Chapter 7: The Eighty-Eight Dollar Divorce Fortune

“How much? How much did you say?”

“Eighty-eight yuan? Are you crazy?”

“Wang Jie, have you never seen money before?”

The villagers burst out indignantly.

But Wang Jie was resolute, clutching his stomach and wailing pitifully.

“My mother has always treated Zhang Yan so well. Whenever there’s something good to eat, she gives it to her first! Even the fabric for my younger sister’s clothes was given to her first. And what did she do in return?”

“She acts like a landlord’s daughter—can’t bear a bit of hardship, always running back to her mother’s home!”

“What about the reputation of our Wang family?”

“Besides, my mother and my sister Zhao Di came specifically to bring her back, and she not only refused to be grateful but even severely beat them!”

“If this spreads, how will your Zhang family ever hold their heads up in this village again?”

“For three years, my mother has worked hard, treating Zhang Yan like her own daughter. In the end, she just takes the child and goes back to her mother’s house. What did our Wang family do wrong? Were we supposed to raise someone else’s daughter for free all these years?”

Wang Jie dominated the entire stage, wailing mournfully.

“You Zhang family really have no shame. You raise your daughter just to send her to someone else’s home, cheating their grain!”

“No wonder you treasure such a losing asset! There must be an even bigger plan behind all this.”

The moment Zhang Yang heard those three words, it felt like needles pricked his eardrums.

He rushed forward, ready to grab Wang Jie and tear apart his foul mouth!

But this time, he was stopped collectively by the villagers.

“Yangzi! This shouting won’t solve anything! The Wang family are just scoundrels after money.”

“Exactly! If you throw a couple of punches, they’ll just want more! Then it’ll be even messier.”

Zhang Yang didn’t want to get into further trouble, so after hearing their advice, he immediately calmed down.

His eyes gleamed coldly, so sharp they seemed like knives.

“You want money? Fine! Eighty-eight it is! But only if you honestly divorce my sister. That eighty-eight yuan won’t be short a penny for your Wang family.”

The third aunt standing beside him was startled and slapped Zhang Yang hard on the back.

“You’re crazy! The Wang family’s demand is a lion’s roar! You can give them money, but you can’t agree to that amount!”

“Farmers just plant a bit of grain every year, hand it over to the commune, and earning enough work points is already a big deal. Where would we get money? Even earning ten yuan is a headache, where would we scrape together eighty-eight?”

Zhang Yang, however, smiled confidently.

“That’s the number—no problem! Only if it’s paid in full will these gutter rats stop yapping.”

At that moment, Wang Jie thought to seize the chance to play the good guy.

“Zhang Yang, don’t act tough! I know your Zhang family is struggling. To scrape together eighty-eight yuan, you’ll have to beg everywhere, won’t you? It’s okay, I can give you a month! If after a month you still can’t come up with the money, then you, Zhang Yang, politely send your sister back to the Wang family. Otherwise, you know the consequences!”

Zhang Yang responded with full confidence, “Just wait and see!”

“All right! All right!”

The Wang family, satisfied with the reply, left with Wang Jie carried on their shoulders, joy written on their faces.

As they walked, Wang Jie sang to everyone they met: “Our Wang Jie and your village’s Zhang Yan are getting divorced! The Zhang family agreed to compensate with eighty-eight yuan! Everyone, come witness this!”

“Eighty-eight yuan, not a cent less—everyone heard that!”

No one in the village looked down on the Wang family less, but at the same time, they were astonished by Zhang Yang’s promise.

“This kid is too fierce! He dares to agree now, but where’s he going to get that money?”

Zhang Yang didn’t reveal his plan to anyone.

He returned home silently and first gutted the remaining roe deer.

Then, he cut the meat into small portions and gave some to the families who had helped earlier.

The villagers, seeing him, worried for him.

“You and Yan’er grew up among us. Your father died early, and you’re the only pillar of the family now.”

“We know you just want to stand up for your sister, but the Wang family isn’t asking for eight yuan—they want eighty-eight.”

“Yang, I’m an old widower with nothing, but I saved a little coffin money—six mao four fen two li in total. It’s not much! Don’t look down on it. Take it as a start.”

Once one person began, the others couldn’t sit still.

Everyone chipped in here a few mao, there a few jiao, and in no time they had gathered four yuan.

Zhang Yang didn’t accept a single cent.

Looking at his kind-hearted neighbors, he suddenly felt tears welling up.

Suppressing the surge of emotion, Zhang Yang pointed to the deer meat he had brought.

“I’m here to thank you, not to borrow money! Thank you all uncles and aunts for your timely help. I, Zhang Yang, will remember this kindness in my heart!”

“This is some wild game; if you don’t mind, please accept it! As for the money, I have my own plan. If I’m truly desperate, then I’ll trouble you all again.”

The older women grew anxious.

“Child, why be stubborn with us?”

It was an uncle named Zhao Antai who saw through things and quickly stopped the well-meaning villagers.

“If Yangzi says he has a plan, let him try first.”

Zhao Antai then whispered to the others, “That Zhang kid is proud. Let’s not use good intentions to hurt his pride.”

Zhao Antai was a steady, hardworking old farmer with three well-raised children, so his words carried weight among the villagers.

With his advice, everyone stopped handing over money and accepted Zhang Yang’s meat with apprehensive hearts.

...

Zhang Yang returned home and upon opening the door saw Li Huifang and Zhang Yan sitting on the kang, their eyes red from crying.

“Wang Jie is really despicable!” Zhang Yan’s anger grew as she stomped hard on the quilt at her feet.

“Brother, don’t listen to him. When I’m feeling better, I’ll go back to the Wang family! I don’t believe they can torment a living person like me to death!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yang didn’t get angry but laughed.

“What are you laughing at? Are you delirious from worry?” Li Huifang panicked.

Zhang Yang shook his head calmly and explained with a smile, “Mother, I’m not anxious, I’m happy! Seeing my sister like this, I’m relieved. Her fighting spirit has finally come back!”

There’s an old saying: a tree lives by its bark, a person lives by their spirit.

Since Zhang Yan married into the Wang family, she’d endured countless hardships. When Zhang Yang brought her back, there was no light in her eyes.

But now it’s different.

She can not only get angry but also has the spirit to curse!

“This is a happy event, even bigger than catching a roe deer!”

Zhang Yang patiently comforted his mother and sister until their emotions stabilized. Then he grabbed his hunting rifle, cut off a large chunk of ten or so pounds of roe deer meat, and headed out again.

This time, he went straight to Zhang Minde’s house.