Chapter 34 Old House

  "Tell...tell her to shut up!"

  The old lady was awakened by the sharp shouts of her eldest daughter-in-law, and weakly ordered someone to stop her nonsense.

  But the eldest daughter-in-law was immersed in her own emotions and didn't hear her mother's words at all. Just as she was about to continue shouting, she was kicked to the ground by her husband from behind.

  "Mom told you to shut up, are you deaf?"

  The uncle's action shocked everyone present. After all, it was always the eldest aunt who was strong and the uncle who bowed his head to listen to the lecture. What happened today?
  The eldest aunt was also frightened by her husband's appearance. Just when she was about to jump up to fight back, she received the mother's fierce gaze. She swallowed the curse on her lips, stammered a few times and rolled her eyes at Fang Qing's mother, then stood aside obediently. The old

  lady took a look around and found that except for her second son who was working in the countryside and couldn't come back for the time being, all his children were there. She didn't plan to wait any longer and got straight to the point.

  "I called you back because I have something to discuss. Your eldest sister's family is in trouble. We are all brothers and sisters. See if you can help..."

  As soon as the old lady finished speaking, the room suddenly became quiet.

  It's not their fault. After all, these families are ordinary families, but the eldest sister-in-law's family has become well-off. The level is different. How can they help?

  The younger sister Fang Cuiying did not hesitate. She spoke with a big belly, "Eldest sister's family is in trouble. We should help, but my conditions are limited. Counting my salary and Qiangzi's salary, I can barely take out 200 yuan. If you don't mind, take it to deal with the emergency."

  Seeing this, the other families no longer hesitated. The uncle said that there were 500 yuan in the family discount; the uncle said that he had just earned it before the New Year and only had 100 yuan left; when it came to Fang's mother, Fang's mother bit her lip and shouted 100 yuan.

  It's not that Fang's mother is stingy, it's really that the family doesn't have that much income. With so little, she had to move the eldest son's salary out first.

  The eldest aunt never expected that the first person to support her would be her younger sister, who she used to get along with the most. She looked up at her younger sister, her eyes red with gratitude, but as the amount of support from each family was announced, her face fell again.

  Because what she needed was not a small amount...

  The old lady thought to herself that this amount of money was indeed too little. If she gave it to her eldest daughter, it would probably be gone before she even heard a sound. But even if she took out her own coffin book, it didn't seem to help her eldest daughter's family...

  After thinking it over, the old lady suddenly remembered the house and immediately rejected her idea.

  No, absolutely not! This is the old house that their Fang family had finally taken back, and it can't be destroyed in her hands.

  But if they don't sell the house, where will they get the money?

  The family stood in the house and looked at each other, wondering why the old lady and the eldest sister looked so painful when they heard about the donation.

  The younger aunt asked directly without hesitation, "Mom, is it because the money is not enough? Just tell us how much is missing? You should tell us exactly. We are so uncertain..."

  Facing the eyes of everyone, the old lady finally sighed, "Cui Ping, tell me yourself..."

  The eldest aunt wiped her tears, "It's still... still short of 50,000."

  What!? 50,000?
  The younger aunt's legs went weak and she knelt down on the spot. If it weren't for Fang's mother's quick hands and eyes, her belly would have fallen.

  After helping the pregnant woman to sit back in the chair, everyone in the room came back to their senses.

  "Sister, what have you done? 50,000 yuan, even if you sell me, your brother, it's not enough?"

  "That's right, sister, you have a lot of pocket money on weekdays, so at least it should be enough if you take out your own private money. I'm just an ordinary person, how can I give you so much money..."

  "Speak less! Sister, don't worry, brother will help you find a way..."

  "Just you? What can you do?"   

   The family bickered, unable to come to a conclusion. Just when everyone thought the situation was hopeless, the eldest aunt steeled herself. 

   "And the house! This old house is worth fifty thousand!" 

   As soon 
      
        as she spoke, Mrs. Lai sat up abruptly, grabbed a nearby pillow, and threw it at her. "No! If you dare to set your sights on this house, I'll have you no longer!" 
      
        But the eldest aunt seemed to be in a frenzy, her eyes red as she stared at Old Mrs. Fang. "Mom, do you want to see your daughter go to jail? Am I still your daughter? Don't forget, if it weren't for me, this whole family would have starved to death! You owe me this! You must pay it back!" 
      

        The old lady looked at her fierce and frantic eldest daughter, and a sudden pang of pain hit her heart. 
      

        She had truly let her daughter down. She had gotten into college, but the family was broke, so she had to secretly hide the acceptance letter and lie to her that she hadn't been accepted. This only persuaded her to stay and work, but it also delayed her life. Old 
      

        Mrs. Fang felt bitter, but she had no other choice. 
      

        "Cui Ping, I am sorry for you. I gave you all my money, but this house was taken back by your father and your second brother with great difficulty. I can't..." 
      

        But the eldest aunt knelt down with a plop. 
      

        "There is nothing I can't do. As long as I pass this hurdle, I can get this house back intact. Mom, just promise me that your daughter will not do this unless it is absolutely necessary. Please! I will go to jail for owing so much money!" 
      

        Seeing this, everyone stepped forward to pull her up, but she refused to get up no matter what. She had to get the consent of Mrs. Fang before she would get up. 
      

        Fang Qing, standing at the back of the crowd, became more and more confused as she listened. Could it be that the eldest aunt went to speculate in stocks again? But at most, the money was lost. How could she go to jail? 
      

        The old lady seemed to not understand, "Who did you borrow the money from? How could you go to jail?" 

  The eldest aunt knelt on the ground for a long time, not daring to speak. She lowered her head and uttered a few words, "I, I touched the pharmaceutical factory's money."

  She touched public funds?
  Everyone was shocked when they heard this. If the higher-ups found out about embezzling public funds, they would be sentenced!

  Fang Qing felt a cold sweat on the back of his head after hearing this.

  This made sense. The eldest aunt was an accountant at the pharmaceutical factory. Ever since Grandpa retired, he had assigned her to the finance department of the pharmaceutical factory. She had always been smooth sailing, but who would have thought that she would set her sights on public funds for stock speculation?

  The matter escalated into a bigger and bigger matter. The family suddenly lost their backbone, and everyone was dejected, not knowing how to make a decision.

  In the end, the old lady was at her wit's end and could only pass this major matter on to her children and grandchildren. "Let's wait for the second son to come back. After all, he contributed to this house back then. We can't just deal with it without even asking. Chunxia, go cook. We'll talk about it when Decai comes back..."

  Fang's mother retreated stiffly, and Fang Qing followed her into the kitchen.

  "Mom, do we really have to sell the house? Where are we going to go then?"

  Fang's mother's mind was in a mess. She angrily kicked Fang Qing out and sighed alone in front of the stove.

  In the evening, Fang De had just arrived home when he learned about what had happened at home from his brothers. He sat down in silence for a long time before finally speaking.

  "I can sell the house, but there's a condition."

  The eldest aunt's eyes lit up. "Whatever conditions you choose, I'll agree to them."

  Fang's father sighed, "Let's divide the family!"

  (End of this chapter)