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Chapter 336: Chapter 326 Debt Repayment
"There’s nothing to be done about it, then. Perhaps you can just wait a bit longer until her in-laws send a letter. Then everything will be clear, and Shen Yunfang will be able to pay you back," Qiu Fengmei couldn’t think of a good solution, so she could only comfort Wang Guifen this way.
"Oh no, I just remembered something." Wang Guifen was about to nod, as she initially thought the same, but then something suddenly came to mind.
"What’s wrong?" Qiu Fengmei was startled by her sudden alarm.
"Oh no, I just remembered, when Li Hongjun’s mother came over, she said that they needed the money for a trip to visit her younger son in the south. Now that they have borrowed the money, they must have already left. What use is waiting for Li Hongjun’s family’s mail from their hometown now? No, I have to hurry over to Li Hongjun’s house. Waiting is pointless, there certainly won’t be any letter from back home," Wang Guifen said, and quickly got up to put on her shoes.
Qiu Fengmei also got up, "Hey, don’t rush. Can’t you just wait until Shen Yunfang’s in-laws return from the south?"
"I can’t do that; my family doesn’t even have rice to cook. If we keep waiting, we’ll all starve to death. What use is her repaying the money then, when it’s all too late?" Wang Guifen replied, as she walked out, "I’m going to Li Hongjun’s house to ask for the money now, so I won’t be saying goodbye to you."
"Alright, you go quickly, I have to get home soon too," Qiu Fengmei said as she followed her out.
Wang Guifen, who couldn’t care less about Qiu Fengmei at that moment, broke into a jog all the way to Li Hongjun’s house. Stopping at the door, she bent over to catch her breath for a moment, then straightened up and called into the house: "Is anyone from Li Hongjun’s household here?"
No one responded, so she shouted louder, "Is anyone from Li Hongjun’s household in? I’ve come for you." Her voice already carried a hint of irritation.
Instead of the door to Li Hongjun’s house opening, it was the neighbor Wu Guoqiang’s door that swung open.
Shen Yunfang came out to see who it was and, recognizing Wang Guifen, she approached with a full smile, "Oh, if it isn’t Sister Guifen! I was over at Sister Wu’s. Do you need something from me?"
"So you weren’t at home. I thought you were avoiding me and didn’t dare to show your face," Wang Guifen said, her tone a bit unfriendly.
"Hehe, Sister Guifen really has a sense of humor. I would have loved for you to come over for a visit. Li Hongjun isn’t home, and it’s quite lonely just me with the child," Shen Yunfang said, her smile unaffected by Guifen’s displeasure.
Wang Guifen felt a sense of powerlessness towards Shen Yunfang, who always seemed to be so soft and pliable. Initially, Guifen thought that such people were easy to manipulate, but now she realized that dealing with them wasn’t so straightforward. If you were gentle, they were even more so; if you got tough, they were like cotton, offering no resistance and leaving you nowhere to exert your strength.
"I don’t have time to relieve your boredom. I came to tell you something. I remembered your mother-in-law said she was leaving to visit your younger brother-in-law in the south. You surely won’t get any response if you write to your old home now," Wang Guifen said.
"Is that so!" Shen Yunfang acted surprised, then quickly plastered on a smile and said, "No problem, I’m not worried. My mother-in-law won’t stay with my younger brother-in-law forever. She’ll come back someday, and she’ll certainly get my letters. Sister, you can rest assured, your money won’t be lost."
Wang Guifen was on the verge of a breakdown, her frustration escalating by the minute. "You’re not worried, Li Hongjun, but I am! Our rice jar is almost empty, if you don’t return my money, my whole family will be in deep trouble."
The more Shen Yunfang delayed repaying her, the more desperate Guifen grew, trying to think of ways to make her repay the loan sooner.
"It’s not like that at your house, Li Hongjun. You might not be in a hurry, but your sister-in-law is. Our family’s rice jar is hitting rock bottom. If you don’t pay me back, we’ll all be doomed," Wang Guifen was getting anxious, "Yunfang, look at this situation. I’m not someone who makes things up, I definitely lent your mother-in-law a hundred yuan, many people in our residential district know it. I couldn’t possibly lie to you. Why don’t you pay me back a little? We need to get by somehow." She was hinting at wanting her money back.
Upon hearing this, a look of discomfort finally crossed Shen Yunfang’s face, and she spoke in a way Guifen didn’t want to hear.
"Sister-in-law Guifen, how could I not trust your character? Actually, all this trouble isn’t about you. It’s just that when I returned from my trip to my hometown, people suddenly blocked my door demanding their debts. It’s all so confusing. I’ve never borrowed money from anyone in my life, never been in this situation before. I don’t know how to deal with it," Shen Yunfang portrayed herself as an innocent party, although everyone present knew she was talking about Wang Guifen, as she was the first to come collecting.
"What’s there to deal with? Repaying debts is only natural. Just pay back what your mother-in-law borrowed, and that’s the end of it." Wang Guifen thought she was making a big fuss over a simple issue, just dragging things out.
Shen Yunfang looked at Wang Guifen with a hint of reluctance and finally said, "Sister-in-law Guifen, look, here’s the situation. Everyone says they’ve lent my mother-in-law money, but there’s no proof. I’m not doubting what you’re saying, but it’s more reassuring to have some evidence. After all, I wasn’t home when my mother-in-law borrowed the money. Now people come to me for money, claiming my mother-in-law borrowed it. If it’s like this, even if I had mountains of gold and silver, I couldn’t repay it all—and besides, I really don’t have any money. Isn’t that right?"
"This, this... What should we do then?" Wang Guifen pondered and thought it made sense—if she wasn’t there when the money was lent, she couldn’t acknowledge the debt. But since she was the lender in this case, she couldn’t afford to think that way. "We can’t keep dragging this out," she said.
Shen Yunfang just shrugged, indicating she was out of options.
"How about this, pay me back what you owe, and I’ll definitely know it’s right," Wang Guifen said, her face blushing with awkwardness.
Shen Yunfang showed another troubled expression, "Sister-in-law, you’re putting me in a difficult position. If others find out about this, they’ll be at my door demanding money. Plus..."
"I won’t tell anyone, I promise," Wang Guifen quickly assured.
"Sister-in-law Guifen, don’t be in a rush, listen to me. Like I said, I may not trust others, but I trust you. But don’t laugh at me, I really am willing but unable," Shen Yunfang sighed, revealing her predicament—at least on the surface. "Don’t worry just yet, sister-in-law. Starting this month, I’ll begin saving up, and as soon as I have enough, you’ll be the first one I’ll repay."
Wang Guifen’s lips trembled; she had never imagined that Li Hongjun wouldn’t repay the money. How could it be like this.
"You better not be lying to me, Li Hongjun is in the same rank as my husband Gong. I know exactly how much you earn every month. How can you have no money?"
