CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 320

Village Chief Qi didn’t expect Qi Shanhe to have a history of gambling, and his two sons knew but didn’t tell him, which made him furious.

Facing his father’s outburst, Qi Shande felt very wronged.

"Dad, Shanhe is over thirty, what doesn’t he know? What doesn’t he understand? No one can stop him from doing what he wants, and we can’t keep following him around, can we?"

Village Chief Qi sighed deeply, "I don’t want to manage him, but your old uncle only has Shanhe left as a single heir. If I don’t look after him, how can I face your old uncle’s trust?"

Qi Baoshu didn’t just have Qi Shanhe as a son; there were three more children between Qi Shanhe and Qi Dalian, but they all died young from illness, leaving only these two surviving.

Among the two, there’s only one male, considered the only descendant Qi Baoshu left behind, which Qi Baocang highly values as the sole offspring of his late brother.

Qi Shanming spoke up, "Dad, I heard the Zhao Family Gambling House only allows gambling with cash and never issues credit or IOUs. Could it be that Shanhe is lying to us about owing the Zhao family money?"

Qi Baocang, as if seeing hope, quickly said, "Well... you two brothers, hurry to Zhao Family Gambling House and ask if it’s true that Shanhe owes money?"

"That woman from the Xun family never tells the truth. It’s quite possible that Shanhe never gambled at all and that woman from the Xun family might just be tricking me."

Qi Shande was extremely helpless, "Dad, if Shanhe does owe the gambling house fifty taels of silver, what do you plan to do?"

Qi Baocang was stunned. To be honest, he didn’t know what to do either.

After a moment of silence, Village Chief Qi chose to delude himself, "No, Shanhe was just ten years old when he got into the scholar-level examination, well-mannered and educated. He wouldn’t go to such places as gambling houses, it’s definitely that woman from the Xun family talking nonsense."

Qi Shanbao was impatient, "I’ll go find cousin Shanhe, let’s just ask him directly and know the truth, won’t we?"

Village Chief Qi sighed, "The key issue is, he’s not at home; I have no idea where he’s gone."

Qi Shanbao bluntly said, "Dad, I say we shouldn’t get involved in his family affairs.

Whether he owes fifty taels or doesn’t, we shouldn’t interfere.

When my sister Dalian got married, the Sun family gave a fifty-tael dowry, which my old aunt pocketed herself and later borrowed twenty taels from Brother-in-law Sun, totaling seventy taels.

For an average family, seventy taels would last a lifetime. If they managed to squander it within a year, that’s their own doing.

We can’t afford to help out with fifty taels!"

As Qi Shanbao finished speaking, Qi Shande and Qi Shanming immediately chimed in, "Dad, my brother is right, our family can’t plug a fifty-tael gap for them."

"Right, I don’t agree, either. The money we’ve painstakingly saved shouldn’t be wasted on that brat, Shanhe."

Their family isn’t divided, and their earnings and harvests are all held by their father. If he gets foolish for a moment and uses the money to bail out Qi Shanhe, they won’t agree at all.

While they have no objection to using community funds for Shanbao’s marriage, they won’t stand having the money wasted on Shanhe.

Village Chief Qi felt his headache worsen.

"Let’s go home!"

Yu Changhe was still listening on the side, and he couldn’t bear the shame!

Qi Shanbao stepped up, "Dad, I’ll carry you!"

He also felt that discussing such matters at the Yu Family was inappropriate.

"No need, I can walk by myself!" Village Chief Qi waved away his youngest son’s outstretched hand.

Village Chief Qi was very dissatisfied with the indifference and cold-heartedness of his three sons.

They’re cousins, aren’t they? Should they really stand by without helping?

Even if they can’t give all fifty taels, can’t they at least offer half? But looking at his three sons, they didn’t seem willing to give even a cent.

Village Chief Qi felt resentment in his heart.

Why don’t his sons have any brotherly affection? Aren’t brothers supposed to be the closest people in the world?

When they were young, the three of them got along well with Shanhe. When did it change? How did it change?

With a heavy heart, Village Chief Qi thanked Yu Changhe and took his leave.

Village Chief Qi didn’t want Qi Shanbao to carry him, but as soon as he stepped out of the Yu Family’s gate, he was lifted home by his three sons, their feet never touching the ground, and he cursed all the way.

After Village Chief Qi left, Sun’s wife in the inner room worriedly said to Yu Xiaolian, "Lian’er, Qi Shanhe owes so much money outside, surely that woman from the Xun family will target your uncle. Your aunt is due to give birth soon, and that woman from the Xun family is so unreasonable. I’m really nervous, feeling like something big is about to happen."

Yu Xiaolian gently comforted Sun’s wife, "Mom, don’t worry. It’s just about fifty taels, what big thing can happen?"

"Lian’er, what do you mean by that? Don’t tell me you want your uncle to pay off Shanhe’s fifty taels?" Although fifty taels isn’t much for their family, Sun’s wife would feel aggrieved if they really paid off Shanhe’s fifty taels.

Moreover, knowing Xun’s and Qi Shanhe’s behavior, once they start down this path, they will surely do it again.

Yu Changhe also lifted the curtain and entered the inner room, "The debt he owed outside has nothing to do with our family. I’ll inform Fengshou later to keep an eye on our family money, absolutely no dodging to save that shameless gambler."

Yu Changhe disliked gamblers very much, unable to understand their mentality of wanting to gain without effort and get rich overnight. Little did they know, do gambling houses ever operate at a loss?

Yu Xiaolian chuckled, "Dad, Mom, actually Qi Shanhe didn’t owe any money to Zhao Family Gambling House. Not only didn’t he lose fifty taels, he actually won fifty taels there!"

"What?" Yu Changhe and Sun’s wife were extremely surprised.

Yu Xiaolian slyly smiled as she slowly explained what she knew, "Qi Shanhe has a lover at the Qianse Lou, and that girl is pregnant with Qi Shanhe’s child.

Of course, whether this child is actually Qi Shanhe’s, I don’t know, but Qi Shanhe is convinced that the child is his.

Qi Shanhe wants to buy that girl out of her situation, but doesn’t have enough money; he would need about a hundred and twenty taels to free her.

Counting the money he had and the winnings from the gambling house, Qi Shanhe has nearly a hundred taels, but not enough, so naturally, he’s trying other ways."

"So, you mean that woman from the Xun family was also deceived by her son?" Sun’s wife frowned, thinking it was all quite absurd and upending her world view.

Yu Xiaolian nodded, "That’s what it seems."

"And how did you find out about this?" Yu Changhe asked.

Yu Xiaolian replied, "A few days ago, Zhao Escort Head told me about it as an amusing story."

The Qianse Lou and the gambling house are both operated by Zhao Zhiquan’s fourth brother, Zhao Zhixin, which is why Qi Shanhe and those at Zhao’s gambling house were able to conspire together to deceive the Xun family.