Chapter 42 The beggars are coming
One day, Chang Xixi was listening to students discussing "Learning" when Qingnan hurriedly ran in from the small door in the backyard. Five slap marks were imprinted on his face, which was not pale to begin with.
The sound of the door being pushed open hastily disturbed the students' reading pleasure, and they all looked towards the door.
Chang Xixi spoke slowly: "What's the matter?"
"No, that's bad!"
"What's wrong? Tell me slowly. Just saying it's not good without explaining the situation...it's a waste of time." Chang Xixi stood up. "You guys continue. I'll be back soon. Gu Rong and you should come out too."
Chang Xixi had already guessed who was coming. Who else could it be except the second wife who came to ask for money?
Moreover, it wasn't the waiter who came to notify her, but Qingnan who came to call her. It was clearly a family matter... The fact that Qingnan was beaten showed that he was not a good person.
Gu Rongyu saw Qingnan's eyes and knew what was going on. The corners of his mouth curled up, thinking that there was another good show to watch.
At the front door of the teahouse, the second wife and her old lady were sitting on a small stool. Mrs. Li limped around the door, saying from time to time:
"Chang Xixi, now that you're rich, you don't recognize your relatives! If you don't pay me today, you won't be able to do this business. At worst, both of you will die."
Chang Xixi, who had just walked out of the back door, was both amused and confused when she heard this. Since he had come to her door, then... she also had a solution.
She waved for the waiter and Qingnan to come closer, and after giving them her instructions, she slowly walked out. Seeing Li, she said, "Hey, isn't this your aunt? What brings you here? Let's go sit in the study in the backyard. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and this is a good opportunity to catch up."
Seeing Chang Xixi so friendly, Li didn't know what to say for a moment. She took a step back. She originally thought that Chang Xixi would be furious and find someone to beat her up like before, so that she would have a reason to extort money.
However, Chang Xixi did not play by the rules at all!
Chang Xixi's gaze fell on the old lady. Her hair was gray, but there was a gleam in her eyes, and her face was full of calculation.
"Who is this?"
"Ah, Xixi! How come you don't even recognize your grandmother? This is our old lady. Hurry up and call her grandma."
Chang Xixi bowed slightly and said hello to the old lady, but did not call her grandmother.
Li saw the surprise and rejection on Chang Xixi's face. This was exactly what she wanted. "You child, why are you so disobedient? Do you still think you are the daughter of the Zhou family? You really just want to climb up the social ladder all day long."
Chang Xixi stood up and smiled slightly, then asked the shopkeeper to bring a cup of tea. "Old lady, please have some tea. It's only because I was sent back from the Zhou family and I haven't seen you, old man. I also heard from my mother that when we divided the family, you and the property were all given to the second branch, and I didn't see my aunt introduce you, so I don't know you. Although you and I are blood relatives, this is indeed the first time we meet today, so it's a bit abrupt."
Her words attracted the attention of the people around who were watching the fun, and they thought the melon was even more delicious!
She is clearly the grandmother of the same family, but the granddaughter doesn't recognize her. Why does Li come to ask for money?
Li couldn't bear the loss of face, so she started playing the victim. "My fellow villagers, business is tough right now, as you all know... But you also know that my family can barely make ends meet. The shop assistants have all been dismissed, and only my wife is running the shop alone. The old lady and the old man eat chicken, duck, fish and meat every day. I have no other choice, so I came here to think of a solution."
"Yeah?"
Chang Xixi crossed her arms and happened to see the waiter waving at her in the crowd. She pursed her lips and smiled, waving the waiter over, "If you go to the street and greet them, just say, 'I see a shrew scolding in the street,' or 'A scholar met a shrew.'"
"Will this work?"
"Why not? Everyone who comes to watch pays two cents. Anyone can afford it. It's okay if you don't pay. You can just join in the fun."
Under Chang Xixi's instructions, the waiter really went to collect the money. Soon the restaurant opposite was also full of people, and some people directly threw the money from upstairs into the tray held by the waiter.
The shopkeeper was overjoyed to see those people, and now whatever Chang Xixi said came true!
Ever since she started the boxing ring and blind box guessing activities, the store's revenue has skyrocketed. From time to time, people come to the boxing ring, and some play by themselves. Many young men come here because of her reputation, and she is very generous in collecting money.
Chang Xixi also asked Qingnan to bring a stool, and pretended to hold a Xiangfei bamboo fan in her hand with a cup of tea beside her.
She would not let the old lady lose face and did the same thing.
"Well, little aunt, tell me how your leg was broken? Why not call Second Uncle over here so we can discuss this matter together on the street."
When Li saw that Chang Xixi was making a fuss about her, she became furious. Her shrewish nature was exposed. She put her hands on her hips and kept spitting out greetings to her parents.
Chang Xixi pointed at Li with the fan in her hand and said elegantly, "Aunt, where are our ancestors sitting? You shouldn't do this for a few dollars!"
Haha! The people around burst into laughter.
Li's face flushed slightly with shame. "You, Chang Xixi, please don't go too far. This old lady is your grandmother. Now that my family can't make ends meet, you have to take care of her! You can't escape."
"It should be so."
She finally gave in. With so many eyes watching, she couldn't delay. The old lady's heart was always with the second wife. As long as the person went in, the money would come to her home.
By then, all the income from this teahouse will be hers! She was so happy just thinking about it that she couldn't sleep. I heard that this shop could earn one hundred taels a day.
"However, my mother told me that when the Chang family split up, the eldest branch didn't take a penny of the property and gave it all to the second branch. Naturally, the old man will be supported by you. If you want me to support the old lady, it's fine. Just give me half of the property at that time!" After Chang Xixi finished speaking, she raised her eyes and looked at Li. Her eyes were sharp and went straight to the heart.
Li's heart trembled, and she immediately felt guilty, but no matter if she couldn't get the money today, she would not leave!
"Now, my family is in trouble, and I don't have a penny to spend. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have the audacity to come to you."
"Alright, Auntie! I've called my eldest brother and father over. Mother is in the village, so it's too far to come. My second brother has difficulty walking, so I've also called the village chief. It just so happens that the village chief is in the city buying goods today, so I've asked him to come as a witness. I've also asked the legal advisor from the government office to come as a witness."
"I'm tired of you coming to my house and making trouble over and over again. As for your previous theft, I'll let you go, but I think the issue of supporting the elderly needs to be dealt with once and for all... to prevent future trouble."
After saying this, Chang Xixi stood up and shot a sharp gaze straight at Li, leaving her nowhere to hide.
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