A century of poverty

Chapter 113 Deception

The clock keeps ticking, and people keep moving forward. We cherish this moment of peace, but someone stirs up a new wave of trouble.

Su Lei and Su Zhichun spent 35,000 yuan to buy three rooms and one empty room inside.

They've got a really good plan. They took advantage of our connection to help someone else buy their house, selling two rooms that were worth over 20,000 yuan a year for 35,000 yuan. Then they used that 35,000 yuan to buy three rooms in our yard, plus a plot of land for over 20 square meters, and a large courtyard that's 16 meters wide by 28 meters long.

He's got a real head for business; no wonder he's rich. He's a master of manipulation and exploitation.

We could only watch helplessly and watch from the sidelines.

What we need to do right now is to have a place to cook. The shop has a small heated brick bed, and there's only one iron stove for cooking, which is inconvenient.

We discussed drilling a hole in the south wall of the kang (a heated brick bed) and building a small stove outside to use as a kitchen. This way, we could cook while also keeping an eye on the sales, and we wouldn't have to take turns cooking and eating anymore.

Zhiqiang found Wang Baogang, a bricklayer from Daodong.

Wang the bricklayer arrived and inspected the site: "Hmm, extend it by two meters, just enough to not obstruct entry and exit!" With that, he got to work.

"You're blocking my way now that you're out here! No way! Fuck you, let's see who the hell dares to block the way!"

When I came over, I saw my father-in-law sitting at the front door, yelling and cursing. His face was extremely ugly.

Wang, the bricklayer, entered the house: "I suddenly have a stomachache and can't work. I need to go home and get some medicine!"

He packed his tools, slung his bricklayer's bag over his shoulder, and left.

As evening approached, Su Long was playing by the door. Then he heard his father-in-law's voice: "Grandson, go get Grandpa two bags of instant noodles."

Su Long came in and ran towards the counter where the instant noodles were. He couldn't reach them, so I took two bags and handed them to him. The child ran out to take them to his grandfather.

Then I heard my father-in-law's voice: "Go get two more eggs, put them on the tab, and pay me back later!"

The child came running in again, went straight to the egg crate under the shelf by the front door, picked up an egg in each hand, and handed it to his grandfather.

Father-in-law's voice: "My dear grandson, remember this! Here's a whole bunch for you."

After dinner, Zhiqiang went over and asked, "Dad, weren't you at my second brother's house? Why are you back?"

The father-in-law sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), rolling a cigarette and smoking it, turning his head away and ignoring his son.

Zhiqiang said, "I'll take a section out of the shop to use as a kitchen. It won't affect entry or exit, I've checked it. I won't take over the two adjacent shops. I'll take out a section out of the shop to cook, so one person can cook while running the shop, which is much more convenient."

Su Zhiru had already come in and listened to Zhiqiang's explanation. She said to her father, "You can stay here tonight. I'll come and wake you for breakfast tomorrow morning!"

The father-in-law remained silent.

At this time, my father-in-law's family stayed for a month and a half. Some families could stay, some couldn't. Those who couldn't stand it would run back and return to their own two rooms. Oil, salt, soy sauce, and noodles were all given to them with the words, "Grandson, write this down first, we'll return it all later."

I wonder when he started this pile.

Although I wasn't too happy about it, she is an elderly person who couldn't stay at that house and came back. I can't do business here and not provide her with food and drink.

So, my father-in-law spends about a third of the time he's away on duty coming back here.

Zhiqiang went to Wang Baogang's house again, found him, and finished the kitchen work.

After that, things became much more convenient for us.

Six months later, Su Lei and Su Zhichun drove back. Su Lei said, "Let's each take one room and buy the old man's two rooms. We can rebuild them and both of us will have enough space. You need at least three rooms, since you have a son."

I said, "We've spoken to the old man about this, but he doesn't agree!"

Su Lei, hands in his pockets and a malicious glint in his eyes, said, "He doesn't agree? Both of our houses have been rebuilt, leaving him with only two rooms in the middle. How can he build them? Selling them to us is his best option."

I have no idea!"

Su Zhichun: "As long as you agree to buy, we'll talk to them."

I said, "Under reasonable circumstances, I agree to buy it!"

Su Lei and Su Zhichun went to the main house to talk to the old man.

A moment later, someone came over and said, "The old man agrees to sell!"

I asked, "How much?"

Su Lei: "19,000, 11,000 for one room on the east side, 8,000 for one room on the west side, and the room on the west side is small."

I said, "I know, but it's not much different by a third. Forget it, I won't buy it. Two rooms it is, I'll just stay there."

Su Lei and Su Zhichun said in unison, "Let's talk about the price reduction for this place."

He came back a little while later: "You got 10,000, and we got 8,000."

I said, "Keep them all! I don't have that much money. Buying one and then rebuilding would make three, and I don't even know how I'll scrape together the money for two more!"

Su Lei: "Stop talking nonsense, why build two rooms! I'll lend you the money to build three rooms, you keep this one, you pay nine thousand, I'll pay the other thousand, I'll also pay nine thousand, I'll give you the other thousand and forget about it. It's not even enough for me to 'light a firecracker'."

That large, open-air beam is fine with you, that's all. I only need one more room, any more is useless, go get the money.”

I honestly gathered up the money, even bringing ten-yuan notes, and handed it to them in a tall stack: "Nine thousand, count it."

Su Zhichun took the money and quickly counted it: "Not a penny less, take it to the old man." The two of them took the money and left.

They said it was to send it to her father-in-law, but in reality, she's been keeping all his money for years. As for our money, once it's in their hands, they don't even let him see it; they just take it away.

They handled the whole thing themselves, and we didn't even get to meet our father-in-law.

After Su Lei and Su Zhichun bought the house, they started demolishing it, tearing down all four rooms. But what they shouldn't have done was to remove the large pine beam that was supposed to be ours and put it in their lumber pile.

The beam was removed, causing our room to immediately sag.

In the evening, I stood on the ruins after the demolition, my thoughts a jumble of emotions.

Living here for over ten years, I've been forced into so many situations. It's as if we're not part of this family, and I have nowhere to confide my troubles and grievances. How much can I even tell someone? And if I do, who will stand up for me and seek justice?

The lintel in our room has been removed; the beams and rafters are drooping, leaving it dilapidated. The slats of the ceiling, like banners in a scene from a TV drama, flutter and sway—what do they signify? Their room, with the kang floor removed, is pitch black. How deep is that hole? What lies hidden within? I don't know.

Where are those dark clouds rushing across the northwest sky headed?

Too much confusion and loss keep my heart from finding peace.

They're digging the foundation over there, so we can't put anything there. We're not building anything here for now; they can use the land, there's nothing else to say.

The courtyard wall was leveled to make it easier for them to haul bricks, stones, sand, and precast slabs. Our courtyard became their material storage yard.

Su Lei found a truck and took the wood to the cutting shop. I stood at the shop and saw Zhiqiang helping to load the truck. From the moment they started work, Zhiqiang spent all his remaining time helping them, except when picking up the goods.

After the purlins of the three rooms were installed, several people carried the beams together, and Zhiqiang also helped carry them.

I thought to myself: Didn't we already give them the beam? Why are they loading it onto the truck? Why isn't Zhiqiang saying anything? He's even helping to lift it.

I really wanted to go over and ask, but seeing so many people, including Zhiqiang, I was too embarrassed.

After breaking it, they pulled it back and unloaded it into their yard.

When Zhiqiang came back for dinner, I asked him, "Today you were helping your brother-in-law cut wood, and you accidentally broke the lintel. Didn't they say they were going to give it to us?"

Zhiqiang said embarrassedly, "I—forgot."

I said, "How could they forget? They shouldn't do this, should they? They have so much money, how could they do things like this?"

Zhiqiang: "Let him use it, what can you do about it?"

Me: "So what? It's just a loss! People who don't know better might think we're benefiting from their good fortune."

That night, Zhiqiang stayed there to look after things, and didn't go back to his room to sleep until very late. He got up at 3:30 the next morning to go to the main road to get them a truck to haul sand.

I said to Zhiqiang, "Take off your gold ring. It's worn down from handling sand, stones, and bricks every day. Add my ring and necklace, wrap them up, and store them away!"

Zhiqiang took the ring off his ring finger and handed it to me. I wrapped it, along with my ring, necklace, and pendant, in a layer of red cloth, then wrapped it in a piece of paper, and tucked it into a crack in the kitchen wood. I thought no one would see it.

Su Lei and Su Zhichun are well-known figures in the village, respected bosses by everyone. Bricklayers, carpenters, and plumbers come and go in droves.

During the day, Su Lei rests at the store every day, and occasionally prepares meals for the workers in our kitchen.

His father, Su Li, would come every day like he was going to work, sitting in the cool air and watching. He would even find the empty cement bags the bricklayers emptied and the nails the carpenters dropped on the ground.

Once, he fell onto a clod of earth on this side, and he immediately took a shovel and scooped it back up along with the surrounding soil.

My white rabbits have a very high reproduction rate; there are now more than twenty of them. Every day, Zhiqiang has to go and cut hay for the rabbits.

That afternoon, Zhiqiang couldn't find the bag of rabbit hay in the yard, and he yelled at me angrily.

I came out to check: "The rabbit cage is on the west side; you should have put it there when you came back from cutting grass. If it's gone, don't yell at me. Ask your relative if they thought it was theirs and gave it to you to sell for money!"

Zhiqiang realized that what I said made sense and stopped shouting.