Chapter 347 - 304: Sent Back Overnight
Chapter 347: Chapter 304: Sent Back Overnight
Liang Xiaoju had a sudden burst of defiance, raising her voice and turning on Xiao Man, going toe-to-toe with her. The other three girls, like frightened little chicks, huddled by the door and stared dumbly. Not one of them dared to speak up and mediate.
Grandpa, having finished his bath, was walking back and happened to hear Liang Xiaoju’s last few remarks. He bellowed from the doorway, "Liang Xiaoju, who taught you to talk like that, huh? Did you grow up this big and go to school for all those years just to learn nothing? You don’t have a shred of decency!"
Grandma’s face was already pale with rage. She reached a trembling hand toward Grandpa. "You... just how vast is your family fortune? How much wealth have you handed out to your relatives to attract all these greedy eyes? During the day, it was Ahua bringing her son and grandson over to twist a knife in my heart, and now tonight, another one shows up wanting to fight Xiao Man for our property! Amu, how much do you even have? A lot of money, is that it? Oh, I forgot—you got that bank loan, so you’re rolling in cash, more than you can spend! Fine! Take it all out and give it away! It’s clear I’m not destined for a good life. I might as well move back into that old, rotten hut and live a miserable, impoverished life, despised by everyone! Maybe then if I just starve to death, all our problems will disappear!"
Grandpa saw that Grandma’s eyes were red and brimming with tears. His heart ached for her. He reached out to wipe her tears with his sleeve and softened his tone. "Now, look at you. Don’t get so worked up. You don’t want to strain your eyes again, not after Manman went to so much trouble... The children are just being brats. Scold them if you want to scold them. You can’t just let them run wild."
Grandma pushed his hand away. "They’re your Mo family relatives. Their egos are bigger than the sky, and you’re the one who props them up, afraid to offend a single one. How could *I* dare to scold them? If they had even an ounce of respect for me, they wouldn’t pull such shameless stunts again and again!"
She pointed at his feet. "Pick that money up. Don’t step on it. I have to sell several pounds of vegetables just to make one yuan! If they don’t want it, fine! I can use it to buy salt! From this day forward, other than my granddaughter, no one is getting another cent from me!"
Grandpa picked the bill up from the floor. His face darkened. His heavy gaze swept over the girls before settling on Liang Xiaoju. "You thought it was too little?"
Liang Xiaoju, who had started crying after Grandpa yelled at her, still had tear stains on her face. She quickly shook her head. "I didn’t think it was too little! I just think Grand-aunt plays favorites! She gave us each one yuan right in front of everyone, but she held Xiao Man back. She’s going to give her something else after we leave. Who knows how much she’ll get? It’s not fair!"
"..." Grandpa’s lips moved, but no words came out. He seemed to have been struck dumb by his grand-niece’s twisted logic.
Xiao Man scoffed. "Liang Xiaoju, I’ve been a fool once myself, so I’d never call you a fool—that would be an insult to my own past. Do you think Grandma is going to give me extra money? You’re dead wrong. Ever since I started studying in the county town, Grandpa and Grandma give me my money once a year, enough for the whole year. I have no need for pocket money from them! Besides, Grandma knew I didn’t want to go to the movies, which is why she told you not to worry about me. Liang Xiaoju, you’re the greedy one here! Want to steal this house from me, fight for this inheritance? Feel free to dream about it at night, but once you wake up, you’d better stop thinking about it. You don’t want to develop an ailment with no cure!"
Liang Xiaoju bit her lip and glared at Xiao Man, then turned and stomped her foot, shouting at Grandpa, "Grand-uncle, look at her! Did you hear the things she’s saying?"
Grandpa nodded. "I saw. And I heard."
He took the one-yuan bill and went into the inner room. He came out quickly and headed for the door, turning back to say to Grandma, "I’m going over to Lin Lao Liu’s place. I’ll be right back."
Then he instructed Liang Xiaoju and the other three girls, "You wait here for me. Don’t go out!"
Liang Xiaoju ran after him. "Grand-uncle, hurry back! We still want to go to the movies."
Her only answer was the CLANG of the courtyard gate shutting.
’Isn’t Lin Lao Liu the village tractor driver?’ Xiao Man thought. ’Grandpa’s going to find him this late at night...’ She glanced up at Liang Xiaoju, who was out on the threshing ground, jumping about and knocking pears from a tree with a bamboo pole. Xiao Man shook her head. ’This girl seems a lot shrewder than I was in my past life, but I still think she’s an idiot, a fool, and completely clueless!’
Sure enough, just as she’d predicted, Grandpa had Lin Lao Liu drive his tractor right up to their gate. CLANG-CLANG-CLANG, it rattled to a stop. He was sending the four girls back to the Liang Family that very night. Grandma didn’t object. Shangling Village was only a few miles away; it wasn’t far, and the round trip wouldn’t take long.
Liang Xiaoju was using a small sickle to peel a pear. When she heard Grandpa say he was sending them home, she froze for a moment, then immediately burst into tears. WAHHH. She refused to get on the tractor, but the other three girls were willing to go back. In the end, she had no choice but to go along.
The four girls sat in the tractor’s trailer. Xiao Man worried Grandpa wouldn’t be able to handle them all, and since she had nothing better to do anyway, she climbed onto the tractor as well to go with him.
The tractor was deafening and bumpy, but it moved pretty fast. Before long, they reached the entrance to Shangling Village. Xiao Man didn’t get off, just letting Grandpa walk the girls to their homes. Grandpa took a few bills from his pocket and gave one to each of them. Lin Lao Liu had already killed the engine, but his big flashlight was still on, and they could see the bills were five-yuan notes.
The other three girls took the money without a word, but Liang Xiaoju held the bill up to the light as if in disbelief. She looked at Grandpa and said, "Grand-uncle, I was actually planning to tell you today: my tuition is going up by a few yuan next semester. Also, my pants are too short and my shoes have holes in them. I need a new outfit... Grand-uncle, could you just give me fifty yuan for everything?"
Grandpa sighed. "Let’s go. Go home first. I’ll talk to your parents."
Lin Lao Liu watched them disappear into the village and let out a dry chuckle. He said to Xiao Man, who was perched on the edge of the trailer, "Your Grandpa... it’s a good thing he can make some money selling medicinal herbs. Who else could afford relatives like that? His older sister has several sons and daughters, and even more grandchildren below them. If they took turns visiting all year long, four or five at a time, and he hands out five yuan a pop... and then you have one who asks for fifty just like that... Good heavens! I’d have to haul rocks for days to earn fifty yuan. That’s a killer!"
Xiao Man smiled. "Grandpa can’t afford it either. Why else would he send them back in the middle of the night? If he let them stay until tomorrow and help with some chores, he’d have to give them each ten yuan. Otherwise, their grandma would come demanding to know why!"
Lin Lao Liu laughed heartily. "I couldn’t afford to have relatives visit like that! Luckily, everyone in my family is just as poor. You don’t give me anything, I don’t give you anything. Saves trouble for both sides!"
They had only exchanged a few more words when a loud commotion erupted from the village. A moment later, Grandpa came striding out, climbed into the trailer, and told Lin Lao Liu to start the tractor. As the vehicle U-turned and pulled away, the coarse voice of an old woman chased after them, cutting clear through the engine’s roar. "...Amu, you heartless bastard! You treat me like this for that rotten woman! You have a little money and you’d rather raise some stray than give it to your own flesh and blood... It serves you right you have no sons! May your family line die with you!"
In the deep darkness, Xiao Man, whose night vision was excellent, could see that Grandpa’s gaze was icy and resolute. His expression was a mixture of grief and bitterness. She couldn’t help but sigh to herself.