It's not safe to keep this money at home. He glanced at the wall clock; it was only a little past three in the afternoon, and the bank was still open.
"I'm going out to deposit the money."
Su Jianguo got up and took out a canvas bag from deep inside the wardrobe, carefully putting the money inside.
Wang Xiulan nodded, took out a piece of blue cloth from the sewing basket, and quickly sewed a hidden pocket inside the canvas bag.
"It's safe inside the crack."
Su Jianguo felt a warmth in his heart. Although his wife didn't talk much, she was thoughtful in everything she did.
He kissed Wang Xiulan on the forehead, picked up his bag, and went out the door.
Meanwhile, in the textile factory's residential compound.
Li Jinhua was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a handful of sunflower seeds in her hand, cracking them open and spitting the shells onto the floor.
The radio was playing Teresa Teng's song "Small Town Story".
But her mind wasn't on that at all.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of those two "old hags" moving into her house.
"A jinx! That old geezer!"
Li Jinhua cursed through gritted teeth, and sunflower seed shells sprayed out from her lipstick-covered lips.
"Why didn't you just die sooner!"
She grew angrier the more she thought about it, and crushed the sunflower seeds in her hand to pieces.
"Shameless old man, what are you pretending to be so great for! So what if you fought in a war? What's so special about that!"
Her voice grew louder and louder, completely oblivious to the footsteps coming from outside the door.
"If it weren't for that old geezer's meddling, would my parents have been able to get in there?"
Li Jinhua suddenly stood up and threw the rest of the melon seeds on the ground.
"That old coffin stuffer, he'll fall and die sooner or later..."
The sound of the door lock turning interrupted her vicious curses.
Li Jinhua turned her head and saw Su Mingqiang push the door open and come in, followed by the gloomy-faced old man and old lady.
Li Jinhua's face turned deathly pale instantly. She subconsciously took two steps back, knocking over a glass on the coffee table and spilling water all over the floor.
"Grandpa..."
Li Jinhua's voice suddenly dropped eight octaves, completely losing its previous harsh tone.
She hurriedly smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt, tidied her hair, and forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
Grandpa Su stood at the door, his back ramrod straight, and his cloudy eyes glanced at Li Jinhua with disdain.
The old man didn't speak, but slowly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and made a "one" gesture towards Li Jinhua.
Li Jinhua's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
She understood the meaning of that gesture all too well.
Her parents and older brother will have to stay in the detention center for another day.
"Grandpa, please let me explain..."
Li Jinhua's voice was choked with sobs.
Grandpa Su snorted coldly, not even glancing at her, and led his wife straight into the master bedroom, slamming the door shut.
Li Jinhua stood there, as if struck by lightning.
Several seconds passed before she came to her senses, and the fear on her face was instantly replaced by anger.
She turned her head sharply, glaring fiercely at Su Mingqiang, her eyes practically spitting fire.
Su Mingqiang felt uneasy under her glare and subconsciously took a step back.
"Jin Hua, I..."
"Shut up!"
Li Jinhua hissed in a low voice, grabbed Su Mingqiang by the ear, and dragged him out of the room toward the woodshed next door.
Her fingernails dug deep into Su Mingqiang's flesh, causing him to grimace in pain.
As soon as the door to the woodshed closed, Li Jinhua erupted.
She shoved Su Mingqiang onto the woodpile and began to berate him.
"You good-for-nothing! Who told you to bring those two jinxes back? Huh?"
Su Mingqiang hunched his neck and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Yes, it was my grandfather's own idea..."
"Your grandpa, your grandpa! All you ever do is listen to your grandpa!"
Li Jinhua grabbed a stick and started hitting Su Mingqiang with it.
"My parents are still locked up in jail! Don't you think about me at all?"
The firewood stick struck Su Mingqiang on the back with a "smack," and he jumped up with a "howl" in pain, but dared not shout loudly for fear that his grandparents in the room would hear him.
"Jin Hua, listen to me..."
Su Mingqiang tried to explain.
"Shut up!"
Li Jinhua struck again with the stick.
"You useless piece of trash! You can't even handle your own grandfather, what good are you?"
Su Mingqiang was beaten so badly that he ran away with his head in his hands. The woodshed was small and he had nowhere to hide, so he could only endure the beating.
Li Jinhua got more and more into it as she hit her, and the insults she hurled became increasingly vulgar.
"I must have been blind to marry such a good-for-nothing! Look at how well my classmates married!"
Li Jinhua threw down the firewood stick and started pinching with her fingernails instead.
"Others drive cars and live in big houses, and what about you? This run-down two-bedroom apartment was even allocated by the factory!"
Su Mingqiang gasped in pain, but dared not resist.
He knew Li Jinhua's temper all too well; the more she resisted, the harder she would beat her.
"Jin Hua, be gentle..."
Su Mingqiang pleaded.
"Oh, by the way, I... I have good news for you."
Li Jinhua stopped what she was doing and looked at him suspiciously.
"What good news? What good news could you possibly have?"
Su Mingqiang rubbed his arm, which had been pinched until it bled, and lowered his voice mysteriously.
"My dad got 20,000 yuan!"
"Twenty thousand?"
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