Chapter 16: That Old Loan
Chu Feng slept like a log and had no idea the Chu Zhihong family was complaining about him.
Early in the morning, he took his bank card and went to the wholesale market.
There, he bought a large suitcase and 300 packs of salt, stuffing the suitcase completely full.
Looking at the packed salt, he thought: Last time I only brought a small bottle and told Ilya that salt was very cheap here. He always looked a little regretful.
This time, he figured bringing this much would definitely satisfy his needs. It’s just salt—no big deal.
He also bought two children’s backpacks for Gray and Duoduo, and an adult one for Ilya.
Chu Feng could tell Ilya liked his backpack too—he just didn’t say anything.
The entire shopping trip cost him only 1,000 yuan.
Chu Feng shook his head, feeling conflicted.
Before, I always felt like money was never enough. Now that I have so much, I don’t even know how to spend it anymore.
After dropping everything off at home, he got a call from Chu Anzhi, saying it was time to head to the restaurant and asking if he could hitch a ride.
Naturally, Chu Feng agreed and went to pick them up.
“Xiaofeng, your car’s not bad at all!” said Chu Linsheng as he checked it out.
Chu Feng smiled.
“It’s alright.”
“Your cousin Jinhui wants a BMW 5 Series, but honestly, whether it’s a 3 or a 7, they’re all just four wheels. Why buy something so expensive?” Chu Linsheng shook his head.
Chu Feng thought to himself: They’re not the same. The higher the number, the higher the face-saving. With his current wealth, he could afford a 7 Series—but there’s no need to draw attention.
He drove them to the restaurant.
“The private room’s already reserved. Let’s go in and order first,” said Chu Linsheng.
Chu Feng nodded.
“Okay.”
“When are Uncle and them arriving?” Chu Feng asked Anzhi.
Anzhi shook his head.
“They said they’d be here soon, but you know how it is…”
Chu Feng sighed.
Every time there’s a gathering, Uncle’s family is always the last to arrive. Maybe big shots just like making a late entrance—helps them feel more important.
“Forget it, let’s wait.”
After waiting more than half an hour, Chu Zhihong’s family finally showed up.
Chu Linsheng smiled and greeted them warmly, “You’re here, come on in, take a seat.”
Jinhui looked at Anzhi and said, “Anzhi, congrats on getting into college! Study hard once you’re there. If you go to grad school, you might even get into a better university.”
Anzhi smiled, “It’s a bit early to be thinking about that.”
Chu Feng nodded, “Yeah! After working so hard all these years, you should relax a bit now. Once college is over, it’s time to work. If you don’t enjoy college, you won’t get another chance.”
Jinhui glanced at Chu Feng.
“Xiao Feng, that’s not the right mindset. With the competition these days, even in college you can’t afford to slack off.”
Yan Ping smiled faintly.
“What’s the point of talking about that? Xiaofeng didn’t go to college—he probably wouldn’t understand.”
Chu Feng: “…”
Jinhui looked at him and said, “Xiaofeng, your car’s pretty nice.”
“Just average. Compared to the 5 Series you’re planning to buy, mine costs about half as much,” Chu Feng said modestly.
Yan Ping shot him a sideways glance.
“You must’ve taken out a big loan for that car, huh?”
Chu Feng nodded, “Yeah, quite a bit.”
“I’m telling you, making money delivering packages isn’t easy. Why would you buy such an expensive car?” Yan Ping said.
Chu Anzhi said unhappily, “Aunt, you guys don’t make money easily either, and you just bought a new house. Why not get a domestic car for seventy or eighty thousand? That way, the pressure would be lighter.” And they wouldn’t have to borrow money from our family.
Yan Ping replied discontentedly, “How could that possibly be okay? Buying a domestic car is so embarrassing!”
Chu Anzhi argued, “Domestic cars are pretty good quality these days.”
Yan Ping gave him a sideways glance and said, “Your cousin works at a big company now. If he drives a cheap car, people will look down on him.”
Chu Anzhi thought to himself: What nonsense is this? Jinhui just graduated. There’s no need for him to drive such a flashy car.
Yan Ping turned to look at Chu Feng and mocked, “Xiao Feng, since you took out such a big loan, have you thought about how you’re going to repay it?”
Chu Feng stroked his chin and said seriously, “When I bought the car, I was just riding a wave of excitement. Right after buying it, I regretted it. I spent the whole night worrying about how I’d repay the loan. Then, my dad came to me in a dream and reminded me—Aunt, you still owe our family thirty thousand yuan. Aunt, when do you plan to pay it back?”
Yan Ping’s face changed instantly. “Who owes you money?”
Chu Feng smiled. “Aunt, you really don’t remember? When you bought a car a few years back, didn’t you come up thirty thousand short? My dad lent it to you, remember?”
Yan Ping snapped back, “That never happened! Your family spent all your money building a house—where would you have had any left to lend?”
Chu Feng squinted slightly.
“Aunt, your memory really isn’t great. You borrowed money and already forgot? If you’re like this, who’d dare lend you money in the future?”
Yan Ping, fuming, “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Chu Linsheng stepped in to ease the tension.
“Alright, alright, let’s just eat.”
*
The entire meal was eaten in awkward silence, and everyone left as soon as it ended.
Later, Chu Anzhi asked, “Dad, did Uncle really borrow thirty thousand from Second Uncle?”
Chu Linsheng nodded. “Seems like it. Back then, your uncle wanted to buy a car and asked your second uncle for thirty thousand. Your second aunt was against it, and Grandpa had to mediate. Whether they actually got the money in the end, I’m not sure.”
Chu Anzhi said, “Brother Feng doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d make things up. If he said it, it’s probably true.”
Chu Linsheng nodded.
“Yeah, most likely they did borrow it.”
Originally, he wasn’t certain—but at the dinner table earlier, Yan Ping’s guilty reaction made it quite obvious.
Chu Anzhi frowned and asked, “If Uncle really borrowed that money, why didn’t they use it to help Brother Feng after he graduated from high school? Mom, did you know about this?”
Back then, Chu Feng had to drop out after high school. If that thirty thousand had been available, his tuition could have been covered.
Gu Jia shook her head, “Your uncle argued for a long time to borrow that thirty thousand. Later, when Feng had to drop out, they didn’t say anything about it, so I thought… maybe they never borrowed it.”
Chu Linsheng said, “Feng probably figured there was no way he’d get the money back.”
Chu Anzhi said with a complicated expression, “Brother Feng knew about the loan but didn’t ask for the money—he just gave up on college?”
If Feng didn’t mention it, would Uncle’s family have just kept silent?
They were always trying to take advantage of people, but this—his uncle’s younger brother had died, and his nephew was about to drop out, and they still hid the loan? That was way too much.
Chu Anzhi added, “Aunt always said Brother Feng wasn’t college material. Was she trying to cover up her guilt?”
Gu Jia sighed, “Your aunt’s no saint. She probably did it on purpose.”
Chu Anzhi said angrily, “That’s just too much. She ruined someone’s future!”
Gu Jia looked at Linsheng and said, “Jinhui is getting married soon. There will be a lot of expenses coming up. We worked hard to make money—no matter what your father says, we absolutely can’t lend them anything.”
Linsheng looked at her and nodded. “Understood.”
