Chapter 179
Old Zhang immediately turned around and glared at Xie Chengye: "How many hundreds do you have?"
Xie Chengye said quickly: "I withdrew several hundred yuan for the New Year. I was going to give red envelopes to my younger and senior generations when they celebrate the New Year, but I spent some of it in the past few days, so I have about three hundred yuan left..."
"How can three hundred yuan be enough? Old Xie, please at least give me five hundred yuan. If you give them five hundred yuan, at least that group of people won't hurt our Xiao Di." Old Zhang said with trembling lips: "Old Xie, we have been friends for so many years, you can ask your wife for a little more..."
Xie Chengye looked at his mother and said, "You should have some money in your hand. Give me a hundred yuan, and I'll ask mom for another hundred yuan. Let's help Lao Zhang first."
Xie's mother said: "The money in my hand is all useful."
Lao Zhang said: "I am really here to save someone's life. Xiao Di is my only son. Lao Xie, please help me. Don't your son and daughter-in-law have cash? Please, Lao Xie..."
Before Xie Chengye could say anything, Xie's mother said softly, "Lao Zhang, let me ask you, how long will it take you to return the 500 yuan you took?"
"Hey, you can't say that..." Xie Chengye hurriedly went to pull Xie's mother, trying to stop her from speaking, but was pushed away by Xie's mother.
Xie's mother looked very serious, and her question was very normal. Since Old Zhang's family had already helped their son pay off so many gambling debts, the family must have been out of money a long time ago. Maybe they had even borrowed from all their relatives. Otherwise, if he really wanted to save his life during the New Year, he would not have come to ask his friends for a loan. He would have gone to his relatives' house a long time ago.
Since all the money that could be borrowed has been borrowed, and now Lao Zhang is asking to borrow so much money again, it is obvious that his family will not be able to pay back the money in a short period of time.
Although the Xie family is indeed not short of money, they still have to pay for borrowing money. If they need to borrow money for medical treatment, their family will give the money immediately without saying a word.
But this is to pay off gambling debts, and who doesn’t know that gambling debts are a bottomless pit?
If I lend out these 500 yuan today, I won't see the money paid back for at least ten years.
Old Zhang looked at Xie's mother's serious face and knew what she meant.
His face flushed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I...I will find a way to pay you back. Even if I don't eat or drink, I will definitely find a way..."
"How can we think of a solution? Lao Zhang, your family only has so much salary, and it is impossible for people to really go without food and drink. Even if your family of three lives frugally and saves half of the money a month, it will take a long time to save 500 yuan. Moreover, you are not just borrowing 500 yuan. When you go out later, you will have to borrow 1,500 yuan. How many years will it take to save enough money?" Xie's mother said softly: "Besides, how can you guarantee that Xiao Di will definitely stop gambling? You borrowed 2,000 yuan to redeem him today, so if he continues to lose money next month, how much more money will you have to borrow?"
This time, even Old Zhang's neck turned red. He looked very angry. Perhaps he also understood that what Xie's mother said was true. He had no way of guaranteeing that he would pay back the money, nor could he guarantee that his son would quit gambling.
"Just forget about lending me the money, but why do you have to say such things to humiliate me? Lao Xie, you and I have been friends for so many years. Even if we may not have been through life and death together, we are at least close friends! In all these years, when have I ever asked you to borrow money? Now that Xiao Di's life is at stake, is this how you treat me?" Lao Zhang began to cry.
Xie Chengye panicked a little, and he quickly said, "I didn't mean that, but Lao Zhang, you have a family, and I have a family too, and the money in the family is not decided by me alone. I only have 300 yuan in my hand, and you are right, we have been friends for so many years, you can take the 300 yuan, and I don't ask you to pay it back immediately. But no matter how much money you have, it is not up to me to decide."
"Three hundred yuan! Three hundred yuan! We have been friends for so many years, and with a family like yours, you only lend me three hundred yuan? Old Xie, you really don't deserve me!" Old Zhang burst into tears.
Xie Chengye was so anxious that he said, "Lao Zhang, I know it's not easy for you to come here. It's New Year's Day. If you don't really want to save your son, who would come to someone else's house to borrow money at this time? But Lao Zhang, you should know very well that you said you came here to borrow money today, but in fact you can't pay it back within ten years. I do have some extra money at home, but it's not endless. I also said that we can call the police and wipe out the gang, so we don't have to pay back the money, but you disagree. You don't want to take the right path, Lao Zhang, how can you complain that three hundred yuan is too little?"
Lao Zhang looked ashamed and angry. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and said loudly, "Okay! I'm incompetent and can't borrow money! Lao Xie, thank you for lending me three hundred yuan!"
Xie Chengye said: "Then I'll go up and get the money for you, please wait for me for a while."
He sprinted up to the second floor and rushed into the bedroom. It was quiet downstairs and no one spoke. Even Xie Jinyun stayed obediently beside her grandmother, just looking down at her toes.
Grandpa Xie, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said, "Xiao Zhang, if you really can't collect enough money, then it's still right to call the police."
Old Zhang was startled and looked over there. Seeing Grandpa Xie's gentle and kind expression, he was a little less panicked. He said, "I... I know. If I really can't raise enough money, I can only choose to save Xiao Di..."
A minute later, Xie Chengye ran down from upstairs and handed three hundred yuan to Lao Zhang: "Lao Zhang, this money is for you. If it's really not enough...you...consider my daughter-in-law...go back and discuss with Lao Chen, maybe it will be enough if we sell the ancestral house..."
"You!" Lao Zhang was anxious, "You know what that house means to my lover!"
"Then it depends on whether you think the ancestral home is more important or your son is more important..."
"Can't you ask your daughter-in-law to lend me money?" Old Zhang finally said what was in his heart. Ever since he knew that Xia Qingtang had enough cash, all his crying and making a fuss were in preparation for this sentence.
Xia Qingtang couldn't help but laugh as she sat there. She actually knew what Lao Zhang was thinking, but she didn't expect that this person could really say it out loud with such confidence. Maybe at this point, people would lose their basic morals.
Xie Chengye was shocked: "Are you crazy? You want our Qingtang to give you 2,000 yuan for free? What are you thinking?"
"What do you mean by giving? I said it was a loan..."
"When can you pay back the money? This is two thousand yuan. How many months or years will it take you to pay it back? Can you tell me a time? Look at you, you can't even tell it. You know very well in your heart that you may not be able to pay back the money even in twenty years, let alone ten years. We have been friends for many years, and I can regard this three hundred yuan as a gift to you, but my daughter-in-law has no friendship with your family. Isn't it too much for you to have such an idea?" Xie Chengye said in a deep voice.
Lao Zhang stopped talking, just stuffed the three hundred yuan into his pocket, then turned around and left.
After he left, Xie's mother said, "Xie Chengye, the friends you know are really great."
"Mr. Zhang is not usually like this, he just..."
"It's just that he spoiled his son too much. Every time he encounters problems, it becomes like this. His son has been spoiled. What's the point of just spending money to redeem him? Will he continue to borrow money in a few months? Oh, not borrow money, but ask for money from others. Look, you just gave him three hundred yuan for nothing. Do you know how long it would take an ordinary family to save so much money?" Xie's mother questioned.
Xie Chengye lowered his head: "What can I do? And Lao Zhang is indeed right. I have known him for so many years, so I will just regard these three hundred yuan as a gift to him... But I know in my heart that there will be no next time."
Mother Xie sighed and said, "Just wait. If he can't get 2,000 yuan, he will definitely come back to find you."
"Come to me, what can I do? I can only help him find the police." Xie Chengye said: "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this. It's New Year's Day, let's be happy."
Xie Jinxuan walked over and turned on the radio. Cheerful songs came from it, and the atmosphere in the house became lively again.
Everyone helped Aunt Liu clean up the kitchen. Xie Jinyun went out to play with her friends, while the others stayed at home to bask in the sun, play chess and watch TV.
Xia Qingtang was now in a sleepy phase, so Xie Jinxuan moved a recliner for her to the yard, and let her sit on the recliner wrapped in a blanket, basking in the sun while taking a nap, while she sat beside her and read a novel.
Xia Qingtang had a comfortable nap. After waking up, she drank the red date tea prepared by her Sixth Aunt, and then watched TV with her grandmother and the others.
After a while, Xie Jinyun came back with her classmates. Xie Jinxuan helped them dismantle some small firecrackers and asked them to go to the basketball court to set them off for fun.
There is a large open space over there, so it would be safer to set off firecrackers, and it wouldn't disturb Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang also gave them some candy and fried peanuts and asked them to take them out and eat while playing.
After the children rushed out chattering, Aunt Liu came over and asked, "I'm going to make dumplings. I heard them say that it's best to put a coin in the dumpling. Whoever eats it will be the luckiest. What do you think, should we make one for our family?"
Xie's mother said, "Let's make one. It sounds interesting."
So, Aunt Liu prepared a coin, then sat in front of the TV and started making dumplings.
At five o'clock in the evening, the sun had set, and Xie Jinyun came back happily, "Have you eaten dumplings?"
"It's not cooked yet. Wait a minute, I'll cook it now." Aunt Liu said and went to the kitchen.
Xie Jinyun said: "I'm going crazy with hunger, my stomach is growling."
"Let's have some snacks first." Xia Qingtang took out a snack box, "This year's peanut cake is still so delicious."
Hu Yanhui no longer makes peanut cakes to sell, but before the Chinese New Year, he still made a lot of them as gifts for relatives and friends. Xia Qingtang also got a portion, and it was quite a large one.
Just as Xie Jinyun leaned over to grab two pieces of peanut cake, someone came to the door again: "Old Xie! Old Xie!"
Xie's mother's face darkened: "It's that old Zhang again! Xie Chengye, what did I say? That old Zhang can't borrow any money at all, so he can only cling to you."
"Don't worry, I'm not a fool. Besides, I have no money at all. What can I do?" Xie Chengye said, walked out, opened the door, and brought back two people.
In addition to Lao Zhang, his lover Lao Chen also came. Lao Chen's eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, and he looked haggard, which was in sharp contrast to his usual energetic and capable image.
As soon as she came in, she bowed deeply to the Xie family. Xie Chengye quickly said, "Old Chen, don't be like this. Sit down and talk if you have anything to say. Come on, sit down and talk."
Old Chen felt a lump in her throat and started shedding tears. Xie's mother quickly handed her a clean handkerchief, but she waved her hand and refused.
"I came here because of Xiao Di's matter..." Old Chen spoke with some difficulty.
Xie Chengye said: "If it really doesn't work, then call the police. I'll help you find someone reliable to go over. I don't believe there are people who really aren't afraid of the police."
"It's not that they are not afraid of the police, it's that we are afraid of the police. My Xiao Di has gambled so many times. If the police were really called, he would have to be fired." Old Chen said in a low voice.
Xie's mother said: "Sometimes, children are ignorant, so you can only teach them a hard lesson to let them know what is right and what is wrong. Losing his job is just a wake-up call for him, letting him know that not everything in this world can be solved by mom and dad. I am also a mother. If our Xie Jinxuan did something like this, I would not care about him, let alone the gambling debts he owed. Let him deal with it on his own."
"That being said, if your eldest son was really in danger, how could you not care about him?" Old Chen sighed, "My situation is different from yours. You gave birth to two children and raised them successfully. I am not in good health. I can't keep the baby in my belly, and even if I give birth, it won't live past one year old... I finally had Xiao Di. He was sick frequently when he was a child, but he grew up. Now he is finally in his twenties and he hasn't even found a wife yet. Am I really going to watch him die?"
"So what do you want to do? Have you collected enough money?" asked Xie's mother.
"We can't borrow money. To be honest, we have already asked relatives to borrow money once before. This time, all relatives refused to see us, so we can only ask friends for help. But Lao Zhang's friends and I can't get 1,000 yuan... It's ridiculous to think about it. So many families can't get 1,000 yuan, but how can we lose so much money by gambling?"
Having said this, Old Chen paused, but no one else said anything, and Xie's mother just looked at her calmly.
Lao Chen paused and continued, "Just now, Lao Chen and I were at our wits' end. We hugged each other and cried bitterly, not knowing what to do. At that time, Lao Chen said that your daughter-in-law Xiao Xia had enough cash, so he and I came here again..."
Mother Xie looked at Xia Qingtang and said, "Qingtang does have enough cash in hand, but you should also know what 2,000 yuan means and how much money it is. If you come to Qingtang to borrow money, there is no need to do so. She will definitely not lend it to you. Even if she is young and confused, we adults will not agree to her lending so much money."
"I know that to borrow so much money, you have to have a life-long friendship. We have no relationship with Xiao Xia, so why should we borrow so much money from her?"
"So, what do you want?"
Lao Chen said, "Lao Zhang may have mentioned it before. My parents used to have an ancestral house, which was taken back a few years ago, but was returned to us the year before last. But the old house was previously occupied by three families, so it was a bit messy. Lao Zhang and I never had time to clean it up, and the house we live in is big enough, so we just left it there. I came here this time just to ask Xiao Xia, do you really want to buy my house?"
Xia Qingtang said: "As long as it can be transferred to my name and officially become my house, of course I am willing to buy it."
"But you have a place to live, more than one place, and you work at the Future Electric Factory. You are a small leader. If you want to live in a house, you can live anywhere. You don't lack houses. Why do you want to buy my ancestral home?" Lao Chen said, "I don't have any other intentions, it's just that the house means something different to me, so I want to ask a few more questions."
Xia Qingtang said, "It's actually very simple, because the company's houses won't have my name on them, and the houses allocated to us aren't big enough. I hope to have a whole house with my name on it, completely mine, no matter how many years have passed, no matter if I'm still working in that company, I can live in that house safely, it's that simple. Besides, I do have money on hand, so if you're willing to sell, I'd like to buy it. But I have to go see what the house looks like first. If it's too badly damaged, I'll have to think about it."
Regardless of whether the other party really has difficulties, buying a house is always a big deal, so what Xia Qingtang said makes sense.
Lao Chen immediately said, "I want to sell it. I also have the title deed and land deed of the house, which clearly state that the house belongs to me. I have brought them here, you can take a look. If I sell it to you, how to change the ownership of these? I haven't asked yet, but it should be possible."
Xie Chengye said: "This can indeed be done. Just ask Zhao Laosi to do it. Isn't that what they do?"
Old Chen took out a file bag from his bag and handed it to Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang took it and looked at the documents inside with Xie Jinxuan. They read every page carefully and returned the file bag after making sure there were no problems.
"I've finished reading it. Aunt Chen, how much do you want to sell it for?" Xia Qingtang asked.
Old Chen gritted his teeth and said, "Someone came to ask about this house before, but I couldn't bear to sell it. At that time, that person offered 3,000 yuan. I'm in a hurry to sell it now. If you want to bargain, I can understand."
Xia Qingtang said: "What's the lowest amount you can accept? I don't want you to suffer too much."
Old Zhang snorted coldly and whispered, "You are such a rich man, you can buy other people's ancestral houses at will. Isn't this considered a loss to others?"
Lao Chen immediately patted Lao Zhang on the head: "What are you talking about?"
"Am I wrong? She can afford so much money, but she is unwilling to lend us a penny to save Xiao Di! This person is completely inhumane!"
Xia Qingtang laughed and said, "I've said before that buying and selling are free. If you don't want to sell, you can go out. I don't have to buy it. Or, I have money anyway, I can buy another house on Hongjiang Road, isn't it the same? As for borrowing money, that's something people with friendship would do. I don't know what kind of friendship I have with Comrade Zhang, to the extent that we can borrow a huge sum of 2,000 yuan from each other. Let's not talk about anything else. If it's the other way around, if I go to Comrade Zhang to borrow money, you can lend me 20 yuan, right? If it's 200 yuan, you will definitely drive me away. Comrade Zhang, what do you think, is that right? Moreover, if you can educate your next generation well and your children don't cause trouble for you, maybe you don't have to sell your ancestral home. You have to understand that it's your son who is misbehaving. He did something wrong, but his parents have to bear all this for him. I work and live honestly, how can I be inhuman? Some people in their twenties owe thousands of gambling debts outside and are inhumane. Am I right?"
Old Zhang opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.
Old Chen said, "Xiao Xia, you are right. You are not related to me, so why would you lend so much money to others? That is two thousand yuan, not two hundred yuan. Even if it is two hundred yuan, there are many people who can't afford it. Our old Zhang is confused, so he said such a thing. Please don't be angry with him, he is just too worried about our little Di. Besides, the house is in my name, and it's up to me whether to sell it or not, not him..."
"I know, so Comrade Chen, you must sell it."
"right."
"Then what's the lowest price you can accept?" Xia Qingtang said, "I still have to bargain for it."
This is not taking advantage of the situation, it's just that bargaining is a natural thing when buying and selling things.
"The minimum is 2,800. Any less... I would be letting my parents down..." Old Chen said with tears in his eyes.
Xia Qingtang felt that the price of 2,800 yuan was acceptable, but she had to go see the house first, so she said, "I can accept the price, so let's go see the house now? Hongjiang Road is not far from here anyway, so if we move quickly, we won't be late for eating dumplings."
"Okay, let's go and see now." Old Chen stood up.
She rode her bike in front to lead the way, while Xie Jinxuan followed behind with Xia Qingtang on her bike. After a while, they arrived at Hongjiang Road and she parked her bike in front of one of the iron gates.
Half of the iron gate is in the European style of ironwork, and it is crooked. The other half must have been broken, so it was replaced with a wooden door at some point. A hole was dug in the board, and an iron chain was passed through the hole, and then locked to the iron gate with a big lock.
Old Chen opened the gate and led them into the deserted yard.
The yard is not small, it is larger than the front and back yards of my grandma's house combined. Originally, it was planted with flowers and ornamental plants, but since the house was taken away and distributed to other people, it has become a vegetable garden.
Now the house is back and the vegetable field has been abandoned, with only some yellow weeds growing there.
The house is three stories high and has a beautiful shape, like the houses in fairy tales, with many pointed roofs and an attic under the roof. Xia Qingtang has seen it on TV and knows that many children like to play games in this kind of attic.
Walking up the somewhat dilapidated steps, the main entrance of the house was also two ordinary wooden doors, mottled and locked with a very casual lock.
Lao Chen said: "It is indeed dilapidated here, but there is no problem with the house as a whole. I will take you inside to have a look. The tiles on the roof need to be repaired, and some places need to replace the glass windows."
I opened the door and walked in. As expected, the house was in good condition overall, but the walls were almost all destroyed and had to be repainted.
The kitchen and bathroom on the first floor had to be demolished and rebuilt. The second floor was slightly better and the people living there might be a little more elegant, but they had opened up some of the layout before, so it looked very strange up there and almost had to be completely rebuilt as well.
As for the third floor, even the floor was warped up a lot, and the roof tiles were broken, so there were leaks in many places, which looked very bad.
Old Chen seemed very nervous. She waited for Xia Qingtang and the others to finish looking at it, and then immediately said, "What do you think? In fact, this place was originally very beautiful. I grew up here when I was a child. At that time, this place was as beautiful as a dream. There was a big piano at this location when I was a child, and my mother would take me to play the piano here... I am dreaming that I can go back to the way it was back then... You see this place now and it may seem a little shabby, but as long as it is repaired, it will become a beautiful place..."
"This renovation is estimated to cost a lot of money." Xie Jinxuan said: "Except for the overall structure of the house, all the walls need to be painted, the roof needs to be re-tiled, all the bathrooms need to be rebuilt, I guess the wooden boards also need to be re-laid, plus rebuilding a kitchen, and tidying up the garden outside... The cost will definitely be high. Except for the outer walls of the house, everything else needs to be rebuilt."
Lao Chen's lips trembled for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Two thousand seven, it can't be any cheaper. After all, this is a foreign-style house..."
Xia Qingtang said: "Can you give me a few minutes to think about it?"
"Okay, think about it." Lao Chen said, "I'll wait for you outside."
She walked to the yard on the first floor, while Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan stayed inside.
Xie Jinxuan said: "If I buy this house, it will take at least half a year to renovate it. Not only will the materials cost money, but there will also be labor costs."
"I know, but if it's repaired, this house will be very beautiful." Xia Qingtang said: "In the future, we can turn the outside into a small garden, and we can also build a swing frame and put a ping-pong table."
"From what you said, you really want to buy this house?"
"Yes, let's buy it first. The houses here should be very valuable in a few years. It's a rare opportunity to buy a house here now." Xia Qingtang said confidently.
By the 1990s, houses here were completely unaffordable, and no one was willing to sell. Even if you wanted to buy one, you might not have the opportunity.
And now, the opportunity is right in front of her, and she happens to have enough cash in her hands, so she wants to buy it.
"Since you want to buy it and have the money, then buy it. After the New Year, go and complete the transfer process. Once the name is changed, I will find someone to renovate it. By then, I will build you a house as beautiful as a fairy tale." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "No need to repair it so early. I don't want to live here for the time being. At least wait until the child grows up a little bit."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Xia Qingtang then pulled Xie Jinxuan out and said, "Aunt Chen, can you accept 2,600?"
Old Chen was stunned for a moment, then looked at the dilapidated gate and the courtyard door, and finally took a deep breath and said, "Okay, then 2,600. I need cash."
"Okay, but do we need to sign a document to prove that you have sold the house to me?" Xia Qingtang said, "It would be best to ask other people in the compound to come over as witnesses. Also, your house deed and land deed should be in my hands. I will take them to you after the New Year when you can go to handle the transfer."
Old Chen smiled brightly: "You are such a smart man."
"Thank you for the compliment. After all, it's a huge sum of money, so everyone has to be careful." Xia Qingtang said, "Of course, I still want to emphasize that if you don't want to sell it, then don't sell it. I fully respect your wishes, Aunt Chen, and everything is up to you."
"I'll sell it! Let's go to the compound now to find someone to act as a witness and then sign a written agreement." After saying that, Lao Chen walked out.
After locking the door, they rode their bikes back to the small western-style building. Xie Jinxuan asked two respected elderly people to come over as witnesses. She watched them sign the agreement and the receipt, and also watched Xia Qingtang personally hand over 2,600 yuan to Old Chen.
Xia Qingtang said: "Aunt Chen, please count and see if the number is correct."
Old Chen's hands were still shaking after borrowing the money, so she couldn't count the amount for a moment. Old Zhang snatched the money away and started counting it one by one.
After counting three times, Lao Zhang raised his head and said, "The total is two thousand six hundred yuan, not a penny less."
"Okay, then the contract is established." Xia Qingtang said.
She put away the file bag that Lao Chen brought, and this was clearly written on the document.
Old Chen looked extremely sad, as if someone had ripped a piece out of her heart. Her soul seemed to have drifted away as she sat there.
"Old Chen, let's go! Go and save your son!" Old Zhang urged.
Lao Chen didn't seem to hear it until Lao Zhang pushed her hard, and she woke up with a start: "What?"
"Go save our son!" said Lao Zhang.
"Okay, go save my son." Old Chen stood up, but suddenly his legs went weak and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Xie Jinxuan quickly helped her up: "Aunt Chen, are you okay? If you are not feeling well, why not let Uncle Zhang go and save people alone."
"I... I'm fine, I just feel sad..." Old Chen smiled bitterly and followed Old Zhang.
After the two of them rode away on their bicycles, Xie's mother suddenly said, "Xie Chengye, should we get back the 300 yuan you gave him?"
Teacher Liu, who came to be a witness, immediately said, "What? Xiao Xie, you gave him 300 yuan? You are really generous."
"There was no other way before. We have been friends for so many years..." Xie Chengye said, "I will ask for money after their children come back. Or... after the Chinese New Year."
Xia Qingtang said: "Dad, I don't think you will get this money back."
"Why do you say that?" Xie Chengye scratched the back of his head. "It only costs two thousand to save someone, but they have more than that."
"They have borrowed money from relatives before, so they must use this money to repay their relatives now," said Xia Qingtang.
Xie Chengye slapped his thigh and said, "Yeah, how could I forget about this! It seems that I really can't get this money back!"
Xie's mother said, "Forget it, don't take it. Just think of it as buying out this friendship with 300 yuan. In the future, don't associate with people like this. I think they can't be wrong. They spoil their son like this, and they won't have a good ending."
What Xie's mother said was indeed correct. After Zhang Xiaodi was rescued, he was indeed well behaved throughout the New Year. He stayed in the yard all day, staring blankly and basking in the sun, and did not go anywhere.
After the Lantern Festival, everyone started working. Xia Qingtang and Lao Chen took the document bag to find someone to complete the transfer of ownership. After the house officially belonged to Xia Qingtang, Zhang Xiaodi was well behaved for another half month. However, one day, he did not return home after get off work. Lao Zhang and Lao Chen searched for him for a long time but couldn't find him.
It was not until a week later that Lao Zhang received an envelope containing a lock of Zhang Xiaodi's hair and a piece of white paper with a bloody handprint.
Old Chen fainted at that moment. Old Zhang was really at a loss this time and could only come to Xie Chengye again to ask him for help.
Xie Chengye said: "I have no other choice. If you want me to help you, I can only ask you to call the police."
"Then my son's job..."
"Zhang Qi! It's already this late! You're still thinking about working? Wake up! Your son is useless, he won't go to work anymore! He's been absent from work for a week!" Xie Chengye said, "The only thing you can do now is to find the police to rescue your son, then lock him up at home, and wait until he completely quits gambling, then you can be considered to have saved him!"
Old Zhang felt as if he was struck by lightning and could not even stand steadily.
Xie Chengye said: "What do you think? Do you want to save your son?"
"I'll save..."
"Okay, I'll go find the police now!" Xie Chengye pulled him out.
Afterwards, Zhang Xiaodi was rescued by the police, and the gang was caught in one fell swoop, with basically no one escaping the net, because they really didn't expect that Lao Zhang would choose to bring the police with him this time.
They thought that a doting parent like Lao Zhang would just pay the money obediently, so no one made any preparations to escape and they were all caught.
Naturally, Zhang Xiaodi lost his job. Lao Zhang and Lao Chen locked him at home and wouldn't let him go out. He sat in front of the window every day like a fool, grinning at passers-by.
After the police closed the case and returned part of the money that Lao Zhang and his friends had paid, the couple came to their door again.
Xia Qingtang was a little puzzled: "Looking for me? What's the matter?"
Others also looked at the couple with strange eyes. Lao Chen lowered his head and didn't dare to speak. Lao Zhang said, "It's like this. The police have investigated the case thoroughly. Xiao Di was cheated out of so much money before. The police have returned part of what they found to us. Now, we have 1,500 yuan in our hands. I thought, if I borrow some more and make up 2,600 yuan, I can buy back the old house..."
Xia Qingtang burst out laughing: "Comrade Zhang, are you joking?"
"I'm not kidding. I had no choice but to sell the house before, as you all know..."
"I know. I still say the same thing. If you can control your son from gambling, you won't have to force you as parents to sell the house." Xia Qingtang said, "I don't care whether you have money now or not. Not to mention that you don't have enough money. Even if you have enough money, the house is already in my name. I won't sell it."
"Why are you like this? Are you still unreasonable?" Lao Zhang got angry.
Xie Chengye kicked over a chair with a bang. "What are you talking about? Who is unreasonable? When your family had no money to save your son's life, you came to us to borrow money. I gave you 300 yuan. Later, when the money was not enough, you took the initiative to come and sell the house! At that time, we invited Teacher Liu and Comrade Tan to come as witnesses. I can invite them here now and ask them to tell us who is unreasonable!"
Lao Zhang shrank back and said, "But that is my lover's old house after all..."
"I don't care whether it's an old house or not. You sold the things voluntarily. There's no reason to regret now. We won't sell them! Both of you get out! Oh, no, you have to give me back the three hundred yuan I lent you first! Since you have fifteen hundred now, pay me back quickly!" Xie Chengye seemed really angry.
Old Zhang was also furious. He pointed at Xie Chengye's nose and cursed: "After all these years, I have misjudged you! I didn't expect you to be such a shameless person!"
Xie Chengye was so angry that he laughed: "It is only natural to pay back debts. Now that you don't pay back the money, I am the one who is shameless?"
"Three hundred yuan, right? I'll give it back to you! But just wait, I'm going to teach your whole family a lesson! It's said that Xie Qiming has been honest all his life, but his daughter-in-law has so much cash in her hands. I want to see how honest your family is! I'm going to report you now!" Old Zhang said as he was about to walk out.
Xie Jinxuan pulled the man back, and Lao Zhang shouted, "What are you doing? Are you feeling guilty? I know your family's money didn't come from a legitimate source! Damn, the whole house is full of people who use dirty money, and they're robbing other people's old houses!"
Xie's mother suddenly walked over and slapped him hard in the face.
Lao Zhang and Lao Chen were both shocked. Lao Chen asked, "Why are you hitting someone?"
"What's wrong with beating you? Don't you two shameless people deserve to be beaten? When you were in trouble, my old Xie lent you 300 yuan, but you still didn't have enough money. My daughter-in-law paid to buy your house so that you could save your son's life. Not only do you not feel grateful to our family, but you even think we are shameless?" Mother Xie said loudly, "Don't you want to know how my daughter-in-law got the money? Qingtang, tell them yourself, where did your money come from! Did we, the elders, give it to you?"
Xia Qingtang said: "How can grandpa, grandma, dad and mom have so much money? This money is naturally earned by myself. This is a huge sum of money!"
"You're talking nonsense! How can a young man like you earn so much money?" Old Zhang cursed incoherently, covering his red left cheek.
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