Chapter 43 Deterrence

Qiao Wanyin's face flushed red with anger, and her chest heaved rapidly.

He tightened his grip on the kitchen knife and stomped his foot heavily on the ground.

"You want to cause trouble? Then let's see if I can chop you up today!"

Just at this critical moment, a deep and powerful voice came from the doorway.

"This engagement cannot be called off!"

Everyone was startled, and their gazes involuntarily turned to the doorway.

The faint light from outside the door fell on his shoulder.

"Wanyin, why didn't you wait for me to come together?"

As Fu Li'an slowly began to speak, he strode into the house.

He strode into the center of the room in almost two steps and stood shoulder to shoulder with Qiao Wanyin.

"Ophiopogon japonicus...you, how did you get here?"

Qiao Wanyin blinked slightly, her tone surprised, even a little flustered.

She hadn't expected him to come so suddenly.

Actually, I was still a little shy inside.

Because what is happening now is not her, but the memories and mess of the body's predecessor.

But in the end, the blame fell on her, which inevitably made her feel awkward and embarrassed.

At the same time, Qiao Wanyin subconsciously put her hands behind her back, trying to hide the kitchen knife.

She didn't want Fu Li'an to see her like this.

But none of these actions could escape his notice.

Fu Li'an sighed softly, his gaze not full of reproach, but only calm mixed with a hint of doting.

He reached out and subtly took the kitchen knife that Qiao Wanyin was still holding.

Then, Fu Lian casually put the kitchen knife aside and took a half step forward to shield Qiao Wanyin behind him.

Then, he turned to look at He Dayong.

"My friend, how much does my fiancée owe you? I will pay you every penny I owe."

When faced with Fu Li'an's gaze, He Dayong was speechless for a moment.

He was indeed a commoner who had seen the world.

However, Fu Li'an exuded an extremely strong sense of oppression.

But he quickly braced himself, gritted his teeth, and raised his head.

"You want to help pay off the debt?"

Fu Li'an frowned slightly, his eyes calm yet revealing a hint of seriousness.

"Whether we can pay it off is another matter, but at least we should know the total amount, right? That way we'll have some answers."

Upon hearing this, He Dayong immediately pursed his lips, glancing at Qiao Wanyin as he spoke.

"The principal plus interest is two thousand yuan. If you really want to pay it back, you have to pay now!"

Standing to the side, Tie Zhu's heart skipped a beat, filled with shock: "???"

What's going on?

Wasn't it a thousand yuan just a day ago?

How come the principal and interest have doubled now?

Upon hearing the amount, Qiao Wanyin nearly jumped up, her face flushed red, clearly extremely angry.

"He Dayong, are you planning to rob me? I only borrowed five hundred yuan from you, and in just a few days, the interest has more than doubled? You're too ruthless! And you even think you're in the right?!"

Everyone says that people in this era are simple and honest, so why are you an exception?

"It's settled then!"

He Dayong simply adopted a thuggish and aggressive demeanor.

"If you don't have money, do as I say: cancel your engagement with that educated youth, and then marry me!"

“I’m telling you, Wanyin, this educated youth can’t be relied on.”

Suddenly another voice appeared beside him, its tone mocking.

"Isn't he just a pale-faced scholar? What kind of serious work can he do?"

He's probably after Qiao Wanyin's pretty face and is taking advantage of this trip to the countryside to arrange a marriage.

When he's transferred back to the city, won't he just pack up and leave, kicking Qiao Wanyin to the curb?

“Brother,” Fu Li’an finally spoke, “breaking up a military marriage is a crime!”

Qiao Wanyin was stunned for a moment, a feeling of speechlessness rising in her heart.

You can't even be considered a real soldier yet, how can you say that!

"What?"

He Dayong clearly didn't know much about the backgrounds of these outsiders in the village.

After all, he lives in town.

"What do you mean by military marriage? Aren't the rules in the city always quite lenient?"

Tie Zhu quickly moved closer and whispered a few words of explanation.

Upon hearing this, He Dayong's face immediately darkened, and his brows furrowed.

"How did you, a soldier who receives a government salary, end up in the countryside and settled down?"

Fu Lian raised his eyes slightly and said, "This is a task and decision arranged by the military. Is it necessary to report it to you personally?"

Caught off guard, He Dayong opened his mouth, his face turning bright red.

"What—what do you mean by this?!"

He was so angry that he clenched his teeth and his chest heaved.

Even though he's been a street hustler for years, he's always been arrogant and domineering.

He was also fully aware of the serious consequences that would result from disrupting a military marriage.

Seeing that the situation was getting tense and fearing that things would get worse, Qiao Wanyin, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward with a smile to ease the atmosphere.

“Brother Dayong, we’ve been living in the same neighborhood for a long time now. We’re old neighbors, so could you give me some time? I’ll definitely pay you back the money within three months.”

She continued speaking, trying to use a soft tone.

“You lent me five hundred yuan in an emergency, and now I can repay you double, a thousand yuan. But there’s a condition: you must promise to return my second sister-in-law’s gold ring, and from now on, there will be no interest. Is that acceptable?”

She was exceptionally polite.

It is precisely because they know they currently lack the strength to confront their opponent head-on.

After all, even a tiger can't defeat a local snake.

Furthermore, given the current situation, having Fu Li'an backing him up would still give him some sway.

He Dayong finally gritted his teeth and reluctantly made a concession, agreeing with a look of unwillingness on his face.

"Okay, we'll proceed according to your proposed plan. But I'll only give you three more months! If you can't repay the thousand yuan debt in one lump sum by then, I won't let you off the hook, not a penny less!"

After hearing his agreement, Qiao Wanyin smiled with relief and thanked him repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, Brother Dayong! You're such a good friend!"

At the same time, she quietly reached out and tugged at the corner of Fu Lian'an's sleeve.

Unexpectedly, Fu Lian seemed not to hear him.

"Then what about that IOU that states the amount has been settled and has been signed? When can you show it to us?"

He Dayong, standing opposite him, was visibly stunned for a second before asking, "What did you say? Which IOU? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"If you owe money, you must have a written agreement."

"The principal, interest, and specific time must all be clearly written down, without omitting a single detail."

He Dayong stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed.

He had intended to renege on the debt, but he never expected that the person in front of him would be even more difficult to deal with than he was.

Finally, Fu Lian'an's cold and ruthless gaze made him almost unable to breathe.

Only then, with a face full of frustration and resentment, did he pick up a pen and hastily write down an IOU on the paper.

Fu Li'an took the slip of paper with the amount and date written on it, and looked at it intently over and over again. Only after confirming that it was correct did he nod slightly.