Chapter 130: The Inside Story (2)

In the main bedroom, Lin Liying helped the old lady sit up against the bed, then pulled over a stool to sit by her side. She glanced at her mother, who showed no intention of speaking.

Lin Liying mulled things over for a while before asking softly, “Mom, just how much money does Eldest Brother-in-law have? How much are you short? You have to tell me so I can have a sense of it. The end of the month is coming soon. When Brother-in-law comes back, how much longer can you stall? When I bought the courtyard house, you told me to say I bought it myself—was that because you used this money? I’ll make up the 2,000 yuan for you. My husband always said we’d pay it back. Things have been easier back home these past few years, so we have some money on hand. Don’t worry, whatever you’re short, we’ll try to cover it first.”

Old Mrs. Lin shot her a look and said quietly, “What’s the rush? This isn’t a small sum, and your 2,000 yuan isn’t enough. I need to think about it.

Back then, besides Zhou Xiaozheng’s bankbook, their family had quite a bit of money. That was before Liberation, and your brother-in-law deposited it all in Citibank—the foreign-run one, with strict management.

I had your eldest sister give me all the money, and she took me to the bank to exchange everything in the house for US dollars, then added the dollars from the bankbook, and deposited it all under Zhou Jiao’s name. Your sister insisted that this was what Zhou Xiaozheng left for his daughter, and it had to be in Zhou Jiao’s name.

Back then, the dollar was pegged to gold. I think one silver dollar was about $0.33. It’s been so long, I can’t remember exactly. I just remember one of Zhou Xiaozheng’s bankbooks was for $5,000, and the interest alone was $200. All their money, converted to dollars plus interest, was nearly $9,000. We deposited $9,000 under Zhou Jiao’s name, and the extra cash and Zhou Jiao’s bankbook your sister gave all to me.

Once I had it, your sister never asked about it again. I didn’t touch that money before Liberation, just left it there. Later, when things looked stable, I was afraid the foreign bank would close, so I withdrew it all and moved it to another bank. Over seven or eight years, with interest, it grew to over $10,000. Later, our bank kept changing notes. I didn’t dare touch the $10,000 principal, but I spent the odd change and interest.

In ’52, when you got married and your second brother needed money for things, I secretly took out $2,000 plus interest, leaving $8,000 on the bankbook.

That year, the exchange rate was 2.227 yuan to the dollar. I took out $2,000 and the interest from those years, and I remember it was 5,500 yuan. I used it to buy your courtyard house and gave some to your second brother’s family.

After that, I didn’t touch the remaining $8,000. Every time I went to the bank, I had to show Zhou Jiao’s household registration—it was a hassle. Now there’s still $8,000 plus interest left.

If that money had stayed in Citibank all these years, it’d be worth much more now, with all that compound interest over 17 years—who knows how much. It’s a messy account. I moved $2,000, and as for the interest I spent before, I can’t remember. I don’t even want to explain it to your brother-in-law. I plan to leave $10,000 as the principal to pay him back.

Besides needing to make up $2,000, what gives me a headache is your sister’s salary over all these years. I spent it all—it was me who asked her to hand it over. I told her I was afraid she’d be too extravagant, and that we should save it for Jiao Jiao’s dowry when she got married. But what can I say now? ‘Shanshan, your mother spent your daughter’s dowry’—that’s even worse than the Zhou family. She’d definitely have it out with me.”

Lin Liying covered her mouth, unable to stop laughing. “The Zhou family snatched her dowry, and now you’re snatching it too. I bet Dad would turn against you if he found out.”

Old Mrs. Lin shook her head helplessly. “Your father doesn’t even know I have this money. Otherwise, he’d have made me send it to Zhou Jiao long ago.

He only knows I’ve been saving your sister’s salary for her. He doesn’t realize that, even though it looks like everyone in our family has a salary, it’s never enough. Take Xiao Lin, always coming to me for money, for this and that—look how many clothes she has in her wardrobe?

Your second brother’s family has four kids to raise, and your second sister-in-law also supports her own family. How could your second brother’s salary be enough? From the time he got married, he’s relied on help from the family. When they had kids, your second sister-in-law insisted on formula milk like other people, and the Jiang family lives nearby—how could I say no? Otherwise, the whole compound would gossip.

Only Shengli and his brother are sensible. But those two sisters, each spends more than the other. Your second brother got gray hair early from worrying. Once, he fought with Xuezhen over a coat, and she was bedridden for days. Xuezhen really doesn’t understand—always comparing herself to others, always chasing after trends. How can your second brother’s salary cover it? Every time your second sister-in-law has Xuezhen call me for money, she thinks I don’t know? I know full well, but what can I do? He’s my son.”

Lin Liying rubbed her temples. “Mom, have you ever thought that you don’t have money yourself, but you’re using Brother-in-law’s money to help Second Brother? Does that make sense? If Eldest Sister finds out, she’ll definitely blow up—she’s not easy to deal with. You’d better figure out how much you owe her besides that 2,000 yuan. As for the old messy account, just leave it for now. But you have to explain her salary to her, right? If you really can’t pay it all back, maybe talk to her privately and return part of it?

And what about Second Brother? Shengli and his brother are about to get married—where’s the money for that? If Second Sister-in-law runs out, she’ll come to you. Where will you get the money then? If Eldest Sister finds out you’ve been secretly helping Second Brother all these years, what will she think? She’s always given you money for food.”

Old Mrs. Lin frowned in distress. “Your sister stopped collecting her salary as soon as she started maternity leave. Back then, she got about one silver dollar a month. Later, they paid in paper notes, then in renminbi, and her salary went up every year. Plus, she was always traveling for work, so she got a lot of subsidies. Apart from the monthly remittance to Zhou Jiao, it was all in my hands. At first, I did save it for her, even opened an account at the same bank. Sometimes I’d deposit it, sometimes I’d withdraw it when we needed money. After all these years, how could I remember it all?

I thought, with Zhou Xiaozheng gone and Zhou Jiao just a girl who’d marry out sooner or later, and with that big sum in her name, your sister would never lack for money. Didn’t she still have two courtyard houses? She and Zhou Jiao didn’t have the burdens your second brother’s family did, so this money wouldn’t affect them much.

My plan was to talk to your sister privately one day and give Zhou Jiao the two houses and the $9,000 from back then. Zhou Jiao doesn’t know the exact amount anyway. As for your sister’s salary, I wasn’t going to give it back—she’s my daughter, I could explain it. If she disagreed, I’d make it up with some jewelry or gold.

But who knew Zhou Xiaozheng would come back alive? That changes everything. He knows exactly how much money his family had. We didn’t even raise his daughter, so there’s no sentiment there. Besides, he never asked us to keep his family’s money.

If he comes back and asks for it, he’ll want every penny accounted for. After 17 years, the principal alone is over $9,000—how much is that now? Even if we sold everything, it wouldn’t be enough. If we don’t pay Zhou Xiaozheng back soon, do we wait for him to come after me? Better to play dumb and pay him back first—maybe he won’t even want to bring it up.

Who could have guessed he’d come back alive? Now all my plans are ruined. If he brings it up in front of your father, what do you think your father would do? And haven’t you heard what your father said about that child? She’s as sharp as Zhou Xiaozheng. There’s nothing more to say—just hurry up and raise the money.”

Lin Liying thought of her father. “But you must have a rough idea, right?”

Old Mrs. Lin nodded. “Roughly. Counting your sister’s promotions, that’s 17 years of salary. At first, let’s say 20 yuan a month for three years, then 50 yuan for another three, then about 100 yuan a month for five years—not counting the subsidies. That’s eleven years. The rest, I collected myself—six years at 110 yuan, then up to 185 yuan. Let’s say three years at 150, then three years at 160. The subsidies, let’s just count them as the 20 yuan a month remitted to Zhou Jiao, which was deposited in the bank. When the time comes, I’ll just give her a bankbook—that’s for your brother-in-law and Zhou Jiao to see.”

Lin Liying counted on her fingers for a long while, then looked up in shock. “Mom, that’s a lot of money—almost 20,000 yuan. And Eldest Sister still buys us gifts and dowries for Jiao Jiao. Where did she get the money?”

Old Mrs. Lin patted her. “Seventeen years of salary isn’t that much. I plan to put 20,000 in the bank and call it her salary. Honestly, I can’t remember exactly how much she earned, but I have a rough idea. Her salary was about the same as mine—you forget I have my pay stubs and records. I can’t cough up any more. She spent a third of her salary on subsidies, and her food, housing, and clothes were all covered by the army. A few times when she came back from abroad, she gave me extra money to save for Jiao Jiao. So, just 20,000—take it or leave it.

Your sister once said to let her know when it reached 50,000. See, she’s not so foolish as to lose track of her own money. When she traveled for work, she’d make extra by helping people buy things, so she was generous with gifts. As for the dowry, she bought things cheaply locally, so it looked like a lot but didn’t cost much. Some were even bartered for with army coats.

If she hadn’t gone to the Northeast this time, she would have gone next year. She told me privately that next year Jiao Jiao will be 18, an adult, and when the lease on the courtyard is up, Jiao Jiao will have to sign the contract herself. While she’s in Beijing, she’ll transfer the bankbook and the big courtyard to her, along with the dowry.

I asked her why not keep something for herself, and she said she planned to give Jiao Jiao the bankbook with her salary too. She’s earning nearly 200 a month now—enough for herself. She wants everything settled early, in case something happens to her and things aren’t clear.

Your sister is afraid I’ll be reluctant to give it to Jiao Jiao. She’s her real mother! Even if she hasn’t seen her, if something happened, she’d still think of her own child. All mothers are the same.”

Lin Liying stood up and paced around the room, thinking for a long time before returning to her mother. “Mom, so your plan is to make up the $2,000 for Brother-in-law, and 20,000 yuan for Eldest Sister—that’s about 25,000 yuan. I have less than 3,000 on hand. What about the rest? Maybe you should just talk to Eldest Sister and ask her to keep it from Brother-in-law. When he comes back, he won’t be short of money—he’ll get 17 years of back pay, and his salary is even higher than hers.”

“Otherwise, why do you think I’m so anxious to make up the 20,000? When your brother-in-law gets 50,000 in back pay, but your sister doesn’t have 20,000, how can I face him? Don’t say a word to your sister—she can’t keep a secret. Her husband’s in charge at home, and I bet she’d never suspect he has private savings.

From what I know of Zhou Xiaozheng, he’s got something up his sleeve—he just hasn’t shown it. Your father says Jiao Jiao doesn’t trust anyone, just like her father. With those two around, your sister is lucky. You just give the 2,000 yuan for the house—Jianjun knows it was a loan, right? You won’t be in trouble. As for the rest, we’ll wait for your eldest brother’s salary to make up the difference. If there’s no other way, I’ll sell the gold I have left. I was saving it for my three grandsons, but we’ll see.”

Lin Liying sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back, and said slowly, “Mom, do you really think Eldest Sister is lucky? When Brother-in-law comes back, will they really stay close? I’m still worried. Dad says—who knows if it’s true—will Jiao Jiao really protect Eldest Sister? If Brother-in-law’s heart isn’t in it, will he still protect her? If he ignores her, I don’t think she could take it. Who knows if she’ll get through this?”

“Heh, don’t worry. If Zhou Jiao is smart, she’ll definitely protect your sister. Her father is still young—if he found another woman, Zhou Jiao would do everything to break them up, no hesitation. A mother is still a mother—who wants a stranger with their father? What if she has a child and takes her place?

And your brother-in-law, no matter how angry he gets, would never blame your sister. He’s a real man—he takes everything on himself, and if he blames anyone, it’ll be himself. He does keep his distance from us, though.

As for the Zhou family, this time the ties are truly cut. He never got along with them anyway. Now his precious daughter has cut off the ones dragging him down—he’s probably thrilled.

Your sister, just by being Jiao Jiao’s mother, and by waiting for him all these years, has nothing to worry about. Her stubbornness is her blessing. Luckily, she didn’t listen to me. If she’d remarried, Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhou Jiao wouldn’t have anything to do with us—worse than strangers. They’re proud people, and betrayal is betrayal—they can’t tolerate it.”

“Heh, that’s good. Whatever the reason, with a daughter to protect her, Eldest Sister can finally have some peace. Big Brother is back, and once this money is sorted out, our family really has nothing to worry about.

As for Second Brother, with Second Sister-in-law always supporting her family, even a mountain of gold wouldn’t be enough. I just don’t get why the Jiang family gives so much to their relatives—what’s the point? They can’t even live their own lives. Their sons and daughters-in-law don’t dare go home. There’s a limit to helping others, right? Mom, you have to stand firm this time! Otherwise, Second Sister-in-law will never stop asking for money. If Dad finds out, let’s see if he’ll put a stop to it. And does Second Brother know you used Brother-in-law’s money? Is that why he sent a package and a watch for Jiao Jiao?”

Old Mrs. Lin quickly sat up, face stern and anxious. “He doesn’t know! Your second sister-in-law always keeps it from him. If he found out, he’d be furious. Don’t you dare let it slip. From now on, I won’t listen to your second sister-in-law.

Your second brother even wrote to say your sister never visits her daughter, that the child is pitiful, and told your sister not to buy expensive things for his girls—if she has anything, send it to Zhou Jiao. He said he’s too far away, but wishes he could visit, otherwise he’d worry. In the end, I think he felt guilty for taking so much from your sister, so he secretly bought and sent things to Jiao Jiao—your second sister-in-law probably doesn’t even know.”

Lin Liying gave an awkward smile and apologized, “I’m the most idle one. If I’d known Zhou Jiao had it so hard at the Zhou’s, I’d have visited her long ago. Jianjun mentioned it a few times—he said rural families always favor boys, so it couldn’t have been easy for her. I saw Eldest Sister never went, so I just let it go. Now that Brother-in-law is back, I feel embarrassed to see him. He’s always been good to me, but I never really thought about it.”

Old Mrs. Lin nodded and sighed. “What’s done is done, there’s no going back. Just leave it at that. If anyone’s to blame, it’s this old woman. Shanshan did say she was worried and wanted to visit, but at first it was too chaotic, and I didn’t want her to go. After Liberation, I told her not to take time off if she was busy—it’d take half a month just to go there and back. Otherwise, I would have just brought the child back. Besides, I didn’t want your sister to go to the Zhou’s—who knows what could happen there.

Your father blames me—I know it. I never really felt anything for Zhou Jiao, since she didn’t grow up with us. Your father asked around, wrote letters, and was always told the child was fine. Her grandfather always said she didn’t want to return to Beijing, that she had siblings at home, and that she was the only child of the second branch. He said when she was older, she could come back to Beijing, since she had a house and household registration here. Your father and I agreed we couldn’t ignore the fact that she was the Zhou family’s granddaughter. With three girls at home, I really didn’t pay much attention to this granddaughter.”

Seeing her mother in low spirits, Lin Liying comforted her a bit, settled her to rest, and returned to her own room.

Lying in bed, Lin Liying kept replaying her mother’s words in her mind. She really hadn’t known her sister’s family was so well-off. No wonder her brother-in-law never minded how much her sister spent—he had the confidence to.

Thinking of her own in-laws, Lin Liying sighed. This year, her husband’s younger brother got into college, and Li Jianjun planned to bring his two sisters to Beijing. They’d made all the arrangements. After repaying the 2,000 yuan, money was tight. Now, with two more sisters-in-law coming, so many people squeezed into the little courtyard—what a headache. She wondered if Eldest Sister would agree to lend her the big courtyard. She used to have the nerve to ask, but now that she knew it wasn’t really Eldest Sister’s house, but the Zhou family’s, she didn’t dare be sure. In a way, it depended on Brother-in-law’s approval, but would he agree?

Lin Liying couldn’t understand how things had come to this. Ever since her family had ignored their daughter for 17 years, her sister’s in-laws meant nothing to her brother-in-law. And even if they paid back the money, it was only a small part. Her mother had no choice but to swallow her pride and play dumb. As for her brother-in-law, he had even less interest in dealing with their family. Their relationship was now less than that of ordinary friends—at best, they could keep up appearances in the future."