Chapter 99: Repaying the Debt in Public

In the afternoon, sunlight poured onto the windowsill, bringing a long-missed warmth. Slanting through the hall were patches of sunlight, casting mottled shadows that carried a nostalgic scent. It was nothing unusual for elders in the countryside to reprimand the younger generation, especially when it came from one’s own family; there was no shame in it. On the contrary, it was the act of talking back that brought disgrace.

Particularly in front of the many gossiping elderly women present—like Chen Maimai from next door, who sometimes bickered with her mother-in-law, only to be called a shrew in secret, and Aunt Yu among them shared some of the blame.

After a while, the grandmother of the house, feeling tired, glanced at the soy milk powder on the shelf near the door. Pulling her gaze back, she asked Wang Qiang’s mother, “How much did the soy milk powder cost?”

“Not much,” the mother replied.

Several elderly women turned their eyes to her in unison. “Cheng Lin should have something to say; otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought it here.”

The grandmother hummed softly. “What is it? Speak up.”

If it were any other matter, saying it out loud in front of everyone wouldn’t be a problem. But discussing debts was delicate. Seeing the mother hesitate as if wanting to speak but holding back, Wang Qiang understood well—people in their culture preferred to keep financial matters private. Unlike many nowadays who flaunt their wealth on social media or pretend to be richer than they are, this was a more modest and reserved time. If someone lent you money, you couldn’t publicly take advantage of them, right?

But luck was not on their side today.

The grandmother pressed again.

Wang Qiang nudged his mother’s arm. “Mom?”

She looked very hesitant.

Her faltering expression made the grandmother think the family was facing some hardship again. She sighed with disappointment, “If there’s trouble, just say it. Why hide it?” Then, addressing the other elderly women, she tapped the back of her right hand with her left palm twice. “If your in-laws can’t help, I, as Maimai’s elder, can’t just stand by. Is it a temporary inability to repay, or will you go to work in Shanghai and need to borrow a bit more? Just say it.”

In the countryside, such matters were commonplace. No one would think it improper. In fact, Wang Qiang’s family borrowing money was nothing new.

The other elderly women nodded in agreement.

Not far away, the grandfather glanced once and returned to his card game.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Wang Qiang’s mother, waiting for her to speak.

“Cheng Lin, telling your elder brother isn’t shameful.”

“That’s right. What are you afraid of?”

“You’re poor and borrowed tuition fees from Qiangzi, it’s normal you can’t pay it back right away.”

“We all understand. Your elder brother understands too.”

“Yes, Cheng Lin, look, Xiao Zhong and Zhao Li aren’t pushing you. Don’t be anxious.”

Voices chattered all around.

The mother’s face slowly shifted into a bitter smile. She looked at her son. “Qiangzi.”

He responded, “Yes?”

Still wanting to save face for him, she said, “You talk… no, wait until later.”

Wang Qiang blinked. “Actually, it’s no big deal. Just say it.”

His mother shook her head. “It’s not quite right.”

Wang Qiang wanted to speak plainly about the debt now, but since his mother always left some room for tact, and she said it wasn’t appropriate, he decided to obey.

Seeing the two of them hesitate back and forth, the elderly women were puzzled, unable to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, a commotion came from the card table.

One of the older men, coughing as he smoked a poor-quality cigarette, said, “Cough… Cheng Lin, don’t be shy. We’re not outsiders here.”

Grandma Li chimed in, “If you feel uncomfortable, shall we leave first?”

The mother quickly waved her hand. “No, no need.”

The grandmother stopped them with a gesture, signaling that there was no cause for such trouble. “Sit down. What could be so important that you need to leave?”

Grandma Fu smiled kindly. “Cheng Lin, everyone cares about you. If you don’t speak up, who can help you?”

Wang Qiang glanced at the seven or eight outsiders present and thought to himself that if they weren’t here, he would have spoken long ago.

Indeed, in the countryside, little remains hidden. If they were seen handing a large sum to the grandmother, rumors would spread immediately about how wealthy her family had become, and that would stir a fuss. Helping Wang Qiang’s family didn’t mean she was willing to help all relatives.

Seeing mother and son still silent, the elderly women began to reproach them.

“You’re just too thin-skinned.”

“Why care about face when you’re so poor?”

“Does face fill your stomach? Your mother-in-law is like this, and so are you.”

Though harsh, their words carried no real malice.

The grandmother sighed and said to the grandfather, “Xiao Zhong, stop playing cards and let them leave first.”

“Soon,” he replied without turning his head. “Just finish this round.”

Hearing this, the mother’s expression grew a bit anxious.

She had hoped to wait until everyone left to speak, but with the grandmother’s persistent concern and the occasional interjections from the old women, the situation had escalated.

It seemed the moment had come where the truth could no longer be withheld.

Wang Qiang looked at the scene, bit his lip, and decided he would speak regardless of his mother's reservations. They couldn’t really send these old ladies away; if they left, who knew what gossip would spread behind their backs? Wang Qiang had experienced the destructive power of rumor firsthand. He could remain magnanimous, but he couldn’t let his mother be embarrassed. She came first.

“Mom,” Wang Qiang said firmly, “I’ll speak.”

His mother pressed her lips and nodded, for once not stopping him.

Perhaps she too understood that driving people away would only fuel speculation.

“Go ahead,” she said.

At that moment, Grandma Li quickly interjected, “No, if it’s really inconvenient, I’ll leave.” Then she looked at the other elderly women. “Will you come? To my house for a bit? My daughter bought me a new dress—I want to show you.”

It was clear she was trying to protect Wang Qiang’s family.

If there was a delicate matter, fewer people was better.

Aunt Yu, who always enjoyed watching drama, pretended not to understand, shook her head, and said, “What’s the point of seeing a new dress? I’m not going.” She glanced at Wang Qiang’s mother.

The other two elderly women reacted similarly.

Finally, the grandmother said, “First tell us if it’s convenient or not. If not, I’ll send them off. If so, say it in front of us all.”

Grandma Li stood up. “I think I’ll leave first.”

Aunt Yu tugged her sleeve, glanced at Wang Qiang and his mother, her eyes full of curiosity and unwillingness to give up. “Why rush off? Cheng Lin and Qiangzi never said it was inconvenient.” Many village women were like this—sometimes they couldn’t wait to pry into others’ privacy, then gossip behind their backs.

Everyone present knew Wang Qiang’s family wasn’t well-off.

They guessed what was going to be said wasn’t good news—but the more so, the more it piqued their interest.

“Is it convenient or not?”

“Just say the word.”

At this point, even the grandmother was growing impatient. She knew the family’s situation well—they were one of the poorest in the village, almost to the point of going hungry for years. That they came to her with an issue meant it was serious. When Wang Qiang and Cheng Lin had been hemming and hawing for so long, even her aging mind caught on.

She snapped, “Why ask so much? Is your home perfect?”

Aunt Yu feigned ignorance, “Nothing wrong here.”

The grandmother was annoyed. “What kind of people are these? You’ve been sent off, yet you don’t leave? Is it necessary to snoop into private matters? Sure, I can say a few words to Cheng Lin because she’s family, but you, Aunt Yu, aren’t even neighbors—there are ten families between you. What are you curious about? No matter what, I’ll protect my own.”

Wang Qiang glanced at Aunt Yu without restraint, about to speak.

But before he could, the grandmother shot a sharp retort at Aunt Yu, “Your husband’s been in the hospital only a few days, and you have nothing wrong? Wait until you’re bedridden yourself, and I bet your wife will be just like you!”

Before Aunt Yu, pale with anger, could reply, Wang Qiang spoke up.

“Grandmother, it’s not inconvenient. Since everyone wants to know, I’ll say it.”

The grandmother was taken aback. Hmm? Really say it in front of everyone?

Aunt Yu rolled her eyes at the grandmother, sneering, “See? Qiangzi says it’s not inconvenient, yet you keep hiding it.”

Grandma Li, who had earlier wanted to leave, couldn’t stand Aunt Yu’s behavior and felt she had gone too far. While she couldn’t demand others act differently, she could at least hold herself to a standard. She stood to leave.

At that moment, Wang Qiang no longer hesitated.

“My mother and I are here to repay the debt.”

The grandmother was stunned, exchanging a surprised look with the mother and son. Repay the debt? Others might not know, but she certainly knew how much Wang Qiang’s family owed her. Besides the 1,500 yuan tuition fees, there was a 500 yuan debt from before. She was momentarily doubtful.

“Repay the debt?”

Everyone was silent, stunned.

The village was well aware that Wang Qiang had to pay a large sum because his test scores were insufficient for full scholarship. Getting into the county’s third-best high school was already a great achievement. When the results came out, Wang Qiang’s grandmother bragged about it all over the village.

School had just begun.

Now this mother and son claimed they were here to repay?

Did their family really have that kind of money?

It wasn’t just the elderly women who doubted. Even the three card players sitting with the grandfather glanced over repeatedly, guessing the mother and son would repay only a few hundred yuan, not the full amount.

But Wang Qiang was straightforward. He pulled a handful of money from his pocket and gently placed it in the grandmother’s hand.

“Grandmother, please count it inside to be sure.”

Already surprised by the offer to repay, the grandmother couldn’t send the women away but now held a thick bundle of bills. Her heart skipped a beat; this was no small sum.

Could it be the full two thousand yuan owed?

She quickly excused herself, hurried to a bedroom, closed the door, and began to count quietly.

“One hundred…”

“Three hundred…”

“Eight hundred…”

“One thousand nine hundred…”

When she finished, she returned to the hall, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

Aunt Yu asked eagerly, “How much was repaid?”

The grandmother’s tone was peculiar. “All of it.”

The moment those words fell, the entire hall fell silent.

Aunt Yu made a surprised sound and looked at the mother and son.

The card players and elderly women all showed slight astonishment.

Li Grandma, who had been ready to leave, paused at the doorway, also looking in with a startled expression.

They might not know the exact number, but everyone understood it was at least 1,500 yuan, since Wang Qiang’s high school required payment for tuition and fees, and the grandmother’s earlier words hinted at a similar amount borrowed.

Wang Qiang paid no mind to their expressions. He only knew he couldn’t let his mother lose face in front of everyone.

He had publicly repaid the debt.

Surely now there would be no gossip behind their backs.

Although revealing such a sum might spark envy or even prompt other relatives to ask for loans, he had already decided to take his mother to Shanghai. Then, those with ill intentions wouldn’t find them, and there would be nothing to worry about.