Chapter 455: Chapter 442 Spoke Incorrectly

Is Zhang Xiangrong asking him for money?

As much as twenty-eight taels!

Where would he get that much money!

He couldn’t even pull out twenty-eight coins right now, let alone twenty-eight taels of silver.

Besides, if he really needed twenty-eight taels of silver, would he need to resort to such a method and lose face by doing something like this?

Is this Zhang Xiangrong trying to take this opportunity to bite him once?

No way, absolutely no way he was giving Zhang Xiangrong a single coin, nor was he going to provide him with any kind of leverage to blackmail him!

“Big Brother, why so much money?” Mrs. Guo spoke up before Zhang Xiangrui could even respond, “Where would we find that kind of money, aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for us?”

“That’s right, Brother, not to mention twenty-eight taels, I don’t even have a single tael on me right now.” Zhang Xiangrui followed, “Knowing full well my family isn’t well off, yet you still insist on asking us for so much money, what’s the reason?”

“Now, hold on a minute…”

Zhang Xiangrong raised an eyebrow, “Wasn’t it you who insisted that, regardless of the family’s financial status, one should show respect to his mother by doing his filial duty? But now there are all these medical expenses put forward by Mother that you don’t want to cover. So, are you trying to dutifully care for Mother or not?”

He said the wrong thing!

Zhang Xiangrui reacted promptly and hurriedly defended himself, “Of course I want to effectively fulfill my filial duties. But Big Brother, you know my family is just so poor that we can’t afford it. It’s not that I don’t want to give it.”

“Truth be told, Big Brother, we haven’t had meat all month, we’ve really been struggling…”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Mrs. Cao frowned, “If you’re living like this, how do you plan to take care of Mother and show your filial piety? If Mother ends up living with you, how would you afford her monthly medical bills?”

“Don’t tell me, are you scheming to take care of Mother first, regardless of whether or not you have the money or resources? And then, when the time comes that you need money or food, you’ll reach out to ask us for help?”

When Mrs. Cao finished speaking, the onlookers widened their eyes. After a moment of silence, they couldn’t help but start discussing.

“Yeah, they’re so poor but they still insist on keeping up appearances, wanting to take their mother home from their well-off big brother. I reckon they’re not trying to fulfill their filial duties but to take advantage of them when the time comes.”

“Exactly, the only explanation is that they conceived this idea in the first place. They claim to fulfill their duties, but won’t pay for the medicine. They’re not generous because their household is not doing well, but they still want to gain reputation. These people are truly despicable.”

“Perhaps it’s more than that. They may even take the chance to tarnish their brother’s reputation, threatening them by causing disturbances. This couple both work for Manager Zhuang; they definitely wouldn’t want their business affected by this. Maybe they’ll just have to comply.”

“Even though they are biological brothers, he’s calculating to this extent. It’s a disgrace…”

The audience around them buzzed with discussions, unanimously concluding Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo as wicked people.

At this point, Zhang Xiangrui finally understood.

There was no such thing as dozens of taels of medicine fees, nor was Mrs. Liu continuously consuming medicine now. It was plainly a trap dug by Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao.

Moreover, it was a trap that left them no advantage either way, whether they attacked or retreated.

This Zhang Xiangrong was truly detestable!

Zhang Xiangrui was quite angry, pointing at Zhang Xiangrong’s nose and angrily rebuking him, “Is this how you act as a big brother, setting traps to ensnare your own younger brother?”

“You’re intentionally going around in circles, trying to prevent us from fulfilling our filial duties to our mother!”

“That’s exactly right. As soon as you open your mouth, you demand dozens of taels of silver. Any good intentions we had are quickly scared away by you.” Mrs. Guo chimed in from the side.

“So, what you’re saying is, if the amount was smaller, you could demonstrate some filial piety?” Zhang Xiangrong tapped his nose, “Well then, let’s do it like this; Ten taels, ten taels will do.”

“Not a single coin!” Mrs. Guo was pissed off by Zhang Xiangrong to the point of choking on her words and immediately retorted.

She thought that he could squeeze money out of them by using such methods. He should think about it in his next life!

As soon as her words fell, laughter broke out all around them.

“Not willing to spend even a single coin yet still claiming to be filial, this filial piety of yours doesn’t seem to hold much value.”

“You’re right, I’ve never seen someone with such thick skin. Despite all this, still claiming to be filial, who knows what harsh treatment they’ll subject their elderly mother to.”

“Such people shouldn’t be seen as good people, just putting on a poor show.”

“All right, all right. You two have caused enough commotion and have wasted much of our time. Get out of the way quickly, don’t hold up our meal.”

“Yes, shop assistant, bring a bowl of hot and sour soup, and add two Guokui!”

“I need to buy tofu quickly to prepare meals. I’ve been preoccupied with the commotion just now. Please weigh two catties of tofu and one catty of bean sprouts for me.”

“I’ll take a catty of century eggs…”

For a moment, everyone crossed over Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo and directly went into the shop.

Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao, seeing the current situation, didn’t bother with Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo anymore, but went back to the shop and started working again.

The tofu shop and the hot and sour soup stall returned to their usual bustle, with Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo standing there as if they didn’t exist; they were merely seen as air by the people passing by.

“This is just bullying us!” After going through all this trouble, they gained nothing but white eye rolls and curses. Mrs. Guo wiped away her tears time and time again.

“Crying, all you know is crying, what use is your crying?” Zhang Xiangrui was already frustrated that their original plan had not been carried out, and Mrs. Guo’s constant crying only increased his annoyance. He glared at Mrs. Guo harshly.

This startled Mrs. Guo to stop crying immediately. Even though she was still crying, she didn’t dare to cry out loud, nor did she dare to choke back her tears. She choked back her sobs until her throat hurt.

“But, Husband, we’ve been pushed so far, we can’t just leave like this. Could it be…” Mrs. Guo said maliciously, “Why don’t we lash out and run into the shop to smash it? That should wipe that smug look off their faces!”

“This matter…” Zhang Xiangrui stroked his chin.

It’s a bit crude.

However, it might be a solution.

If they go in and cause a ruckus, it would surely help to vent their anger, and they would feel a lot better.

As for what happens after Zhang Xiangrong’s shop is smashed, if he wanted compensation, he would just have to shrug his shoulders and say he had no money.

Anyway, they have no money now. It’s not lying, and he can’t do anything to them.

As for whether Zhang Xiangrong would bring him to court, Zhang Xiangrui didn’t think he needed to be afraid.