Seeing her mother demanding money, Grandma Wu immediately resorted to her specialty—
She sat on the ground and started throwing a tantrum!
But Wu’s mother wasn’t someone to be trifled with. During her years as a street director, what kind of troublemaker hadn’t she seen?
"You throwing a tantrum with me won’t work. Debt repayment is a matter of principle. It was you who took the money; the thumbprints are yours and your daughter’s. Today, either pay up or go to jail for ’eight da liang’!"
Wu Jinjin was startled. She definitely didn’t want to go to prison!
She was uneducated and lacked culture; unaware that the agreement wasn’t legally binding, she only knew that repaying debts was the natural order of things!
"Dear relatives, please don’t be angry! Although the money was taken by my mother, it was meant for Yanyun’s dowry. You should ask my brother and his wife for it! Their goddaughter is so rich; they surely won’t miss these six thousand yuan!"
Holding the agreement, Wu’s mother said:
"These are your mother’s and your thumbprints. If I report this to the police, they will only look for you two! Forget it, I don’t want the six thousand anymore. Just give me back three thousand! I’ll just take the loss this time."
It’s impossible to get Grandma Wu to part with the money!
Once the money was in her pocket, it was hers!
"I don’t have any money!" Grandma Wu clutched her pocket tightly, as if to say there wasn’t three hundred silver taels there.
Wu’s mother laughed, "No money, is it? Well, I’ll just report you to the police! Qiangzi, go to the police station right now and get this old shrew and the young one arrested! No pay, no freedom! You really think I can be easily fooled, huh!"
Wu Qiang was a simpleton and, hearing his mother’s words, immediately pushed his bicycle, saying, "Alright, Mom, I’m on it!"
Wu Jinjin turned white with fear, "Mom, mom, please take the money out! I don’t want to go to jail, I have elderly and young to care for, I don’t want to go to jail..."
Seeing that Wu Qiang was truly about to report to the police, Grandma Wu got scared too. At her ripe old age, she certainly didn’t want to die in a cell.
She immediately stood up from the ground and grabbed Wu Qiang’s bicycle, "I’ll pay back the money, just let it be."
Wu’s mother signaled to Wu Qiang with her eyes, and he stopped his bicycle.
Grandma Wu pulled out a shabby cloth pouch from her pocket, unwrapped it layer by layer to reveal the crisp blue-green 100 RMB banknotes inside.
She hadn’t even warmed up this money before it swiftly became someone else’s!
As Wu’s mother took the money from Grandma Wu, the old lady clutched the banknotes tightly. Wu’s mother had to pull hard to retrieve them. After counting, she frowned, "How come there’s over a thousand yuan missing?"
That one thousand one hundred yuan had been spent on Wu Jinjin’s bicycle and sewing machine, and Grandma Wu had used a dozen more to buy meat and new clothes.
Grandma Wu said, "That one thousand was used to buy things. That’s all I have left now."
Hearing this, Wu Jinjin’s heart skipped a beat.
Her bicycle and sewing machine had only been bought a few days ago! She hadn’t even learned to ride the bike, and she hadn’t been willing to use the sewing machine yet!
Wu’s mother continued, "Then those things will compensate for the money!"
Wu Jinjin screamed, "No way! I don’t agree!"
Wu’s mother turned to Wu Qiang, "Qiangzi, maybe you should visit the police station after all."
"Okay." Wu Qiang nodded.
Wu Jinjin rushed to hold Wu Qiang’s bike, "Compensate! We’ll compensate you!"
Wu’s mother was secretly thrilled. She had thought she’d lost those three thousand yuan for good when Wu Yanyun was still a minor, but to her surprise, she managed to get it back.
And it was all thanks to Ni Yang’s tip.
So, the procession set out to take the sewing machine and bicycle from Wu Jinjin’s home.
When they returned home, Wu’s mother unceremoniously burned the agreement!
After Wu’s mother left, Grandma Wu sat in the empty courtyard, sobbing and wailing.
Wu Jinjin sat beside her, joining in the crying.
The mother and daughter had pinned their hopes on Wu Yanyun coming into a fortune, but in the end, it had all been in vain.
After a good while of crying, Wu Jinjin gradually calmed down, "Mom, don’t cry. He’s still your biological son after all. Now that they’ve recognized such a capable goddaughter, I refuse to believe he’ll disown you, his own mother!"
At these words, Grandma Wu seemed to instantly find her backbone.
"Right! Jinjin, you’re right!"
Wu Jinjin went on, "Besides, my brother and his wife still have their home here. I refuse to believe they’ll abandon it altogether! When the time comes, you must enjoy the good life with them, and don’t forget about me!"
Grandma Wu patted Wu Jinjin’s hand, "Don’t worry, Jinjin! With your brother’s goddaughter being so rich, I won’t let you down!"