A century of poverty

Chapter 97 Deception

One day, after a light rain, I went to the backyard. As soon as I entered the yard, I heard a "crack! bang—" sound coming from the west room. There I saw my mother-in-law, leaning on her cane and wearing slippers, sitting against the door, her face ashen and her lips bluish-black.

I went up to her and asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"

The mother-in-law said in a low, trembling voice, "That brat is causing trouble again, smashing the chopsticks and bowl."

I helped her up and supported her, saying, "Let's sit down at our place for a while!"

I helped my mother-in-law into our room and onto the kang (a heated brick bed). I asked, "Who were you arguing with? What happened?"

Mother-in-law: "Who knows why, she suddenly changed her expression, started talking rudely, slammed doors when she came in and out, and said that she couldn't even afford a light bulb. Your father muttered, 'I'm incompetent, if you're so capable, why don't you install one! I'd rather borrow a light and have a bright and clean house.' Then she smashed everything, grabbed your father's wine barrel, and gulped down several mouthfuls."

I rushed out! Looks like he's about to start acting crazy again.

Me: "Oh, I heard she's dating the sister of Old Zheng from the Zheng family on the street ahead. Is she thinking of bringing her home because she thinks the house is too old and the light bulbs are too ugly?"

The mother-in-law seemed to understand: "Huh, is that so?" she said, and shuffled off the kang (a heated brick bed).

I quickly helped him up, saying, "Sit down a little longer, I'll cook and we'll eat here later."

Mother-in-law: "No, I'll go back and check."

I helped my mother-in-law back to the backyard. There was no one inside or outside the house. I didn't know where the father and son had gone. I went to the outer room to get a broom and dustpan, swept the mess off the floor, and came back.

On Sunday, my whole family of twenty or thirty people gathered together, and despite my illness, I insisted on washing dishes at the stove.

After a hearty meal, Su Zhijuan came out and saw my distressed expression. She said fiercely, "Where did you find that Dr. Meng Er? He might not only fail to cure you, but he might also make things worse."

I straightened up, chest out, and said, "No, this person has a medical license. I've also asked around and people I know, and they've all been cured."

When Su Zhijuan returned from her outing, the core members of the family—the three sisters, their eldest brother and sister-in-law, and the second sister-in-law—began a meeting with Su Kai: "You're dating someone?"

Su Zhiwei: "I heard it's Zheng Mei from Qianjie Street?"

Su Kai hesitated, then said, "Yes, umm."

Su Zhiwei: "Can't you speak properly! You just mumble and stammer."

Black Stargan: "What do you need her for? No father, just a mother raising a bunch of kids! Poor and rotten!"

Su Kai: "Her father died in the line of duty, and she took over his job; she's a 'national-level craftswoman'!"

Zhang Guozhi: "Alright, the kid is quite good-looking, and he's a state-owned enterprise worker. Xiao Kai just transferred to work at the power company, which is a large collective enterprise. If they're willing, I think it's fine. It's just that he's a bit young."

Su Zhichun: "Let's date for now, and if it doesn't work out, then it'll end."

With his family's permission, Su Kai brought Zheng Mei home. She was indeed a beautiful and cheerful girl.

After dating for a while, we got married, and our new home was in the east room where we had moved out.

As the saying goes, the youngest son's wedding is the most important event. A grand wedding was held, complete with a full set of sofas and a large color TV.

At this time, you no longer needed a ticket to buy a color TV.

The new bride was rather clumsy and didn't know how to do housework; all she knew was how to dress up nicely for work. It's understandable, though; she was only twenty years old, not much older than her brother-in-law's eldest daughter.

After getting married, I lived with my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

For several years, the greenhouse has been operated by Gong Gongying because he lost his salary after retirement.

When the prefabrication plant went out of business, Zhang Guozhi turned to greenhouse farming. She didn't mend the straw mats or sew paper quilts; she focused on picking and selling melons, pocketing the money, and engaging in predatory business practices.

One day, Su Kai got into an argument with her under some pretext and slapped her. This stirred up a hornet's nest, and he threw a tantrum, his hair disheveled. Su Zhiru also came to his parents' house and made a scene: "Guo Zhi's mental illness has flared up! I'm not going back until I appease Zhang Guo Zhi!"

My mother-in-law is the most timid person. She was paralyzed for many years due to tuberculosis and bone tuberculosis. After I got married, she was able to get out of bed with a cane, buy an ice cream in front of or behind the house, and bask in the sun.

This commotion worsened her condition that very night; she coughed up blood and couldn't get up, and was admitted to the hospital. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and in less than a week, she stopped breathing and closed her eyes.

After the funeral arrangements were completed, the three sisters, led by Su Zhijuan, opened the trunk and took out a stack of satin quilt covers and mattress covers. Su Zhichun said, "These are what we put here. I have to take them back." With that, she picked them up and took them back to her home.

Su Zhijuan took out a blanket: "Zheng Mei, here you go!" Zheng Mei happily took it and took it back to her room.

Su Zhijuan and her sisters continued to take out old clothes from the boxes and put them on the kang (a heated brick bed): "Take whatever you like!"

Everyone watched, but no one made a move. Su Zhijuan then said, "Keep the old lady's things safe, keep them as a memento, whether they're useful or not," but still no one touched them.

She looked at me and said, "The old lady said she was worried about the fourth son. Qinglian, you have to take one."

My heart ached, and I picked up a jacket I had made for my mother-in-law: "I'll take this one. I made it for her, so she can have it as a keepsake." Actually, this jacket was very large and couldn't fit into a normal body type.

My father-in-law rummaged through a powder bowl and took out a pair of silver bracelets: "Give these to the two little ones, one each." He then gave one to Zheng Mei and one to me, and we both accepted them.

At this moment, Black Singh shouted, "I'm the boss, these bracelets should be mine!"

Father-in-law: "These earrings and two silver rings are for you."

Su Zhijuan summarized: "Our mother is gone. She didn't have much gold or silver jewelry; everyone has seen what she had. Her hospital stay didn't cost much, and she had enough money to cover all the expenses."

Also, give my second brother 5,000 yuan. No one should compare their wealth to his. He's disabled and it's not easy for him. Once Xiao Kai gets the public housing, he can move there. Let bygones be bygones about the unpleasant things between him and my second sister-in-law. No one is allowed to mention it again.

"Now that Dad's all alone, please take good care of him. Come here every week. Anyone else have anything to say?"

Su Zhiwei: "You've already said it, so who else can say anything?"

Su Zhijuan said, "There's nothing more to say, everyone can go home now. You've all been working hard for several days. Go back and rest."

By this time, Su Lei had stopped playing on the sofa and was now working as an assistant to the manager at a labor service store. He frequently went to Guangzhou, bringing back a camera to take pictures of everyone. He spoke Cantonese with a drawn-out accent, and the southern candies and novelties he brought attracted Su Zi, Su Lixin, and others to stay at Su Nuannuan's house, unwilling to leave.

Every weekend, families would arrive with great joy, making Su Zhichun and Su Lei even more smug, buying groceries and wine to entertain their relatives. They would eat, drink, and play mahjong, with honest folks like us serving them, and the group thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Xiao Zheng, who had recently gotten married, also enjoyed these games. He wasn't afraid of any situation and was good at everything from mahjong to poker.

As long as the younger kids don't cause trouble, they'll do whatever you ask for money.

I will continue to be thrifty and hardworking, patiently hoping that one day a buyer will come along. I hope to sell the house, use the money to pay off my debts, and get out of this predicament.

One evening, Zhiqiang wasn't home, and I was cooking. "Creak—" The front door opened, and my second brother, Su Zhiru, came in, standing in the hallway with a dark red notebook in his hand. He asked, "Where's the fourth brother?"

I replied, "He's not back yet. Is something wrong?"

Su Zhiru: "Ah! Tomorrow we'll go to the brigade and distribute these houses!"

I was bewildered: "Separate households, let me see."

I went over and took the property certificate to look through it. It clearly stated that the owner of the property was Su Zhiqiang, the building area was 152 square meters, and the structure was brick and concrete.

A surge of anger welled up inside me! It turned out he had not only seized our house, but also stolen our names. They brazenly came to claim a separate address—how dare they do this!

I asked, "Wouldn't it be better to just use your own name on the pre-approval document? Wouldn't that save us the trouble of 'separating accounts' now?"

Su Zhiru: "I got those three rooms approved in my name, but I can't get approval in my name again. It was your older sister who helped me with it! Fourth brother, come and tell him that we're going to separate our households tomorrow!" After saying that, she turned and left.

When Zhiqiang came back, I asked him, "Did you handle the approval procedures for these five rooms?" Zhiqiang replied, "No!"

Me: "Is the property deed in your name?"

Zhiqiang: "I don't know."

Me: "Your second brother just came to see you. He wants you to go with him to separate your household registration tomorrow."

A few days later, I got the property certificate back. When I opened it, I saw that Su Zhiqiang's building area was 60 square meters. That means Su Zhiru's three rooms over there took up 92 square meters, more than half more than mine.

This is outrageous! These guys ganged up on us to cheat us and took over our land.

I felt that what they were doing was neither reasonable nor legal, and it was an insult to people. Was Su Zhiqiang not their biological son, but brought by his stepmother?

I need to get to the bottom of this.

That afternoon, I walked into a lawyer's office. A female lawyer was at a desk outside, and two male lawyers were sitting at desks under the window inside. The three were chatting casually; there was no one else in the room, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

The female lawyer warmly greeted me, asked me to sit down, and explained my purpose. I explained in detail the ownership of the five properties and the permits.

After the group understood, they said, "From a legal perspective, the government has the right to reclaim land acquired through deception. From a personal standpoint, what they did was also unethical."

I understand now. From any perspective, what they did was wrong.

When I got back, I told my father-in-law, "I inquired about the five houses. It was illegal for my second brother to use Zhiqiang's name to apply for the land for the houses without our knowledge."

Father-in-law: "So what if it's illegal? The approval has been given, and the construction has been completed. Are you still going to sell those two rooms?" I said: "Yes!"

Father-in-law: "I'll sell it to your second sister. How much do you want?"

Me: "It's worth at least 18,000 yuan!"

Father-in-law: "You can't sell your second sister like that. Didn't it cost 12,000 when it was built? You should give your second sister the 12,000 price tag."

Me: "Building the house cost 12,000 yuan, and after moving in, we spent a lot more on furnishing and hauling soil to level the yard!"

Father-in-law: "It's fine if it costs a few hundred! Your second sister isn't an outsider. Back then, they even lent you four thousand yuan. This is just a compromise. If you don't want to live in the front, you can move back to the back. Don't bring up the matter of whether your second brother and the others approved the paperwork again."

Me: "Then let's discuss it again."

Father-in-law: "Let's discuss it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

That evening, I told Zhiqiang what my father-in-law had said. I asked him, "What do you suggest we do?" Zhiqiang replied, "I don't care. Do whatever you want. As long as my dad agrees, anything is fine."

I said, "I have this plan, take a look. Fish are getting harder and harder to catch; it's not enough to make a living and it's bad for our health. Look at the fishmongers on the street ahead, they've all stopped fishing. They're buying fish slabs and stalls. After the peak season for hanging fish in the spring, let's tear down the side room by the road and rebuild it. We'll open a shop facing the road, and it might do well in the long run. The money from selling this house will be enough. You can go to the street to buy some goods, and I'll watch over things at home."

"Just do as the old man said, sell this to my second sister."