Fu Lao Er knew perfectly well that he had done something wrong, but there was nothing he could do about it.
After working myself to the bone at the dock for two or three days, I only earned one dollar.
Wang Zhaodi used that one yuan to buy dozens of kilograms of cornmeal, which would be her food rations for the next half month.
"You bastard, didn't you tell me you only made a dollar?!"
Wang Zhaodi, who was hiding in the kitchen, heard Fu Lao Er's words and her mind was filled with thoughts of using the remaining money to buy a belt for Fu Lao Er's family.
Engine and diesel engine belts are not cheap; the price of two belts can be equivalent to several kilograms of meat.
Previously, Fu Lao Er had kept this matter a secret because he was afraid she would make a fuss. Now that Fu Lao Da had come to his door, he had only blurted it out in a moment of panic.
"I just bought a belt, so what? That's what I owe them!"
Wang Zhaodi didn't dare to confront Boss Fu and his gang, but she was willing to take action against Boss Fu the Second.
He immediately pounced on him, his fingernails slashing relentlessly at Fu Lao Er's face.
Grandma Wang was already unhappy that her son bought a belt for Grandpa Fu's family, but she was even more unhappy that her daughter-in-law had disrespected her and dared to hit her son.
"Aaaaaah, you bitch, how dare you lay a hand on me!"
Old Mrs. Wang was no pushover. In her younger days, Old Man Fu was able to keep her under her thumb because she was truly fearless when it came to fighting.
But being of advanced age, he ended up fighting Wang Zhaodi to a standstill.
Fu Wan, Fu Ming, and the other villagers who were watching were completely dumbfounded.
No, how did this suddenly turn into a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law war?
Seeing his mother and wife fighting more and more fiercely, Fu Lao Er simply hid in a corner, looking at them as if to say, "Fight however you want."
"Alright, stop hitting!"
The old village chief, Fu, was extremely impatient and immediately shouted.
Since they were two women, he couldn't very well attack them. Having no other choice, he turned to Liu Sanniang in the crowd for help.
Liu San Niang was undefeated in the whole village, a fighter among fighters. With just a broom and a pull, she separated the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"I'm not trying to be mean, but you're both over fifty years old. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves with so many younger people here?"
Liu San Niang was cursing and swearing, but these two women, both from the Wang family, were quite formidable in their fighting ability.
As a result, both of them had bruises on their faces, with various nail marks, and even Old Lady Wang was holding a small tuft of Wang Zhaodi's hair in her hand.
Of course, Old Lady Wang didn't get away with it either; Wang Zhaodi also pulled out a lot of her hair.
"Wang Zhaodi, let me tell you, as long as I'm alive, you won't get a thing for my son!"
Old Mrs. Wang tossed the hair in her hand to Wang Zhaodi with a fierce expression.
So you're the only one with a son who doesn't have one?
Thinking about this, Wang Zhaodi couldn't help but feel a deep sadness.
Wang Zhaodi, who gave birth to three sons, was once considered arrogant and domineering in Fujia Village.
Leaving aside others, Ye Xiaocui, who has a son and a daughter, has also been the subject of much gossip behind her back, with people saying she's unlucky.
Now, looking back, one son no longer acknowledges them, another son has married out and become a live-in son-in-law, and their favorite eldest son is nowhere to be found.
They even stole her secret stash of money.
Wang Zhaodi was very concerned about her image. She glanced at the crowd and felt that everyone was laughing at her, so she simply sat down on the ground and burst into tears.
"Waaaah, this is bullying! Everyone's bullying me! I can't even earn money and I still have to buy belts for other people. I have to dig for wild vegetables every day. I can't live like this anymore, I don't want to live anymore!"
The piercing wails gave Old Village Chief Fu a headache. He couldn't help but rub his throbbing temples and walked up to Old Man Fu.
"Dog Boy, what do you think about this? Fu Lao Er also bought a belt, so why don't we just let it go?"
To be honest, when Village Chief Fu said those words, he felt very uneasy.
He knew Fu Laoda's temper; someone like Fu Lao Er, it would be unbecoming of Fu Laoda not to give him a beating.
"Uncle, do you think I should give up?"
Fu Lao Da glanced at Fu Lao Er, who was secretly looking this way, and asked Fu Lao Village Chief in a low voice.
"Sigh, I know your family has been wronged, but look at their situation, they have nothing to compensate you with."
If you really beat him up, Old Lady Wang might try to extort medical expenses from you.
That's absolutely true. After witnessing the farce that Fu Lao Er's family put on, Fu Lao Da's anger, which had just surged into his heart, had already largely dissipated.
Although he didn't mind that Fu Lao Er's family was in a worse situation, seeing how destitute they were, Fu Lao Da still couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Alright, Uncle, I'll give you face. Give me the belt, and this is the end of it. But if you ever try to take my boat again, watch out, I'll tear your house down!"
Hearing these words from Elder Fu, Village Chief Fu finally felt relieved.
He turned and shouted angrily at Fu Lao Er in the corner, "Aren't you going to get your belt?"
Upon seeing this, Fu Lao Er hurriedly stumbled and ran into the house.
Not long after, he took out two black leather belts.
"Big...Big brother, I'm sorry."
Actually, Fu Lao Er regretted it the moment he agreed to Xue Qing's request.
Not only was he afraid of Boss Fu's fists, but he also knew in his heart how serious the consequences would be if they sailed out without noticing the problem with the belt.
He himself was momentarily blinded by greed, and now that he saw Boss Fu, Boss Fu didn't even dare to lift his eyes.
Fu Laoda took the two leather belts and looked at Fu Lao Er's hunched figure, sighing inwardly.
I don't know when it started, but this person is almost a generation older than me.
Putting aside others, even Old Village Chief Fu's back is straighter than his.
"I won't hold you responsible this time. Just be careful, and make sure you act in a way that aligns with your conscience."
After saying this, he pulled Ye Xiaocui and turned to walk out. Seeing this, Fu Wan and Fu Ming hurriedly walked ahead.
Back home, Boss Fu let out a long sigh.
Fu Wan asked, puzzled, "Dad, what's wrong?"
Why are you sighing all of a sudden?
Fu Lao Da shook his head, "It's just that looking at Fu Lao Er's family is a bit of a headache."
Although we've long since kept to ourselves, seeing their miserable state still makes me feel a little sorry for them.
Fu Wan thought it was something serious, and seeing him like this, she casually offered a few words of comfort.
"Don't overthink it. Back when our family was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat, no one felt sorry for us or looked down on us."
"When my older brother had that accident, his family even tried to steal our boat!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Fu instantly sobered up, throwing all his grievances to the winds.
"You're right, everyone has their own destiny."
"That's right, cause and effect. We're respecting other people's fate. Their family has fallen to this point because of the karma they created!"
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