NOVPUB
Chapter 341: Chapter 331 You Must Repay This Money
Li Hongqi didn’t want to take on the burden of the 200-yuan debt owed by Old Li and Qiu Shuping, and Shen Yunfang certainly wasn’t going to make it easy to help pay it off, so the two exchanged many rounds of repetitive conversations over the phone.
On the other end, Qiu Shuping had repeatedly attempted to angrily confront Shen Yunfang over the phone, trying to forcefully demand that Yunfang and her husband repay the money. However, Shen Yunfang’s stance was crystal clear. If that’s how they were going to speak, she would just take her child and go to Li Hongqi’s school to find someone. If life became unbearable, she threatened to make her brother-in-law support her family. If the other party tried to play dirty by hanging up the phone, she would threaten to give the creditor Taoshu Village’s and Li Hongqi’s school’s address, letting the creditor go and look for them themselves. It wasn’t just about being sly; anyone could do that. She hadn’t acted this way before because she didn’t think it was necessary, but now that she was being bullied right to her doorstep, she had decided to discard her dignity.
Some people might not understand why Shen Yunfang, who had given money so easily to Qiu Shuping in the past when she came asking for it several times, was now making a big deal out of it and refusing to give this time. Two hundred yuan might seem like a lot to others, but to Shen Yunfang, a well-off individual, it was a mere trifle.
Shen Yunfang saw it this way. Although they had separated from the Li Family, they were still family members, and sibling relationships shouldn’t end just because of separation. It was normal for relatives to give gifts for occasions, let alone between siblings. She had only taken a bit more during gifting due to her own circumstances. But even as siblings, there should be clear accounts. She wasn’t obligated to pay for everything.
For this instance, where Qiu Shuping borrowed money to go down south to see Li Hongqi, from any angle, this wasn’t a debt that Shen Yunfang should be repaying, at least not without clarity.
After this incident occurred, she had never considered the possibility of not paying a single cent. That was impossible. As long as Li Hongjun was still Qiu Shuping’s son, Shen Yunfang couldn’t ignore Qiu Shuping’s affairs. But when it came to paying, it had to be fair. Qiu Shuping had three sons, so the money she borrowed should be borne by all three sons together. It couldn’t just fall on them, the second child’s family alone.
Of course, since Li Hongjun wasn’t home, the situation was much easier to handle. It wasn’t too much to ask for fair treatment as a daughter-in-law from her in-laws.
"Second sister-in-law, now that I’m so far away, I truly am powerless to help. How about this, you help our parents repay the money for now, and when we all go home for the New Year, we can sit down together and discuss how to handle this matter, okay? Don’t worry, this money definitely shouldn’t come out of your pocket alone, I absolutely won’t default on it." Li Hongqi, having been left with no choice by Shen Yunfang’s aggressive tactics, found that those words and methods of his might work on a gentleman, but never on someone unrestrained by shame. Now he just wanted to press down the matter, to find a way to repay the borrowed money first, and as for future issues, he’d deal with them when the time came. After all, as long as his mother was around, he was sure to not be at a disadvantage.
Shen Yunfang wasn’t a three-year-old child. How could she not be aware of his intentions?
"Li Hongqi, let me be frank with you. Two hundred yuan is not a small amount. I too am willing but unable to help," Shen Yunfang flatly refused, knowing full well that paying out the money was like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone without return.
"Second~sister-in-law~~" Li Hongqi drew out the words ’second sister-in-law’ very long, the irritation clear in his voice. He had already lowered himself so much, and yet this sister-in-law remained so unrelenting.
"Li Hongqi, calling me ’second sister-in-law’ won’t do any good. There’s a saying, ’clear accounts make good siblings’. I know you have your eyes on your second brother’s salary, but I can tell you plainly, your second brother now has a wife and child; his salary has to support his family, and they’re struggling to make ends meet monthly, so he has no capability to clean up after you anymore. If you’re thinking that the three brothers should split this debt, then you best make sure your eldest brother and his wife agree to help pay. If your sister-in-law agrees to pay out, then I, as your second sister-in-law, will also contribute. Does that sound fair to you?"
When Li Hongqi wanted to go to college, Wang Dan didn’t pay a dime. Now she wanted her to help others repay debts? That was a pipe dream.
Li Hongqi also understood this, which is why he didn’t even consider asking his older sister-in-law for money. He only thought about asking his second brother to contribute.
"Second sister-in-law, you know what kind of person my older sister-in-law is, I..." He didn’t finish the rest of his sentence.
"As long as you understand. So let’s not beat around the bush with this matter. What I mean is, if our mother can’t repay this two hundred yuan she borrowed, then you’ll have to do it. After all, she chose to live with you after the separation, and it’s also because she went to see you that she borrowed so much money. So you must take full responsibility."
"Second sister-in-law~"
"Don’t talk, just listen to me. This is a public phone, we shouldn’t occupy it for too long." Shen Yunfang smiled apologetically at the leader sitting beside her, sipping tea. She switched the phone to the other hand and continued, "First, ask our mother how much of the two hundred yuan has been spent and how much is left. Make up the difference and send it right away. Also, have our mother think about who she owes money to and make a list for me. Otherwise, people will come to me for money, and even if you had mountains of gold and silver you couldn’t pay them back. For the remaining money, issue IOUs to people and send them immediately. Otherwise, it’s going to be difficult to explain. With the quails on our farm about to be eaten up, people probably won’t fuss too much over it." She said this while looking at Wang Guifen.
Wang Guifen’s eyes darted around, avoiding Shen Yunfang’s gaze. She had taken more than fifty quails from them, which were currently laying eggs at her house.
"As for the IOUs, you can send them directly to Wang Guifen’s sister-in-law. Our mother borrowed the most money from her family, I heard it was a hundred yuan. I’ll give you her address, and you can contact her directly from now on." Shen Yunfang threatened directly. She wasn’t afraid that Li Hongqi wouldn’t come up with the money, as long as he wasn’t afraid of losing face.
Li Hongqi was silent for a while before squeezing a few words through his clenched teeth, "Fine, just wait, I’ll wire the money this afternoon." Then, with a snap, he hung up the phone.
"Mom, do you have fifty yuan left? Consider it a loan from me, just lend it to me for now. When I earn money in the future, I’ll certainly pay you back five hundred." Li Hongqi’s heart bled. The one hundred and fifty yuan his mother had secretly given him just a few days ago hadn’t even warmed in his pocket yet, and now he needed to part with it. How could he not be pained? But this was about his reputation, his future. In order to stop his second sister-in-law from making more trouble, he had to pay this price. However, in his heart, he was once again adding this to the ledger against his second brother and sister-in-law, including the time his second brother beat him up. He remembered all of it and was determined to settle the scores gradually once he made it big.
As for Shen Yunfang, she hung up the phone in a good mood and cheerfully said to Wang Guifen, "Sister-in-law Guifen, I’ve already spoken with my brother-in-law. Once he’s gathered enough money, he’ll wire it over. You can just wait a bit longer, and in a few days, you should be able to get your money back, don’t worry. Rest assured that even if it can’t be repaid, you’ll certainly get an IOU. My brother-in-law is a university student; he can’t just default on your money." She hadn’t anticipated that she might have to contribute at least a third herself, and now she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to pay anything at all.
