Living in a Siheyuan

At this time, Li Ping'an was eating noodles with soybean sauce in a restaurant, but it was vegetarian. He had enough money now, but he had no meat coupons. Yesterday, he spent all the meat coupons that his family had saved on a plate of braised pork. Today, he could only watch others eat meat and make do with a bowl of noodles with soybean sauce.

When they were almost done eating, an old lady came over. Seeing that Li Ping'an was really in the restaurant, the old lady ran over and said to Li Ping'an, "Look at you kid, I was just about to cook and you ran out. Why are you wasting money? You are alone now, you should save money, because you still need to go to school and get married in the future."

Although the lady's voice was not loud, everyone around was busy eating and the restaurant was relatively quiet. Everyone looked up at Li Ping'an, which made him a little embarrassed. He had just finished eating and quickly pulled the lady out of the restaurant.

When they got outside, Li Pingan said to Auntie, "Auntie, I know what you want. But look at Jia Zhang's attitude? Anyway, you all said that Uncle and his family are not in big trouble, so you can just wait for him to come back home. There is no need for me to write any letter of understanding."

After saying that, Li Pingan wanted to leave. How could Auntie let him go? They had finally found him. Auntie grabbed Li Pingan's sleeve, tears welling up in her eyes. She said to Li Pingan, "Ping'an, your uncle and I have watched you grow up. We know you are a good kid. This time it was all your uncle's fault. Just give me some face and let him go. When he comes back, I will talk to him and ask him to apologize to you. If you are still angry, I will ask him to compensate you. Is that okay with you?"

It was lunchtime, and there were many people passing by. Seeing the old lady holding him with tears in her eyes, people pointed and talked, which made Li Pingan, a social animal, a little bit uncomfortable. He could only say to the lady: "Let's go back first."

After saying that, the aunt turned around and walked back. When she was almost at the door, she ran into Qin Huairu who was also looking for someone. So the three of them returned to the courtyard together.

The deaf old lady was still sitting at the door drinking water. When she saw the three people coming back, she said, "Young man from the Li family, don't be angry. I just beat up that crazy woman from the Jia family to vent your anger. If you are still not satisfied, let's go and deal with her together and let her cause trouble all day long."

Li Pingan said nonchalantly, "It's okay. I don't need to be angry with her. At most, I will just stop associating with her family in the future."

The deaf old lady knew that she couldn't move Li Pingan without giving something this time. So she said, "Young man from the Li family, I am old and have been waiting for you for a long time. Let's go in and talk. Don't worry, I will let Jia Zhang go back to her home."

Li Pingan thought about it and agreed. So they went to Yi Zhonghai's house in the middle courtyard.

When they got home, everyone sat down. Auntie poured water for Li Pingan and the deaf old lady. The deaf old lady came forward and said, "My child, I know it's not easy for you. Such a big thing happened at home. But you still have to go to school and get married. Let's not beat around the bush. Just tell me how to write a letter of understanding to Lao Yi and Dong Xu."

After the deaf old lady finished speaking, Auntie Yi and Qin Huairu also looked at Li Pingan nervously, fearing that he would not agree.

Li Ping'an didn't want to pretend anymore. He wanted to finish it quickly as he wanted to go buy seeds and other things in the afternoon. It would be best if he could also buy a bicycle and a watch.

Thinking of this, he said to the deaf old lady, "Old lady, you also know that my uncle is the deputy director of the branch. I heard that Yiye and Dongxu will go to the labor camp tomorrow. It is estimated that they will be there for at least three to five years or seven to eight years, right?"

After hearing this, several people were silent. It seemed that they knew everything. They were still trying to fool others. They should have spoken out earlier.

The deaf old lady also said: "It's good that you know, then just tell me your request."

Li Pingan hesitated for a while and said, "You also said that you need to go to school and get married. I don't have any income now. I won't ask for much. The eldest uncle is the main person responsible for this matter, so I want about two years' salary from him, which is 2,000 yuan. Jia Dongxu's salary is lighter, so I'll just ask for 1,000 yuan."

As Li Ping'an finished speaking, everyone in the room took a deep breath. They knew that they would bleed this time, but they didn't expect Li Ping'an to have such a big appetite. Nowadays, families that can save a few hundred yuan are considered wealthy families. Li Ping'an asked for three thousand yuan at the first request, which was really a big cut.

Before the deaf old lady could say anything, Qin Huairu said, "Brother Ping'an, isn't it the same as if you didn't say anything? Even if you sell all my family members, we can't come up with that much money."

The deaf old lady also continued, "That's right, who has so much money now? If you are sincere, I will let an aunt give it to you. Where can I find so much money for you now?"

The aunt next to her nodded quickly. Actually, her family was rich. Although the money was not much, they had saved a lot. It was just that no one wanted to spend so much at once.

Li Pingan waited for them to finish speaking before he said, "It sounds like a lot, but think about it, if the uncles go to jail, it will take at least three to five years or even longer, so they will have no income. Besides, if they go to jail, will the steel mill keep their jobs for them? They would have been fired long ago, wouldn't that be another loss? I only want two years' salary, so you're getting a big bargain. Besides, if they go to jail, not only will they suffer, but their reputation will also be ruined. Think about it again, I'll go back first, if you're willing, you can come to my house, if not, forget it."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to go home. When he reached the door, he said, "By the way, either both of you agree, or both of you don't agree. Otherwise, I won't write the letter of understanding."

Seeing that Li Ping'an had left, the deaf old lady said, "There is nothing we can do. This guy is determined to rip us off. Old Yi family, prepare the money."

The auntie also came to terms with it at this point. As long as the person was fine, spending some money would be considered a way to ward off disaster. So she nodded and said, "I'll go get the money now. Lao Yi has put all the money in the bank."

Seeing that Auntie was about to get up, Qin Huairu quickly grabbed Auntie and said, "Auntie, you know my family's situation. I really can't come up with so much money. Can you lend it to us first? When Dongxu comes back, I will ask him to pay you back slowly."

The aunt was in a dilemma. She didn't want to borrow so much money. Yi Zhonghai had lent Jia Dongxu so much money before and after, but he never paid it back. The Jia family was a deep pit that could not be filled. But if she didn't lend it now, the Jia family would definitely not be able to come up with so much money. When the time came, Li Ping'an said that she couldn't go alone, and they had to go together. She had no choice but to lend it.

When Aunt Yi was in trouble, the deaf old lady said, "Daughter-in-law of the Jia family, go back and talk to your mother-in-law first. Take as much as you can. If it is not enough, we can find a way. Mr. and Mrs. Yi don't have much money. It's good enough that they can take out their share. Don't count on your Aunt Yi for everything." After saying that, she winked at Aunt Yi.

The aunt also said: "Yes, Huairu, you go find your mother-in-law first. I have one thousand more than you, and I have to collect the money to make it complete."

Qin Huairu knew that she had no right to make a decision on this matter, so she planned to go back and discuss it with her mother-in-law.

After watching Qin Huairu leave, the deaf old lady said, "Just wait and see. In the end, your family will have to pay for this. It's harder to expect that crazy woman from the Jia family to pay than to ask for her life."

An old lady also agreed and said, "Forget it, let's just give as much as we can. We didn't expect much from her family anyway."

Besides, when Qin Huairu went home and told Jia Zhang about this, Jia Zhang was furious. She had saved up one thousand yuan for so many years, and the compensation from the factory after Lao Jia died was only six or seven hundred yuan. This damn Li Ping'an was going to empty her out in one go. Wasn't this asking for her life?

So she scolded Qin Huairu, "Where does the family get the money? How dare this little bastard ask for so much money? Is he going to buy himself a coffin? Go tell him that our family doesn't have a penny. The damn old deaf woman is really something. She thought she was so powerful, but she still wants to spend so much money. If she has money, let her pay. How can she do things like this?"

Qin Huairu had thought of this outcome a long time ago, but she still said to Jia Zhang: "If we really can't come up with the money, Dongxu will be sent to the labor camp for five or six years, and our family will have no income. The factory will also fire Dongxu, and this house also belongs to the factory, so it will be taken away. Then the two of us will have to go back to the countryside with Banggeng, and we will never be able to return to the city. In the future, Banggeng and his children will have to roll around in the fields in the countryside every day. What do you think we should do?"

If you want to say that the person who knows you best is your opponent, this Jia Zhang beats and scolds Qin Huairu every day, and Qin Huairu also knows what Jia Zhang is most afraid of. This remark simply hit Jia Zhang's sore spot directly. Just look at Jia Zhang thinking about it, his eyes rolling back and forth in a mental struggle. Finally, he drove Qin Huairu out and dug out a brick in the corner of the wall. There was a small handkerchief inside. After opening it, he counted out three hundred yuan, thought about it and put back a hundred yuan. Then he took the two hundred yuan, rewrapped the rest and put it back to its original place.

He called Qin Huairu in, took out two hundred yuan and put it on the table, saying, "This is the last bit of money our family has, and it's also my retirement money. When Dongxu comes back, you must tell him clearly and ask him to make it up to me. For the rest, you can go find Auntie, her family is rich. She and her husband don't have any children, and they're counting on Dongxu to support them in their old age. Won't all their savings belong to ours in the future? If you don't pay out now, when will you pay out?"

Qin Huairu agreed and took the two hundred yuan and went out. She walked to the yard and saw that no one was paying attention. She quickly took out three bills and put them in her pocket. Then she walked towards Yi Zhonghai's house. Before she even entered the door, tears began to flow. It is said that this woman is a natural actor. Her skills in changing her face are at the level of an actor in modern times.

The aunt also came back from getting money, and was waiting for Qin Huairu with the deaf old lady. When she saw her coming in with tears in her eyes, she knew something bad was going to happen. Sure enough, she was so angry when she saw Qin Huairu take out 170 yuan from her pocket.

The deaf old lady said, "Your Dongxu has worked for so many years and this is just a small salary? Does your mother-in-law really not want Jia Dongxu to come out?"

The aunt was also angry but didn't say anything.

Qin Huairu wiped her tears and said, "You know, Dongxu is the only one in my family who has a ration of food. Our whole family eats expensive food, and we spend all our money on buying food. My mother-in-law took out her pension money to get this. There is really nothing else the family can do."

The deaf old lady snorted coldly and said nothing. Seeing that there was no other way, the aunt said to Qin Huairu: "I can make up the rest of the money for you, but you have to write me an IOU, and when Dongxu comes back, ask him to sign it."

Qin Huairu had no choice but to agree and wrote an IOU to the aunt. Finally, they collected 3,000 yuan and went to Li Ping'an's house with the money.