Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

"Ten yuan?" Hou Yufen's eyes widened. "They took the money?"

The eldest sister-in-law also spoke ill of Qian Gaofei's family because of the trouble they had caused: "They accepted it. Uncle said it himself. The Sun family gave us ten yuan as a trouble fee and asked Uncle to help plead on their behalf. They also said that if Xiaolu could persuade Chengzi, they would give Xiaolu three yuan."

Hou Yufen was so angry that her hands trembled after hearing this.

"Is he... is he even human?"

"Xiao Cheng is his own nephew! His own nephew was beaten up like that, and not only did he not help, he even took money from them and sent Xiao Lu to persuade Chengzi to let those people go?"

Qian Lu, panting heavily, said in a muffled voice, "I overturned his table and gave him a good scolding. From now on, I don't have him as my uncle."

Qian Cheng remained silent, leaning against the headboard and listening.

After listening, he gave a cold laugh.

"Chengzi, what are you laughing at?" Hou Yufen looked at Qian Cheng.

"I laughed and realized I guessed right. When they came this morning, I felt something was off. We haven't been in touch for so many years, and suddenly they come to my door with eggs. Could they have good intentions?"

Qian Cheng explained with a cold laugh that from the beginning he had felt that his uncle, who never came to the temple without a reason, had brought a basket of eggs this morning, so he must have had ulterior motives.

So it turns out they took money from the Sun family to get him to release the people.

That's a pretty nice idea.

Furthermore, Qian Cheng was certain that his awful uncle's family had received far more than ten yuan from the Sun family.

Qian Cheng guessed that, given his uncle's eccentric personality, he would have to charge the Sun family at least thirty yuan to do the job.

Hou Yufen thought about it and agreed.

She had felt something was strange earlier that morning.

She knew Qian Gaofei's family all too well; they were always trying to take advantage of others and always felt bad when they suffered a loss.

They'll deliver eggs to your door? That's a pipe dream.

Hou Yufen slapped her thigh, suddenly realizing, "I knew it! They wouldn't have such good intentions, so that's what it was about!"

Qian Lu continued angrily, "When I flipped the table, his face turned white, his wife was so scared that she sat on the ground crying, and the two children stood there, not daring to utter a sound."

"Serves him right, that's exactly what he deserved."

Qian Cheng smiled again, but this time the smile was a bit cold.

"My uncle's family has never given us a second glance since I can remember."

This is how they were when our dad was alive.

Now that Dad's gone, they look down on us even more.

Now, for just thirty yuan, they're coming to plead for me. They couldn't persuade me, so they're trying to convince my older brother. They're really something else.

"Thirty?" Qian Lu was taken aback. "Wasn't it ten yuan?"

Qian Cheng glanced at him: "Brother, do you believe they said it's ten yuan?"

Qian Lu pondered for a moment, then his face darkened even more: "You mean, they deliberately underreported it?"

Qian Cheng nodded: "Definitely. I don't know my uncle well enough."

"That greedy bastard! He's willing to take on this mess with the Sun family? You think he'd be swayed by less than thirty yuan?"

Hou Yufen gasped, "Thirty yuan? They charged thirty yuan?"

"More or less, and I reckon they've already spent the money, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry to come looking for someone during the Chinese New Year."

The eldest sister-in-law chimed in, agreeing with Qian Cheng's assessment: "You're absolutely right. I glanced into their room; Liu Fang was wearing a new cotton-padded jacket, and the two children were also dressed in new clothes. Although there weren't many dishes on the table, the bowls in the inner room were full of meat."

Hou Yufen gritted her teeth in anger: "They certainly know how to enjoy themselves! They're using the money from selling their nephew to buy themselves New Year's goods!"

Qian Cheng sneered: "That's just the kind of people they are. Ever since my grandfather's generation, all they've known is how to take advantage of others."

When the family divided the money, they were both unhappy about it and insisted on making a scene.

Later, when our father passed away, they didn't contribute a single penny to the funeral expenses, but they took all the money from the funeral gifts.

During Chinese New Year, Mom gives those two kids red envelopes, but they never send one back to our family.

Now, for just thirty yuan, they've come to persuade me to let go of those who beat me.

He paused, then looked at Qian Lu: "Brother, you did a good job flipping the table today. If it were me, I would have done the same."

Qian Lu said, "I'm just so angry. What kind of uncles are they? What kind of relatives are they?"

Qian Cheng shook his head: "No, it doesn't count anymore, starting today."

Hou Yufen remained silent for a while, then suddenly stood up and walked out.

"Mom, where are you going?" Qian Cheng asked.

"I'll go get some eggs; I'll cook them for you tomorrow."

"I threw away the basket they brought this morning. We are poor, but not so poor that we need their eggs. From now on, we will cut ties with them completely, and you can pretend that this uncle never existed."

She went to the outer room, opened the cupboard, took out a few eggs, and put them in a basket.

"We'll eat it ourselves, and leave none for them."

Qian Cheng smiled as he watched them, still angry but not forgetting their mother.

Qian Lu smiled too.

The older sister-in-law smiled too.

The chill in the room slowly dissipated.

It was completely dark outside, but the room was warm and cozy.

Qian Cheng leaned against the headboard, looking at his older brother, sister-in-law, and mother, and suddenly felt very at ease.

What are relatives?

It's not about blood ties, it's about people's hearts.

For someone like my uncle, having blood ties is no different than not having them.

People like my elder brother are true relatives.

Sun Xinghua got up very early the next morning.

She didn't sleep well last night, tossing and turning, thinking about what happened today.

Qian Gaofei confidently assured her that he could get it done that day, and told her to come over today and wait for news.

She wasn't really sure, but she'd already given him the money and beaten him, so she had no choice but to trust him this once.

After getting up, washing her face, and changing into clean clothes, Sun Xinghua told her family what was going on and went to Qian Gaofei's house.

Qian Gaofei's home is not far from hers, about a ten-minute walk.

Throughout the journey, she was filled with anxiety, hoping that Qian Gaofei could get things done, but also worried about what would happen if he failed.

That money was painstakingly saved up; if it went down the drain, she would fight Qian Gaofei to the death.

When Sun Xinghua arrived at Qian Gaofei's door, she stopped, straightened her clothes, and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

There was movement inside the house; someone was walking around.

"Who is it?" It was a woman's voice, Qian Gaofei's wife, Liu Fang.

"It's me, Sun Xinghua," Sun Xinghua answered from outside the door.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then there were footsteps approaching the door. The door opened a crack, and Liu Fang poked her head out, forcing a smile: "Sister Xinghua, so early?"

Sun Xinghua peeked inside and asked, "Is Gao Fei home? We agreed yesterday that he would come over today to wait for news."

Liu Fang's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned, and she said, "Oh dear, Sister Xinghua, Gao Fei left early this morning to go to Qian Cheng's house. He said you should go back and wait for news, and he'll let you know as soon as he has any updates."

Sun Xinghua was taken aback and became suspicious.

You clearly said you'd come to my house today, why did you change your mind again?

"Did he go to Qian Cheng's house?" Sun Xinghua asked.