Chapter 29: Where Did You Get That Money?

Li Qi was completely speechless. The gap between people is sometimes even wider than the gap between humans and dogs.

Du Li, for instance, was currently so immersed in the world of her own imagination that she was utterly incapable of hearing any dissenting voices.

He could only shake his head. "Sister-in-law, even if we agree to mediation, the money belongs to us; you won't get a single cent. Big Brother took two thousand from Mom and only returned 1,740, leaving a balance of 260. It was agreed that it would be paid off in four months. If you don't pay it, I will go to the school and demand it from Principal Teng. As for this diploma you keep talking about, that’s your own family's business. You’ve been married for years and have never contributed to the household, so why should the family pay for Big Brother’s diploma?"

Du Li jumped up as if bitten by a pig. "Li Peng is the eldest son of the family. He has a serious career path now; isn't it only natural for the family to provide him with the money? We've already said we'll go out and borrow the remaining thousand-plus ourselves. Why are you still not satisfied?"

"What does his diploma have to do with this family? What, is he going to return as a principal and hand over half his salary to the household?"

"In your dreams! Are you vampires? Why should Li Peng give you half his salary? Can you not survive on your own?"

"Then why should the family give him money to buy a diploma?"

Du Li was left speechless. She felt there must be a flaw in Li Qi’s logic, but she couldn't find a reason to refute it on the spot. She turned to her husband for help.

Li Peng stared fixedly at Li Mantang. "Dad, are you really going to listen to the third child on this? My future hinges on this one move. If I fail to become a principal, won't you feel guilty? If I can successfully go to the south this time, there's even a chance I could get into the Municipal Education Bureau. By then, our Li family will truly have made it. When you return to our hometown, the relatives will envy you for having such a successful son."

Li Mantang looked at this eldest son, whom he had once been so proud of, and sighed, shaking his head. "Eldest, for all those years, the family went hungry to put you through school; we couldn't even afford meat once a month. When you were courting Du Li, you spent dozens of yuan of the family's money every month. When your mother passed away, you took all the savings and gave them to Du Li's family. For these past three years, the three of us have lived like beggars, yet you managed to save up 1,700 yuan. You’ve read so many books, yet you’ve done something so heartless. You talk about making the relatives back home envious, but my health is failing now, I can't walk much, and I have no desire to go back. I don't believe a single word you say anymore. Why don't you two go ask Du Li's family? You've given them plenty of money over the years; when you finally make something of yourself, they’ll be the ones reaping the rewards."

Li Peng looked troubled. "Dad, you know the situation with Du Li's family. Her father drinks and gambles all day, her mother is bedridden, and she has a younger brother who doesn't even have a steady job and is waiting for money to get married. Her family has no ability to help me."

"A gambling father, a sick mother, a good-for-nothing brother, and a broken her. You’re decades ahead of your time with this wife," Li Qi remarked with a click of his tongue. Du Li was quite the talent; she was playing the tropes of several decades later ahead of schedule.

Li Mantang waved his hand. "If you two have nothing else, just go back. I have a headache and I'm feeling dizzy; I need to sleep." Having said that, the old man lay down, pulled the quilt over himself, and closed his eyes.

Li Peng and Du Li were left standing there in the cold. Li Qi silently gave his father a thumbs-up; that was well said.

"What are you two still standing there for? Get out! What, are you planning to stay and pay our hospital bill? I’ll tell you this in advance: paying for Dad's medical care is an obligation of filial support; it doesn't count toward the debt you owe me. If you short me even a cent of that 260 yuan, I’m going to the police station to report you."

Du Li was trembling with rage. She grabbed Li Peng and started toward the door. As she opened it, she intentionally raised her voice. "Li Peng, if you dare give them another cent, I’m divorcing you!"

"Who’s screaming in there? Shut your mouth! Keep the ward quiet. Whose family is this? Do you want to stay or not? If not, get out!" A middle-aged nurse, plump and shaped like a Bing Dwen Dwen, stood at the station with her hands on her hips, shouting.

Du Li was usually bold and aggressive toward Li Peng and the Li family, but she was as timid as a mouse in front of outsiders. Not daring to say a word, she scurried away.

Once outside the hospital gates, she pinched Li Peng hard. "What do we do now? That disaster of a third child is unreasonable, and your dad is senile. A perfectly good career opportunity has been ruined by the two of them."

Li Peng frowned deeply. "Dad is being blinded by the third child; he’s not like he used to be. If Mom were still here, she would definitely have been able to borrow money to pay for my diploma."

Du Li’s neck veins bulged with anger. "This cannot be left as it is. The third child has ruined our family’s good fortune time and again. Originally, if he had agreed to donate a kidney, you could have gone south, I could have bought a mink coat, and my brother could have had a grand wedding. Now it’s all destroyed because of his selfishness. Today, he even dared to cross us, keeping us from getting that money from Diao Xiaojiao. What is he trying to do? He’s clearly bullying us because we are too civilized to deal with him."

Li Peng nodded repeatedly. "The third child has definitely gone too far these past two times. He just hasn't read enough books; he has no concept of hierarchy. Decisions about the family should be made by Dad and me; there's no place for him to speak."

Du Li nodded in agreement. "We absolutely cannot let him continue to be this lawless. If we indulge him now, who knows what kind of trouble he’ll cause later? By then, it will only drag us down and cause us to lose face. Dad is uncultured and doesn't understand that spoiling a child is like killing him. My brother Du Ming has connections with Wang Fuliang, a big hoodlum in town. I’ll go find Du Ming tomorrow and have Wang Fuliang step in to teach the third child a lesson. He’s been protected too well by you guys since he was a kid and has never been beaten. If Wang Fuliang gives him a thrashing, he’ll learn to be obedient, otherwise, he’ll just keep opposing us."

Li Peng was stunned when he heard his wife say this. He felt Li Qi had gone too far, but he was still hesitant about using a hoodlum to deal with his own brother. "How does Du Ming know Wang Fuliang? He’s the right-hand man of the big boss, Si Longzi."

Du Li said with displeasure, "Du Ming did a big favor for Wang Fuliang a few days ago, and Wang Fuliang even gave my brother a hundred yuan. You don't understand the ways of the streets, so don't ask. What's the matter? Even now, you still want to protect your third brother? If not, why don't you do it yourself and beat him into submission? Make him understand what should and shouldn't be said. Once he does whatever we tell him to, that's it. Dad is truly senile, listening to everything the third child says; a semi-literate idiot like him can't decide a damn thing. While there's still a chance with Uncle Manjiang, we need to deal with the third child and make him donate that kidney obediently—everyone will be happy. If we drag this out and they find another kidney source, we’ll lose out on this pie falling from the sky."

Hearing this, Li Peng finally made up his mind. That’s right; if he could bring Li Qi to heel, all his problems would be solved, and he would have a bright future. This was all Li Qi's fault! If he wouldn't cooperate, he couldn't blame others for "helping him progress."

He nodded. "Then have Du Ming contact Wang Fuliang. Just don't go too hard; he is my own brother, after all. As long as he submits and donates the kidney, I’ll still be his good big brother in the future. I’ll look after him for the rest of his life."

Du Li nodded, though in her heart, she was thinking that she at least wanted one of Li Qi's legs broken, so that he would have to bow his head in submission whenever he saw her.

The couple headed home hand in hand. Meanwhile, the second brother, Li Hai, stood up and fished ten yuan out of his pocket. "Dad, take this money and buy something to build up your strength."

Li Qi was shocked. "Second brother, where did you get the money? If you have more than twenty cents on you, your wife would beat the living daylights out of you. How did you manage to pull out such a large note?"