They exchanged a few pleasantries.
A group of old men came in a flurry and then left in a flurry.
Only the third uncle and the fifth aunt remained.
"Who are you?" Fifth Aunt frowned slightly. She didn't remember having any relatives living outside, and her father hadn't told her either.
Third Uncle looked around first: "May I come in and sit down?"
Fifth Aunt hesitated for a moment, but seeing Third Uncle leaning on his cane, she still came in.
The third uncle observed the house, a very common house in the countryside. It seemed that the fifth aunt's economic situation was not very good.
After he sat down, his fifth aunt brought him a glass of water. "Grandpa, have some water."
"Thank you," the third uncle said, before revealing his purpose: "I want to find someone to take care of me in my old age."
He's too old to beat around the bush.
"How did you know?" Fifth Aunt was taken aback.
Third Uncle waved his hand: "By chance, I heard about your grandfather when I was a child. You have continued to do it generation after generation, but I don't know if your generation will do it again."
"I..." Aunt Wu hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Grandpa, please don't blame me, I really can't do it."
"I know, I know." Third Uncle naturally knew about Fifth Aunt's family.
My fifth aunt's family was known as a very good family; otherwise, why would anyone ask them to do something like this? However, before Liberation, they took on a job that bankrupted them. Fortunately, after Liberation, the debt was settled. Otherwise, they'd probably still be paying off debts. Even so, it still took a heavy toll on them.
Furthermore, after liberation, these kinds of things became less and less common. In particular, there were a few years when the crackdown was especially severe.
Moreover, to be honest, getting this job really depends on luck. In the words of our ancestors, this is something to do to accumulate good karma. There's no way you can get rich from it.
So they gradually stopped doing it.
However, their family tradition has not been broken.
This is why Uncle San was testing him.
Third Uncle was old, and he was still doting, but what Qin Zheng said after he came out of the police station chilled him to the bone and brought him to his senses.
He stood outside the police station for a long time, not in a daze, but deep in thought. Thinking about his future.
In despair, his first thought was to abandon Qin Zheng and return to the village. But then he thought about the consequences if he really gave up and went back to the village. It was highly likely that Qin Zheng would visit Qin Family Village again. Once a person calms down, they develop basic analytical skills, especially someone like his third uncle who had lived for nearly a hundred years.
He knew that if he returned to Qin Family Village, Qin Zheng would most likely return there after spending all the money.
He wasn't naive; he knew that the so-called village chief and ancestral hall had virtually no binding force on Wang Shouren. This was evident in Wang Shouren's actions. A centenarian knew that the way to exact revenge wasn't to imprison or kill the person, but to inflict torment—mental torment.
Qin Zheng is now in prison, but instead of being tortured, he left with a large sum of money, completely unfazed. He'll go about his business as usual once he gets out. Once he's spent all that money, that will be the beginning of his fall from grace. If he's still in the village then, Qin Zheng will come looking for him.
No, even if he were dead, Qin Zheng would still openly return to the village and cause a scene.
By then, no matter what Wang Shouren did, the villagers wouldn't say anything. Because this was the second time Qin Zheng had done it. The first time, they let him go out of respect for their third uncle. The second time, however, there was no excuse.
With a smile, they offered a seemingly hopeful path, but in reality, it was a dead end.
Therefore, he could not go back. He knew that he could not teach Qin Zheng well, but if he went back, what awaited Qin Zheng would be true hell.
Thinking of this, Uncle San felt a pang of sorrow once again.
Because of this, he couldn't say it out loud, and even if he did, no one would believe him. Wang Shouren's explanation sounded like he was genuinely considering things from his perspective. Since he couldn't repay the money, the suggestion was to sell the family's shares—just shares, not the entire estate. Even if he could repay the debt after selling them, he would still have a large sum of money, enough to last a lifetime.
You want him to tell others that this is Wang Shouren's conspiracy?
But someone has to believe it.
"To be honest, I'm all alone. I have a suggestion, do you think it's feasible?" Third Uncle said tentatively.
"Please speak."
“Just say I’m a distant relative of yours, and I’ve come to stay with you. To be honest, I have no one left in my family. My son is dead, and my grandson has disappeared.”
Hearing this, Aunt Wu hesitated even more. Taking care of one's parents in old age is never a simple matter.
“So, I’m looking for a place where someone can take care of me. I’ve heard of your family’s reputation since I was a child. Over the years, I’ve occasionally thought of it and felt it could be a place for me. I still have a lot of money on me. If you help me with my funeral, all this money will be yours. I’m already ninety-seven years old this year, and I won’t have much money left. Is that alright?” Uncle San asked cautiously, not arrogantly because he was rich, but looking worried and fearful, and quickly took out his savings book.
Open it and place it on the table.
Fifth Aunt glanced at it, and then couldn't take her eyes off it.
She swallowed.
A voice in her head was frantically urging her to take the job.
To be honest, her family's circumstances weren't very good. They were honest people who initially planned to stay home and tend the land. However, later, when their grandson needed to go to school, the costs increased significantly. There weren't many people in her family either; she had one son, one daughter-in-law, and three younger children, the eldest of whom was already in high school.
The various expenses have already left them struggling to breathe.
Seeing their expressions, Uncle San immediately understood and quickly said, "I estimate that I only live for a few more years. If you need this money, use it first. I'll take out half and keep the other half. Is that alright?"
"Can you let me think about it?" Aunt Wu asked hesitantly.
"Well... I'll stay for a few days, is that alright? I'm still quite mobile, and I can even go out for walks occasionally, so it won't be too much trouble for you..."
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