Li Chang looked impatient, "You lie in front of me all day, but when it comes to your family, you canât. Canât you say I hit you? Say it however pitifully you want."
"But Saozi knows what happened today. If my brother comes home, finds out I didnât tell the truth, and comes over to ask for money, what do we do?"
"The money is already in our hands. If they want it back, do you think Iâd give it?"
"Not now, but when we make a profit, you must return my momâs and brotherâs money."
Li Chang waved dismissively, "Got it, got it, stop with the nonsense and quickly borrow the money."
Shen Rong went to Shen Boxuâs factory, putting on a sad act in front of Shen Boxu.
It just so happened that Shen Boxu was given his paycheck today, and with Shen Rongâs coaxing and deception, he borrowed dozens of yuan from the factory.
They managed to gather a hundred yuan for Shen Rong.
Meanwhile, Tan Aixiang was at home comforting Han Ying, unaware that her husband had already given the money away. "Cousin, so Shen Rong came to borrow money today?" Lin Wan asked Tan Aixiang, seeing Grandmaâs mood had improved.
"Yes, right when she arrived, she asked me for five hundred yuan. I donât have that much money. I planned to lend them a hundred yuan, but when I asked her what it was for, she couldnât give a clear answer, which made me suspicious. I decided not to lend the hundred yuan anymore, who knew theyâd turn to Grandma. Since we moved in, Iâm the one managing the putty business, and every month, I give Grandma twenty yuan. She doesnât have much money either. Grandma also knows that lending to Shen Rong isnât reliable, so she didnât mention it. Just when we were at a standstill, you arrived, and it happened that you ran into this situation."
"Cousin, itâs a good thing we ran into each other today; Iâm sure they will come to us next."
Tan Aixiang thought about it and agreed with Lin Wan. "Sigh, those two arenât the kind who can live a peaceful life."
"You havenât noticed? Todayâs incident was clearly orchestrated by Li Chang. Rongrong, sheâs just foolish. When she brought Li Chang over, I knew it was unreliable. He seems polite on the surface, but heâs crafty and cunning." At her age, Han Ying was good at judging others.
"Grandma, I was reckless today," Han Yi said, "We should talk to Uncle about this so he can manage Shen Rong. If she continues like this, sheâll only suffer more in the future."
"She deserved the beating. If I werenât too old, Iâd have given her a good thrashing today. Sigh, Rongrong has been spoiled by your aunt. We should mention this to your uncle; itâs his daughter, and he needs to discipline her. I, an old woman, canât manage them anymore."
"Grandma, why not come stay with us for a while to avoid these bothersome matters?" Deep down, Han Yi wanted Han Ying to live with them.
"Yes, Grandma, youâve been saying you want to visit us since we moved out." "Sigh... Xiao Wan, you two canât do that; we care for Grandma well. Grandma is a treasure in our family, and you canât just take her away. You can visit more often instead," Tan Aixiang objected to Han Yi and Lin Wanâs suggestion.
"Cousin, itâs just for a short stay, not permanently."
"You say itâs temporary, but you wonât let her return once she settles in," Tan Aixiang playfully glared at Lin Wan and said, "Grandma, you canât just leave your great-grandson and run off to enjoy yourself."
Tan Aixiangâs playful remark made Han Ying laugh heartily. She held their hands and said, "Iâm not leaving, Iâm not leaving, hahaha, Iâm too old to walk around. Xiao Yi has to study, Xiao Wan is busy with her business and looking after the child. When I visit, Xiao Wan canât manage alone. If you miss me, just visit more often. I can soak in the herbs you brought me this time; itâll last me through the winter."
Thinking of the young couple in every aspect, Han Yi and Lin Wan felt they had done so little for their grandmother.
By chance, meeting Shen Rong today was something destined. If Zhang Dandan hadnât delayed yesterday, todayâs events wouldnât have happened. Yet, if Shen Rong wanted to borrow money, she would eventually circle through relatives. Visiting their home was just a matter of time.
On the way home, Han Yi held Lin Wanâs hand, checking, "Does it hurt?"
Hearing Han Yiâs question, Lin Wan was momentarily surprised. "Who spoils their wife like this? Typically, when a wife gets into a fight, the husband calms things down. You, on the other hand, joined in and then asked if my hand hurts."
Despite saying this, Lin Wan was deeply touched by Han Yiâs supportive behavior today, which brought her immense pride. Having a husband who protects her at all times was very comforting.
Sigh, it would be wonderful if my husband could be by my side every day in the future.
"Thatâs for ordinary people. Iâm no ordinary man. If my wife truly did something wrong, Iâd tell her off at home but I wouldnât let her be wronged in front of others."
"Husband, youâre so good," Lin Wan wanted to hug him and give him a deep kiss if they werenât on the street.
"In the future, when Iâm not home, if Shen Rong and her partner come, donât open the door for them. Her partner has bad intentions, and thereâs no need to interact with them," Han Yi advised Lin Wan.
"Mm, I know. What they spoke of today is illegal, right? If the government finds out, the person organizing the funds will probably go to jail. I warned them, but they didnât appreciate it. If something happens later, itâs not our fault."
"Mm, let them cause trouble. We donât need to get involved. Some people wonât change until theyâve been taught a lesson." After arriving home, with nothing to do, Han Yi started preparing to make a round trampoline for Little Star in the yard.
Little Star now likes Lin Wan supporting her as she runs around the yard. Sheâs trying to learn to walk, causing Lin Wan to bend over, which is exhausting. Usually, she uses a scarf to help support Little Star as she walks.
Han Yi wanted to make a trampoline for their child, placing several poles around it so Little Star could hold onto them to learn to walk on her own, easing Lin Wanâs burden. When not practicing, Little Star could crawl and bounce inside.
Lin Wan looked for space in the house for Little Star. Han Yi collected the necessary items within an hour from the street.
After putting Little Star to sleep, the couple worked in the yard to make a trampoline for their child.
"By the way, when I was out just now, I ran into Yang Wei, and he returned the money he owed me."
"Why didnât you invite him to come to our house?"
"He had something else to do and couldnât make it."
"Oh. Wait, did you run into him at the market?"
Han Yi was noticeably taken aback, "How did you know?"
"A few days ago, Shi Lan mentioned seeing Yang Wei at the market. At that time, Yang Lian was carrying large bags for someone. Shi Lan was curious but didnât ask him and told me about it later... Ai Yi, has Yang Wei retired?"
Listening, Han Yi sighed with a smile, "No, he works in the city during his breaks to earn some extra money. Last year, his family owed a few hundred from debt to his comrade. His comrades arenât wealthy, so he must repay them quickly."
"Oh, so thatâs the case. I bet Sun Yu doesnât know about this, right?"
"...Probably doesnât know," replied Han Yi uncertainly.
Lin Wan was certain Sun Yu didnât know that the money she spent was borrowed by Yang Wei from his comrades. If she knew, she certainly wouldnât spend so lavishly.
Once the trampoline was finished, Lin Yinghui and Liang Zhi came back.
Lin Wan quickly went to the front yard to inquire. "Brother, howâs it going? What did Aunt say? Are they willing to return?"
"Sigh, we didnât see anyone when we went there." Liang Zhi said dejectedly.
"Not at home?" Lin Wan was surprised, wondering if Zhang Dandan and Liang Weixiang had informed them, causing the mother and daughter to deliberately hide.
Lin Yinghui nodded, then shook his head, leaving Lin Wan puzzled.
"What happened?"
"We went, and indeed there was no one home, but we happened to see them in the nearby street," said Lin Yinghui.
"Yes, there was no one home, so Ah Hui took me around the area, planning to return later. Who wouldâve thought weâd spot them at a street corner? Guess what they were doing?" Liang Zhi asked.
"Selling clothes, I bet!" Lin Wan didnât need to guess.
Liang Zhi looked surprised, "Yes, exactly. When I approached them, trying to persuade them to return with me, they ran off at the sight of me, saying as they ran that they wouldnât return. Sigh! They wouldnât even speak to me, and now Iâm left wondering how to explain this to Uncle."