Chapter 20 Loans
Having lived with Shi Dafu for so many years, Pu Xiang never thought that Shi Dafu was a very smart person. She also lamented more than once that it was a pity that Shi Hai was such a capable and thoughtful person, but Shi Dafu did not inherit any of his character.
He is more like his mother, Mo A Mei.
Now it seems that she was wrong again. Shi Dafu was not unsmart at all; he was too smart.
She couldn't remember how much work she had done during these years of marriage, but she remembered how much the Shi family had given out.
Dowry money, money given for having a child.
Haha, he actually asked for the money back.
Pu Xiang also thought about paying back the money, not for any other reason, but because in the countryside at that time, this amount of money was not a small sum, and many families emptied their savings and still could not afford it. She felt uneasy with it.
She also didn't want to wait until she had a good life in the future and then say to others that she, Pu Xiang, became rich because of the benefits she received when she was in the Shi family.
She didn't want to have anything to do with their family in her future life.
"OK."
Pu Xiang quickly recovered from her surprise. She opened the drawer of her desk familiarly, quickly wrote a receipt, and asked Shi Dafu to sign it.
Shi Dafu saw clearly what was written on the paper handed to him, curled his lips, looked disgusted, and sneered as usual: "You are an ignorant country bumpkin, and you are trying to learn how to write a receipt. You are quite thoughtful."
Pu Xiang laughed: "The betrothal gift was given by your family when you married me. Everyone knows that we took it. Now you want to take it back, so I will give it to you without any evidence. If someone says that I took advantage of your family in the future, I won't be able to explain it even if I have a mouth. I'd better write a note and you sign it. I have the evidence in my hand...Also, I am an ignorant country boy, but at least I graduated from junior high school, and you only graduated from elementary school. How can you be so shameless as to look down on me? I usually give you face, and you really think you have the face!"
He never looks at himself in the mirror, but complains about everything all day long.
Are you rejecting him?
Shi Dafu was stunned.
After six years of marriage and a five-year-old child, this was the first time he heard Pu Xiang talk about him like this.
"What's wrong with me graduating from elementary school? I am better than you even if I graduated from elementary school. I can marry someone with a higher education than you. If you marry again, you can't even marry someone who graduated from elementary school!"
He was angry.
Pu Xiang said calmly: "Even if you marry a college graduate, you only graduated from elementary school, so you are not as good as me... Do you still want the money? If you do, sign it."
He handed the receipt to Shi Dafu again.
This is almost 1,700 yuan, why don't you want it!
Shi Dafu reached out to take it and took a look at the receipt. It clearly stated on it that he had to return 666 yuan of betrothal gift and 1,000 yuan of reward from his parents-in-law for the birth of the child, a total of 1,666 yuan.
Shi Dafu quickly signed his name and waited for Pu Xiang to count the money and hand it to him. He took it and put it in his pocket.
What a stupid woman! She doesn't know how much this money can be used for. She just returns it as she says!
Stupid! An ignorant country bumpkin!
He took another peek and saw that after Pu Xiang gave him all the money, there wasn't much left in her hand... Wasn't it too little? He hoped that Pu Xiang would never come back after leaving. They were both divorced, and only his father didn't agree!
He had a different idea from his father. He hoped that Pu Xiang would run away and never come back, so that he could marry a new wife right away.
Pu Xiang noticed the slight change in Shi Dafu's expression when he took the money, and she laughed along with him. That was all Shi Dafu's perception was.
The Shi family doesn't need this little money at all. Shi Hai asked Shi Dafu to take all the money from his wife. His original intention was probably just to let her go penniless so that she would have no money and nowhere to go and could not run away.
Take back the betrothal gift?
Even if they were really divorced, Shi Hai couldn't do such a thing. He still wanted to save his face and the reputation of the Shi family.
But no one expected that Shi Dafu had his own plans.
Shi Dafu took the money. When the divorce was made public, some people would say that Pu Xiang was stupid, but no one would say that Shi Dafu was smart.
When getting divorced, asking the woman to return the betrothal money is really a pain in the ass.
Even if this happened decades later, it would still be a hot topic on the Internet. You can imagine how it would have exploded in the 1990s.
Pu Xiang gave the money readily. If she only looked at the past, she gave birth to a child for Shi Dafu, worked like a slave for the Shi family for six years, and even paid the money back. She felt she was at a loss and stupid. But looking back, she had the information gap that people of this era did not know, and it was not difficult for her to make some money and become a wealthy woman. She did not care about this little money.
She can earn it.
And now she is leaving the house with nothing, so when she makes money in the future, the Shi family can't take a penny from her, nor can they say that Pu Xiang's success was all due to the benefits she got when she married into the Shi family.
And as for Shi Dafu, once he took the money, she would definitely promote him well, because he was a man who wanted to get back even the betrothal gift after a divorce.
Shi Dafu must remarry to gain a "good reputation" so that he can marry a "good partner" again!
The best one is Lin Meihua.
She has not forgotten how this couple treated her, and she will never let it go. She is very willing to give them a push and help them this time.
Pu Xiang grew up in the village. You know how the villagers talk. They can even tell you the surname of your great-grandfather and the name of your great-grandson by counting on their fingers. It's not like the urban communities in later generations, where once the door is locked, who knows who?
Shijia Village is still more than ten years away from demolition. Even after the demolition, it is still the same community, and every household's housing land is not much different from when they were in the countryside.
You can't see it when you look up, but you can see it when you look down. The villagers' mouths are so powerful.
Pu Xiang felt that even if she spent 1,666 yuan, she could not buy the gossip of the villagers in the surrounding area, who all sincerely criticized Shi Dafu and the Shi family.
The grandchildren can still recall the past.
There is no easy money in this world. She is not a fool, nor a spendthrift. She would not give all the benefits to the Shi family for no reason. Divorced women in the village have a harder life than widows. She just spent the money to buy herself a "stupid" personality and gain sympathy.
After doing the math, Pu Xiang felt it was worth it. I remember that in 1993, paper currency experienced a big depreciation, and this money was only enough to have a meal in the hotel, and it couldn't be too luxurious.
Pu Xiang praised Shi Dafu in her heart for being a little genius who was good at planning.
"Oh yes, and the gold ornaments my family gave you when you got married. Now that we're divorced, you should return them too."
After the betrothal money was returned, Shi Dafu suddenly remembered the gold jewelry.
Although he didn't see Pu Xiang carry it, this was something given away by his family, and he remembered it clearly.
Pu Xiang looked at him coldly. This disgusting man who didn't even care about his reputation remembered every bit of the benefits she had given him.
After signing the second receipt, Shi Dafu had three more gold items in his pocket.
Pu Xiang put all the receipts close to her and said, "Our marriage is now a clean one. You can take back the betrothal money and I can take my dowry. Is that ok?"
Shi Dafu took the money and things, and felt that he had completed the task given by his father, and was about to leave.
Now that I have money, I must go out to play in town.
When Pu Xiang mentioned the dowry, he paused and turned back: "Whatever you want."
As long as she can take it.
She had a lot of wedding items, including something as large as a sewing machine, which was too big to just be put in her pockets.
Even if Pu Xiang wanted to take it, her parents would definitely not let her take it.
"Wait a moment."
Pu Xiang once again stopped Shi Dafu who was about to leave and pointed at his wrist, "That watch was also my dowry. You haven't forgotten it, have you? Give it back to me."
It was one of the three major items of Pu Xiang's dowry at that time.
Shi Dafu frowned and was about to say that this was something bought for him on their wedding, so how could he take it back?
But then I thought, I have already got the betrothal gift and the gold jewelry back, so what am I missing?
Just return it to her, and he can buy a better one later.
Shi Dafu felt a little uncomfortable taking off the watch he was used to wearing, but he still threw it to Pu Xiang.
"Should I ask you to write a receipt too?"
Pu Xiang glanced at the watch. It was still a valuable item these days. It was obvious that Shi Dafu took good care of it, as there were no scratches on it.
"If you want to write, just write. I will sign for you immediately. But you have just graduated from primary school. Can you write?"
Shi Dafu: “…”
My chest hurts from anger!
Shi Dafu left the room first, and Puxiang packed some clothes, took out a large canvas bag, and put everything in it.
When she went downstairs with her bag, Shi Hai and Mo A'mei were both sitting at the eight-immortal table downstairs.
It seems like he is waiting for her, wanting to see her reaction.
I don't know how Shi Dafu told his parents about taking the money, but I guess he definitely didn't say that he was taking back the betrothal money and the money for childbirth, and he also wrote a receipt.
If you knew, it wouldn't be so peaceful now.
Pu Xiang pretended she saw nothing, tied her bag to the back seat of her bicycle, pushed it away and drove away.
"Third sister, please come back soon. You must have worked hard on the farm. We will kill a chicken for you to make up for the hardship."
Pu Xiang didn't say anything and pushed the car out of the door. She looked back again and saw her father-in-law looking at her, still trying to save her marriage with his son. Her mother-in-law had a sullen face, probably because she had been beaten by her father-in-law. She didn't say a word from beginning to end and didn't scold her again.
Shi Dafu is not seen.
This man who was absent from their marriage life finally stuck to his own style.
"I'm leaving."
Pu Xiang didn't want to get involved and said goodbye coldly.
This time, she really left the home where she had been trapped all her life.
…
Seeing Pu Xiang riding away on her bicycle, Mo A-mei spat loudly.
"Are you really going to let this bastard go like this? I don't think she will come back. She has been spoiled for a long time! Maybe she is just like Zhou Xiaorou next door, and has been cheating on someone else outside! It's a good time for her to go out now!"
Shi Hai let out a deep breath.
"Ask yourself, what kind of person is Third Sister? I asked you to stop scolding your daughter-in-law all day long, why can't you change? Tell me, what is it about Third Sister that you are dissatisfied with?"
Mo A'mei thought about it and if she had to say anything unsatisfactory, it was that Pu Xiang was hardworking and willing to work hard. She was also not like some young wives who only knew how to dress up all day long, were lazy, whispered to their husbands, went against their mother-in-law, and sowed discord. Even the matter of giving birth to a son, she could find no fault with it. A boy was born in one go, and now with family planning, the Shi family would not have to worry about continuing the family line.
"Well, it's not that she can't control Dafu and makes trouble all day long."
Shi Hai glanced at her and said, "Your son is being held by a woman, are you happy? What kind of women do the rich like? Do you want a daughter-in-law like that?"
Mo Amei finally stopped talking.
Shi Hai added, "Third sister and Shi Wenya are getting along well, right? I'll ask her to persuade Third sister to stay at her house for a few days."
This way, they would have nowhere to go. If they were to be kidnapped by some old bachelor or hooligan and taken advantage of, their family would suffer a huge loss.
Shi Hai felt that he had planned everything.
There will definitely be no problem.
…
Pu Xiang rode his bicycle onto the road and headed straight towards the town.
There is no rush for other things, just get the loan first, this is the start-up capital for her business.
After more than half an hour of bumpy ride on the gravel road, Pu Xiang arrived at her destination - the credit union in town.
However, Shuiqing Town, to which Shijia Village belongs, is still called Shuiqing Township.
Township credit union.
"Director Shi!"
As soon as Pu Xiang stopped the car, she saw a familiar person.
Maybe all the bad luck has been used up, and all that's left is good luck.
Shi Weidong turned around when he heard the voice and recognized Pu Xiang immediately. He looked behind her for someone but didn't see Shi Hai.
"Where's Uncle Shi Hai? He didn't come?"
The households in the village with a fortune of 10,000 yuan have deposit business here. Shi Hai is good at dealing with people, and Shi Weidong gets along well with them.
Pu Xiang locked the car, picked up her bag, and walked over quickly.
"Yes, I'm here alone, Director Shi, I have a business to trouble you with. I need to borrow some money."
Shi Weidong led his people to the credit union and said with a smile: "What kind of money-making business is your father-in-law, who has 10,000 yuan in assets, going to do?"
"no."
Pu Xiang also smiled, with a very normal expression, "I am planning to open a small shop in the county town. I don't need a loan, but didn't I think of Director Shi's job?"
In later generations, banks had loan targets and tasks. Pu Xiang later opened a shop and made some money. Several younger generations of her relatives who worked in banks basically all came to her for help.
Deposits, loans.
She had forgotten the current policy, but she said a few random words, whether it was right or not, it didn't matter. She remembered that it seemed to be a few years later, she followed Shi Hai to the credit union, that is, she followed this Director Shi, and borrowed and repaid loans many times.
When Shi Weidong heard that it was about opening a store in the county town and borrowing a loan, he immediately became excited.
"Okay, okay, then I'd like to thank Uncle Shi Hai first, and thank your family. How much do you want to borrow?"
Pu Xiang said, "Ten thousand yuan."
Shi Weidong had just picked up the cup and was about to drink some water, but when he heard this, he almost choked himself.
"Ahem, how much?"
Ten thousand yuan is not a lot, but this is for the rich people in the city. For the farmers in the village, ten thousand yuan? After working hard all year round and being healthy and having no disasters, and everything going smoothly, they can only have two or three hundred yuan left. Some people have no money left at all and can only make ends meet, so one thousand yuan is considered a huge sum of money.
Pu Xiang waited for everyone to stop being surprised, then smiled and said, "Is it too much? Of course, it's okay to lend less here. Director Shi, if you do a good job in the loan work here, won't it be a relief in front of the leaders?"
When Shi Weidong heard Pu Xiang's words, he immediately had an idea.
He is now in his forties and works in a credit union in this rural area. In the eyes of many people, this is already a good job. However, his wife is a middle school teacher and was recently transferred to the Education Bureau because of her outstanding work and became a "leader."
Shi Weidong felt that his job was not impressive enough. Standing next to his wife, he had to be praised by others for being a perfect match.
He doesn't want to be a "little man" and let people misunderstand him as a gigolo who depends on his wife for a living and has to look at his wife's face.
Recently, what Shi Weidong thinks about most is not salary increase, but promotion.
How to get promoted? Don't you have to achieve results?
Seeing that he was somewhat interested, Pu Xiang immediately said, "Director Shi, after our country's reform and opening up, we have been encouraging some people to get rich first, and then the rich will help the poor to achieve common prosperity. You see, our society has indeed developed rapidly in recent years, and our rural life has also improved a lot. A few days ago, I went to the county town and found that the development of the county town was also very fast, and all kinds of small commodities were selling very well. These are all business opportunities! When I came back, I thought, as a rural woman, I also have to find a way to make myself rich. Don't we have a kind of Can we grow silkworms on mulberry trees? It just so happens that this place is close to the provincial capital, Linshi, where there is a large-scale clothing production and wholesale market. I want to start a women's clothing business and connect with them. If I can find the right channels, I can also bring in the silkworms here. Silkworms are good things. They can be made into clothes and quilts. Whether it is finding a factory to supply them or introducing a factory to the local area, it will be a great thing. By then, the farmers here can also get rich by raising silkworms, and our township, and even our county, can be made into a nationally famous silkworm breeding base. "
The trick of drawing a big cake is no longer effective in later generations, and everyone, young or old, can see through it at a glance.
But it is still useful now.
Shi Weidong listened, his eyes flashing with excitement.
He didn't really believe anything just because someone drew a picture of a cake.
Pu Xiang said it lightly, but in his opinion, this matter would be difficult to implement and it was full of unknowns.
Women's clothing, and raising silkworms?
It is related, but the relationship is not that big.
But taking a step back, what Pu Xiang said is not completely impossible to achieve. He works in a credit union and has come into contact with many people in this field. He has heard many stories about going into business. The success stories of those successful people are even more exciting than any other stories.
The painting of Pu Xiang's cake is not exaggerated.
Also, Shi Weidong used to see Pu Xiang following Shi Hai around and not talking much, so he never paid much attention to her. But this time, when he heard her speak, he felt that this rural woman did not speak like those timid country people at all.
It feels like he really has some ideas and abilities.
Shi Weidong weighed the pros and cons quickly in his mind and figured it out. As the director of a credit union, he was only responsible for lending money and it was not like he was going to cooperate with Pu Xiang. Whether they succeeded or failed had nothing to do with him. With the Shi family around, he was not afraid of not being able to recover the loans he had lent out.
Multiple businesses are also good for him.
Shi Weidong frowned: "Ten thousand is a bit too much."
Pu Xiang waited for his next words.
"Well, I'll approve you 6,000 this time. Once you've got your store up and running, if there's cooperation and you want to expand the business, we can discuss how much more you want to borrow."
Pu Xiang's psychological expectation was five thousand, which was exceeded.
"Okay, thank you Director Shi. Now, I have my ID. Can I go through the formalities now? I am going to the county town to look at the storefront later."
Shi Weidong really didn't expect that she was so decisive. She took out a loan in the morning and went to look at the store in the afternoon.
"Okay, okay, today's women comrades really hold up half the sky, amazing! Is the name of this loan written in Uncle Shi Hai's name?"
Pu Xiang's heart moved, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She was borrowing a loan, not committing fraud.
"It's written in my name. This is a business that I wanted to start. Whether I make a profit or a loss, it's all my responsibility. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
She has nothing to do with the Shi family anymore. If she really loses money, shouldn't she take the responsibility herself?
From what Shi Weidong heard, it seemed that the young wife must have had some quarrel with her family members over opening a store, which was why she said that out of spite.
This is not surprising. Going to the county to open a store, this rural daughter-in-law is really brave. The villagers are timid, so it is normal that they don't agree to the trouble. However, the Shi family still favors this daughter-in-law and agrees.
He didn't expect that Pu Xiang came here on her own and was divorced. It was because Pu Xiang was too calm that he didn't think in this direction, which was as impossible as the sun rising from the west.
At this moment, Pu Xiang felt that the money she gave to Shi Dafu was worth it. She left the Shi family without causing any trouble, and her identity as Shi Hai's daughter-in-law was still useful.
The main focus is on information gap.
When she really gets divorced, she won't be able to borrow even 60 yuan, let alone a 6,000 yuan loan.
She would have to find another way to get the start-up capital to open a store. She might even have to set up a food stall and spend a few more years.
With Director Shi giving the green light all the way, Pu Xiang was able to get the loan very smoothly without any setbacks.
The loan amount is 6,000 yuan, and the principal and 15% interest must be repaid within one year.
When Pu Xiang came out of the credit union again, she had a passbook with 5,500 more yuan in it. She withdrew the remaining 500 yuan in cash and kept it with her.
She is going to the county town later, and I am not saying this nonsense.
Pu Xiang thought about the female employee who had just handled the business for her. She was shocked and kept staring at her the whole time, as if there was something strange growing on her head and face. She found it funny.
I guess this person will gossip about this to others right away.
She felt like laughing when she thought that her legend would not only spread in the village, but that a new version would soon appear in the town.
"Third sister!"
After Pu Xiang said goodbye to Director Shi and came out, someone called her. She looked up and saw a familiar young woman standing next to her bicycle, pushing a bike.
"Shi Wenya?"
Pu Xiang and Shi Wenya were lifelong friends. When she was 65 years old, she went to live in Hai City, and the two kept in touch.
When Shi Wenya's son remarried, he borrowed money from her.
Shi Wenya waved at her, "Third sister, third sister, I saw your car and thought you might have gone to the credit union. I didn't dare to go in to find you, so I waited outside. Sure enough, I was right."
The woman has a round face and speaks in a loud voice. You can tell she is efficient.
Pu Xiang was also very happy to see Shi Wenya so energetic at this time.
Shi Wenya was a younger sister she got along well with after she married into Shijia Village. She was originally from Shijia Village, so she married in the village and gave birth to a son after marriage. Although her mother-in-law was not particularly easy to get along with, she could still get by.
Life was originally pretty good, but then Shi Wenya's husband was accidentally hit and killed by a car, leaving her a widow. The man she remarried also died of cancer before he reached the age of 40.
As his only son grew up, he became an unreliable young man. He abandoned his wife and daughter, got divorced once, and his second marriage partner was a hostess who came to his house with a big belly to force him to marry her. Shi Wenya was almost angry to death at that time.
But in the end, she couldn't help her son. After an examination, it was confirmed that the baby in her belly was indeed her son's. She could only accept it. She asked Pu Xiang to borrow money for this marriage.
"You are so smart, you can guess right and go to the street to buy things?"
Pu Xiang took her hand warmly and asked her.
"Third sister."
Shi Wenya's expression calmed down a bit. She looked around and saw that no one was around. Then she lowered her voice and said, "I'm not going out. Uncle Shi Hai came to my house and said that you and Dafu had a fight and wanted a divorce. Your parents couldn't persuade you to go back to your parents' home. You left Shi's house. Uncle Shi Hai was afraid that you would have nowhere to go at night, so he asked me to ask you to sleep at my house. I chased you all the way out. You pedaled so fast that I thought I had lost you. Fortunately, I recognized your car here."
She pedaled so hard along the way that her back was sweating.
Shi Wenya was telling the truth. She repeated to Pu Xiang word for word exactly what Shi Hai had said to her.
She has a good relationship with Pu Xiang, not with Shi Hai or Shi Dafu. She went out to look for Pu Xiang out of concern for her, not because Shi Hai asked her for help.
This is the first person Pu Xiang has met who truly cares about her since she returned to the age of 25.
Pu Xiang also looked around and whispered, "It's not about divorce, it's already divorced."
Shi Wenya opened her mouth in shock: "Ah!"
Then she immediately thought of many things that would happen next, and she became anxious: "What about your parents? Are they really not letting you go back to your parents' home like Uncle Shi Hai said? What are you going to do in the future? Where are you going to live? You can only stay at my house for a few days. If you stay for too long, my mother-in-law will definitely make a fuss. How about... go back and have a good talk with your parents?"
Pu Xiang reached out and patted her arm, saying, "Don't worry about this for now. I have something to do in the county town. Will you come with me?"
Shi Wenya exclaimed again, "Ah!" Why did they say they were going to the county town again? It wasn't the New Year or any other festival, so why were they going to the county town?
But Pu Xiang urged her again, and she agreed for some unknown reason.
"Go, go ahead."
When Pu Xiang heard her agreement, he waved his hand, got on his bike and left.
After all, I was young, and a one-hour bicycle ride to the county town was nothing. I had a good waist, legs and feet, and I could ride the bike very fast.
Shi Wenya was still worried at first, but halfway through the journey she put the matter behind her. Speaking of going to the county town, she wanted to see the Central Building, which was the tallest building newly built in the county town.
There is also a hotel there, but she has never been there before and she wants to go and broaden her horizons.
The two young women walked along the main road to the county town and soon entered the city.
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