"Really? I thought this kid just played around all day! I didn't expect him to be so promising!" Li Peng's face showed a hint of satisfaction.
"Don't look down on your son so much. He just didn't want to study before. If he really studied, he would be very good!" Zhao Xiaoya said, having already cut a potato.
Zhao Xiaoya picked up the tomatoes again and started cutting them, turning her head to look at Li Peng, "By the way, your mom said that she used to have back pain, but recently she met an old Chinese medicine doctor and had acupuncture done a few times, and she's feeling much better now."
“Okay, that’s good. We saved 100,000 yuan last year. If business is good this year, we might be able to save a little more. Then we can buy a house in town, and it will be more convenient for our child to go to school.” Li Peng replied.
As Qiu Mang watched the busy figures in the kitchen and listened to their conversation about everyday life, she truly felt the happiness that life's little things bring, and she suddenly felt a little envious.
She admits that she is not a leading lady and has no ambition. She has thought about living a simple and ordinary life, but it seems that God has not given her such an opportunity.
The two people in the kitchen were engrossed in their conversation, completely unaware that she had returned. Qiu Mang didn't want to disturb them, so she quietly went back to her room.
As soon as Qiu Mang sat down and took out her phone, she saw several missed calls from older women.
A sense of unease welled up inside her, and she quickly dialed back. The phone rang for quite a while before being answered.
"Big sister, what happened?" Qiu Mang asked anxiously.
Qiu Dao's voice sounded hoarse, as if she had just been crying. "It's nothing really serious. Someone came to our house and caused trouble, smashing everything. Chenchen was terrified. He grabbed my phone and said he wanted to call his dad, but somehow he ended up calling you."
Qiu Mang felt a buzzing in her head. "Sister, are you hurt?"
Hearing Qiu Mang's voice, Chenchen hurried over and said in a childish voice, "Auntie... Auntie... Mommy, cry."
The child's speech is not very fluent yet; he can only utter one word at a time.
Even from just these few words, Qiu Mang could deeply feel how much injustice her elder sister had suffered.
Hearing her nephew's soft, sweet voice, Qiu Mang felt a pang of heartache and said gently, "Chenchen, be good. Don't be afraid, Chenchen. You're a little man. When you grow up, you'll protect your mother, okay?"
Chenchen, having been well-trained by Qiu Dao, answered earnestly, "Chenchen...protects...Mom!"
Qiu Dao grabbed the phone and said, "Amang, I know that 100,000 yuan is not a small amount. You just started working and don't have much savings. If all else fails, I'll think of another way."
Qiu Mang said anxiously, "Sister, what can you do? Chenchen is still so young and needs his mother to take care of him. You can't leave him to go out and earn money."
Qiu Dao was well aware of his current situation and sighed deeply, "What should we do?"
"Did you call the police?" Qiu Mang asked.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Dao appeared somewhat flustered and quickly said, "Don't call the police!"
"Why?" Qiu Mang asked, puzzled.
Qiu Dao's voice became cautious, "Because your brother-in-law has something on them. If they call the police, your brother-in-law will be arrested too. Chenchen is still young, we can't let him be without a father."
Qiu Mang took a deep breath and said firmly, "I'll think of a way."
After hanging up the phone, Qiu Mang sat on the bed and fell into deep thought.
The next day after get off work, almost as if possessed, Qiu Mang found herself back at the loan company. Thinking of her sister struggling to raise money and her poor nephew, Qiu Mang gritted her teeth and headed towards the loan company.
Suddenly, Qiu Mang felt a gust of wind blow past her, and a girl rushed into the company ahead of her.
"Where are my photos? Didn't you say you were going to delete them?" the girl asked loudly, her hands on the table.
"I'm sorry, young lady, we thought you couldn't repay the money, so we could only try to recover some of the losses using the resources we had." Behind the desk, a man smiled at her.
"What do you mean you think I won't pay it back? Did I say I wouldn't pay it back? Didn't I say give me a little more time, and I'll pay it back in two days? Who told you to post my nude photos!" the girl roared, her voice echoing in the small space.
“Miss, we had an agreement beforehand, and we always act according to the rules.” The man remained calm and composed.
"You're talking nonsense!"
The girl clenched her fist and slammed it heavily on the table with a "thud".
On the light wood desk, a pen fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and finally rolled to the man's feet.
The man bent down, picked up the pen, and put it back in its place. His expression was too calm, as if nothing had happened.
"I only borrowed 50,000 yuan, how come I have to pay back 80,000 yuan now!"
The girl was trembling with anger, her eyes were bloodshot, and her chest was heaving violently.
"Miss, get this straight. Even if you take out a loan from the bank, you still have to pay interest!" The man sat in his swivel chair, looking at her coldly.
She glared at the man and shouted, "This is fraud! There's no such thing as such a high interest rate!"
"If bank interest rates are low, why don't you go borrow money from a bank? What are you doing coming to us?"
The man stood up, his face cold, arms crossed, and snorted, "We're not a charity. We clearly explained our interest rates to you from the beginning, and you agreed to them yourself."
Now that you can't afford it anymore, you're blaming us? You modern college students are really something else, not studying hard, all you do is compare yourselves to others.
He's decked out in luxury goods, but also drowning in debt. When he runs out of money, he comes here to borrow. He's shameless and then blames others.
His words struck a nerve with the girl, turning her face deathly pale, tears welling in her eyes. Her lips trembled, wanting to retort but unable to utter a word.
Overwhelmed by pent-up resentment and anger, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her sobs filled with despair and sorrow.
Yes, he's right. She was blinded by those illusory vanities.
At first, she was a diligent student who firmly believed that knowledge could change her destiny, and she spent countless nights studying late into the night.
However, at some point, she gradually became lost in the pursuit of material things.
The latest cell phones, the newest handbags, the trendiest lipsticks and perfumes—it seemed like not having these made her feel inferior. So, even if it meant going into debt, she was determined to acquire these things.
However, when she found out that her nude photos were on her classmates' and friends' phones, she felt as if she had fallen into an endless abyss.
The world collapsed at that moment, and shame, regret, and fear overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
The girl cried as she turned and rushed towards the elevator. Her steps were unsteady, as if she had lost all her strength. Once inside the elevator, she leaned against a corner, her body trembling uncontrollably, tears blurring her vision.
Qiu Mang noticed something was wrong with her, so she quickly followed her into the elevator.
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