Chapter 186: Chapter 186: The Root of Everything

Er La Niang never imagined her son would look at her like that. What kind of look was that!

Disappointment, sorrow, anger, detachment, and even a hint of contempt.

Seeing that look in Zhang Erlai’s eyes, Er La Niang was too stunned to speak.

Zhang Erlai turned to Su Qing and apologized again. "I’m so sorry about what happened today. You got dragged into it."

"It’s fine. I let off some steam, too." Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. "We’ll be going then."

"Alright." Zhang Erlai nodded.

After watching Su Qing, Aunt Cuihua, Aunt Tao, and the crowd of villagers leave, Zhang Erlai went back into the house without giving his mother another glance.

Er La Niang stood stunned in the courtyard for a while, at a loss for what to do. All this time, she had felt that subsidizing her maiden family was only natural. ’It’s no big deal to make my son and I sacrifice a little,’ she thought. She had always believed that since Zhang Erlai never stopped her, he must have approved of her actions.

But what happened today had been completely beyond her expectations. In her mind, if her son could give her fifty yuan for the New Year in one go, he must have had much more money on hand. Even though she had bragged to her family, she figured that even if Zhang Erlai couldn’t produce nearly a thousand yuan and all those coupons, he should at least be able to come up with half of it.

But Zhang Erlai had refused to give a single cent!

He even threw out her older brother’s and second brother’s families.

’What is this all about!’

’How am I supposed to face my family after this?’

And that look Zhang Erlai gave her just now had made her panic. But on second thought... ’He’s my son, my own flesh and blood. No matter what, he should help me.’

With that in mind, Er La Niang turned and went into the house. She rushed into Zhang Erlai’s room and pleaded tearfully, "Er Lai, just help your mother out this once. Please give some betrothal money for your older cousins. Otherwise, they won’t even be able to find wives!"

Er La Niang’s words stabbed Zhang Erlai’s heart like a knife. He shot to his feet, his eyes blazing. "I should pay their betrothal gifts? Are their parents dead? Are they missing arms and legs? Their own parents are right there, so why do you, their aunt, need to scrape together betrothal money for them? Have you ever stopped to think that your own son’s marriage isn’t even settled yet?"

Er La Niang said uncomfortably, "Well, it’s because we don’t have any money at home."

Zhang Erlai was so angry he laughed. "Right, we have no money. Your own son can’t afford the betrothal gift to get married, yet you’re busy trying to give betrothal money to your nephews. Let me ask you, where are you going to get the money?"

"But... but you have money." Er La Niang pursed her lips uneasily. "You gave me fifty yuan for the New Year just like that. You must have at least a few hundred. Just let your older cousins use it for their weddings first. At worst, you can just have them pay you back later."

Zhang Erlai was speechless. ’So it was my mistake to give her money for the New Year.’ As for getting paid back, he could only scoff. If he really gave them the money, those people who only take and never give would never pay it back. It would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog—gone for good.

"No," Zhang Erlai said coldly. "I don’t have any money."

"Then why did you..."

Before Er La Niang could finish, Zhang Erlai stared at her furiously and said, word by word, "I gave you that money hoping you would have a good New Year. I had to borrow that money, and I still have to figure out how to pay it back. Since you promised those people you’d pay for their betrothal gifts, you can go get the money yourself. Don’t come to me. I don’t have any. From now on, if you’re still going to live with me, I will give you five yuan a month for your living expenses. You can spend it however you want. If you give it all to them and have nothing left to eat, that’s your own problem. As for anything else, I won’t give you another cent."

After speaking, Zhang Erlai casually took out ten yuan. "This is your living expense for this month and next month. Spend it as you see fit. I’m leaving."

Zhang Erlai turned, walked out of the room, and headed outside.

Er La Niang panicked and chased after him. "Where are you going?"

Zhang Erlai didn’t answer, quickly leaving the home that made him feel suffocated.

Seeing that Zhang Erlai had ignored her, Er La Niang slumped onto a stool in the room and sat there in a daze. After a long while, she redirected all her anger toward Su Qing.

In Er La Niang’s eyes, Su Qing was the root of all her problems. ’If Su Qing had just obediently married my son back then, we wouldn’t have to worry about money. And if Su Qing hadn’t threatened to send me to the police today, Zhang Erlai wouldn’t have gotten so angry.’

’Yes, Su Qing is the source of all this!’

A hateful glint flashed in Er La Niang’s eyes. She looked toward Su Qing’s house, gritting her teeth and cursing viciously, wishing for misfortune to befall Su Qing immediately.

Meanwhile, Su Qing was completely unaware of Er La Niang’s resentment, and even if she had known, she wouldn’t have cared. Her mind was entirely focused on the two sets of jewelry she was about to receive. The thought of the finished pieces made from such beautiful jadeite filled her with delight. ’Whether I wear them myself or store them as an investment, this jewelry will be an excellent asset.’

「On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.」

Just as Su Qing had hoped, Cheng Beilin and Cheng Beize arrived in Lihua Village. They kept a low profile. As luck would have it, Grandpa Sun was driving his oxcart to the county town that day. Learning they were looking for Su Qing, he offered them a ride back to Lihua Village. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

There were a few other women on the oxcart who had gone to the county town to shop. Looking at Cheng Beilin and Cheng Beize, one of them smiled and said, "My, what a handsome young lady and young man. Are you here looking for Su Qing? Where are you from?"

"The south," Cheng Beize said with a smile. "My little sister is friends with Su Qing, so we took this opportunity to come visit."

"Oh, my! Good for Su Qing, making friends on her trip down south." The woman chuckled. Most people in Lihua Village knew that Su Qing had gone to Yun Province a while ago. After she returned, she even gave souvenirs from the south to the families she was close with, making everyone quite envious.

Cheng Beilin also smiled. "Su Qing told me the winters here are especially cold. I thought she was exaggerating, but I didn’t expect it to be this cold!"

As she spoke, Cheng Beilin couldn’t help but rub her hands together and blow warm air into her palms. She hadn’t felt the cold too much while riding in a car on the way here, but sitting on the oxcart, not only was the ride bumpy, but the wind was also quite strong. Even though she was wearing a padded cotton jacket, she was still having trouble adjusting. However, the experience was quite novel for her, since she would never have the chance to do something like this in Xiangcheng.

"HAHAHAHA, I hear it’s much warmer down south. People from the south like you must have a hard time with the northern weather."

"It’s okay. I’m very adaptable; I’ll get used to it quickly." Cheng Beilin beamed, and her good looks on top of her cheerful demeanor instantly charmed the women on the oxcart.