Lin Tao approached Lin Chen, his previously gloomy face now filled with terror, and raised the carrying pole, saying:
"Xiao Chen, I really didn't mean to slander your sister-in-law. Captain Gao misunderstood me. You can punish me as you please, just don't hold a grudge!"
Lin Tao recently realized that his younger brother was completely bewitched by Jiang Ning and no longer listened to him.
Before joining the army, he was his own shadow, always following him wherever he was told.
If he could still act like before, the family wouldn't have separated, and there wouldn't be a situation where he wouldn't have his own share of the stewed meat!
He knew that Lin Chen's biggest weakness was his soft heart.
Don't let Lin Chen's usual stern, dark face fool you; he's decisive and efficient in handling matters, preferring action to words.
But she is still very good to her family.
Seeing his elder brother like this, Lin Chen did waver for a moment, but thinking of everything that had happened before, he still asked:
"The situation was urgent, and Ningning suggested inducing vomiting. Why didn't you listen? Was it because you didn't hear her, or because you didn't know that method at all!"
Lin Tao's eyes darted around, and he hurriedly replied, "I really don't know! This is a matter of life and death, I wouldn't dare to do anything reckless!"
After listening, Lin Chen let out a long sigh, his face showing utter disappointment.
"If I remember correctly, when I was a child, I had an upset stomach, and you told me to use my fingers to gag myself and vomit it out."
To oppose Jiang Ning, you even disregarded a life!
Brother, when did you become like this? You've disappointed me so much!
Lin Tao paused for two seconds, then threw away the carrying pole, a contemptuous expression appearing on his face.
"Xiao Chen, you say I've changed, but aren't you the same? You're completely infatuated with a woman, and you don't even care about brotherhood anymore."
You're living the high life here, while we're eating chaff and wild vegetables over there. Why should we?
If you have any family ties left, you should have served us a bowl of the stewed meat after it was cooked, instead of standing here and looking down on me!
Jiang Ning truly admired his ability to argue sophistry, and said calmly, "Want to eat meat? It's simple, just ask Grandma to give us a share of the money!"
Lin Tao's face paled, and his arrogance instantly diminished by half.
"You said you didn't want that money!"
"That's settled then. I've never seen anyone so shameless. He has the money in his own hands, yet he wants a share of the spoils. There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Zhao Ergou said disdainfully from the side.
"What's it to you!" Lin Tao was still fuming and raised his fist at him.
Lin Chen intercepted his fist.
"Brother, stop making trouble. Now that I know what kind of person you are, let's not talk about family ties anymore. You'd better watch yourself!"
Lin Tao wanted to argue further, but Gao Baoliang stopped him with a shout:
"What do you want to do? I'm sitting right here, and you dare to make any sudden moves? Do you want to be criticized and denounced?"
He then stopped and left with a hateful look in his eyes.
Everyone's bellies were full, and they all dispersed.
Gao Baoliang didn't leave. He pulled Lin Chen outside to the side of his private vegetable garden and handed him a cigarette.
Lin Chen didn't take it, so he struck a match and lit it himself.
"Interested in black market work?" he asked, exhaling a swirl of smoke.
Lin Chen wanted to earn more dowry for Jiang Ning, and that was exactly what he was planning.
"Do you have connections?" he asked.
Gao Baoliang lowered his voice: "An old friend of mine said he has a big business deal coming up, but he's a little short on funds and wants to find someone to help him out. My situation is a bit special, and I don't want to take any risks. If you want to do it, I can introduce you to him."
Lin Chen didn't agree immediately: "I need to discuss it with my wife!"
"You even need to discuss this kind of thing?" Gao Baoliang was truly speechless. Lin Chen used to be their leader, and his word was law. When did he start being afraid of his wife?
"You'll understand when you get married." Lin Chen gave him a knowing look.
Gao Baoliang led the militia away, completely unaware that Lin Tao, who was hiding in the shadows, had overheard their conversation.
......
That evening, after some hesitation, Lin Chen finally told Jiang Ning about the black market.
Jiang Ning smirked, "Is that person reliable? What if he gets caught? He's just a con artist."
Lin Chen held her, his hands moving restlessly, kneading her. "I don't know if that person is reliable, but Bao Liang is quite trustworthy. Besides, I have a way to ensure I can get out of here unscathed."
"Then let's do it!" Jiang Ning's breathing became heavy.
Realizing that her words were ambiguous, she blushed crimson and whispered in his ear, "I'll give you all the money I have tomorrow, so you can go ahead and do whatever you want."
Lin Chen grinned and said, "Okay, I'll listen to my wife." He tightened his grip even more.
Seeing his wife's eyes gradually becoming dazed, he pinched her chin and kissed her.
The new position he unlocked last night left him feeling a bit tipsy, and he needs to review it thoroughly.
The next day, Lin Chen found Scarface as promised.
Scarface told him that they would go to the county town to buy goods together in a few days.
"Me too?" Lin Chen originally thought it was just a small-scale event in the countryside.
Little did he know Scarface's plan: if something went wrong, he would find someone to take the fall.
Lin Chen thought about it and agreed, then went to the commune to find Gao Baoliang.
He's not someone who doesn't understand the rules, and nobody just blindly follows Lei Feng's example of doing good deeds. He shouldn't be shortchanged on what he deserves.
He had just walked away when Lin Tao came out from around the corner and called out to Scarface.
He heard everything Lin Chen and he had just talked about—earning sixty yuan from a single watch!
That's outrageous profit!
Fortunately, he managed to scrape together 600 yuan.
Some of this money was obtained through persistent pleading with Yu Xiaofeng. At first, Yu Xiaofeng refused to give it to her, but later Lin Tao threatened her that if she didn't, he would expose her secret stash of money.
Yu Xiaofeng thought to herself, maybe this time her son really can succeed!
Another portion was borrowed from his usual card-playing buddies, with a promise to repay the principal and interest within a month.
They initially refused, so Lin Tao had to bring up his grandmother, saying, "You all saw what happened last time when we divided the family property. My grandmother has over 800 yuan. If I can't pay it back, you can just go ask my grandmother for it."
Considering that he promised to pay five yuan in interest per month on a hundred yuan loan, they still lent him the money.
Lin Tao explained his purpose to Scarface.
Scarface hesitated, "I'm afraid there won't be enough stock."
Lin Tao used the same trick again: "You don't want me to expose your speculation and profiteering, do you?"
Well, I've been threatened by him again.
Scarface accepted his money, wrote him a receipt, and promised to give him ten watches in a few days.
At this time, Lin Chen arrived at the commune, met Gao Baoliang, told him about his plan, and promised that they would split the profits 50/50 after the plan was completed.
Gao Baoliang quickly declined, saying, "Brother Chen, do you think I'm that kind of person? If you really feel bad about it, please invite me to your home for a few more meals. Your wife's cooking is absolutely delicious."
Lin Chen thought to himself, "I might as well just pay them off!"
Seeing that he didn't respond, Gao Baoliang said again:
"Are you familiar with that educated youth surnamed Meng from today?"
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