Chapter 25: His Pants—You Definitely Can’t Wear Them

In reality, the money was still with Shen Yingying.

The day she got caught, she had returned it to Xie Fangzhu to gain his trust.

But he hadn’t accepted it, so the money remained with her.

She wasn’t afraid of Shen Jiacai, but since he was desperate for money to get married, if he knew she had it, he’d cling to her like a dog with a bone.

It was better to send him after Xie Fangzhu instead.

Although, knowing Shen Jiacai’s cowardly nature, he probably wouldn’t dare to confront Xie Fangzhu.

And sure enough, just as she expected, the moment he heard this, he stomped his foot in frustration.

“You idiot! Why would you give the money back once you already had it?!” He slapped his thigh and let out a long sigh. “Asking me to go find him is like sending me to my death!”

Back when they were kids, he and his two older brothers had treated Xie Fangzhu like a punching bag.

But once they grew up, Xie Fangzhu fought like he had no regard for his own life.

If Shen Jiacai dared to confront him now, he’d probably end up getting beaten half to death.

“I didn’t want to either! But when he caught me, he said if I didn’t give the money back, he’d break my legs. I had no choice but to return every last cent.”

Shen Yingying put on a look of grief and spouted nonsense with a straight face. “Now I’m so broke I can’t even afford a meal…”

“Wait—you mean your own money is gone too?!” Shen Jiacai was in utter disbelief.

“Yeah! And he even said he won’t give me any money in the future. He’s going to keep it all for himself.”

To Shen Jiacai, this was like a hammer blow to the head.

Every month, Xie Fangzhu had been sending 20 yuan to the Shen family…

Have him give 20 yuan every month for a total of 16 years—after all, the Shen family raised Xie Fangzhu for 16 years, and he must repay that favor.

If he dares disagree, they’ll hold him back from going to work in the coal mine.

Thus, in the Shen family, everyone—except for Grandfather—was treated this way.

Xie Fangzhu despised all the other members of the Shen family, but after marrying Shen Yingying, he, for once, treated her exceptionally well.
Not only was he extremely kind to her, he even gave her half of his monthly salary to spend.

After receiving it, Shen Yingying would send half of that money back to her family.
Combined with what Xie Fangzhu provided, her parents ended up receiving over 30 yuan each month—sometimes even over 40 yuan.
That wasn’t a small sum; some workers don’t even earn that much.
Thanks to this money, the Shen family lived extremely comfortably in the brigade.

But now that Xie Fangzhu has stopped giving Shen Yingying half of his salary, doesn’t that mean her family only gets 20 yuan a month?
That’s such a huge loss!

Shen Jiacai’s heart ached so much at the thought that he almost wanted to slap her—to knock the water out of her head.
But when he saw the hot water bottle in her hand, he didn’t dare move at all.

In the end, he could only wearily scold, “Do you still have the nerve to complain? When you have a good life, you still have to mess around with that swindler and upset the money tree! You idiot!”

“I’m not doing it on purpose!” Shen Yingying’s look of grievance turned into indignation. “I don’t even have enough money to eat at the canteen now—I have to mooch off friends every day. It’s so embarrassing!”

“I even wanted to write to Mom and ask her to send me some money for an emergency…”

“Of all times, just when you’re thinking that, here comes Third Brother—saving you from having to write a letter. What a timely rain!”

After saying that, she looked at Shen Jiacai expectantly.

“Third Brother, just give me a little money to spend. I don’t need much—20 or 30 yuan will do. When Xie Fangzhu’s mood improves and he starts giving money again, I’ll pay you back.”

Shen Jiacai had come to ask her for money, yet Shen Yingying not only “scalded” him with her retort but even turned around and wanted him to give her money—it was simply a dream!

Without a moment’s thought, he said, “I’m busy preparing for my wedding right now—the money’s all for the bride price. How could I give you any?”

Shen Yingying’s face hardened as she replied, “When you used to ask me for money, whenever I had it, I gave you everything.”
“Now that I’m in trouble and ask you for just 10 or 20 yuan for food, you’re unwilling. In your heart, is my life really not as important as you getting married?”

Hearing that, Shen Jiacai nearly burst into laughter.
He was bringing a wife home to have children—to continue the Shen family’s lineage and ancestral traditions.
Is that something a mere girl like Shen Yingying can compare with?

But he didn’t say any of that, because he didn’t want to quarrel with her.
Besides, the money wasn’t even in her possession—arguing would be a waste of breath.
As for Xie Fangzhu, although he didn’t dare ask him directly, he would eventually get the money somehow.
Xie Fangzhu always listened to his grandfather; when the time came, Mom would have Grandfather step in.
There was no fear that Xie Fangzhu wouldn’t obediently take the money.

Thinking that, his mood lifted considerably, and he casually said,
“Third Brother, we’re family—why are you always worrying about my money? When I get back, I’ll go see Mom and have her get Grandfather involved. Then even those landlord brats won’t dare withhold money from you!”

After saying this, he didn’t care whether his words would convince Shen Yingying—after all, in their family, as a girl, she wasn’t even entitled to get angry.

Turning around and walking into the room, he asked as he went,
“How’s the fabric we chose together last time coming along? Have you made the styles your future sister-in-law wanted? I’ll take whatever’s finished back with me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw on top of the sewing machine a dark blue shirt and a military-green pair of trousers.
His eyes lit up as he immediately recognized that it was the fabric he had personally chosen for himself last time.
“Hey! My clothes are done!” he exclaimed in surprise.

Using his uninjured hand, he picked up the shirt and examined it thoroughly—as if he couldn’t get enough. Then, with his injured hand, he carefully pinched another corner to inspect the overall design.
“So the style has been modified like this—really nice! Little sister, your craftsmanship is getting better and better!”

He then picked up the trousers next to it. They didn’t seem particularly special; just as he was about to put them down, he suddenly noticed something was off.
He held the waistband up against himself, and then, confused, turned back and said,
“Little sister, why are these trousers so long?”

The waistband was positioned way above the navel, and the pant legs dragged far on the ground. He wasn’t getting any taller—there was no need for trousers to be so long. If he wore them like that, wouldn’t people laugh at him to death?

Leaning at the doorway without coming in, Shen Yingying said in a flat tone, “How could they be long? I measured them precisely.”

Shen Jiacai thought she was still angry about him not giving her money, and he felt rather displeased.
He had already spoken kindly to her, and yet she was so ungrateful.
Could it be that after being married to Xie Fangzhu for so long, she’d forgotten the rules of the Shen family?
Forgot that, as a girl, she wasn’t entitled to lose her temper in front of her brother?

But since the trousers still needed to be altered, he pretended not to notice her sulky expression and said lightly,
“Look, they’re so long—how are you going to wear them? Measure my height again and adjust them; these are for my wedding, and they can’t be done carelessly!”

At that, Shen Yingying suddenly remembered something and burst out laughing,
“You’ve got it all wrong—these aren’t made for you, they’re for Xie Fangzhu. He’s 1.82 meters tall and you’re 1.65 meters; you definitely couldn’t wear his trousers.”

Shen Jiacai was dumbfounded: “???”

He thought he must have misread the fabric, so he looked again carefully—the military green and dark blue were unmistakable.
He was utterly stunned: “Isn’t this the fabric I chose last time?”

With her arms crossed and holding the hot water bottle, Shen Yingying looked at the trousers in his hand and nodded expressionlessly,
“Yes, your taste is poor—ugly, even. But luckily, Xie Fangzhu has a good figure and can wear them; otherwise, it would be a disaster.”