“You still have conditions? You little worthless girl! If it weren’t for you, would Eryou and Sanyou have ended up in the police station?” Old Madam Xu exploded. She’d already spent ten whole yuan that morning, which pained her to death, and now this still wasn’t over.
“They nearly killed Duoduo. Otherwise, why would the police arrest them?” Xu Bu shot back.
“What conditions do you want?” Old Xu asked.
“Split the family. Separate the eldest branch completely — the kind where they leave with nothing. They don’t get the house either. Grandpa and Grandma will stay with our second branch.” Xu Duoduo looked directly into Old Xu’s eyes.
“Bullshit! Split what family? Your grandfather and I aren’t dead yet!” Old Madam Xu was so angry smoke practically came out of her nose.
“Whatever then. I’m not the one sitting in the police station anyway. In a little while, I’ll transfer to the city hospital for treatment. I’m the one who filed the report. If I don’t go withdraw the case, nobody else can do anything about it. If I stay away one day, those two stay locked up one day. And if I die, then just wait for Eryou and Sanyou to be sentenced!”
“Second son, your mother and I will go home and get more money so you can take Duoduo to the city hospital. The child’s young and doesn’t understand things. You mustn’t act recklessly.” Old Xu dragged away Old Madam Xu, who still wanted to scratch someone.
“Don’t pull me! I’ll beat this girl to death!” Old Madam Xu struggled furiously.
“You shut up already! Keep making trouble and don’t blame me if I hit you.” Old Xu was nearly driven mad by the troublesome old woman.
Duoduo was badly injured, and the second branch had already become estranged from them. At a time like this, instead of soothing the child, she kept stirring up trouble.
“The second branch has already separated emotionally from us. Didn’t you notice?” Once outside the hospital, Old Xu finally released Old Madam Xu.
“He’s my son. He’ll never escape the palm of my hand,” Old Madam Xu said dismissively.
“Didn’t you notice that when Duoduo mentioned splitting the family, Second Son and the others weren’t even surprised?” Even in his fifties, Old Xu still managed to keep his job on the security team because he had decent instincts.
“Do we really have to split the family to save Eryou and Sanyou?” Old Madam Xu still couldn’t accept it. She wasn’t dead yet — how could the family split?
“Let’s go back and talk to Liu Liguo next door. Isn’t his son a police officer?” Old Xu strode home.
“Duoduo, hurry and lie down to rest. Once your sister finishes the paperwork, we’ll head to the city hospital,” Zhou Rong said, trying to help her lie down.
“Mom, I’m fine. Little sister, go call Big Sister back. Earlier I only bit my tongue because I was talking too urgently, and I spat out some blood to scare Grandma.”
In truth, Xu Duoduo had secretly taken out one of the apocalypse’s greatest prank props from her space — fake blood candy. Once mixed with saliva, it made your whole mouth look bloody. Without lab testing, nobody could tell it was fake.
“Duoduo, you’re really alright?” Zhou Rong had nearly been scared to death.
“Dad, Mom, I’m really fine now. I just wanted to scare Grandpa and Grandma a little earlier. Sorry for making you worry.” Xu Duoduo tilted up her face with a smile.
“As long as you’re okay, we’re relieved. You mustn’t scare your parents like that!” Zhou Rong didn’t blame her.
“Duoduo, weren’t we supposed to split our branch out? Why did it become making your eldest uncle’s family move out instead?” Xu Ergen asked, confused.
“We can use the excuse that Eryou and Sanyou injured me, and say we want to cut ties with Eldest Uncle’s branch, so the family has to split. But we can’t suggest splitting away from Grandpa and Grandma directly — they’d never agree.
“But Eldest Uncle’s family won’t agree to being the branch kicked out either. After all, with four sons needing to marry in the future, they can’t survive without the house.
“So in the end, Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt will definitely scheme to force our family to move out instead.” Xu Duoduo explained calmly.
“Haha! Second Sister is so smart!” Xu Ting, who had just returned holding Xu Bu’s hand, immediately understood too.
“Big Sister, did you find out how to get to the city hospital?” Xu Duoduo asked.
“The doctor said after we handle the discharge paperwork, we can just take the medical report and go there ourselves,” Xu Bu answered.
“Mom, take this five yuan and buy some food while handling the discharge. Grandpa and Grandma will definitely come to the hospital this afternoon to talk about splitting the family. Once the written agreement is done, we’ll head straight to the countryside and hide there for a few days.”
Xu Duoduo smiled mischievously. Old Xu would probably be furious once he realized his son had run off right after the family split.
“Husband, wife, you’re finally back! Where are Eryou and Sanyou? Why didn’t they return with you?” Chen Hehua anxiously looked behind Old Xu and Old Madam Xu.
“Duoduo coughed up blood just now. The doctor said she needs to transfer to the city hospital. Second Son’s furious because her injuries worsened, and he refuses to go to the police station.” Old Madam Xu spoke bitterly.
“I’ll go! I’ll drag Second Brother there if I have to. He’s getting rebellious!” Xu Dagen stomped toward the door.
“Boss, come back. With Duoduo injured like this, Second Son won’t go with you to save Eryou and Sanyou.”
“Go to the supply cooperative and buy a bottle of liquor for Liu Liguo next door. Ask him to speak to his son and get Eryou and Sanyou released.” Old Xu decided to change tactics.
There was already a police officer living right next door. Spending some money to get his grandsons released seemed worth it.
“Dad, your brain really works fast. Mom, give me the liquor coupons and money. I’ll go buy it.” Xu Dagen immediately held out his hand toward Old Madam Xu.
“What? I don’t have money! Duoduo’s hospitalization already cost me ten yuan this morning, and I took that from this month’s food expenses! This whole family’s going to tighten our belts this month!” The moment Old Madam Xu heard “money,” she hurried into the room.
Since the old man already had a plan, she could finally go lie down and rest. The morning had exhausted her.
“Dad, look at Mom,” Xu Dagen complained.
“Stop always looking at us old folks. It’s not like you don’t have money yourself.” Old Xu knew his eldest son was slippery.
“Dahai’s father, Dahai gave me two yuan from his apprentice wages this month. I was saving it to buy Mother some meat. Let’s use it for the emergency first. Once Dahai gets paid again, I’ll buy meat for Father and Mother then.” Chen Hehua rolled her eyes slightly as she spoke to Xu Dagen, though the words were really meant for Old Xu to hear.
Better to take out some money now for appearances. Once Eryou and Sanyou got out, she had plenty of ways to get the money back.
“Alright.” Taking the money, Xu Dagen found an empty bottle and rode off on his bicycle.
He knew there was a small liquor distillery in the neighboring village nearby. A round trip by bicycle only took an hour. One bottle of strong homemade liquor cost fifty cents and didn’t even require coupons.
“Brother Liu, you’re home! Hahaha!” After buying the liquor, Xu Dagen went straight to Liu Liguo’s house next door and caught him just as he was returning from a walk.
“Brother Liu, I brought some liquor. Let’s have a good drink together!” Xu Dagen tried to follow him inside as Liu Liguo opened the door.
“What are you doing? This is a weasel paying New Year’s greetings to a chicken — clearly up to no good! Your Eryou and Sanyou got arrested, and right afterward you come to my house. You think I don’t know what you’re after?”
After all, Liu Liguo himself had personally reported the case.
“Let me tell you something — don’t pull that nonsense with me. My son Shengli is a police officer. Bringing liquor to his father, are you trying to make me drag down my own son? You trying to ruin my whole family? Get lost! I’m not stupid enough to make that kind of mistake.”
Liu Liguo shoved Xu Dagen right back out the door and slammed it shut.
“Dahai’s father, why are you back already? Go give the liquor to Brother Liu!” Chen Hehua asked in confusion when she saw Xu Dagen return still carrying the bottle.
“I already went there directly. He wouldn’t even let me inside. Just shoved me back out. Said he wouldn’t drag down his son or commit mistakes.” Xu Dagen sat gloomily on a stool in the courtyard.
“What? He wouldn’t even accept liquor? Living as neighbors and all, this Liu Liguo sure has a huge appetite,” Old Madam Xu grumbled as she emerged from the room after hearing the commotion.
“Then should we buy something else to send over?” she asked Old Xu.
“If you can’t bear to part with the bait, you can’t catch the wolf. Old woman, give Boss four yuan and some cigarette coupons. Buy a carton of Daqianmen cigarettes and send them to Liu Liguo.” Old Xu sat in silence for a long while before speaking.
Though Old Madam Xu’s heart ached over the money, once Old Xu gave the order, she reluctantly went inside to get the money and coupons.
An hour later, Xu Dagen returned again covered in dust and looking miserable. The moment he entered, he threw the cigarettes onto the kang bed and squatted beside it sulking.
“What, he still wouldn’t take them?” Old Xu sat up on the kang and looked at the cigarettes.
“Nope. He refused them and even kicked me over. Said if I dared bring things again, he’d have his son arrest me too.” Xu Dagen spoke bitterly.
“Sigh… old man, what do we do now? Do we really have to split the family?” Old Madam Xu finally looked toward Old Xu nervously.