Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 674 Free from Accounts, Feeling Light
"I'm so angry! I'm so angry! Qin Huairu, you little bitch, you treacherous widow, Jia Dongxu deserved to die! He died a wonderful death!"

"Jia Zhangshi deserves to die too! Only when the entire Jia family is wiped out will our hatred be satisfied!"

Back home, Yan Jiecheng couldn't contain his anger and loudly cursed the Jia family.

Yan Bugui and the Third Aunt watched silently, equally furious at Qin Huairu's betrayal.

The bright future that had been planned was all ruined by Qin Huairu.

The three women couldn't swallow their anger: "Husband, what are we going to do about this? We can't let this loss go unpunished!"

"Don't worry, we'll get our revenge sooner or later. Just wait! We'll make her pay back everything, with interest!" Yan Bugui slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Yan Jiecheng vented his anger for a while, but the anger in his heart still did not subside, but fortunately he calmed down.

His promising future was ruined by Qin Huairu alone.

Yan Bugui hurriedly said, "Jiecheng, while there's still time, quickly return the 400 yuan to Li Kailang and apologize to him politely."

"Understood." Faced with a huge sum of money, Yan Jiecheng still knew what was important and took the money to find Li Kailang.

He immediately handed the money to Li Kailang, then apologized profusely before finally bringing up the IOU.

"This is not your fault. It's purely Qin Huairu who went back on her word. I'll tear up the IOU in front of you, and we'll be even."

"Rip!" The IOU was torn to shreds.

Seeing that Li Kailang was so easy to talk to, Yan Jiecheng felt relieved: "I'm really sorry, this matter has turned out like this."

After offering a final apology, Yan Jiecheng finally left.

After returning home, the whole family cursed Qin Huairu together.

The next day.

"It's 40 yuan, please count it."

"Just right, not a penny more or less."

"Okay, next time you need a pendulum clock, just let me know, I'll buy it."

"Good."

"Let's go."

Bai Xiuwen watched as someone left with the clock he had repaired, and looked at the four black tens in his hand, feeling excited.

"It's finally fixed. With this 40 yuan, things will be much easier."

Thinking about what he was going to do, Bai Xiuwen couldn't help but get excited. His hands trembled as he hurriedly ran home.

"How did it go? Did it sell?" Xu Sinan couldn't help but ask as soon as she saw Bai Xiuwen.

Bai Xiuwen immediately pulled out a large black ten: "They're all here."

"Okay, okay, let's hurry up and finish. We agreed to pay it off this month, and we're already on the last day."

Bai Xiuwen originally planned to pay back the money as soon as he received his salary, but he had work to do and it was delayed for several days until today.

Xu Sinan took Bai Xiuwen to his house, and the two of them withdrew all their savings.

Bai Xiuwen didn't have much money. He had debts to repay, Bai Chi to raise, and daily expenses, plus 40 yuan, so the total was less than 90 yuan.

In contrast, Xu Sinan is self-sufficient and has nearly 120 yuan in savings.

Bai Xiuwen took out 80 yuan without hesitation.

Xu Sinan rolled her eyes, took 30 yuan, and paid the remaining 51 yuan herself.

"This is money I owe you, how could I let you spend it?"

"Stop your damn nonsense! If you give me all the money, what are you and Xiaobai going to eat next month?!"

"That's settled then. If you dare to make any more moves, I'm not someone to be trifled with!"

After saying that, Xu Sinan rolled up her sleeves and showed off her biceps to threaten Bai Xiuwen.

He was immediately ashamed. The longer they spent together, the more different Xu Sinan became, showing the characteristics of a shrew.

Whenever he saw her like this, Bai Xiuwen couldn't help but ponder how he hadn't noticed.

"Enough with the nonsense, pay up the debt now!"

As he spoke, he clutched the money in one hand and pulled Bai Xiuwen along with the other, heading straight for the front yard.

Since it was a rare four-day holiday, Li Kailang didn't go to the bookstore; instead, he got up late in the morning to air out his quilts.

"Brother Li! Brother Li!"

Seeing the two men approaching with money in their hands, Li Kailang immediately guessed what was going on.

"Come in and talk."

Upon entering the house, before Bai Xiuwen could speak, Xu Sinan said, "Brother Li, this is the remaining debt. Please count it."

Bai Xiuwen watched nervously as Li Kailang took the money, his eyes fixed intently on it.

Given their relationship, it wouldn't be necessary to order, but this is the last sum of money they'll ever spend, their final burden, so it's better to order it in person.

"puff!"

Amidst the rustling sound of Li Kailang counting money with saliva, Bai Xiuwen stared at those hands with distinct knuckles.

The two of them watched as the large black eyes passed by, their tension reaching its peak, their throats feeling tight.

As the last dollar of interest was paid off.

"Just right!"

"Phew~" The two of them breathed a sigh of relief, their heavy expressions easing.

For a moment, Bai Xiuwen was overwhelmed with emotion.

Starting with the first payment of 21 yuan in March of last year, the torment of one year and two months, and four hundred and sixty-three days has finally vanished at this moment.

He finally paid off the 500 yuan debt.

On average, he still owes 35.7 yuan per month, while his base salary is only 22 yuan per month.

The turning point in paying off the debt came when he learned to do repairs, and he started earning extra money to pay it off in July.

Past experiences float before my eyes like dream bubbles, one bubble after another bursting and reappearing.

"Finally paid it all off!"

Bai Xiuwen breathed a sigh of relief, and after saying this, his body involuntarily hunched slightly.

Without the burden, my body no longer has to push itself so hard.

It turns out that when a person is relieved of a heavy burden, they are like a fish with its spine removed.

Xu Sinan looked at him with heartache and patted his back.

"Oh, and there's your IOU."

Li Kailang turned around, took out a piece of paper from the cabinet, and handed him the thin IOU.

Bai Xiuwen looked at the IOU, which was filled with repayment dates, and these were all his experiences.

"Tear~"

Bai Xiuwen immediately tore it to shreds, and the pieces fell to the ground like snowflakes in June.

"Phew~" Without the IOU, Bai Xiuwen felt as if he had been freed from all constraints.

Seeing Bai Xiuwen reborn, Li Kailang congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations! From today onwards, you can live for yourself."

"Not at all, not at all. If it weren't for Brother Li, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm most grateful to you. If you hadn't found me a job, I wouldn't be where I am today."

For a moment, Bai Xiuwen was incoherent and didn't know what to say.

Li Kailang patted him on the shoulder: "What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know either. Oh right, I'm going to get a marriage certificate with her!"

After saying that, he suddenly pulled Xu Sinan into his arms.

"What are you doing!" Xu Sinan's face flushed red, and she elbowed him.

The elbow strike made him wince in pain, but it couldn't stop his wild imagination from bursting forth.

"Like Brother Cui, I'll marry her as soon as the house is renovated. Of course, the most important thing is to make money, because renovating a house is really expensive."

Having found his direction, Bai Xiuwen continued speaking tirelessly, even finding time to joke.

"Brother Li, look at me, I already have a girlfriend, I'm about to get married, why don't you have a girlfriend yet?"

"Don't know how to get along with girls? Ask me, I have experience." Bai Xiuwen patted his chest, looking very experienced, but the next second he was slapped by Xu Sinan.

"bump!"

It's easy to imagine that, hidden by clothing, there would be a clear handprint.

"Get lost!" Li Kailang said irritably.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Xu Sinan warned, "Brother Li, we won't bother you anymore."

With that, he pulled Bai Xiuwen away.

"Hey, wait a minute, I have something else to say."

Before being dragged out the door, Bai Xiuwen hurriedly said, "Brother Li, don't tell anyone that I've paid back the money."

Bai Xiuwen also thought about establishing a reputation for those who owed money, so that others wouldn't ask him for loans.

As long as no one knows he has paid off the debt, there will be very little trouble.

The station manager, Wang Cheng, has been quite good to him lately. Ever since he told him about the debt and his plans to get married, he has helped him a lot.

The fact that he was able to pay off his debts so quickly was also thanks to the many good things he had revealed through his fingers.

"Don't worry." Li Kailang didn't expect Bai Xiuwen to pay it off so quickly.

They initially said they could pay it off within two years, but it's only been a little over a year. I have to say, Bai Xiuwen is truly a talent.

As soon as he left Li Kailang's house, Bai Xiuwen suddenly felt light and ethereal, his body incredibly light.

As the saying goes, being free from debts brings a sense of ease; without burdens, one's mindset changes dramatically.

Xu Sinan pulled Bai Xiuwen out of the hanging flower gate.

"Why are we going out?"

Xu Sinan, confused, said, "What do you mean, 'go out'? Aren't you going to renovate? While Han Gong is still here, hurry up and find him to set a date, otherwise it will be troublesome if you are late."

"I can handle the renovation. Besides, I don't have any money, so why would I bother with renovations?"

"You have no money but I do. What, have you forgotten what you said at Brother Li's house? Don't you want to marry me anymore?"

"No, no," Bai Xiuwen waved his hands in a panic.

"Stop talking nonsense! I'm warning you, you're mine for life. Don't even think about getting rid of me. If you dare not marry me, believe me, I'll make you a father-in-law!"

As she was speaking, Xu Sinan suddenly launched a "monkey stealing peaches" attack.

Bai Xiuwen was so frightened that his legs went weak for a moment, and he quickly retreated to avoid it.

"Hmph!" Xu Sinan smiled smugly and pulled him to take a look at the back room.

At this time, Mr. Han and others were carrying out renovations.

With no deadline to meet and no other work to do, Han and his colleagues worked very diligently.

Given the current economic climate, they've prepared themselves to be seen by everyone, hoping that word of mouth will help them find jobs.

The people in the courtyard had a good impression of the skills of Han Gong and others.

In a month, the renovation of the 20-square-meter apartment was almost complete, and it will be finished in a few more days.

"Engineer Han!"

"Sigh." Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Engineer Han quickly responded and immediately went outside.

"what's up?"

"Mr. Han, we would like to ask you to help with the renovation of our house."

Upon hearing that there was work to be done, Engineer Han immediately agreed: "Sure, sure, how do you want the renovation done?"

"Could you please come to my house and take a look?"

"can."

The three arrived at the back building, and Bai Xiuwen pointed to two rooms: "Engineer Han, I plan to knock down the wall and connect the two rooms. This space will be used as a bathroom."

Bai Xiuwen confidently planned the layout of his house, not forgetting to ask Xu Sinan for her opinions and ideas.

Even Shiraike was no exception.

Similar to Cui Yuan's style, it has two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Ever since Li Kailang installed this bathroom, everyone has been incredibly envious.

No need to rush to public toilets early in the morning, and you can take a shower every day—who wouldn't envy such a life?

Everyone wants to decorate like this, but on the one hand, it's too expensive, so they can't bear to spend the money.

On the other hand, there were no spare houses for them to stay in temporarily, which is why the matter was shelved.

If we're talking about who's the most capable person in the courtyard, it has to be Yi Zhonghai. He has two rooms, but he refuses to use them.

Xu Damao could also do it, but he doesn't, probably because it's not frequently used.

After all, he often went to the countryside to show movies, and when he came back, it was either late or early, so he didn't really fight for the bathhouse.

He doesn't mind getting in the way when he gets up early to use the toilet.

Han, squatting on the ground drawing a sketch, listened to Bai Xiuwen's plan and nodded:

"Okay, but that will take half a month. We also need to finish renovating the other room at Mr. Cui's place before we have time. I don't know if that's alright?"

"Okay, I can wait half a month." Bai Xiuwen was thinking of taking advantage of the time to earn some more money to make up for it, as he always felt embarrassed to spend a woman's money.

"Done!" Engineer Han was also happy; their diligent work had finally brought them some work.

"I'll let you know in advance once Mr. Cui's house is renovated."

"Okay, I'm not in a hurry."

After the deal was settled, Engineer Han returned to the back room and shared the good news with everyone.

Immediately, everyone became even more motivated to work. There were two tasks to be done next, and they had to be even more diligent.

Xu Sinan looked at Bai Xiuwen: "We're renovating two rooms, where will we stay?"

At this point, Bai Xiuwen was taken aback; none of them had considered this matter.

The two of them were all alone in Beijing and couldn't find anyone to stay with, let alone renovate the house.

Suddenly, Bai Xiuwen had a flash of inspiration: "How about we ask Brother Li to let us stay for half a month?"

Will Brother Li agree?

"It should be okay, right? Should we go ask?" Bai Xiuwen wasn't sure either.

Immediately, the two tentatively asked.

"Can I stay here? Sure, when? I'll clean it up for you." Li Kailang didn't refuse.

The two are renovating the house and will still be living there eventually, so there's no need to worry about it being forcibly occupied.

Bai Xiuwen quickly replied, "It's fine if you can stay with us. We can handle the cleaning. We won't trouble you."

"We'll wait until Brother Cui's house is renovated before it's our turn. No rush, it should take about half a month."

"Okay." The room hadn't been cleaned in a long time anyway, so Li Kailang was too lazy to move.

The matter was settled smoothly, and the two returned home happily.

Xu Sinan couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Li is truly a benefactor!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiuwen was taken aback and looked at Xu Sinan, never expecting her to say such a thing.

"Yes! If it weren't for Brother Li, I wouldn't be where I am today. Brother Li has helped me so much."

"I've made up my mind! From now on, I'll follow Brother Li! Whatever Brother Li says goes."

For him, Li Kailang was a benefactor who had given him a lifeline in his time of need and added to his already good fortune.

Yan Jiecheng watched the two walking hand in hand, so affectionate and loving, and felt a pang of envy, jealousy, and resentment in his heart.

I envy their loving relationship and their good jobs.

What I hate is Qin Huairu. If she hadn't gone back on her word, and I had changed jobs, my future would have been bright.

Even an apprentice's job at a steel rolling mill is respectable, and matchmakers would flock to his door to introduce girls to him.

Qin Huairu ruined more than just this debt!

(End of this chapter)