Ji Huai and Yin Cai were talking outside. The people inside tried their best to listen, but they couldn't hear. They both looked bad.
Yin Cai seemed to have scolded Ji Huai. The landlady's mother snorted softly and said to the man in the store, "She must be here to get money. Look what kind of man you are marrying. Marrying blindfolded is better than marrying this!"
"Handsome, what's the use of looking good?"
…
Not to mention the past, even after Yin Cai got married and had children, there were still many unmarried young men who were interested in her, which was really a waste.
Outside.
Yin Cai was indeed scolding Ji Huai. His fists were clenched and his eyes were full of anger. He kept asking, "You haven't taken care of her either. Have you taken care of her?"
She was also angry with herself because she didn't notice anything unusual about her daughter. The dance institution asked her to go to class this week. For the activities at the end of the month, Ji Ziqing was the only one in the class who didn't attend and didn't even come back to tell her.
"It's useless to talk about it now." Ji Huai frowned, still very anxious.
"It must be to save money. As long as you pay for the activities, she won't come back to talk about it." Yin Cai looked at him and said word by word, "Because she knows that I have no money and her father will not give it to her." money."
Ji Huai felt guilty when she saw him, so he forced himself to say, "That's because I don't have money. If I have money, I will give it to you!"
Yin Cai said nothing and continued to look at him expressionlessly.
He didn't dare to look at her directly, and hesitantly said, "Yes! I said last time that I would give her half of the money for selling shrimps. Didn't I forget that?"
Yin Cai was speechless, "Just lie to her, and she won't believe a word you say!"
After she finished speaking, she didn't want to say any more, and turned around to leave. Ji Huai stopped her again, took out the money he had just taken out from his pocket, and counted five red banknotes to her, "I didn't have any money before, but during this time You just made some money, you use it to help her sign up, and she’s the only one in the class who didn’t go. That’s not good.”
Yin Cai took it over without any courtesy, and saw that he still had several cards in his hand, "You said you would give her half of the money from selling the shrimp, don't you remember now?"
Ji Huai looked at the several red banknotes in his hand and hesitated.
"Give it to me!" Maybe his guilty conscience fueled Yin Cai's arrogance. If he didn't let him get the money this time, there would be no chance next time, so her tone was much tougher.
"Here, give, give." Ji Huai stretched forward directly, "You have to tell her that I didn't lie to her!"
Yin Cai looked at him like this, turned around and left.
"Remember to tell her!" Looking at this posture, he was afraid that his daughter would misunderstand.
Yin Cai didn't reply to him and went back to the store.
The eyes of the boss's mother and several handymen fell on her again. The boss's mother asked, "He's here to get money again? Don't give it to him. Even a grown man can't support himself!"
"No, he asked me to sign up for Ziqing's dance audition, and I'm going to compete in the city." Yin Cai answered and put the money Ji Huai gave her in the bag under the counter.
The landlady's mother had just told the handymen that Yin Cai's husband had no future and that it would be better to divorce him and remarry casually. Now that it looked like it wasn't that bad, she didn't know what to say.
Yin Cai contacted the teacher, learned more about the situation, paid the fee, and registered her daughter.
evening.
Ji Huai was waiting for Ji Ziqing to finish school at the gate of the town's central primary school. Because Yin Cai was often too busy, he picked up and dropped off his daughter frequently.
Primary school students came out one after another, hugging each other or chatting and joking. Ji Ziqing silently carried her schoolbag and walked out alone.
In the crowd, Ji Huai saw her at a glance. She seemed to be in a low mood.
The little fat man Ji Jiadong and a few boys walked over and said something to Ji Ziqing. They laughed and her head lowered.
Ji Huai was about to step forward and ask questions when an electric car drove up next to him. Sister-in-law Ji smiled meaningfully, "Is it your turn to pick up the child today? Aren't you going to drink?"
Among the relatives of the Ji family, Ji Huai's family is the worst off. What's the use of Yin Cai being so beautiful? It's not like I married this useless man.
Comparisons between the sisters are inevitable, and they often say a few unpleasant words to ridicule Ji Huai or Yin Cai.
In her opinion, Ji Huai was not only poor and lazy, but also good-looking. They lived in a high-rise building, and the other party nodded and bowed to them, thinking that having relatives like them was more respectable.
How stupid.
"Where are you going to drink? Brother Wei wants to invite me?" Ji Huai asked.
Ji Tang's wife's husband is named Ji Wei, and the couple are notoriously stingy. They won't even treat outsiders to a cup of tea, let alone a drink.
Sister Ji's face changed slightly, "...No."
"If you don't have it, what can you say?" Ji Huai's attitude was not good, and he waved to Ji Ziqing again.
Ji Ziqing quickened her pace and climbed onto Ji Huai's small electric car.
Sister-in-law Ji took another chance and said, "It's time to replace your electric car. It's old enough."
Behind the scenes, they were saying that they had no money and wanted to get back where they were.
Unexpectedly, Ji Huai didn't give him any face, and dropped a sentence while reversing the car, "If you have time to care about other people's affairs, why not buy an electric car for your eldest aunt? Her car is older than mine, what will you do?" Can’t speak?”
Who in the village doesn't know that Ji Tang's sister-in-law has a fierce temper and is mean? Both husband and wife are the same: they are trying to plunder their parents and look down upon others.
Before the last word had finished, he drove away directly.
Ji Tang's sister-in-law turned pale for a moment and turned her temper on her son. She shouted at Ji Jiadong, "Come here quickly! What are you waiting for?! If you wait any longer, just walk back by yourself!"
Ji Jiadong felt aggrieved and ran over, his flesh trembling.
Ji Huai drove the car back and asked Ji Ziqing, "Did that fat guy bully you?"
"...No." Ji Ziqing responded softly.
"Why not? I saw it all. What was he saying when he left school? When I get the chance, I must teach him a lesson!" Ji Huai was very angry. When he said this, he gritted his teeth and wanted to catch Ji Jiadong. Take a beating.
Ji Ziqing originally wanted to deny it, but when she heard her father defending her like this, she didn't know what happened. She remembered what Ji Jiadong said that day and the isolation of her classmates these days, and buried her head deeply.
Along the way, she didn't speak again.
Ji Jiadong said that her father was lazy, their family was very poor, and her father was an alcoholic. Hearing these words, she felt mixed feelings in her heart.
Grandma often told her that it was her father who caused her mother's misery and that he was the sinner. If her mother had not married her father and had not given birth to her, she would not have had such a hard life.
When he returned, Ji Ziqing was silently boiling water. When Ji Huai saw Ji Jiadong walking past the door, he yelled, "Come here!"
She also looked up and saw her father asking Ji Jiadong with a gloomy face and a fierce look on his face, "Little fat man, are you bullying my Ziqing at school?"
Ji Jiadong had only a skin to spare, but he was timid. After being yelled at, he hunkered down on the spot with his neck hunched, his feet weak and he replied: "No, no..."
"You still say no?" Ji Huai walked over with a face and warned fiercely, "If you dare to bully my Ziqing again, I will skin you next time! Do you hear me?!"
Ji Ziqing saw Ji Jiadong's face turned pale and ran away shivering. The tip of his nose suddenly became sore and she felt that her father was not so annoying.
Ji Huai came back and warned her, "Next time if he dares to bully you, dad will teach him a lesson and beat him until his teeth are all over the floor."
"Dad is bragging again." Ji Ziqing looked away and silently added firewood to the small stove.
"Dad is not bragging. When dad goes to sea and makes money, he will buy a truck. Then he will build a house at home, send you to the market to study, and then buy a big house..."
Ji Ziqing listened to him quietly. Although she knew that her father's words were not very credible, she still yearned for that kind of life. If it were true, my mother wouldn't have to work so hard.
Looking at the burning firewood, an imperceptible smile appeared on his small face.
The next day, when she went to school again, Ji Jiadong didn't dare to tease her anymore and walked around when he saw her.
For the first time, Ji Ziqing felt that her father was really powerful.
It's the weekend again. After the family has had a good meal, they return to the house. Yin Cai and Ji Ziqing talk about going to dance class, but she doesn't want to go to the dance class anymore. She wants to go to sea with her father.
Ji Huai was counting the money he got from selling fish today. He raised his head and said, "Dad has to go to sea before dawn. I can't take you there. You go to class. Mom has signed up for you. Didn't you say you are going to compete in the city?"
Yin Cai also said quickly, "Yes, my mother met Doudou's mother that day, and Doudou also went there, so she told the teacher."
"I don't want to go." Ji Ziqing lowered her head and held her little finger.
"Let's go to the city and have fun. Dad and your mother will also go and have a look then." Ji Huai sorted out a stack of money and counted it again.
When she heard that her parents would also come to see it, Ji Ziqing raised her head again, "... If you can't win the prize, you still have to spend money."
In fact, she still wanted to go. Everyone was there, she could wear beautiful clothes, and she liked the dance.
"Dad is rich." Ji Huai took out a hundred yuan from a wad of money, "then go buy some food with your classmates and have fun."
Ji Ziqing: "I still have to pay for clothes and shoes."
"I gave that money to your mother, and I also gave half of the money from selling the shrimp. She saved it for you." Ji Huai said quickly, thinking that she thought a hundred yuan was too little, so he gave her a few more ten yuan sheets.
In the past few days, he went to sea before dawn. He spent more than ten hours at sea and earned nearly two thousand a day. I caught another wild grouper today and made more money than before, with stacks of banknotes.
Ji Ziqing knew about this and her mother told her. She looked at her father sitting next to her holding a wad of money, and then at her mother sleeping on the bed, and suddenly reached for the money in Ji Huai's hand.
Ji Huai had already counted it three times. He was unprepared when she took several red banknotes away. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Hey!"
"Dad said he would give money to mom, but he hasn't given it yet." Ji Ziqing has been a little bolder recently, because her father's money is easier to get. If she looks at him more often, the other party can give her dozens more yuan, and it's easy to send her to school. Will give her money.
Ji Huai quickly collected the rest of his money, and did not take the money from Ji Ziqing's hand. He pointed at her helplessly and scolded her with a smile, "Here, give it, just favor your mother!"
A smile appeared at the corner of Ji Ziqing's mouth, her little eyes were slightly crooked, she stood up and gave it to Yin Cai.
Yin Cai didn't hide the money, but put it under the bed. She thought Ji Huai would take it away the next day, but he didn't. He had already given it to her by default.
After succeeding for once, Ji Huai was not only not angry, but also a bit conniving. Ji Ziqing is no longer alienated from Ji Huai as before, she is becoming more and more courageous, and the relationship between father and daughter is gradually easing.
Ji Huai goes out early and comes back late. In addition to catching fish and shrimp, he also puts out crab pots and eel pots. He collects them when the time comes. There is usually a lot of seafood. He has become a lot darker, his beer belly has become much smaller, and his income is quite considerable.
Ji Ziqing often helps him organize cash, but she prefers Yin Cai. After sorting it out, she put away the 500 yuan in front of Ji Huai, and then ran over to give it to Yin Cai.
Yin Cai could feel Ji Huai's eyes widening. Sometimes there were hundreds, and sometimes there were hundreds. But he would never go up to grab it. At most, he would point at Ji Ziqing and say something harmless, "You still prefer your mother!"
Ji Ziqing ignored it and turned her head to do her homework.
Ji Huai: "..."
Yin Cai saw that he was jumping a little and wanted to laugh for no reason.
Next time, Ji Huai will still give Ji Ziqing a box of money to sort out. He seems to enjoy this sense of accomplishment.
Ji Huai didn't go out to drink for a long time, nor did he invite others to drink. He was always at home. He went to sea during the day and could still do some work when he returned home at night. If you don’t want to go to sea, go pick up Ji Ziqing.
There were more smiles on Ji Ziqing's face, and Yin Cai felt relaxed these days.
In a blink of an eye, the day came when Ji Ziqing was going to the city to participate in a dance competition. The competition was held in a key middle school in the city and served as a semi-performance.
Ji Huai did not go to sea that day, and Yin Cai also took a day off. The family of three was sending Ji Ziqing to the agency to put on makeup and clothes.
Halfway through, Ji Huai met two of his former friends. The other party kept telling Ji Huai to go drink, "Achang has caught a good deal. You should go there soon and buy more wine."
“It’s been a long time since we had a drink together, we must come!”
Upon hearing this, Ji Ziqing and Yin Cai's hearts tightened.
Especially Ji Ziqing, she grabbed the corner of Ji Huai's clothes and was a little panicked.
Dad was always like this, leaving her and mom behind and then going to drink.
The other party didn't wait for Ji Huai to reply, and dropped the sentence at the end, "If you don't come, you won't be brothers!"
Despite her age, Yin Cai knew that Ji Huai would benefit from such childish words. In the car, she didn't even dare to ask Ji Huai if he wanted to go, for fear of affecting her daughter's mood.
After sending Ji Ziqing upstairs, she said in a deep voice, "I told you to go watch Ziqing's performance today. She has been preparing for it for a long time. You must go!"
"I will definitely go." Ji Huai said without hesitation.
Seeing this, Yin Cai breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Ziqing also thought that her father was not coming, but she saw her father in the auditorium. He bought a shiny headband and held a light stick in his hand. He waved to her and showed a big smile.
As soon as she appeared on the stage, Yin Cai saw Ji Huai holding a mobile phone with a shattered screen and keeping recording, and kept mumbling, "It's a good dance, it's a great dance."
He posted several messages on WeChat Moments, and kept saying to Yin Cai, "You dance really well. Look, look, how good it is."
She looked at him like that, her heart was filled with soreness, and she glanced at him several times, "It's quite good."
"My daughter is up to you. She is good-looking and has good skin." Ji Huai posted on WeChat Moments again. This sentence seemed to be said unconsciously. Yin Cai's heart skipped a beat and he froze.
The surroundings were noisy, but she was trapped in her own world.
When they first met, he was sweet-tongued and kept praising her for her good looks. He looked like he was devoted to her and would never marry her unless she was his wife.
Ji Huai seemed to realize that something was wrong. When he looked sideways at her, his eyes evaded for a moment, but he was thick-skinned and even said with a smile, "After all these years, you are still so good-looking."
Yin Cai slowly retracted his thoughts and did not answer the question, or said he didn't know what to answer.
After the performance, Ji Ziqing was very happy. She wore a small skirt today, had her hair and makeup done, and looked like a little princess. She ran to her parents with a smile.
The family went to eat at KFC. This was the second time Ji Ziqing had eaten at KFC. The first time was when a relative from the Ji family came back and took several children with her. She was very happy, but she was quiet and had no sense of presence, so she didn't grab it at all. How much to eat.
Yin Cai couldn't bear to eat more, but Ji Huai was always extravagant and ordered more than 100 yuan in one go, and the family was full.
After returning home, Ji Ziqing had to wash her hair and remove her makeup. She had to boil water to wash it off, and it took until midnight.
Yin Cai originally didn't want to deal with this dilapidated house. She just wanted to wait until her daughter went to junior high school and stay away from the city. However, Ji Huai's recent behavior made her think that maybe it wasn't that bad, and she came up with the idea of building a bathroom. .
Before going to bed late that night, she said to Ji Huai, "Every household now has its own bathroom, but ours doesn't have one. I didn't even draw the money Ziqing gave me. If you spend another 18,000 yuan, I'll build the bathroom first. So as not to make people laugh.”
The bathroom is just in the corner, so you can go to the toilet and take a shower, and the lights are bright.
She had saved some money, and she could pay for it herself, but she was saving it for her daughter to go to school, and there was still a lot to be spent on it, so she had to force Ji Huai.
Ji Huai is now going to sea, and 18,000 yuan is not a big sum for him.
"Okay." He responded quickly, and she heard a grunt the next second. She thought he was talking in his sleep, but he came back the next day with a cart of red bricks and more than a dozen bags of cement.
Yin Cai even felt that her life was promising, and she was thinking about how to build it and who would be cheaper. Who knew that Ji Huai would need a loan to buy a car and called her to ask if she had money.
When she heard this, she almost fainted.