Chapter 20 The Gu Family Owes One Hundred and Forty Dollars
After lunch, Gu Yuehuai put the leftover braised pork and Gu Ruihuai's bowl of rice on the stove to warm them.
Gu Tinghuai saw it and felt sad. Although he didn't know what caused his sister's change, he hoped that the change would last longer. Maybe life at home would be much better in the future.
When Gu Zhifeng was drowsy, he saw his daughter coming over with a cup of hot water and handing it to him respectfully with a serious expression, as if she seemed to be hesitant to say something.
Gu Zhifeng's sleepiness was instantly scared away, and she sat up straighter than Gu Yuehuai.
He put the cup of water on the table and asked tentatively, "What's wrong, Nannan? Do you have something to tell Dad?"
Gu Tinghuai also looked at Gu Yuehuai, wondering what she was doing.
Gu Yuehuai didn't keep it a secret. He looked at Gu Zhifeng and said word by word, "Dad, don't go to the black market again."
She must eliminate her father's tragedy from the root. She will find ways to make money, but she must not go to the black market again.
When Gu Zhifeng heard this, his expression paused and his lips moved, not knowing what to say.
"Ren Tianxiang has already said that Dad often went to the black market, but they don't have evidence now. What we have to do is stop going to the black market and never admit it. We should slowly participate in collective labor, earn work points, and let everyone forget about it."
"Dad, I was ignorant before, but I won't be like that again. We are all strong laborers in my family. If we work hard, our lives will be better. Living a stable life is better than anything else."
Gu Yuehuai looked serious and his voice was even more solemn.
Gu Zhifeng was somewhat moved, and the tough guy shed tears, muttering: "Nannan has really grown up."
"Dad! What Nannan said makes sense. We should not go to the black market anymore. It's too risky." Gu Tinghuai echoed.
He originally wanted to find an opportunity to have a good talk with his sister. As long as he could convince her and let her persuade his father, the matter would be half successful. However, he didn't expect that his sister would bring it up before he even opened his mouth.
He was a little emotional for a moment, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Their family lived a very cautious and tread-on-thin life. Such days made people feel very numb. There was no hope for the future at all. They didn't know when they would see the sun. The second child's extreme temperament was also forced out in this way.
It really needs to change, and change for the better.
Gu Zhifeng raised his hand and touched his head. After a long silence, he said in a somewhat lonely tone: "Nannan, our family situation is different."
"Dad! We..." Gu Tinghuai frowned and wanted to say something to comfort him. No matter how much debt there is, there will be a time to pay it off. As long as you keep your feet on the ground and live a stable life, you will be able to pay it off.
Gu Zhifeng waved her hand and said, "Nannan, don't worry about these things. Dad knows everything. You are still young, so you don't need to worry about the family affairs."
Gu Yuehuai pursed his lips: "Dad, our family owes money, right?"
Hearing this, Gu Zhifeng glared at Gu Tinghuai fiercely. He had told her not to tell the daughter about the bad things at home, but did the eldest son turn a deaf ear to his words?
Gu Tinghuai looked innocent, he really didn’t say that!
Gu Zhifeng was about to speak to evade the question when she heard Gu Yuehuai say, "I know. Our family borrowed money from our uncle and aunt to build a house. I know who they are. They must have asked for a lot of interest, right?"
Yes, her father is not an only child. He has an older brother and an older sister, but they are not his biological children.
Although her grandfather was a landlord, he was a passionate man. After marrying her grandmother, he was devoted to her. He kept a clean backyard and did not even take a concubine. Unfortunately, the two of them loved each other for many years but never had a child.
Later, I heard that adopting a child would bring blessings and would give birth to a biological child into the family.
Her grandfather adopted three children, one boy and two girls, who were her uncle and two aunts, just to give it a try.
Not long after adopting the child, her grandmother, that is, her father, actually became pregnant.
When the new society came, my uncle and two aunts cried bitterly because they were not my biological children. They said that they had no choice in the past. Although they were nominally young masters and young ladies in the landlord's family, they were actually exploited and lived a life worse than that of the servants.
The three men became victims for a while, and local leaders even assigned them jobs in the city out of sympathy.
As the landlord's biological son, her father naturally stayed in the countryside to work.
Although her uncle and aunt were ruthless, she grew up with her father after all, and they had been in contact for many years. When they built the house, the family did not have enough money left, so they asked for money from her uncle and aunt.
My eldest aunt was lucky. She followed her uncle, who became an official, and moved into the compound of the County Revolutionary Committee.
She was ashamed of the days when she was a kept girl in a landlord's house. Not to mention her father Gu Zhifeng, even her uncle and second aunt had always ignored her. Naturally, her family would never lend her money.
Gu Tinghuai smiled bitterly and said, "Nannan, you..."
Gu Yuehuai looked around his rammed earth house, pretending to inspect the specifications and materials, and said, "How much do you owe? One hundred yuan? How much interest? Twenty? Or thirty?"
She naturally knew the real amount.
It cost a total of two hundred dollars to build the house. Part of it was earned on the black market, and the other part came from uncle and second aunt, who borrowed fifty dollars each. However, the annual interest for each person was five dollars, which was definitely usury!
Over the years, because she didn't work hard, not only did she not pay off her debts, but she owed more and more.
If she calculated correctly, the debt had accumulated over time and had reached one hundred and forty yuan this year. When ordinary workers earned only a dozen or twenty yuan a month, one hundred and forty yuan was like a mountain pressing on the Gu family's backs.
Although my uncle and my second aunt had a life of luxury since childhood, it was much better than that of ordinary tenant farmers. However, they were not grateful. However, if a person does not care for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth, and it is also human nature for everyone to flee when disaster strikes.
They are not vicious in character, they just have a petty-bourgeois mentality.
In a month or so, the debt collectors will come to your door.
My eldest aunt's two daughters were going to the countryside to work in the fields, so they planned to hold a farewell banquet at a state-owned restaurant and invited my eldest uncle and second aunt. In order to take the opportunity to curry favor with my eldest aunt's family, the two of them prepared to take out fifty yuan to give to their two nieces who were going to the countryside.
Of course, it is only natural to pay back debts.
They owed money to their uncle and second aunt, and no matter what the reason for the debt collection, her family would always pay it back.
Even if it's not about debt, it's time to prepare for the upcoming year-end.
This year is a year of famine, so she has to prepare food early to avoid the family being unable to make ends meet and having to stay in bed, staring at each other like in her previous life, with only water to fill their stomachs. After the New Year, the whole family is so thin that they are just skin and bones.
During the New Year of my previous life, my father Gu Zhifeng was already in jail.
So, this New Year, she not only wants her family to have enough food and drink, but also wants everyone to be reunited!
Let’s put Tian Jing’s matter aside for now, the most important thing is to deal with the current situation.
After arranging her family affairs, she had plenty of time to play with Tian Jing.
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