Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chen Qiang's voice echoed, and Ding Cuihua awkwardly halted her actions. She quickly moved the cabinet aside, revealing the ground beneath. After removing a brick, she retrieved the money hidden inside, counting it with a pained expression, making sure not to take too much.
With gritted teeth, she swallowed her anger and stepped out, shoving the money into Lu's father's embrace. She avoided looking at him, fearing that another glance would weaken her resolve to part with it.
Lu's father immediately handed the money over to Chen Qiang, who rewarded him with an appreciative glance. This old man was perceptive; he knew when to advance and when to retreat—a rare kind of cleverness.
Chen Qiang counted the cash in his hands, confirming everything was in order before stuffing it into his pocket. He smiled at Lu's father, signaling that they were done with this matter.
Turning to Zhang Qi, he added, "Our business isn’t finished yet. You need to return the money I gave your family first; otherwise, my whole family will be living with you."
"You... on what grounds? Zhang Yan has been gone for so long; you've taken all the advantages already. Why should you ask us for money?" The daughter-in-law of the Zhang family glared at Chen Qiang. She pushed Zhang Qi away and looked at her mother-in-law in exasperation. "Mother, don’t pull me! Am I not speaking the truth? Why should he take all the benefits and still demand money from us?"
Zhang Qi felt a headache coming on from her foolish daughter-in-law’s words. This daughter-in-law was reckless, like a wild bull charging without restraint—always making things worse despite good intentions.
"Ah, quite impressive," Chen Qiang teased. "How about this: if you give me your daughter-in-law, I won’t ask for any money from you."
The daughter-in-law of the Zhang family grew even angrier at his audacity to flirt with her. Zhang Qi shot her a look, prompting her to pull her sister-in-law aside and cover her mouth.
"Shut up quickly; Mother is already angry."
Zhang Qi forced a smile at Chen Qiang. "Big brother, can we reduce the amount of money returned? My daughter-in-law has a point, but haven’t you made quite a bit yourself?"
"Not a single cent less! Otherwise, I won’t let your family off easily!" Chen Qiang retorted fiercely.
Zhang Qi felt frustrated as well; why should their large family be intimidated by a local thug? If there was blame to assign, it lay with Chen Qiang’s family being the largest clan in the village—numbers were not in their favor.
"Fine, I’ll give it to you," she conceded.
Encountering someone like him made Zhang Qi sigh inwardly about her misfortune. What sin had she committed that she had to part with money before it even warmed in her hands?
Chen Qiang left with two brothers in tow, tossing the money in his hand as he laughed, "Let’s go! We’ve got money now; drinks are on me!"
In the courtyard, apart from Wen Qian's family, everyone else wore grim expressions—especially the Zhang family members who looked as if they had just eaten something foul.
Zhang Qi trembled as she pointed at Lu's father. "You... your family is truly something else; you’ve calculated this perfectly."
From now on, be careful when dealing with our Zhang family. Don't let me catch you off guard.
With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang Qi led his two daughters-in-law away, feeling that they had truly encountered a stroke of bad luck.
In the courtyard, Lu Yao and Ding Cuihua sat down on a bench, panting as if they had just run a marathon. When would these days of constant anxiety finally come to an end?
To be honest, Lu Yao and Ding Cuihua did not understand Lu Fu's intentions. He looked at his father in confusion, "Dad, what do you mean? Why are you doing this?"
"I have my reasons; don't ask," Lu Fu replied. "Help me inside to rest."
Ding Cuihua and Lu Yao assisted Lu Fu into the house. As soon as they entered, Lu Fu's gaze fell upon Zhang Yan, his eyes filled with an inscrutable depth that left Lu Yao puzzled.
Ding Cuihua's heart skipped a beat. She tightened her lips and glanced at Zhang Yan. That wretched woman... Surely, the old man isn't having other thoughts about her!
It must be all Zhang Yan's fault.
Curious, Lu Yao looked between Ding Cuihua and Lu Fu. "Dad, didn't we run out of money? How can we still come up with so much?"
Lu Fu raised his eyes and looked at him deeply. "Some things are better left unasked; some knowledge is best kept limited."
"Dad, I thought you were going to ask Lu Zheng and Wen Qian for money!"
This statement startled Ding Cuihua. She looked at Lu Fu in surprise. "Old man, they still have a large sum of money we haven't claimed yet! Once we get it, we'll have money again."
"Yes, Dad! Let's hurry and get the money; otherwise, once they leave, we won't be able to get it back!"
Lu Fu nodded. He felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.
"Dad, I'll go find the captain right now. I'm afraid they'll try to back out of paying us."
Every time it was Wen Qian and her group who brought the captain first to complain, catching them off guard. This time, he would call the captain first; he couldn't believe they would dare to deny their debts.
The more Lu Yao thought about it, the more pleased he became, a smile creeping onto his lips.
In the corner of the room, Zhang Yan had stopped trembling and crawled over to grab Lu Yao's arm. "Lu Yao, take me with you."
She dared not look into the eyes of Lu's father and Ding Cuihua; both of them seemed ready to devour her, and fear gripped her heart.
Lu Yao, irritated, shoved her aside. "What do I need you for? You're just a burden!"
Zhang Yanfei followed Lu Yao into the courtyard, but he pushed her away, leaving her sprawled on the ground in embarrassment.
Had Lu Yao grown to despise her? What was she supposed to do now?
Lu's father and Ding Cuihua settled down in the courtyard, their gazes fixed squarely on Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan hurriedly stood up and retreated a few steps into the house, trembling uncontrollably as she fought back quiet sobs. She couldn't cry out loud; if Lu's father and Ding Cuihua got angry, her life would become even more unbearable.
Ding Cuihua furrowed her brow, worry etched on her face as she glanced at Lu's father. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Old man, is there going to be another problem?"
They could hardly endure any more turmoil; their old bones were close to breaking from it all.
As she pondered this, Ding Cuihua lowered her gaze in confusion at Lu's father and glanced toward the house. The money they had just taken out was something Lu's father had only recently informed her about. Why had he kept it from her? Was she not supposed to know?
Lu's father patted Ding Cuihua on the shoulder and gently nodded toward the thatched cottage, signaling for them to come out. "Xiao Yao should be back soon."
Ding Cuihua banged on the door with force, her voice like a growl from deep in her throat. "Come out! Hurry up! We need to find you!"
The door swung open abruptly, cutting off Ding Cuihua's line of sight as a shadow fell over her from above. She slowly looked up and found herself face-to-face with Lu Zheng.
She quickly stepped back two paces, feeling a bit deflated, but then took two steps forward again, hands on her hips and head held high as she shouted, "Get out here! Stop dawdling inside! It’s not like you’re giving birth—giving birth would be faster than this! Hurry up!"
Comment 0 Comment Count