Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 336 Xu Jiahui is pregnant

Xu Dahai silently lit a cigarette without saying a word.

The village chief was in a state of great anxiety.

After a moment, Xu Dahai said quietly, "Village chief, the agreement we signed back then is still there! If no one takes care of her, I will pay for her to live on. She will have no problem with basic food and clothing. To be honest, there aren't many people who would do what I did. Don't worry."

The village chief chuckled awkwardly, "I trust your character, but your mother keeps bothering us with the Da Shan family's affairs, and we really have no other choice!"

Xu Dahai laughed angrily, "The police station isn't just for show. How can an old lady like her stand up to the whole village? It's up to you whether you want to or not. Don't worry, I'm reasonable and won't blame you."

Seeing that Xu Dahai kept avoiding the topic of Xu Dashan's family, the village chief had no choice but to speak frankly, "Your mother hopes that you can lend money to your older brother in an emergency. After all, it's a matter of treating and saving lives, and we can't refuse."

Xu Dahai sneered, "Village chief, five or six hundred thousand! If it were you, would you be willing to lend it? Let alone whether I have that kind of money, even if I did, I wouldn't want to lend it! There's not a single good person in this family. If you ask me, it's all karma! They deserve it!"

"Yes, yes, who can come up with such a large sum of money these days! I'm just passing on her message. Whether you lend it or not is your business. But, Da Hai, we're brothers. Even though we've fallen out, we still have our old friendship! Think about how good your older brother was to you before you got married?"

“Is he good to me? When I was born, my grandparents took care of me. He was the apple of my parents' eye. He didn’t do anything and all the good food was given to him. He went to school when he was eight years old. I helped with chores at home when I was six. When he came back from school, he ate egg custard. When I came back from chores, I was covered in dirt and no one cared about me. I had to wait for my grandma to finish her work before she would help me take a bath.”

My mother was still cursing and complaining, saying I was dirty and an eyesore. He was always clean and tidy from a young age, while I was always sloppy. All my parents taught him was how to be shrewd and calculating. I had no one to care for me, and I foolishly grew up on my own.

Later, he joined the army, and after his discharge, he went to work in a factory. When he got married, his parents immediately bought him land and built him a house. They did everything perfectly. What do I have?
You talk about brotherhood? I can't believe it. From childhood to adulthood, besides his hypocritical pretense, he's never even secretly shared a single piece of candy with me. That's all brotherhood is like. Any one of my childhood friends in the village has done a better job than him!

You wouldn't believe it until you bring it up. Xu Dahai started dredging up old grievances, and in the memories he pieced together, there wasn't a single thing Xu Dashan had ever done for him. He was so speechless that he burst out laughing.

The village chief was surprised by Xu Dashan's unreliability and couldn't laugh.

"Alright, since that's the case, I won't say anything more."

Xu Dashan drank two cups of tea and stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I have things to do!"

The village chief nodded.

After Xu Dahai left, the office door opened, and several elderly men and women walked out with solemn expressions.

They all went to Wang Ximei's house and told her the whole story.

While feeling moved, I couldn't help but grumble a few words.

"To be honest, you two were really too biased back then. You didn't give Dahai any benefits, and now that something's happened, you want to rely on him. He's not a sucker! Relationships are mutual. What good is blood ties alone?"

After they finished speaking, they shook their heads and turned to leave.

Wang Ximei was furious and shouted at the door, "He crawled out of my belly, so he has to listen to me! If he doesn't give me the money, I'll sue him!"

No one paid any attention to her.

Wang Ximei called Xu Jie while shedding tears.

"That heartless bastard of your second uncle refuses to pay, Ah Jie, you have to think of a way to borrow some money. You absolutely cannot sell the house!"

Xu Jie was upset. "Grandma, I understand. Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Dashan asked, "What did your grandma say?" Xu Jie shook his head. "Regarding the medical expenses, Dad, we'll go to the city hospital for further examination. Your illness needs treatment. I'll try to raise the money."

Xu Dashan knew his illness would cost a lot of money, but he didn't want to die, so he didn't say he would refuse treatment.

The Xu family's main house was in a mess, and Xu Dahai didn't care about any of it.

Lin Ying was even less likely to get involved.

When the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived, Lin Ying and her husband came to the city to spend the holiday with Lin Yi.

Xu Kang also brought Xu Jiahui along to join in the fun.

The couple were holding hands, and it was clear they had a very good relationship.

The elders were also pleased to see it.

Lin Qin was extremely envious. "Sister, why did you worry so much before? Look, now both of your sons are married, and A-Jian even gave you a grandson. A-Kang and the others will probably be getting married soon too. Unlike us, we don't even know where our daughters-in-law are yet!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Kang's mouth almost stretched to the back of his ears. "Auntie, you're amazing! You guessed it all."

"What do you mean?" Lin Qin's eyes widened.

Xu Kang publicly announced that Xu Jiahui was pregnant.

Lin Ying and her husband slapped the table in surprise, laughing and jumping. One of them made a promise that they would drink until they dropped tonight, while the other pulled Xu Jiahui aside and asked her how she was doing.

Xu Jiahui listened attentively and smiled, "Mom, don't worry. My sister just gave birth to a son. I visited her a lot when she was pregnant and learned a lot about it."

"Wow! Your sister has already given birth! That's fast!" Lin Ying exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Jiahui nodded repeatedly, "I think so too. My uncle and aunt came from their hometown as soon as they received the news. They said that my brother-in-law's family had no elders, so they came to help my sister with her postpartum care and take care of the baby."

My uncle will go back after my sister finishes her postpartum confinement, while my aunt will stay to help. Anyway, my cousin will graduate and get married in a few years, so my aunt can stay in the city for those years.

My brother-in-law pays her a salary every month, and everyone is happy.

Lin Ying gave a thumbs up and kept praising, "Your brother-in-law made the right arrangement. Luckily, your sister divorced Xu Jie, otherwise she wouldn't have met such a good man."

Upon hearing Xu Jie's name, Xu Jiahui immediately asked gossipily, "Mom, wasn't it said that Xu Jie is infertile? Has he gone to see a doctor for treatment?"

Lin Ying nodded and sighed, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Their lives are in a mess now. I heard that Xu Jie's illness is not very curable. The best solution is to adopt a child, but that's not the biggest problem. The most serious problem is his father's illness."

If you ask me, it's already in the late stage, there's no cure, and we'll have to spend another 500,000 or 600,000 yuan. What's the point? But Xu Dashan just doesn't want to give up and is single-mindedly focused on getting treatment. In just a few months, I heard that he has spent all his savings.

Xu Jie's wife said that if Xu Jie dared to sell the house, they would get a divorce. The old lady stopped her and refused to let him sell it. Xu Dashan insisted on getting medical treatment, and the mother and son have now fallen out and argued several times.

Xu Jie's mother is caught in the middle and is in a difficult position. She's become so thin that she looks like a ghost. Da Hai keeps saying that their family is getting their comeuppance for doing too many bad things. Lately, he's been dragging me around to burn incense and do good deeds.

A while ago, I also delivered food, clothing, daily necessities, and school bags and stationery to the elderly living alone and children in poor families in the village.