Chen Xingling shook his head: "One side of the water and soil raises the other side of the people, and each place has its own cultural background. This type of stuff is not something that anyone can manage. ”

"Do they specialize in loan sharking?" Gu Yi frowned and asked, "Could it be that there are any thugs in the gang?" Mom is really going to be okay, right? ”

Chen Xingling explained: "They are not all gangsters and gangsters in the old society as you imagine. Most of them are small collective organizations that resemble workers spontaneously twisting into a ball. When the wharf came to work, the owner of the cargo directly looked for the little head, and the little head was their boss, and he could immediately bring a group of little brothers to work. The little head will take a cut, and it will also ensure that the little brothers often have work to do, so that they will not be bullied by people from other gangs. ”

"Uh-oh." Gu Yi nodded: "That means - the kind of person who goes to find a job alone will most likely be bullied or driven away?" ”

"Hmm." Chen Xingling whispered: "They are also to ensure their own interests, and they don't want everyone to compete viciously with each other at low prices." There are many people who want to make money, but there is not necessarily a lot of work, and it is easy to compete for price reduction and affect their own interests. That's why this kind of organization comes into being. ”

Gu Qi couldn't help but ask: "There are also some illegal things, such as gambling and usury?" ”

"Yes." Chen Xingling replied: "But less." In fact, usury is very common here, and Yucheng is a coastal city along the river, and there is a lot of trade on the sea and river, so some private lending organizations have always existed. For example, if a merchant ship wants to buy goods and go to sea, the funds may not be enough for the time being, so they will borrow some money to buy goods and go out, and wait for the money to come back and pay it back. There are also some small gangs that will pool money to do this, and those who can borrow real estate as collateral will have a lower interest rate. If you don't have a property, you will have less money to lend and the interest will be high. ”

After listening to this, Gu Qi began to analyze calmly.

"My mom has a strong northern accent, and she is a strange face, and she is old, so it stands to reason that she should not borrow her. Could it be that my mother has mortgaged the house on the first floor of Linjiang? ”

Chen Xingling shook his head: "No, everyone knows that the house belongs to the shipyard and is a collective property, and it can't be counted." Your mother probably has some personal treasures, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to borrow hundreds of dollars. ”

Gu Qi seemed to guess something all of a sudden, and his face darkened.

"As far as I know, Mom has some gold jewelry and silver dollars on her side."

Everyone stared in surprise and looked at Gu Qi one after another.

"Gold jewelry? Which ones? ”

"Silver dollars? No way? Do we still have that old stuff? ”

"Daddy, what's the silver dollar? Is money made of silver? Is it the currency of ancient times? Can it still be used now? ”

Gu Qi frowned and explained: "There are not many gold jewelry, it is left by our ancestors." Originally, there were a few sets of bits and pieces, but when my father died, the family was too difficult, and my mother secretly sold some of them, and there were only a few things left. ”

"Impossible." Gu Yi felt incredible, "According to my mother's temperament, how can she keep such a thing-let her lose it a long time ago!" ”

At this time, Gu Xuan, who had changed his clothes and dried his hair, came out from behind the screen and sat down slowly.

"When we came to Yucheng, my mother said that all valuables must be brought. At that time, Ah Miao said that there were no valuables at home, and her mother said that there were still some. Ah Miao asked her what it was, but she refused to say. ”

Gu Qi said lightly: "I saw it a few years ago, and there are more than a dozen silver dollars at home, and it seems to be eighteen. ”

He then explained to his son: "The silver dollar is minted in silver, and although it has no circulation function, it has a certain value. At present, a silver dollar on the market can be sold for about a dozen yuan. ”

Chen Xingling guessed: "Most of it was sold." It says that the loan is more than 400 and the interest is more than 200, and there is no mention of the mortgage of things. Maybe it's already mortgaged. ”

As an outsider, my mother-in-law did not have a reliable mortgage for her self-built house or things, and those people would not take the liberty of lending her money.

Most of the time she had taken out valuable things, making them think that this old man's family was probably an old lady from a wealthy family and could lend it to her.

Gu Yi was angry and uncomfortable, and exhaled: "I told her last time, you can't be too addicted to playing mahjong, and there is no stop all day long!" She also scolded me and told me to leave her alone! Look at! Something happened, right?! ”

Gu Qi thought for a moment and guessed: "The things around her, plus four hundred yuan, add up to almost one thousand." ”

Zhao Xiaoxing didn't dare to speak, and finally couldn't help but whisper: "We handed it in every month...... Have you gambled on your mother-in-law? ”

Chen Xingling smiled bitterly: "If she has money around her, why not borrow usury!" ”

"I didn't think she'd gamble — and that big." Gu Qi frowned: "When she comes back, don't let her mess around anymore in the future." We are responsible for buying rice and grain, and we only give her ten yuan to use by our side, and the salary can no longer be handed over to her. ”

Experience teaches. The money is all earned by her son and daughter, not by the wind, how can she be wasted!

The old mother has never been a reliable person, and the family was too poor before, so she had to restrain her bad habits.

In the past two years, the family's economy has improved, especially this year, her son and daughter-in-law have given her more and more money for the family, but there is less and less place to spend it, and she can't help it when she has spare money around her.

Before, they were careless, thinking that she was bored at home, so let her go out to chat with some aunts nearby and play mahjong to pass the time. Who knew that if you didn't pay attention, you would make such a big fuss!

Gu Yi snorted coldly: "I still owe a few hundred yuan now, I don't know how to pay it back!" Not to mention ten dollars, I don't even have to give her a dime! ”

A few days ago, Xiaoxing's mother's family sent a telegram again, saying that the winter grain storage was not enough, and hoped that they would send another ten yuan back.

The transportation in the mountains is inconvenient, in case of heavy snow blocking the mountains, the lack of grain storage is very likely to starve to death, so after receiving the telegram, Xiaoxing hurriedly ran to remit money.

His salary hasn't been paid yet, and Xiaoxing hasn't yet, and he only has a few dollars around him at present.

There were only five or six yuan, but the old mother owed more than six hundred—such a huge gap made him feel helpless and anxious!

At the same time, there is more anger!

The eldest brother is sixty a month, and they are thirty-five, which adds up to ninety-five yuan. They worked hard to make money, and the old mother didn't help her, and they didn't dare to complain about her old family, because supporting their parents was what children should do.

But she didn't help it, and even used their hard-earned money as gambling money in vain!

I owe more than six hundred at once! Where did he go to find so much money?

"Even if you sell me and Xiaoxing, maybe we won't be able to sell more than six hundred! Mom, how could she do that! People who have lived most of their lives, how can they still be so confused! It's really unlucky to have such an old mother on the stall! ”

"Shut up." Gu Qi said in a deep voice: "These things are you can choose?" Well? She is no longer the mother who gave birth to and raised us. Even if you get angry again, you can't say such a thing. ”

Gu Yi sneered: "Big brother, I'm sorry...... I was just too angry and too helpless. ”

"Deal with everything calmly." Chen Xingling glared at her husband and deliberately raised her voice: "Okay, don't talk about Ah Yi." When encountering such a thing, who can easily deal with it? Who can not be angry? Money is not blown by the wind, who can not feel distressed and angry after wasting so much money at once? ”

Gu Qi couldn't refute it, and he didn't dare to refute it, so he could only bury his head and continue to pick up rice.

Chen Xingling acted as a peacemaker and reassured: "It's okay, it's okay, your brother is as anxious and helpless as you." Don't be afraid, we are a family, and we will carry it together when we encounter something. As long as we work together, we will soon be able to overcome this hurdle. Fast! Marie eat! Let's find a way to get there. ”

"Yes, sister-in-law." Gu Yi whispered gratefully.

Zhao Xiaoxing's eyes were slightly red, and she nodded hurriedly.

Gu Xuan buried his head and nodded lightly.