Chapter 630: Asking for Trouble
Chapter 630: Asking for Trouble
While at work, Mary Li received a phone call from her mother, asking her to come home. With business at the department store dwindling and the new management enforcing strict rules, Mary couldn't afford to leave work as freely as before.
"Mom, what's the matter?" Mary asked.
Her mother didn't specify but insisted that she come home.
Mary, knowing the situation, replied, "Mom, I'm at work right now! We have new rules, and I can't just leave unless it's an emergency. If I'm caught, I'll be fined. One of my colleagues was fined thirty yuan last month."
Of course, her colleague's husband earned enough that they could afford such a fine, but that wasn't the case for Mary. Her husband worked odd jobs at a restaurant, earning a meager wage, so the family depended largely on her income. Although they had some savings, their child's expenses were high, and she tried to stretch every penny as far as it could go.
"Then come by after work!" her mother urged.
Mary knew it wasn't going to be good news, but she went home after work anyway. When she arrived, she learned that Yan Fang had lost four thousand yuan, and now the creditors were at their door. If they didn't pay up, there would be consequences.
Aunt Ma sought Mary's help, telling her that she had already gathered nineteen hundred yuan and only needed another twenty-two hundred.
There was no way Mary could lend them money. She explained, "Auntie, when you bought the house for Lucky, I contributed over two thousand yuan. And later, when you said you wanted to start a business, I lent you another thousand." "I don't have any money either. I can't even scrape together enough to start a small business with Ah Dong."
Ah Dong, the man she found later, was honest and hardworking. With their child growing up and expenses increasing, she felt that their combined wages weren't enough, so she wanted to rent a small shop to sell mountain and seafood products. It was a profitable venture, as people were willing to spend money on such delicacies.
Of course, she could afford the initial investment for the shop, but she refused to throw money into Yan Fang's bottomless pit and was feigning poverty. Ever since she gave birth to her son, Ma Chuan, her attitude had changed, and she no longer concerned herself with her sister's family, let alone lend them money.
Despite Aunt Ma's pleas and their mother's mediation, Mary remained unmoved. Finally, she lost her temper and said, "Mom, I only earn a meager wage, and Ah Dong's earnings are even less than half of mine. Chuanchuan is in kindergarten now, and everything costs money. Mom, I know you sympathize with Lucky, but can't you also understand my situation?"
With that, she grabbed her bag and left. When Aunt Ma saw that she wasn't going to help, she called her cold-hearted and ungrateful.
Mary left without looking back, having heard those words many times before and becoming numb to them.
A few days later, Mary received a tearful phone call from her mother, who told her that Yan Fang had been beaten up. The attackers said that if they didn't repay the debt, they would break one of his arms.
They couldn't report this to the police, as not only was Yan Fang involved in gambling, but he also had other compromising information in the hands of the attackers. Repaying the debt was their only option.
Mary expressed her powerlessness in the situation. If they couldn't repay the debt and were afraid of further harm, then they could sell the house. The house they had bought for a few thousand yuan five years ago was now worth several tens of thousands, so a debt of three thousand yuan was nothing to worry about. However, these were just thoughts that she kept to herself, as she didn't want to incite any hatred.
That evening, Aunt Ma came to see Mary.
Before Mary could even say that she didn't have any money, Aunt Ma, filled with hatred, said, "This time, your brother-in-law's troubles are because of Lu Jiajie. He hates us and wants to ruin your brother-in-law and destroy my family."
Although Mary was foolishly filial, she wasn't without sense. "Brother-in-law hasn't just started gambling; he's lost a lot of money before."
Not only did Yan Fang gamble, but he also had affairs. Despite her pleas for a divorce, he refused, and she couldn't understand what was so appealing about him that she wouldn't let go.
Aunt Ma denied this, insisting that her husband had only dabbled in gambling before and that he had never lost more than a few dozen yuan.
Mary was stunned by her aunt's words.
Aunt Ma had come to her this time to ask her to accompany her in demanding an explanation from Lu Jiajie. Of course, this was just a front, and the real purpose was to wipe away Yan Fang's debt.
Mary, of course, would not agree to this plan, as Lu Jiajie was not one to be trifled with. Going to his door without any evidence and based on mere speculation would only enrage him.
Seeing that she couldn't convince Mary, Aunt Ma sought help from Mary's mother, but this tactic had long lost its effectiveness. Mary said, "Mom, she's lost her mind over that man, and now you're losing yours too? Do you really think Lu Jiajie would go through all this trouble just to make my brother-in-law owe four thousand yuan? Does that even make sense?"
"Mom, gambling is a bottomless pit. No amount of money will ever be enough. Hold on tight to what little you have, or you'll be dragged down with them."
With Ma Chuan in the picture, Mary's parents no longer schemed against her as they used to, and seeing her reluctance, they didn't push the matter further.
Mary recalled something she had heard and cautioned, "Mom, make sure you keep the property deed for the house in a safe place and don't let Yan Fang get his hands on it."
Ma assured her that the deed was safely hidden away. However, upon returning home, she became uneasy thinking about Mary's words and decided to retrieve the deed to put her mind at ease. To her dismay, the deed was nowhere to be found, even after searching the entire room.
At first, she tried to comfort herself, thinking she had simply misremembered its location, but as the reality sank in, her heart sank with it.
Under intense questioning from the Ma family, Yan Fang finally admitted that he had stolen the property deed three months ago and sold the house for 60,000 yuan. However, since he had rented the house back from the buyer for six months, the family hadn't suspected anything.
It was only after losing the 60,000 yuan from the house sale to gambling and accumulating an additional 4,000 yuan in debt that the truth came to light. Ma's mother fainted at the revelation, and Aunt Ma collapsed on the floor.
Mary suggested that Aunt Ma divorce Yan Fang and return to her parental home with her child. With the support of her parents, she could still make a living. However, Aunt Ma refused to divorce, insisting that she believed Yan Fang would change.
Mary washed her hands of the matter, but she never expected Aunt Ma to go as far as confronting Lu Jiajie.
Lu Jiajie had endured much humiliation at Aunt Ma's hands in the past, and during his disappearance, she had schemed to take his house and money. The only reason he hadn't sought revenge was that he was focused on earning money to repay his sister's debt. Now, with Aunt Ma showing up at his door and hurling insults, his patience snapped. He didn't act himself but ordered his subordinates to teach her a lesson.
Mary rushed to the hospital after receiving a call about Aunt Ma. When she arrived and saw her parents, she learned the extent of Aunt Ma's injuries: six teeth knocked out, six broken ribs, and both legs injured. They counted themselves lucky that her internal organs were unharmed, as it could have been life-threatening otherwise.
The police arrested the subordinate who had carried out the beating and summoned Lu Jiajie for questioning. Naturally, he denied ordering the beating and claimed, "He was insulting people outside, saying very unpleasant things. I just asked Xiao Li to go out and chase him away."
The subordinate, Xiao Li, claimed that he had only gone to ask Aunt Ma to leave, but she not only refused to move but also hurled insults at him. He lost control and hit her, and even after the beating, she continued with her abusive language, cursing his eighteen generations of ancestors. In a fit of rage, he had lost control.
(End of Chapter)
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