Chapter 140: Dispute Over the Grave

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After receiving Xu Hong’s call, Wu Qiming really did come in person to borrow money from Li An’an.

Xu Hong and the others had lost face that day, so they did not come along that evening. Instead, they waited at home for news from Wu Qiming.

“Do you think they’ll lend Dad the money? After all, when they asked us to lend them twenty thousand yuan last year, we didn’t give them anything.” Wu Wan paced back and forth across the living room, feeling both hopeful and certain that Li An’an’s family might refuse them.

“They probably will. Your father has already asked them himself. They’ll have to show him some consideration.” Xu Hong thought for a moment before answering.

Like Wu Wan, she deeply regretted showing off in front of Li An’an’s family earlier.

If they had not behaved that way, then judging from what they knew of Xu Fang’s family, they would certainly have lent them the money.

“All right, stop going on about Dad’s job.” Wu Wan spoke uneasily. “He doesn’t have any real authority. Not many people are willing to take him seriously.”

Seeing her daughter say that, Xu Hong fell silent as well.

It was the truth.

If Wu Qiming had held any real power, their family would not have been stuck in such an awkward position—neither high nor low.

Even their neighbors paid them little attention.

Just then, they heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. The three of them knew that Wu Qiming had returned and hurried to greet him.

“How did it go? How much did they lend you?” Xu Hong asked anxiously the moment he entered.

Wu Qiming glanced at his wife, irritation simmering in his heart.

When he had gone to borrow the money, Xu Fang had told him everything that had happened that evening as soon as he opened his mouth.

Fortunately, Xu Fang had always been considerate and had not made things difficult for him.

Otherwise, he felt he would have lost every last shred of dignity.

“You’re so fond of comparing yourselves to others, showing off, and throwing your weight around. Why didn’t you go and borrow the money yourselves?” Wu Qiming said, suppressing his anger.

He knew Xu Hong best. Although he knew Xu Fang also liked to show off somewhat, he had heard from Xu Kai and the others that what happened that evening was entirely Xu Hong’s fault.

“What? They didn’t lend you anything?” Xu Hong asked urgently.

“If you have the nerve to ask, go and borrow it yourself. I still need this old face of mine to face people outside!” Wu Qiming snorted and went straight back to his room.

“Mom, what are we going to do? If they won’t lend us the money, Xu Jie’s company will have to remain stalled,” Wu Wan said bitterly.

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Xu Hong’s expression was equally grim, and anger welled up inside her.

Although she had expected that they might not be able to borrow the money, she had still held on to a sliver of hope.

But soon, a confident smile appeared on her face. “Didn’t Xu Fang say that her family had bought a new house and would be moving soon? When the time comes, we’ll go to their housewarming banquet and give them a generous gift. We’ll flatter your aunt a little, and then she’ll definitely lend us the money.”

As her sister, Xu Hong understood Xu Fang better than anyone.

Although Xu Fang enjoyed showing off just as much as she did, she was not a bad person at heart.

More importantly, she loved being flattered.

Once someone praised her enough, she would become carried away. If they asked to borrow money then, she would be too embarrassed to refuse.

“Then we’ll wait a little longer. Make sure Uncle and the others remember to notify us when the time comes.”

Wu Wan nodded. For now, that was all they could do.

…

The next morning, after breakfast, Mo Han and the other two set off back to Qiancheng.

They had just reached the exit of the toll station when Xu Fang received a call from her sister-in-law, Li Xue.

“Fang, something terrible has happened! Come back quickly and take a look,” Li Xue said anxiously over the phone.

“Sister-in-law, what happened?” Xu Fang asked.

“Your brothers got into a fight with someone. I heard Xu Jin was injured,” Li Xue replied urgently.

“All right, all right. We’ll come back immediately.” Xu Fang hung up.

“What happened?” Li An’an turned around from the passenger seat and asked.

“I don’t know the details either. Your uncles got into a fight with someone, and your second uncle was injured. Han, let’s go back and take a look first,” Xu Fang said.

“All right.” Mo Han nodded and found an opening to turn the car around.

When they arrived outside the Xu family’s home, they saw a crowd gathered noisily in the courtyard. Li An’an’s grandmother, however, had already fainted from crying.

“Uncle, it’s all right now. Xu Jie called some people over and scattered them,” Wu Wan told Xu Kai from the other side.

“Mm. Don’t worry about that for now. Take your second uncle to the hospital first,” Xu Kai said with a nod.

Only then did Mo Han see Xu Jin emerge, clutching his forehead, blood seeping between his fingers.

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Xu Jie personally drove them to the hospital to have the wound bandaged.

After asking around, Mo Han learned what had happened.

That morning, a Taoist priest had gone up to the burial hill to recite memorial prayers. Quite a few people had gone with him, and several stalks of corn in the neighboring village’s fields had been trampled and broken. The two sides had begun arguing, and the dispute eventually turned into a fight.

Xu Jie, however, had some connections in Xiuwen. With a single phone call, he summoned more than a dozen people, who then injured several members of the opposing side.

“It’s still Xu Jie who’s truly capable. At critical moments, you have to rely on him.” When Xu Hong saw Mo Han, she no longer dared to provoke him directly, but her words remained laced with sarcasm.

Mo Han could not even be bothered to look at her. He turned to Li Xue and asked, “Is Grandma all right?”

Li Xue shook her head. “She should be fine, but she’s old and her health isn’t good. After being subjected to such a shock, I’m still worried about her.”

“Mm. Let’s go inside and take a look.” Mo Han nodded and walked into the house.

The old woman had regained consciousness, but her complexion was still terrible. Several of the younger family members sat beside her.

“My child, to have such a thing happen while tending your father’s grave—it’s terribly unlucky,” Grandmother said through tear-filled eyes, clutching Xu Fang’s hand.

Most elderly people in the countryside still held deeply traditional beliefs. In their eyes, a fight breaking out while a Taoist priest was reciting memorial prayers at the burial hill was certainly an ominous sign.

“Mom, they didn’t disturb the graves. It’s nothing to worry about,” Xu Fang comforted her.

“Grandma, don’t dwell on it. Everything has already been dealt with. What you need to do is take good care of yourself,” Xu An’an added soothingly.

“I’m already old, and my body is the way it is. Don’t worry about me. How long I’ll live was decided by Heaven long ago. By the way, call and ask how badly Xu Jin was hurt. Is it serious?” The old woman took her own mortality calmly, but she was still deeply worried about her son.

“Grandma, Second Uncle only suffered a minor flesh wound. He’ll be fine once it’s bandaged. Don’t worry about them; nothing will happen to them,” Li An’an said.

“Mm. Help me outside to take a look. They’ve all gone to the hospital, and someone needs to receive the guests outside…”

As she spoke, the old woman tried to stand. But the moment she rose, she fainted and collapsed.

“Mom! Mom, what happened?” Xu Fang cried out in alarm, hurriedly supporting her.

Mo Han stepped forward to examine the old woman and found that she had merely fainted. Her breathing was still normal.

“Grandma isn’t in serious danger. Have her take a couple of doses of medicine, and after you return, send her some Rejuvenation Pills to help restore her health,” Mo Han said.

“Mm.” Li An’an nodded.

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