Free Web NovelChapter 37: Chapter 37: Secret Stash
On the way to town, Gu Nuan Nuan sat on the front crossbar of her uncle’s twenty-eight-inch bicycle, a happy smile on her face as she listened to her uncle and her mother, who was sitting on the rear rack, talking:
"Sis, have you really thought this through? Are you absolutely certain you’ve made up your mind to get a divorce? There’s no turning back once you start down this path. After all, the way we handle things will be very different depending on whether you go through with it or not." It wasn’t that Zhang Wei Qiang was against his little sister divorcing—in his eyes, a scumbag like Gu Lihui wasn’t worth holding on to. But he was still worried she might have lingering feelings for Gu Lihui and that this whole idea was just an impulsive decision.
"Brother, I’ve really made up my mind," Zhang Minzhen said. Sitting sidesaddle on the rear rack, her voice was firm and her face showed not a single trace of hesitation.
"That’s good. So, have you thought about what you’ll do next?"
"I haven’t figured out the specifics yet, but I’m thinking of setting up a stall to run a small business. Even though we’ll be living in Lihua Village and Nuannuan will have classmates to walk to and from school with, I’d still be worried. If I also set up a stall in town, we could travel back and forth together every day. It might be a little embarrassing to be a street vendor, but it shouldn’t be too hard to earn a little money. I’m not asking for much, anyway. As long as I make enough to cover my and Nuannuan’s expenses, plus her future tuition, that’ll be enough."
"Hmm... setting up a stall is a good idea. What’s so embarrassing about being self-reliant? You can’t live your life letting what other people think hold you back," Zhang Wei Qiang said, brushing off her concern. He continued without a second thought, "Just figure out what you want to do, and don’t worry about the start-up capital. I have some money from my discharge pay. I’ll get it for you."
"I don’t need it."
"I’m not giving it to you, I’m lending it. You’ll have to pay it back."
"Brother, really, there’s no need."
"Don’t worry, your sister-in-law won’t object. Besides, I’m not lending all of it to you. Her side of the family borrowed a portion a while back, and we don’t have an immediate need for the rest. I’m lending it to you, so don’t be in a rush to pay it back. We’ll talk about it when you’re turning a profit."
"Brother, I—" Zhang Minzhen hesitated, debating whether she should just tell him the truth.
She hesitated because she was worried he would disapprove. She had known since they were little that her brother was an upright and principled man who couldn’t tolerate even the slightest bit of deceit.
"Stop being so wishy-washy. I said I’ll lend it to you, so just take it graciously when I offer. And don’t be afraid of losing it. To be honest, your big brother has a little secret stash of his own. If you really do lose the money, worst case, I’ll cover the loss for you. I guarantee your sister-in-law will never know."
The moment Zhang Wei Qiang offered to lend his little sister money, he had already resigned himself to never getting it back. While a successful business could certainly be profitable, his sister was just one woman, all alone and not particularly strong. It wasn’t that he looked down on her; he just figured she’d be doing well enough if she could simply keep herself and her daughter fed.
’As long as my sister can keep herself and Nuannuan fed, that’s all that matters. For everything else, doesn’t she have me, her big brother? I wouldn’t be this generous with my two younger brothers. They’re both grown men. If they still can’t support their wives and children, they might as well just die of shame. But my sister is different. If her marriage had been happy, fine, I wouldn’t have to worry. But in a situation like this, what would she do if I didn’t lend a hand?’
"Brother, you have a secret stash?" Zhang Minzhen was floored. ’Since when did even my big brother learn to hide money from my sister-in-law?’
"Ahem... Just don’t mention this to your sister-in-law."
Zhang Wei Qiang laughed awkwardly. "Your sister-in-law is a genuinely good person, but you know that even though our parents have three sons, the other two can’t be relied on.
"I’m worried that if there’s an emergency in the future that requires money, those two won’t be willing to pitch in. And if I’m the only one footing the bill, your sister-in-law, as wonderful as she is, would inevitably feel it’s unfair.
"That’s why whenever I make a little extra money, I set a small part of it aside.
"I hadn’t touched that money in all these years. But then last year, Mr. Mu’s youngest son came to me to borrow money for an emergency. I saw the amount wasn’t huge and that my savings could cover it, so I just sent it to him without telling your sister-in-law.
"But then, less than a month later, he paid me back double. Naturally, I couldn’t accept the extra, and he didn’t push it at the time.
"But then, you won’t believe it, last month he suddenly mailed me a huge sum of money. He said it was the principal and dividends that the original loan had generated. He even got tough and said that if I didn’t take it, he’d act like he never had me as a brother."
"...Mr. Mu’s youngest son is quite a guy. What on earth does he do?" Zhang Minzhen asked, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"He’s in business. Heard he went down south with a group, even made a few trips to Russian territory. Now he’s loaded," Zhang Wei Qiang said casually. "I only found out later that he came to me back then because he was short on capital."
"You can make that much money doing business?" Zhang Minzhen asked enviously, feeling a stir of excitement.
"Since when is money that easy to make? He went with a team of grown men, and it was still dangerous. Don’t get any ideas. You, a woman, going all by yourself? You’d be eaten alive, with nothing left to show for it."
"Brother, I was just asking out of curiosity. I’m not planning on going."
"Good. ’Humans die in pursuit of wealth, just as birds die in pursuit of food.’ You’re an adult. Before you do anything or make any decisions, don’t just think about the potential rewards; consider the risks, too. Remember, you’re not alone in this. You have Nuannuan, Mom and Dad, and your brothers to think about."
"Mm... Brother, don’t worry, I won’t be impulsive. Brother... actually, I do have money." In the end, Zhang Minzhen decided to tell him the truth. She explained, from beginning to end, how she and her daughter had found Gu Lihui’s hidden stash of money.
She had expected her brother to give her a lecture, but to her surprise, Zhang Wei Qiang froze for a second before bursting into laughter. He reached out to pat Gu Nuan Nuan’s little head, praising, "Nicely done! Our Nuannuan is a real trooper. Too bad your mom’s too timid; she actually left some money behind for that bastard to get for free."
Er—
Zhang Minzhen stared at the sky, speechless. ’Looked down on again,’ she thought.
"Even though you have the money, it has to stay hidden for the time being. Don’t tell anyone else who doesn’t already know. For the sake of appearances, you’ll have to borrow the start-up capital for your business from me. Otherwise, the Gu family will get suspicious about where you got the money," Zhang Wei Qiang said, thinking on his feet.
"Okay." This time, Zhang Minzhen nodded obediently and didn’t refuse.
"And about that secret stash of mine... just pretend you never heard a thing. Don’t go telling on me to your sister-in-law, you hear?" Zhang Wei Qiang really did find having a private fund convenient, so he specifically warned his sister, afraid she wouldn’t get the hint and would rat him out.
"Brother, you’ve turned ’bad’ too." Between her brother and sister-in-law, Zhang Minzhen didn’t hesitate for a second to side with her brother. She nodded and teased him with a smile.
"Uncle, me too! I also promise I won’t secretly tell Auntie. Uh-huh, I won’t even tell Grandpa and Grandma! I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear a thing today," Gu Nuan Nuan chimed in, craning her little face upward to make her own bootlicking promise.
"Our Nuannuan is the best. Alright, Uncle believes you." Zhang Wei Qiang patted her little head and couldn’t help but chuckle.
