Actually, he had always wanted to move out, but he feared his uncle would be saddened, so he had endured it and never brought it up.
His uncle had been kind to him; back then, it was Yang Heping who had scraped together the tuition for him to attend college.
After graduation, his uncle let him live in his home and had always treated him well—one could even say better than his own father would have. His uncle was like a second father to him.
In truth, he had always known his aunt hated him and that she spread rumors about him behind his back. For his uncle’s sake, he had never taken those things to heart.
Previously, his plan was to start a family as soon as possible, as he would have to move out once married. Leaving in such a natural way would not cause his uncle any distress.
But today, that last fig leaf of pretense had been torn away, and he felt this was an opportunity to leave. At the very least, if he mentioned moving out now, his uncle would not be too heartbroken.
“Moving out?” Yang Heping looked at Yang Qing steadily for a while, seemingly reluctant to let him go.
“It’s because of your aunt, isn’t it?” Yang Heping sighed.
“It’s not exactly…” Yang Qing was about to explain, but Yang Heping raised his hand to interrupt him.
“Moving out might be for the best, so you won’t be bullied by your aunt anymore,” Yang Heping said dejectedly.
“Where will you move? Have you found a place to stay?” Yang Heping asked.
“I want to move into the factory dormitory first and then move out once I find a house. After all, I would need to find a marital home once I start a family anyway,” Yang Qing said.
In fact, he had been asking his colleagues to help him look for a house during this time, and he had happened to find a suitable one just a few days ago.
He didn’t mention this because he was afraid Yang Heping would be even more upset if he discovered that he had long intended to move.
“Alright,” Yang Heping sighed. “Before the formal engagement, we need to visit the girl’s house again to discuss the bride price. Let’s set the time for tomorrow evening.”
Yang Qing nodded.
Early the next morning, Yang Heping waited at the entrance of the credit union. As soon as the staff started work, he went to the counter and withdrew six thousand yuan.
There was eleven thousand in the bankbook; after withdrawing six thousand, five thousand remained.
Yang Heping took the money, quickly tucked it into his pocket, and then looked around warily.
He walked briskly all the way to the electronics factory, called Yang Qing to a deserted corner, took out the money, and shoved it into Yang Qing’s pocket.
“Uncle, what are you doing?” Yang Qing looked anxious and was about to take the money out of his pocket to return it, but Yang Heping reached out to stop him.
“This is the factory; don’t take it out. Someone might spot it and steal it from you later,” Yang Heping said cautiously.
Yang Qing felt that the money in his pocket was quite a lot; the thickness suggested at least four or five thousand yuan or more. His uncle was truly planning to provide the bride price.
He said with a difficult expression, “Uncle, what is this for?”
“This is six thousand yuan for your wedding,” Yang Heping said. “Tonight, we are going to the Meng family to discuss the bride price. If the money isn’t enough, I’ll withdraw more later.”
“Uncle, no, there’s no need to withdraw more,” Yang Qing said quickly. “I still have two thousand yuan in my own bankbook. If it really isn’t enough, I’ll borrow some from a few colleagues.”
After all, it was he who was getting a wife. His own father didn’t care about him, so there was no reason to let his uncle pay the money.
“Consider this money a loan from you, Uncle. Once I get my salary, I’ll pay you back bit by bit,” Yang Qing said gratefully.
“What do you mean, a loan? This money was yours to begin with,” Yang Heping said. “You’ve been at your uncle’s house for four or five years. Which month did you not hand over money to your aunt? From initially handing over one hundred at a time to now handing over two hundred, after these four or five years, there has long been six thousand yuan.”
“Didn’t your uncle say before? I wouldn’t take your money; I just considered it as saving it for you,” Yang Heping said sincerely. “Now that you need the money, I’ve withdrawn it for you.”
“Uncle…” Yang Qing felt a lump in his throat for a moment and didn’t know what to say.
In this world, there weren’t many people who were truly good to him and truly cared for him, but his uncle Yang Heping was one of them.
“Don’t say anything else. Just live a good life with that girl. When we talk about the bride price at the Meng family today, try your best to satisfy them.” As he spoke, Yang Heping patted Yang Qing’s hand earnestly.
“Ultimately, it was my family that wronged you. If your aunt hadn’t meddled, you would have started a family long ago. Perhaps your child would be able to walk by now.” As Yang Heping spoke, he smiled bitterly, as if imagining Yang Qing’s child walking on the ground.
Yang Qing said nothing more, but in his heart, he was determined to return the money to his uncle. Not only that, but he also wanted to ensure his uncle lived a good life.
Thinking of something, Yang Qing asked, “What about Aunt?”
His aunt was barely literate; usually, tasks like depositing or withdrawing money were handled by his uncle, but his aunt kept the bankbook. This time, his uncle had almost certainly withdrawn the money secretly behind her back.
Once his aunt discovered the money in the bankbook was gone, she certainly wouldn’t let his uncle off easily.
“I will talk to her about that. You don’t need to worry.”
Yang Heping thought for a moment and added, “You should go home at noon today to pack your things and move out then. Don’t tell your aunt where you’re moving.”
Once Liu Xiuying discovered the money was missing, she would inevitably go looking for Yang Qing. If Yang Qing moved away, she would have nowhere to find him.
Yang Heping had planned everything well, but he didn’t expect to run into Liu Xiuying rummaging through everything for the bankbook the moment he returned home at noon.
All morning, Liu Xiuying had felt her eyelid twitching violently, sensing that something major was about to happen.
While stepping on the sewing machine, she pondered and actually thought of something.
The bankbook!
So, as soon as she got off work at noon, she didn’t even care about eating and ran home.
The moment she entered the house, she went to search the wardrobe where she hid the bankbook.
It wasn’t there!
As she was flipping through the clothes, she heard the sound of people talking outside.
Liu Xiuying pushed open the door and came face-to-face with Yang Heping and Yang Qing, who were talking.
“Where is the bankbook?” Liu Xiuying asked.
Yang Heping knew there was no avoiding this. He took the bankbook from his coat and handed it to Liu Xiuying.
Liu Xiuying took the bankbook and hurriedly flipped it open. Her hands trembled as she asked, “Where is the money in the bankbook?”
“I withdrew it and gave it to Xiao Qing. His bride price, the wedding procession, and the banquet for getting a wife all cost money,” Yang Heping said in a stiff tone.
“Six thousand yuan! What kind of wife is he getting that costs six thousand yuan?”
“This money originally belonged to Xiao Qing anyway. Over these years, Xiao Qing has handed over his salary every month. If not seven thousand, there was at least six thousand.” Yang Heping stood his ground. “He’s taking back his own money—do you have an objection?”
“That was what he was supposed to pay! He lives in our house and eats our food. If he doesn’t pay, does he expect to eat and stay for free?” Liu Xiuying said, her hands shaking as she held the bankbook.
“Don’t you have any shred of dignity as an elder? I feel ashamed for you.” With that, Yang Heping pulled Yang Qing into the room.
Unable to do anything to Yang Heping, Liu Xiuying plopped onto the floor again and began to wail, “The money in this bankbook was the marriage fund I saved for Xiangxiang! You godforsaken man, you just withdrew it and gave it to an outsider. Which one is actually your biological son?”
The Yang family home also had two bedrooms and a living room. After Yang Qing graduated from college, Yang Heping had placed a bed in his son’s room. For all these years, Yang Qing had squeezed into the same room as Yang Yuxiang.
Yang Yuxiang seemed to realize that Yang Qing was moving out, and he also felt quite unsettled in his heart.
Before his leg was crippled, Yang Qing had surpassed him in every way—he looked better, was more popular with girls, and was better at studying.
Later, after his leg was crippled, he could even less compare to Yang Qing.
When he was first injured, his mother had given Yang Qing a lot of grief.
Perhaps because of that deep-seated jealousy in his heart, or perhaps because he blamed Yang Qing for not stopping him when he climbed the tree, he chose to turn a blind eye and let things take their course.
In fact, he couldn’t blame Yang Qing at all for breaking his leg. When he was preparing to climb the tree at that time, Yang Qing had warned him, saying the tree was dead and that the interior might have been hollowed out by insects, unable to bear a person’s weight.
He didn’t listen.
If anyone was to blame, it was only his own bad luck—that he could fall just by climbing a tree, and his leg had hit a stone directly, resulting in a comminuted fracture that left him permanently crippled.
“Xiao Qing, are you preparing to move out?” Yang Yuxiang asked.
Yang Yuxiang was three years older than Yang Qing, and the two could be considered childhood playmates.
“Yes, I’ve found a house outside,” Yang Qing said truthfully.
Yang Yuxiang nodded. “It’s good to move out, so I don’t have to squeeze into one room with you every day.”
Yang Heping frowned. “What kind of talk is that?”
Yang Yuxiang scratched his hair irritably and ignored Yang Heping’s scolding.
He walked out of the room and saw Liu Xiuying sitting on the floor crying.
“Mom, stop crying. No one is paying attention to you,” Yang Yuxiang said, his voice laced with helplessness.
Seeing Yang Yuxiang come out, Liu Xiuying hurriedly scrambled up from the floor, patted the dust off her clothes, and wiped the tears and snot from her face.
“My son, the marriage fund I saved for you was withdrawn by your father and given to Yang Qing,” Liu Xiuying said with red eyes.
Yang Yuxiang looked indifferent. “Didn’t Dad just say that was originally Xiao Qing’s money? If it’s withdrawn, then it’s withdrawn.”
“Besides, it’s useless for you to save a marriage fund for me. It’s not as if any girl would actually be interested in me,” he said in a pessimistic tone.
At noon, Meng Jun returned home from the restaurant for lunch.
At the dining table, Li Mei suddenly brought up the matter of Meng Ruo’s bride price.
“Old Meng, before the formal engagement, is the Yang family coming over to discuss the bride price with us?” Li Mei asked knowingly.
Meng Jun nodded.
“Old Meng, you must ask for more for Xiao Ruo’s bride price.”
“Raising such a big girl cost a lot of money, not to mention you even put her through college,” Li Mei urged.
In Fengzhou City, except for a few families who would return part of the bride price to their married daughters, most people took it for granted that the bride price stayed with the maternal family.
This was exactly why Li Mei wanted Meng Jun to ask for more.
Aside from items like household appliances, the bride price money would definitely end up in the Meng family’s pockets. Asking for more meant gaining more.
Meng Jun gave a grunt of affirmation and said, “I know.”