Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 341

Zhao Tiesheng also harbored resentment towards Wang Guixiang. The 40,000 yuan was hard-earned money that he and Cheng Jinxiang had earned. They had entrusted the money to Wang Guixiang so that they could use it to build a new house in the future.

He wasn't a stingy person. If he knew his younger sister was in trouble, he would definitely help her if he could. Why would he need to lend her money so secretly? When his older sister, Zhao Chunni, needed 20,000 yuan, he lent her the money without hesitation. When it came to his younger sister, he would naturally lend her money as well. Even if it were 30,000 yuan, he would lend it. It's just that he was a little reluctant to lend her all 40,000 yuan.

Zhao Tiesheng felt that life could have continued peacefully. If Wang Guixiang had thought more about herself and Jinxiang, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Zhao Tiesheng's face was rather grim. Seeing this, Zhao Chunqin nudged Wang Guixiang beside her and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Mom, please say less. How are you going to get my second brother to bring Cheng Jinxiang over if you keep talking like this? If Cheng Jinxiang doesn't come, how am I going to get my gold bracelet back?"

Wang Guixiang thought about it and agreed, but she just couldn't stand Zhao Tiesheng. However, for the sake of her daughter's gold bracelet, Wang Guixiang could only glance at Zhao Tiesheng, purse her lips, and say in a reluctant manner, "Your sister brought money with her this time. Go and bring Cheng Jinxiang here now and tell her to return the gold bracelet, otherwise you can forget about getting the money."

Zhao Tiesheng was stunned for a moment. After he came to his senses, his face was full of surprise and he said, "Mom, little sister, is what you said true? You really brought the money!"

Zhao Tiesheng is currently short of money. If Zhao Chunqin really brings the money over, he can give it to Cheng Jinxiang so she can hire workers to build a new house. If Jinxiang is happy then, she might be willing to come back.

Wang Guixiang frowned and glanced at Zhao Tiesheng, "Look at you, so useless."

Zhao Tiesheng was very excited. He was so happy that he almost cried when he heard that he could get the money. His eyes were a little moist. He smiled from the bottom of his heart and said, "Mom, where is the money? Give it to me now."

Looking at Zhao Tiesheng's expectant expression, especially his bright eyes, Wang Guixiang felt a little guilty about what she was about to do, and even dared not look Zhao Tiesheng in the eye.

Zhao Chunqin nudged Wang Guixiang from the side and urged, "Mom, hurry up and tell me."

If we don't continue, we won't achieve our goal.

Wang Guixiang thought of her youngest daughter's gold bracelet, especially its price—it was worth five or six hundred! This money absolutely could not fall into Cheng Jinxiang's hands.

Wang Guixiang grabbed Zhao Tiesheng's hand and said, "Tiesheng, I can give you the money, but shouldn't you return Chunqin's gold bracelet? I'm not trying to be mean, but how could you take your little sister's gold bracelet? What kind of brother are you..."

The moment the gold bracelet was mentioned, Wang Guixiang began to ramble on and on, her words filled with complaints about Zhao Tiesheng.

But Zhao Tiesheng didn't listen; all he could think about was getting the money.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll call Jinxiang back right now and have her return the gold bracelet to my little sister!"

After saying that, Zhao Tiesheng couldn't wait to go to the Cheng family to find Cheng Jinxiang. He wanted to tell his wife the good news as soon as possible.

Zhao Tiesheng practically ran there. When he was almost at the Cheng family's house, he shouted, "Jinxiang, Da'e, good news! I have some great news to tell you!"

They had already finished eating. Cheng Jinxiang was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Zhao Dage was cleaning up nearby.

Zhao Tiesheng shouted loudly, and Zhao Da'e ran outside to see him. Seeing that Zhao Tiesheng was covered in sweat, Zhao Da'e guessed that he had run all the way here.

"What's wrong? Why are you running in such a hurry?"

Cheng Jinxiang had just come out of the kitchen. She washed her hands and wiped the towel hanging on the door.

Zhao Tiesheng, panting heavily, excitedly approached Cheng Jinxiang and said, "Jinxiang, my little sister brought the money. Let's go, take the gold bracelet and go get the money now. Mom said we have to give the gold bracelet to my little sister before we can get the money back."

Cheng Jinxiang listened with a mixture of belief and doubt, "Are you telling the truth? Zhao Chunqin really brought the money over, intending to return it to us?"

Cheng Jinxiang was a little incredulous. After all, when she went to Zhao Chunqin's place before and couldn't get the money, she had to force Zhao Chunqin to give her a gold bracelet to avoid being taken advantage of. How could she suddenly be like this now...?

Zhao Tiesheng knew that Cheng Jinxiang was somewhat skeptical, so he quickly said, "Jinxiang, I know you have a lot of misunderstandings about Chunqin, but Chunqin is my little sister after all. We're blood relatives, so no matter what, Chunqin wouldn't refuse to pay back the money. Just believe me, Chunqin is definitely sincere this time. Look at Chunqin, she went to see her a few days ago and said she would pay back the money after spring, but now she's come back to say she wants to pay us back. It's obvious that she cares about us."

Zhao Tiesheng couldn't help but say a lot of good things about Zhao Chunqin, while Zhao Da'e listened in a daze.

Is Zhao Chunqin really that kind-hearted? Will she return their money so quickly?

Zhao Da'e clearly didn't believe it. In his previous life, when his family was poor and destitute, Zhao Chunqin never offered any help. In fact, she took 40,000 yuan from his family and never paid it back. It was only after his family pestered her that Zhao Chunqin gave him a few hundred yuan to get rid of the debt.

Zhao Da'e had a premonition that Zhao Chunqin's promise to repay the money was definitely not a good thing, but seeing how excited Zhao Tiesheng was, he figured he wouldn't believe her even if she told him. He might as well follow her and see what was going on.

Cheng Jinxiang found it strange. Could it be that Zhao Chunqin had really changed her personality?

In no time, Zhao Tiesheng had already led Cheng Jinxiang a long way.

The gold bracelet was already on Cheng Jinxiang's wrist, so there was no need to go back to the room to get it; Zhao Tiesheng simply pulled Cheng Jinxiang along.

Zhao Da'e followed behind, his short legs unable to keep up with Zhao Tiesheng's pace. As he followed, Zhao Da'e called out, "Dad, wait for me."

In order to keep up with Zhao Tiesheng, Zhao Da'e could only jog over, but he was panting heavily as he ran.

Clearly, Zhao Tiesheng only had eyes for the money that Cheng Jinxiang and Zhao Chunqin were about to repay, and he didn't notice Zhao Da'e behind him at all.

They soon arrived at the Zhao family's house, where Zhao Tiesheng led Cheng Jinxiang.

"Mom, little sister, I brought Jinxiang with me!"

Zhao Chunqin looked at the gold bracelet on Cheng Jinxiang's wrist. The bright bracelet made Zhao Chunqin's heart ache. She tugged at Wang Guixiang's hand and said sadly, "Mom, look, that's my gold bracelet."

Cheng Jinxiang is shameless. She wore my gold bracelet for so long, and I knew she was after it. So, on that day, she deliberately took my gold bracelet under the pretense of asking for money and then refused to return it.

Wang Guixiang's expression turned cold when she saw Cheng Jinxiang approaching. She said in a low voice, "Since you're back, bring the gold bracelet over."

Cheng Jinxiang touched the gold bracelet on her wrist, somewhat hesitantly, "If I return the gold bracelet, will you really pay me back?"

Seeing Cheng Jinxiang's doubts, Wang Guixiang said with dissatisfaction, "I said I would pay back the money, and I will pay back the money as long as you bring me the gold bracelet."

Cheng Jinxiang hesitated. She looked at Zhao Chunqin and Wang Guixiang seriously. Her first instinct was that Zhao Chunqin and the others were lying to her.

"I will only hand over this gold bracelet if I see money in it."

Zhao Tiesheng was puzzled and came over to persuade her, "Jinxiang, don't you believe what Mom said? Mom and my little sister both said they would pay us back, and they definitely will. Just hand over the gold bracelet."

Cheng Jinxiang impatiently shook off Zhao Tiesheng's hand and retorted, "What if this is a lie they're telling? Since you said you'd pay back the money, why can't they give me the money first and then I'll return the gold bracelet? Besides, Zhao Chunqin took 40,000 yuan from us, while this gold bracelet is only worth a few hundred yuan. Would I be greedy for a few hundred yuan? How many gold bracelets could I buy with my 40,000 yuan? Would I be greedy for such a small gain?"

Wang Guixiang's face turned somewhat ugly. She hadn't expected Cheng Jinxiang to be so unmoved. Since Cheng Jinxiang wasn't falling for it, she could only turn her attention to Zhao Tiesheng. "Tiesheng, I've said my piece. If you want money, hand over the gold bracelet. Otherwise, don't even think about getting a single penny from Chunqin!"

Zhao Tiesheng became anxious upon hearing this, fearing that Zhao Chunqin would not give him the money. After all, he had waited so long to get the money, and he was not willing to let it go.

He came over and urged Cheng Jinxiang, "Jinxiang, let's take off the gold bracelet and return it to Zhao Chunqin. It originally belonged to Chunqin, so it's only right that we return it to her."

Cheng Jinxiang remained standing there motionless, ignoring Zhao Tiesheng, and instead addressed Wang Guixiang and Zhao Chunqin directly, saying, "I said, if you want the gold bracelet, I need to see the money first. I won't return it until I see the money."

Wang Guixiang was furious. She pointed at Cheng Jinxiang and cursed, "We didn't ask you. We asked Tiesheng. What right do you, a woman, have to make decisions? I told you to give the gold bracelet to Chunqin, and you have to give it to her today. Otherwise, don't even think about stepping out of this courtyard!"

When Wang Guixiang saw that Cheng Jinxiang wouldn't give her the gold bracelet, she angrily threatened Cheng Jinxiang.

Cheng Jinxiang was no longer afraid of Wang Guixiang's threats. Instead, she turned to Zhao Tiesheng and questioned him, "And what about you? Are you trying to force me to hand over the gold bracelet, just like your mother?"

Cheng Jinxiang stared intently at Zhao Tiesheng, wanting to see what his choice would be, but Zhao Tiesheng's eyes were full of guilt. With just one glance, Cheng Jinxiang understood that Zhao Tiesheng's heart was on Zhao Chunqin's side.

Zhao Tiesheng couldn't understand why Cheng Jinxiang was so stubborn. All she had to do was hand over the gold bracelet, yet she hesitated for so long and made things difficult for him.

With his wife on one side and his elderly mother and younger sister on the other, Zhao Tiesheng hesitated for a moment before choosing to stand on Wang Guixiang's side.

Zhao Tiesheng was already very happy and excited that Zhao Chunqin was willing to return the money, as long as Cheng Jinxiang would give in and return the gold bracelet.

But Cheng Jinxiang refused, which made Zhao Tiesheng wonder if Jinxiang had taken a fancy to the gold bracelet and that was why she didn't want to return it.

Thinking of this, he patiently persuaded, "Jinxiang, this gold bracelet will have to be returned to Chunqin sooner or later. After all, it's not our own property. Don't you feel guilty keeping this gold bracelet with us? Let's not keep Chunqin's gold bracelet and not return it. Since Chunqin will return the money she owes us, let's return Chunqin's gold bracelet too."

Zhao Tiesheng's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Cheng Jinxiang. She felt extremely cold inside. She was extremely disappointed in Zhao Tiesheng and even found it hard to believe that these words came from his mouth.

"Zhao Tiesheng, we've been married for so many years. In your eyes, am I really that kind of woman?" Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but question Zhao Tiesheng.

But Zhao Tiesheng's words were always evasive: "Jinxiang, that's not what I meant. I think you can give the gold bracelet to Chunqin first, and then Chunqin will return the money to us. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation? We don't need to make things so tense."

Cheng Jinxiang retorted, "Then why did we exchange the bracelet first, instead of letting Zhao Chunqin get the money back first? A few days ago when we went to see her, what did she say? She said she didn't have the money and would pay it back in the spring. Now, just a few days later, she's back at the Zhao family, saying she'll pay it back when she has the money. But I haven't even seen a penny of it yet. Do you really believe she'll take out the money? Zhao Tiesheng, this trick might fool you, but it won't work on me anymore."

Cheng Jinxiang was completely unmoved by this tactic. Seeing Zhao Tiesheng's ugly expression, she knew he was furious and embarrassed, and couldn't help but snort coldly. She was utterly disappointed in Zhao Tiesheng.

Zhao Chunqin chimed in, "Second brother, I said I'd pay it back, and I definitely will. I came here today because I made some money on business, didn't I? Just give me back the gold bracelet, and I'll pay it back. I know your wife doesn't believe me, and you're the only one who does. We grew up together, can't you trust me just this once?"

Zhao Chunqin tried to appeal to people's emotions, and this tactic worked.

Zhao Tiesheng took a step back and stood next to Zhao Chunqin, looking at Cheng Jinxiang with a complicated expression. "Jinxiang, you're being a bit unreasonable today. You used to be very gentle, not like this."

Zhao Tiesheng's words struck Cheng Jinxiang's heart like a hammer blow, causing her great pain. All those years of marital affection couldn't compare to his family in Zhao Tiesheng's heart. Cheng Jinxiang gave a bitter smile and said, "Fine, you want me to return the gold bracelet? Come and take it. Zhao Tiesheng, I'm making this clear: if I hand over the gold bracelet and I don't see the money, don't come looking for me again. Go back to your family."

Cheng Jinxiang said something harsh, indicating that she had completely given up on Zhao Tiesheng.

Several times, Zhao Tiesheng treated her like this. Even when he was clearly in the right and she was in the wrong, Zhao Tiesheng would always side with her and then turn around and criticize her. When Wang Guixiang risked her life to give birth to his child in the hospital, and then wanted to send the baby away, Zhao Tiesheng didn't stand up for her; instead, he remained invisible. That's when she began to lose hope in him. And when she asked for the money back to build a new house, Wang Guixiang refused to give it to her. Zhao Tiesheng was meek and submissive, not daring to say anything, and even comforted himself that Wang Guixiang would definitely return the money. But what happened in the end?