Jiang Xiuyun, the eldest sister, had poured all her energy into that son.
Later, after Jiang Lin became successful, she repeatedly took money from him to treat the boy’s illness, raising him with utmost care all the way through university.
She worked herself to the point of coughing up blood. Yet only before her death did she learn the truth.
The daughter she had always neglected was her real child, while that son… was someone else’s.
And now, this was exactly the time when Xiao Chenghe was trying to cheat money from their family to support the mistress outside.
If Jiang Lin remembered correctly, in his previous life, Xiao Chenghe had forced his parents to scrape together everything they had, even selling off what they could, to hand over the family’s savings.
After all, as the village chief, his father still had some savings.
But in the end, that money never helped his eldest sister secure the position.
According to Xiao Chenghe, the person who took the money simply didn’t do the job, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Given their family’s character, they would feel ashamed just facing others, let alone going to demand an explanation.
So they swallowed the loss in silence.
Who could have imagined that Xiao Chenghe had done something so despicable behind their backs? That money had long been handed over to his mistress.
It was precisely that money that allowed the mistress to buy a small courtyard and live comfortably while raising her child.
Later, they even heard that during future demolitions, that courtyard became extremely valuable… benefiting the mistress instead.
“I don’t have that much money on hand, and neither does your mother. 800 yuan is no small amount! You know how many places in this house need money. How could we possibly come up with 800 yuan?”
Jiang Zhiyuan tapped his pipe against the table.
As a father-in-law, he shouldn’t really refuse his eldest son-in-law. After all, Xiao Chenghe was a cadre.
His own son might need his help someday.
Their family was already considered capable.
Between the few mu of land they had contracted, the two pigs they raised, and the dozen chickens, they managed to save some money every year.
But the problem was, they had too many children… three daughters and one son.
The daughters had all been married off, and the son was still studying.
Everywhere required money.
They were already considered open-minded parents, not favoring sons over daughters like many others.
Even so, they couldn’t save much.
His wife was already very frugal and strict with money, which was the only reason they had managed to get all their daughters married.
Now only the youngest remained.
But coming up with 800 yuan… that was practically impossible.
No ordinary family could produce that kind of money.
“Dad, you know opportunities like this are rare. If we miss it, Xiuyun might spend her entire life as just a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative. But if she becomes a section chief, she’ll definitely be able to help the family in the future. This chance won’t come again. If we miss it, there won’t be another opportunity.”
Xiao Chenghe spoke with a face full of sincerity, as if everything he did was for his wife.
But only he knew that the 800 yuan was urgently needed… just not for her.
If he had any other way to get money, he wouldn’t have come to his father-in-law.
“Dad, if I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have come to you. Maybe you can try borrowing some money with Mom. Or ask the second and third sisters to help gather it. They both work in the county, so they should be able to come up with the money.”
Xiao Chenghe didn’t care where the money came from. He had already decided he would get it.
He knew his father-in-law wouldn’t dare refuse him. After all, his position as a manager was there for everyone to see.
Jiang Zhiyuan didn’t dare offend him.
“Even if your second and third sisters are working, it’s not easy for them to come up with such a large sum. Even if I wanted to borrow it, I wouldn’t know where to go.”
Deep down, Jiang Zhiyuan didn’t approve of such underhanded methods.
If everyone relied on these tactics, then anyone could become a leader. What would be the point of learning skills or gaining education?
But his son-in-law had come to him personally. As a father-in-law, he couldn’t bring himself to lecture him outright.
“Dad, please think of a way.”
Xiao Chenghe’s expression was earnest and anxious, like a man deeply concerned for his wife.
“Brother-in-law, instead of asking my dad to think of a way, why don’t you think about our current situation? When you married my sister, our family didn’t ask for any bride price. Other families would demand at least 300 yuan, plus things like a bicycle, sewing machine, and radio. But when my sister married you, we didn’t ask for anything. In fact, the sewing machine and bicycle were provided by our family. Altogether, that’s worth at least 300 to 400 yuan. If you really want to help my sister, why not go back and discuss it with her? Sell the bicycle, sewing machine, and television. That should be enough to make up 800 yuan. Why make things difficult for my dad? He’s just a farmer. Do you expect him to grow money from the ground?”
Jiang Lin’s words left Xiao Chenghe speechless.
Indeed, when they married five years ago, Xiao Chenghe’s family had saved a huge amount on the bride price. Whether then or now, it was undeniable.
Xiao Chenghe knew he was in the wrong. He just hadn’t expected this usually quiet and dull brother-in-law to speak so sharply.
“Lin, don’t talk as if it’s easy. This is for your sister. If I sell everything at home, my parents will definitely find out. If they do, they’ll shut this matter down immediately.”
Xiao Chenghe knew that using his wife as an excuse would make it hard for his father-in-law to refuse.
Jiang Zhiyuan was about to say something, but Jiang Lin stepped forward again.
“If that’s the case, then forget it. My sister is doing fine now. As long as she works hard for another five years, she’ll be promoted from sales clerk to team leader step by step. Dad, if we use this money now to pull strings and something goes wrong, and someone catches wind of it… you know how policies can change. Who knows how many eyes are watching behind the scenes? If someone reports them, my sister could lose her job, and my brother-in-law might get implicated too. Then the whole family will suffer. I’m saying this for my brother-in-law’s own good.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. It was the truth.
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Zhiyuan immediately changed his mind.
“Lin is right. Don’t bring this up again. Let Xiuyun work properly. There will be opportunities in the future.”
“Dad…”
Xiao Chenghe had never expected that the once foolish, simple, honest brother-in-law could suddenly speak with such reasoning.
And the worst part was… he couldn’t refute a single word.