Today, Qin Qingman not only dared to look up at people, but also dared to say to the sharp-tongued Zhu Hongxia: "Second Aunt, I have no firewood at home. Please return my firewood. If you don't, my family will be frozen to death."
Originally, Zhu Hongxia wanted to continue to use the tactic of procrastination, or to use words to squeeze the thin-skinned Qin Qingman, but after Qin Qingman's clear words came out, she could not find any rebuttal at all.
The onlookers looked at Qin Qingman with even more different eyes.
"By the way, aunt, I remember your family borrowed 100 kilograms of flour from my family. Considering that Chuchu and I are almost starving to death, please be kind and return the food and firewood together." Qin Qingman shook the cloth bag in her hand while speaking.
Now that she has traveled through time and space, it is impossible for her to live the same miserable life as the original owner.
"When did my family borrow flour from your family? Don't talk nonsense!" Zhu Hongxia was still thinking about how to get back the firewood that Qin Qingman took away, but then she heard that she was asked to return the food.
These days every family doesn’t have much surplus food, how can one repay food that has been borrowed but not returned?
Qin Qingman knew that Zhu Hongxia was going to default on her debt, so she took out a piece of paper from her bosom and waved it, saying, "Second Aunt, when you borrowed my food, you wrote me an IOU. It's written in black and white, and I'm not lying."
"Impossible! I didn't even write any IOU when I was hauling food!"
Zhu Hongxia refuted righteously.
Because she had found a rebuttal, she said this very loudly, so everyone present heard it.
Faced with this obvious confession, the crowd looked at Zhu Hongxia as if she were a fool.
Qin Qingman was waiting for this moment. Facing Zhu Hongxia's confession, she turned her eyes to the side and said respectfully, "Secretary, my parents are gone, and there is no elder to make the decision for me. Today I will bravely ask you to do me justice and urge my aunt to return the food and firewood to my family."
After hearing Qin Qingman's words, Zhu Hongxia and the villagers turned their eyes away.
Then everyone saw Zheng Anguo, the brigade secretary of Kaoshantun.
Zheng Anguo is not an ordinary person. He is a retired soldier who not only participated in the Anti-Japanese War when he was young, but also made significant contributions during the national liberation period. He has always been a respected figure in the village.
Facing the stern-looking Zheng Anguo, both Zhu Hongxia and the villagers felt guilty, mainly because Zheng Anguo was very powerful and almost had the final say in Kaoshantun. However, Zheng Anguo was a very upright person, and even in this special era, nothing excessive or bizarre happened in their village.
"Book... Secretary."
Zhu Hongxia was so guilty that she didn't even dare to look Zheng Anguo in the eye.
"Qin Lei's family, how much food did you borrow from Qin Qingman's family?" Zheng Anguo, who is over 50 years old, is in very good health. He gets up early every day and takes a walk around the village. If he encounters any trouble, he will definitely intervene. Today, Zhu Hongxia has hit the blade.
"Fifty...fifty kilograms." Zhu Hongxia's voice was very low.
"Speak louder, tell me how much you owe." Zheng Anguo shouted rudely. It was not like he had just arrived. He had heard the conversation between Zhu Hongxia and Qin Qingman clearly. He understood the cause and effect after hearing it clearly.
What he hated most in his life was being deceived.
Zheng Anguo's shout was so loud that Zhu Hongxia was immediately frightened and trembled all over. She blushed and dared not to be complacent anymore. She confessed honestly: "I borrowed... I borrowed 100 kilograms."
Seeing Zhu Hongxia behave herself, Zheng Anguo was satisfied and ordered: "Go get the food and return it."
"Secretary... Secretary, my family really has little food. If you really return the 100 kilograms of grain, we will not be able to survive this winter. We will starve to death." Zhu Hongxia mustered up the courage to plead with Zheng Anguo.
Qin Qingman had finally waited for someone who could make the decision, so how could she let Zhu Hongxia fool her?
She stretched out her red, frozen hands, wiped away the nonexistent tears from her eyes, and trembled in her voice, "Aunt, if your family doesn't return the food today, Chuchu and I will starve to death. There is not a single grain of food at home. If you don't believe me, you can go to my house and see. I swear to God, if there is even a grain of food left at home, I will die a miserable death."
Faced with Qin Qingman who swore a poisonous oath, both Zheng Anguo and the villagers immediately found reasons for the other party's change.
Even a rabbit will bite when it is angry, let alone when facing life and death.
Zhu Hongxia originally had a lot of excuses, but after being interrupted by Qin Qingman, not only did no one sympathize with her, but her usual aggressive behavior in the village also exhausted everyone's last bit of patience.
"Sister Hongxia, please be kind and be a decent person. No matter how difficult your family is, can it be as difficult as Qingman's family?"
"That's right, Aunt Hongxia, not only is your family still full of men, but you also have several sons, all of whom are strong and capable. If your family becomes poor, no one in Kaoshan Village will be able to survive."
"As the saying goes, it is only natural to pay back debts. Zhu Hongxia, look at Qingman, with her frail body, how can you bear not to pay back the food? She is the daughter of your Qin family. Even if you really don't pity the child, you should have a conscience for the kindness her parents showed to you brothers and sisters-in-law when they were alive. Don't go too far."
In the middle of winter, looking at the pitiful Qin Qingman, a villager finally spoke up for her.
Being blamed by everyone, Zhu Hongxia felt choked and extremely uncomfortable.
It's easy for these people to say it, it's just that they are being generous to others, it's not like they are paying back the food, but they are asking them to pay back the food with just a move. How can they pay back? It's winter now, the fields have been covered with snow, and there are no prey on the mountains. Who wouldn't hold on to the food they have got?
Facing Zhu Hongxia's angry eyes, Qin Qingman knew it was time to add fuel to the fire.
Isn't it just to win sympathy and act weak? She will.
"Aunt, I'm hungry. My family ran out of food last night." Just as everyone was waiting for the decision of the brigade secretary Zheng Anguo, a trembling voice suddenly rang out from outside the crowd.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the short ChuChu wrapped in a quilt.
A thin quilt was wrapped tightly around the child, but it couldn't hide Chuchu's thin, pale face.
Looking at the malnourished Chuchu, everyone couldn't help but curse Zhu Hongxia as a beast in their hearts.
"neat."
Qin Qingman hurried over and hugged the unexpected child. While hugging the child and the quilt, she finally felt a sense of warmth.
After such a long confrontation with her second aunt, she was already shivering with cold. If it weren't for the motivation to live supporting her, she would have collapsed long ago.
It’s too cold. The winter in Northeast China is really too cold.
"Sister, I'm hungry." Chuchu assisted with great foresight.
Looking at the pitiful brother and sister, Zheng Anguo was furious. He had not expected such injustice to happen under his jurisdiction. His stern eyes immediately fixed on Zhu Hongxia.
"Qin Lei's family, return whatever you borrowed from Qing Man's family as soon as possible. I don't believe that 100 kilograms of food can really starve your family to death."
Facing the furious brigade secretary, Zhu Hongxia dared not resist.
"Secretary, don't be angry. We will return it right away."
At this moment, the door of Qin Lei's house opened, and Qin Lei appeared with his three children.
"Caiyun, take Jianjun to weigh the food." Qin Lei had been listening to the noise outside at home. He knew that with Zheng Anguo taking charge of Qin Qingman, they really couldn't default on the things they borrowed, so he simply agreed to return them generously.
Eighteen-year-old Qin Caiyun looked at Qin Qingman, then at Zhu Hongxia, before taking her youngest brother back to the house.
"Uncle, please return the firewood. Chuchu and I were woken up by being frozen today, and we really have no firewood left at home." Qin Qingman knew that since she had offended someone, she might as well offend him to the end.
"Okay." Qin Lei gave a false smile.
Zheng Anguo was very satisfied with Qin Lei's awareness of the current situation, and he directed everyone on the scene, "We are all fellow villagers in Kaoshan Village, and fellow villagers should unite and help each other. Don't just watch the fun, come and help Qingman carry the firewood back to the Qin family. If there is no firewood in this winter, it will really cost lives."
"What the secretary said makes a lot of sense. Let's all help."
The villagers saw the excitement and remembered how kind Qin Qingman's parents were when they were alive, so they immediately took action under the secretary's command.
When there are more people, things can be done faster. After more than ten minutes, the firewood pile at Zhu Hongxia's house was reduced by one third.
Looking at the villagers moving like ants, Zhu Hongxia tasted rust in her mouth.
In anger, she bit her back teeth until they bled.
Just as she was filled with rage, she caught sight of a figure flashing by not far away.
The mouth speaks faster than reason.
"Secretary Zheng, it wasn't just my family that borrowed supplies from the Qingman family. Qingman's aunt and my third and fourth brothers' families also borrowed. Since the Qingman family is in such a difficult situation, my family has paid it back, so they should pay it back as well."
Zhu Hongxia had calculated it very clearly. She knew why her family had to suffer losses. When there were benefits, everyone shared them, and when there were losses, of course everyone had to share them.
Looking at Zhu Hongxia, who had an IQ problem, Qin Qingman was surprised and happy.
She had never expected that the other party was so sensible and even took the initiative to help her offend people. Looking at Zhu Hongxia who had not yet figured out the root of the problem, she began to like the other party a little better.
Zheng Anguo and others did not expect Zhu Hongxia to do such a thing.
Whether it was Zheng Anguo who was supervising everyone's work or the villagers who had just returned from Qin Qingman's house after dropping off firewood, they all turned their attention to the house next to Qin Lei's.
Brothers from the same family live close to each other, so of course they are neighbors.
The other brothers of the Qin family, who had been secretly watching the situation here for a long time, were so angry that their teeth were grinding when they saw Zhu Hongxia dragging them into the water.
If they hadn't been concerned about the brigade secretary, they would have rushed out and torn Zhu Hongxia's mouth.
"Qin Shu, Qin Shi, Jiang Linshan, the three of you get out here." Although Zheng Anguo did not see the Qin brothers, he could guess from his experience that these people must be spying in secret.
If you have the time to peek, then pay off your debts as soon as possible!
Once named by the brigade secretary, those who did not want to be harassed when earning work points in the future would not dare to hide.
A few minutes later, everyone saw Qin Qingman's other relatives.
"My third uncle owes my family 60 yuan, my fourth uncle's family owes 200 kilograms of flour, and my uncle-in-law's family owes three chickens, 100 eggs, and 30 yuan." Qin Qingman took over the original owner's memory, so of course the accounts were clear.
After hearing what Qin Qingman said, all the relatives of the Qin family looked miserable.
It was different for the onlookers. They looked at the rosy-cheeked Qin brothers, and then at the pale and skinny Qin Qingman and her brother. The balance of sympathy immediately shifted, and their eyes were filled with silent accusations when they looked at the Qin brothers.
"Secretary... Secretary, we really can't pay it back. If we could pay it back all at once, we wouldn't have been dragging our feet all this time."
As Qin Qingman's brother-in-law, Jiang Linshan very cleverly found excuses for their failure to repay their debts.
It is also a complaint.
"My family is now penniless, with not enough quilts, cotton clothes, firewood, and food. I will not force you to pay it all off at once. We will deduct it according to the price of goods. No matter how much you pay back, you must pay back some. You can pay back the rest next year."
Qin Qingman had already figured it out and could come up with a solution right away.
"I think this is the way to go. Pay back as much as you can first." Zheng Anguo made the final decision.
Half an hour later, at the Qin family, Chuchu squatted in front of the warm stove, looking at Qin Qingman who was washing her face with warm water with shining eyes, her eyes full of admiration.
Today he was completely conquered by his sister.
Today, their family not only received new quilts and new cotton-padded clothes from several uncles' homes, but also a lot of food and firewood. From today onwards, they will no longer suffer from the cold or hunger!
Qin Qingman ignored Chuchu's gaze as she was looking in the mirror.
She has a gentle and beautiful appearance and a pair of sparkling peach blossom eyes.
Qin Qingman didn't expect that the original owner looked exactly like her. If this body wasn't several years younger, she would have thought that she had also been transported through.
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