The three Niu brothers puffed on their pipes, filling the room with smoke. Tang Yuanyuan told Roubing to take her younger sister outside to play, while she herself sat by the door, where there was less smoke.
“No matter how much it costs, the child needs treatment. Let’s get everyone together and pool our resources. Those with money should contribute money, and those with strength should contribute strength. We can’t delay the child’s surgery.” Uncle Niu spoke up. He was Niu Dazhu’s elder brother and the current head of the Niu family.
During the famine years ago, because Tiedan ate too much, he and his mother abandoned Tiedan on the mountain. Since then, the brothers have had a grudge, and this matter has always been a thorn in Uncle Niu's heart. Now that conditions have improved, Uncle Niu wants to make amends to Niu Dazhu and has decided to take out his savings for his funeral.
Uncle Niu also said, "It needs to be treated. I'll call Tieshuan and see if he has any spare money."
Niu Dazhu's eyes stung a little. Over the years, he had held a grudge against what happened back then and hadn't been close to his two older brothers. But now that he thought about it, he couldn't entirely blame his brothers. Tiedan really did eat too much. If he ate his fill, the whole family would go hungry. In those days, fathers and sons would turn against each other, husbands and wives would become enemies, and it was common for people to sell their children in order to have enough to eat. His two older brothers weren't heartless; at least they raised Tiedan for a few years.
Sister-in-law Niu was not satisfied. Her family was not as well off as hers, so she could not rely on them at all. The majority of the money still had to be put on Tie Dan, but the couple remained silent, as if they had cut off their mouths. She was getting anxious.
“Tiedan, Junjun and Zhuangzhuang are your own nephews!” Tiedan’s mother spoke up. She was also very dissatisfied with her youngest son’s silence, so she took the initiative to speak.
Sister-in-law Niu was overjoyed. Her mother-in-law was so helpful; now her brother-in-law would definitely have to contribute money.
Tang Yuanyuan quickly said, "Uncle, Second Uncle, Dad, Mom, Tiedan and I also feel sorry for Junjun and Zhuangzhuang. It's only right that we contribute money. We can't just ignore the children's lives."
Everyone's expressions softened; Tang Yuanyuan's words were agreeable, and they all assumed she was prepared to contribute money, but—
"But Tie Dan and I are powerless right now. This year, due to the global financial crisis, Tie Dan's company is not doing well and has already laid off half of its employees, many of whom are doctoral and graduate students. Fortunately, Tie Dan has a long-standing relationship with the boss, so he barely managed to keep his position, but his salary and bonuses have been cut in half. Tie Dan's meager earnings are not even enough to pay the mortgage." Tang Yuanyuan complained in a soft voice, her expression very sincere, to the point that she almost believed it herself.
Ya Dan looked over in surprise. When did Qingqing's husband's company lay off employees? And there hasn't been a financial crisis recently. What nonsense is your sister-in-law talking about?
But she knew that Tang Yuanyuan wouldn't say that for no reason, so she kept quiet.
Niu Ersao and the others were on edge again. They knew nothing about the outside world, and even if they suspected Tang Yuanyuan was lying, they couldn't provide any evidence.
“But you still have a company!” Sister-in-law Niu said.
Tang Yuanyuan sighed, "The global financial crisis has made my company even worse. We haven't made a single penny this year and have even lost more than a million yuan. All the money we had saved up before has been used up. Fortunately, we don't have to pay for meals at my dad's place, so we can barely make ends meet. I came back this time to ask my older brothers to pay back the money they borrowed from me so I can fill the hole in the company."
Ya Dan's lips twitched, and she lowered her head to suppress a laugh. Her sister-in-law's acting was quite convincing. If she hadn't worked at the postpartum care center for a while, she would have actually believed her sister-in-law's words.
Tang Yuanyuan took out a small notebook, which contained all the debts owed by Tie Dan's family.
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