70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 184: Extorting Money

With the old couple watching over the household matters, Xu Hai wouldn’t do anything too outrageous, so Xu Mumu felt relieved to let them handle this issue.

The kids, however, weren’t very aware of the theft at home and didn’t ask much when they went to school.

During class, Xu Mumu was still preoccupied with the situation at home, wondering how her dad would resolve it.

Although the old couple advised Xu Hai not to make a fuss, Xu Hai and his two brothers still took Xu Qinfen to the Xu Family’s uncle’s house.

The branch of the Xu Family at Xu Qinfen’s house saw Xu Hai bring Xu Qinfen back, tied up with a big wad of rag stuffed in his mouth, their hearts skipped a beat—they were clearly aware of the situation.

"Qinfen, Qinfen, are you okay?" Xu Qinfen’s wife, Lin Laidi, saw him tied up and immediately wanted to run over and pull him away.

"Why? The issue isn’t resolved yet." Xu Hai pushed Lin Laidi away. They actually dared to steal from his house, which made Xu Hai very angry. He wasn’t going to drop this matter so easily.

"Haiwa, what’s going on?" The fifth uncle of the Xu Family, supported by others, came out and asked Xu Hai.

Xu Qinfen looked at Xu Hai pleadingly, but Xu Hai saw it and remained indifferent.

"Fifth Uncle, I respect you as an elder, but didn’t expect you to raise such short-sighted fools, stealing from their own family. Luckily, I got up to use the bathroom last night; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known someone climbed over the wall into the yard. Unexpectedly, Xu Qinfen has such skills." Xu Hai sneered, mocking his uncle’s line of descendants.

"You, you, Qinfen, I don’t believe it." Fifth Uncle was incredibly upset and found it hard to accept the situation.

Xu Qinfen set out early in the morning and hadn’t been seen since; his mother said they went to work, and Fifth Uncle didn’t suspect anything, as Xu Qinfen was usually diligent.

"What’s the point in disbelief? He appeared at my house last night and tried to steal my cured meat with a pole. Indeed, a silent dog bites harder—usually seeming honest, but turned out to be a thief." Xu Hai spoke without mercy, making the fifth uncle’s line of people flush red with embarrassment.

"What do you want?" Fifth Uncle took a deep breath, knowing this matter couldn’t escalate—there were several grandsons and granddaughters in the family to marry, and if the reputation was ruined by Xu Qinfen’s deeds, it would be over.

"If Fifth Uncle had recognized the situation earlier, this matter might have already been solved." Xu Hai smiled, "This issue is easy to settle—pay fifty bucks, or I’ll report it to the team leader’s house."

"Fifty bucks, why don’t you go rob instead?" Xu Qinfen’s mother, Qian Shuzhen, screamed.

"Exactly, I am robbing—because you’re in the wrong. What does Fifth Uncle think? Fifty bucks to buy peace at home seems like a good deal." Xu Hai sneered, intending to ensure they learned a valuable lesson.

"We’ll pay." After a long silence, Fifth Uncle gritted through his teeth in agreement. However, his gaze at Xu Qinfen’s branch was ice-cold, planning to settle scores with them after dealing with Xu Hai.

With the ransom taken, Xu Hai returned home in high spirits, having swindled them out of so much money—enough for new outfits for the whole family for the New Year.

As for the fifth uncle’s house, he couldn’t care less; they brought it upon themselves. Just a bit of meat had them so envious. Although they were of the same Xu lineage, he really looked down on that branch now.

"Brother, isn’t fifty bucks too much? Fifth Uncle’s family isn’t well-off." On the way back, Xu He was a bit conflicted.

"His family’s not well-off, but ours is? Without a deep lesson, who knows which house they’ll steal from next time?" Xu Hai said flatly, giving Xu He a look—his passive nature made him an easy target for bullying.

"Second Brother, letting Qinfen learn a lesson is better, keeps him from turning bad." Xu Po held Xu He back, preventing him from voicing anything else to disrupt their sibling harmony.

The relationship between the three brothers was quite good, and Xu Po cherished this bond.

But this second brother, his temperament was quite worrisome, worse even than the two girls of the second branch.

Back home, Xu He handed the money to Li Caixia to keep.

With fifty bucks suddenly coming in, how could Li Caixia not be happy? Xu Hai told her not to spread word about the incident, and she had no complaints. Family scandals shouldn’t be aired; it wasn’t something to take pride in. Better to boast about the kids instead.

Compared to Li Caixia and Xu Hai’s good mood, things weren’t going well for the fifth uncle.

As this matter unfolded at home, if they hadn’t been caught, fine; but now, not only had they been tied up and brought back, they were extorted for a hefty sum—they were devastated.

The Xu Family commotion didn’t make a big spectacle outside; several groups were already organizing trips into the mountains to find wild boars.

Huo Qingze and Shen Qi weren’t idle either, gathering a group to follow—getting a share of meat was worthwhile. Otherwise, staying at the youth education center all day was dull.

When Xu Mumu returned in the evening, she heard her dad bragging about his achievements. Xu Mumu raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Fifty bucks was quite a lot for Xu Qinfen’s family—I’m sure it taught them a deep lesson.

At home, the meat hung drying; Xu Mumu looked over—such a lot of meat, it would last a long time.

"Big sis, when I was coming back, I saw a fight breaking out at fifth uncle’s house, really heated, they looked about to start hitting each other." Xu Tao returned from outside, carrying a small packet of pickled plums, which Xu Mumu had naturally pointed out to the kids.

"Ignore them. When you went to the mountains, that patch of arrowroot I showed you—did anyone dig it up?" Xu Mumu asked. The mess at fifth uncle’s—let them resolve their own troubles. She was more concerned about the patch of arrowroot now.

"Nope, all fine. When will we go dig them up?" Xu Tao said excitedly. As long as it’s edible, bring it home.

Besides, pickled arrowroot tastes really good—crunchy and tangy; with two pieces, he could eat two full bowls of rice.

"Let my dad and them go dig it up tomorrow," Xu Mumu said calmly.

"Good idea, the eldest brothers will be faster than us, and we don’t have to worry about others snatching it." Xu Tao agreed, nodding. There was indeed a lot of arrowroot; if other team members found it, they’d definitely rush to dig it up. Better make the first move.