After all, usury and being extorted by Zhang Fuqiang are completely different things.

If even Zhang Fuqiang could scare this family into borrowing money from loan sharks, then the real loan sharks' practices are something the Leng family can't afford, and they would absolutely not dare to default on their debts.

In other words, when the day comes for repaying the usurious loan, and the Leng family still hasn't obtained the money, they will definitely be driven to the brink of despair.

"What if the Leng family goes to the military base to cause trouble before this happens, affecting Shadow? Wouldn't all your efforts be meaningless then?" Qiao Xinruo worriedly asked, as it wasn't impossible for the other party to resort to desperate measures.

Besides, the Leng family isn't stupid. They haven't received the money or even seen it, so how could they possibly wait patiently until the day before the loan shark's loan is due?

This is also the only variable in Qiao Gaoyang's plan—the uncontrollability of the Leng family.

Therefore, what Qiao Gaoyang needs to do is minimize this uncontrollability, at least to keep the Leng family in check and prevent them from going to the army to fight to the death before the high-interest loan is due.

"Second brother, how can you guarantee it? There are less than two weeks left until those loan sharks apologize. I reckon they're starting to panic..."

“Of course, I’ll personally make empty promises to them,” Qiao Gaoyang said, raising an eyebrow.

All the siblings turned to look at Qiao Gaoyang.

A pie in the sky?

The following day, Qiao Gaoyang visited the Leng family again with some gifts.

"Uncle, Aunt, I've come to see you!" Qiao Gaoyang's tone was somewhat ingratiating. He didn't skimp on the formalities, bringing all the necessary gifts and even buying a few bottles of good wine to "offer" to Leng Qisheng. "Uncle, Yaozu told me you like this wine, so I brought a few bottles for you to enjoy!"

Leng Qisheng's eyes lit up as he looked at the wine. He had been craving it for a long time, but it was too expensive for him to afford. He had only been able to splurge a few times back when Zhou Jinglan acted as his blood donor.

"Xiao Qiao, you said you'd come, so why did you bring things?" Xu Fangfang greeted him with a smile, her eyes darting around behind him as she asked, puzzled, "Where's Yingzi? Why didn't she come back with you?"

These two aren't stupid. If they want to control Qiao Gaoyang, the key is to control Leng Yingying.

If Leng Yingying doesn't listen to them, then it will be impossible for them to continue to benefit from Qiao Gaoyang.

“Shadow is busy! You all know that she’s getting promoted to battalion commander, so there’s bound to be a ton of work going on in the unit!” Qiao Gaoyang said. He didn’t reveal that Leng Yingying had already been promoted. To be precise, he didn’t want the Leng family to know too much about Leng Yingying’s true situation. “If Shadow hadn’t given her permission, I wouldn’t have dared to come here with these things, wouldn’t you say?”

Leng Qisheng and Xu Fangfang naturally wouldn't dwell on this topic.

"Xiao Qiao, about the money?" Xu Fangfang asked.

She was extremely anxious, because the loan shark's loan was due in less than half a month, at which time they would have to pay back 250 yuan, which they had none of now. Moreover, she had already received an advance on a month's salary, which meant she would not receive any salary this month.

Therefore, getting money out of Qiao Gaoyang's or Leng Yingying's pockets right now has become extremely important, as it concerns whether they can survive.

"Auntie, you're talking about Yaozu's bride price, right? Don't worry, I'll pay for it. You don't even need to bother Yingzi! I'll pay!"

Qiao Gaoyang was very generous and assured people with a pat on his chest.

"When can you give it to us?" Xu Fangfang pressed, then, afraid of being too direct, added, "Xiao Qiao, it's not that your aunt is rushing you, it's just that Yaozu is getting on in years, and we're thinking that since we're going to marry Yaoyao anyway, the sooner the better!"

"Also, Xiao Qiao, didn't you say you'd rent a place for us? Have you looked at any houses yet? If you're not free, we can look at some ourselves when we have time. You can come and pay the rent then!" Leng Qisheng said.

“Yes, yes!” Xu Fangfang continued, “Auntie thinks it would be best if we could live in a new house when Yaozu and Yaoyao get married. Also, there are so many things to prepare for a wedding, so Yingzi should at least give us our living expenses for this month first…”

"Xiao Qiao, since you came here specifically to see us today, you must have brought money, right?" Leng Qisheng asked, tilting his head back to down a glass of wine, his eyes gleaming with greed, as if his eyeballs were about to jump into Qiao Gaoyang's pocket.

"That was the original plan, but... something unexpected happened." Qiao Gaoyang appropriately showed a slightly embarrassed expression.

"What happened?" Leng Qisheng and Xu Fangfang immediately became nervous.

"It's like this, I recently invested in a business and bought some materials from the south. All my money is tied up in the materials, so I don't have any cash on hand right now. I might have to trouble you and my aunt to wait a little longer," Qiao Gaoyang said apologetically.

"What?!" Xu Fangfang immediately raised her voice.

They can afford to wait, but the loan sharks can't. They have less than two weeks left before they have to pay back the money!

"Well," realizing she had gotten a little too excited, Xu Fangfang quickly composed herself and pretended to be concerned, "Xiao Qiao, how long will it take you to make ends meet? If you can't come up with 1,500 yuan, we can give you 500 yuan first!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Gaoyang knew that his investigation was correct. It seemed that the deadline for usurious loans was indeed a pressure for them.

"Auntie, I'm so sorry, I can't come up with five hundred right now," Qiao Gaoyang said, appearing timid and hesitant.

Leng Qisheng, however, refused to accept this and stood up abruptly, his face full of displeasure.

“Can’t even come up with five hundred? That won’t do. If you can’t come up with it, we’ll have to ask Shadow for the money. No matter how busy she is in the army, she still has time to give us the money!” Leng Qisheng said.

Xu Fangfang nodded; she thought so too.

The bride price can be negotiated and postponed, but the loan from usurers cannot be postponed.

“Yes, honey, let’s go find the shadow!” Xu Fangfang got up, intending to go find the person right now.

After all, they would feel more at ease if they received the money sooner.

Qiao Gaoyang stopped them at that moment.

“Uncle and Aunt, it’s no use looking for her; she can’t come up with five hundred yuan right now,” Qiao Gaoyang said.

“How could that be? My daughter is about to be promoted to battalion commander. There’s no way she can’t come up with a mere five hundred yuan!” Leng Qisheng said confidently.

Zhou Jinglan used to be a battalion commander, and they knew exactly how much income a battalion commander earned.

Besides, there aren't many places to spend money in the military, so saving five hundred yuan is not difficult at all.

If Zhou Jinglan can do it, then Leng Yingying can do it too.

“If it were the old Shadow, she could definitely produce it, but now… I’m afraid not.”