Chapter 12: Ask My Dad for the Money

Jiang Hanyan didn't look at the clothes in her hands; instead, she picked out a few eye-catching pieces and asked, "How much?"

Xu Dongmei sullenly tossed down the clothes she was holding, intentionally inflating the price. "Zhaodi, you really have good taste. These are all pure cotton, high-quality material, so the price is high too. How about this: I'll give them to you all at cost. It comes to a total of one hundred and eight yuan. I'll waive the change; just give me a hundred. I'm not making a single cent, and I'm even losing money on the bus fare."

She muttered through a series of calculations, having raised the price by ten yuan for every single item.

"I'll take them all."

Jiang Hanyan's expression didn't change as she gathered the clothes. She also picked out two pairs of shoes and had Doudou try them on; the size was quite suitable.

"That'll be one hundred and fifty in total. Zhaodi, your man must have struck it rich! I have to say, you're just lucky. Now that your life is getting better, don't forget to help out Tianbao; you two are biological siblings, after all." Xu Dongmei and Xu Donghua, the two sisters, shared the same tune.

Jiang Hanyan packed up the clothes and shoes and said coldly, "Ask my father for the money!"

With that, she turned to leave. Lu Chen picked up Doudou and followed closely behind. Xu Dongmei reacted quickly enough and moved to chase after them to scold her, but when she met Lu Chen's icy gaze, she was so frightened she didn't dare utter a single word. She watched sullenly as the family of three walked away with their heads held high.

"Shameless, ptooey!"

Xu Dongmei spat on the ground and went back to record the debt. The one hundred and fifty became one hundred and eighty, which she would later demand from Father Jiang.

Jiang Hanyan also managed to score some dried fish for free. The shop was run by her uncle, Jiang Tianbao's biological father.

"Ask my father for the money."

After saying this, Jiang Hanyan hid behind Lu Chen and even gave him a little push forward. Lu Chen came face-to-face with Uncle Jiang. Uncle Jiang was a head shorter than Lu Chen, so he had to look up when speaking. Originally full of rage, Uncle Jiang felt a chill run down the back of his neck the moment he saw Lu Chen's cold face.

"I... I'll ask my brother for the money."

Uncle Jiang chickened out. There were rumors that Lu Chen had once beaten someone to death; he didn't know if it was true, but he believed it was. Otherwise, how could he have gone to prison twice?

"Uncle, these dried bamboo shoots are good. I'll buy some."

Jiang Hanyan had spotted something good. Dried bamboo shoots were delicious when stewed with meat. She unceremoniously took several pounds of them. Combined with the dried fish, it amounted to several dozen yuan. Uncle Jiang's heart ached at the loss, but he didn't dare say anything, offering a smile that looked more like a cry.

The family of three headed home carrying various large and small bags. Lu Chen was very satisfied with this trip to the market. Aside from the three yuan and eighty cents spent on vegetables, he hadn't spent a single cent on anything else. This woman, Jiang Hanyan, was becoming more and more in sync with him.

"I can't carry all this. Take me and Doudou home first."

Jiang Hanyan made the demand as if it were a matter of course, even holding out her hand to show Lu Chen the red marks left by the plastic bags.

"Mhm."

Lu Chen tied everything down and waited until they were seated before starting the vehicle. On the way back, Jiang Hanyan's "claws" remained as they always were, yet Lu Chen discovered that the fluttering in his heart had mysteriously vanished.

It was as if those claws were meant to reach inside his clothes, rather than anywhere else.

He shook his head, refusing to dwell on such messy thoughts. Based on Jiang Hanyan's excellent performance, he hadn't touched a single cent of his five thousand yuan. Upon arriving home, Lu Chen showed great mercy by using both hands to help Jiang Hanyan out of the vehicle.

Lu Chen carried the things into the house before riding his bike away.

"Are you coming home for lunch?" Jiang Hanyan's voice drifted out.

"Yes!"

Lu Chen turned back to answer. The cold wind blew against his face, but his heart felt a bit warmer.

Since his grandfather died, no one had ever asked him if he was coming home for a meal again.

Lu Chen smiled and sped up, wanting to pay back the money quickly so he could go home to eat. There was so much meat today.

The five thousand yuan were all debts owed by the village of Jiang Hanyan's maternal family. Lu Chen went from house to house to repay them, crossing names off his notebook as he went. The yellowish paper was filled with names and amounts; the names on the first few pages had been crossed out with a red pen, leaving several pages remaining.

Some creditors had already passed away, but their children were still around, so the debts had to be paid. This was what Grandfather had instructed.

"You child, we already said there's no need to pay. Come inside and sit."

The last household belonged to an elderly couple whose children all worked in big cities. The old lady warmly prepared sweet wine rice cakes for Lu Chen. After Grandfather Lu passed away, she and her husband had told Lu Chen that the debt was wiped clean, but they were still happy that Lu Chen came to repay it, feeling that he was a good boy.

"Eat some sweet wine rice cakes. I heard you married the Jiang family girl, Jiang Hanyan? And you even have a child?" the old lady asked with concern.

"It's a misunderstanding. No child."

Lu Chen told the truth. This elderly couple were good friends of his grandfather and had helped him a lot over the years; he couldn't lie to them.

"Then is Jiang Hanyan still living at your house?"

"Yes, she has nowhere else to go, so she's staying there temporarily."

Lu Chen nodded and took a sip of the sweet wine. The old lady had added a lot of white sugar, making it very sweet, and the rice cakes were very soft. In truth, he didn't like eating things that were overly sweet and soft, but since it was the old lady's kindness, he finished it all.

"Then you mustn't bully that girl. Eat lunch at home. Old man, go kill a chicken quickly!" the old lady said with a smile.

"I won't be eating. I said I'd be home for lunch before I left."

Lu Chen declined, but the old lady just smiled and said with relief, "It's good to eat at home. Take this chicken home to eat."

The old man returned with a grand, spirited rooster. The rooster seemed to know its end was near, struggling desperately and trying to peck at the old man's hand, but its wings of fate were gripped tight, making its efforts futile.

"This rooster is quite fierce; it bullies the hens so much they're afraid to lay eggs. A-Chen, take it home and slaughter it for a meal," the old man said chuckling.

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhou, Grandma Zhou."

Lu Chen accepted the couple's kindness. The rooster seemed to have accepted its fate, hanging its head limply without any more struggling.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get you some vegetable cores. After the first lunar month, the vegetables bolt every day. If you don't eat them, they'll get old. In the city, you have to buy everything. Now that you have a wife and child, you must save your money."

Grandma Zhou chattered away as she carried a basket to the vegetable garden, which was right by the doorstep. Lu Chen wanted to explain that Jiang Hanyan wasn't his wife, but the old lady had already walked far away, and he wouldn't be heard even if he spoke.

The elderly couple picked a full basket of vegetable cores and insisted Lu Chen take them all.

"Come back for more when you've finished them. We have plenty of vegetables at home; don't waste money buying them." Grandma Zhou looked at Lu Chen kindly. Others said this child was a bully, but that was all nonsense; he was clearly a good boy. Those who spread rumors surely weren't afraid of being struck by lightning.

Lu Chen bid the elders farewell and rode away. There were many people in the village, so he didn't ride fast. Before long, he was intercepted by someone—it was Jiang Tianbao.

Having lost his beloved dog, Jiang Tianbao had lost his appetite and lost three pounds in just a few days, which had broken Father Jiang's heart. His allowance had been doubled, and with more money on hand, Jiang Tianbao's mood immediately improved. He had bought many loud firecrackers and was setting them off by the roadside. Whenever he saw a woman or a child approaching, he would throw a lit firecracker toward them, causing the women to scream and the children to wail, while Jiang Tianbao laughed hysterically.

Seeing someone approaching on a motorcycle from a distance, Jiang Tianbao came up with a wicked scheme. He twisted the fuses of three firecrackers together, lit them, and threw them toward Lu Chen, hoping to see the motorcycle flip into the nearby farmland.

(End of Chapter)