NIP Chapter 127 The ledger chills to the bone; scheming leads to the loss of family harmony.
Chapter 127 The ledger chills to the bone; scheming leads to the loss of family harmony.
As the early autumn morning mist began to drift over the gray bricks and tiles of the Hongxing Courtyard, the kerosene lamp in Yan Bugui's house in the front yard was lit. A hunched figure was projected onto the window paper, hunched over the eight-immortal table, fiddling with an abacus. The clattering sound was particularly jarring in the quiet alley, waking Lin Chen, who had just finished his night shift next door.
Lin Chen rubbed his temples and pushed open the window, only to see Yan Bugui holding a yellowed account book close to the lamp, his fingers repeatedly stroking the pages, muttering to himself: "Last month, Jie Kuang bought an eraser for two cents, Jie Di borrowed a needle and thread and hasn't paid it back, so the interest is half a cent..." He had just finished washing up when he heard Yan Jiecheng's suppressed arguing voice coming from the front yard, mixed with Yan Dama's sighs.
"Dad, just five yuan! I'll pay you back after I get a permanent position, even with interest, okay?" Yan Jiecheng's voice was pleading. He was wearing faded work clothes, clutching a crumpled application form for permanent employment, his knuckles white from the pressure. As a temporary worker at the street hardware factory, this was his third attempt to get a permanent position, and the five yuan deposit was the final hurdle.
Yan Bugui slammed the account book on the table, his reading glasses slipping down to the tip of his nose, his eyes full of shrewd calculation: "Five yuan? Do you know how much you can buy with five yuan? Twenty catties of cornmeal, or fifty eggs! Your mother spent eight mao on delivery fees when she gave birth to you, and received four mao from the neighbors for your full-month celebration. I remember all of that. You still owe your family three yuan and twenty-five cents."
Yan Jiecheng's face flushed instantly. He hadn't expected his father to bring up an old grievance from over a decade ago. Clutching the only two yuan and thirty cents in his pocket, his Adam's apple bobbed: "Didn't all the money I earned as an apprentice go to the family? My sisters' tuition, my brother's sneakers—I paid for everything!"
"That's your filial duty!" Yan Bugui pulled a yellowed piece of paper from the drawer, covered with densely written accounts: "In 1948, you stole half a cornbread, which is equivalent to one cent of interest today; in 1958, you borrowed a hoe from your neighbor and didn't return it, so I had to pay you five cents, and that debt should also be on your tab. Now I'm lending you five dollars, with a monthly interest of one percent, to be repaid in six months, totaling five dollars and thirty cents including principal. Write an IOU and put your fingerprint on it!"
Aunt Yan came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of thin porridge, her eyes red-rimmed. "Honey, Jiecheng is the eldest son, and getting a permanent position wasn't easy, so let's just let it go..." Before she could finish, Yan Bugui glared at her and snapped back, "What do you know? Raising a son to provide for you in old age requires careful calculation of costs! If you're soft-hearted now, what will happen to us if he doesn't care about us in the future?"
The commotion attracted many neighbors. Lin Chen stood at the entrance of the courtyard and saw Sha Zhu walk by with a bag of soy milk and fried dough sticks he had just bought, muttering, "Old Yan's abacus is more sophisticated than the machine tools in the steel mill." Qin Huairu, who was leading Jia Geng to the sewing stall, also stopped. Jia Geng clutched his mother's clothes and whispered, "Uncle Yan always asks us for money for erasers."
Yan Jiecheng looked at the pen and paper his father handed him, his fingers trembling slightly. He remembered his hands, frozen and festering from the winter when he was a child, and how his father gave him the only cotton gloves he had; he remembered his first time as an apprentice in the factory, and how his father stayed up all night mending his work clothes. But all that warmth had turned into cold numbers in front of the ledger before him. He gritted his teeth, signed his name on the IOU, and as he pressed his fingerprint, the stinging pain in his fingertips jolted him awake—this wasn't father and son, but more like a creditor and debtor.
"I'll pay you back as soon as possible." Yan Jiecheng took the five yuan, turned around and walked out. He bumped into Lin Chen just as he reached the gate of the courtyard. Lin Chen looked at his red eyes and handed him a steamed bun he had just bought: "Have something to eat first. If you need any help with the official job application, just let me know."
Yan Jiecheng took the steamed bun, took a bite, and almost burst into tears. He mumbled his thanks and quickly walked out of the alley. When Lin Chen turned around, he saw Yan Bugui carefully placing the IOU into his account book and under the mat on the kang (heated brick bed), muttering to himself, "Five yuan and thirty cents for six months. If he's a month late, I'll add five cents in interest..."
Around 10 a.m., Liu Guangtian and his brother returned carrying their newly made forging molds. As they passed the front yard, they overheard Yan Bugui scolding his second son, Yan Jiefang: "Yesterday I told you to collect scrap iron, and you only collected three jin (1.5 kg). Liu Guangfu next door collected five jin (2.5 kg)! No sweet potatoes for dinner tonight, reflect on your actions!" Liu Guangfu pouted: "Uncle Yan, scrap iron isn't so easy to collect. I went to three different scrap yards before I finally collected five jin (2.5 kg)."
Yan Bugui immediately put on a pitiful expression: "Guangfu, you don't know how difficult things are for my family. I have four children to support, and my salary is only twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents. Unlike you two brothers who are learning a trade from Lin Chen, you earn much more." Yi Zhonghai, who happened to be passing by, overheard this. He was holding a training course plan in his hand and frowned, saying, "Old Yan, the children have it tough too. Don't be too harsh on them."
"Uncle Yi, it's easy for you to talk when you're not in the same boat," Yan Bugui said, pulling out the account book. "Look, this month's living expenses are 15.3 yuan. Jie Di spent 0.8 yuan on textbooks, and Jie Kuang spent 0.2 yuan on pencils. If we don't keep a tight budget, the whole family will starve." Yi Zhonghai glanced at the account book, saw the words "Jie Cheng borrowed 5 yuan, monthly interest of 1%", shook his head, and walked away.
During lunch, Lin Chen told Su Qing about Yan Jiecheng's situation. Su Qing, who was calculating the training course's expenses, stopped writing upon hearing this: "Teacher Yan is going too far. He even charges interest on a small loan from his own son. My father used to say that home is a place for affection, not for settling accounts." She took out two yuan from her pocket. "Could you give this to Yan Jiecheng for me? Just say it's a loan from him, and there's no interest required."
Just as Lin Chen was about to leave, he saw Yan Jiedi return with her schoolbag on her back, her eyes red. She hesitated for a moment when she saw Lin Chen, then whispered, "Brother Lin, my dad told me to ask my brother for the money he owes for the eraser, saying he owes him three cents in interest." Lin Chen's heart sank. He took out a piece of candy and handed it to her, saying, "Don't listen to your dad. Your brother has had a hard life."
In the afternoon, Yan Jiecheng returned with his application for permanent employment. As he passed the sewing stall, Qin Huairu called out to him, "Jiecheng, your mother asked me to bring you a mended work uniform. It's getting cold, don't catch a chill." As she handed him the uniform, she secretly slipped 50 cents into it. "Take this and buy some food. Getting permanent employment isn't easy, so work hard."
Yan Jiecheng held his work clothes and found the 50 cents inside; his eyes welled up with tears again. As he walked to the gate of the courtyard, he saw Yan Bugui boasting to his neighbor, "My Jiecheng got a permanent position. He'll be a full-time employee from now on, earning more than 30 yuan a month. He'll pay back the 5.3 yuan he owes me soon." Hearing this, Yan Jiecheng paused, didn't enter the courtyard, and turned to walk towards the hardware factory.
As evening fell, Aunt Yan found Lin Chen, looking flustered: "Lin, have you seen Jie Cheng? He didn't come back this afternoon, nor did he go to work." Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately called Liu Guangtian and his brother to go look for him. They went to the hardware factory first, where the factory manager said that Yan Jie Cheng had come in the afternoon to pay his deposit for becoming a permanent employee, and then asked for leave.
The group went to several places Yan Jiecheng frequented, finally finding him at a scrap yard on the outskirts of the city. Yan Jiecheng was helping Old Wang sort through scrap metal, his forehead covered in sweat. Seeing Lin Chen and the others, he stopped what he was doing, somewhat embarrassed: "I want to earn more money so I can pay back my father's money as soon as possible."
Looking at Yan Jiecheng's greasy hands, Lin Chen felt a mix of emotions. "Jiecheng, come back with me. Your mother is frantic with worry. Don't worry about the money, I'll talk to your father, we'll waive the interest." Yan Jiecheng shook his head. "Brother Lin, I'm not going back. I've applied for a dormitory with the factory manager, I'll live in the factory from now on."
He took out five yuan from his pocket and handed it to Lin Chen: "This is money I borrowed from my coworker. Please help me pay it back to my dad. Tell him I'll pay the interest next month when I get my salary." He paused, his voice a little hoarse, "I used to think that when I made money, I would take good care of them. But now I realize that in his eyes, I'm not even as valuable as the numbers on the ledger."
Lin Chen held the money, unsure what to say. Liu Guangtian patted Yan Jiecheng on the shoulder: "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell us. If you want to learn forging skills, come to the training class anytime." Yan Jiecheng nodded, turned around, and continued sorting through the scrap metal. The setting sun cast a long shadow over him.
When they returned to the courtyard, Yan Bugui was cursing in the yard: "That unfilial son, he borrowed money and ran away, is he trying to renege on the debt?" Lin Chen handed him five yuan: "Jiecheng isn't the type to renege on debts. He went to stay at the factory, trying to earn more money to pay you back sooner. Don't worry about the interest, after all, he's your own son."
"That won't do!" Yan Bugui immediately stuffed the money into his pocket. "We agreed on a monthly interest rate of one percent, how can we not pay it? If he dares to renege on the debt, I'll go to the factory and find his boss!" Yan Jiedi, who had just returned, overheard this. She ran into the house and took out a ten-cent coin she had saved: "Dad, I have some money here. Can I use it to pay off the interest for my brother? Please don't go to the factory to talk to him."
Yan Bugui snatched the one-cent coin and put it in his purse: "Jie Di is so sensible. But this one cent isn't enough; we still need four cents for interest." Looking at her daughter's red eyes, Aunt Yan finally couldn't hold back and started arguing with Yan Bugui: "Are you ever going to stop? Jie Cheng is your own son, not your creditor! If you keep scheming like this, you'll drive the children away!"
This was the first time Aunt Yan had argued with Yan Bugui, and all the neighbors in the courtyard gathered around. Yi Zhonghai frowned and said, "Old Yan, you've really gone too far. Jie Cheng just got a permanent position, and he needs support right now. If you pressure him like this, who will take care of you in your old age?" Sha Zhu crossed his arms and said, "That's right. I used to have a bad relationship with my dad because he was always scheming against me. Now it's too late for me to regret it. Don't follow in my footsteps."
Yan Bugui blushed with embarrassment, but still stubbornly insisted, "I did this for the children's own good, to let them know that earning money is not easy." Lin Chen took out the account book he had borrowed from Old Wang at the scrap yard and showed it to everyone: "Old Wang told me that Jie Cheng helped him sort through scrap metal this afternoon without asking for a single penny, just to collect more scrap metal to sell for money. It's not that he doesn't want to pay it back, it's that he doesn't want you to lose face in front of the neighbors."
Yan Bugui's hands trembled slightly as he looked at the entry in the ledger: "Yan Jiecheng helped out, collected five jin of scrap iron." Yan Jiedi cried, "Dad, every time my brother gets his salary, he buys me candy and my younger brother notebooks. He's never mistreated us. Why can't you treat him better?"
Just then, Yan Jiecheng suddenly returned. He carried a cloth bag in his hand, walked into the yard, and handed the bag to Yan Bugui: "This contains three yuan that I've saved, plus the five yuan I just returned, making a total of eight yuan. The extra two yuan and seventy cents is for you and my mother to buy nutritional supplements. We're even now."
He paused, looking at Yan Bugui: "From childhood to adulthood, I remember all the good things you've done for me. You taught me arithmetic, mended my work clothes, I remember it all. But I remember even more how you charged me interest when I stole half a cornbread, and how you demanded 1% monthly interest when I borrowed five yuan. Dad, family isn't an account book, and kinship isn't just numbers."
Yan Bugui opened the cloth bag, looked at the neatly arranged change inside, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word. Yan Jiecheng turned around and bowed to Aunt Yan: "Mom, I live at the factory, I'll come to see you on the weekend." He then said to his younger siblings: "If you have any difficulties in the future, come to your brother." After saying that, he walked out of the courtyard without looking back.
Aunt Yan chased after him to the door, watching his retreating figure, and cried, "Jiecheng, I made you cotton shoes, I'll bring them to you next week." Yan Bugui stood in the yard, clutching the eight yuan in his hand, and suddenly remembered how Yan Jiecheng used to give him the candy he couldn't bear to eat when he was little. He touched the account book under the kang mat, and for the first time felt that those densely packed numbers were like needles pricking his hand.
That evening, Lin Chen and Su Qing were organizing the registration information for the training course, with the Liu brothers helping them. Liu Guangfu sighed, "I really didn't expect Uncle Yan to treat Jie Cheng like this. If my dad treated me like this, I definitely wouldn't be able to stand it either." Liu Guangtian patted him on the shoulder, "Luckily, we're with Brother Lin, and we know that home is a place where feelings matter."
Su Qing looked out the window; the kerosene lamp in the front yard was still lit, and she could faintly hear Yan Bugui's sigh. She said softly, "Money is important, but family is more precious. If you even scheme against your family, no matter how much money you earn, it's useless." Lin Chen nodded, recalling Yan Jiecheng's figure from earlier that day, and secretly resolved to take better care of the Yan family's children in the future, so they wouldn't suffer such injustice again.
As night deepened, the courtyard gradually quieted down. Yan Bugui sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), flipping through the account book. When he saw the words "Jiecheng borrowed five yuan, monthly interest of one percent," he suddenly picked up a pen and drew an X on the back. He put the account book in the drawer, then took out the little shoes that Yan Jiecheng had worn as a child from the cabinet. He looked at them for a long time, and his eyes slowly welled up with tears.
The next morning, Lin Chen found a pair of newly made cotton shoes at the courtyard gate, embroidered with simple patterns. Aunt Yan, her eyes red, walked over and said, "These are for Jie Cheng. Could you please take them to him for me? Tell him his father knows he was wrong and will never scheme against him again." Lin Chen took the shoes and nodded. He knew that although Yan Bugui didn't say it, he already regretted it.
When Lin Chen handed the cotton shoes to Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiecheng looked at the familiar patterns on the shoes and tears finally streamed down his face. He stroked the shoes, choking back sobs, and said, "My mother's craftsmanship is still so good." Lin Chen patted his shoulder: "Go back and visit him. Your father misses you a lot too."
That weekend, Yan Jiecheng finally returned to the courtyard house. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Yan Bugui standing at the door, holding a newly made abacus in his hand. He said somewhat hesitantly, "Jiecheng, this abacus is for you. It will be useful for bookkeeping at the factory. I was wrong before, but I will never scheme against you again."
Yan Jiecheng took the abacus, and looking at his father's gray hair, the estrangement in his heart slowly dissipated. He nodded: "Dad, let's live a good life from now on." Aunt Yan came out carrying a bowl of freshly cooked braised pork, smiling and saying, "Come in and eat, it's all your favorites."
Lin Chen stood in the middle courtyard, watching his family reunite in the front yard, and smiled. Su Qing walked to his side and said softly, "You see, family can still resolve everything." Lin Chen nodded.