The young man outside the door was dressed in a simple white shirt, military green jacket and trousers, and a pair of clean and stylish liberation shoes. He was completely out of place in this small mountain village, yet inexplicably blended into the homes and houses behind him.
"Excuse me, are you Brother Zhou Jiajun?" Wuyou's lips curled into a gentle smile, instantly softening his aloof demeanor and adding a touch of warmth.
"Uh... I am, and you are Yan Zhiqing?" Zhou Jiajun saw Wuyou standing there in a daze, smiled awkwardly, and hesitated for a long time before finally confirming his identity.
Zhou Jiajun was so busy with work and taking care of his mother that he had no time to pay attention to anything else. The only reason he was able to recognize Wuyou was because of his outstanding appearance.
"Hello, Brother Zhou. I have something to discuss with you. Could you do me a favor?" Wuyou nodded slightly. Given Sun Xiaoying's current situation, she would definitely not accept his compensation. Instead, she would make trouble over this matter. Rather than that, it would be better to hand it over to Zhou Jiajun himself. After all, they were husband and wife, and Zhou Jiajun was in debt because of Sun Xiaoying.
It's always better to put some things out in the open than to keep them hidden, like rats in a gutter, unable to see the light of day. Putting things out in the open makes everyone appear upright and honest, and prevents future criticism.
“Okay, please come in.” Zhou Jiajun nodded without hesitation. In this era, the people were simple and honest, especially someone as straightforward as Zhou Jiajun. They would not have any ulterior motives or suspicions and would be completely open.
“Brother Zhou, I’m here to return the money.” The two walked into the courtyard and sat facing each other. Wuyou’s words immediately stunned Zhou Jiajun, leaving him speechless.
“Give me…give me the money back? I don’t remember lending you any money!” Zhou Jiajun frowned, desperately searching his mind, but couldn’t find a single word.
He's so poor, he has no connection with Yan Zhiqing whatsoever, there's no way he could lend him money, and he's still owing a huge debt! Yan Zhiqing must have mistaken him for someone else!
“Brother Zhou, I was sick and unable to work before, and the villagers brought me some things. Comrade Sun brought me quite a lot of things, which is why I recovered so quickly. Now that I'm better, I can't take advantage of them for nothing, so I've come here to repay the money.”
This was a reason Wuyou had already come up with: Yan Wuyou was seriously ill and unable to earn work points, so the other educated youths in the same compound and some villagers brought him some things. Although it wasn't much, it was a token of their goodwill.
After all, no one would go door-to-door asking how much stuff was given.
"It's no big deal. Xiaoying was just being kind and helping you out. There's no need to pay her back, especially since you're not exactly wealthy." Zhou Jiajun scratched his head, not thinking it was a big deal. Although his family was short of money, they wouldn't stoop to taking advantage of someone like that.
"I know everyone is good to me, but I can't always take advantage of them, so it's still necessary to pay back the money. After all, if you borrow and repay, it's not hard to borrow again, right?" Wuyou's eyes flashed, as if they were shining, and she slightly curled her lips, her tone mixed with a bit of teasing and ease.
"This..." Zhou Jiajun was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to refute it, but subconsciously felt that it shouldn't be like this.
With a creak, the wooden door opened, and Sun Xiaoying, dressed exactly as she had been yesterday, walked out with her hair down, yawning. She stretched in the sunlight, not immediately noticing Wuyou and the other person.
Its appearance drew Zhou Jiajun's attention, and he stopped worrying about it. He quickly stepped forward and smiled at Sun Xiaoying, saying, "Xiaoying, you're awake. I've prepared breakfast. Hurry up and get ready to eat."
Sun Xiaoying glanced at Zhou Jiajun sideways, pursed her lips, and then her eyes darted to the side, instantly spotting Wuyou standing at the door. The handsome young man stood inside the fence, the sunlight behind him casting a golden glow on him, making him appear even more divine, like an angel fallen to earth, to be admired from afar but not to be touched.
"Yan Zhiqing?" Sun Xiaoying's face showed surprise, mixed with a hint of unbridled joy that was hard for others to detect. Did Brother Yan come here specifically to see him? He was so happy.
Fortunately, Sun Xiaoying was still rational and knew that she was in the Zhou family's house, so she did not use the title "Brother Yan" but instead chose the polite but distant "Yan Zhiqing".
"Comrade Sun, I've come to return your things." Wuyou smiled and nodded, his gentle and refined manner captivating, yet chilling Sun Xiaoying to the bone.
“You…” Her eyes involuntarily reddened, her lips trembled slightly, and Sun Xiaoying stared wide-eyed at Wuyou, unable to speak.
“Xiaoying, Yan Zhiqing said he wants to return the things you gave him before. I tried to refuse, but he insisted. Why don’t you talk to him and ask him to go back?” Zhou Jiajun was simple-minded and a bit oblivious, and didn’t notice that Sun Xiaoying was acting strangely, so he quickly interjected.
He was clumsy with words and couldn't argue with a scholar like Yan Zhiqing. It would be better to let the clever Xiaoying speak; perhaps she could dissuade Yan Zhiqing from his idea.
"Fine, since you say you'll pay me back, then pay me back double, and we'll call it even from now on." Sun Xiaoying took a deep breath, trying to suppress the trembling in her voice, and stared straight at Wuyou, hoping to use these words to make him back down.
She and Yan Wuyou had been seeing each other privately for some time. Although she didn't know much about him, she did have some understanding of him. He appeared glamorous, but in reality, he was somewhat strapped for cash. His older brother and sister-in-law were giving him less and less, otherwise, she, a young woman, wouldn't be supporting him.
"This... Xiaoying, how can you say that? That's going too far!" Zhou Jiajun was stunned by Sun Xiaoying's words. How could she charge double? It's not like she's a loan shark.
He tugged at Sun Xiaoying's sleeve, trying to get her to take back what she had just said. If word got out, would Xiaoying still be able to live in this village? People would probably gossip about her, calling her stingy and capitalist.
Unfortunately, Sun Xiaoying ignored him completely, flicking his hand away and still staring intently at Wuyou, hoping to hear the answer she wanted from him.
Zhou Jiajun turned his head and cast an anxious look at Wuyou, then shook his head slightly, indicating that he should not agree to such an unreasonable request.
Under their intense gazes, Wuyou remained unfazed, gently uttering a "good," and continued, "Comrade Sun has taken great care of me and done a lot for me, for which I am deeply grateful. If it weren't for you, I might not even be alive. I've calculated that the items are worth about three yuan, so here are six yuan and two grain and cloth coupons. Take them back and make some clothes for yourself, and exchange them for some food. It's a token of my appreciation."
Before anyone could object, Wuyou shoved the prepared item into Zhou Jiajun's hand, turned and left, moving so fast that no one could react in time.
“Sigh…” Zhou Jiajun opened his mouth, but he couldn’t get anyone to leave. He looked helplessly at Sun Xiaoying.
"Since he gave it to me, just keep it. Use it to pay off your debts and don't worry about it anymore!" After saying this, Sun Xiaoying turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang, showing her anger.
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