Chapter 827: Relatives Borrowing Money

Editor: Henyee Translations

He Cuiyun’s voice carried over, “Qingyu, someone is looking for you!”

“I’m coming.” Li Qingyu emerged from the house, wondering who was looking for her.

The visitor was Li Qingyu’s childhood friend Li Xiangxiu, who was also the daughter of the neighbors of Li Qingyu’s parental home. The two grew up together and got married around the same time. However, since their marriages took them to different places, their interactions had gradually decreased.

Li Xiangxiu’s face was chapped from the cold wind, and she wore an old cotton-padded jacket, huddling from the cold.

Seeing her in such a state, Li Qingyu quickly pulled her into the house, “Let’s talk inside.”

The kitchen was warm, with something cooking, quickly bringing back the feeling to their hands and feet.

After a moment’s thought, Li Qingyu served Li Xiangxiu a bowl of pig trotter soup, “Drink this to warm up.”

Li Xiangxiu accepted the bowl with a look of surprise. It had been a long time since she had meat in her household. Smelling the rich aroma, she felt like she could swallow her tongue, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, drink up.” Seeing her childhood friend living so miserably, Li Qingyu felt a pang of heartache.

Li Xiangxiu no longer held back, hungrily slurping down the soup. The soup was filled with meat, which she also eagerly consumed.

It was delicious, and she wanted to chew on the bones, but they were too hard, so she reluctantly gave up.

Li Qingyu took the bowl and refilled it with a generous serving of meat, “There’s plenty more in the pot. I’ll get you more once you’re done.”

However, Li Xiangxiu, fighting a strong urge to eat, declined, lowering her head in embarrassment, “Qingyu, I didn’t come to scrounge for food. I came to ask you… to ask you…”

Li Qingyu urged, “What is it? Tell me.”

Li Xiangxiu held Li Qingyu’s hand, “Qingyu, you must help me. I… I can’t go on living like this.”

Li Qingyu, concerned, “Tell me, what’s happened?”

Li Xiangxiu broke down in tears, “Half a month ago, my husband fell from the roof while working and broke his leg. If he hadn’t gotten injured, we could have had a good year, but now, not only do we have no money, we are also in debt. I’ve come to you because I had no other choice.”

Li Qingyu understood, “You want to borrow money, right?”

Li Xiangxiu nodded, her eyes red with pleading, “Qingyu, just to get through this year, my husband will pay you back once he earns money next year.”

Li Qingyu, kind-hearted, decided to help her childhood friend without hesitation, “Wait here, I’ll get you some silver.”

Li Xiangxiu was moved, “Thankyou, Qingyu.”

“It’s nothing.” Li Qingyu returned with ten taels of silver, “Xiangxiu, take this for now. If it’s not enough, come back to me.”

Li Xiangxiu was shocked by the ten taels of silver, realizing Qingyu really had become wealthy to lend out such an amount so readily, “Qingyu, I will always remember your kindness.”

“It’s okay.” Li Qingyu reassured her and then went to the workshop to gather some broken biscuits and went to the cellar to fetch a pork leg, placing it in Li Xiangxiu’s basket, “Take these back for the kids to eat.”

Li Xiangxiu tried to refuse, “I can’t take this, Qingyu. You’ve already lent me money, I can’t take more.”

Li Qingyu insisted, “Take it back for the children to eat. It’s okay, it’s almost New Year, everyone should nourish themselves.”

Li Xiangxiu cried again, thinking she might not have been able to get through this year without Qingyu, “If not for you, I might not have made it through this year.”

Li Qingyu patted Li Xiangxiu’s shoulder, “It’s okay now, don’t cry, it will all pass.”

“By the way, Xiangxiu, once your husband is better, he can come to our village to help with building houses. The pay is one hundred copper coins a day, definitely enough for your family to live on.”

Li Xiangxiu was overjoyed, not expecting such good fortune, “Yes, yes, I’ll tell my husband when I get back.”

Li Qingyu nodded. “Okay.”

Li Xiangxiu returned and relayed everything to her husband Zhao Changliang.

However, Zhao Changliang frowned upon hearing it, “Li Qingyu’s business is doing so well, and she only gave you ten taels of silver, some broken biscuits, and a pork leg?”

Li Xiangxiu nodded, “Changliang, after all, the friendship from our childhood is almost gone. That she gave me so much is already showing a lot of face.”

Zhao Changliang ate a piece of the broken biscuit and cursed, “She’s just palming you off as if you were a beggar. You’re too naive, thinking she treats you well.”

Li Xiangxiu was easily influenced, “What do you mean?”

Zhao Changliang expressed his dissatisfaction, “If she truly considered you a friend, she would have given you at least a hundred taels. Ten taels is nothing but a handout, and those broken biscuits are leftovers she couldn’t sell. Yet you’re still grateful to her.”

Li Xiangxiu whispered, “Don’t talk like that, Qingyu is really nice.”

Zhao Changliang cursed, “Foolish woman, you just don’t get it. You’re counting the money for someone who’s selling you out. You’re beyond help.”

Li Xiangxiu hung her head, her resolve wavering, “Qingyu has no obligation to me; that she gave me this much is already charitable.”

Zhao Changliang continued his rant, “Charity my foot. That’s fake charity, and only someone as simple-minded as you would believe it.” After cursing, Zhao Changliang said, “Take that pork leg and stew it. We haven’t had meat for months, not a bit of grease. How am I supposed to recover?”

Li Xiangxiu meekly responded, “I’ll do it right away, don’t be angry.”

Zhao Changliangshouted, “Hurry up.”

In Wang Family Village.

Xu Fumei blocked Wang Yuanping’s path, “Yuanping, you’ve lived in our village for so long, and nobody has made things difficult for you, right?”

She was the daughter-in-law of the village chief of Wang Village, holding a significant status in the village.

While there wasn’t any overt difficulty, the silent exclusion was more uncomfortable, but Wang Yuanping wasn’t narrow-minded and still spoke to her calmly, “Sister-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Xu Fumei thought for a moment and then spoke directly, “I noticed that the wheat in Chu Qingzhi’s land grows better than everyone else’s. I was wondering where they got their wheat seeds from?”

The wheat in Chu Qingzhi’s land, although sown at the same time as others, stood a head taller and greener, looking much better.

She had two plots of land ready to sow wheat. She had already bought the seeds, but after seeing the wheat in the land under Chu Qingzhi’s care, she couldn’t help but be tempted.

Wang Yuanping replied, “That wheat seed was prepared by Miss Chu for everyone. I don’t know where she got it from, and she didn’t accept any money from the villagers, only requesting that all the wheat harvested next year be sold to her.”

“Is there such a good deal?” Xu Fumei regretted not being one of the people on that land.

Wang Yuanping nodded, “Indeed.”

Full of hope, Xu Fumei asked, “Is there any left? Can I go buy some?”

Wang Yuanping said, “I’m not in charge of this, I don’t know, but you can go ask.”

Xu Fumei inquired, “Then who is in charge?”

Wang Yuanping replied, “Yuanlin is handling it.”

Xu Fumei immediately left Wang Yuanping behind, “Alright, I’ll go find Yuanlin.”

Wang Yuanping shook his head and continued his way to Xu Family Village to complete the task assigned by Chu Qingzhi. His family was waiting for him to bring back his salary to buy New Year’s goods.

With this thought, he became even more determined.

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