Chapter 280 The money is gone and I can't even ask about it?
"Are you blind? The road is so wide, why did you have to run into me?!"
The person opposite was helping the car up while cursing.
Zhang Lao Er was happy to receive the money, thinking that he had really drunk too much and hadn't seen the road clearly enough to be hit by someone. He apologized to the person, pushed his bike, and continued to ride forward, swaying along.
After running quite a distance, happily imagining a bright future, I reached into my pocket and realized my wallet was missing.
Gone?
He jolted awake, instantly sober.
I rummaged through my clothes seventy or eighty times, but it was nothing!
Zhang Lao Er stepped onto the ground, pulled open his overcoat, and rummaged through the pockets of his cotton-padded jacket. He even turned the pockets inside out, but found nothing except some crumbs that were hard to identify.
His mind went blank for a moment, and he broke out in a cold sweat. A gust of cold wind made him shiver.
"Where's my money? Where's my money?"
Zhang Lao Er got off the bus and looked around. He clearly had the money in his pocket. It was such a thick wallet, bulging. He even opened it and took a look. It was full of hundred-yuan bills. How could it be gone?
Thinking of the time he was knocked down, Zhang Lao Er hurriedly turned around and went to look for him.
I walked that road back and forth more than a dozen times, and touched the spot where I fell countless times, but there wasn't a single soul in sight, let alone such a bulging wallet!
Zhang Lao Er almost thought that the story of him stealing his older brother's wallet was just a figment of his imagination while he was drunk, but he did indeed open it and see a pile of gleaming banknotes.
"ah!"
This is insane! How come he's been hit with so many unlucky things?!
Last time it was stolen by someone putting a sack over its head; this time it was knocked down and lost...
Zhang Lao Er didn't dare to imagine how Fan Liangyu would react if he found out that he had lost the money again, and he didn't dare to imagine how angry his older brother would be if he found out that he had stolen his money and lost it!
"Ahhh, damn it."
Zhang Lao Er, with his messy hair, kicked the bicycle he had thrown to the ground until his heels ached and he was panting heavily before he stopped.
With gritted teeth, he said, "Who saw me steal money? I didn't steal any!"
He took a few deep breaths, picked up his bike, and rode back. Remembering that Fan Liangyu was still waiting for his message about borrowing money, he made a call to Fan Liangyu when he passed a phone booth.
While waiting for Fan Liangyu to answer the phone, he prepared an excuse, feigning helplessness, "...My brother won't lend it, saying we already have five thousand, and it doesn't make sense for us to still be eyeing his five thousand..."
Fan Liangyu hummed in agreement.
"...If your older brother doesn't want to give it, then...we can each go to our respective workplaces to get an advance on our salaries. If we both get an advance, it'll be about enough. But I'm afraid a year's advance won't be enough; we'll need two years' worth. That's so much money, sigh..."
As Fan Liangyu spoke, she sighed and subtly complained, "...Logically, you should also have a share of your parents' salaries. If we could get some of theirs in advance, we could get less in advance, but your parents might not be willing, so... let's just forget about it."
She said it casually, but Zhang Lao Er took it to heart.
“You’re right. I’ll go to my workplace first thing tomorrow morning to get an advance. Once we’ve raised enough money, we’ll go together and take over that yard. Then we’ll be little landlords with our own yards, able to be the masters of our own homes.”
Fan Liangyu spat at him, "You say whatever comes to mind, aren't you afraid of being arrested and used as an example? You should keep those words to yourself, don't talk nonsense."
Zhang Lao Er chuckled.
After hanging up the phone, Fan Liangyu stared at the receiver and smiled meaningfully.
The next morning, Zhang Lao Er went to Zheng Xiulan and Zhang Lao Tou's workplace to get an advance on a year's salary. The finance department initially wanted the person in charge to sign, but Zhang Lao Er said his parents couldn't come because of other matters, so they asked him to do it.
The finance department thought something had happened to his family, so they processed it without delay.
With the money Zhang Lao Er received, plus the year's advance from Fan Liangyu and his own year's salary from his work unit, he went and bought the yard.
Cash was exchanged for the property certificate.
The landlord patted the property certificate and said, "We have an urgent matter to attend to in the western suburbs today. Let's meet at the housing management bureau tomorrow morning and change the name on this property certificate to yours."
With the property certificate in hand, Zhang Lao Er was carefree and readily agreed as soon as the other party showed any difficulty.
Fan Liangyu frowned and reminded him, "Even if you're in a hurry, a little while won't make a difference. Go change the name; it'll take at most an hour..."
"Alright, why make things difficult for us? It's just one more day. The property certificate is in our hands. Do you think they can lie to us?" Zhang Lao Er scolded him for it.
The landlord repeatedly said yes, and with Zhang Lao Er's leniency, he rode away on his bicycle.
Zhang Lao Er even led Fan Liangyu inside for a look around. To be honest, the courtyard house had no flaws except for being dilapidated. Zhang Lao Er was so happy thinking that he would soon be a rent collector that he kept smiling.
He laughed, but Zhang Haijun on the other side couldn't laugh at all!
As soon as Zhang Haijun opened his eyes, he reached for his wallet under his pillow, but couldn't find it. His squinting and stretching motion stopped abruptly.
Then came the second attempt, which also missed.
He sat up abruptly, removed the pillow, stared at the empty headboard in disbelief, picked up the pillow again, and shook it a few times in front of him, but there was nothing there.
He even removed the pillowcase from the pillow, leaving only a bare pillow inside.
"Su Hongying, where's my money?!"
Zhang Haijun suddenly looked up and called to Su Hongying, who was holding the child.
Su Hongying shook her head, "I didn't see it, where did you put it..."
"You saw me put the money under this pillow yesterday, and now it's gone..."
"I didn't take your money!"
"Besides the child, it's just you and me in the house. Who else could it be but you?"
Enraged, Zhang Haijun questioned Su Hongying, then suddenly remembered that Zhang Lao Er had come yesterday. His face instantly turned extremely ugly, and he asked Su Hongying, "Did Lao Er...?"
Su Hongying looked at him and said, "When I came in yesterday, he helped you to bed. I didn't see him take anything. Do you remember?"
After she said that, Zhang Haijun vaguely remembered something.
He seemed to be tugging at something with the second brother, the sensation...
Zhang Haijun thought about it carefully, and his eyes suddenly widened – it was his wallet!
"You bastard, you stole my money!"
Zhang Haijun couldn't help but curse, but he still favored his younger brother. He thought, "Even if he doesn't lend money, he wouldn't steal it from me, would he?"
He frowned, staring at Su Hongying as he asked again, "You really didn't take it?"
“I didn’t take it. You can call the police if you don’t believe me.” Su Hongying looked at him, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
Zhang Haijun was furious and shouted, "I was just asking casually. Can't I even ask about the money I lost?"
Su Hongying didn't respond to his words.
Zhang Haijun knew that it was highly likely that Zhang Lao Er had stolen his money, but he still held onto hope. He got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and ran outside.
I ran downstairs in one breath and asked the staff on duty at the front desk.
The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "You mean the guy who came to drink with you, the one who looks a bit like you? He said he's your brother. After your wife went upstairs, we saw him sneaking out, and there seemed to be something bulging on his chest, but we're not sure if it's yours..."
"It's my wallet, that bastard, he really stole it."
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