It's late now, so Song Xinfu and Qian Mingyuan are keeping watch in the ward.
Xu Guiying led Bai Hui and Lin Ling back to Heping Lane, with Lao Wu following behind.
Snow is still falling from the sky.
Lin Ling's voice was still hoarse as she cursed Zhang Qingli and Che Xiuwen, saying they were inhuman, "They must pay the price."
Che Xiuwen is not dull-witted; he is rather low-key and pragmatic. It must have been intentional on his part that he pretended to be drunk and beat someone.
Bai Hui sighed, "Luckily, it's not serious this time."
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin Ling glanced at Song Jianmin behind her and couldn't help but ask Xu Guiying, "Aunt Xu, how did Zhang Qingli and Che Xiuwen get married?"
Bai Hui glared at Lin Ling.
Lin Ling was genuinely curious; she hadn't heard the whole thing in the corridor earlier.
Song Jianmin behind him coughed twice.
There's no point in hiding this; anyone in Heping Lane knows about Lao Wu and Zhang Qingli's affair.
Xu Guiying said briefly, "I used to date Lao Wu, but he went to jail for stealing. After he was released, he married Che Xiuwen."
Lin Ling clicked her tongue, "Sure enough, you can't have two kinds of people sleeping in the same bed."
Grandpa Song is still awake, waiting for them at home. And so, Lunar New Year's Eve has passed.
"Dad, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Grandpa Song waved his hand, "When you come back, how did the talks go?"
Xu Guiying: "It's still what we discussed before, the settlement is one thousand."
Hearing the sound, Grandma Song came out, putting on her coat. "Guiying, you're back."
Bai Hui looked embarrassed, as if she had troubled the Song family.
Grandma Song said promptly, "The room is all tidied up. Let's go take a look. It's too late now. Let's have lunch together as a family tomorrow."
"Okay, sure."
Grandma Song and Xu Guiying led them to the new house, which had only two beds, both of which were covered with mattresses.
"We haven't bought all the furniture yet, and we've kept all the windows closed so there's no draft at night. Two blankets should be enough."
Bai Hui said gratefully, "Father-in-law, you've gone to so much trouble. Lin Ling and I can share a bed; it'll be warmer if we squeeze together at night."
Song Yangmin and Qian Yu'an hadn't even lived in the new house yet when their maternal relatives moved in first.
Bai Hui felt bad about it.
Lin Ling felt a little embarrassed and quickly said, "I'll sleep with Mom. Grandma, Aunt Xu, you should go back and rest. It's too late now."
Xu Guiying didn't press the matter. After telling Grandma Song where the toilet and kitchen were, she left.
Bai Hui and her mother-in-law saw them out of the yard.
After the people had gone far away, Bai Hui wiped the corner of her eye and remembered the kindness of the Song family.
Lin Ling: "Mom, let's go inside first."
Bai Hui nodded and pondered for a moment before saying, "In a couple of days, when Shu Rong is feeling better, you two can make a trip to the Song family and deliver some things."
Lin Ling nodded, "Mom, I understand."
Lin Ling had some ulterior motives before, but now they're all gone.
Thinking of Qian Shurong's injury, Lin Ling sighed again.
Bai Hui: "Don't worry, the doctor said it shouldn't be a big problem."
Having suffered so much, Lin Ling felt that even a settlement of one thousand yuan was too little!
-
Meanwhile, Zhang Qingli returned to the Zhang family home.
Old Mrs. Zhang scolded her, "You've been off work for so long, where have you been gallivanting off to again? Zhang Qingli, do you even know you have a child! What kind of life do I have—"
"Che Xiuwen injured someone."
Old Lady Zhang's wailing stopped immediately, her voice shrill, "What?"
Old Man Zhang paused in his smoking motion. "What?"
Zhang Qingli recounted the events of the evening with a pained expression, "Che Xiuwen got drunk and beat up a coworker at the factory. That coworker is Song Jianmin's second brother's brother-in-law!!!"
When the name Song Jianmin was mentioned, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were stunned.
Old Lady Zhang's voice was even shriller than before.
"Song Jianmin??? It's the Song family again?"
Zhang Qingli nodded, her expression extremely troubled.
"Song Jianmin's mother said she wanted to pay compensation..."
Old Lady Zhang's eyes instantly reddened.
She turned red with anger.
"Xu Guiying is very stubborn. If we don't pay her, this matter won't be so easily resolved."
Old Man Zhang suddenly stood up and kicked over the bucket under the eaves.
"Money? We haven't even paid off the money we owe the Song family yet, and now we have to pay Che Xiuwen's debt too!" Old Man Zhang glared angrily at Zhang Qingli. "Zhang Qingli, Zhang Qingli, I'm so unlucky to have a daughter like you. Think about it, if it weren't for you, would your brother have been executed? Your mother and I are both so old, we work ourselves to the bone every day to earn money, and we still have to support your son. What other girl is like you!"
Last year, the Zhang family also learned about the Liu family's affairs.
Comparing the two, it's really hard to say which is worse.
Zhang Qingli kept crying, "Dad, I don't know either. Che Xiuwen got drunk and hit someone. Song Jianmin's mother said that if we settle, he has to pay 1,000 yuan in compensation, and the sentence might be lighter. If we don't sign the letter of forgiveness, he has to pay medical expenses and other things, 600 yuan."
Old Lady Zhang was so angry she almost fainted.
What kind of fate is this?
"The Song family is a jinx, damn it, nothing good ever comes from getting involved with them!"
Zhang Qingli didn't know what to do. She had no money of her own, and if she lost money, she would probably have to ask her parents for help.
Old Mrs. Zhang said angrily, "This matter was caused by Che Xiuwen himself, it has nothing to do with us. Zhang Qingli, if you want to give this money, go find Che Xiuwen's father. So what if he's disabled? Does the Che family have no relatives? Can't they borrow fifty or a hundred yuan?"
"Anyway, we don't have the money to give! In all my years, this is the first time I've ever heard of a son-in-law committing a crime and the father-in-law's family paying money to settle it!"
Zhang Qingli was yelled at and didn't know what to say.
Old Man Zhang said with a dark face, "If we give them this money, there's another way."
Both Old Lady Zhang and Zhang Qingli looked over.
“We’ll only contribute six hundred. What happens to Che Xiuwen is none of our business. The child will take the Zhang family name, not the Che family name. That’s what I’m saying. Zhang Qingli, you need to think it over carefully.”
"No!" Old Madam Zhang refused outright. "We still owe the Song family five thousand, and there are only two years left. How much have we earned so far? Giving us six hundred for no reason is impossible!"
Old Man Zhang frowned and said again, "We don't have enough money, so we have to borrow it."
Old Mrs. Zhang curled her lip. "Borrow money? You, Zhang Fugui, still haven't paid back the two hundred you borrowed from your third aunt six years ago! Who would lend you money now?!"
Old Man Zhang: "What do you know, you old hag! Hong Wei is gone, does the Zhang family not need to continue its lineage?"
Old Lady Zhang murmured, her old face as dry as tree bark. She moved slightly, then turned away without speaking.
Zhang Qingli bit her lip. "Mom and Dad, I agree to let Xiao Jie change his surname. I'll talk to Che Xiuwen tomorrow and we'll get a divorce after he gets out of prison. I'll stay at home and work hard to pay off the debt."
The house absolutely cannot be given to the Song family.
Otherwise, where would this whole family go to live?
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