“They all live in the countryside, how would they know anything about finance? Anyway, you just keep insisting that you have no money, crying poor every day, and you still have to ask those four for the debt. Didn’t they owe your family money before? Although you don’t expect them to pay it back, you still have to collect the debt. Did you ask them to write IOUs?” Ye Qingqing was afraid that Tang Yuanyuan, this silly girl, would not let the four write IOUs because of her relatives’ face.

Without a loan agreement, those guys could easily renege on their debts.

"Yes, I have them all, but they're all at home. I didn't bring them with me."

Ye Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. "That's alright. As long as there's an IOU, that's fine. Just remember these two points: play the victim and ask for the debt back, don't argue with them, and don't say anything hurtful. Let Tiedan say the harsh words. Just don't interrupt. Also, try your best to win over your father-in-law. It seems that your father-in-law is reasonable and clear-headed than your mother-in-law."

More than ten years ago, when she visited Tie Dan's home, Tie Dan's mother warmly welcomed her. She was efficient in her speech and actions and seemed easy to get along with. Niu Dazhu was working odd jobs in town at the time and only came back for one night. He was taciturn and didn't talk to anyone. He seemed as simple-minded as Tie Dan. But now it seems that Tie Dan's mother was clever in a superficial way, while Niu Dazhu was the one with inner talent.

Tang Yuanyuan responded readily, feeling much more at ease. Sister-in-law Niu Da and Sister-in-law Niu Er were carrying a bowl of corn porridge and a fried dough stick in their other hand. It was Tie Dan's mother who had brought it over. They hadn't cooked for a long time, and their already poor cooking skills had become even more rusty. They had been busy all morning, but they had only managed to cook one pot of corn porridge.

"They've been talking for almost half an hour, how much must the phone bill be!" Sister-in-law Niu had been watching Tang Yuanyuan make the call, feeling envious and jealous.

When she moves to a villa in the city, she'll buy a pretty cell phone too, a bright red flip phone, small and exquisite, very unique. That's the kind of phone Ya Dan uses, I think it's called Motorola, the name sounds pretty fancy.

"Answering the phone is free, right?" Sister Niu Er slurped up a big mouthful of porridge, then took a bite of the fried dough. She was equally envious and jealous. She had never used a mobile phone, and had never even traveled far from home. The farthest she had ever been was the county town, and she had never even been to the city.

“You have to pay to answer the phone. Do you think this is our landline? You have to pay by the minute for both making and receiving calls on your cell phone. And this is roaming across provinces, so it’s even more expensive. This call will cost you tens of yuan.” Sister-in-law Niu looked at her sister-in-law with disdain. She was ignorant and didn’t even know this.

Sister-in-law Niu was speechless, but felt even more resentful. She was willing to spend tens of yuan to answer a phone call, but she was unwilling to give money to her own brother. The richer she was, the stingier she became.

Tang Yuanyuan's phone is almost out of battery. "I'm going back to my room to charge it. My phone is so hot I can't hold it anymore. I'll call you back later."

“Remember what I said, don’t argue with them. Let Tie Dan handle it. You just need to coax Tie Dan into submission in bed, and you’ll be able to win over this whole family.” Ye Qingqing couldn’t help but ramble on a bit.

Tang Yuanyuan, already a seasoned driver, remained unfazed and scolded, "Go and conquer Lu Mo instead of driving so early in the morning."

“I don’t need to conquer my Lu Mo. My mother-in-law is reasonable and capable, and doesn’t have any of the troubles your family has.”

Lu Mo, who was looking at his phone with a serious expression, suddenly had a darkening gaze. The words on the phone became blurry as his mind began to wander.

As soon as Ye Qingqing hung up the phone, she was pulled into a strong, warm embrace, and Lu Mo's voice rang in her ear, "Now I'm giving you a chance to conquer me, and I desperately need it."

"The sun's already high in the sky, and you have an important meeting today... Oh dear... Don't pull my clothes, this nightgown is expensive..."

"Buy more..."

...

Outside, the sun was blazing, but inside, it was bathed in spring-like warmth; use your imagination to see the details.