1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Grandma Li knew that there must be someone in the house. After all, Qin Huairu was still in confinement after giving birth and it was impossible for her to go out.

She was not in a hurry and just stood quietly at the door of Jia's house waiting.

She didn't come here thinking about getting the ten dollars back in one go this time; she certainly had other purposes.

Just at this moment, the three aunts in the front yard came over with a basin of clothes and prepared to wash them at the sink.

She saw Grandma Li standing at the door of the Jia family, but no one answered the door. She couldn't help but feel puzzled, so she shouted loudly: "Jia Zhang, what are you doing? Come over and open the door!"

Then, she said to Grandma Li with a confident look: "Jia Zhang is at home. I didn't see her go out."

Jia Zhang, who was in the house, heard the third aunt's cry and groaned in her heart.

She originally wanted to pretend that she was not at home and act like a coward, but she didn't expect that the third aunt's shout would completely disrupt her plan.

Although she was extremely reluctant, she could only stand up helplessly and walk towards the door with heavy steps.

The door opened, and Jia Zhang's face was full of apology. She said, "The child was making a fuss last night and I didn't sleep well. I took a nap and didn't hear the knock on the door. Please don't be surprised!"

Grandma Li still had a generous smile on her face and said, "It's okay, it's easy as long as you're at home. The day before yesterday, my Dajiang family and a few others happened to see your daughter-in-law fall, and their cousins ​​sent Qin Huairu to the hospital. At that time, your daughter-in-law said she didn't bring any money, so my Dajiang family was kind enough to pay for her. You know about this, right?"

When Jia Zhang heard Grandma Li mention this at the door, she was shocked. She wanted to trick Grandma Li into going inside first, so she hurriedly said, "Well, sister-in-law, why don't we go inside first and talk about it."

Grandma Li was unmoved and did not give Jia Zhang a chance. She said, "Forget it! Qin Huairu is in confinement, so I won't go in. At that time, Qin Huairu wrote an IOU to Dajiang, saying that she would pay it back in two days. She gave me the IOU this morning. The amount was not much, only ten yuan. I heard that Qin Huairu was hospitalized for only one day because of childbirth. I'm afraid it didn't cost ten yuan. You should pay the money back today."

Grandma Li's tone was firm and unquestionable, and every word she said was like a nail piercing Jia Zhang's heart.

The reason why she was so sure that Qin Huairu would not spend ten dollars was thanks to the two days she had taken care of Chen Lanxiang in the hospital.

People in the same ward once talked about the cost of having a child, and Grandma Li kept these words in mind.

Now, after a careful calculation, we know that Qin Huairu's hospitalization expenses must be much less than ten yuan.

Jia Zhang opened her mouth and wanted to refute, but found that she had nothing to say.

To be honest, Qin Huairu spent a total of 4.92 yuan for giving birth and hospitalization, and the remaining money is now in her hands.

But how could she be willing to give up the money she had earned?

She stammered, "Well, well, sister-in-law, let me tell you the truth. The money Qin Huairu earns alone is not enough for our family. Now she is in confinement after childbirth, and we are in great difficulty..."

As soon as Jia Zhang said this, the third aunt who was washing clothes nearby came over and said, "Jia Zhang, what are you saying? Who doesn't have difficulties these days? Since Qin Huairu said that she would pay it back in two days, she should keep her word. Besides, you haven't spent all the ten dollars yet!"

The third aunt's words were like a sharp blade, stabbing straight at Jia Zhang.

Jia Zhang cursed the Third Aunt a hundred times in her heart. She felt that the Third Aunt was deliberately disliking their Jia family and wanted to make things difficult for them.

Grandma Li also echoed and said, "What his third aunt said makes sense. My Dajiang asked you to pay it back that day, but you said you would give it two days. Now after these two days, you still say it's difficult. Don't you want to pay it back?"

Grandma Li's voice suddenly rose, with a hint of questioning and anger in her words.

When Jia Zhang was hit on the heart of the matter, her heart skipped a beat. She had never expected that Grandma Li would reveal her thoughts so bluntly.

She quickly said, "No, it's not that we don't want to pay it back."

Jia Zhang knew in her heart that no matter how reluctant she was, she had to answer like this.

Otherwise, once this matter gets out, who will lend them money for their cash flow?

Hearing this, Grandma Li's tone softened a little and she said, "If you want to pay it back, be quick. Everyone is in financial difficulty right now. Although many people in my family work, many of us also eat for free. Ten yuan may not be a big deal in the eyes of others, but it is life-saving money in our family."

What Grandma Li said was all true. Although the Li family had four people working and had a rationed supply, there were still six half-grown children in the family who needed to eat and go to school. Life was very tight and every penny had to be carefully calculated.

Seeing how difficult Grandma Li was, Jia Zhang's anger surged up into her head like a tide.

But she knew very well that she couldn't get angry at this moment, because the neighborhood aunties all gathered around and watched everything as if they were watching a good show.

If she quarreled with Grandma Li, she would never be able to borrow a penny from her neighbors again.

So, she suppressed her anger and said, "Sister-in-law, how about this? Give us a few more days. Huairu really can't let her suffer while she is in confinement. We will definitely pay her back when we have money."

Grandma Li did not press the matter too hard. After all, her eldest grandson Li Weiguo had reminded her yesterday that Jia Zhang was not an easy person to deal with, and it would not be easy to get the money back.

She felt that even so, the Li family couldn't suffer this loss for no reason, so she said, "Ms. Jia Zhang, I understand you, but you must give me a specific deadline. How about you pay back the remaining five dollars first, and the five dollars you spent will be considered as a loan from us to your family."

Seeing that Grandma Li was so persistent, Jia Zhang's anger was almost out of control, but she could only grit her teeth and endure it.

She knew that she was in a very passive situation at the moment: "Pay the salary. We will definitely pay it back when Qin Huairu gets paid. Sister-in-law, take this IOU first and pay it back with ten yuan later."

Grandma Li looked at Jia Zhang with suspicion and said, "Jia Zhang, you don't want to pay me back now that you have money. You won't keep delaying the repayment after you get paid, will you? What if you still don't pay me back by then? Am I going to block your door and ask for it?"

Jia Zhang was sweating profusely because of Grandma Li's pressure. She felt as if she was in a blazing furnace with nowhere to escape: "Old sister-in-law, how can I do this? When Qin Huairu gets her salary, I will definitely send you ten yuan without a cent less..."

At this point, Grandma Li didn't want to continue to argue with Jia Zhang, and said, "Okay, since you promised in front of the neighbors that you would pay me back after Qin Huairu gets paid, then I will wait for you for eight days. If you still don't pay me back after eight days, don't blame me for making this matter known to everyone."

After saying that, Grandma Li turned around, greeted Chen Lanxiang and the others, then slowly left the courtyard.

Jia Zhang looked at the aunties watching outside and felt as if her face was burning with pain.

She quickly closed the door, as if this could shut out those embarrassing looks.

But not long after, the voice of Jia Zhang cursing was heard from the Jia family's house.

She first vented her anger on Qin Huairu, accusing her of not doing her job well and not writing the IOU.

She then directed her criticism at her newborn child, spewing all kinds of dirty words like "slut" and "money-loser" out of her mouth.

Even the dead Yi Zhonghai was not spared. She wished she could pull him out of his grave and curse him harshly.