Chapter 30

“Kang Guixiang, you shameless person! You begged our mother to pressure my man and get you a job as a dishwasher at the national restaurant. And now, you steal from the public and frame my man! I’ll fight you to the end!”

Second Son Jiang was taken to the police station, and Zhong Huihui fainted from crying in the courtyard of the Jiang family. If Grandma Xu hadn’t been bedridden due to illness, she would have also gone in to curse this muddle-headed woman.

Kang Guixiang had moved back to the Jiang family under the pretext of taking care of Grandma Xu, and every day, she cried in front of her, saying that Jiang Guozhu was struggling too hard to support the family and that she wanted to find a job to ease his burden.

Grandma Xu felt sorry for her eldest son and called her second son home three times a day, insisting that he find Kang Guixiang a job.

Second Son Jiang had no choice. Afraid of upsetting his mother, he introduced Kang Guixiang to a job as a dishwasher at the national restaurant they were hiring.

Kang Guixiang, already having her face scratched by Zhong Huihui, defiantly shouted, “What does your man have in mind? I’m his elder sister-in-law, and he only arranges for me to be a dishwasher. Does he even care about his older brother and sister-in-law? He’s the restaurant’s head chef! If he hadn’t given me the key to move things, how could a lowly dishwasher like me access the storeroom?”

That day, after seeing Jiang Ci making three to four hundred yuan selling things at Heishui River, Kang Guixiang felt a surge of anger. Having been reborn, she found herself in an advantageous position, yet here she was, reduced to washing dishes at a national restaurant. Looking at the storeroom filled with hams, eggs, smoked meat, salted chickens, ducks, and various fruits and vegetables, she began to entertain wicked thoughts.

She stole Second Son Jiang’s key and, under the cover of night, moved several bags of valuable dry goods to sell. However, she was caught red-handed while trying to sell them and was taken to the police station.

Filled with resentment, Kang Guixiang thought about how unlucky she was—she hadn’t even sold a single item before being caught. Immediately, she claimed Second Son Jiang had instructed her to do so.

She rushed to Jiang Guozhu and cried, “Guozhu, you know me! I’m too timid to dare to steal anything. It was your younger brother who made me do it!”

Jiang Guozhu silently pulled his arm away from Kang Guixiang, his face darkening with anger. In just a few short months, he could barely recognize the woman he had shared a bed with for over ten years. “I don’t know you. I’ve already used all my savings to pay the 500 yuan fine to get you out. What more do you want?”

Zhong Huihui got up and rushed toward Jiang Guozhu. “Jiang Guozhu, why did you bring this woman back to harm your brother? Do you have any idea how many years he could end up in prison? He has four children! You need to testify that this was all your wife’s doing, that she stole the key, and that it has nothing to do with my man. Come on, let’s go!”

Upon hearing this, Kang Guixiang panicked. It was all Lin Wan’s fault for not leaving Jiang Guozhu’s mind; he no longer trusted her as he once did. What if he changed his mind out of loyalty to his brother?

She waved Zhong Huihui aside angrily. “Get away! Just because your family has kids doesn’t mean mine doesn’t! I have four kids, too! Guozhu, don’t you want your two daughters to have a mother?”

Just then, Jiang Ci and Shen Meimei entered the courtyard. Jiang Ci supported Zhong Huihui and turned to glare at Kang Guixiang. “They’d be better off without you as a mother! My grandma may be biased and harsh, but look at Jiang Hongyu—she dares to kill and set fires. With a heart as black as yours, how could you raise good children?”

“You’re talking nonsense! What right does a married daughter have to meddle in the affairs of the Jiang family? Jiang Guozhu, aren’t you going to do something about your daughter?” Kang Guixiang was furious, wishing she could kick this man right now. He couldn’t even protect his own wife.

Grandpa Jiang had been called back by Jiang Laoshan from the small park. On the way home, he heard about the situation in the family and visited the national restaurant and the police station. By the time he returned, it was already late. He entered and shouted, “Enough noise!”

The most important thing now was to bail out his second son; he absolutely could not go to prison, or his life would be ruined.

Grandpa Jiang said, “Second son’s wife, I just went to the national restaurant to find Manager Kong. He agreed to settle things if we pay the fine; the police station will release him.”

After years of interaction, Manager Kong knew that Second Son Jiang was an honest and simple person. He had already become a master chef at the national restaurant. There was no way he would steal something, knowing he would get caught.

However, Second Son Jiang and Kang Guixiang each held their own positions. It was clear that Second Son Jiang was at a disadvantage; after all, he had always kept the keys to the storeroom. Many people found it hard to believe that a dishwasher would be bold enough to steal.

In the end, Manager Kong minimized the situation, suggesting that the Jiang family pay a fine to settle things.

Zhong Huihui felt a glimmer of hope. Was it possible to get him out? “Dad, how much is the fine?”

Although they had argued a lot with Second Son Jiang over the years, she knew deep down that her husband had a very good temper. Most of their conflicts stemmed from her being tired from work and frustrated with life, so she magnified all his good qualities in her mind at that moment.

She said, “Even if I have to sell everything I own, I will get my man out.”

Grandpa Jiang’s face was full of worry. “The value of the stolen items adds up to 500 yuan, so we’ll need to pay ten times that in fines.”

Ten times that amount meant five thousand yuan. Zhong Huihui slumped to the ground; even if her bones were broken, she couldn’t come up with five thousand. She cried out, “Kang Guixiang, for a mere 500 yuan worth of things, you got my man thrown into jail. You won’t die a good death!”

Grandpa Jiang called his three sons to his side and said, “I still have over a thousand yuan set aside for my funeral expenses. I’ll take it all out; you guys should contribute more, and I’ll borrow more. I can’t let my son sit in jail for no reason.”

Upon hearing that Grandpa Jiang was even willing to take out the funeral money, Zhong Huihui, who had previously thought the old man was biased, now only wanted to bow to him. She also vowed in her heart, “Dad, when the second son comes out, our family will take care of you. Don’t let the third family worry about a dime.”

Jiang Laoshan and his wife quickly said, “Look at what second sister-in-law is saying; we are all family. We usually spend money freely and only have two hundred yuan in savings. We’ll take it out to help second sister-in-law in her time of need.”

They wouldn’t help the poor but would help in emergencies. At this moment, if they didn’t give money, were they still brothers? Two hundred yuan was too little compared to five thousand; it was just a drop in the bucket. Shen Meimei then said, “I’ll go back to my mother’s house and borrow some more.”

“Let’s not trouble our in-laws,” Grandpa Jiang thought for a moment. “Let’s gather our funds first; if it’s not enough, we’ll ask our in-laws for help later.”

Jiang Ci also said, “Grandpa, I can contribute a little too.”

“Xiao Ci, your second aunt, thank you for your help,” Zhong Huihui sincerely expressed her gratitude.

Jiang Ci took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, saying, “Second aunt, we’re family.”

Jiang Guozhu felt a silent pain in his heart. Yes, they were family, but he had forgotten that he was the eldest son of the Jiang family. The woman who almost got his brother imprisoned was brought back by him…

Grandpa Jiang went inside to get the bankbook. The room was too dim, and he felt around the bottom of the box until he pulled out the book. “There’s still one thousand 800 yuan on this…”

However, when he opened the bankbook, the balance glaringly showed only sixty-five cents. The entire one thousand 800 yuan had been withdrawn two weeks ago.

The bankbook fell to the ground, and Grandpa Jiang clutched his heart, unable to stand. Jiang Ci was the first to rush over. “Grandpa, don’t panic. Whatever happens, let’s discuss it. If you collapse now, our family will really be in ruins.”

The words from his eldest granddaughter brought Grandpa Jiang back to his senses. Trembling, he asked, “Who… who did this? You all dared to covet my funeral money? Are you even human?”

Jiang Guozhu and Jiang Laoshan hurriedly picked up the fallen bankbook. Upon seeing the balance, they were so frightened that they fell to their knees. “Dad, you’ve taught us not to steal or rob since we were young. We wouldn’t dare take money from the family’s bankbook; we don’t even know the password!”

Jiang Guozhu’s hands shook. If there had been a thief in the house, who else could it be?

He rushed over and slapped Kang Guixiang, shouting, “You tell me, was it you? Our Jiang family has never had a thief in the home. This is my father’s pension, and it’s the second son’s lifeline. You need to return it!”

Kang Guixiang felt completely chilled inside; Jiang Guozhu had actually hit her! She had indeed taken the money using the bankbook, and the password was something she had deceived Grandma Xu into giving her. Grandma Xu was too sick to say a word now, and she might die in a few days anyway, so what did she have to fear?

“I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me! Like you, I don’t know the password; how could I take it?” Kang Guixiang yelled as she rushed into the room. “I’m going to find my mom to reason with her!” But Grandma Xu was in no condition to speak.

At that time, the bank had no surveillance system, making it nearly impossible to investigate who had withdrawn the money half a month ago.

Grandpa Jiang felt utterly defeated as he looked at his confused sons and daughters-in-law. He steeled his heart and declared, “No, I will sell this old house.”

“Xiao Ci, do you really love money this much?” Gu Qingchuan returned home and saw his wife sitting at the desk. She had even emptied the coins from her piggy bank. He pulled out a stack of money from his pocket and joked, “Why don’t you count this stack as well?” After saying this, he casually pulled over a stool and sat beside her, watching her seriously as she counted the money.

Jiang Ci counted the bills that Gu Qingchuan had brought back: one hundred and twenty yuan. Adding the one thousand 500 yuan she earned from selling ducks before the New Year, along with the seven hundred from this time, and the eight hundred her mother Lin Wan had given her as a dowry, she still fell short by about one thousand seven to 800 yuan of the five thousand yuan fine.

She sighed, “This isn’t enough.”

Gu Qingchuan looked at the neatly stacked bills on the table, totaling at least three thousand yuan. “Not enough?” He wondered what big trouble his wife had encountered.

He said, “If the money isn’t enough, don’t worry. How much more do you need, and when do you need it? I’ll think of a way.”

Jiang Ci felt a warmth in her heart. He didn’t even ask her what she needed all this money for. She then told him about how Kang Guixiang had stolen money and been caught, only to turn around and bite back at them.

“The manager of the state-run hotel helped plead with the authorities, and he found all the employees and old customers to vouch for my second uncle. In the end, they agreed to let him go if we paid the fine of five thousand yuan. But all the savings my grandfather had accumulated over the years have been stolen by Kang Guixiang, and there’s not a single piece of evidence to be found.”

Gu Qingchuan furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment. Over the past few months, he trained under Cui Pingzhou and participated in several tasks. He was no longer the petty thug he had been on the Heishui River. Even Cui Pingzhou said he had undergone a complete transformation.

He said, “Money is easy to handle. Your dowry still has twenty-four gold pearls. I can sell four of them to cover the fine. You should keep this cash for business purposes. As for Kang Guixiang…”

Gu Qingchuan’s gaze turned cold. “Kang Guixiang can’t be let off. I’ll set a trap to drive her out of the Jiang family so she won’t harm anyone else.”