A while ago, Hu Yuan gambled away all the money in the house. Wang Man had no rice to cook and had no choice but to borrow two yuan from Ma Meili because she needed money urgently.
I had planned to pay back the two yuan I borrowed as soon as I got my salary. But to my surprise, Hu Yuan snatched more than half of the money as soon as I got it and went off to eat, drink, and have fun with his group of cronies.
After buying necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, there was hardly any money left. He managed to squeeze out a penny to repay Ma Meili half of the debt.
At the time, Ma Meili was cursing and her face was very unpleasant. Only after I repeatedly assured her did she agree to give me some time, but I never expected that she would come to my door today.
Needless to say, Wang Man knew in her heart that it must be because of that one yuan.
Noticing that something was wrong with Wang Man, Hu Yuan quickly asked, "What's wrong? Why did she come looking for us?"
A nervous Wang Man shook her head with a pained expression, then replied, "I borrowed money from her family before, and I still haven't paid it back. Don't worry about it, I'll go tell her, and I'll pay her back when I get my salary this month..."
Hu Yuan was taken aback when he heard Wang Man's words.
Although the other party didn't say much, he knew in his heart that this matter was very likely related to 'himself' as well.
"Then go open the door, I'll take the dishes to the kitchen first..." Without responding to the question, Hu Yuan picked up the pots and pans and walked towards the kitchen.
Wang Man took two deep breaths, composed herself, and quickly walked to the door and opened it.
Outside the door, Ma Meili stood with a dark expression, arms crossed, looking fierce.
Wang Man's heart skipped a beat, but she still smiled and said, "Sister Ma, it's so late, why do you have time to come over? Is there something you need?"
"What's the matter?! Wang Man, what are you pretending for? Don't you know why I'm here?!" Ma Meili scoffed, speaking loudly with great disdain.
"Sister Ma, I..."
Just as Wang Man was about to reply, Ma Meili pushed her shoulder away.
Peeking into the room, Ma Meili took a deep sniff, then crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.
He sneered, "Well, Wang Man, your family is living quite well. You still have money to eat meat even though it's not a holiday!"
"Sister Ma, isn't this..."
Ma Meili didn't give Wang Man a chance to speak at all, and rudely interrupted her, saying, "I have to say, your family is really shameless! When are you going to pay me back the one yuan you owe me? I, the creditor, can't even afford meat at home, and you, the one who borrowed and owed money, dare to eat meat and fish so lavishly. It seems you're really not short of money!"
Ma Meili's pressure made Wang Man's face turn red to the roots of her ears, but she still pleaded in a low voice, "Sister Ma, it's not that I don't want to pay you back, it's just that things are really tight at home these past few days..."
"Things aren't going well at home, and I have children to support, so I borrowed a dollar today to try and improve my meals. Could you please wait a few more days? I'll definitely pay you back when I get my salary, okay?"
"Don't give me that! How many days have you owed me money, and you still want to keep dragging it out? You think I'm being lenient with you? Stop talking nonsense, pay me back now!" Ma Meili was now completely enraged, looking like she was in the right and wouldn't let it go.
Hearing Ma Meili's scolding, Wang Man's face turned even redder. She had never experienced anything like this before and was completely at a loss.
But seeing the other person's aggressive demeanor, and having no way to resist, she could only hurriedly rummage through her pockets.
He scraped together every penny he had, but all he had left was 37 cents.
"Sister Ma, I have 37 cents here. Please take it first, and I'll definitely pay you back the rest after I get my salary, okay?"
Ma Meili snatched the 37 cents from her hand and still wouldn't let go, shouting, "Where's the 63 cents? If you don't pay me back today, don't blame me for being ruthless and saying some harsh things!"
"Sister Ma, could you please give me two more days? I'll definitely raise the money and pay you back in a few days." Wang Man's voice was hoarse, her eyes were red, and she grabbed Ma Meili's handbag, bowing her head and pleading desperately.
"Please, I beg you, just two days, please..."
Just when Hu Yuan was starting to look better and life was about to give her new hope, Ma Meili pushed her back to the brink of despair.
Ma Meili slapped Wang Man's hand away, her eyes like knives, and coldly cursed, "Damn it! Don't pull this on me! I'm telling you, Wang Man, if you don't give me the money back right now, I'm not done with you!"
At this moment, Wang Man burst into tears and knelt down in front of Ma Meili, hugging her leg and crying, "Sister Ma, I beg you! Please give me two more days, I'll kneel down for you..."
A life for a life, a debt for a debt—this is the natural order of things.
When someone is pushed to this point, no one can stand by and watch.
At this moment, Wang Man really had no choice. She was a woman, and her husband had been such a scoundrel. She was all alone and helpless.
At this point, all she could think of was to plead desperately.
Hu Yuan, who was in the kitchen, had overheard their conversation, but he didn't know how to handle the situation.
He could out-ruth thugs and gangsters. But even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money, and this situation was giving this once decisive business elite a headache.
"Trying to renege on your promise? No way!"
Ma Meili started yelling at the top of her lungs in the hallway like a madwoman, "Neighbors, come out and see! Wang Man is shameless, she owes money and won't pay it back! Everyone come out and see!"
Ma Meili's voice was incredibly loud and extremely shrill, echoing throughout the entire building.
Hearing her voice, the neighbors all opened their doors to see what was going on. Some of the gossipy aunties and young wives even gathered together and started making up stories.
"Having lived together for so long, I really had no idea that Wang Man was this kind of person!"
"So what? They're shameless! They owe money and don't pay it back, acting like they're the boss?"
"What's this! That man in her family is no good either. He's a gambler, a womanizer, and a whore. They're no good family. Tell the kids to stay away from that brat!"
"Hey, you guys know what? I heard that Wang Man isn't a good person either. She's not exactly a saint..."
"Really? I told you he's not a good person!"
"Think about it, that's for sure! Given their family situation, if she weren't selling herself, where would that deadbeat of a man get the money to mess around like that?"
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