Chapter 100 Seeking Justice
In December, the northern part of the city was bitterly cold.
The heavy snow that had fallen all night finally stopped before dawn. Gao Tiejun looked out the window and saw that the snow had stopped, so he got up and started sweeping the snow off the roof.
"Old Jiang is up too!"
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Old Jiang, who was also bundled up tightly, come out of the door.
"I'm getting old... I can't sleep even when I want to." Old Jiang, bundled up tightly and covering his mouth and nose with a scarf, came out from under the eaves: "Why are you up so early too?"
"I can't sleep well when I have something on my mind," Gao Tiejun said with a wry smile.
Several families in the courtyard had sold their houses, and the elderly were getting senile. Among the older generation, only Gao Tiejun and his wife, and Aunt Luo were still relatively healthy. Old Jiang had whooping cough and had been coughing incessantly for the past six months.
"Because of your eldest son?"
“Of my three kids, Erming and Lanzi don’t require much attention from me or Lao Dong. But the eldest was the least troublesome when he was little…” Gao Tiejun sighed helplessly and waved his hand: “There’s nothing I can say.”
"Gao Fei buying a house is not a good thing, so why are you worried?"
Everyone in the alley knew that Gao Fei had bought a commercial apartment and was moving away. Everyone envied Old Gao and his wife for being so lucky, with their three children being more and more promising than the last.
"They wear hats that are big enough to fit their heads, but they're doing it right... taking out bank loans to buy houses."
“My second son says that everyone takes out loans to buy houses these days.” Old Jiang is quite optimistic, and even turned around cheerfully to help persuade them: “Since Gao Fei and his wife dared to take out a loan, it means they can afford to pay it back, so why are you worrying!”
The eldest son, Jiang Heyun, has earned some money working these past few years, and the couple is already thinking about buying a house. They heard from the second son, Jiang Heping, that many people who buy commercial housing borrow money from banks, otherwise, it would cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is not something ordinary people can afford.
The two men simultaneously carried shovels and pushed the snow in front of their house to the middle of the yard. Gao Tiejun only continued talking after the others approached.
"If it's not much money, why should I worry about it!"
"Didn't I hear from Lao Dong that he borrowed more than 200,000 yuan? Could it be more than that?"
Gao Tiejun pursed his lips and pushed all the snow to the front of Chen Yun's room so that Gao Nian'an could see the snow pile as soon as he got up.
"If only it were two hundred thousand!"
"How much exactly did you borrow?"
Gao Tiejun raised a finger, accompanied by a long, helpless sigh.
"One hundred thousand?"
"You're getting senile too! One million! I only found out the approximate figure a couple of days ago, and Erming said it's only more than that."
"Good heavens!" Old Jiang was startled, slipped, and almost fell into a snowdrift: "One million!"
"I really didn't expect the eldest brother and his wife to be so bold..."
The reason for all this was to help Gao Liang get married. The woman wanted a car, but the 100-square-meter house they had bought was too small.
Adding a car is fine, but the woman's parents also insisted that they shouldn't live with her in-laws and brother-in-law, and that they should buy a separate house as the couple's marital home.
Gao Fei first suggested that he and his wife move back to live in the alley, but Qiu Zhifang refused...
Qiu Zhifang felt that everyone in the alley knew she was moving into a commercial apartment, and if she were to slink back in, she would lose all face.
"So they took out another loan to buy another house?" Old Jiang was so shocked he forgot to close his mouth.
“That’s right.” Gao Tiejun shook his head, swinging the broom even harder: “They borrowed 200,000 yuan from Erming for the down payment… plus the car, house renovation, and furniture, it’s a million yuan, and I’m underestimating it!”
"Good heavens, this guy is really risking his life for face!"
One million... that's practically an astronomical figure for Old Jiang. With his meager retirement pension, he wouldn't be able to pay it off in a hundred years.
Just imagining it in his own mind makes Old Jiang feel flustered and uneasy.
"Who says otherwise..."
Behind the door in front of the snowdrift.
Gao Ming was sitting on the edge of the bed getting dressed when Chen Yun finished combing her hair, turned around, and raised an eyebrow at Gao Ming.
"Did you write the IOU, brother?"
Gao Ming gently shook his head.
In fact, this was something Chen Yun had anticipated, so after listening, he simply shrugged and went to get the kettle.
Last week, Gao Fei made an unprecedented trip to the transportation company, ostensibly to check on his younger siblings' company and restaurant, but actually to borrow money from them.
Of course, the most important thing is to borrow from Gao Ming.
He asked for a million as easily as buying vegetables at the market. After much persuasion, he managed to get two hundred thousand, but the promised IOU has yet to materialize.
Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang acted as if nothing had happened, seeing each other every day without ever mentioning the IOU.
"I reckon you'll never get that money back!" Chen Yun said.
"Since I agreed to lend it, I didn't expect to get the 200,000 back."
As soon as Chen Yun poured the hot water into the basin, Gao Ming quickly took a towel, soaked it, wrung it out, and handed it to Chen Yun.
The attempt to curry favor couldn't be more obvious.
"They're really generous, giving away 200,000 so easily!"
A warm towel was placed on his face, dispelling all the fatigue from staying up for two consecutive nights. A sigh could be faintly heard from under the towel.
If Gao Yi hadn't brought his girlfriend home today, Chen Yun would probably still be dreaming.
"Then I'll go find my older brother to write an IOU in a bit." Gao Ming cautiously probed, genuinely worried that his presumptuous decision would damage the relationship between husband and wife.
Compared to the 200,000 yuan, Chen Yun's idea was of course more important.
"Don't I know you?"
The towel was casually tossed aside, and Gao Ming caught it steadily, then diligently soaked and wrung it out before handing it to Chen Yun.
"Gao Lan made money from the restaurant, so you're trying to be fair to everyone, right?"
Gao Lan made a lot of money from the restaurant. After Qiu Zhifang learned from Gao Yi that the restaurant should have been taken over by her, she often made sarcastic remarks to Gao Ming and Chen Yun.
If he talked too much, Gao Ming might feel a little guilty, which is why he thought of giving his older brother some money as a reward.
"hey-hey."
“You can’t possibly be fair. Gao Lan and her husband have never shortchanged you by a single penny in rent over the years. The money comes from cooking dishes one by one. No matter how much they earn, it has nothing to do with you, sister-in-law.”
Gao Ming nodded repeatedly.
"Besides, when the company suffered a setback last year, Gao Lan and her husband took out all their savings to help you through the crisis. Your older brother and sister-in-law have heard about it, right... Did you see a single penny?"
"It was my mistake," Gao Ming quickly replied.
“And I have a feeling…” Chen Yun gestured with his chin towards the window: “Things aren’t going well at home today. We should see how things go before deciding whether to use the money.”
"Arguing...why would they argue?" Gao Ming asked, puzzled.
"If Gao Yi brings his girlfriend home, and she finds out that his in-laws are already favoring his maternal grandparents even before they're married, do you think she'll keep quiet?"
"You got up so early..." Gao Ming looked at his wife's radiant face and instantly felt a mix of amusement and exasperation: "You didn't get up here just to watch the fun, did you?"
"No!"
Chen Yun firmly denied it, but actually just wanted to see how Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang would end up today.
"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to feel uneasy about this meal. Gao Yi's girlfriend... is even more... than Sister Qian..." Gao Ming gave a thumbs-up, his unspoken message conveyed in that gesture.
"That's amazing?"
"This girl's biological mother died early, and her father found a troublesome wife, but she was completely subdued... She's even stronger than Nian'an!"
"What's the girl's name?"
"Wang Xueli".
This girl's full name is Wang Xueli. Don't be fooled by her gentle and pretty name; she's actually more outgoing than most men, and everyone in the company, young and old, enjoys interacting with her.
Wang Xueli originally came to Beicheng to look for work and was temporarily staying in her father's dormitory.
Later, Gao Ming discovered that this girl was very organized in her dealings with people, so he specially recruited her into the company office to be in charge of the coordination and management of the fleet.
Over time, Gao Yi and Wang Xueli, two young people of similar age, started dating.
"You go help Dad shovel snow, I'll go find Gao Lan."
Gao Lan is 100% on Gao Yi's side. If Wang Xueli and Gao Yi want to fight for fairness, Chen Yun is willing to lend a hand.
Gao Ming even tries to treat his siblings equally, shouldn't his biological parents be even more fair!
After hastily applying some face cream, Chen Yun hurriedly pushed open the door and went out.
Just after ten o'clock, laughter rang out from outside the courtyard gate.
Chen Yun was infected by the hearty laughter, and a smile appeared on her face as well.
"They've arrived!"
She nudged Gao Lan, who was cracking her lips raw from eating sunflower seeds, and the two of them quickly walked out of the house one after the other.
The snow, which had only stopped for a few hours, started falling again, softly.
"I'll do it!"
As the girl in the pink plaid cotton-padded jacket bent over, Gao Yi was pushed back two steps and naturally let go of the handlebars he was holding.
Then Chen Yun saw the girl lift the front bar of the bicycle with one hand, slightly turn her body to the other side, and easily step over the threshold while carrying the bicycle.
Gao Ming said Wang Xueli was strong, but he didn't say she was this strong!
Beneath the cotton hat, a pair of almond-shaped eyes slanted upwards towards her temples, and her tightly pursed lips made her jawline appear particularly stubborn. The gray scar at the corner of her mouth added a touch of stubbornness to her entire face.
Regardless of her appearance or temperament, Wang Xueli exudes a heroic spirit.
"I have a feeling that Gao Yi will be the one who gets beaten up after marriage."
Gao Lan was clearly on Gao Yi's side, so her feelings were naturally different. She was more worried that Wang Xueli would beat people after marriage.
"Given my sister-in-law's biased nature, if she were to find someone with a gentle personality, she would be completely controlled. If you ask me, this girl is a perfect match for Gao Yi."
"That's true."
In the time it took to say a few words, Gao Yi and Wang Xueli had already entered the courtyard.
Gao Yi followed behind Wang Xueli with a silly grin on his face, carrying large and small bags in both hands, completely lacking his usual cleverness.
"Second Aunt, Third Aunt, this is my girlfriend, Wang Xueli."
"Hello, Second Aunt. Hello, Third Aunt."
Wang Xueli's voice was also somewhat bold. After setting up the car, she turned around and gave Gao Yi a look: "Hurry up and give the things to Second Aunt and Third Aunt."
The gifts the young couple prepared for the Gao family were quite interesting.
In addition to fruit, cigarettes, and alcohol, they also bought gloves and cotton socks for their elders to keep them warm.
After all these items were delivered to their respective rooms, Chen Yun noticed that only a few basic fruits, cigarettes, and alcohol remained, which Gao Yi carried to the backyard.
"Second Aunt".
No sooner had Gao Yi left than Wang Xueli grabbed Chen Yun with one hand and Gao Lan with the other.
"Don't let Gao Yi's smooth talk fool you, he gets shy when it comes to serious matters... But he truly admires my second uncle, and before I came, he repeatedly told me to make sure I had a good talk with my second aunt."
Chen Yun waited quietly for Wang Xueli to get to the point.
Wang Xueli was also observing Chen Yun, her very young-looking second aunt, while talking to her.
Before dating Gao Yi, she had to address Gao Ming as "General Manager Gao".
The veteran drivers in the fleet jokingly call Mr. Gao the biggest "henpecked husband" in the company, as he talks most about the stove and his children outside of work.
At first, she didn't take her colleagues' teasing to heart at all.
Which of the owners of the nearby transportation companies doesn't have one or two beautiful women by his side? To Wang Xueli, frankly speaking, they are all the best evidence that men become bad when they have money.
However, as her working hours increased, Wang Xueli discovered that Gao Ming was indeed as family-oriented as his colleagues had described.
If the company needs the general manager to sign something and he's not there, the answer is either that he went to the market to buy groceries or that he picked up his child from school.
Over time, Wang Xueli became genuinely curious about Chen Yun.
This curiosity only intensified after she started dating Gao Yi, to the point that she asked him, more than once, what kind of person her second aunt was—a question that sounded rather strange.
I met her in person today, and while she is beautiful... she wasn't the stunning beauty I had imagined, the kind that makes you unable to look away at first glance.
His gentle manner of speaking makes people want to get close to him.
"Gao Yi said he grew up in his aunt and uncle's house, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's like half a son to you..."
After getting close to Chen Yun, he didn't neglect the other side. He quickly made Gao Lan beam with joy, and she seemed to have a very good impression of Wang Xueli.
"We're all family, why be so formal!" Gao Lan was very pleased. She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and handed them to Wang Xueli with a smile: "You know about how your sister-in-law bought a house and a car for Gao Liang's fiancée, right?"
Having been a restaurant owner for seven or eight years, Gao Lan had seen all kinds of people. After learning that Gao Yi and Wang Xueli were dating, she had already found out about the girl's character long ago.
As long as she genuinely cares for Gao Yi, she's happy to be flattered and pampered.
"How could I not know?" Wang Xueli was quite direct, without the slightest bit of shyness from just visiting her future in-laws. Her face was full of resentment at the favoritism shown by her future in-laws: "Gao Yi's father even borrowed money from us. It's hard to pretend we don't know anything."
"Did you borrow it?" Chen Yun asked.
It seems that on the day Gao Fei asked Gao Ming for money, he also went to Gao Yi's dormitory to try his luck.
The result was clearly unsatisfactory.
“Gao Yi couldn’t borrow any money even if he wanted to; all his money is with me,” Wang Xueli replied with a smile.
"Gao Yi is a big spender, it's a good thing to entrust the money to you."
After Gao Yi became a formal employee of the company, Gao Ming helped manage half of his salary.
No matter how much money he had at the beginning of the month, he would have nothing by the end. The money he entrusted to Wang Xueli for safekeeping all came from half of Gao Ming's salary.
"When are you planning to get engaged?" Gao Lan asked again.
"We need to solve the housing problem first," Wang Xueli replied quite frankly. "If we talk about the housing issue after we're married, do you think it will still be of any use?"
Chen Yun and Gao Lan shook their heads at the same time.
Given Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang's biased attitude, if they didn't discuss the house before the marriage, it would be a pipe dream for them to talk about anything else now that she's already Gao's daughter-in-law.
“I don’t expect Gao Yi’s parents to buy any commercial housing, but they should at least give us a place to shelter from the wind and rain.”
"What if your mother-in-law says there's no money in the house?" Chen Yun asked.
Qiu Zhifang was completely focused on Gao Liang, and all her money was invested in her wealthy daughter-in-law who was nowhere to be seen. She probably really didn't have the money or energy to deal with Gao Yi's marriage.
"Then I'll expose what she did to Gao Liang's fiancée's family, and let the neighbors hear just how biased the in-laws can be!"
When Wang Xueli said this, she had a confident smile on her face.
So this is what Gao Ming meant when he said there are rules for dealing with people...
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