Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 5 Borrowing Money
Realizing he might be at risk of damaging his reputation, Wang Degong could no longer hold back and shouted:

"Enough! What kind of family is this, arguing like this? If others hear it, they'll think our Wang family isn't united."

"Chunhua, don't be foolish and try to tell everyone everything. I'll take care of this for you."

"Old woman, tell me the truth, how much money do we have left in the house?"

Faced with Wang Degong's questioning, Zhao Yuju remained completely calm and readily told a lie:
"There's only about a hundred yuan left at home."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that our Wang family earns a lot of work points. With so many people in the family, everything we eat, wear, and use costs money."

"In addition, my eldest granddaughter-in-law is pregnant recently, which is a time when money is needed. Being able to take out eighty yuan as a bride price for the third son's family is already the limit."

"After all, we can't let the whole family go hungry because of Cheng Peng's marriage, especially since Ya Fang is pregnant. We can't afford to be careless at all."

"Is there anything more important than filling our stomachs these days?"

Although Wang Degong was in charge of all the major affairs of the family, he did not interfere with the management of the money.

It's not that he can't get involved, it's just that he finds it too trivial, tedious, and troublesome.

Trusting his wife who had shared his hardships, Wang Degong believed Zhao Yuju's words without a second thought.

Considering that Wang Chengpeng's marriage was indeed a major event for the Wang family, and given the significant financial disparity, Wang Degong subconsciously looked at Wang Tieshan, the filial son he admired.

He believed that Wang Tieshan would not embarrass himself over such a trivial matter, and immediately made the decision:

"Third brother, it's not that the family doesn't want to help you, it's just that the family really doesn't have the means to do so."

"How about this, I'll make the decision. I'll personally give you another twenty dollars to round it up."

"With such a large sum of money, you could go and discuss it with the Liu family again, and maybe this matter will be settled."

Wang Degong's family is known for its large and prosperous population in Wangjia Village, and they are among the top earners of work points.

In addition, they lived frugally, so even an extremely honest man like Wang Tieshan wouldn't believe that his family had no money.

Wang Degong, out of absolute trust in Zhao Yuju, believed her lies without the slightest suspicion.

Seeing this, Wang Chengpeng shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that even if it happened again, things wouldn't change.

Although Grandpa was upright, he was unaware of the true situation in the family and was being manipulated by Grandma without even realizing it.

How could he possibly make the right judgment based on flawed intelligence?

I wonder what his expression will be when he learns the truth and realizes he has become an accomplice in exploiting his son.

Wang Tieshan is usually very filial and would never go against his parents' decisions.

But this time, when it came to his son's marriage, he, who never argued before, finally changed and decided to fight for it.

Instead of directly answering Wang Degong's question, Wang Tieshan looked at Wang Chengpeng and asked:

"Son, are you really determined to marry no one but Liu Yanran?"

At that moment, a kind of brilliance called "fatherly love" shone in Wang Tieshan's honest and simple eyes!

Severe cases require strong medication!
Although he felt a pang of reluctance, Wang Chengpeng nodded firmly and said:

"Father, I really like Liu Yanran now, and I want to marry her."

Staying with the Wang family will only lead to the four of them being exploited and drained of their very essence, leaving not even a bone fragment.

Wang Chengpeng naturally couldn't afford to falter at this crucial moment, so he had no choice but to steel himself and continue executing the original plan.

Having received Wang Chengpeng's affirmation, Wang Tieshan's eyes hardened, and he said, "Father, Mother, I know the family is struggling financially and can't afford much money, but Chengpeng's marriage is a matter of utmost urgency."

"How about this, consider it as me borrowing eight hundred yuan from my family. I, Wang Tieshan, will repay this money even if I have to work like a cow or a horse."

Upon hearing Wang Tieshan's words, Wang Degong looked at Zhao Yuju with some difficulty.

My own son has already asked to borrow money; it would be too unreasonable to refuse.

Borrowing money in the Wang family's name would not only make it easier to get the money, but it could also save the son from interest, which was a solution that wasn't really a solution.

However, Wang Degong naturally couldn't do something as shameful as borrowing money himself, so he could only ask Zhao Yuju for help.

This is precisely why Zhao Yuju had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Nodding slightly, Zhao Yuju said righteously, "Borrow? I can shamelessly help you borrow."

"The money you borrowed is not a small amount, so you should be prepared for the interest."

In this day and age, it is commonplace for people to help each other when one is in trouble.

Borrowing money is not only common, but it is also rare to ask for interest.

Most people would bring a gift when repaying the loan to sincerely thank the other party for lending them money in an emergency.

After all, who can guarantee that they won't need the other person's help next time?

This is precisely why Wang Zidong was so resistant to Wang Chengpeng's claim that he should pay interest.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuju not only demanded interest right away, but also implied that the interest rate would definitely not be low.

There's even interest?

Wang Tieshan subconsciously looked at his wife, Liu Chunhua. He was willing to risk everything to help his son get married, but he didn't want to drag his wife down with him into poverty.

In this era where men are in charge, he is also willing to listen to his wife Liu Chunhua's opinions.

After all, such a large loan, once interest is involved, could very well be a bottomless pit.

Just then, as if by telepathy, Liu Chunhua returned his gaze with a firm look, indicating that she was willing to risk everything for her son.

With Liu Chunhua's consent, Wang Tieshan no longer hesitated and said, "Okay, let's do as Mother says."

“Since it’s a loan, there will naturally be interest. Let’s calculate it at one percent per month. I, Wang Tieshan, will never let the person who borrows the money suffer a loss.”

A monthly interest rate of 1% is 1% per month, 12% per year, which is 96 yuan. While this may not be considered high in this era, it is certainly not low either.

Wang Tieshan was willing to shoulder such a heavy burden for Wang Chengpeng's marriage.

The biased Zhao Yuju felt no shame for exploiting Wang Tieshan; on the contrary, she beamed with joy at the prospect of receiving a large sum of interest, saying:

"Third brother, if you're so sensible, borrowing this money won't be a problem at all."

"I'll do anything to help you borrow this money, even if it means losing face."

"That's settled then. Why make things so tense for the family? If we discuss it properly, we can always come up with a result that satisfies everyone."

Just when everyone thought the matter was over and about to be perfectly resolved, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Wait a minute, there's something else I want to ask the third brother."

"Pay off debts? What do you plan to use to pay off your debts?"

(End of this chapter)