Chapter 728 - 724: The Large Sum of 500 Yuan

Gu Jiaojiao refused.

Seeing Gu Jiaojiao refuse, Jiang Baishu hastened to say,

"Sister-in-law, this is just a token of my gratitude. Please, accept it. It will make me feel a little better."

When Sweet Girl saw this, she took the money directly from her big brother’s hand and stuffed it into Gu Jiaojiao’s.

"Sister, if Big Brother is giving it to you, just take it. It’s his money anyway, we might as well spend it."

Jiang Baishu: "..."

Xiao Yang nodded along as well. "Sister, take it."

’This brother of ours has been gone for so many years without taking care of anything at home. This money is basically compensation for her. It would be foolish not to take it.’

Resigned, Gu Jiaojiao could only accept the money.

The onlooking villagers, their eyes fixed on the five hundred yuan in Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, went into an uproar.

"My god, five hundred yuan! If I’d known it was this much, I would’ve taken in Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang myself."

This wasn’t five yuan, or even fifty—it was five hundred yuan.

The highest monthly salary at the county steel factory was only thirty yuan. If you saved every penny, you’d only make a little over three hundred a year. For Jiang Baishu to hand out five hundred yuan just like that was an incredible display of generosity.

There were more than a few people in the crowd who were green with envy.

Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao’s life was already a source of envy. Now that they’d received five hundred yuan for nothing, people were practically seeing red with jealousy.

This was especially true for Lin Jiandong and Chen Shulan, who were absolutely sick with regret.

’If only we had known Jiang Baishu was still alive, and so generous! We wouldn’t have been so greedy for the house. We would have raised those two children properly, and that five hundred yuan would be ours now.’

’Five hundred yuan! With a little more, we could have built a two-room brick house.’

The more they thought about it, the more they regretted it—so much so that their insides twisted into knots.

Chen Shulan couldn’t stop herself from blaming Lin Jiandong. "If you hadn’t suggested selling Xiao Yang, Gu Jiaojiao would never have had anything to hold over us! If it weren’t for that, this five hundred yuan would be ours."

"When Sweet Girl was with us, we had someone to do chores, and our son and daughter could live in the big house. And now we would’ve gotten the money, too."

"We missed out on so many good things!"

Hearing this, Lin Jiandong couldn’t help but retort, "And wasn’t it you who said that since Xiao Yang is a boy, we’d have to find him a wife when he grew up? That it would cost too much, and we’d be better off selling him? Otherwise, why would I have ever had such an idea?"

Chen Shulan grew even angrier. "Are you the man of the house, or am I? A man is supposed to be the pillar of the family, the head of the household! I’m just a woman who doesn’t know any better, so why would you listen to me?"

That’s just how people are. It’s one thing to never have something in the first place, but to have it in your grasp and then give it up—that’s what truly leads to regret and drives you mad.

It was like winning five million on a lottery ticket, only to have thrown the ticket away like trash and given it to someone else, who then cashed it in.

It would be a miracle if you didn’t go crazy after missing out on five million.

This was exactly how Lin Jiandong and Chen Shulan were feeling right now.

Both of them were full of regret, and with tempers flaring, it only took a few sentences before they started to argue.

The villagers were originally just watching the spectacle, but the couple’s argument grew louder and louder until they finally started physically fighting.

The crowd: "..."

Those two really knew how to steal the show.

In an instant, all eyes fell on Lin Jiandong and Chen Shulan.

Even the people who had been jealous of Gu Jiaojiao a moment ago found their envy dissipating as they watched the two fight.

At least they had never even considered adopting Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang.

Lin Jiandong and Chen Shulan, however, were different. They had taken the children in, but they hadn’t cherished the opportunity.

Compared to the simple envy of the other villagers, the couple’s suffering was clearly far worse.

When the team leader saw that they had actually come to blows, he grabbed both of them and dragged them away.

’Those two,’ he thought, ’need a serious lesson in ideological education.’

Now that Jiang Baishu was back, he needed some time alone with Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. Gu Jiaojiao told Sweet Girl to take him to a room so they could talk, while she went to prepare lunch.

With Jiang Baishu’s sudden arrival, the workday had long since ended, yet Gu Jiaojiao still hadn’t started on lunch.