WBSGVS Chapter 77 V1

The three of them arrived at Qingli’s front door.

Before they could knock, a medium-sized dog saw them and immediately barked, “Woof! Woof!”

Xiao Yu, who was at the door practicing calligraphy, looked up. After recognizing them, she frowned slightly and called out, “Sister! Someone’s here!”

Qingli came out from the kitchen, still dusted with flour. Seeing them, she looked a bit surprised. “Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, what’s going on?”

“A-Li, your uncle… your uncle has something to ask,” Du Qing stammered, his face flushed.

Du Chuan sighed in frustration at his son’s hesitation and explained, “A-Li, your aunt went to the city to buy supplies and got robbed. Now, the goods are gone, she’s injured and in the hospital, and the police have caught wind of it. There’s a fine, and if we don’t pay, she could be looking at a year or two in jail. Now, your aunt may have been wrong before, but we’re still family. You’re in a good job now and could use the help, so maybe you could lend your uncle 500 yuan. They’ll both work for you to pay it off, alright?”

He added confidently, “Having family is more reliable than hiring strangers, right? If they work for you, it might take a couple of years, but they’ll pay it back. Isn’t that fair?”

Qingli’s expression shifted from confusion to understanding. Wow, she thought. She assumed it was just a money issue, but robbery? How careless could they be?

She smiled slightly. “So, that’s what happened. But…” She looked genuinely puzzled. “Didn’t you all disown me before? What family? We’re not family; we’re two different families!”

Du Chuan frowned, “Child, I’m your actual grandfather, and he’s your real uncle. Your aunt may have been wrong, but she’s still an elder. Can you stand by and watch her suffer?”

Zhang Shuangshuang chimed in, “Exactly. We’re just asking to borrow money, not a gift. If you insist, we can even write an IOU.”

Qingli’s smile broadened, and Du Chuan felt a sudden chill—this smile reminded him of that time she disrupted their ancestral hall ceremony.

Sure enough, the next moment, she replied, “Oh, I don’t mind watching her suffer!”

Du Chuan’s face turned red, and just as he was about to scold her, she continued with a mocking smile, “She had no issue keeping my dowry without admitting it. So, this aunt of mine? I’m perfectly fine watching her spend a few years behind bars for illegal dealings.”

Borrow money from her? Not a chance.

Du Qing, embarrassed, tugged at his father. “Forget it, Dad…”

“Forget it? Are you paying back your wife’s debt?” Du Chuan scolded. He shoved his son aside and pointed at Qingli, cursing, “How can you be so heartless? This is serious business, and you’re still holding on to minor grudges…”

“If it’s that important, why don’t you pay up yourself?” Qingli retorted.

Du Chuan hesitated. “I—I…”

“You won’t, will you? You’d rather let me pay. Hypocrite!” Qingli smiled and gestured to Xiao Yu, “Let’s go inside and leave these people alone.”

She didn’t even open the courtyard door.

Xiao Yu ran over with the dog trailing behind, and the two of them went back to the kitchen, with Xiao Yu closing the door behind them.

Du Chuan was furious, though he’d never been one for arguments, but he eventually relented. “What an ungrateful child. So obsessed with money she’s abandoned family…”

As he ranted, a delicious, spicy aroma drifted from inside, making his mouth water. Eventually, he had to cough to hold back the drool.

Zhang Shuangshuang, who had already failed at arguing with Qingli twice, noticed Du Chuan’s struggle and urged him, “Just let it go. She’s out of control, let’s just go home and figure something out.”

Du Qing looked at his father, hopeful. “Yes, Dad, you have some money saved up. Could you lend me some?”

Though Du Chuan always claimed he had little money, his eldest son’s pension and the family’s support over the years meant he had at least a thousand yuan. It wasn’t much, but it would cover this incident. After all, they’d take care of him later on, right?

Du Chuan scowled and waved his hand. “We barely have anything. I’ll give you two hundred, and you figure out the rest. You’re an adult—ask your friends or your brother’s friends for help and clean up your mess!”

Watching his father walk away, Du Qing felt both surprised and deeply hurt.

The gossip about Du Chuan’s family troubles spread through the village in no time. Qingli’s neighbor even came over, filling her in on what was happening.

Qingli found out that while her aunt had narrowly escaped jail time for attempted illegal trade, she’d lost all her money in the robbery, ended up injured, and now had mounting debts.

Du Chuan didn’t contribute much, while Du Qing, whose son was about to get married, was going around borrowing money, which only made him the talk of the town.

A week later, Du Qing finally brought his wife home from the hospital. She’d lost a lot of weight and avoided everyone, focusing quietly on household chores despite her injuries. She knew that with all the money spent on her, there would be a backlash if she didn’t pull her weight.

After this ordeal, she’d mellowed out, but their family was left in debt. Du Qing owed money, and her family owed even more. Some lenders even showed up at their door, demanding repayment.

Qingli, however, was unaffected. In fact, following her last arranged date, even more proposals were coming in.

Qingli’s work kept her busy in the evenings until around midnight, after which her pastries were all done. In her free time, she’d recently tried making Sachima (a sweet pastry), which was a hit both with Xiao Yu and with customers. Both adults and kids loved it, and her earnings had grown.

She considered increasing her production, but it was already exhausting, so she decided to keep it steady.

Although she went to bed around midnight, she had enough time for her arranged dates, which were usually at lunchtime.

But after several unsuccessful dates, her matchmaker started hinting that she was being too picky.

Qingli acknowledged it but didn’t change her standards.

Despite that, some well-meaning aunts continued to find matches for her, and she’d go on these dates every so often. At the very least, it was an excuse to eat out without having to cook.

Xiao Yu, however, started to worry.

She thought repeated failures might dent Qingli’s confidence and would comfort her every time a match didn’t work out.

Then, on the tenth date, Qingli met a young man she liked.

His name was Song Jin, from the same village as Song Dongyun, a warm and reliable young man.

He had just turned twenty and had recently taken over his relative’s factory job due to health issues. His performance was so good that his boss offered him a permanent position.

He’d officially become a full-time worker, which was great news. But just six months ago, his parents asked him to switch jobs with his older brother, claiming it was necessary for his brother’s upcoming wedding.

So, he went from being a full-time worker to a teacher at the elementary school in town.

Although teaching is highly respected today, in 1979, people thought schooling wasn’t all that useful, especially as an elementary school teacher with only a six-yuan monthly salary and benefits limited to summer and winter breaks.

At first, he didn’t want to make the change, but his mother, who favored his older and younger siblings, made such a fuss at home that he finally gave in, exhausted by the constant pressure. Afterward, the family formally divided up; he began living on his own.

It wasn’t uncommon for middle children to be overlooked in large families, almost as if they were taken for granted. Still, his solid character and lack of resentment toward his parents for their favoritism left a deep impression on Qingli.

This didn’t mean he’d just allow his parents to treat him poorly, but he focused on living his own life. After all, if his parents played favorites, they could favor others when it came time for elder care—that would only be fair.

Curious, Qingli asked him about his stance toward his parents.

Song Jin didn’t shy away from answering. “That job was something my parents arranged in the first place. If my brother had been available back then, he would’ve taken it instead of me. So, I can understand them. But going forward, their lives have nothing to do with me.”

Qingli was pleased with his answer, and after that first meeting, they both felt positive about each other. They arranged a second date to talk in greater depth about Qingli’s plans.

Song Jin was open-minded, accepting her goals calmly, and not long after, they went to register their marriage.

Qingli urgently needed a partner to help manage her busy life so she could focus on earning money, and Song Jin was eager to have a family.

Their wedding was simple, with just a small gathering of friends and family—three tables in total.

Du Chuan was pleasantly surprised that his granddaughter married a teacher. He smiled throughout the meal, but when he later found out that Song Jin had resigned from his teaching position, his expression darkened. He tried to come over and lecture them but ended up locked outside by Qingli.

The old man was furious and began shouting insults.

Song Jin had never seen someone so openly defy their elders before and looked hesitant, “Isn’t this…a bit much?”

Little Yu crossed her arms with an air of experience and said, “Brother-in-law, just cover your ears.”