Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

In this era, having extramarital affairs is an extremely serious act of moral depravity.

If the man who did this is a government employee with a secure job, he will be punished or even dismissed, depending on the severity of the offense, and he will also be scorned by his fellow villagers.

The woman would be drowned in spittle and bear the stigma for life.

However, Chen Li and Li Dehua didn't care about this at all. One was reckless and did nothing, while the other wasn't even an employee and had a powerful background.

However, Wang Ermazi, Chen Li's husband, suffered a terrible fate. After being implicated, everyone in the village avoided him.

This has led to Wang Ermazi losing all his popularity in the village.

Today, he came to the Zhou family seeking help, which is already a desperate move. He is also concerned about his reputation. In the past, how could he have come to Zhou Shiwei for help?

His recent frequent arguments and hostility with Li Dehua have left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Li Dehua also resorted to a tactic that was both deadly and psychologically damaging: demanding repayment of the debt!

Li Dehua was a prominent figure in the town and even the county, and he had a lot of money at his disposal.

Many families in the village would go to him to borrow money, but the interest rates were much higher. However, there was nothing they could do about it, because his place was considered a relatively "easy" place to borrow money.

The Zhou family had borrowed money from Li Dehua before, but they were forced into it because they had no other choice.

This was the only time in all these years that they went to Li Dehua to borrow money. They had asked many people before, but they were still short, so they finally went to Li Dehua again.

However, Li Dehua did not abide by the agreement at all. Before the autumn harvest this year, he came to the Zhou family to forcibly collect the debt. His purpose was very simple: to target the Zhou family.

Now, all of this is happening to Wang Er again. The other party had actually asked him for money a few days ago.

Wang Er went to the county town last time to borrow money from a friend there to solve his immediate problem, but he was delayed by Zhou Rui and couldn't go.

He went there in the last two days, but when the other party heard about his deeds, they wanted to immediately distance themselves from him.

Finally, having no other choice, Wang Ermazi went to the Zhou family and approached Zhou Shiwei.

When faced with Wang Er's request to borrow money, will Zhou Shiwei choose to help him?

the answer is negative.

Zhou Shiwei stood by the door, not letting the other person in. The two of them stood there, one outside the door and the other inside.

Upon hearing the request, Zhou Shiwei frowned and refused without hesitation:

"I'm sorry, you should look for someone else. My family is poor and we don't have any money."

After saying that, Zhou Shiwei tried to close the door again, but Wang Ermazi held it firmly in place. He shamelessly continued to plead:

"Brother Zhou, I was wrong before, I was wrong, I was really wrong. From now on, our two families can support each other, we live so close..."

Zhou Shiwei lingered inside the door, and seeing this, the people at the table all got up and came over. The women and children remained seated, while the two elderly people did not move and continued to call their grandchildren to eat.

Zhou Jian, Zhao Jianjun, and Zhou Rui got up and came over.

My second uncle had already drunk some wine and hadn't come to his senses yet.

As the group approached, Zhou Jian remained silent. He was unfamiliar with the Zhou family's social dynamics and grudges, so he chose to observe.

Zhao Jianjun didn't interrupt for the time being, but judging from his expression, he clearly had something to say, so he gave Zhou Rui the chance to speak first.

Zhou Rui walked to the door, looked at the haggard Wang Ermazi, his gaze was cold and his expression intriguing.

He then said in a very indifferent tone:

"Uncle Wang, my family is poor and can't afford to marry into your family. Why don't you go find your good brother Li Dehua? You two are such good friends."

"Please go back, we're having dinner at home."

Zhou Rui deliberately emphasized the word "relationship".

He had no sympathy for Wang Er. Although he could be considered somewhat compassionate, he was not a saintly figure of boundless love for an enemy like Wang Er.

So he coldly refused.

When Wang Er saw Zhou Rui, his face turned ashen, like a pig's liver. He had experienced firsthand how formidable this nephew was.

He then did not answer Zhou Rui, but continued to plead with Zhou Shiwei:

"Brother Zhou, what are you saying? I saw that shiny watch on your wrist, it's brand new, it must be worth a lot of money. Please be generous and just pretend I'm nothing."

Wang Er fawned and smiled obsequiously, thinking Zhou Shiwei would be easier to deal with, but he forgot that the two were father and son...

Zhou Shiwei remained unmoved by the flattery and refused to budge. He raised his hand and said calmly:

"This was bought for me by my eldest son because he missed his father. What, are you envious? You can have another child with Chen Li so he can show you some filial piety too."

Hearing this, Wang Er finally lost his temper. Zhou Rui's words had put him in a very difficult position, and now Zhou Da was proving to be just as cunning...

Just as he hesitated, Zhao Jianjun, who had been holding back for a while, sneered:

"Wang Er, this isn't like you at all. Didn't you used to spread rumors that anyone who got close to that Zhou family would be doomed?"

"What are you doing?"

"His initial arrogance followed by his obsequiousness is laughable. Go home and protect your beautiful wife. Protect her well and don't let her escape again."

Zhao Jianjun showed no mercy whatsoever.

He had always thought highly of the Zhou family. In the past, the Zhou family was highly respected in the village and had good relationships with almost everyone in the village.

However, since the Zhou family fell into decline, most people have remained indifferent and those who did not take advantage of their misfortune are considered to have a conscience.

Only Zhao Jianjun and Li Lan have always been optimistic about the Zhou family.

The Zhou family is now showing signs of a resurgence, which actually demonstrates Zhao Jianjun's exceptional foresight.

Therefore, he showed no mercy when criticizing Wang Er.

Wang Ermazi, standing outside the door, was unable to enter the Zhou family's house. His expression kept changing, and he was no longer the smug man who had bought fruit candy for Zhou Ruishi a few days ago.

Seeing that he couldn't get anywhere here, Wang Ermazi finally slunk away.

This time, when he turned to leave, he unusually refrained from slandering the Zhou family or hurling insults. If it were the old him, he might have gossiped about it again in this situation.

This time, he lost face; this was his own doing.

By this point, he had lost all his connections and reputation in the entire village, becoming a true loner.

Zhou Shiwei closed the door. Although he had drunk a little, he was clearly still sober and invited the two guests to sit back at the table.

Although Zhou Yong'an was not involved in this little incident, the old man was not stupid and he also saw the person coming in outside the door.

"Wei'er, what's wrong with Er Mazi?"

"Dad, it's nothing, I just came to borrow some money."

Did you borrow it?

"I didn't lend it."

The two spoke in a calm tone. Although Zhou Yong'an was kind-hearted, it did not mean that he was a pushover.

The Zhou family has its own principles, but these principles do not include the idea that when others bully them, they should still passively accept it and act as pushovers.

Zhou Yong'an paused for two seconds, glanced at the doorway, and then said in a tone devoid of emotion:

"Over the years, stray dogs have been barking noisily around our house, and they've even bitten us every now and then. Now these stray dogs are drooling over the smell of meat and want to come over. Is this going to work? Wei'er, you've done a good job."

The aroma of meat filled the air on the table.

For the first time, the old man's usually calm and composed expression changed.