8: Chapter 8 Debt Collection at the Door

Listening intently, the sound of arguing coming from his own courtyard was very familiar.

It sounded like his aunt, Chen Lichan.

Zheng Jing gently pushed open the courtyard gate. Because of the angle, the people inside didn't notice him, but he could see the situation in the courtyard clearly.

Sure enough, in the middle of the courtyard, Zheng Jing's uncle, Zheng Shunli, and his aunt, Chen Lichan, were standing opposite each other.

Chen Lichan stood with her arms crossed, her face full of anger; while his uncle frowned, smoking in silence, his expression full of helplessness.

Zheng Jing's parents stood uneasily to the side, their faces full of guilt and embarrassment.

Zheng Jing's sister, Zheng Xiaoan, clung to her parents' side, her little face flushed red, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance and anger.

"I don't care what you say! Back then, your older brother insisted on lending this money out of brotherly affection."

It was Chen Lichan speaking. She said in a hard tone, "It's been over two years now. You still haven't paid it back. Today, you must give me a definite answer!"

Before Zheng Jing's parents could speak, his uncle, Zheng Shunli, immediately darkened his face and scolded, "You old woman, shut up! Did my brother's family intentionally refuse to pay back the money? It's not like you don't know about their hardships over the past two years. We aren't in a rush to use the money, so why are you pushing them?"

"Not in a rush? Heh… Zheng Shunli, you sure make it sound easy!"

Chen Lichan suddenly raised her voice, hands on her hips, and scolded in a shrill tone, "Our eldest son has his own family to support and can't help us, and our second son is about to get married. You're telling me we don't need money?"

"How much money have you earned and given me, anyway? You act like a lord, just standing there with your hands spread. I think you don't know the price of daily necessities because you don't manage the house. You're just standing there talking nonsense!"

Chen Lichan fired off like a machine gun. Zheng Shunli was rendered speechless, his face turning pale and then red. Finally, he could only lower his voice and mutter helplessly, "Can you stop saying 'damn it' every other word? The neighbors can all hear us. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Chen Lichan glared at him, ignored him, and then turned to look at Zheng Jing's parents, her eyes full of impatience.

"I'm not trying to make things difficult for you on purpose; it's just that our family isn't wealthy either. Let's be blunt today: our family really needs the money right now. What do you think we should do?"

Zheng Jing's parents looked at each other, extremely embarrassed! It wasn't that they were intentionally withholding the debt; they truly didn't have the money at home. Otherwise, who would want to be in this situation?

Seeing his brother and sister-in-law's awkward appearance, Zheng Shunli couldn't help but roar again, "Can you just rein it in? The neighbors are all listening. What does this look like?"

Chen Lichan rolled her eyes at him: "You tell me to stop cursing, yet here you are doing it yourself? Are you angry? If you're so angry, then go earn more money for me if you're capable. Why are you here swearing at me?"

"You… I'll beat you to death, you meddlesome woman…"

Zheng Shunli was furious and raised his hand, wanting to strike Chen Lichan.

Zheng Jing's father, Zheng Shunsheng, and mother, Zhang Damei, hurriedly held Zheng Shunli back.

"Big Brother, what are you doing!"

"Too much, Big Brother, you absolutely cannot hit her! That's going too far, going too far…"

Originally, seeing her husband about to strike, Chen Lichan had been a little scared. But now, seeing her man being held back by her brother-in-law and his wife, she stretched her neck and yelled again, "Did I say anything wrong? If you ask me, no one in your Zheng family has any prospects. Look at Shunsheng's family; his eldest, Zheng Jing, has been wandering around in Shanghai for several years, but he doesn't even have a proper job. And the second one, Zheng Wei, didn't study and went off to be a soldier; he doesn't earn a single cent…"

Chen Lichan kept going, getting more and more excessive. But when she said these things, she forgot that her own two sons were also surnamed Zheng.

Zheng Shunli gritted his teeth, "F*ck you, didn't you hear me tell you to shut up? My nephews are still young; they will have their day…"

Zheng Shunli and Chen Lichan continued to argue across the space, trading insults back and forth.

Zheng Jing's parents, who were originally trying to break up the fight, heard Chen Lichan dragging their two sons into her insults. They stood frozen, their faces flushed red, unable to speak for a long time.

After a long while, Zheng Shunsheng lowered his head slightly, his voice full of apology: "Big Brother, please stop arguing. Sister-in-law, this is my fault. Sister-in-law, don't be anxious. Give us a little more time, and I will definitely find a way to scrape together the money to pay you back first."

Zhang Damei also hurriedly chimed in: "Sister-in-law, we are indeed in the wrong here. Big Brother, don't blame your wife. Every family has its own difficulties. We understand; harmony in the family is what matters most."

Seeing her brother-in-law and his wife backing down, Chen Lichan's anger eased slightly. In truth, she didn't want to come over and cause a scene, but her youngest son's wedding was approaching. The bride price, the gold jewelry, the banquet… everything required money. The massive expenses were suffocating her.

Everyone stopped speaking, and the atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became quiet and somewhat oppressive.

After a while, Zhang Damei, with red-rimmed eyes, broke the brief silence: "Sister-in-law, we know this is your hard-earned savings, and we understand that your family is in a position where money is needed everywhere right now. Don't worry, once we have it all together, we will come to pay you back immediately. We will never delay or default on the debt."