Chapter 36 The Same Old Trick
"Oh Mom, don't worry, I know I can't hide it from you, I'll tell you everything now."
When Qin Guifang saw that her mother-in-law was serious, she knew she could no longer hide the truth.
So she took a deep breath and explained in a low voice, "It's like this... Haiqing and I discussed it, and we figured your situation really couldn't be delayed any longer, so we mortgaged our house. This is the loan from the bank. The money isn't quite ideal, but it's still a considerable sum. Mom, don't worry, use it!"
What?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shufen turned around abruptly.
She opened her mouth a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but then she was speechless.
Immediately afterwards, a deep sense of guilt and anger welled up in my heart.
"You and Haiqing are too reckless and ignorant! How could you mortgage your own house? This is outrageous! What are you trying to do?"
"Oh my god, it's not that serious."
Seeing her mother-in-law so anxious, Qin Guifang quickly comforted her and took Zhou Shufen's hand.
“We just wanted to use this money for emergency purposes. I know your business acumen; you'll definitely earn it back. We won't let things get to the point where we can't pay it back! Trust me!”
As she listened to her daughter-in-law's words, Zhou Shufen's mood gradually calmed down.
She knew that blaming them any further would be pointless.
What needs to be done now is to find a way to solve the funding problem and stabilize the situation as much as possible.
She knew that worrying wouldn't help.
Finally, she sighed and made up her mind.
Since the money is already in this situation, we can't delay any longer; we must act quickly.
"Okay then, I'll go find someone to get back the money that was owed to me before. Even if I can only get back a little bit, it will help me get through this difficult time."
After sighing, she shook her head at her daughter-in-law.
"You really are something... Next time, if you're going to do anything important, you have to tell me in advance. You can't make decisions without telling me again!"
She gently tapped Qin Guifang's forehead, her eyes filled with reproach, yet also with affection.
I don't know when it started.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who originally had a tense relationship, are no longer so estranged from each other.
"Okay, Mom."
Qin Guifang stood still and nodded obediently, a slight smile playing on her lips.
But a hint of cunning shone through his slightly mischievous eyes.
Even if she gets scolded by her mother this time, she'll still dare to do it again next time.
Zhou Shufen sighed softly, but still had a faint smile on her face, telling her to stay home and wait obediently.
After saying that, she quickly tidied her clothes and, after making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, left the house with peace of mind.
Zhou Shufen was walking on the road leading to the clothing street.
This is the town's famous street for fabrics and ready-made clothing.
Most of the shop owners on this street had bought their fabrics and semi-finished products from her.
Some of these are even long-standing, stable partnerships.
However, more than half of them rely on credit to maintain operations.
With long payment periods, it's inevitable that a lot of outstanding payments will accumulate.
While observing the shops along the street, Zhou Shufen followed the order she had planned in mind.
I walked into the nearest familiar store.
The shop owner was sitting behind the counter, happily counting a pile of banknotes and coins, his face beaming with satisfaction.
Upon seeing someone enter, she looked up and recognized the familiar Zhou Shufen. She immediately put down the money in her hand and stood up with a smile.
"Sis, what brings you here? Did you get new stock again? We've been out of stock for days."
Zhou Shufen smiled slightly, but did not answer directly.
"It's not about new goods. I'm here to collect payment. I'm a bit short on cash lately, and I need to settle the outstanding payments from previous orders."
The shop owner's smile froze for a moment.
His excited expression froze instantly; he hadn't expected Zhou Shufen to have come specifically to collect a debt.
But after a brief hesitation, she quickly composed herself.
After all, this business wasn't something that could be done in a day or two, and she understood that maintaining a good relationship was far more important than defaulting on the debt.
"Oh dear, sister, look at my memory! I should have transferred the money to you a long time ago. I'm so sorry to have made you come all this way!"
As she spoke, she smiled apologetically and slapped her forehead, pretending to look regretful.
He then turned around, took out a stack of banknotes that had been prepared from the drawer, counted them quickly, and handed them to Zhou Shufen.
Zhou Shufen took the money, counted it briefly, nodded, and still had a peaceful smile on her face.
"Then I'll be going now, I'm off to the next place."
"Take care, I'll treat you to dinner another day!"
As the shop owner spoke, he saw her out with a big smile on his face.
But as soon as she turned around and sat back down at the counter, the smile on her face quietly disappeared.
Instead, a sense of impatience arose.
After leaving the house, Zhou Shufen continued walking deeper into the street.
The next few companies she visited initially made some excuses, with some even citing financial constraints and wanting to postpone the visit.
But she remained resolute and negotiated with everyone involved, eventually managing to get the money back.
However, as she continued to visit more shops.
As you go further down the road, things don't go so smoothly.
Walking to the middle of the street, Zhou Shufen pushed open the door and went into the next shop.
Although the storefront is small, the location is quite prime.
The shop owner was sitting at the door smoking when he saw Zhou Shufen push the door open and his eyes lit up. He immediately threw away his cigarette butt and greeted her with a big smile.
"Oh, Sister Zhou is here! What a distinguished guest! Business has been so bad these past few days, it's almost impossible to keep going."
While forcing a smile, he began to launch into a long and detailed account of his difficulties.
The moment she opens her mouth, she starts complaining. It seems she's all talk and no action, and not easy to deal with.
"Doing business is difficult for everyone. I'm here today to collect payment for the last batch of goods."
The owner sat behind the cashier, idly fiddling with a pen.
The boss paused for a moment upon hearing this, clearly having already considered several possible explanations in his mind.
He then spread his hands, looking miserable, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply they were almost knotted together.
"Sister Zhou, it's really not that I don't want to pay you... We haven't sold many of these clothes, the market is terrible, and the store has lost money. Could you give me half? This is already my best effort."
Zhou Shufen knew perfectly well what was going on.
This is just the old trick of trying to delay paying the full amount.
Her lips didn't move, but her eyes changed, revealing a hint of coldness.
But she didn't react on the spot, nor did she say anything unnecessary.
She merely gave him a meaningful look, as a gesture of respect.
That look seemed to say, "I know what you're up to, but I don't want to cause a scene today."
She immediately turned and left, then continued on to the next shop to collect debts, continuing her task.
After visiting several merchants, I found their attitudes to be ambiguous and hesitant, and they were reluctant to pay readily.
Zhou Shufen was fully aware of the situation, but she didn't act rashly.
She circled around and returned to the entrance of the shop she had just been in. She stopped there and didn't go any further.
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