Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Yi Zhonghai didn't respond, and just kept staring at Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu only spoke when she started to panic: "Huairu..."

"Although I'm old, I'm not deaf..."

“I heard everything that happened in the yard just now.”

"Although Kuihua went to the Civil Affairs Bureau with you to get a marriage certificate, she did not actually get a marriage certificate with the man. Moreover, she has now left Beijing, so it is almost impossible for her to marry the person you and Jia Zhangshi introduced."

"You already returned the two hundred yuan dowry they gave you yesterday, so there's no way you'll get the remaining few hundred yuan... Where did you get fifteen hundred yuan from? Are you trying to fool me?"

Qin Huairu panicked and quickly explained, "Old Yi..."

"Although the bride price fell through, I managed to get a few hundred yuan from other places..."

"Anyway, I've already scraped together 1,500 yuan. As long as you give me the 1,600 yuan I borrowed by mortgaging the house, I can go pay Bang Geng's fine right away..."

"It's getting dark soon, there's no time left... You have to believe me..."

"Give me the money first. After I pay the fine and rescue the dog, I'll explain to you where I got the few hundred dollars."

Seeing that Qin Huai was stubborn and still wouldn't admit that he hadn't raised enough 1,500 yuan, Yi Zhonghai spoke up again.

"Since you're going to pay the fine..."

"Then you must have that 1,500 yuan on you... Let me see it. If you really manage to get 1,500 yuan back, I'll give you the 1,600 yuan I borrowed this morning..."

"I don't want Banggeng to be sentenced to prison and never be able to get married in the future."

"Besides, it won't take me more than a few minutes to look at this 1,500 yuan..."

Seeing Qin Huairu frowning and not responding, Yi Zhonghai continued, "You're not trying to fool me, are you? You haven't actually scraped together 1,500 yuan, have you...?"

“If you can’t even scrape together 1,500 yuan, even if I give you the 1,500 yuan I borrowed this morning, it won’t be enough to pay Bang Geng’s fine…”

"What do you need so much money for? You don't mean to keep it for yourself, do you?"

Qin Huairu certainly wouldn't take out the fines she had collected, because there was no 1,500 yuan as Yi Zhonghai had said; there was only about 700 yuan, less than half of 1,500 yuan.

But he couldn't admit it, otherwise, given Yi Zhonghai's vigilance and shrewdness, he certainly wouldn't have handed over 1,500 yuan to him.

He immediately put on a wronged expression and said, "Old Yi..."

"Is that how you see me, Qin Huairu,...?"

"You don't believe what I just said?"

In order to conceal the fact that he no longer owns any property, Yi Zhonghai is going all out today, without worrying at all whether his next words will offend Qin Huairu or cause them to become enemies.

Because as long as Qin Huairu believes that she still owns the house and wants the house she lives in now, even if there are conflicts between the two of them, she will continue to support her in her old age; otherwise, all her previous efforts will be in vain.

Meeting Qin Huairu's gaze, he answered directly, "Huairu..."

"I really don't believe what you're saying..."

"We've known each other for so many years, you know what kind of person I am, and I know what kind of person you are."

“If you don’t raise 1,500 yuan, the 1,600 yuan I borrowed by mortgaging my house will be gone once it’s in your hands.”

"By then I'll have no money, no house, how will I take care of myself in my old age..." "If this 1,600 yuan can really save Bang Geng, I'm willing to pay it, but if you're trying to take advantage of this 1,600 yuan, I won't hand it over to you no matter what."

Seeing Qin Huairu remain silent with a sullen face, Yi Zhonghai spoke again: "You're not going to tell me that the 1,500 yuan isn't on me, are you...?"

"You might be able to fool a fool with this kind of talk, but there's no need to say it to me."

“I saw it clearly just now; the two hundred yuan dowry you gave back to the other party was taken out of your pocket.”

"A handful of 'big unison' coins, at least seven or eight hundred yuan..."

Since Yi Zhonghai had already said something sarcastic, there was no point in Qin Huai arguing any further. She stared at Yi Zhonghai with a face full of resentment.

"Old Yi, you're right, I just couldn't scrape together 1,500 yuan..."

"We've only managed to scrape together seven hundred yuan so far, and even with the sixteen hundred yuan you borrowed, it's only two thousand three hundred yuan..."

"But there are still a few hours left before the deadline for paying the fine."

“If you give me 1,600 yuan, I will definitely raise all the fines for Bang Geng.”

"If we can't raise the fine and fail to rescue Banggeng, I'll definitely return the 1,600 yuan to you immediately..."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and replied, "You've schemed against me too many times. I don't believe you anymore..."

"I definitely won't give you this money now..."

"But I won't return it to them before tomorrow."

"Once you've scraped together 1,500 yuan and shown it to me for confirmation, I'll give you the remaining 1,600 yuan right away..."

"wrong……"

"If you can scrape together 1,400 yuan, I'll give you 1,600 yuan and go with you to pay the fine for Bang Geng..."

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was sticking to his bottom line and wouldn't budge, and no matter how she tried to persuade him, it was no use, Qin Huairu was filled with anger, but she didn't dare to vent it in front of Yi Zhonghai.

Because in her eyes, Yi Zhonghai was holding the 1,600 yuan fine that saved Banggeng.

Once Yi Zhonghai is angered, even if you manage to borrow 1,400 yuan by chance, Yi Zhonghai will not give you the 1,600 yuan, and in the end you still won't be able to rescue Bang Geng.

Disappointed, she quickly left Yi Zhonghai's room and returned to the Jia family to discuss with Jia Zhangshi where to get the remaining seven hundred yuan to make up the one thousand four hundred yuan that Yi Zhonghai demanded.

…………

The detention center where the three Yan brothers and Bang Geng are held.

As the deadline for paying the fine drew closer, Yan Jiefang, the second son of the Yan family, became increasingly anxious.

He signed the divorce agreement that Yan Fugui brought the day before yesterday.

According to Yan Fugui's father, as long as he agrees to the divorce and signs the divorce agreement, his wife will borrow money from Wang Dong to pay the fine and redeem him. From then on, the two of them will have no relationship whatsoever.

My wife works at Dongjun Hotel as a front desk supervisor. Her monthly salary and bonuses total over one hundred yuan.

She should be able to easily earn two thousand yuan at the restaurant, after all, that's more than a year's salary for her.

He thought Yan Fugui would come with money to pay his fine the next day, but two years have passed and he is still locked up in the detention center with no sign of being released. (End of Chapter)