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As soon as Wen Hao returned home, his grandmother said to him, "Look how considerate Wen Cheng is! His mother is sick, and he just came to borrow money for her treatment. He even knelt down to your father and Xiang Shu!"
Wen Hao felt a twinge of displeasure and asked his grandmother, "Did my dad lend him money?"
Not noticing Wen Hao's expression, his grandmother replied, "Your dad gave him a thousand, and you Xiang Shu lent him five hundred. Wen Cheng knelt down and bowed three times to both your dad and Xiang Shu. You should learn from him!"
Upon hearing that his father had lent money to someone else, Wen Hao's frustration boiled over. He thought to himself that he hadn’t even spent any money yet, but they were lending it to Wen Cheng's family. Angrily, he told his grandmother, "We haven't spent any money ourselves, yet we're lending it to Wen Cheng's family. No way! I'm going to get it back!"
His grandmother hurriedly grabbed him, saying, "You dare! How can you be so inconsiderate? You want to go ask for it back right after he leaves? What will that do for your father's reputation?" She scolded him lightly.
Wen Hao's father complained to Wen Sheng's Grandmother, "What are you doing with him? You really are confused! You know how Wen Hao is." He was so anxious he started pacing.
Wen Sheng's Mother sighed and said to Wen Hao, "Wen Hao! Your aunt is seriously ill! It's only right for us to lend her some money for treatment. We're still close family!"
But Wen Hao was determined to get the money back, and no one could change his mind. His father couldn’t stop him either, so that night, Wen Hao rushed over to Wen Cheng's house to demand the money back. He left in a hurry and disappeared around the corner.
Meanwhile, Wen Sheng's Mother instructed Wen Sheng, "Wen Sheng! You should go check on him. Don’t let Wen Hao cause any trouble! When you get to Wen Cheng's house, do your best to stop him from asking for the money back. Wen Hao is being unreasonable!"
Wen Sheng agreed with his mother, saying, "Okay, I’ll go right now!" He turned back to Wen Xin and said, "You should go to bed early! You have class tomorrow!"
But then Wen Xin came over and grabbed Wen Sheng's hand. "No! I want to go too! I want to go with you!"
Wen Sheng's Mother pulled Wen Xin aside and coaxed her gently, "You shouldn’t go; it's really dark outside!"
Wen Xin pretended to cry, saying, "It's dark outside; I still want to go! Er Ge will be scared; I’ll keep him company!" She pouted and tried to charm her mother.
Wen Sheng's Father shot her a glare. Seeing this, Wen Xin fell silent and stood pouting in a corner while secretly glancing at Wen Sheng. Slowly she approached him again and took his hand without saying a word.
Wen Sheng had no choice but to relent: "Alright then! Just behave on the way."
Hearing that Er Ge wanted her to come along made Wen Xin very happy. She took hold of Wen Sheng’s hand as they headed out together into the dark night where the wind was blowing.
When Wen Hao arrived at Wen Cheng's house, Wen Cheng, Wen Ling, and their two younger sisters were all asleep. Wen Cheng's father had gone out to play cards. Wen Hao knocked loudly on the door, shouting, "Wen Cheng, come out!"
Wen Cheng and the others were startled awake by Wen Hao's commotion. Wen Cheng quickly put on his clothes and opened the door. Seeing Wen Hao, he was a bit surprised. "Wen Hao, brother, what brings you here so late?"
Wen Hao asked directly, "Did you borrow money from our family?"
Wen Cheng replied honestly, "Yes! Uncle lent me a thousand yuan, and Xiang Shu lent me five hundred. I'm planning to take my mom to the county hospital tomorrow for treatment!"
At that moment, Wen Cheng's mother also woke up and weakly called from inside, "Who is it? Is it Wen Hao? Come in!"
Although Wen Hao was somewhat inconsiderate, he didn't dare to be rude to Wen Cheng's mother. He politely replied, "No need, Auntie. I have something to discuss with Wen Cheng." Turning back to Wen Cheng, he added, "Just give me the money back! I need it for my motorcycle!"
Wen Cheng looked troubled. "Wen Hao, you see my mom really needs the money for her treatment. I've borrowed from all our relatives already. How about we let her get treated first? Once she's better, I'll pay you back even if I have to borrow more."
Wen Hao was a bit stubborn. "That's not acceptable! I still need money for my bike!" He started to push his way inside.
Just then, Reiko came out. Her hair was a bit messy as she hadn't had time to tidy it up before rushing out. Seeing Wen Hao, she pleaded with him, "Wen Hao, please have some pity on us! We only have one mom!" Reiko looked like she might cry.
Wen Cheng glanced at his sister and instructed her gently, "You go back inside! I'll talk to Wen Hao."
Seeing the look on Wen Ling's face made Wen Hao feel a twinge of sympathy. However, he remained unyielding. "That won't work; I still want to buy a bike!"
Wen Cheng blushed as he pleaded with Wen Hao again. "Come on, brother! Can't you let us take care of our mom first?"
Wen Hao remained silent and wore a stern expression. In the dark, his thin face appeared even more unappealing, and Wen Cheng felt a wave of nausea looking at him.
At that moment, Wen Sheng and Wen Xin arrived as well. They would have been there earlier if not for Wen Xin's slow pace. Wen Xin anxiously tugged at Wen Sheng's sleeve from behind and whispered, "Brother! What if the eldest brother gets angry and hits us?"
Wen Sheng chuckled and patted Wen Xin's head confidently. "He won't dare!" Just then, he spotted Wen Hao arguing with Wen Cheng. He stepped forward and called out to Wen Hao, "Wen Hao!"
Wen Sheng had never referred to him as 'brother' before; perhaps in his heart he had never acknowledged that Wen Hao was his older brother.
Wen Hao turned around to look at Wen Sheng with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing here?" He pointed at Wen Cheng with a grim face and said, "He won't give me my money back!" With his brothers arriving, it seemed like his courage had grown a little; he lifted his chin slightly.
Wen Sheng complained to Wen Hao, "Wen Hao! Stop messing around! Aunt is in such bad shape! Even if you don't care about Gang Shu and Wen Cheng, at least have some pity for Aunt and the few younger sisters!"
Wen Hao shot an angry glare at Wen Sheng and retorted, "You should be on my side! You’re siding with him! This is betrayal; I don’t have a brother like you!"
Wen Sheng thought to himself, I’ve never considered you my brother! But he kept that to himself. Instead, he urged Wen Hao, "Let’s head back. It’s so late; Aunt and the sisters need to rest. Wen Cheng has to see Aunt tomorrow. Who do you think you are, doing nothing?"
Wen Hao shoved Wen Sheng aside and shouted, "Don’t touch me, you traitor! I’ll beat you up later!" He pointed a finger at Wen Sheng. "Get lost, do you hear me?"
Wen Xin hurriedly pulled Er Ge back because Er Ge was injured and couldn’t take on Wen Hao! When Wen Cheng saw Wen Hao's demeanor, he suddenly laughed mockingly, "Why don’t you go hit Wen Sheng? I’ll watch. If you touch him, I’ll take you down! With your build, you wouldn’t even be enough for a single plate! Let me tell you, I won’t give you any money! The money is from my grandpa; as soon as he says the word, it’s mine. Your words are just hot air!"
Reiko rushed over when she saw Wen Cheng about to fight with Wen Hao and worriedly said, "Brother, don’t..."
Before Reiko could finish her sentence, Wen Cheng dismissively replied, "It’s fine! Go back to sleep. If Wen Hao dares to come in, I’ll beat him up!"
Usually looking weak and timid, when Wen Cheng stood his ground, he really had some presence. Wen Sheng and Wen Xin were stunned; of course, if Wen Cheng were to hit Wen Hao, there was no way Wen Sheng would intervene. He thought it would be just fine to give Wen Hao a good beating since their grandmother would protect him at home—no one would dare touch him!
Wen Hao was also taken aback and thought about grabbing a brick from the ground. However, seeing Wen Cheng staring at him made him hesitate; he was afraid that if he bent down, Wen Cheng would pin him to the ground and beat him up. Looking back at Wen Sheng showed no sign of support for him either, so he felt deflated. He secretly planned that on the way back home, he would give Wen Sheng a good thrashing to vent his frustration. He grinned at Wen Cheng and said, "Brother Wen Cheng! It’s my fault; let’s put this aside for now. It’s more important to see Aunt!"
Turning back to Wen Sheng, he added, "Brother! Let’s go!"
Wen Cheng didn’t think much of Wen Hao's sudden change in attitude and had no idea what he was plotting in his mind. He chuckled sarcastically, "Then I thank Brother Wen Hao!" The atmosphere lightened immediately.
Of course, Wen Sheng had no clue what was going on in Wen Hao's mind. Just as he was about to follow Wen Hao back home, Wen Ling appeared and said, "Brother Wen Hao! You should head back first! I need to discuss something with Brother Wen Sheng."
Wen Sheng was puzzled and asked Reiko curiously, "What does Wen Ling want to discuss with me?"
Wen Ling pretended to think for a moment before mumbling, "It’s not really a big deal or anything... Just that..." Then she turned back to ask Wen Cheng, "Brother! Can you let Brother Wen Hao go back first? Brother Wen Sheng and I need a long time to discuss!"
Wen Cheng also had no idea what they wanted to talk about. He told Wen Hao, "Brother! You should head back first! My sister and Brother Wen Sheng need a long time to discuss things!"
Wen Hao feigned concern and said, "Then I’ll wait for him!"
Wen Cheng sensed something was off; it was unusual for Wen Hao to be so agreeable. So he pushed a bit harder to get rid of him: "You don’t need to wait; just go back. If you’re worried, I’ll send him home later!"
Seeing that they wouldn’t let him wait any longer, Wen Hao had no choice but to leave. On the way home, he didn’t believe that Wen Cheng would actually send Wen Sheng back. He walked slowly on purpose as if waiting for him.
When Wen Hao walked away, Wen Cheng entered the house and asked Reiko, “Reiko! What’s going on between you and Wen Sheng?”
Reiko sighed and explained, “I noticed something strange about Wen Hao! I don’t know what he’s thinking. I’m worried that on the way back, he might confront Wen Sheng and Wen Xin!”
Wen Cheng frowned, somewhat unconvinced. “No way! Wen Sheng is his own younger brother!”
Reiko replied earnestly, “You know how Wen Hao can be; he’s unpredictable!”
Wen Cheng nodded, realizing his sister had a point. “Right, I’ll take Wen Sheng home later!”
At that moment, Wen Cheng's mother advised him, “Wen Cheng! You should return the money to your uncle’s family. I’m waiting for you to see if you can borrow some from other relatives. We can’t let Wen Hao get into a fight with our family again!”
Wen Sheng quickly interjected politely, “Aunt! It’s important for you to get medical treatment! My sister is still…” He hesitated, swallowing back any ominous words.
However, Wen Cheng's mother insisted that he take the money and see Wen Sheng home.
As the three of them walked along, Wen Xin spotted Wen Hao in the distance. “Er Ge! Look, big brother is waiting for us over there!” Sure enough, Wen Hao was sitting at the bridge waiting!
When Wen Hao turned around and saw the three of them, he realized that Wen Cheng had brought them back and thought it was futile. He hurriedly made his way back!
“Big brother is leaving!” Wen Xin tugged at Wen Sheng’s shirt in confusion. “Er Ge, carry me! I’m tired.” She smiled sweetly and playfully at him.
“Can’t you see your Er Ge’s arms? You little girl! Come here; I’ll carry you!” Wen Cheng crouched down for her.
Wen Xin grinned widely. “No need! I was just teasing Er Ge! Haha!”
Before they could even reach the door of Wen Sheng's house, they heard Wen Hao arguing with his father inside. Xiang Shu was also trying to persuade him. When he saw Wen Sheng and the others return, Xiang Shu called out to Wen Cheng, “Wen Cheng is here too! This kid is out of control; he’s fighting with his dad again!”
Wen Cheng quickly apologized, saying, “It’s my fault, Uncle! I think we should just return the money to you!” He discreetly wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes and added to Wen Sheng's father, “Uncle, I’m sorry for causing you trouble!”
Wen Sheng's father turned red in the face, unsure of how to respond. Xiang Shu came over to scold Wen Cheng: “Wen Cheng, how could you act like this? Aren’t you slapping your uncle in the face? Keep the money and use it for your mother’s medical treatment!”
Wen Cheng was in a difficult position. He glanced at Wen Hao, who was crouched in the corner. Wen Hao's grandmother was scolding him incessantly, while Wen Sheng's Mother stood by, too afraid to speak.
Xiang Shu called out to Wen Hao seriously, "Wen Hao, come here!" Wen Hao was a bit scared of Xiang Shu and walked over with his head down. "What’s wrong with you? How can you be so thoughtless! Let’s put aside the money for now; first, let Wen Cheng’s mother see a doctor! Can I take charge of this? So, will you give this face or not?"
Seeing that Xiang Shu was genuinely angry, Wen Hao didn’t dare to say anything further. He looked at Xiang Shu with some difficulty and said, "Uncle, about that..."
Xiang Shu snapped back, "What do you mean by 'about that'? Will you give the money or not? Don’t you just want a motorcycle? I’ll handle this; tomorrow I’ll go find Gao Liang! This is settled!" He turned back to Wen Sheng's Father and asked, "Brother! Can we make this decision? Will you give the money or not?"
Of course, since Xiang Shu insisted on it, Wen Sheng's Father didn’t dare refuse. Their families had a good relationship after all! Besides, it was for their own good. Wen Sheng's Father nodded.
"See? That’s settled then! Wen Hao has nothing to worry about now! Tomorrow, you’ll come with me to find Gao Liang; this matter is settled!" Xiang Shu turned back to Wen Cheng and said, "Wen Cheng! You can go home for now! Tomorrow we’ll take your mother to see a doctor!"
And just like that, Wen Cheng went home. Xiang Shu had also decided on buying the motorcycle in town tomorrow. If they got the bike, Wen Hao should improve; that’s what Wen Sheng's Mother thought…
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