Chapter 42: I Can’t Pay It Back in My Life
When asked to borrow money, the second sister-in-law was the first to express her attitude, "My family can't borrow money, and we still don't have enough to eat."
Li Nanqiu looked at his sister-in-law again.
The eldest sister-in-law stammered and took out two yuan from her pocket, "All my money is here. My parents don't recognize me anymore..."
"Forget it, Mom. Does our family have anything valuable?" Li Nanqiu waved his hand and stopped counting on his two sisters-in-law.
The second sister-in-law and the eldest sister-in-law looked at the mother-in-law.
Mrs. Li thought about it carefully, looked at her two daughters-in-law, and finally shook her head. "No, they were ruined in the early years. There is not a single one left."
Li Nanqiu paced back and forth, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. "It's in the village. Can I borrow it?"
"Nan Qiu, you know that in the past they were the ones who borrowed money from us. How could we borrow money from them? They definitely didn't have any money." The second sister-in-law said hurriedly. She was really afraid to go out and borrow money. She was afraid of being embarrassed.
"This is a different time now. Let's all go and borrow as much as we can. Let's pay for our father's surgery first, otherwise we will be without a father in this family." Li Nanqiu said decisively.
"Then go and borrow it quickly. You can't let your father die like this!" Mrs. Li trembled and was about to cry.
"Let's split up. I'll go to the east of the village, mother, you go to the west, eldest sister-in-law goes to the south, and second sister-in-law, you take charge of the north. We'll ask every household, and use a nicer tone and a more humble attitude." Li Nanqiu divided the work.
"Okay, I'll go right away." The sister-in-law responded immediately.
The second sister-in-law hesitated and muttered, "This is really embarrassing, and so is Dad. Why would he want to commit suicide? Why is there no such thing as a family--"
"Second sister-in-law!" Li Nanqiu interrupted Yang Rongzhi's monologue, "If you really don't want to go, just stay home and I'll go."
"I didn't say I wouldn't go. I have to take one step at a time. There's no point in rushing. I can't fly..."
The four women of the Li family, leaving their home and about to do something, caused quite a stir in Mantou Village. Some lamented that the Li family had reached this point, while others, while keeping their composure, secretly gloated over the family's downfall. In short, Li Nanqiu had traded the family's reputation for her father's life, but the outcome was far from satisfactory.
Just as the second sister-in-law had expected, everyone didn't expect the Li family to come to borrow money. Secondly, although they wanted to help, they really couldn't come up with the money. They borrowed from almost the entire village and only managed to collect less than 20 yuan. For Old Man Li's surgery fee, it was a drop in the bucket and not enough.
"Is there anyone else's house that we haven't visited yet?" Li Nanqiu asked, looking at the pile of banknotes, one or two cents each.
"They've all been there." The second sister-in-law said, afraid to go there again.
"There is one family we haven't visited yet." The sister-in-law thought of her family.
"Who?" Li Nanqiu asked.
"Tao Xiaoxi's house."
"Tao Xiaoxi?" Li Nanqiu had no impression of this person, but he had a very strong impression of this name. This was the woman that his third brother insisted on marrying.
"I think let it go. How could she be so kind?" The second sister-in-law poured cold water on him without wasting a moment.
"That's not necessarily true. Last time, it was she who saved Dad by bringing him ginseng. Actually, Xiao Xi is a pretty good person..."
"Xiao Xi Xiao Xi, I think you are going to become her lackey. Don't you know what Dad is upset about this time?" The second sister-in-law criticized mercilessly.
"I'll go ask. Nothing is more important than borrowing money right now." Li Nanqiu decided.
"Her house is on the west side near the foot of the mountain, the only one there." The sister-in-law explained quickly.
"Okay, I understand."
Li Nanqiu's style of doing things is quite similar to that of Li Nanshan, but she is more ruthless than her brother. Once she makes a decision, she will achieve it at all costs. This can be seen from her insistence on going to school and becoming the first female high school student in Mantou Village. This time, it was once again demonstrated in the matter of raising money for her father's medical treatment.
She didn't care about any grudges between Tao Xiaoxi and the Li family. As long as she opened the door, she would speak. Her goal now was to bring his father back to life.
So when Tao Xiaoxi opened the door and saw a girl who looked very similar to Li Nanshan standing in front of her door, she guessed that this was his sister Li Nanqiu, but she did not expect that she would appear at her door at this time and ask to borrow money as soon as she opened her mouth.
As straightforward as Tao Xiaoxi, she couldn't help but be shocked by the courage of the girl in front of her, so she replied very sincerely, "I don't have that much money on hand."
"Then how much do you have? Just take whatever you have." Li Nanqiu didn't feel embarrassed or ashamed at all.
"Wait a minute." Tao Xiaoxi went into the inner room.
Li Nanqiu finally had a moment to examine the house. She remembered it as a house on the edge of Mantou Village, but she had never really cared who lived there. The house was now immaculately clean. Although it was sparsely furnished, it was neatly organized. It was clear the owner had a good sense of living, perhaps even a bit of a clean freak. This was the first time she had seen a bar of soap next to the washbasin in a Mantou Village home; it was considered a heinous act of extravagance and was unheard of. Furthermore, there were two toothbrushes, one large and one small, in the toothbrush holder on the washbasin stand. This was another fact that impressed her: it suggested that this family brushed their teeth regularly, and both adults and children did so, a rare sight in Mantou Village.
Seeing this, Li Nanqiu could no longer associate Tao Xiaoxi with that witch and whore. Thinking of what her third brother had said to her in the hospital, the scale in her heart involuntarily tilted towards Tao Xiaoxi, and she felt that they had met too late.
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