Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

Qian Gaofei stood on the village road, looking at the white mountains in the distance, not knowing where to go.

Liu Fang, holding her two children, stood behind him, completely bewildered.

"Shall we go back to the village?" Liu Fang asked.

Qian Gaofei didn't say anything.

Go back to the village?

Sun Xinghua is definitely waiting for them.

If we don't go back to the village, where can we go?

Qian Gaofei stood there for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go back."

"But the Sun family..."

"We'll talk about it when we get back. At worst, we can just pay her back the thirty yuan."

Liu Fang opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Thirty yuan?

I've already spent it all, how am I going to pay it back?

But she didn't dare say it.

The family of four walked slowly towards Laowozi Village through the snow.

It's a 20-mile walk, and it would take half a day to walk back.

This first day of the Lunar New Year was truly awful.

The Qian family of four braved the cold wind and trudged through the snow, walking back step by step.

Twenty li is neither far nor near.

It usually takes an hour or two to walk there, but today the journey was unusually slow.

Every few steps, Qian Fugui and Qian Fusheng would ask, "How much further?" Qian Gaofei would remain silent and keep walking forward.

Liu Fang followed behind, muttering to herself as she walked.

"Why did you take that money? I told you not to, but you insisted."

Now look what's happened! The money was spent, the matter wasn't resolved, and they kicked us out. It's the Lunar New Year, and we can't even get a meal.

Qian Gaofei remained silent.

Liu Fang continued, "And your nephew, Qian Cheng, is such an ingrate."

We're his uncles, after all. He can turn his back on us so easily.

And then there's Qian Lu, that kid's even worse, he overturned our table.

Qian Gaofei remained silent.

Liu Fang talked the whole way, her mouth was dry, but Qian Gaofei didn't reply with a single word.

She got angrier and angrier as she talked, and finally stopped talking and walked away with her head down.

After walking for more than two hours, we finally saw the shadow of Laowozi Village.

Qian Gaofei stood at the village entrance and looked into the village.

Smoke billowed from every chimney, and occasionally a few firecrackers went off.

Someone was standing at the door talking, and they pointed and whispered when they saw them.

"Let's go."

The family of four entered the village.

I had only taken a few steps when someone came up to me.

It's Sun Xinghua.

She stood in the middle of the road, hands on her hips, with an expression on her face that could devour someone.

"Oh, Uncle Qian's back?" Sun Xinghua said with a forced smile. "Where have you been hiding away for the New Year?"

Qian Gaofei's heart skipped a beat, but he still managed a smile: "Xinghua, Happy New Year!"

"What's so good about it?" Sun Xinghua took a step forward. "My husband is locked up inside, and my five brothers are locked up inside too. I'm all alone guarding this empty house. Is that what you call good?"

Qian Gaofei took a step back: "Xinghua, about this matter..."

"What happened?" Sun Xinghua interrupted him. "Didn't you say you'd take care of it? Didn't you say Qian Cheng was your nephew, and he wouldn't dare disobey you? Where is he now? Where is my husband?"

Liu Fang chimed in from the side, "Xinghua, listen to what we have to say."

"Shut up!" Sun Xinghua pointed at her. "You're no better. You were all smiles when you took the money, but now that you haven't done the job, you've run away. You can't hide forever. Let's see where you can run!"

The villagers heard the commotion and gathered around.

With nothing to do on the first day of the Lunar New Year, watching the excitement is the best way to pass the time.

In a short while, twenty or thirty people gathered around.

Qian Gaofei was mortified.

He's very concerned about his reputation; being publicly insulted and pointed at in the street is worse than being killed.

"Xinghua, don't go too far," he said, forcing a smile. "We'll return the money to you."

"Give it back to me?" Sun Xinghua laughed. "When? Now?"

Qian Gaofei opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Liu Fang panicked: "Xinghua, it's the New Year! Where are we supposed to get the money? Can't we pay it back after the New Year?"

"After the New Year?" Sun Xinghua sneered. "After the New Year, my man will be out? After the New Year, my five brothers will be out?"

She took a step forward: "Let me tell you, you're not leaving today unless you give me my money back!"

Qian Fugui and Qian Fusheng were so frightened that they hid behind Liu Fang. Liu Fang panicked as well, tugging at Qian Gaofei's sleeve: "Say something!"

Qian Gaofei's face flushed red. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, "Xinghua, we're still neighbors..."

"Who says we're from the same village?" Sun Xinghua spat. "Who do you think you are? A villager who takes the money and runs?"

Someone in the crowd laughed out loud.

Qian Gaofei wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Just then, someone shouted, "The village chief is here!"

The crowd parted to make way. Village elder Li walked over, saw the commotion, and frowned.

"What's all this commotion about during the New Year?" Old Li asked.

Upon seeing the village chief, Sun Xinghua became even more agitated: "Village chief, you be the judge! Qian Gaofei took thirty yuan from me, saying he'd help me plead with Qian Cheng and get a letter of understanding. He didn't do anything, didn't return the money, and ran away. I've caught him red-handed today. Tell me, shouldn't he return it?"

Old Li looked at Qian Gaofei: "Is that so?"

Qian Gaofei lowered his head and dared not utter a sound.

Old Li asked again, "Did you really take their money?"

Qian Gaofei remained silent.

Liu Fang couldn't hold back any longer: "So what if we accepted it? It's a tip for our trouble! We traveled over twenty miles to plead for her, shouldn't we get a little something for our efforts?"

"Plead for her?" Old Li sneered. "You're helping her plead for him? You're forcing Qian Cheng to sign a letter of forgiveness, is that what you call pleading for him?"

Liu Fang was speechless.

Old Li looked at Qian Gaofei: "And you, you're Qian Cheng's uncle, yet instead of helping him, you're helping an outsider. You take money from others and then pressure your own nephew. If word gets out, how will you ever have the face to stay in the village?"

Qian Gaofei's face flushed red and then turned pale, and he didn't dare to lift his head.

Sun Xinghua shouted from the side, "Village chief, don't worry about his shamelessness, just give me my money back!"

Old Li waved his hand: "Alright, alright, it's the New Year, stop making a scene. Qian Gaofei, how much money do you owe them?"

"Three... thirty," Qian Gaofei whispered.

"You have money, don't you?"

"No...no." Qian Gaofei's voice was even softer.

Old Li sighed: "So what do you want to do?"

Qian Gaofei remained silent.

Liu Fang said from the side, "Village chief, we really have no money. We spent it all on New Year's goods."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xinghua exploded: "You spent it all? You used my money to buy New Year's goods? You let my husband spend the New Year in jail while your whole family ate and drank the good stuff?"

She rushed forward to attack, but the people around her quickly stopped her.

Old Li also stopped him, saying, "Alright, alright, don't do it. Qian Gaofei, go home and look around. Take whatever you have, and write an IOU for the rest. You can pay it back slowly after the New Year."

Qian Gaofei had no choice but to nod.

The family of four slunk home, with Sun Xinghua following behind, cursing all the way.

When they arrived at Qian Gaofei's house and opened the door, the house was cold and empty.

Qian Gaofei rummaged through drawers and cabinets, finally finding two yuan and eighty cents.