I chatted with Chen Baocai for a while this morning, and it was a bit late when I left, so I didn't have time to grab lunch. Luckily, Xiuzhi shared half a cornbread with her and also gave her two pieces of pickled radish. So Xu Keke is not only tired but also a little hungry now. She's not in a very good mood.
"Bai Lu, you're the one who told someone I borrowed money from you and wouldn't pay it back." Chen Hong's voice was choked with emotion. Her eyes were red as she looked at Xu Keke, her face still showing a hint of stubbornness and determination.
Men might like this kind of vibe—strong yet restrained, with a hint of helplessness. But Xu Keke just found it pretentious and annoying. A hint of impatience unconsciously crept onto her face.
"Bai Lu, what's going on here?" Chen Jianguo frowned as he looked at Xu Keke.
Xu Keke rolled her eyes at him, swinging her coarse knitted gloves, "Why are you so impatient with me? She went to the brigade headquarters to cry to you, which means she thinks you can stand up for her and help her solve her problems."
"You see, when I encounter problems, I never think of asking you to solve them. It's because I know you won't make decisions for me."
Chen Jianguo glared at him, "What kind of talk is that?"
Xu Keke didn't mince words with him. "What? Am I wrong? I didn't even know this morning that Uncle Baocai told me I had money. Chen Xichun was telling everyone I had money. I told Uncle Baocai I had no money left. Chen Hong's mother is sick, and she borrowed all my money. Uncle Baocai said that since it's been so long, I should pay some back. I think that makes sense. But I didn't come to the brigade to ask you to help me get the money back. She heard a couple of rumors somewhere and came here crying. What does that have to do with me?"
"Chen Xichun!" He was everywhere. Chen Jianguo turned his head and shouted at the crowd.
Then Chen Baocai chimed in from the crowd, "Yes, it was Chen Xichun who said it. He said that Chen Zhiqing told him that Bai Zhiqing has money."
"Uncle Baocai, how can you talk nonsense like that? When did I tell you that? Why are you falsely accusing me?"
In this village, Chen Xichun was most afraid of Chen Jianguo. Seeing Chen Jianguo's cold face as he looked over, Chen Xichun panicked and quickly tried to explain. But Chen Baocai wouldn't have it.
"Who are you talking nonsense about? How would I know Bai Zhiqing has money if you didn't tell me? Wasn't it you who pulled me aside at Xiaolinzi's place yesterday morning and insisted on telling me? You even said that if Bai Zhiqing had so much money and something went missing, it would be our family's fault. It would be best if we kept it for her. You also said that she can't just eat and stay at our house for free. The little money the brigade gives us isn't enough for one person to live on. It's the brigade taking advantage of our family. You even said that Bai Zhiqing has her own money, and if she were sensible, she should at least add some more to our family."
Chen Baocai's words were half-deliberately said for the brigade to hear, and Chen Jianguo could easily tell, his face turning ashen with anger.
“You listen to everything he says? How old is he? How old are you?” Ma Yuying pushed through the crowd and went into the office, scolding Chen Baocai as she went. “You, as an uncle, let a junior make fun of you, and you still have the nerve to say it in front of everyone? Aren’t you ashamed?”
As Ma Yuying walked past Chen Xichun, she gave him a sidelong glance. She secretly instigated Chen Baocai to be their pawn; it's fortunate they're all from the same village, neighbors living side-by-side.
Chen Xichun knew he was in the wrong, so he took a step back. But there were villagers behind him, and he had nowhere to retreat, so he just lowered his head and didn't dare to look at Ma Yuying.
Ma Yuying walked up to Chen Jianguo and said quickly, "This morning at home, we were talking about the money Chen, the educated youth, borrowed from Bai, the educated youth. Bai also said that Chen, the educated youth, was probably short of money, which is why he hadn't paid it back. He even said he would find some time to ask Chen, the educated youth, privately. Who would have thought it would escalate to the brigade level?"
Ma Yuying's words were clearly in favor of Xu Keke, implying that Chen Hong didn't resolve her own problems before making a scene at the brigade level.
"But I didn't lend her that much money?" Chen Hong wiped away her tears and said aggrievedly.
"Then tell me yourself, how much money did you borrow from me?" Xu Keke played with her gloves, glancing at her sideways.
"I... I don't remember..." Chen Hong knew what others would think of her if she said this, but she hadn't really calculated it in detail. However, she knew in her heart that the number was definitely not that many.
Xu Keke smiled enigmatically, "Is that so? You borrowed money from others and don't remember how much you borrowed. So how do you plan to pay it back? Or are you just thinking of not paying it back at all?"
Chen Hong looked at Chen Jianguo with difficulty. Seeing that he looked unwell and had no intention of helping her, she stammered, "I... I didn't mean not to pay it back. It's just that my family isn't well-off, and I was thinking of paying it back when I have the money in the future."
"Haha, sure, you can pay me back when you have the money in the future, but you don't even know how much money you borrowed from me, how are you going to pay me back?"
Chen Hong looked around, but no one was there to help her. Biting her lower lip, she started crying again, feeling wronged. "I... I really never intended not to pay it back."
"You're wrong, you really didn't intend to pay it back," Xu Keke teased. Chen Hong paused for a moment, then continued to sob.
"Alright, that's enough. Crying won't help. To tell you the truth, if you hadn't come to the brigade to make a scene—no, if Chen Xichun hadn't been spreading rumors about me having money—I wouldn't have even thought of asking you for money."
Chen Hong believed what Xu Keke said. She had borrowed the money before the New Year, and several months had passed without her asking for it back. Chen Hong looked at Xu Keke, sobbing. Hearing her say…
"How about this, since everyone in the village is here, and the leaders of the brigade are here too, let's just talk things out between the two of us today."
This meant she didn't want the money. Chen Hong wiped away her tears and actually stopped crying.
Ma Yuying looked at Xu Keke disapprovingly, but after what Chen Baocai had just said, if she were to speak up, it would seem as if her family was eyeing someone else's money. She opened her mouth, but then kept quiet. "Never mind," she thought, "it's the child's own money; let her decide for herself."
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