Chapter 5: Rescue

Seeing that Cheng Biao and his wife were united and their intimidation tactics were failing, they were infuriated and resorted to a final move.

“Not selling?! Then repay the money! Repay it now! Today!”

Liu Ying’s lips trembled, and she pleaded, “Uncle, the newlyweds just entered the door yesterday, and Ah Yuan hasn’t even started working in the city yet. We really can’t come up with the money right now. Please be understanding for a while.”

“No way!” Cheng Biao’s wife, munching on melon seeds, chimed in, “Isn’t your daughter-in-law from the city? Your family has climbed up the social ladder, so how can you claim to have no money? Don’t keep making excuses!”

Cheng’s wife had a sharp and loud voice, and she continued, “If you don’t sell the land, we’ll demand the money at the village committee. Isn’t there any justice for debts that aren’t paid?”

Liu Ying felt ashamed and whispered, “Please, speak more quietly, Aunt. The neighbors are all coming out…”

It was very quiet in the countryside, and any loud voices carried far. Indeed, neighbors started gathering to see what was happening.

Cheng’s wife raised her voice defiantly, “I’m intentionally being loud! I want everyone in the village to know that you owe money and won’t repay it!”

Liu Ying stumbled under her intimidation, and her honest tears started flowing.

Cheng Tianyuan’s face grew cold, his fists clenched tightly, and he was about to lose his temper. Xue Ling, clutching his arm, pulled him back.

The next moment, she swiftly stepped forward to support Liu Ying and shouted at Cheng’s wife, “Who said we won’t repay? We just haven’t discussed how to get the money yet. You’re making a fuss without knowing the details. Don’t you know that life in the countryside relies on farming? You’re supposed to be Tianyuan’s relatives, but you’re forcing us to sell land!”

Xue Ling walked away, calling out, “All the uncles and aunts in the village, all the fellow villagers, please come and judge this matter! My brother and I just got married, and our uncle and aunt are here demanding a debt repayment, pressuring us to sell our land. Is this how close family behaves?”

Cheng Biao had been a lazy troublemaker, and his unreasonable wife had always taken advantage of the villagers. They were widely disliked.

Earlier, the villagers had all enjoyed the wedding candies distributed by Xue Ling and had a good impression of her as the new bride. They now chimed in, berating Cheng Biao and his wife for being too harsh.

“They’re celebrating their wedding! What are you doing, being so unreasonable?”

“They’re relatives from the same village, how can they force a land sale?”

“Yeah, it’s too heartless!”

Xue Ling’s shout had prompted the villagers to speak up, and Cheng Biao and his wife were berated by the crowd.

At this moment, Xue Ling pulled Cheng Tianyuan aside and whispered, “Support your mother!”

The scene was chaotic, and Cheng Tianyuan obediently supported his mother, who hurriedly returned to their new house and slammed the door shut.

Cheng Biao furrowed his brow. Was she scared?

It’s said that husband and wife are like birds of the same forest, facing difficulties together, but his new bride had fled on her own.

Cheng Biao, who had been a troublemaker by nature, felt embarrassed when the villagers pointed fingers at him. He hid behind his plump wife.

Cheng’s wife, her face red and her voice loud, insisted, “This has nothing to do with you! We must get the money today. If you can’t pay, we’ll take you to the village committee to resolve it! It’s two hundred yuan! Who’s going to help you repay it?”

In the early 1980s, in places like Cheng’s village, ten and five yuan notes were considered significant sums of money. If a family had a one-hundred-yuan note, they were almost considered wealthy.

Helping with words was possible, but helping with money was out of the question.

As soon as Cheng’s wife spoke, the entire crowd fell silent, heads hanging low, and some even took several steps back.

Two hundred yuan – it was a substantial amount of money!

Cheng’s wife was triumphant, shaking her double chin and sneering, “What’s wrong? Can you repay it or not? Get lost!”

Then she extended her dirty, plump hand toward Cheng Tianyuan and his mother, shouting, “Repay it now! Immediately!”

Cheng Tianyuan clenched his teeth and said calmly, “Five days! Fellow villagers, bear witness for me. I will definitely be able to repay it in five days.”

Cheng’s wife coldly smirked and screamed, “No way! It must be repaid today!”

“How can you… they just got married, and their family definitely lacks money.”

“Ah Yuan has always kept his word! If he says five days, it will be five days. Why are you pushing him like this?”

“They need some time to gather the money. This is too much!”

Some of the older villagers with more courage whispered, trying to reason with Cheng’s wife.

Liu Ying wiped away her tears, her eyes red, and implored, “Aunt, please… let’s agree to five days as Ah Yuan said. I’m begging you!”

She stepped forward, as if about to kneel down—

“Mom!” Cheng Tianyuan hurried to support her, but before he could do so, someone else had swiftly entered and pulled Liu Ying up. It was Xue Ling!

Xue Ling held her head high, stood upright, and shouted, “No need to wait for five days. Here are two hundred yuan, repaid to you!”

Everyone was stunned!

Cheng Biao and his wife hurriedly grabbed the money, feeling the crisp, new banknotes with disbelief on their faces.

Xue Ling raised her voice, “The promissory note? Bring it out!”

Cheng’s wife reluctantly took out the promissory note from Cheng Tianyuan’s pocket and handed it over.

Xue Ling took it, glanced at it, and then passed it to Cheng Tianyuan behind her.

“Uncles and aunties, please be witnesses. Cheng Biao’s family has now repaid all the money they borrowed from us. If they dare to cause trouble for my family again in the future, don’t blame us for not being polite!”

Cheng’s wife glared at her, sarcastically remarking, “Family members are getting impolite!”

Xue Ling loudly declared, “What kind of family members are you? You come to demand a debt repayment on the day of their wedding and pressure us to sell our land. Are these the actions of close family?”

“That’s right! It’s too much!”

“Always bullying people!”

The villagers joined in, berating Cheng Biao’s family, and Cheng’s wife had no choice but to keep quiet.

After Cheng’s mother returned home, she immediately excitedly asked Xue Ling, “Ling Ling, where did you get so much money?”

Xue Ling smiled and replied,

 “It’s the dowry from my dad.”

After Cheng Biao’s fertilizer factory closed down, he moved back to Beijing with his wife and daughter. Later, he partnered with someone to start a business, and life became more prosperous.

He had always been grateful to Cheng’s father for saving his life, so when Cheng Tianyuan went to Beijing early, he readily agreed.

Cheng’s parents only had one daughter, Xue Ling, whom they cherished dearly. Knowing that the wedding arrangements were rushed and tough on her, they prepared several boxes of valuable dowry items and 2,000 yuan.

In a time when every penny mattered, this was a considerable amount of money!

However, Xue Ling didn’t tell the whole truth and only said that these 200 yuan were from her own father.

Cheng’s mother happily entered the house and told her husband how wonderful the in-laws were and how well-behaved their daughter-in-law was. She even brought out a lot of dowry.

Cheng Tianyuan looked at Xue Ling with more gratitude in his eyes, whispering, “Thank you… I will repay you this money in the future.”

He had expected her to avoid the situation, but she had gone to get the money to help him out. He felt truly grateful.

With a mischievous smile, Xue Ling teased him when no one else was around, “You don’t have to repay it. You can repay with your body!”

Cheng Tianyuan’s handsome face reddened slightly, and he awkwardly turned away, taking big steps forward with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Xue Ling chuckled from behind.