"But you know Lao Qi. He wanted to pay for it, but he didn't have it. So he suggested that he could get in first and then use his salary to buy it later. But the girl disagreed, saying that she didn't need the forty-eight legs, but she had to have the three turns and one ring."
"The girl was pressing us so hard, and my parents-in-law kept pushing us too, and even called the army, but there was no money. Old Qi got annoyed and simply stopped replying to letters and calls. Maybe that's why my father-in-law got angry, and that's why he got gout," said Zeng Xinlan.
Ning Tang, "Captain Qi didn't reply to the letter or the phone call, how did you two know? Your father-in-law has a gout attack?"
"Alas, my mother-in-law has come to the island. She told me herself that they live nearby, less than two days' journey from here." Zeng Xinlan's face was filled with worry. "That's why I hurried to ask Sister Luo for money. My mother-in-law is still waiting for me to bring it back."
After listening to Zeng Xinlan's account of what happened, Ning Tang felt something was amiss. She said, "Here, Xinlan, I'll go home with you and ask about the situation. Once we get to the bottom of it, we can take the money. Two hundred yuan isn't a small sum."
Zeng Xinlan nodded randomly. With someone helping her make decisions, she felt like she had found her backbone. She said hurriedly, "Okay, thank you, Xiaoning."
Ning Tang looked at Da Wa and said, "I'll go with Xin Lan. Da Wa, you take Er Niu and San Wa home first."
The three children also noticed that the adults were busy. The eldest child nodded and said, "I understand."
Erniu pursed her lips and said, "Stepmom, please go back quickly. If anything happens, go home to find Dad."
Sanwa held Ning Tang's hand tightly and refused to let go. He said softly, "Stepmother, I'm going too."
The eldest boy pulled him and said, "Third boy, what can you do if you go there?"
Sanwa said, "Maybe I did it."
Ning Tang was amused. He bent down and pinched Sanwa's nose. "Yes, our Sanwa is the most capable. Don't worry, it's okay. You go home with Dawa first. I'll be back soon."
Sanwa then said reluctantly, "Okay."
After sending the three children away, Ning Tang went to the Qi family with Zeng Xinlan and Mrs. Luo.
The Qi family, like the Shen family, has a white two-story building. There are many plants such as green onions and ginger planted in the yard. It can be seen that Zeng Xinlan is a woman who knows how to live.
As soon as she entered the door, a woman in her fifties with yellow skin came out to greet her. She glanced at Zeng Xinlan and held out her hand, "Where's the money?"
Zeng Xinlan remained silent. Seeing this, the woman shrieked, "Could it be that you can't borrow it?"
Ning Tang asked, "Xinlan's mother-in-law, do you really want two hundred yuan?"
Zhong Xianghong glanced at Ning Tang sideways, "Who are you?"
Zeng Xinlan said, "These two are Captain Shen's lover Ning Tang, and Political Commissar Zhao's lover Sister Luo."
Ning Tang said, "Just call me Xiao Ning."
Hearing Zeng Xinlan introduce Ning Tang and Luo Saozi as the lovers of the regiment commander and political commissar, Zhong Xianghong narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Oh, they are the lovers of the regiment commander and political commissar, Xiao Ning, Luo Saozi, please take a seat."
Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo sat down. Zhong Xianghong pulled Zeng Xinlan aside and said sternly, "I asked you to borrow money, why did you bring them back?"
Zeng Xinlan nodded but didn't say anything. Ning Tang, with his sharp ears, heard it and said crisply, "Xinlan is asking us to borrow money. You know her mother-in-law, two hundred yuan is not a small amount. My sister-in-law and I have to find out what the money is going to be used for before we dare to lend it to her."
Zhong Xianghong smiled and said, "Of course I should."
"We heard from Xinlan that her father-in-law has gout and is lying in bed unable to move, so he needs to borrow 200 yuan for medical treatment. Is that true?" said Mrs. Luo.
Zhong Xianghong's face showed a worry. "Oh, this is what happened. My husband was fine before, but suddenly he got gout. Now he can't do farm work. He lies in bed every day complaining about leg pain."
She glanced at Zeng Xinlan with resentment, "Maybe, it's because the family doesn't have the money to marry off their youngest son, so she's angry."
Zeng Xinlan pursed her lips and didn't respond.
Zhong Xianghong looked at Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo expectantly, "Xinlan's father-in-law has a very severe attack of gout this time. The pain is so severe that he wants to have his leg amputated. Could you two please be so kind as to lend us two hundred yuan so we can go back and see a doctor?"
Ning Tang said, "You can borrow money. Two hundred yuan each, Luo Saozi and I can borrow one hundred yuan each. My husband is the head of the regiment, and Luo Saozi's husband is the political commissar. Both of them have high salaries, and we still have some savings, but -"
Hearing Ning Tang agree to lend the money and mentioning that Chen Lie and Political Commissar Zhao had high salaries, Zhong Xianghong's eyes flashed with greed. When she heard Ning Tang say "but," her heart was in turmoil. She couldn't help but ask, "But what?"
Ning Tang smiled and said, "But, we can lend you the money. When are you going to pay it back?"
Zhong Xianghong was stunned. It was obvious that she had never thought about paying it back.
Seeing her stunned, Ning Tang said, "You're not going to fight me? Just consider it as repayment, right?"
Zhong Xianghong chuckled awkwardly, "How is that possible... Our Qi Wei is promising. He's the battalion commander, and his monthly salary isn't bad. He can just pay it back slowly."
Mrs. Luo frowned and asked, "Is it just Captain Qi who's paying? What about your five sons? Dad is sick, and you only let the eldest son's family pay?"
Zhong Xianghong said without thinking, "Of course."
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly looked towards Zeng Xinlan.
Zeng Xinlan said in disbelief, "Mom, are you really planning to just let our family pay it back? I remember my second uncle passed the exam last month to become a worker at the city's textile factory. He makes a dozen yuan a month. My third uncle is a carpenter and also makes quite a bit of money year-round. Not much, but he can definitely make seven or eight yuan. And my fourth and fifth uncles will graduate from junior high school next year."
She repeated, "Mom, are you really planning to just let our family pay for the two hundred yuan medical bill?"
Zhong Xianghong whispered, "Although they can make money, they don't earn as much as the boss. Whoever earns more should contribute more. Isn't that what should be done?"
Zeng Xinlan had never expected Zhong Xianghong and his wife to treat everyone equally, but this was too much partiality. Her heart was completely cold. "Why should only our family pay this money, and the second uncle, the third uncle, the fourth uncle, and the fifth uncle don't have to pay? Is Dad just A-Wei's dad, not their dad?"
She originally thought that Zhong Xianghong came to her for money because the incident happened suddenly and her family couldn't come up with so much money at once, so they asked the couple to pay it first and then pay it back later. The money for her father-in-law's medical treatment still had to be shared by everyone.
But they didn't expect that Zhong Xianghong had no such intention at all and just wanted their family to pay the money.
Zhong Xianghong chuckled twice, "We're all family..." She reached out to hold Zeng Xinlan's hand and said expectantly, "Daughter-in-law, can you bear to see your father-in-law unable to get out of bed due to the pain in his legs?"
Zeng Xinlan couldn't bear to do it after all. She retracted her hand, looked at Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo, gritted her teeth, and said, "Xiao Ning, sister-in-law, please lend me two hundred yuan. I will write you an IOU." After that, she wanted to get paper and pen.
Ning Tang stopped her. "Don't worry about the IOU. It's just a loan. We live on the same island, right? Our Captain Shen and Political Commissar Zhao are colleagues of your Captain Qi. I was afraid you'd run away."
She winked at Sister Luo and said, "Sister-in-law, go home with Xinlan to get some money. I'll stay with Xinlan's mother-in-law."
Mrs. Luo was stunned and blinked, "Oh, oh, okay, I'll go home with Xinlan to get the money." She pulled Zeng Xinlan closer, "Xinlan, come with me."
Zeng Xinlan was so distraught that she let Mrs. Luo drag her away.
After the two of them left, Zhong Xianghong seemed relieved, as if she had gotten over a big thing. Her tone became relaxed and casual, "Xiaoning, why don't you go home and get the money?"
Ning Tang made up an excuse, "My husband manages our family's money. I have to wait until he gets off work before I can get the money."
"Is that so." A trace of contempt flashed across Zhong Xianghong's eyes. In her eyes, a woman who can't control a man's purse is useless.
Ning Tang looked young and beautiful, but Zhong Xianghong had already equated her with a vase in her heart.
Ning Tang poured a glass of water for Zhong Xianghong, "Xinlan's mother-in-law, have a drink of water. You must be tired after coming here from such a long distance."
Zhong Xianghong took a sip of water and waved her hand. "Why are you so tired? Where we live is only two days away from Hailang Island."
"Then you must come to the island often to visit Captain Qi and Xinlan, right?" Ning Tang said.
Zhong Xianghong said guiltily, "Of course."
Ning Tang smiled and said, "I really envy Xinlan for having such a good mother-in-law like you."
Zhong Xianghong curled her lips and said, "What's good about that? Xinlan is lucky to be able to follow the army. Unlike me when I was a daughter-in-law, I had to serve the whole family by myself."
Ning Tang didn't respond, but changed the subject and started talking about family matters. "To be honest, I just came here to join the army. My home is in a village in Qi Province, one south of Hailang Island and the other north. It takes seven days by train. Our place is not like Hailang Island, where you can eat cheap seafood. I sent a lot of seafood back to my parents a while ago, and they said it was delicious."
"The seafood from Hailang Island tastes really good." Zhong Xianghong couldn't help licking her lips. "My eldest brother and his wife often send us dried abalone and mackerel. They make porridge and stir-fries with them. They taste really fresh. My husband's favorite is dried squid. I roast one for him and drink it with wine. Even a god wouldn't trade it for anything."
Ning Tang's eyes flashed with a strange look, "Does Xinlan's father-in-law like to eat seafood and drink alcohol?"
Zhong Xianghong said, "He always has a bottle of wine in his hand. He loves wine more than anyone else. The day before I came to Hailang Island, he even asked me who would get him rice wine after I left. Who would make him grilled squid and fried mackerel? He can't live without these things for a single day."
Ning Tang sneered, "Since Eunuch Xinlan loves seafood and wine, I'll give him a bottle of dried seahorse wine to nourish him and quickly cure his gout."
Zhong Xianghong frowned. Why did this sound so wrong?
Not yet? Before she could think about it, footsteps were heard at the door. Mrs. Luo and Zeng Xinlan came back.
Zhong Xianghong's face was full of smiles. "Oh, you're back. Why are you so late? Did you get the money?"
Zeng Xinlan said expressionlessly, "I got it."
She pulled out a hundred yuan from her pocket. Zhong Xianghong snatched it away, counted it several times with her fingers, and then said, "Yes, that's the number."
Zhong Xianghong narrowed her eyes, "Xiao Ning, now the only thing missing is your one hundred yuan."
Ning Tang smiled and said, "Xinlan's mother-in-law, if I don't pay this hundred yuan, it will be considered a loan."
"Why?" Zhong Xianghong asked in surprise.
"Because Xinlan's father-in-law doesn't have gout at all, there is no need to lend this money." Ning Tang said firmly.
Zeng Xinlan was stunned and looked at Zhong Xianghong in surprise, "You don't have gout?"
Mrs. Luo asked, "Xinlan's mother-in-law, how could you lie to me?"
Zhong Xianghong opened her mouth to refute, "When did I lie? My husband just has gout, otherwise he would be fine. Why would I curse him?"
Ning Tang asked, "Xinlan's mother-in-law, I'm asking you one last time. Are you sure Xinlan's father-in-law has gout and needs two hundred yuan for medical treatment?"
Zhong Xianghong said without thinking, "I'm sure."
"Are you sure? I'm absolutely certain that you're lying." Ning Tang said, "Just now, when we were chatting, you said that Xinlan's father-in-law always ate seafood and drank wine, and even when he had gout, it was no exception. Is that true?"
"So what? These seafood are given to us by the eldest and his wife. We like to eat them. It's none of your business. Why do you have to interfere?" Zhong Xianghong cursed.
Ning Tang sneered, "I don't want to get involved in your shitty business. I just can't stand seeing people feigning illness to gain sympathy and money. Xinlan's mother-in-law, people with gout should avoid alcohol and seafood. If you follow your idea of eating seafood with wine every meal, if Xinlan's father-in-law really gets gout, I'm afraid he'll have to have his leg amputated."
Zhong Xianghong rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say is true. You're not a doctor. You're just talking nonsense based on something you heard from nowhere. Do you think I'll believe it? I'm telling you, it's like eating seafood and drinking alcohol if you have gout."
She looked at Zeng Xinlan, "Xinlan, we are a family. Don't believe her. She just doesn't want to lend money. If she doesn't want to lend it, then don't lend it. Let's find someone else to borrow from. Don't listen to her alarmist words here."
Ning Tang said, "I've never seen a family being forced to borrow money."
Zhong Xianghong said, "Xinlan, say something."
Zeng Xinlan turned her head and said, "Mother-in-law, do you think that people like us who have lived on the island for years don't know the common sense that people with gout can't eat seafood or drink alcohol?"
Zhong Xianghong was completely panicked. "No, no, listen to my explanation..."
Zeng Xinlan asked, "Mom, what exactly do you want these two hundred yuan for? Is it really to treat Dad's supposed gout?"
Now that everything was exposed, Zhong Xianghong decided to throw in the towel. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. I want the two hundred yuan to buy a three-turn and one-ring for your sister-in-law and marry her off. Just tell me whether you'll give it to me or not."
Zeng Xinlan pursed her lips. "Just to buy her a three-turn and one-ring, so Mom, you used the excuse that Dad had gout to ask for money. This is a full two hundred yuan. Qi Wei would have to work for half a year to earn this amount. If you use it all to marry off my third brother, will our family starve for the next six months?"
Zhong Xianghong laughed awkwardly, "How could I possibly starve? The boss can make money..."
"Money doesn't come from the wind. Whoever wants to marry a wife should pay for it himself. Don't even think about getting it from other people." Ning Tang said.
Zhong Xianghong hated Ning Tang for ruining her good fortune and glared at her fiercely, "What do you mean by other people's family? We are one family."
Ning Tang continued, "You, your old man, and your other four sons are a family. Captain Qi's family is just your ATM."
Mrs. Luo couldn't help but ask, "ATM?"
Ning Tang paused. It seemed like there wasn't one yet? "It means a machine that takes money from people."
This metaphor is really apt. Zeng Xinlan smiled bitterly. Isn't their family just an ATM?
She turned her face away and said, "Mom, there's no way I'm going to give you this money. Don't use this excuse to lie to people next time."
Zhong Xianghong said angrily, "What are you talking about? You are an outsider and your words don't count. Where is the boss? When he comes back, I will complain to him and ask him to teach you a lesson."
Even rabbits bite when they are cornered. Zeng Xinlan said coldly, "Then? Mom, you go. I'll wait."
Zhong Xianghong's eyes widened as she pointed at Zeng Xinlan, "You, you, you are rebelling!"
After Zeng Xinlan finished speaking, she pulled Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo out of the door, not giving Zhong Xianghong the chance to continue cursing.
After leaving Qi's house, the three returned to Mrs. Luo's house.
Zeng Xinlan apologized, "Sister-in-law, I left in a hurry just now and didn't get the hundred yuan back. Don't worry, I will send it to you tomorrow."
Mrs. Luo nodded and asked her, "What are you going to do about this? If Captain Qi really borrowed the two hundred yuan, your family will have to pay it back."
Zeng Xinlan smiled bitterly and said, "There's nothing I can do. Qi Wei and I have been married for ten years. I know him well. He is filial and cares about his reputation. If I don't help my mother-in-law borrow the money, he will definitely not ask his colleagues for a loan."
Mrs. Luo sighed, "That's good. No matter what, it's a good thing that the elderly at home are not sick, and it's also a good thing that the money is not lent out."
Mrs. Luo is kind-hearted, but Ning Tang doesn't think so. For an old man who asks his eldest son's family to borrow money for his younger son's wedding, it would be better for him to have gout. At least he can have peace of mind.
Zeng Xinlan looked at Ning Tang gratefully. "Thanks to you guys for this. Otherwise, I would still be in the dark and would be foolish enough to borrow such a large sum of money from you guys."
Zeng Xinlan was not stupid. Mrs. Luo took her home to get money and took a long detour on purpose. She felt it was strange at the time, but now she thinks it was probably to give Ning Tang time to get some information.
Ning Tang waved his hand, "Nothing."
Zeng Xinlan's family was already poor, having to pay out 40 yuan a month, and adding another 200 yuan in foreign debt was simply a death sentence for the whole family.
Although she hadn't lent out the money, Zeng Xinlan still had a worried look on her face. She held Ning Tang's hand and said earnestly, "Xiao Ning, I still have twenty yuan that I've scraped together. It's all our family savings, and even Qi Wei doesn't know about it. I want to put it with you first, is that okay?"
Mrs. Luo was surprised and asked, "You put all your family savings with Xiaoning? Why?"
Zeng Xinlan gritted her teeth and said, "Because I know Qi Wei. As soon as he gets paid, he will definitely use it to fill the hole in his family's family. We don't know how we will get by next month. We can rely on going to the beach to make ends meet, but we still don't have money for Dahu's first-grade tuition. We can't let the child go to school without paying tuition."
Tuition fees for primary schools on the island are collected one week after the start of school, which is nearly two dollars a year. It is not a lot, but not a small amount either. Zeng Xinlan is still worried about this money.
Mrs. Luo nodded. "You're right to fight like this. What if something unexpected happens and we need money? We can't have no savings at home."
"Xiao Ning..." Zeng Xinlan looked at Ning Tang expectantly.
Ning Tang said, "I can keep the money for you temporarily, but I can't keep your family's money forever."
Zeng Xinlan said worriedly, "What else can we do? Qi Wei always supports their family."
She gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, we're almost broke. A while ago, I went to the city and bought a new bowl at a very cheap price. I was planning to take it home, but Qi Wei saw it and he insisted that there were too many people at my parents-in-law's house and my nephew had no bowl. So he took the bowl away and gave it to his family. Poor Dahu, he's still using a broken bowl. I'm afraid he'll get hurt one day."
Mrs. Luo showed sympathy. "I don't even know Captain Qi. What can I say about him? Why don't you have a good talk with him?"
"What's the point of talking? He won't listen to anything I say," Zeng Xinlan said. "Sometimes I even doubt we're family. I'm not his wife, and Dahu isn't his son. He, his parents, and his four younger brothers are family."
Ning Tang said, "So you have to stand up on your own."
"Stand up by yourself?" Zeng Xinlan was stunned.
"Yes, there's a saying that goes, adults can only be selected, not changed. Captain Qi's character has already been formed. It's determined by his living environment and personal experiences since childhood, so it's definitely not going to make sense to you." Ning Tang said.
"When you told Captain Qi that there was no money at home and asked him to stop giving money to his parents-in-law, what was he thinking about? He was thinking about how his family was tightening their belts to provide for him, and how his younger brother took the beating for him when his father punished him. So, he only told you in detail how good his family was to him. If it weren't for their support and help, he would definitely not have achieved what he has today. He should give more money to his family so that his life would be better after his younger brothers grow up."
Zeng Xinlan was stunned. Ning Tang's words were almost identical to what Captain Qi always said. "Xiao Ning, how did you know that?"
"I'm just guessing. Anyway, it doesn't matter what those excuses are." Ning Tang said.
Zeng Xinlan's eyes flickered with hope. "Well, well, what do you think I should do? Every time I argue with him, he uses these excuses to shut me up, and I can't stop him. Otherwise, it would be considered a lack of filial piety, and if I tell anyone about it, people will criticize me."
"Xinlan, you have to figure out whether you'd rather be stabbed in the back or starve to death on the side of the road," Ning Tang said. "Dahu is getting older, and we'll have to spend money on a lot of things. Also, we can't just eat seafood picked up from the beach every meal. We need to have enough meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables, too. Otherwise, he'll lack nutrition and might not grow tall."
Zeng Xinlan felt sad when she thought of Qi Dahu's thin little face and his height which was half a head shorter than his peers.
The couple originally named Da Hu Da Hu in the hope that he would grow up to be a healthy and strong little tiger, but now he is almost becoming a sick cat.
Zeng Xinlan gritted her teeth and said, "Xiao Ning, give me some advice. I'll do whatever you say."
Mrs. Luo helped to drum up support, "Yes, Xiaoning, you are smart, so help Xinlan."
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