Chen Lishui and Chen Lifei instinctively frowned. Chen Lishui, in particular, felt an unspeakable disappointment.
She decided not to speak this time.
If Chen Mantun insisted on helping, she would take all her sisters and never inquire about her family matters again.
Elder Mrs. Chen, Chen Mancang, and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief at Chen Mantun's actions.
After all, they were still family, and Chen Baozhu was the only male grandchild of the Elder Chen family.
"Third niece, it's not that your uncle is criticizing you, but a girl with a fiery temper will have a hard time finding a husband. Besides, as a girl, you'll eventually get married and won't bring much dowry. What's the point of you fighting over this now?" Chen Mancang said, frowning.
Chen Baozhu scoffed dismissively, "It's just six hundred yuan. I haven't even asked you yet. From now on, my second uncle will be supported by me. You, a mere girl..."
"No need."
Chen Baozhu's words were interrupted by Chen Mantun, who paused in surprise.
Chen Mantun closed his eyes forcefully, then reopened them, saying firmly, "You have your parents to support. I don't need your support. I know my own children. All seven of them are good kids. None of them can bear to see their parents sleeping on the streets."
Everyone present was stunned by his words.
Chen Mancang, in particular, felt that his younger brother seemed different, a feeling that unsettled him.
"Second brother, what do you mean by that? Look at which family has daughters supporting them? Once they are married, they belong to other families. How will their in-laws look at them? You can't do anything rash."
Elder Mrs. Chen shrieked, "Yes, I think you're getting worse with age. If you don't rely on Baozhu, you're relying on those little girls?"
Chen Mantun gave a bitter smile, "Mom, Lishui and the others are my own children. If I can't rely on my own, who else can I rely on? Besides, Baozhu's debts aren't just once or twice. He's not a child anymore. He can't expect others to solve his problems every time he makes a mistake, or he'll only sink deeper. Six hundred yuan is not a small amount. It's not that I can't afford it; even if I could, I wouldn't lend it."
Seeing Elder Mrs. Chen getting anxious, Chen Mantun waved his hand, signaling her to let him finish.
"Mom, I respect you because you are my mother and my elder brother. In the past, when we couldn't have a son, your daughter-in-law and I couldn't hold our heads up. We did many foolish things and even made the children suffer with us. They are stronger than us parents, sensible and filial. Although your son and daughter-in-law can't help much, we can't drag them down anymore. The younger ones were too reluctant to buy new clothes for the New Year. My own children, I cherish them. If you or anyone else falls critically ill and needs money, I can provide it, but not for gambling debts. I cannot provide money for gambling debts."
Elder Mrs. Chen looked at her son, deeply shaken and filled with an unspeakable fear. The current Chen Mantun was completely beyond her control.
"You, you are his second uncle, and you're just going to watch those people break his arm?"
Chen Mantun sighed, "It's good for him to suffer a little. Otherwise, if it's six hundred this time, next time he'll dare to gamble six thousand. What will you do then?"
Zhang Chunhua hastily promised, "His second uncle, it won't happen again. Baozhu has already guaranteed us that he will never gamble again. If he gambles again, he'll chop off his own fingers."
Chen Lishui chimed in, "Aunt, all promises are just empty words. It's better to take practical action now. That Old Liu you mentioned just wants money; breaking an arm is just to scare you. This is a society governed by law. As long as you talk properly, you can repay the money slowly, and I don't think he'll push too hard."
The whole family coming to borrow money now was simply because they didn't want to repay it themselves. But who was foolish enough to give unconditionally?
Chen Baozhu looked at her maliciously, "You say it so easily. That's six hundred yuan. When will I ever be able to repay it?"
Chen Lishui retorted unceremoniously, "When you repay it is your own business."
Chen Mancang looked at Chen Mantun with unspeakable disappointment, "Second brother, I didn't expect you to be so heartless, not even caring for your own nephew. You're so capable now that you don't even respect me, your elder brother."
Chen Mantun said helplessly, "Big brother, I've already said, I have my own life to live. Baozhu is like this today because you've indulged him too much. The first time he gambled, you should have..."
"Enough!" Chen Mancang impatiently interrupted him, then stood up and said to Zhang Chunhua and Chen Baozhu, "They've said it all. Why are you still shamelessly lingering here? Aren't you embarrassed enough?"
With that, he turned and left with a cold face, slamming the door.
Elder Mrs. Chen and Zhang Chunhua saw this and also chased after him.
Chen Baozhu walked last. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he couldn't swallow his pride. He glanced at the blurred figures ahead, didn't say goodbye, turned, and headed to the Liu family's house.
At Widow Liu's house, mother and son were also worrying about five hundred yuan.
"Mom, why don't you go and tell my elder brother? My sister-in-law is capable, they must have money."
Ever since Liu Xiaobao and Wang Qiao'e got married, space in the house was limited. Coincidentally, Widow Liu also disliked Yue Hongmei, so she simply let them split the family and live separately.
"Do you think I haven't been?" Widow Liu lifted her triangular eyes and spat heavily on the ground, "That Yue woman is a shrew. As soon as I opened my mouth, she chased me out with a big stick. Your elder brother, that useless fellow, is now completely controlled by that shrew. He dares not sit when she tells him to stand. I gave birth to this son in vain."
If she had known, she wouldn't have given them those twenty mu of land. It still hurt to think about it.
Liu Xiaobao said dejectedly, "What do we do now? That's five hundred yuan. Selling me wouldn't be worth that much."
Widow Liu gritted her teeth and cursed, "Your wife and her mother are not easy to deal with either. That old vixen and her little vixen are never home. This year, the harvest was sold without my knowledge, and she kept the money to herself. Otherwise, we could have at least gotten some to tide us over."
No matter how bad Wang Qiao'e was, she was still his wife. Liu Xiaobao didn't want to mention it further, "Mom, it's useless to talk about this now. Let's think of a way to get some money to get through this difficult time."
As the mother and son were discussing, Chen Baozhu suddenly entered from outside.
"Xiaobao, are you in for a big score this time?" As soon as he entered, Chen Baozhu, with a grim expression, stated his idea.
Liu Xiaobao was already worrying about where to get money. After hearing what he said, his eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, "How could I have forgotten about this? This is a good way to make money."
"I remember your family has a cart. This matter might be a bit difficult for the two of us. Let's also call your elder brother. We'll split the money after selling it."