brother in a while and ask him to lend me two thousand so that I can pay back some money to that boss first.”
Chen Lao Er said shamelessly, but secretly he was happy: Hehe, my Xiao Wu is rich, but I'm not going to tell you.
"You good-for-nothing! Your eldest brother doesn't have any money either, and your nephew is getting married at the end of the year. You're going to return the car like this?" When Grandma Chen heard that her second son was going to borrow money from his eldest son, she was furious. She cursed a few words and then hurried home to remind her eldest son.
As Chen Lao Er watched the old woman trot away, he deliberately shouted loudly, "Mom, remember to ask my older brother for money for me."
After Grandma Chen walked away, Chen Lao Er pushed the motorcycle into the stairwell on the first floor and locked it.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but a few whispers could still be heard: "We thought Chen Lao Er bought the car with his own money? Turns out he borrowed money..."
“This is the real Chen Lao Er. He was just like this when he was young,” said an older woman.
Meanwhile, in the Chen family's dining room, Chen Xihua and her brother, who had just witnessed the entire process from the second-floor corridor, shrugged simultaneously, finding it unbearable to watch.
"Fifth Sister, is Father showing off?" Chen Baohua asked, seemingly understanding but not quite.
“Yes, showing off. That will make you an easy target for a beating. Little Six, don’t follow your father’s example.” Chen Xihua wanted to say that Chen Lao Er was just putting on an act.
"Yes, I know. We should keep a low profile and make our fortune quietly." Chen Baohua nodded to indicate that he understood.
After saying that, Chen Lao Er and Li Yu Mei entered the house one after the other.
"Chen Jianshe, how did you get money to buy a motorcycle? Did you steal the family's savings book?"
Who did you borrow the money from? Are you hiding some money from someone?
When you left the pastry shop this morning, didn't you say that Mr. Hu from the furniture store wanted to see you about something?
You borrowed the money yourself, you pay it back yourself. I won't give you any money to pay it back...
Li Yumei stormed into the house, closed the door, and began to interrogate Chen Lao Er relentlessly.
She wanted nothing more than to pounce on him and scratch him. That was eight thousand yuan! That was two or three months' worth of revenue for the pastry shop! Thinking about it, Li Yumei's face turned bright red with anger, and she burst into tears, sitting down on the ground without a care in the world.
"Ugh, you Chen family members are all bullying me, a woman! Everyone wants to use my money, I can't live anymore..."
"Stop, stop... Don't cry, I'll pay it back myself, I won't take the money from the pastry shop." Chen Lao Er's good mood from buying a new car was completely ruined.
That woman is really something. Isn't the point of earning money to spend it? Luckily, it was Xiao Wu who gave her the money this time. If she had really taken the money from the pastry shop, she would have made a huge scene.
"Get up, I really didn't take any money from home." Chen Lao Er tried to pull her up, but Li Yumei slapped him away, looking at him incredulously.
"...Really? Are you sure? Don't lie to me, or I'll never forgive you." Li Yumei was sobbing and snot streaming down her face; she was truly furious.
"I'm sure," Chen Lao Er assured him earnestly.
"Dinner's ready." Chen Xihua had already brought the food out of the kitchen, stopping the arguing couple.
She guessed why Li Yumei had such a strong emotional outburst: her children couldn't control her, so they had to hold onto the money tightly.
Fine, as long as Li Yumei doesn't cause trouble for her siblings in the future, I'll just say less to her. It's not that Chen Xihua is soft-hearted, it's just that there's no point in bullying a woman like her.
"Mom, dinner's ready." Chen Baohua had already walked over and was holding Li Yumei's hand. He suddenly felt a little sorry for his mother.
There are only four members of the Chen family left now; the other older sisters are all attending high school in Jiang City. During the meal, it was quiet; no one spoke.
The news of the Chen family buying a motorcycle spread like wildfire throughout the entire residential area within half a day. It was said that Chen Lao Er had secretly borrowed money to buy the motorcycle, and Li Yumei disagreed, which led to a fight.
Chen Xihua went to Zhangjia Village in the afternoon. Wang Ying's sister would call Zhangjia Village almost every week to tell Chen Xihua about the No. 2 Garment Factory in the provincial capital and Fanghua Store.
Zhang Xiaolan is now able to manage Fanghua Workshop in Gaoyang County on her own.
In Fanghua in the provincial capital, Wang Ying was the person in charge. Even if Director Yang had something to do, he would first consult with Wang Ying and then go to Chen Xihua.
When Chen Xihua returned to the entrance of the residential area, several middle-aged women chased after her, asking, "Fifth daughter of the Chen family, did your parents really fight?"
Did your mother find out that your father was secretly hiding money?
"..."
Even though Chen Xihua was used to it, she was still a little embarrassed and overwhelmed by the gossipy aunties and grandmas in the family quarters. She gave a few perfunctory replies and hurried home.
Even though she's usually good at arguing, she still has a headache dealing with these gossipy women.
As the new week began, Chen Xihua resumed her reading life.
When the second sister, Chen Jinhua, returned home for the National Day holiday in October, she saw the red motorcycle and jumped up and down a few times in the dining room with great joy.
Then she pestered Chen Lao Er, who had just obtained his motorcycle driving license, to teach her how to drive.
In less than five minutes, Chen Jinhua learned it, as if he were self-taught. He could get the hang of it after watching it once and then learning it once.
During the next few days of the holiday, my second sister, Chen Jinhua, spent her time practicing driving. She said she was going to take the motorcycle driving test.
During this period, Chen Xihua visited the construction site of "Leiting Haoxuan" in the northern new district of the county, and the project proceeded as scheduled.
1996 passed quickly. On the third day of winter vacation, Uncle Chen's family held a wedding, and his eldest cousin Chen Penghua married Li Xiaoling.
When the bride's family was sending off the bride, Chen Xihua saw the divorced man who drove the passenger bus; he was the one who had driven the bride. He was of average appearance, with a common face, but his eyes revealed a shrewdness.
After getting off the bus, he looked around, probably looking for his older sister, Chen Chunhua. Fortunately, she was still on her way home by train and wasn't there.
Chen Xihua estimated that if the eldest sister were here, this person would probably shamelessly try to talk to her.
The wedding of Uncle Chen's family was held directly in their new house in the northern new district of the county. The house had three bedrooms and a living room, and was about 80 or 90 square meters. It was packed with people, mainly because the bride's family had a large number of people accompanying her. The Chen family consisted of the three families of Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen's three children.
Moreover, Aunt Chen came back alone.
However, Uncle Chen still hired a few people from the textile factory.
After the wedding banquet, Chen Xihua and her siblings left first, feeling there was nothing more to see.
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