Because the items Xiao Hu sent didn't match the numbers, apart from Qi's mother and Qi Zhifang—one couldn't explain, and the other was unwilling to—no one else touched them. At most, it was considered a failure to report, so the final result was that everyone was suspended without pay and sent to retake ideological and political education classes. Qi's mother received a three-day special re-education.
When Qi's mother returned and was about to go back to her room, Xiao Cui blocked the door with his arms crossed, saying, "Mom, I've packed your luggage and moved it to the side room. Anyway, we have nothing to do with Fangzi anymore, and it's spacious enough for you to live alone in the side room. Let's move back to the house as soon as possible. Zhijun and I are husband and wife after all, and it's inconvenient for us to live in the side room. Who knows when we'll have another child? The side room won't be big enough, don't you think?"
Qi's mother choked and looked at Qi Zhijun, saying, "Zhijun, you..."
Qi Zhijun said with difficulty, "Mom, the side room is also quite nice. It's small and easy to clean. I'll build a heated wall for you in winter so it will be warm..."
Xiao Cui, having gone all out, interrupted Qi Zhijun and said sternly, "Mom, Zhijun is giving you face, you have to forgive her, right? Look at the mess you've made of this family! And that 50 yuan I gave you before, all the receipts, I looked and found that more than half is missing. Please give me back the missing part. You're not fit to manage this family."
Looking at Qi's mother's ashen face and her swaying figure, he sneered, "We've come this far, and you're still using this trick? Starting today, none of us will receive a salary. If you don't take out the money and ration coupons I saved up, do you want us to starve to death? Don't forget, we've come to this point all thanks to your good daughter who brought us such a good life."
Mother Qi's eyes were red, her lips pressed into a straight line, and she took a few deep breaths through her nose to suppress the bitterness in her heart. Silently, she turned to leave, but Xiao Cui pressed on, "Mom, don't go yet. Give me back my things first, or we'll starve. I checked the grain reserves; you should have about 70 yuan. I only found 27 yuan in the notebook, and the ration coupons are so much less."
Qi Zhijun said softly, "Xiao Cui, that's enough. Mom has been tired for several days. Let her go home and rest first, and we'll talk about it again after she's rested, okay?"
Xiao Cui glared at Qi Zhijun and sneered, "Shut up! If you hadn't given her all the money, would we be struggling to make ends meet? Every day, the housekeeper is freezing to death, controlling all the family's money and rations. We eat nothing but water and soup, and we still don't have a penny left. I just want to ask you, don't you feel guilty about keeping the money for yourself?"
Qi's mother roared angrily, "Enough! There's no money left, and the tickets are all gone!"
Qi Zhijun looked at his mother incredulously and said, "Mom, you're not kidding, are you? The whole family depends on that money to make a living!"
Xiao Cui was furious. She shouted angrily, "Mom, are you still thinking about secretly saving money to subsidize someone, someone, someone? Isn't that a bit too heartless? We're facing financial difficulties right now, and we've been dragged down by your precious darling. We're all suspended without pay, and we don't know how long we'll have to study, when we'll get paid, or when we'll be able to go back to work. Nobody knows. And you're still trying to distract us?"
Mother Qi tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face. She sniffled a few times and said, "I went and exchanged some brown sugar and milk powder, bought some dried meat, and mailed it to Fangfang. I also sent her some money..."
Xiao Cui chuckled sarcastically, "Oh my! When it comes to health preservation, our mom knows it all. Look, look, look, she's got brown sugar, milk powder, and dried meat all in one go."
As she spoke, she gave a thumbs-up, as if she wanted to tear Qi's mother apart, and squeezed out through her teeth, "You acted so well! You're playing a Robin Hood-like heroine here, aren't you! Calling you a traitor and a jinx is not an exaggeration at all."
He turned around and slapped Qi Zhijun across the face, saying, "Qi Zhijun, you're a man for once! I'm telling you, that 27 yuan and the rest of the tickets are mine. None of you are to spend them. If you have no money and no tickets, you can just tie your own necks and get across! You're going to drag your whole family down to your grave just to support two filthy bastards!"
After saying that, she pointed at Qi's mother and said, "And you, let me tell you, from now on you can go live with your precious children! Don't let me see you again! I will never support you. And Qi Zhijun, if you still want to live with me, you are not allowed to support this old hag anymore. As long as Qingfu is alive, the troubles of Lu will not end! You and your daughter and granddaughter are three jinxes! Get out of here!" As she turned and went inside, she shouted, "Qi Zhijun, you get back here!"
Qi Zhijun's cheek turned red and swollen. He looked at his mother with a disappointed expression and said, "Mom, are you really going to drive us to our deaths because of these two? Uncle Dongdong's money and coupons have been squandered by you, leaving only that little bit. You even dared to spend the money and coupons I just gave you. Why is that?"
So, all this suicidal pleading and begging for money and tickets is just a way to fund their promiscuous behavior?
"Qi Zhijun, get back here! What's the point of talking to that kind of person? All she does is act like she's going to die, using other people's money to raise the most slutty and disgusting bastards. If she could tell right from wrong, if she had any sense of shame, she wouldn't have done this! A traitorous slut!" Xiao Cui's angry voice came from the room. Qi Zhijun gave his mother a deep look, sighed, and went back inside.
Qi's mother stood in the yard and cried for a long time. Even Wang Dong and Wang Hong didn't come out. The two siblings were furious. "You old woman, you're really a swindler! The whole family depends on that money to live on, and you spend so much of it in just one month. What else can you be but a jinx!"
After a while, Qi's mother turned around and went back to the side room where Qi Zhijun had stayed, and collapsed onto the bed.
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