At 10 a.m. the next day, Ma Yunfei went to the meeting place with Gu Tian again.
Gu Tian asked anxiously, "Has my cousin returned?"
"Not yet. I heard this trip to the countryside will last four or five days, so please be patient and wait."
"Xiao Ma, I'm currently staying in a nearby village, and I have to pay them three yuan a day for lodging. Yesterday, you gave me twenty-five yuan, but that won't last more than a few days. Xiao Ma, please lend me a few more yuan, I'm begging you."
Ma Yunfei rubbed his stomach, putting on a pitiful look, and complained, "Uncle, if I told you that I only eat two meals a day now, and they're just thin porridge, you wouldn't believe me. To be honest, I'm still hungry. Can you hear my stomach growling?"
"I didn't hear you."
"Uncle, my stomach keeps growling. If you don't believe me, put your ear to my stomach and listen."
Gu Tian frowned and said, "Xiao Ma, I'm in trouble now. If you help me out, I won't forget you."
"Uncle, I wish I could cut off a piece of my own flesh and sell it to give you the money. But nobody wants my flesh."
"Xiao Ma, you have to think of something for me no matter what. Lend me another twenty or thirty yuan so I can make it until my cousin comes back."
Seeing Gu Tian's pathetic state, Ma Yunfei patted his chest and said, "Uncle, I'll go all out. I'll kneel down and beg them to lend me some money, at least twenty yuan more."
Ma Yunfei put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance.
Gu Tian said with emotion, "Xiao Ma, you...you are such a loyal person, I will never forget you."
Ma Yunfei went to Baixing Restaurant again.
The young widow chuckled and said, "That scoundrel Gu Tian is asking you for money again?"
“Sister Meng, you’re so smart. When Gu Tian heard that the mayor wouldn’t be back for another three or four days, he immediately got anxious and asked me to lend him another twenty yuan. I also made a solemn promise to him, saying that even if I had to beg my father and grandmother and kowtow to people, I would lend him twenty yuan.”
The young widow sighed and said, "Little brother, you still remember Gu Tian's grudge?"
"Sister Meng, that night, Gu Tian tripped me up with a rope. Luckily, my motorcycle broke down. Otherwise, even if I survived, I would have lost an arm or a leg, and I might still be lying in bed unable to get up. Tell me, how can I forget this grudge?"
“Little brother, in the end, Gu Tian is just a dog kept by the town mayor. He bites whoever the mayor tells him to bite.”
"Yes, although the town mayor is the mastermind behind Gu Tian, he is still a vicious dog after all."
It took Ma Yunfei more than an hour to meet Gu Tian.
He feigned helplessness, took out twelve coins from his pocket, and said to Gu Tian, "Uncle, you can tell by looking at my knees. I went to seven or eight houses and knelt down at each one. That's how I finally got this money."
Gu Tian took the money, counted it, sighed, and said, "It seems I'll have to sleep in the wilderness tonight. This money will only buy some steamed buns and pickled vegetables."
Gu Tian suddenly asked, "Xiao Ma, is your house spacious?"
Ma Yunfei quickly declined, saying, "Uncle, don't mention my home. It's just one room. Back then, I gambled away three tile-roofed houses, and now the three of us are crammed into a room of less than 20 square meters."
Gu Tian shook his head repeatedly and said disdainfully, "Xiao Ma, you...you're really something. I also heard that you almost sold your daughter."
Ma Yunfei feigned shame and said regretfully, "Uncle, that's all in the past. Now, I'm just a proper businessman."
“Xiao Ma, go to the mayor’s house every day. If he comes back, come here and let me know. We’ll meet here every day.”
"OK."
On the sixth day, the mayor finally returned.
When Xiao Ma saw the mayor return, he quickly ran over and said mysteriously, "Godfather, something terrible has happened."
Gu Le asked nervously, "What happened?"
"Godfather, my cousin is back. He lives in a nearby village and comes to town every day to borrow money from you."
"He wants to borrow money from me?"
"Yes, my uncle said his father has cancer and needs 50,000 yuan for treatment."
Gu Le's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "He...he wants to borrow 50,000 yuan from me? This...this is outrageous! Does he think I own a bank?"
“Godfather, my cousin said that he has done a lot of things for you, so this 50,000 yuan is his reward.”
"Damn it, this is extortion! This is blackmail!"
Ma Yunfei continued to sow discord, saying, "My uncle also said that if you don't lend him this money, he will report you to the county authorities and send you to jail."
Gu Le tensed up immediately. He looked around and asked, "What else did Gu Tian say to you?"
“He didn’t tell me in detail, he just said: You made him do a lot of bad things. I didn’t dare to ask. I think it’s better not to know some things.”
Gu Le patted Ma Yunfei on the shoulder and said approvingly, "Little Ma, you're quite smart. Sometimes, you have to pretend to be deaf, dumb, or stupid."
Ma Yunfei nodded repeatedly, feigning a worried expression, and said, "Godfather, judging from my uncle's appearance, it seems like he's here to fight you to the death. We need to be careful."
Where is Gu Tian?
“He would meet me every morning at ten o’clock in that abandoned courtyard at the east end of town.”
Gu Le glanced at his watch; it was five o'clock in the afternoon.
"Xiao Ma, take me to the meeting place at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I want to meet him."
At 9:40 a.m. the next day, Ma Yunfei went to the town government.
Gu Le said, "Let's go."
Ma Yunfei took the town mayor to see Gu Tian.
Gu Tian, hiding in that dilapidated courtyard, saw his cousin arrive and excitedly waved.
The town mayor's face was grave. He asked, "Cousin, what are you doing here? The whole county is after you. If the police find out, you're finished."
Gu Tian said with a mournful face, "Cousin, it's like when it rains, it pours. My dad suddenly vomited blood and was taken to the county hospital for a checkup. They found out it was early-stage stomach cancer. The doctor said we have to pay a deposit of 50,000 yuan before we can have the surgery. The doctor also said that the earlier the surgery, the better. If my dad has early-stage cancer, he'll be fine after the surgery."
The town mayor said to Ma Yunfei, "Go and keep watch for us. If you see anyone coming, let us know."
Clearly, the town mayor did not want Ma Yunfei to hear his conversation with Gu Tian.
Ma Yunfei agreed and jumped out of the dilapidated courtyard.
He didn't run far; he slipped back along the wall, wanting to eavesdrop.
Gu Le asked, "Cousin, I'm so sad that your father is sick. I never imagined that both your parents are in such poor health. It must be so hard on you."
"Cousin, I'm desperate and have no other choice but to come and beg you."
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