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

Chapter 68 Gamblers Have No Bones
"Brother Lei, you...you...weren't you going to beg for money? Why did you bring him back?"

When Zheng Aqiang saw Chen Wenjun, he looked like he had seen a ghost, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to cover up his lie.

Before Gao Lei could even speak, he kicked Zheng Aqiang hard and lifted him up. "Debt? IOU? Zheng Aqiang, let me tell you, I hate being lied to more than anything. Anyone who lies to me never ends well! Tell me, how are you going to prove what you're saying is true?"

Zheng Aqiang was so scared that he peed himself, and the urine flowed down his trouser leg.

Gao Lei's expression changed, and he threw Zheng Aqiang to the ground like he was throwing away trash.

His younger brother brought him a stool.

As soon as Gao Lei sat down, Zheng Aqiang was terrified. He looked at Chen Wenjun pleadingly, "Wenjun, please tell me, you owe me money, right? I didn't want to ask you for it, but Brother Lei needs it urgently, so I had no choice but to give him the IOU. Please help me, just this once, the last time!"

Chen Wenjun laughed angrily, "Zheng Aqiang, you think I'm stupid? You think I'm stupid? I've already explained to Brother Lei whether the IOU is real or fake. Even if it goes to the police station, I'm not afraid."

Zheng Aqiang froze, his eyes instantly turning fierce. "After all these years of brotherhood, I'm begging you this once, and you still won't help me! You're not human!"

"Am I not human?" Chen Wenjun sneered, looking at him coldly. "You know that we've been brothers for so many years, you must have begged me countless times! I helped you before because of our past relationship and because Ping An pleaded for you."

"I never expected you to threaten my son. He was forced to plead for you, Zheng Aqiang. I can't afford to have a brother like you. We should never associate with each other again."

"You," Zheng Aqiang, still dare to shout.

Gao Lei angrily kicked the table over.

Zheng Aqiang trembled and panicked instantly. He knelt down before Chen Wenjun without any backbone. "I really have no other choice. They'll beat me to death if I don't give them the money. You won't just leave me to die, right? Please help me this once, this last time. I promise I'll never borrow money from you again."

Chen Wenjun shook his head firmly, "You've never paid back the money you borrowed. Not to mention I don't have any money now, even if I did, I would never lend it to someone who's threatening my son. You'd better watch yourself."

As he spoke, he looked at Gao Lei and said, "Brother Lei, I've made myself clear. Zheng Aqiang's matter has nothing to do with me. There's one more thing I need to make clear: he's a vicious, cold-blooded, and ruthless person. Before, in order to get money from me, he actually attacked me from behind, knocked me unconscious in the alley, and robbed me of all the money I had on me."

Recently, he even stole from my boat, and not just once. Luckily, I had a trap on the boat; his eye was injured by one of my traps. A person like that deserves to die.

Chen Wenjun grew angrier the more he cursed, as if he wanted to vent the anger of two lifetimes.

Gao Lei was furious because Zheng Aqiang had tricked him, but when he heard about Chen Wenjun's experience, he suddenly felt sorry for him.

With a furrowed brow, she glanced back at Chen Wenjun and said, "How could you be brothers with such a scoundrel? Are you blind?"

Chen Wenjun slowly lowered his eyes, his mood somewhat depressed. "We grew up together since we were little. I never expected him to turn out like this, let alone treat me like this!"

Although there was an element of acting involved, what he said was also true.

Zheng Aqiang was his best friend since childhood. After today, he and Zheng Aqiang will have a complete break, and there will be no turning back.

Gao Lei waved his hand impatiently and said, "This is none of your business, go on!"

After thanking him, Chen Wenjun turned and left resolutely.

Zheng Aqiang was furious that Chen Wenjun was so heartless, saying he would abandon him if he wanted to, and he cursed loudly.

Gao Lei's henchman kicked Zheng Aqiang several times viciously to vent his anger, "Damn it, how dare you play us! You even made me accidentally hurt Chen Wenjun, just wait and see how I deal with you!"

They're just thugs, not real gangsters. If they hurt innocent people and broke their rules today, what if other thugs find out? How will the brothers face the underworld then?

The more Gao Lei thought about it, the angrier he became, and he even personally hit Zheng Aqiang with a stick.

Even after Chen Wenjun had walked far away, he could still hear Zheng Aqiang's piercing screams. A gust of wind gave him goosebumps, and he quickly hurried home.

His heart was still pounding even after he boarded the fishing boat.

He rowed the boat all the way to Nanyu Island and saw Lin Qin standing at the door, shining a flashlight on him.

He quickly stopped the boat and got off.

"Why are you so late?" Lin Qin was extremely worried, and she became even more nervous when she saw Chen Wenjun covered in sweat.

Chen Wenjun pulled her inside, quickly bolted the door shut, breathed a sigh of relief, and briefly recounted what had happened that day.

“I’ve already severed ties with Zheng Aqiang. He owes 500 yuan this time, which is no small amount. Gao Lei not only didn’t get the money but was also tricked. He definitely won’t let Zheng Aqiang off the hook. He’s finished!”

Lin Qin gritted her teeth and stomped her feet, cursing Zheng Aqiang, "Serves him right! If you ask me, Gao Lei should kill that scoundrel."

Chen Wenjun shook his head. "It's unlikely. I think Gao Lei is fierce, but he doesn't seem unreasonable. He shouldn't kill people indiscriminately. Let's not talk about it now. Get some medicated wine and rub it on my back. It hurts a bit."

That blow landed squarely on his back; he'll definitely have a huge bruise tomorrow.

Lin Qin's heart tightened, and she quickly sped up, almost twisting her ankle in the process.

Fortunately, Chen Wenjun reacted quickly and pulled her back. "I'll get some red soil to tidy up this road in the next couple of days. It has to be flat and compacted first."

What they have in abundance here is red soil; it's just that it's not found on the island.

"Let's not talk about that now, let's go back and check on your injury."

The two went up the steps and into the courtyard.

The house was just demolished today with cement slabs, so they're making do with a tent in the yard.

Lin Qin brought Chen Wenjun some hot water so he could take a good bath.

I applied the medicated wine to him under the kerosene lamp.

The strong smell attracted Lin Yi. "Where are you injured?"

The couple didn't hide anything from him and told him about Zheng Aqiang. Lin Yi was furious and kept cursing Zheng Aqiang to die a horrible death.

Early the next morning.

The first thing Lin Qin did after getting up was to check Chen Wenjun's back. Seeing that there were only some marks and nothing serious, she felt much relieved.

The two went about their business as usual, and neither of them took the initiative to inquire about Zheng Aqiang.

During these three days, Chen Wenjun cleared the path from Nanyukou to his own yard, and the two children ran and jumped back and forth on this dirt road.

Despite his clumsy hands and feet, Chen Ping'an dared to run and jump with abandon.

Lin Qin watched with delight and whispered to Chen Wenjun, "Look, Ping An exercises like this every day, he's bound to make great progress."

She dared not hope that Chen Ping'an would return to normal; she only hoped that Chen Ping'an would be able to take care of himself and be independent in the future, so that he could support himself even after they were gone.

(End of this chapter)