The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Upon hearing that it was Bao Ya, Xiang Chunhua suddenly realized what was happening and was about to close the door. How did this brat end up in her house? She didn't want to see her at all.

Seeing her actions, Bao Ya quickly pushed the door shut, and her next words nearly made Xiang Chunhua furious:

"Sister-in-law, when are you going to pay back the money you owe my family? You're always hiding..."

Before Bao Ya could finish speaking, Xiang Chunhua pulled her into the house and then slammed the door shut.

Sister Qi, who was cooking outside, paused in her work upon hearing what was said, then pricked up her ears and tried to listen quietly to the sounds coming from the house across the street.

"Lin Baoya, what nonsense are you spouting?"

After entering the house, Xiang Chunhua looked at Bao Ya with a face full of anger, and really wanted to go over and slap her twice.

"What nonsense are you talking about? When are you going to pay back the two hundred yuan from the family division? Lin Xiaoquan is hiding and refusing to see anyone. Are you planning to renege on the debt?"

Bao Ya looked around the room. It was about 20 square meters in size. There was a bed, a writing desk, a wardrobe, a dining table, a few chairs, and that was about it.

"What do you mean I owe your family money? Your Lin family's affairs have nothing to do with me."

After saying that, she tossed her head, sat on the bed, and continued knitting her sweater. She ignored Bao Ya, wanting to give her the cold shoulder for a while, so that she would feel ashamed and leave on her own.

Bao Ya ignored what she said, picked up a clean cup from the table, poured some boiling water to rinse it, poured herself a cup of water, and sat down at the table to drink it sip by sip.

"Fine, if you say it's okay, then it's okay. I won't stop you from divorcing Lin Xiaoquan. But Lin Xiaoquan owes me a single penny more."

After saying that, he ignored Xiang Chunhua's expression and drank his water.

Xiang Chunhua glanced at Bao Ya. She hated Lin Bao Ya to death. She had caused trouble and split up the family, leaving them with a debt of four hundred yuan.

Not only did their family stop providing them with financial support, but Li Jinxiang also frequently sent messages asking them for money, and their lives are now much worse than before.

Feeling Xiang Chunhua's gaze, Bao Ya turned her head and gave her a sweet smile.

"Sister-in-law, isn't it time to cook? It's so late. You're so lazy even when you're living alone. No wonder city people don't want you."

Bao Ya opened her mouth and stabbed Chun Hua in the lungs, causing his Transformer-like square face to become unrecognizable.

"Why cook? We're out of food; we're all starving to death."

"You're so useless. Without the family's support, you've managed to live like this. You're a complete waste."

"Lin Baoya, get out of here!"

Xiang Chunhua was furious with her. She stood up abruptly, pointed to the door, and tried to shoo Bao Ya away.

"Pay back the money and get out of here immediately. If you don't, I'll come here every day. Do your neighbors know what kind of people you two are? I'll have to talk to them more often in the future."

Before Xiang Chunhua could continue speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Why haven't you cooked yet? What time is it?"

Lin Xiaoquan pushed open the door, and before he even entered, he began to speak.

The Lin family's eldest sons are all lazy and good-for-nothing. Relying on their mother-in-law's favoritism, they've never done anything since they were little. Now, Lin Xiaoquan is completely pampered and waited on hand and foot.

When Lin Xiaoquan entered the room and saw Lin Baoya smiling at him, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He took two steps back and had an urge to run away.

I don't know if you call him smart or stupid. He thought he could get away with hiding in the factory, but he can't escape his fate. Unless he stops working at the machine factory, I can find him anytime.

The first thing Lin Xiaoquan did after realizing what was happening was to close the door and lock it from the inside.

"Bao Ya, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoquan's panicked appearance, Bao Ya found it amusing. Why was she here? Did she even need to ask?

"You've come to collect a debt, huh? You forgot? I told you last time I'd be coming to find you in a couple of days. When the time comes, bring the money over."

"Bao Ya, look, I'm a little short on cash right now, and your sister-in-law is pregnant. Why don't you wait a bit, and I'll definitely pay you back next year when I'm in better financial shape."

Lin Xiaoquan pretended to be honest and simple-minded and told Bao Ya that his acting skills were far inferior to his father's.

He was pampered by the Lin family elders from a young age, and all the good things in the house were reserved for him. When has he ever spoken softly to his younger siblings?

Although his facial expression was pleading, the malice in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"Next year? What if your second uncle comes to ask you for money again next year? You should pay me back first, I need the money urgently too."

Bao Ya remained unmoved, knowing that Lin Xiaoquan was determined to renege on the debt, so she spoke without any politeness.

"Bao Ya, how could you do this? We're all relatives, do you really have to drive someone to such a desperate situation?"

Seeing that his soft approach wasn't working, Lin Xiaoquan decided to try a hard one. He had no intention of repaying the money anyway.

"Lin Xiaoquan, when your family was sucking the blood off the second and third wives, did you never think that we were relatives?"

What, you get all the benefits, and we're just supposed to be ripped off by your whole family?

Bao Ya raised her voice, speaking louder and louder. This tenement building wasn't soundproof, so anyone outside who wanted to hear could probably hear her.

"No, Baoya, don't be angry. That's not what I meant. It's just that I don't have enough money. I didn't say I wouldn't pay it back."

Hearing her speak so loudly, Lin Xiaoquan panicked. He glanced nervously at the door and then lowered his voice to speak softly.

"If you two can't even make ends meet with forty-odd yuan a month, then we might as well give up on life. Lin Xiaoquan, stop talking nonsense. You have to pay back the money today. If you keep making excuses, I'll go tell everyone about your family's mess."

By the way, do you know what your parents did? They schemed against my dowry and were labeled as bad elements. You don't want everyone to know your parents are bad elements, do you?

Lin Xiaoquan's heart skipped a beat. Lin Xiaowen had come to see him last month and told him about her family situation. He never expected that the brat would be so heartless.

Lin Xiaoquan's face grew increasingly grim. He suppressed his resentment and adopted a troubled expression:

"Bao Ya, how about this? We still have some money left this month, you can take it first, and we'll pay back the rest slowly."

As he spoke, Lin Xiaoquan took out ten yuan from the cabinet and handed it to Bao Ya.

Xiang Chunhua, who had remained silent until now, immediately protested and lunged forward to snatch the money, but Lin Xiaoquan grabbed her and held her down. She then shouted at Lin Xiaoquan:

"Why did you give her money? Does she deserve it?"

Bao Ya snatched the money from Lin Xiaoquan's hand, rolled it up, and stuffed it into her own pocket.

"How dare you talk like that, you ugly freak! If he had married a capable wife, would he need to owe us money? It's all because of you that he's dragged us down."

When she scolded her, Bao Ya had no qualms whatsoever. She had heard from the matchmaker at the meat processing plant that this ugly woman had even gone to her specifically to ask her to introduce her sister to Jiang Yuan.

"you……"

Xiang Chunhua was so angry she almost fainted. Every time she was called an ugly monster, she couldn't refute it.

"When are you planning to pay back the rest? You guys get paid in a couple of days, or should I come to your factory to collect it?"

She would charge an additional 10 yuan in interest. If she could pay interest every time she came, she wouldn't mind making a few more trips.

"We'll try our best to scrape together the rest..."

"What do you mean by 'try your best to scrape together'? You have to pay me back before the end of the year, or you'll have to give me one of your jobs."

Bao Ya brought up work again. She wasn't interested in either of their jobs, but Lin Xiaoquan would only take it seriously if she mentioned it.