Chapter 26: Seeing the Scumbag Suffer is Unbelievably Satisfying

Mother knows best. Gu’s mother naturally understood her youngest son’s thoughts, and replied with a smile, “It’s very big, with five rooms. Your sister-in-law bought a bed for each room, so we can just take our bedding and move in.”

Gu Yunyang’s eyes lit up. He turned and ran to find Gu Yuncan, who was playing with Tiantian and Yuemeng, asking her to give him some more problems. His younger sister’s grades were excellent; she always scored 100. With her help, he could quickly pass his exams.

Jiang Yiyi didn’t notice Gu Yunyang’s little actions. She and Zhou Fen were busy kneading dough and washing vegetables, while Gu Yunchi went to the neighboring village to buy cucumbers.

Dinner was millet porridge, cucumber salad, stir-fried tomato and egg, braised eggplant, and dry-fried green beans. The family ate their fill and went to bed early.

The next morning, Gu Yunchi and Zhou Fen got up early to make cold noodles. By 5:30 am, they were finished. Gu Yunchi asked Zhou Fen to go back to sleep for a while while she made breakfast. Hearing a knock on the door, she turned to see Gu Yunyang, quite surprised. “Little brother, why are you up so early?”

Gu Yunyang held a book in his hand. When questioned by Gu Yunchi, he felt a little embarrassed. “I, I’m reading.”

Gu Yunchi was astonished. Her little brother had always disliked studying; he was always called out at parent-teacher meetings. Had the sun risen in the west today?

Thinking this, she subconsciously looked up. The eastern sky was red, indicating the sun was about to rise.

She quickly went to him, wanting to touch Gu Yunyang’s forehead to see if he had a fever. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered what Jiang Yiyi had said and immediately understood Gu Yunyang’s unusual behavior. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t wake up Mom. Go read in the vegetable garden. Big sister will call you when breakfast is ready.”

Gu Yunyang took a small stool and went outside.

Gu Yunchi went to the kitchen to cook, specially boiling an extra egg for Gu Yunyang.

When Jiang Yiyi woke up, Gu Yunyang and Gu Yuncan had already gone to school. Gu Yunchi told her with a smile, “Sister-in-law, your method really works. Little brother is studying diligently on his own.”

Jiang Yiyi wasn’t surprised. In the original story, both Gu Yunyang and Gu Yuncan went to university. “Little brother isn’t stupid; he just didn’t put his mind to studying before. With motivation, his grades will improve quickly.”

Gu Yunchi nodded repeatedly.

After breakfast, Jiang Yiyi, Gu Yunchi, and Zhou Fen went to the county, while Gu’s mother stayed home with the two children.

In the county, Jiang Yiyi had Gu Yunchi deliver the cold noodles while she went to give Cui Yong the money.

Cui Yong had been looking out the door, his neck practically stretched out. Seeing Jiang Yiyi from afar, he quickly went to meet her. He hadn’t slept well all night, fearing that Jiang Yiyi wouldn’t be able to borrow the money.

Before he could ask, Jiang Yiyi nodded to him. Cui Yong’s anxieties, which had hung over him all night, dissipated. He admired Jiang Yiyi immensely; not everyone could easily borrow two thousand yuan.

Back in the courtyard and closing the door, Cui Yong said, “I made an appointment with the motorcycle seller for him to come at ten o’clock today. He’ll be here soon. If you’re free, stay and wait. I have a thousand yuan; if we can lower the price, you can take the extra money back.”

Jiang Yiyi had the same intention. “Then I’ll listen inside.”

Cui Yong led her into the house and poured her a cup of water. Just as he spoke a couple of words, he heard the sound of a motorcycle at the door. He got up, went out, and closed the door. Qin Gang also rode his motorcycle into the courtyard, reluctantly turning off the engine. If he hadn’t desperately needed the money, he wouldn’t have sold his motorcycle. It was a symbol of his status; riding a motorcycle to business deals made him seem more important, ensuring success.

He gave Cui Yong the keys, but Cui Yong didn’t take them. “Brother, I ran around yesterday and couldn’t find a buyer. The motorcycle is too expensive; it’s hard to sell.”

Qin Gang frowned. “You won’t buy it?”

“I will, but the price…”

“Not a cent less. If I wasn’t so desperate for money, I wouldn’t sell it for three thousand more.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do. If this gets stuck in my hands, I won’t earn it back in three years.”

Qin Gang put the key in the ignition and was about to leave. But remembering that today was the deadline, without the advance payment, the deal would fall through. He might not even be able to afford a bicycle in the future. He sighed. “How much will you give?”

“Two thousand.”

“Are you robbing me?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not a bandit. Besides, you’re selling, and I’m buying; there’s always bargaining. You can’t just name your price.”

Qin Gang gritted his teeth.

“Two thousand nine.”

“Two thousand one.”

Qin Gang gritted his teeth again.

“Two thousand eight.”

“Two thousand one.”

“Two thousand seven.”

“Two thousand one.”

No matter how much Qin Gang lowered the price, Cui Yong insisted on two thousand one, not a cent more. He had been in business for many years and saw that Qin Gang really needed the money, otherwise he wouldn’t have lowered the price bit by bit.

“Two thousand six. Cash and motorcycle, or I’m not selling.”

He saved four hundred yuan!

Cui Yong pinched his thigh hard, suppressing the upturned corners of his mouth, pretending to be troubled. “Two thousand six is still too high, but seeing as you really need the money, I’ll take it. Wait, I’ll go inside to get the money.”

Cui Yong turned and went inside, closing the door. He took a few deep breaths to calm his excitement, took out a thousand yuan from his pocket, and took another sixteen hundred from Jiang Yiyi, opening the door and giving it to Qin Gang. “Count it.”

A thick stack of banknotes, yet Qin Gang felt no joy, even resenting Gu Yunchi in his heart. If it weren’t for her taking two thousand yuan, would he have had to sell his motorcycle?

“Boss, let’s make a deal. Can you keep the motorcycle for half a month? I’ll come back and redeem it within half a month. I won’t let you lose out; I’ll give you three thousand.”

“To be honest, the money I bought your motorcycle with is all borrowed. I promised to pay it back quickly, so I really can’t keep it for you.”

Qin Gang pursed his lips, counted the money, wrapped it in pre-prepared newspaper, gave the keys to Cui Yong, took one last look at the motorcycle, and strode out.

After his figure disappeared, Cui Yong ran forward to close the gate, turned and ran into the house, poured a glass of cold water, and drank it in one gulp, still excited. “Sister, thanks to you, I saved four hundred yuan.”

Four hundred yuan! He couldn’t earn that much selling bicycles in three months.

Having just witnessed Qin Gang’s predicament, Jiang Yiyi was in a good mood. She hated scumbags the most; seeing a scumbag suffer brought her immense satisfaction.

“It’s because Brother Cui bargained successfully. I can’t take credit for that.”

“Brother Cui, I’ll keep my word. Once the motorcycle is sold, we’ll split the profit fifty-fifty.”

“Since I said I don’t want it, I don’t want it. But even brothers should settle accounts clearly. I hope Brother Cui will write me an IOU. Excluding the money for the tricycle, just write thirteen hundred.”

It’s better to be safe than sorry. Thirteen hundred was no small sum. Without proof, if Cui Yong didn’t acknowledge the debt, she would be helpless.

Seeing that she really didn’t want to share the profit, Cui Yong quickly took out paper and pen, wrote the IOU, and signed his name. “Sister, rest assured. I’ll return the money within five days at most.”