Chapter 257: Sun Junyan is Unlucky
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe pointed at the two villagers already seated at the table, “Just sit anywhere, if they arrive late, they can sit wherever there’s room.”
Upon hearing Qiao Qinghe’s words, Qiao Changshun turned his head to gaze at the scene in the courtyard and nodded, “Alright.”
Although Tong Family’s courtyard covered two homesteads, there were several thousand people in Anping Village.
At this moment, not only was the courtyard filled with tables, but tables were also set up on the street, occupying the whole street.
Even so, not all people could be seated. According to past custom, there would be two turns. Only after the first batch of people had finished eating could the latecomers take their seats.
Qiao Xiaomai was busy in the kitchen. She overheard the conversation between Qiao Changshun and Qiao Qinghe, which caused her to furrow her eyebrows.
The tone of Qiao Qinghe indicated that there might be some hidden agendas.
Qiao Changshun was naive and easy-going and didn’t notice, but she did.
What trouble are Qiao Changfu and Zhu Cuiying stirring up now?
Indeed, they were stirring trouble, but it was trouble involving Sun Junyan.
Last time when Tong Tiehu went to the Academy to file a complaint about Sun Junyan, the Academy Director straightforwardly revoked Sun Junyan’s school registration and expelled him from Bailu Academy.
This blew up the Qiao Family.
The large Qiao family had been financially supporting Sun Junyan for ten years like clockwork, only to find that Sun Junyan was now expelled from the Academy, effectively ending his future prospects.
Everyone’s hopes for him were now shattered.
After the heartbreak, the families of Qiao Changfu, Qiao Chang’an, and Qiao Changkang promptly cut their losses: the fifty coins they used to provide for Sun Junyan’s school tuition each month were now held back.
Not only that, they demanded that Sun Junyan return the copper coins they had given him over this ten-year period.
The initial agreement they had when the family divided was to give Sun Junyan fifty coins each month as a loan, which he was supposed to return in full someday.
Now, Sun Junyan’s prospects were completely dashed, but they all had sons.
If Sun Junyan could no longer continue his studies, their sons could take his place.
Therefore, the copper coins they spent over the past ten years needed to be refunded.
With this intention, the three brothers stirred up trouble in the old courtyard.
At that time, Sun Junyan was still nursing his injuries. The medicinal soups he drank every day were still bought with money from Qiao Qinghe, and he couldn’t repay a single copper coin.
He couldn’t pay back, but it didn’t matter, Sun Junyan was not a pauper. He had lands, thirty acres.
In addition, he had taken over fifteen acres from Qiao Changshun’s family, making a total of forty-five acres.
All these lands were planted with wheat. Now, since Sun Junyan couldn’t repay with copper coins, he could use his wheat as compensation.
At the wheat harvest season, the three brothers, Qiao Changfu, Qiao Chang’an, and Qiao Changkang, seized all of Sun Junyan’s wheat as their own.
This action almost made Qiao Qinghe sick with rage.
However, he couldn’t fall ill.
He still had his own thirty acres of wheat field to tend, and he still had to take care of Sun Junyan, his wife, and his daughter, Qiao Meipan.
Even though they all lived in the same courtyard, ever since Tong Tiehu threatened to drive Sun Junyan’s family out of the village, Qiao Changfu and Zhu Cuiying had become indifferent to him.
Except for the straightforward Qiao Dazhu, he had no one else in that household to help him.
Therefore, he could not afford to be sick.
Struggling to hold on, he finally pulled through, although life at home was much worse than before.
To afford the medicine for Sun Junyan, Meipan, and his wife, his savings from these years were all gone.
Thinking of his current situation at home, Qiao Qinghe sighed inwardly.
It was his fault. A parent’s failure to educate their kids inevitably led to their wayward behaviors. It served him right to suffer now.
Just as Qiao Qinghe managed to maintain his smile, Qiao Xiaomai finally finished preparing the meal for Yang Ye in the kitchen.
At this time, everyone from the first round was seated. She placed the meal she had prepared for Yang Ye in warm water, rolled out the dough for the longevity noodles, then went under the shelter to prepare the stir-fry dishes.
The birthday banquet was about to start..