The Lucky Star Control Corporation in the 70s (21)
The Chu family only had 500 yuan in savings, and owed 400 yuan in debt, and now had to pay 300 yuan to the Yin family for medical expenses. Their savings was simply not enough.
Grandma Chu started bawling when she got home, but Grandpa Chu shoved her hard. âShut up! Havenât we been shamed enough? I told you to let Chu Lan marry from the beginning, yet you kept dragging your heels. Now people are pointing at my nose and cursing me, and itâs all your fault! Hurry up and get the money!â
Grandma Chu bit her lip, not daring to make a sound. She took out 300 yuan from the cabinet, blood dripping in her heart. She counted it over and over again, and asked Chu Lanâs father to send the money over. Chu Lanâs father was an honest man. No one would accuse him or scold him, so he was their only choice to deliver the money and return smoothly. The rest of the Chu family hid in the house and were ashamed to face anyone.
Chu Lanâs mother secretly went to deliver food to her and told her the matter. Chu Lan was quite annoyed. Had she known that so many incidents would happen, she should have urged her family to compensate the Yin family for the medical expenses. Look at how things turned out now. Even if there was no evidence, preventing her from being imprisoned, she would always be a suspect in the eyes of the whole village.
After brooding over it, Chu Lan was convinced that it was all due to Chu Xiangâs bad luck, and talked her mother into it. Her mother also had a lot of complaints. She hoped that Chu Xiang would never wake up from her coma, so that she would not implicate them anymore in the future.
Yin Qiuwen and Yang Yuelan got 300 yuan, covertly sent a slice of pork to the Captainâs wife, and went home in relief. Yang Yuelan felt that a major matter had been solved. From then on, this matter was over, so she didnât have to dwell on it again. Yin Qiuwen felt that she had completed the task given by her elder brother. She tore off a piece of meat from the Chu family, and helped her future sister-in-law to vent her anger.
This matter, however, was far from over. Everyone was still humming fervently when they dispersed, and they gathered in twos and threes to discuss further. Shou Houâer and his brothers unconsciously provided them with a lot of information. For example, the Chu family said that Chu Xiang was a broom star, and Chu Lan was the reincarnation of luck. The Chu family wanted Chu Xiang to die, and they wanted Chu Lan to marry into the provincial capital to support Chu Xin, so on and so forth.
Everything in the village spread quickly, and the rumors blossomed more and more evilly. Later, it has become that the two daughters of the Chu family were the reincarnation of a lucky star and a broom star!
Of course, no one dared to say the word âreincarnationâ. The aftereffect of fighting superstitions was still in the air, so nobody dared to discuss it openly. Despite this, the more mysterious something was, the more it aroused everyoneâs curiosity and desire for any development. When the rumors reached the Chu familyâs ears, everyone was saying that Chu Xiang would end up killing the whole Chu family, and maybe only Chu Lan could survive.
Grandma Chu found people to explain their side, but it was all in vain. Who would want to have a relationship with the Chu family at this juncture? They must stay far, far away from them! Grandma Chu saw red that she gave Chu Lanâs mother a slap when she went home. She snapped, incensed, âWho else can spread this out? Donât you just want to save your daughter? You donât even care about the familyâs reputation!. How stupid!â
The anger that Grandma Chu received from Grandpa Chu was all vented to Chu Lanâs mother. There was no one in the family to help. Li Yuezhen even poured caustic remarks. Everyone also felt that Chu Lanâs mother must have spread the rumor, because this matter was only beneficial to Chu Lan.
The bubbling rumors in the village made the Captain angry and nervous. He hurriedly arranged for many people to dig ditches to work, and strictly ordered them to keep their mouths shut. The Captain was very annoyed with the Chu familyâs issues, plus his wife kept reminding him of the 100 yuan he had paid in the hospital. In frustration, he directly asked his wife to go to the Chu residence to warn them. Feudal superstition was forbidden, and they should beware of getting punished by the top.
The Captainâs wife certainly wouldnât be soft on the Chu family. Since they paid the Yin family 300 yuan, and they couldnât owe her family 100 yuan, could they? She went to the Chuâs residence to warn them and immediately suggested that they should pay back their debt. At the end of the day, she was the Captainâs wife. The Chu family had already lost their prestige, and they didnât want to offend the Captain one more time, so they bore the pain and paid back the 100 yuan.
Looking at the only 100-odd savings left in the family, Grandma Chu felt dizzy, and she kept muttering, âIt must be Chu Xiang. It must be her⊠She is going to ruin the familyâŠâ
At this point, no one in the family stopped her. Besides, there was no outsider to hear it anyway. They were so miserable now, but none of them reflected that it was them who caused the Chu family to be reduced to this state. Chu Xiang became their target of criticism, and became the broom star they firmly believed.
One night after, the news of Chu Xiangâs awakening finally reached the village. Not a single one of the Chu family celebrated. The first reaction was, she would kill them sooner or later! Li Yuezhen reacted the most. She dragged Chu Xin and wept in front of the two elders, âDad, Mom, what should I do? I canât let Chu Xiang hinder Daxin! Please think of a way!â
Grandma Chu was furious: âDo you still have the nerve to cry? You gave birth to that scourge! Whatever. Send her to your maternal home, and never ever bring her back here!â
Li Yuezhen cried, âMy sister-in-law came to me on purpose, and told me that Iâm not allowed to take Chu Xiang with me when I go back to my parentsâ house in the future. This wonât workâŠâ
The Chu family regarded Chu Xiang as a dreadful disaster, and they didnât want her to go home at all, but what could they do? Everyone in the village knew that Chu Xiang was awake. Were they supposed to leave her outside and neglect her?
Grandma Chu felt a splitting headache, and her chest felt stuffed. She lay in bed and didnât care about anything. She told them not to pay a single penny to the hospital, and the others naturally had no other thoughts. In the end, Chu Weiguo and Li Yuezhen could only head to the county hospital to fetch Chu Xiang back.