Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets
Chapter 55: Secret Stash of Money

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Secret Stash of Money

Liu Cuixong’s blunt words made Zhang Hualian somewhat embarrassed to continue speaking.

"Cuixong, she is my sister, how can you speak like that?" Just as Zhang Huafeng began to speak, Liu Cuixong glared at him, and Zhang Huafeng dared not say anything further; he bowed his head and sat to the side.

"Sister, Xiao Min is about to enter high school soon, and Qiangzi also needs to go to school. The money for Xiao Yue’s hospital stay last time, after you paid it back, was squandered by the baby we couldn’t save, and now with the New Year approaching, their tuition fees for next year are still dependent on the money from Huafeng Forest." Liu Cuixong spoke rapidly, as if making casual conversation, but her words conveyed one thing clearly, the family had no money left.

"Ah, to say my health has really let me down." Liu Cuixong said with self-reproach, lamenting: "Others only need to take some medicine and they get better, but I have to make a fuss and end up in the hospital."

"And that damn girl Xiao Min, she’s about to drive me crazy, insisting that everyone has new clothes to wear. Look, I bought her a coat last time, and it’s white of all colors, it gets dirty so easily." Liu Cuixong asked with a pained expression: "Sister, do you have any idea how much that coat cost?"

"How much?" Zhang Hualian asked unconsciously.

Liu Cuixong gestured a ’ten’ with her hands, feeling the pain, she said: "A whole ten yuan, that girl really doesn’t think money matters."

"..." Zhang Hualian’s lips moved, but in the end, she didn’t utter a word.

After she finished talking about her daughter Zhang Min, Liu Cuixong went on about her son Zhang Qiang, who was not performing well, spending all his days thinking about going to the arcade and squandering money there.

In the end, Zhang Hualian couldn’t even bring herself to ask to borrow money.

Before she left, Elder Mrs. Zhang secretly slipped her three yuan, while wiping away tears she said: "Hualian, all the money at home is held tight by Cuixong, and your brother Huafeng is no good either; he can’t help you."

"Mom, keep the money for yourself." Zhang Hualian understood her mother’s situation.

Elder Mrs. Zhang glared at her and said: "Hualian, would you be here if you weren’t really in need? Rest easy, although I can’t make much of a stand at home, I can still manage food, this money is what I’ve secretly saved up. Use it without worry, and when you have time, come back and see me more."

"Okay."

Zhang Hualian nodded, clutching the three yuan, thinking about how in previous years she used to get just a few dimes at a time. Later, it became one or two yuan, and now every time she returned to her mother’s house, her mom would secretly give her several dollars.

She knew that it might have taken her mother months to save this money.

Elder Mrs. Zhang earns just pennies helping out with odd jobs, plus the money her brother Huafeng gives her each month, along with the little money obtained from selling eggs when there are too many at home.

"Mom, I will definitely treat you well in the future." Zhang Hualian said earnestly, a promise she had made many times. But with her limited ability, all she could do was to take care of her mother when she was sick.

This time with Zhengde starting his business, she must work harder to earn more money so that her mother can lead a better life.

"Okay." Elder Mrs. Zhang looked at her daughter with a smile, her daughter just shy of forty but with skin turned dark and rough, not at all reflecting her age.

Elder Mrs. Zhang knew, when she was young, Hualian was the prettiest girl in the village, but in the end, due to getting pregnant before marriage, she almost lost her life. Giving birth to the child at home, she faced a lot of scornful looks, particularly from Daughter-in-law Cuixong who, after marrying into the family, often criticized her for being a freeloader at home with her child.

Otherwise, Hualian, who vowed never to marry, would not have wed Zhengde Tang.

Regret filled Elder Mrs. Zhang’s eyes. If her husband had not died so early, perhaps even in death, he wouldn’t have allowed Hualian to be treated like this; she felt useless as a mother.

After the mother and daughter had talked for a bit longer, Zhang Hualian left. Just after she had walked some distance from home, Zhang Huafeng quietly followed her and said, "Sis, you take this."

Zhang Huafeng took out ten yuan and stuffed it into Zhang Hualian’s hand.

Zhang Hualian looked at Zhang Huafeng in shock.

Zhang Huafeng, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Sis, I earned this money by moving bricks and cement at times when there was nothing to do at the forest. Cuihong doesn’t know about it."

"Huafeng." Zhang Hualian clutched the money, not knowing what to say. After a long while, she said, "You gave me all of this money, but what if Cuihong asks about it?"

She had seen Liu Cuihong’s dominance, and if she knew that Zhang Huafeng had secretly given her ten yuan, there’s no telling how she would make a fuss with Zhang Huafeng.

"No worries, she doesn’t know about this. Sis, last time it was Xiao Yue who fell ill, this time you haven’t said anything, but you must certainly be facing difficulties," Zhang Huafeng thought just like his mother and understood Zhang Hualian thoroughly.

Zhang Hualian would never embarrass him by asking for help unless it was truly necessary.

"Sis, just accept it, you don’t need to rush to pay me back," Zhang Huafeng insisted as he stuffed the money into her pocket. Then he asked, "Brother-in-law hasn’t been bullying you, has he?"

Zhang Huafeng scrutinized Zhang Hualian closely, and she seemed to be in better spirits than before.

"No." Zhang Hualian couldn’t help but laugh as soon as Tang Zhengde was mentioned, feeling warmth from deep within. She said, "Your brother-in-law, he wouldn’t bully anyone, let alone me. Don’t worry."

"That’s true," Zhang Huafeng nodded in agreement. Back when Tang Zhengde was marrying Zhang Hualian, he had caused quite a stir in both villages. Tang Zhengde was considered to have decent prospects in the village, and though Granny Tang was a single mother raising several children, Tang Zhengde was the most outstanding among his siblings, strong and young, willing to endure hardships in his work at the forest.

Secretly, there were many who wanted to marry Tang Zhengde, but to everyone’s surprise, he chose to marry a woman who already had a child.

Because of this, Tang Zhengde and his mother had their fair share of quarrels. Later, he visited a few times, and Tang Zhengde was just as protective of his sister as one would be of their own calf. Just like the sister said, he wouldn’t bully anyone, especially not her.

*

Over at Qianjin Village, Tang Zhengde didn’t idle after Zhang Hualian left. Even though he had rented a place, buying bowls, tables, and just painting the walls white required money.

The money for renting the place was borrowed from Tang Mingli, but for purchasing these items, Tang Zhengde could not bring himself to ask Tang Mingli again.

Tang Yue had given a hundred plus a ten yuan scholarship. Even if they were to fix up the place simply, it would cost a fair amount of money, and besides, more money would be needed later on to buy vegetables, flour, and noodles. After all, a stir-fry shop cannot run without vegetables. Thus, the one hundred and ten yuan was stretched thin.

There wasn’t much money left at home, plus the forest wasn’t paying yet, so Tang Zhengde was getting anxious about where to cut corners.

What to do?

Tang Zhengde inspected everything inside and outside the house. There were two cabinets at home, maybe they could sell one of them?

After much thought, Tang Zhengde decided, once Zhang Hualian was back, he would immediately suggest, "Hualian, look, we have two cabinets at home. How about we sell one, or maybe convert one into a few planks to make tables? We could save quite a bit of money."

That was the best solution he could come up with.