While Meng Zhao was busy here, the village head also arrived at Granny Fang's house. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, the scene before him made him gasp in shock.
The yard was littered with scattered quilts and mattresses, covered with chicken feathers, as well as pots and pans used for eating. Vegetables from the garden had been pulled up and thrown into the yard. The village head's heart clenched instantly; he hoped no one would die.
After he had a clear view of the situation in the courtyard, he was relieved. Although the courtyard was in chaos, everyone was alright. Even Old Man Li, who was lying on the bed, had been carried out and thrown into the courtyard.
At this moment, Granny Fang was slumped on the ground, waving her hands frantically and wailing, "What do you heartless people want to do? How did we offend you? How are we supposed to live like this?!"
Five or six burly men stood in the courtyard, clearly people who frequented the streets. The village head mustered his courage and stepped forward to ask, "Who are you? What are you doing in our village?"
The man at the head of the group glanced at the village head with disdain and said, "We're here to collect a debt! Li Dayong owes us money and hasn't paid it back, so naturally we've come to collect it."
Upon hearing this, the village head was immediately enraged and shouted, "Li Dayong, look what you've done!"
Li Dayong, who had been hiding behind Granny Fang, finally stepped forward and shouted, "I'm innocent! When did I owe you money? I don't know anything about this! You can't just make false accusations!"
The village head frowned, seeing that Li Dayong didn't seem to be faking it, so he asked hesitantly, "Is there some misunderstanding? Li Dayong said he never borrowed money from you."
Upon hearing this, the man rolled his eyes impatiently. "Misunderstanding? It's written in black and white that Li Dayong borrowed fifty taels of silver from me a month ago."
The village head took the paper and looked at it; it was indeed so.
When Li Dayong saw the paper, he was terrified. "You're talking nonsense! I always take money from home. If I borrowed money from outside, may I be struck by lightning. I really didn't borrow this money. Someone must be framing me."
The village head was completely bewildered. He looked at the irrefutable IOU in his hand, and then at Li Dayong's terrified and seemingly non-lying expression.
The man who came to collect the money looked impatient and said fiercely, "You still dare to deny it? I gave your daughter all fifty taels of silver. If you don't believe me, go ask your daughter."
Upon hearing this, Li Dayong and Granny Fang were struck dumb. After a moment, Granny Fang was the first to react and shouted at Li Erya.
"You little beast, did you borrow money outside? You heartless bastard, you're so young, how dare you borrow money outside? Do you want to ruin this family!"
Seeing the commotion at the Li family's house, the village head said, "Li Erya is so young, how can her words be taken seriously?"
The man opposite sneered, "I don't care how old she is. If she can't pay it back, her family will pay it back for her. I'm only in charge of collecting debts."
Granny Fang strode up to Li Yunxiang, pulled Li Erya out of her arms, and pushed her into the yard. "Take her away if you want to take her money. Whether you kill her or sell her is none of our business."
The man who came to collect the debt sneered, "Do you think I'm stupid? She's just a little girl. If you sell her, she'll only fetch ten or twenty taels at most. What good is that?"
He then glanced around at the things in the yard and said, "Since I dared to borrow, I've already found out. Your family has more than ten acres of land, and your second son works outside, earning at least several dozen coins a day. I don't care if you're selling land or your daughter, just pay me back the money right now, or I'll come to your house every day from now on."
The village head finally understood. The lenders knew that Li Erya was a child, yet they still lent her money. It wasn't that they were stupid, but that they had already found out all of the Li family's assets beforehand. They had plenty of ways to collect debts, and they could squeeze money out of her even if she didn't have any.
The man then looked at Li Dayong and said, “Li Dayong, I don’t care whether you borrowed the money or your daughter borrowed it, but I’m only after you. If you can’t pay it back, I’ll sell you to work in a quarry for a few years, and you should be able to pay it back.”
Li Dayong's face turned deathly pale instantly, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Although the wages in the quarry were high, it was no place for humans to live. It was said that people who went in would be carried out within two years. If he went there, he would probably die within three months.
Seeing that his harsh words had had a deterrent effect, the debt collector led his men away, leaving the Li family in a mess.
The village head asked Li Erya, who was hiding to the side sobbing, "Erya, explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?"
Li Erya was already sobbing uncontrollably, her small body trembling incessantly. She cried out, "The doctor said that Mother's illness needs to be treated with ginseng, but Grandma refuses to pay for it. I really had no other choice. When I went to the county pharmacy, I heard someone say that I could borrow money in the courtyard opposite the gambling den, so I went there. I only thought that I could borrow money to buy medicine for Mother and help her get better soon."
Granny Fang roared angrily, "Where's the money! Where's the money you borrowed!"
Li Erya cried and said, "I've already spent all the money on medicine."
The village head felt that this matter was still a bit strange, so he asked Li Yunxiang, "Da Yong's wife, do you know about Li Er Ya borrowing money?"
Ever since those people entered the courtyard, Li Yunxiang had been in a half-dead state. Now, she was so frightened that she couldn't even speak and could only hug Li Erya and cry.
Seeing this, the second son's wife, standing nearby, knew exactly what was going on. Those loan sharks in the county were capable of anything; if you crossed them, you'd be skinned alive. So she tugged at Li Lao Er's sleeve, and Li Lao Er immediately realized what was happening and shouted...
"I want to split up the family. Whoever owes the money should pay it back. This money didn't go into my pocket, so it has nothing to do with me."
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