"I'm saying, don't you guys have anything new to say? All you ever do is play these empty emotional cards. Aren't you tired of it? I'm sick of hearing it."
As Chen Zhanshan spoke, he gave the two of them a disapproving look.
"Alright, stop talking. I need to go to the sugar shop. If you don't have anything else, you should leave now!"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Chen's face immediately darkened. "Zhanshan, you're being a bit unreasonable. I'm your father, how come you can't even call me 'father'? Have you grown wings?"
"Yes, Zhanshan, your father hasn't finished speaking yet, how can you send us away? There are no outsiders at home now, your parents just want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, how can you not know what's good for you!" Old Mrs. Chen chimed in.
Chen Zhanshan knew the old couple's character all too well; they were using both soft and hard tactics, and who knew what kind of mischief they were plotting next.
Listening to their insincere nonsense only made me feel ironic.
"Stop talking. Ever since you kicked me out of the old house and severed all ties with me, you have no one like you anymore."
If you want to have heartfelt words, you should go to your most valued third son, not to me, a nobody from the countryside.
"My son, I had my reasons for doing what I did back then." Old Mrs. Chen feigned sadness and wiped her eyes as if to say, "If I hadn't pushed you back then and kicked your whole family out, how would Qingya have become so clever? Your family's life wouldn't have gotten better and better. It was all my good intentions!"
Chen Zhanshan chuckled, "So I should thank you then!"
"No need for that."
Old Mrs. Chen quickly composed herself, her eyes instantly reddening, and took the opportunity to explain her purpose.
"Zhanshan, my dear son, to tell you the truth, our family is having a hard time right now. Do you think you can help your parents out? We don't need much, just enough to buy a bag of fine rice."
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Chen Zhanshan's hand, but Chen Zhanshan dodged to the side.
"Are you sure you've got the right person? Your third son is a top scholar. You brag about how filial and capable he is every day in the village. Even if you want to sell fine rice, you should go to him, not me. Besides, I don't have any money to give you."
"Zhanshan, you're joking. Your family is the most prosperous in Nanshan Village right now. Who would believe you if you said you're broke?"
“All the money in our family was earned by Qingya through hard work. It has nothing to do with me. The reason our family is doing well is because my daughter is capable, and we can enjoy the good life with her.”
"Oh my good son, stop begging at the grave like a beggar, stop crying poverty, okay?"
Old Mrs. Chen was losing patience, but in order to get some money, she had to force herself to be patient.
"I'm begging you, I'm practically begging you. Even if you don't care about anything else, just consider that I gave birth to you, you can give me something, however small. Don't keep saying you don't have money, do you think I'm stupid!"
Seeing that Chen Zhanshan remained unmoved, Old Man Chen gritted his teeth in anger. This heartless scoundrel was getting more and more outrageous!
In the past, two harsh words and a good scolding would have been enough to make him kneel on the ground, kowtow, and admit his mistake, and he would have had to pay a whole penny as a tribute.
But now that he's rich and powerful, he has no choice but to be humble and subservient in order to gain some benefits.
Thinking of this, he quickly put on a smile and said,
"Zhanshan, your mother is right. We're all so old now. Since we've come to you for help, you should at least offer some token of appreciation."
"Even if you don't care about the monk, you should care about the Buddha; even if you don't care about the fish, you should care about the water." Giving you more is your way of showing your appreciation, but if you give less, we'll be happy too, don't you agree?
Chen Zhanshan was so angry he laughed. They were so shameless. He knew that if he set a precedent today, these old couple would be like a stubborn plaster that he couldn't shake off.
To prevent such a thing from happening, he coldly refused.
As the saying goes, it is a favor to help, and it is one's right not to help.
I have no money, and even if I did, I wouldn't give you a single penny.
"You don't need to play the victim and cry poverty in front of me. Everyone knows you just sold your land two months ago; how could you be short of money for food?"
Old Mrs. Chen was taken aback. It turned out that she didn't know that her third son had already gone to take the imperial examination. No wonder he was so hard to beat.
She forced a smile.
“Oh my good son, your third brother is taking the imperial examination this year, and I’ve already given him all the money.”
Chen Zhanshan snorted, his words tinged with sarcasm, "You guys are really something, risking starvation to make sure your third son is well taken care of. Your love for your son is truly admirable."
"Look at you, saying such hurtful things again. As the saying goes, 'A poor family should be well-off on the road.' Your third brother has it tough traveling. If he ends up losing everything, wouldn't that be a real problem?"
After finishing her sentence, Old Mrs. Chen looked at Chen Zhanshan expectantly, but seeing his indifferent expression and dismissive attitude, she immediately became angry.
"Chen Zhanshan, hurry up and be straightforward. Stop talking with veiled barbs and sarcastic remarks. I don't owe you anything; you're the only one who owes me. I won't ask for much today; just give me five taels of silver."
"Five taels of silver?" Chen Zhanshan laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "You gave all your money to the third brother, and now you have no money for food and come to me for it. Do you think I'll give it to you?"
Old Mrs. Chen was so angry that her face turned pale. "Why are you saying such awful things? What do you mean by giving all the money to the third son? The third son is going to take the imperial examination, not go sightseeing. The third son is the pride of our family. In the future, we are counting on him to bring honor to our Chen family."
“That’s right, your mother is right. We’re only spending a little money now. When Zhancai passes the imperial examination and returns, he will be a respected official. As the saying goes, ‘A clean prefect for three years earns 100,000 taels of silver.’ If you give us some now, your mother and I will remember it and repay you double later.” Old Man Chen said casually.
Chen Zhanshan didn't want to hear any more of this baseless nonsense. "Alright, alright, go do whatever you need to do. I don't have any money for you."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Chen's face immediately turned extremely ugly. "Chen Zhanshan, are you even human? Do you have any conscience? I'm your own father. I've already said this much. Even if I'm a beggar, you can't let me go out empty-handed, can you?"
"That's right, I really raised you for nothing." Old Mrs. Chen was also furious, but she was still not giving up. "Chen Zhanshan, I don't need the money, but can I borrow it? I won't lend you more than that. Just lend me five taels of silver, and when Zhancai comes back, I'll pay you back six taels. Is that alright?"
Chen Zhanshan felt that the old couple were truly hopeless; they were still the same as before, shameless and without any moral compass.
He waved his hand helplessly, "You guys should leave now, I don't have any money on me."
That heartless bastard has a completely corrupt conscience and doesn't care about them at all.
Old Man Chen was trembling with anger. Not wanting to make a fool of himself any further, he said to Old Woman Chen…
"Old woman, this spendthrift has no humanity at all. Let's go, let's not stay here and put up with his attitude and suffer this humiliation!"
......
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