Tang Suxiang harbored deep resentment towards Song Erzhuang's family.
If it weren't for his family, how could I be the target of the entire village's scorn?
How could my nephew Xiaowei have been arrested?
If her own brother had food, how could he have been beaten so badly?
It was all the fault of Song Erzhuang's family.
"Then tell me, which factory in town does my brother work at?" Song Erzhuang sensed his sister-in-law's lukewarm attitude. "I'll go find my brother."
"I don't know anything, don't ask me." Tang Suxiang carried her granddaughter into the house and called her granddaughter-in-law into the house as well.
Song Erzhuang roared in frustration, "I'm just asking which factory my older brother works at in town, how come you don't know?"
"Why are you yelling at me? Why are you yelling at me?" Tang Suxiang snapped. "I said I don't know, and that's it! Are you going to hit me? Hit me! Hit me! Rape!"
Song Erzhuang left angrily, clenching his fists.
He borrowed a bicycle from his neighbor and went to his sister's house to find his sister and brother-in-law.
It was getting late.
We agreed to go to the girl's house tonight to propose marriage.
Qiao Guilan was very anxious, and she felt uneasy because her husband had not returned for a long time.
Song Baogen came back early today.
He had already made arrangements with his girlfriend, Li Wenxiu, that his parents would come to propose marriage tonight, and the bride price would be as her family had suggested: 238 yuan plus a bicycle, a sewing machine, a watch, and a radio.
The groom's family typically prepares three turns and one sound when a bride is being married.
"Mom, why are you sitting at the door?" Song Baogen rode his bike into the yard and saw his mother, Qiao Guilan, sitting on a small stool at the door, holding an old towel used for wiping sweat and blowing her nose and wiping her tears.
"What's wrong now?"
“Baogen, I’m afraid your marriage is off.” Qiao Guilan said, crying. “Your father has lent out all our family’s money, and we don’t have a single penny left.”
"Who did Dad lend the money to?"
"I don't know who your dad lent it to. He said he went to ask for it back this afternoon, but the person still hasn't come back."
"Why didn't you ask for it sooner?" Song Baogen was utterly disappointed in his parents, who only made preparations when things were at their most urgent. "Can you and Dad still go to propose tonight?"
"Mom wants to go, but our family doesn't have a single penny right now. Is the woman willing to marry into our family without a dowry?"
"How could that be!" Song Baogen frowned, turned his bicycle around, and went out again.
"Baogen, where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Wenxiu and tell her that you won't be going to her house to propose tonight. You can go in a few days when everything is ready," Song Baogen said, his bicycle already far away.
Song Yinhua cooked dinner and served it on the table in the yard to cool. She only came over to eat dinner after feeding the pigs.
"What are you eating for? Your dad lent out all the money in the house, how can you still eat?" Qiao Guilan complained. "You and your brother are so close, but your brother's wedding is almost off, and you still have the appetite to eat?"
"Didn't Dad go to ask for it?" Song Yinhua called out Song Caixing.
"I still don't know who your dad lent the money to!" Qiao Guilan suspected that her husband had lent the money to his older brother. Last time, they had such a big argument about the bankbook, and no matter how she asked, her husband just wouldn't admit that he had lent the money to his older brother!
Grandma Liu rushed over at that moment, and from afar, you could hear her calling, "Guilan! Guilan!"
Grandma Liu ran to the courtyard gate, panting, and said, "Your husband Erzhuang and his nephew Hanwen are fighting again. You should go and see."
A crowd of people gathered in Tang Suxiang's courtyard again.
Then they heard Song Erzhuang's rough, loud voice roaring from inside.
"I was just asking which factory your dad works at in town. Was that too much to ask? And you're giving me the cold shoulder? You're talking to me in such a sarcastic way. I'm your own uncle!"
"When you got married, you needed to prepare a bride price, and your dad borrowed money from me. Did I ever say no? Now that my son Baogen is getting married, this is how your family behaves?"
Song Erzhuang roared and howled, never mentioning that he had come to collect a debt. This led the villagers watching the commotion to believe, based on Tang Suxiang and her son's sophistry, that he had come to borrow money because his son couldn't afford the bride price for his wedding. He hadn't been able to borrow any, and his nephew hadn't given him a friendly look, so he was angry and started making a scene.
Song Erzhuang wasn't unaware of the need to collect the debt; he just wanted to save face for his elder brother, after all, they were brothers.
In the afternoon, he went to his younger sister's house to ask about repaying the money. Not only did his sister not have the money to repay, she also asked him for money, saying that her brother-in-law had taken out a loan at a high interest rate and lent it to relatives to do business, and they had lost everything.
They are still hiding from loan sharks and haven't been able to repay a single penny.
"Second Uncle, don't make baseless accusations. The dowry money for my wedding was all raised by our family. The part that wasn't enough was borrowed by my mother from my maternal grandfather and uncle in Tangzhuang. It didn't cost you a penny. It's a favor if we're willing to lend you money for your son's wedding, and it's our right not to. You shouldn't be forcing us to give you money."
Song Hanwen speaks eloquently and logically.
He recently wanted to start his own business and partnered with Wang Xiaowei, the second son of his sixth aunt. He learned the tricks and deceit of the business world and how to deal with his simple-minded and stubborn second uncle.
"When did I force you?" Song Erzhuang roared anxiously. "I was just asking about the factory your dad works at in town. I had something to discuss with him. When did I ask you for money?"
"Second Uncle, now that there are more people around, you're denying it, aren't you? Everyone knows that your Baogen needs to prepare a bride price for his wedding. You're making a scene at my house now just because we didn't lend you money, and you're going to complain to my dad? You're being completely unreasonable!"
Song Hanwen insisted that Song Erzhuang was unreasonable, forcibly borrowing money and causing trouble when he refused.
Bullying an honest person is easy.
“Look at my second uncle, everyone. His son Baogen didn’t have any money for his wedding, so he came to my house to borrow some. When he didn’t get the money, he started acting crazy and even tried to bully my mother. Is there anyone who is this unreasonable?”
Tang Suxiang chimed in, "Erzhuang came over this afternoon and even tried to touch me inappropriately, which terrified my granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law."
"I didn't! I didn't lay a hand on you!" Song Erzhuang was so angry he was jumping up and down, but he couldn't lay a hand on a woman. "I didn't! I didn't! I didn't!"
Song Yinhua squeezed through the crowd, "Dad!"
When Song Erzhuang saw his daughter arrive, he hurriedly explained to her, "Dad didn't borrow money from their family, and he didn't lay a hand on your aunt. Dad didn't. Dad just asked which factory your uncle works at in town."
"Did you lend Baogen's betrothal money and the money for the wedding banquet to your uncle?" Song Yinhua asked directly.
The sound was so loud that every villager watching the commotion could hear it.
Song Erzhuang was still thinking of protecting his elder brother, but before he could say anything, Tang Suxiang and Song Hanwen became agitated.
The mother and son vehemently denied that this had happened.
Song Hanwen: "Many villagers are here. If you say that your second uncle lent money to my family, then show us the IOU! We'll acknowledge it if you have an IOU."
Song Erzhuang looked at his nephew, whom he had doted on since childhood, with a chill in his heart. Baogen was born late, and after his eldest daughter was born, his wife was injured. He thought there would be no more children, so he treated this eldest nephew as his own.
This is the only son of the Song family branch.
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