Profits double

The next day, at the rice stall.

Zhang Wei had just set up the stall with his parents when Chen Yingying came to thank them with her dad.

"Thank you so much," Chen Laosan said, his face full of embarrassment. "I was so anxious yesterday. Luckily, you were here; otherwise... sigh, I'm not a responsible father!"

Zhang Wei understood Chen Laosan's feelings. In his past life, he had been a single parent and knew how difficult it was to juggle work and taking care of a child. Fortunately, he had his mother to help raise the child, which made him even more sympathetic toward Chen Yingying, who was such a lonely little girl.

Chen Yingying pulled Zhang Wei aside to play while Chen Laosan chatted with Zhang Aiguo and his wife.

Chen Laosan joked, "Look how much this girl likes your kid! When she grows up, we'll marry her to your family."

"Sounds good! I really like Xiao Wei!" Chen Yingying cheered, completely unaware of what marriage meant.

Zhang Wei found it amusing. If he were to tell this girl about their conversation when they grew up, she would probably blush all the way down to her neck.

Cheng Lin also joked, "Then it's settled! We'll call you in-laws in the future."

It was common for parents to make such jokes when their children were young, but very few of those jokes turned into actual arrangements when the kids grew up. Zhang Wei understood they were just teasing.

After a while, Chen Laosan reluctantly took Chen Yingying away. Before leaving, he bought twenty pounds of rice. Despite Zhang Wei's parents repeatedly refusing, he insisted on buying it. Zhang Wei understood that this man had no better way to show his gratitude, so he resorted to this method. He suspected that once Chen Laosan ran out of rice at home, he would come back to buy more—isn't that digging into his uncle's wall?

Once Chen Laosan left, Zhang Aiguo said, "Let's earn more money recently so we can pay back Auntie's money before Qingming Festival!"

...

Twenty days later, in Minqiang Township.

With Qingming Festival approaching, all things were reviving in the gentle spring rain and wind.

Early in the morning, Zhang Wei took a coach back to his hometown with his mother. His father didn't go back; business was not easy to come by, and he needed to stay and watch the stall.

It had been a month since they set up their stall across the Sunlight City River, and business had been quite stable. Even during heavy rain or when city inspectors disrupted the stall, Zhang Wei's family had managed to sell an average of 1,500 pounds of rice daily, of which 500 pounds came from the contributions of Fatty Xie.

After getting off the bus, Zhang Wei looked around. In the distance, the streets, green trees, and houses were shrouded in a thin mist, and the closer he got to his hometown, the more his thoughts soared.

He remembered that when he first arrived, his family still owed Auntie 3,000 yuan. Now, they'd earned about 5,500 yuan in a month. After deducting living expenses, they had a net profit of around 5,000 yuan. This time, they had to pay off the debt!

Carrying things, Cheng Lin grumbled, "Your dad just wants to save face. He bought so many things for me to take back. Can't we buy these at home? They're so heavy!"

Zhang Wei followed his mother toward their home, constantly observing the scenery around them. Hearing his mother's words, he turned back and smiled, "Dad wants to thank Auntie for lending us the money, so stop complaining."

"Thanking what?" Cheng Lin replied unhappily. "When we borrowed money from Auntie, we promised a five percent interest rate and agreed to pay it back in a year. But less than half a year later, she came to rush us and said so many unpleasant things."

Zhang Wei was actually unaware of this situation. In his past life, his parents had never mentioned it. He only recalled how long it took for them to repay the debt, which surprised him. However, that interest rate wasn't too high—lower than the current bank rate. He tried to reassure his mother, saying, "Isn't it just five percent for a year? That's not too high!"

"What do you mean five percent a year? It's five percent every month!" Cheng Lin was filled with resentment.

Now that really was usury. Zhang Wei's expression turned cold. According to national laws, any interest over four times the bank rate was considered illegal usury. No wonder his parents had taken so long to pay off their debt; there was this hidden truth behind it.

Three thousand yuan compounded monthly would need to be repaid with about 5,400 yuan in a year!

What's the current bank interest rate? 10.98%! That means if you deposit 3,000 yuan for a full year, you'd only earn 329.4 yuan in interest!

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei felt a surge of anger. How could they still be borrowing money from relatives like this? He asked, "Mom, how much have you given her?"

Cheng Lin sighed and replied, "To avoid compound interest, we've been paying her 150 yuan every month. In eight months, that's 1,200 yuan. This time, we'll pay her the full 3,000 yuan to avoid further trouble."

This meant that since last summer, his father had been earning about 500 to 600 yuan a month, with a quarter of that going toward the debt. The family still had to cover living expenses, so it was no wonder they couldn't pay off the debt during the New Year.

Having already paid 1,200 yuan and still needing to repay 3,000? Zhang Wei felt very uncomfortable about it. However, thinking back to how difficult things had been for the family at that time, he realized that it was quite rare for Auntie to lend them money. The interest was what it was; it was better not to ruin their relationship over it. After all, it wouldn't sound good if it got back to the relatives.

Zhang Wei resolved that even if he had to endure some unpleasant words when he delivered the money to Auntie's house, he would hold his tongue. He couldn't act impulsively. As long as Auntie didn't go too far, he wouldn't bother arguing. He would just take it as a lesson learned about this family. At worst, they would keep their distance in the future.

But if Auntie insisted on making things difficult for his family, then Zhang Wei wouldn't hold back!

At Zhang Wei's grandparents' house.

After arriving home, Zhang Wei first helped his mother present the gifts they had brought back from Shanghai to his grandparents. Then, he followed her to his grandmother's house to deliver more gifts, preparing to give Auntie the money later that evening.

It was better to handle such an undignified matter at night to avoid gossip among the neighbors.

Unexpectedly, less than an hour after Zhang Wei's family left, Auntie came chasing after them to demand repayment!

Zhang Wei's grandparents had just finished lunch and were in a good mood after their grandson and daughter-in-law returned. They were engrossed in watching their fourteen-inch black-and-white TV, a brand called Jinxing.

Such TVs were no longer seen in later years; even now, most families wouldn't buy a TV that small, opting instead for larger 17-inch models.

Since it wasn't the busy farming season, there wasn't much to do besides chatting at home.

"It seems like the second son's family is doing well in Shanghai, while the third son is still working on the construction site. Next year, they should let the eldest and second take him out," Grandpa Zhang Delin said.

Grandma Lu Jiannan expressed her concerns, "The second son's family still owes money. I wonder if they'll pay it back this time? Cheng Lin's Auntie has come to demand repayment several times, and every time she comes, she says such harsh things. Sigh!"

"They should be able to pay it back. Isn't the second daughter-in-law…" Zhang Delin's words were cut short by a sudden shriek from outside.

"Old brother and sister-in-law, your daughter-in-law is really something else! She's back and still hiding away?" Accompanying the sharp voice was a woman in her fifties with sunken cheeks and a pointed face. As soon as she entered the house, she began to mock them, saying, "Oh, you two seem quite relaxed. Aren't you going to talk to your daughter-in-law about paying back the money soon?"