Chapter 20: Can People Who Lend Usury Loans Be Trusted to Keep Their Promise and Leave After Collecting the Money?
“Well, isn’t this the same for tailor shops, restaurants, cloth stores, rice shops, and so on? One person can’t rely solely on themselves; they must learn to manage and utilize others reasonably.” Wen Nuan Nuan felt she had delved a bit too deeply for a nine-year-old child, and her modern way of thinking made her stop and refrain from going further.
What she didn’t know was that, for her, these few short sentences were like a massive stone thrown into the young boy’s heart, stirring up towering waves.
Leng Yun seemed to pause, frowning as he sank into his own thoughts, remaining silent for a long time.
“What about the bedsheets and quilt covers? Are they enough?” Wen Nuan Nuan turned to ask Leng Tian.
Leng Tian had already taken the initiative to chop the dried firewood into small pieces. Hearing Wen Nuan Nuan’s question, he replied while splitting the wood, “We made two sets. Auntie Zhu said it was simple and didn’t charge for the labor. There’s still a little less than half a bolt of cloth left. Sister-in-law, do you want to make two pairs of cloth shoes?”
“I don’t need them. I have many new pairs of shoes; I won’t use them.” Not only were her shoes new, but they were also embroidered shoes, finely crafted. Cloth was precious now, and who knew where it might be needed later? It was better to save it.
Wen Nuan Nuan thought for a moment and added, “I was thinking that just two pairs of cloth shoes wouldn’t be enough for you all. When the coarse cloth is bought, each of you should make two more pairs.”
In this freezing cold, how could anyone manage without shoes?
Having several pairs to change into, with replacements for when they get wet or dirty, and alternating between them would also make them last longer.
Leng Tian paused in his wood-splitting, and Leng Chen, who had been polishing a wooden lid with his head down, looked up.
After a long while, the two of them softly replied, “…Okay.”
Since arriving here, Wen Nuan Nuan had already adjusted to going to bed early and waking up early.
The Leng Family was so poor they didn’t even have an oil lamp. Every day, they had to finish dinner and wash up before dark. Without phones, books, or light, what else could she do but sleep early?
And if she slept early, she naturally woke up early.
No wonder the ancients often said, “Work at sunrise, rest at sunset”—it was practically a summary of their way of life.
Sunrise didn’t necessarily mean work, but sunset meant only rest.
Well, for her, sunrise didn’t necessarily mean work, but for the three little ones, they wished they could work without sleeping.
Wen Nuan Nuan looked at the faint light filtering through the wooden window, estimating it was only around six in the morning, but soft sounds were already coming from the yard.
By this time, Eldest Brother had already made a trip up the mountain and brought back a flatbed cart of dried branches and fallen leaves to use as kindling for the fire.
Second Brother was weaving bamboo baskets in the yard.
Little Brother was sweeping the yard.
Only she was still lazily lingering in bed.
Wen Nuan Nuan took a deep breath and got up.
The first thing she did every morning was check the refrigerator!
Today, she focused on the expanded section.
It had grown a bit larger again. It seemed that consistently being good to the three little ones did indeed cause the inside of the refrigerator to expand.
She took out the small wooden cup. The water inside, which she had drunk from, hadn’t changed at all—neither more nor less.
Wen Nuan Nuan gently tested it and was immediately shocked, her eyes brimming with joy.
The water was still warm!
After being left for a day and a night, it was still warm!
This was simply too miraculous and wonderful.
The expanded area was indeed different. It didn’t have the automatic restoration function, but it could keep items unchanged.
Did that mean she could use it for storage now?
She could keep her silver notes inside, not worrying about them getting damp, and tomorrow she could take them to the city to exchange for gold and silver ingots to store in this space.
Gold and silver ingots gave her more peace of mind than silver notes, after all, she didn’t have to worry about whether the money house might collapse or whether merchants would accept the silver notes. Most importantly, they were convenient to use.
Looking further ahead, as long as she continued to treat the four of them well and kept making the refrigerator bigger, could she store the remaining rice, flour, oil, and salt inside without worrying about them spoiling or getting infested with bugs?
Heavens, this was truly wonderful, giving her such a treasure.
Wen Nuan Nuan got up in a cheerful mood, first gathering the silver notes hidden in the corner and placing them in the expanded area of the refrigerator, then heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Today, the debt collectors would come. Once the debt was repaid, she would be free of burdens and could go to the city with a light heart to buy daily necessities and furnish this home.
She took out some millet and cooked a large pot of nourishing pumpkin millet porridge, steaming some savory meat buns and shaomai alongside.
Drinking the steaming, stomach-warming porridge, Wen Nuan Nuan felt deeply satisfied.
“Sister-in-law, when the debt collectors come later, please lock the door from inside your room and don’t come out, alright?” Leng Chen softly advised.
Wen Nuan Nuan was taken aback. “Is it inappropriate to meet with men from outside?”
Then it occurred to her: after all, this was a conservative ancient era, with many restrictions on women.
Leng Chen pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
Leng Tian spoke bluntly, “No, it’s just that those men are quite shameless. We’re afraid they might say something foul that would offend your ears. It’s better to stay quietly in your room. Anyway, once we repay what we owe them today, we’ll have no further dealings with them.”
“That’s right, Sister-in-law, stay in your room later and don’t come out. We have the silver to repay them, so they won’t have anything to say.” Leng Yun, drinking the warm pumpkin millet porridge in big gulps, also urged his sister-in-law with concern.
Wen Nuan Nuan’s delicate brows furrowed uneasily. For the first time, she realized that not everyone was as friendly as the three little ones.
Would the people lending usury loans keep their word and leave once they received the silver?
“One silver note isn’t enough!”
“We agreed to borrow thirty taels and repay sixty taels, principal and interest, in three months. How can you go back on that?”
“Hah, you heard wrong. Who told you the interest for three months was only thirty taels? It’s thirty taels per month, so it’s one hundred twenty taels, principal and interest, in three months!”
“You, you… It was clearly written in black and white, signed and fingerprinted. How can you go back on your word!”
“Who’s going back on their word! Don’t you dare talk nonsense, you brats! Watch out or I’ll beat you up. You say it’s written in black and white with fingerprints? Where’s the paper? Where are the fingerprints? We don’t have any.”
“It’s with my eldest brother. I’ll go call him back.”
“Calling him won’t help! Even if he comes back, the amount stays the same! If you can’t repay, as agreed, you’ll forfeit this house! Whether it’s sixty taels or one hundred twenty taels, it’ll all be settled then.”
“Impossible! How could our house be worth only that much!”
“What can you do about it? Who told you you don’t have the silver? Even if you’re short by one tael, you’ll have to forfeit it!”
…
In the main hall, on one side were the slick, thuggish enforcers of the usury loan business, and on the other were three half-grown children.
Despite the obvious disparity in strength between the two sides, the weaker party showed no fear, arguing logically and methodically!
Wen Nuan Nuan understood now—this group wasn’t here for the repayment. Their ultimate goal was this house!
In the book, because the Leng Family originally had no silver to repay, they moved to the thatched hut without much argument. But now, since she had produced the banknote, these thugs were quibbling and finding new excuses.
Their goal from the very beginning had always been this house!
That wouldn’t do. Without the house, the winter would be as miserable as could be.
She remembered that in the book, it was this very winter that the brothers suffered frostbite to varying degrees. When spring arrived, the frostbitten areas became unbearably itchy.
Even they, strong and sturdy as they were, suffered so—how much worse would it be for her?
She had to protect the house that belonged to them!
Not just for the three little ones, but for herself as well.
Besides, they had already signed and pressed their fingerprints. These people going back on their word was utterly dishonorable.
Wen Nuan Nuan smeared the hidden pot ash on her face into the shape of a large black birthmark and slowly pulled open the door.
A burly man in short, coarse clothing glanced at the three half-grown children opposite him and threatened with a mix of intimidation and scare tactics, “If you don’t want to repay the silver, then we’ll have to take you to see the magistrate! Let him judge and decide how many strokes of the rod you debt-dodgers deserve!”