Chapter 97 Sensitive Three days later, came to collect the money

Although this is the capital, with the opening up of private business, many people are privately lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Since they haven't been caught and no one is interfering, there's no problem. It's not that Jiang Ersao alone going to the police will be effective; debts must be repaid, and people will always find a way to make Jiang Ersao and her family pay back the money.

Actually, a thousand yuan isn't a particularly large sum of money; the Jiang family could manage it if they gritted their teeth. But why should Jiang's eldest sister-in-law and her ilk help Jiang's second sister-in-law repay her debts? They all know that once the money is thrown in, it might never come back. Even a coin thrown into a lake makes a sound, but repaying Jiang's second sister-in-law's debts leaves no trace, and she certainly wouldn't think they're any better than her.

“If they come, we’ll return the money we have to them first,” said Brother Jiang.

"That little bit of money isn't enough at all," Jiang Ersao said anxiously. "If we don't pay back the money, they'll cause trouble. I've already inquired around; some people here don't pay back their debts, and those people come to our door every day, making it impossible for us to live in peace. We have children; we adults aren't afraid of being scared, but what about the children?"

Jiang Erge wasn't unaware of the situation; the key issue was that he had tried borrowing money from so many people, but none of them were willing to lend him any. It was because Jiang Erge had already borrowed money once before for investment purposes, and back then, he had asked for a substantial sum, and they had lent him the money.

Now, Brother Jiang still wants them to lend him money? How is that possible? Even the most good-natured relatives would feel terrible in this situation. Especially after several months, those people now know that Brother Jiang isn't just borrowing money from them, but also from other people. Add it all up, and it adds up to quite a bit of money.

With the money Jiang Erge makes from selling stinky tofu, he can't pay back that much money in a year. He might have to work for several years before he can pay it back.

"I'll go borrow it again tomorrow," said Jiang Erge.

"What about the Song family? Have you gone there yet?" Jiang Ersao asked. "They're so rich, a few hundred yuan is nothing to them."

"Mom called Auntie and told them not to lend us money," Jiang Erge said. "Does this mean we have to pay back the money we borrowed ourselves?"

“We’ve all become like this, how can your mother still act like this?” Jiang Ersao said. “Is she afraid of being inferior to the Song family? She was already inferior to them to begin with. She was born to a concubine, not the first wife…”

“I was indeed not born to the first wife.” Aunt Yu said coldly.

Although Aunt Yu wasn't born to the first wife, Mrs. Song had always treated her very well. Aunt Yu didn't resent Mrs. Song; she felt that Mrs. Song deserved to live a better life than her.

“My sister doesn’t owe you anything,” Aunt Yu said. “If my sister really treated us badly, or treated you badly, then you shouldn’t have gone there.”

Aunt Yu felt heartbroken just thinking about it. How could she have raised such a son, and how could her son have married such a daughter-in-law?

“Mom, how could you call them and tell them not to lend us money?” Jiang Ersao said. “If they lend us money, we can pay off the loan sharks in no time.”

"Then, will you borrow money from loan sharks again and continue to borrow money to pay it back?" Aunt Yu said. "You borrowed the money yourself, so you should pay it back yourself. Don't think about borrowing money from others to pay it back."

Aunt Yu didn't want to see Jiang Ersao and his wife; just seeing them gave her a headache.

After dinner, Song's mother went to Song Fenglan's house. She needed to tell Song Fenglan about Jiang Ersao and his wife, lest her daughter lend the money without knowing anything. Jiang Ersao had been a sent-down youth in the countryside, which made many relatives willing to lend him money. They were simply soft-hearted because they felt he had suffered a lot in the countryside.

"How much high-interest loan do you owe?" Song Fenglan asked.

"They said they owed a thousand, they..."

They even borrowed money from relatives and then from loan sharks. "Loan sharks? Can we really lend to them?" Song's mother sighed.

"No." Song Fenglan thought about her mortgage in her previous life. It was from a regular bank. The first three years were equal principal and interest payments, and the rest were equal principal payments. She had paid three years of equal principal and interest payments and two years of equal principal payments. When she received her tax refund and saw the loan repayment details, she realized that the loan was one million yuan and she had already paid 220,000 yuan in interest alone. And this was only after five years.

Song Fenglan felt a pang of heartache over the money; why were the interest rates so high? Whenever she had money, she would pay off her mortgage first. She wasn't good at managing money anyway; investing in funds almost always resulted in losses, so paying off the mortgage was much more worthwhile. She would pay off the mortgage early, bit by bit, until it was paid off completely. She really didn't want all her money to make money for the bank.

The interest rates from those unregulated loan sharks outside are only higher, and the interest accumulates even faster.

"How dare they borrow money from loan sharks?" Song Fenglan didn't understand. She didn't have the ability to repay her debts, so why would she borrow money from loan sharks?

"Want to make big money?" Song's mother sneered. "Your aunt said it's a good thing she didn't tell us when the loan sharks came knocking. She told us in advance so we could have time to prepare."

"What kind of preparation time is this?" Song Fenglan said. "Are you sure you're not forcing your aunt to hand over the money she has?"

"They're forcing your aunt to hand over the money," said Song's mother.

"What are your plans, Auntie?" Song Fenglan asked.

"She said she would give five hundred yuan to your second cousin to pay off his debts, and the rest of the money would have to be handled by your second cousin and his wife," said Song's mother. "They all think your aunt has money, and they all have their eyes on it. Where would your aunt get so much money? If she doesn't think about herself and keep some for herself, they'll really take it all from her. Your aunt has it tough too; those people are all a handful."

“Loan sharks are terrible,” Song Fenglan said. “They’ll come to your door to collect the debt.”

“Yes, your second cousin is borrowing money everywhere now. How much he can borrow depends on his own ability,” said Song’s mother. “Why should we lend him other people’s money? That couple doesn’t understand anything. All they do is talk about how your second cousin went to the countryside as an educated youth and suffered, so the whole family has to compensate him.”

"..." Song Fenglan's lips twitched slightly.

“When your aunt first came back to the capital, she helped them rent a shop to open a restaurant and went to help them out. Your aunt worked so hard to help them, but they didn’t know how to thank her. They just thought that if your aunt could come up with so much money to rent a shop, she must still have money left,” said Song’s mother. “They didn’t care at all that someone else would clean up their mess.”

Song's mother felt that Jiang Ersao was suspicious and had gone mad with the desire to get rich quick.

If money were so easy to make, everyone else would have done it long ago; it wouldn't be Jiang Ersao's turn.

“If they come to you, you absolutely must not lend them money. Your aunt has repeatedly told you this,” said Song’s mother. “They need to experience what it’s like to not be able to borrow money, and let them see what it’s like when loan sharks come to your door. If they don’t learn their lesson, they’ll dare to do it again next time.”

"..." Song Fenglan didn't know what to say.

“Your aunt did have a considerable dowry at first, prepared by her family. But that was during wartime, and she was displaced and didn’t keep much,” said Song’s mother. “Your uncle was willing to marry your aunt because he was after her possessions. There’s nothing wrong with that; marriage is often about mutual benefit. As long as the families are decent enough, it’s fine. What’s truly worrisome is your third aunt’s ex-husband; he’s a despicable and shameless man.”

Grandma Jiang and Father Jiang may be greedy for money, but they have certain principles. The Tang family, on the other hand, have no principles; they only think about their own interests and don't consider how good they are to their spouses.

“Your aunt told them she didn’t have much money, but they didn’t believe her. They all thought it was impossible for your aunt to have little money,” said Song’s mother. “They always think that way. Your uncle probably knows that your aunt doesn’t have much stuff left, and so does your aunt’s mother-in-law. Those things have been used for so many years, more than thirty years. How could those things still be there all this time?”

In other words, the younger generation thought that Aunt Yu must have hidden something, perhaps she had small yellow croakers or something similar, and a few small yellow croakers would be worth a lot of money.

“We have so much stuff at home, how could your aunt not have any?” said Song’s mother. “Isn’t it just that Jiang Yufei and her people always eye our things?”

Song's mother sighed again. If those people had any brains, they would know that food, drink, and even relieving themselves all cost money; it's impossible for them to grow up without spending money. How could they grow up without eating or drinking?

"If you're not thinking straight, nothing I say will make a difference," Song Fenglan said. "Whatever, it doesn't matter what they do."

When Aunt Song returned home, she encountered Tang Shaotao and his wife, along with Tang Shaotao's youngest son, at her doorstep. Tang Shaotao and his wife were unwilling to give up; they waited there, determined to see Aunt Song.

When Aunt Song saw Tang Shaotao and his wife, she didn't turn back to the Song family; instead, she went back to her own home.

“Mom,” Tang Shaotao said.

Sister-in-law Tang quickly nudged her youngest son, Tang Qiming, "Mom."

"Grandma." Tang Qiming didn't want to call Aunt Song "Grandma" at all, but he still had to.

“If you don’t want to call me that, then don’t. You still have a grandmother at home.” Aunt Song immediately saw Tang Qiming’s reluctance. “If it’s about the school, I’ve already told you that I can’t get involved. Your Tang family has nothing to do with me, and I won’t rely on you for my old age, so don’t come looking for me.”

"Mom, are you really not going to help?" Tang Shaotao walked up to Aunt Song.

Aunt Song avoided Tang Shaotao, saying, "If you keep going like this, I'll have to hire a bodyguard. If you come any closer, I'll have the bodyguard kick you out."

"Mom." Tang Shaotao was speechless. He didn't walk to Aunt Song's side anymore, but instead knelt down in front of her with a thud. "Mom, please help your grandson."

Sister-in-law Tang pulled her youngest son and prepared to kneel down; they were trying to coerce Aunt Song.

“Then you shall kneel,” said Aunt Song. “You should kneel.”

Aunt Song entered the house and immediately locked the door. She went into the living room, ignoring the three people outside. It was evening, and the temperature wasn't too high; they could kneel as long as they wanted.

Tang Qiming quickly stood up. "Dad, Mom, she's not my grandma."

"Qiming." Sister-in-law Tang looked at her son and got up.

“She won’t help us, no matter what we do,” Tang Qiming said. “She’s deliberately trying to humiliate us. I don’t want to stay here!”

"You, what if your grandma softens her heart, she..."

"It's highly unlikely that Mom will soften her heart." Tang Shaotao got up; he originally intended to...

I knelt down for a moment, but after hearing what my son said, I felt there was no need to kneel anymore.

They all knew perfectly well what kind of person Aunt Song was. Aunt Song was unwilling to give them money or help them get into good schools; she just wanted to see them struggle.

“Let’s go back,” Tang Shaotao said.

"Going back like this?" Sister-in-law Tang asked.

“Yes, let’s go back.” Tang Shaotao nodded.

“But the problem hasn’t been solved.” Sister-in-law Tang said unhappily, “We’ve come over several times already, why is Mom still the same?”

“Mom…she hates the Tang family to the core,” Tang Shaotao said.

“We can’t possibly change our son’s surname to Song, can we?” said Sister-in-law Tang.

“It’s no use. Even if he changes his surname, he’s still a member of the Tang family,” Tang Shaotao said. “Mom just believes we’re no good, and she refuses to help us. Let’s go back and see what happens before school starts.”

Tang Shaotao wanted to do everything he could, and leave the rest to Aunt Song's decision.

"Shall we go back now?" Sister-in-law Tang asked again.

Tang Shaotao walked back, and Tang's sister-in-law, seeing him leave like that, quickly followed.

"Is he really leaving like this?" Sister-in-law Tang asked.

“Go back, you should go back, don’t stay here,” Tang Qiming said disdainfully. “She’s not my grandmother, I don’t have a grandmother like that.”

“She is your biological grandmother,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “Remember this: the grandmother in the family is not your biological grandmother; you just call her Grandma.”

“Grandma at home is great,” Tang Qiming said.

"What do you know, you little kid?" Aunt Tang patted Tang Qiming's head. "Your real grandma has so many things at home. If you behave well, those things can be yours. What can your other grandma give you? She only gives the things in her own family."

Tang's sister-in-law didn't respect her stepmother-in-law that much. Her stepmother-in-law hadn't given them much, so she didn't think they deserved to be so good to her. Tang's sister-in-law also felt that her stepmother-in-law was taking things from their own home, and since her stepmother-in-law didn't work, where would she get the money to buy those things?

“But this grandma didn’t give us anything. We knelt down, but she ignored us,” Tang Qiming said.

“You’re just a child, you don’t understand yet,” said Aunt Tang. “Just remember what your mother said, this grandma is your real grandma.”

Just as Sister-in-law Tang said this, a passerby overheard it. The passerby happened to be Aunt Song's neighbor, and that person immediately told others what Sister-in-law Tang had said.

Then, these words would naturally reach the ears of Aunt Song.

That evening, Song's mother went back to the Song family home, and Qin Zihang went back to his room to sleep.

Qin Yizhou turned off the TV and went back to his room with Song Fenglan.

“Mom said you can’t lend money to the Jiang family, remember that. If they come to you to borrow money, you can’t lend them any,” Song Fenglan said. “My second cousin-in-law is really something, she actually dared to borrow money from loan sharks, she’s incredibly bold.”

"We won't lend them money. We'll do whatever you say," Qin Yizhou said.

“If they were still living in the countryside, they probably wouldn’t have dared to do this,” Song Fenglan said. “After coming to the city and seeing the Jiang family’s situation, they started speculating that Auntie was rich and thought that Auntie could help them borrow money from us, so they became bold.”

Jiang Ersao didn't understand the importance of a peaceful life; she only wanted to get rich. Wanting to get rich isn't wrong—many people do—but Jiang Ersao's actions were utterly baffling.

“My mother also said that my sister-in-law is a good person. She comes from the countryside, but she hasn’t become frivolous and has raised her children very well,” Song Fenglan said. Compared to her, Song’s sister-in-law seems even more admirable.

Jiang Ersao was originally from the city, but not from the capital. Jiang Ersao wasn't very down-to-earth; she overthought things.

"Whatever they say, we'll do as our elders say," Qin Yizhou said. "Borrowing money isn't out of the question."

“We can’t lend money. Auntie isn’t being sarcastic,” Song Fenglan said. “If Auntie doesn’t want us to lend money, then we simply can’t. Auntie has her reasons. My second cousin is her biological son, and she wouldn’t harm him. They need to experience the pain before they learn to behave.”

Early in the morning, loan sharks came to the door.

Originally, loan sharks were supposed to pay back a certain amount each month; they couldn't just not pay a penny. Since the loan sharks knew Jiang Ersao's investment had failed, they were even more likely to come and collect the money, fearing they wouldn't get a single cent back.

Although the house that the Jiang family allocated to Jiang Ersao and her husband was adjacent to that of Jiang Dasao and her family, they didn't need to enter through the same gate, as the house was next to each other.

Loan sharks don't care about any of that; all they know is that Jiang Ersao and her husband are members of the Jiang family, and they want to ask the Jiang family for money.

Those people sat directly in the living room, and they didn't even need anyone to pour tea for them; they went and poured the tea themselves.

“You’ve come to the wrong place,” Aunt Yu said. “You’re looking for my second son and daughter-in-law. They live next door. Go find them there. Don’t stay here. If you’re here… do you know who my nephew-in-law is? Do you know who my nephew is?”

Just then, someone hurriedly whispered a few words in the ear of the loan shark.

Those people went out; they were looking for Jiang's second sister-in-law and second brother, not to bother the rest of the Jiang family. The Jiang family had some connections, and it wouldn't be good to anger these people. They needed to find the right people to hold accountable.

Jiang Ersao had the door closed. She had just peeked out and assumed those people had gone to Aunt Yu's place, and that Aunt Yu would just return the money, so she wouldn't have to worry. But who knew those people would come back so quickly, still banging on the door.

"Pay back your debts!"

"Hiding in the house like a coward, a turtle bastard?"

"Come out and pay back the money. Don't you two want your child to go to school?"

"Do you think that just because the kids are on summer vacation, they can stay in their rooms?"

...

The loan sharks wouldn't leave so quickly; they kept banging on the door, threatening to break it down if Jiang Ersao didn't open it.

Having no other choice, Jiang Ersao had to open the door.

"Here's eight hundred yuan." Jiang Ersao took out some money and gave it to those people.

“That’s not right. You borrowed money from us. The monthly interest rate is 3%, so you should pay us back 1,200.” The loan shark said, “and that’s after rounding down the amount.”

"Isn't this too much?" said Jiang Ersao.

"When you borrowed the money, we told you the interest rate, and you readily agreed, saying you could pay it back. What's wrong? You can't pay it back now?" the loan shark said. "Your 800 yuan isn't even the principal yet. After deducting 200 yuan for interest, let's say you've paid back 600 yuan of principal. You're still short 400 yuan. Are you going to keep compounding the interest?"

"It's only four hundred yuan, it's not a lot," Jiang Ersao said, trying to sound tough. "We'll earn it soon enough."

"Make money?" The loan sharks were laughing. "You think you can make that much money? You've already been swindled out of your money, and you're talking about paying it back? You'd better find someone to pay it back!"

"We have no money, we really have no money," said Jiang Ersao. "If we had money, we would definitely pay you back."

"You have three days. You'd better have the money ready," the loan shark said. "Do you want your relatives to know you've borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates? Do you want your neighbors to know you're not paying back your loans?"

"Aren't you afraid we'll call the police?" Jiang Ersao asked through gritted teeth.

"Go ahead and call the police!" the loan shark said. "Borrowing money and paying it back is a matter of course. Go ahead and call the police."

Those who lend money at exorbitant interest rates are not afraid of these people calling the police; even if they do, they have ways to deal with it.

"You got scammed and instead of reporting it to the police, you're reporting it to me," the loan shark said. "Are you still waiting for those people to make money for you?"

"..." Jiang Ersao stood there, feeling extremely angry.

"We'll come back for the money in three days." The loan shark left.

Those burly men looked terrifying and intimidating. They didn't escalate the situation further, fearing that Jiang's relatives would intervene.

The loan sharks were thinking, "If only I hadn't lent the money to Jiang Ersao. If the Song family or Aunt Yu's nephew-in-law were to make a move, things would be very difficult for them." Since ancient times, the common people have never fought against officials or aristocratic families.

Jiang Ersao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw those people leave.

Of the eight hundred yuan, there was money from Jiang Erge selling stinky tofu, and money borrowed by Jiang Erge. Five hundred yuan of that money came from Aunt Yu.

Aunt Yu came out of the living room and looked at Sister-in-law Jiang standing to the side.

"Three days. You have three more days to borrow money," Aunt Yu said. "Just a few months, and the interest alone will be two hundred yuan. How much do you earn in a month?"

At

My aunt already knew that loan sharks charged high interest rates, but she didn't expect them to be this high. That's to be expected; loan sharks are, after all, exorbitantly priced.

"Mom, we still owe four hundred. Can't you give us some money?" Jiang Ersao was annoyed. She just wanted Aunt Yu to pay back all the money. "Just consider it a loan. We'll pay you back later."

"I told you I didn't have any money, and I've already given you what I could," Aunt Yu said.

“If you don’t have any, why don’t you go out and borrow some? Your son has gone out to borrow several times, but he hasn’t been able to. Can you bear to see your grandchildren suffer?” said Jiang Ersao.

"This is your own fault, not someone else's," Aunt Yu said. "Even now, you still want us to pay you back. Haven't we given you enough? It's true that the second son went to the countryside as an educated youth, but that's a policy issue, not my problem. If you really want to pay back the money, sell the house!"

"No way." Jiang Ersao had never considered selling the house; it was their home. Without it, where would they live?

"This won't work, that won't work, you'll have to figure it out yourselves," Aunt Yu said.

Jiang Ersao gritted her teeth. She wanted to borrow money from the Song family, but she was afraid. Jiang Yufei and her husband refused to lend her money, as did the other relatives, all fearing that Jiang Ersao and her husband wouldn't repay the loan.

Aunt Song wasn't surprised when she heard what Sister-in-law Tang had said to the child; she had long known those people were after her property. Aunt Song still had no intention of leaving her inheritance to the Tang family, not even to Tang Lu.

Tang Lu called Song's third aunt and cautiously inquired about Song Fenglan's situation.

"Why did you suddenly ask her about that?" Aunt Song asked. "Do you want her to help you?"

“No, I just wanted to… before, when my colleague went to see her when I was sick…” Tang Lu said.

"Oh, it's been so long since you finally told me," said Aunt Song.

"You know?" Tang Lu asked.

“Fenglan is no ordinary person. She doesn’t keep secrets from you. She tells me everything directly,” Aunt Song said. “She did the right thing. You should see a doctor when you’re sick, not go to her. No matter what you and your colleagues are up to, don’t go to her.”

"She just feels that everyone here is a woman, and it's not easy for a woman to be a pilot. She has some ulterior motives," Tang Lu said.

"She has her own agenda, but don't you?" Aunt Song said. "If you hadn't told her about your relationship with Fenglan, would she have known? You're just like your father, always putting on an act. You unintentionally say things and then have others take the lead for you."

"No, I didn't mean that. I just don't want to keep things bottled up inside," Tang Lu explained.

"Then you can just let others bother Fenglan," Aunt Song said. "Do you really think I can't see through the little schemes and tricks in your Tang family?"

"..." Tang Lu remained silent for a while.

"Is everything alright?" Aunt Song asked.

"Mom," Tang Lu said, "I want to hear your voice. I heard that my older brother asked you for help, Qiming..."

"Are you saying that Qiming is my grandson and I have to help him?" Aunt Song asked.

"No..." Tang Lu just felt that grandparents and grandchildren are closer, but Aunt Song was so indifferent to Tang Qiming. So, was her own mother also indifferent and heartless to her daughter?

“If you hadn’t become a pilot, I wouldn’t even want to talk to you,” Aunt Song said. “You should be grateful that you chose a good career. Do your job well and make fewer phone calls.”

"Mom..." The phone went dead again. Tang Lu gripped the receiver, feeling a pang of sadness.

Tang Lu realized that no matter what she said, it was useless. In her mother's heart, she was a member of the Tang family, and her nature was bad, and she had many ulterior motives... Tang Lu wanted to be a person. She didn't want to keep everything to herself. She also wanted to talk to others and tell them about her difficulties.

Previously, Tang Lu didn't dare tell her Aunt Song those things, for fear that Aunt Song would misunderstand her. Her own mother didn't encourage her much; she mostly said things that were barbed. Tang Lu missed her childhood, when her mother was very good to her, holding her hand and buying her pretty little dresses.

Now, Aunt Song only teases Tang Lu, and Tang Lu still wants to keep contacting Aunt Song.

Tang Lu put aside her sadness and went back to her dormitory. Jian Lili noticed that Tang Lu was not in a good mood.

"You were criticized today, are you in a bad mood? It wasn't just you who was criticized, I was criticized too," Jian Lili said. "We've only been pilots for a few years, so there are definitely things we haven't handled properly."

“I called my mom and told her that I was sick and had asked my cousin for help,” Tang Lu said.

"What did your mother say?" Jian Lili asked. "It's been so long, why are you only telling me now?"

“My mom said that deep down I really want my cousin to help me, so I told you about my relationship with my cousin so you can go to her.” Tang Lu’s eyes were slightly red.

"How could this be?" Jian Lili hadn't expected Aunt Song to say such a thing; she had never even considered it.

“I didn’t intend to use you as a weapon in my hand,” Tang Lu said.

“I believe you didn’t,” Jane Lili said. “Is your mother being too sensitive?”

"It's not that, it's just that our family members are so inhumane," Tang Lu said.

Since none of the Tang family members are very good, when Tang Lu makes a small mistake, that mistake will be magnified infinitely, and Aunt Song will dislike Tang Lu even more.

Aunt Song felt that Tang Lu hadn't said anything earlier, but had waited until now to bring it up. What did Tang Lu mean by this? Was she trying to make her blame Song Fenglan?

Haha, does Tang Lu think she's that important?

The Tang family is not as important as the Song family.

Does Tang Lu think she's something special just because she's a pilot?

What is Tang Lu anyway?

Aunt Song believes that Tang Lu has been somewhat corrupted by the Tang family's upbringing, and that Tang Lu still retains the Tang family's bad habits. Even if Tang Lu tries to behave more uprightly, it won't work if she doesn't change those bad habits.

“…” Jian Lili was speechless when she heard Tang Lu’s words. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gone to see your cousin, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Jian Lili had heard Tang Lu say many times that the people in the Tang family were not human, and Tang Lu even included herself in the insults.

“I’m fine, it’s not your fault. My mom still answered the phone, I heard her voice,” Tang Lu said. “That’s good, my mom didn’t ignore me.”

“Yes…” Jian Lili thought Tang Lu was so easily satisfied.

Tang Lu understood that if she hadn't let Jian Lili know about her relationship with Song Fenglan, Jian Lili wouldn't have gone to Song Fenglan when she was sick; every cause has its effect.

Aunt Yu didn't want to stay at home, so she went to Song Fenglan's house. Aunt Yu originally wanted to go to the Song family's house, but after thinking about it, she decided to go to Song Fenglan's house instead.

Song Fenglan happened to be home, so she told Aunt Yu to rest at home and watch TV.

"I guess your mom and the others talked to the loan sharks, that's why they didn't make things difficult for us. They went to your second cousin and his wife's place instead," Aunt Yu said. "When they came, your second cousin wasn't home; he was out working."

Jiang Erge couldn't afford not to work; his family was heavily in debt, so he had to work hard. He helped people move things in the morning, and then went to sell stinky tofu around noon, since there were fewer customers in the morning. Jiang Erge did two jobs, hoping to earn more money.

"It's good that I didn't make things difficult for you," Song Fenglan said.

"We're still short four hundred yuan," Aunt Yu said.

"Do you need to borrow money?" Song Fenglan asked.

"No need, I have money," Aunt Yu said. "If the loan sharks come knocking again, I'll probably have to pay them back. If I don't, they'll come knocking again."

“Then pay it back,” Song Fenglan said. “The interest rates on loan sharks are too high. Pay it back as soon as possible so we can get out of debt and tell my second cousin and his wife not to borrow from loan sharks again.”

"I'm thinking of having them come over a few more times," Aunt Yu said, "so they can scare your second cousin's family a little."

"..." Song Fenglan did not expect Aunt Yu to have such thoughts, "If loan sharks come to the door, the people around will know."

“Those people already knew,” Aunt Yu said. “They were just afraid that if the money was returned so quickly, your second cousin’s wife wouldn’t have learned her lesson.”

"Well... I don't know," Song Fenglan said. She disliked high-interest loans and advance consumption, but a mortgage was unavoidable. Even with a mortgage, the thought of the interest made her heart ache.

In Nancheng, Guo Peng's wife is pregnant. Guo Peng cherishes his wife; the child in her womb is his, a child with his blood relation. Unlike Guo Furong, who has no blood relation to Guo Peng at all.

After Guo Peng divorced Li Hui, he discussed the future of their child with Fan Yani, and he visited the child even less. Sometimes, when the child called him "Dad," Guo Peng wouldn't respond.

Whenever Guo Peng sees Guo Furong, he thinks of Li Hui. He feels like a complete fool who has been terribly deceived by Li Hui, who even left her own niece behind.

Guo's sister-in-law didn't probe Guo Peng about sending Guo Furong away. She believed it would be beneficial for Guo Furong to stay; whenever Guo Peng saw Guo Furong, he would be reminded of Li Hui's despicable nature. Guo's sister-in-law thought Guo Peng would always think of Li Hui; everyone knew how much Guo Peng loved Li Hui, and even though Li Hui had found other men, Guo Peng hadn't divorced her.

Rather than hiding it, it's better to look at it openly and honestly.

Guo Furong's existence only makes Guo Peng despise Li Hui. Li Hui brings no benefit to the Guo family, but rather endless trouble.

When Sister-in-law Guo saw Guo Furong, she would sometimes give her a piece of candy.

"Have some soup." Guo's mother stewed chicken soup and sent it to Guo's sister-in-law.

Guo's mother is now allowed into Guo Peng's house, and Guo's sister-in-law has even given her a key to the house. Guo's sister-in-law thinks that if Guo's mother occasionally comes over to help tidy up, she can have an easier time. Guo's sister-in-law thinks Li Hui is foolish; Guo's mother isn't a bad mother-in-law.

"Thank you, Mom," Sister-in-law Guo said with a smile.

"You have to eat chicken too," said Guo's mother. "Both chicken legs are for you."

"It's delicious," said Sister-in-law Guo. "Mom, do you prefer daughters or sons?"

"I like... anything is fine with me," said Guo's mother. "As long as it's your child, then it's okay."

After what happened with Li Hui, Guo's mother didn't have many expectations for her new eldest daughter-in-law. She just wanted her eldest son and daughter-in-law to live a good life together. Without further expectations, she wouldn't be heartbroken; at least now Guo's mother could freely enter her eldest son's home without being turned away.

“I want to have a son.” Sister-in-law Guo looked at her belly. “If I have a daughter… Guo Peng has a job, and according to the family planning policy, we can only have one child.”

“If it’s a daughter, that’s fine too. She’s your husband’s biological child after all,” Guo’s mother said.

"Mm." Sister-in-law Guo nodded, she continued...

Continuing to drink soup and eat meat, what a wonderful life!

Sister-in-law Guo is quite frugal. When she gives money to her family, she is careful not to let it affect her own life, fearing that Guo Peng will be unhappy. Learning from Li Hui's experience, Guo Peng doesn't give her most of his salary. He only gives her enough for groceries and social obligations, keeping it all to himself, with not much extra money.

Sister-in-law Guo had no complaints. At least she didn't have to pay extra. When there were social obligations that required more money, she would tell Guo Peng, and he would give her money, so she wouldn't have to borrow money to give red envelopes.

After Sister-in-law Guo finished drinking the chicken soup, Guo's mother took the empty food box back home.

When Fan Yani saw Guo's mother return, she asked, "How is your sister-in-law now?"

"It's alright," said Guo's mother. "The situation is not bad. She asked me whether it's better to have a daughter or a son, and I said either is fine."

“The baby’s gender has been determined, but we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl,” Fan Yani said. “You’re right, whether it’s a daughter or a son, it’s your eldest brother’s biological child.”

“That’s what I said too,” Guo’s mother said. “Whether it’s a boy or a girl is not something we can decide. As long as it’s born, that’s good. With the one-child policy, and your older brother having a job, we can only have one child.”

“Having a child is a good thing,” Fan Yani said. “Raise the child well, make the child sensible, and give the child a good future.”

"It's tough on you, having to take care of Furong," Guo's mother sighed.

"It's nothing," Fan Yani said. "Everything has already been discussed."

After Sister-in-law Guo became pregnant, the people in the family compound changed their tune when they talked about Guo Peng.

"It was thanks to Li Hui eloping with someone else that Guo Peng was able to make up his mind to get a divorce."

"Look, his wife is pregnant. If they hadn't divorced, he wouldn't have any biological children yet."

"A woman who can't have children is gone, and that's it."

"He has turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

"Li Hui is being reckless. She ruined her good life. She eloped with someone, but will things be better for her? There's an old saying, isn't there? Betrothal...betrothal..."

"The one who is betrothed becomes a wife, the one who elopes becomes a concubine."

"That's the sentence, that's the sentence."

“I think Guo Peng’s current wife is good. She knows how to be filial to her mother-in-law and has also let her into the family.”

“It’s really unreasonable for a daughter-in-law to not let her mother-in-law into the house.”

"She was afraid her mother-in-law would find out about her affair with another man, so she wouldn't let her mother-in-law into the house and told her not to come over."

“We really can’t listen to our daughter-in-law and not go over there. We still have to go over there. Who knows what these people are hiding in their homes?”

“A grown man like Li Hui actually dares to hide at home.”

...

These people mostly spoke ill of Li Hui and praised Guo Dasao. They thought her ex was terrible, and that whatever her current partner did was good.

The man who eloped with Li Hui went somewhere else and never came back to the family compound. He was afraid of being discovered by Guo Peng, but Guo Peng still found out when he came to Nancheng.

Guo Peng saw the man at an intersection and gave chase. Having served in the army, he was physically strong and quickly caught up with the man. As soon as the man saw Guo Peng, he ran, but he couldn't outrun Guo Peng.

"Where is Li Hui? Where is she? Has she also returned to Nancheng?" Guo Peng asked. "How dare you even come back to Nancheng?"