Chapter 272 - 270: Soft Persimmon

Chapter 272: Chapter 270: Soft Persimmon

"No, absolutely not. My whole family is already incredibly grateful that you’re willing to lend us the money. But a sum this large can’t be treated like a game. You can’t just bring it here without your parents’ or elders’ permission. Your parents have to be there. If we can’t do it that way, then... then my family would rather not borrow the money at all."

Lin Qiao’s father was getting truly anxious. He desperately needed this money, and he could tell from her tone that his daughter’s classmate really did have the funds and genuinely didn’t think much of such a large sum. Why else would she so casually say she could bring it over tomorrow—

But no matter how little the girl cared, no matter how trivial it was to her, she was still just a child. She was at that innocent age where kids do things on a whim—an age where anyone could flatter her with a few nice words and she’d give them the world.

The girl was probably just being generous because she was a good friend of his daughter’s and knew about their situation. Any other family would’ve probably jumped at the chance and taken the money. Then, even if they decided not to pay it back, the girl’s parents wouldn’t have much recourse... But no matter what others might do, he couldn’t act that way. It’s important to be grateful. When someone is kind enough to help you, you can’t just be selfish and repay their goodwill with malice.

Even if he had no intention of defaulting, he couldn’t bring himself to just go along with it and accept such a large sum from a little girl without her parents’ permission. What was the difference between that and swindling a child?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the expression on Lin Qiao’s father’s face grew even more resolute.

Gu Nuan Nuan watched him intently, seeing that his anxiety was genuine, as was his insistence. In that moment, she was filled with a profound sense of respect for him. She nodded earnestly. "Alright, then. I’ll go home and talk to my parents. Whether they’re free or not, let’s still meet at the station tomorrow at ten."

Joy immediately lit up Lin Qiao’s father’s face. He looked at her, rubbing his hands together. "Are your parents free today? If so, why not invite them to our house tonight to join in the fun? Uh... we don’t have much in the way of food, it’s really just for the cheerful atmosphere."

"Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary. They’re all very busy. In my family, it’s hard to get everyone together for a meal, except for our regular weekly dinner. When I left the house this morning, everyone was already gone except for my maternal grandpa and grandma. If I ask them to come, and someone else comes home for dinner tonight, who’s going to cook for them?"

Gu Nuan Nuan saw a flicker of embarrassment on Lin Qiao’s father’s face and smiled. "Don’t worry, it’s not like this is the only chance. How about you invite my family over to join the fun next year instead?"

"You’re right, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking it through. We’ll forget about it this year, then, and wait for the next." Lin Qiao’s father smiled, nodding again and again. Beside him, Lin Qiao pursed her lips in a smile as well.

They had dug up a lot of bamboo shoots, but thankfully, Lin Qiao’s father had brought extra bags. In the end, it took six bags to pack everything up. Lin Qiao’s father had also brought a carrying pole. He shouldered two of the bags himself, planning to come back in the afternoon to make two more trips for the rest.

The walk back was clearly much livelier. Gu Nuan Nuan and Lin Qiao followed behind Lin Qiao’s father and saw that the once-empty banquet tables set up along the village road were now gradually filling up with people.

"Nuannuan, see those houses over there? That whole row with the tallest buildings—that’s the most successful family in our village. There are a lot of brothers in their family, and they built their houses all in a line. This year, the brothers pitched in together and are hosting the biggest banquet in the village. I heard they set up nearly thirty tables!"

As they walked past one of the properties, Lin Qiao tugged on Gu Nuan Nuan’s arm and pointed at a row of houses that were exceptionally tall—a full three or four stories high, towering over the surrounding homes, which were mostly just one or two stories. Her voice was thick with envy but also held a hint of resentment.

"I heard that all the brothers in that family work at the Zhang Group. One of them is especially successful—I don’t know what his title is, but he manages a ton of people. Most of the guests they invited today are from the Zhang Group, not so much their own friends and relatives. Everyone in our village is incredibly envious of them, and tons of people are always trying to suck up to them."

Gu Nuan Nuan glanced over again, then turned to Lin Qiao and nodded. "They do look impressive."

"’Impressive’ doesn’t even begin to cover it!" Lin Qiao cried out. "Hmph. You have no idea how much influence they have in this village..."

"What do you mean? Don’t tell me someone in their family is bullying people around here."

Gu Nuan Nuan raised an eyebrow. ’That seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Our company has always been very strict with its hiring. We always prioritize character above all else; a person with a bad character is useless to us, no matter how skilled they are. And while we do believe in promoting talent, even if they’re relatives, we actually set the bar even higher in those cases, with both obvious and hidden tests. For several brothers from one family to all get hired, their character should be beyond reproach, shouldn’t it?’

"I haven’t heard anything like that," Lin Qiao said, shaking her head, though her expression was glum. "But some of their relatives are just awful. Like our next-door neighbors—that’s the family of the brothers’ second uncle. They’re always riding on their nephews’ coattails. Others give them a certain amount of respect because their family is so powerful. That family picks on the weak. They wouldn’t dare mess with other families, but they’ve bullied us and taken advantage of us more times than I can count."

"Don’t get angry yet. Just tell me, what exactly did they do?" Gu Nuan Nuan asked sympathetically, seeing the indignation on Lin Qiao’s face. ’It’s not surprising. People who bully the weak and fear the strong are everywhere, not just in the countryside. Hadn’t she experienced more than her fair share of it in her past life, back when her own family was powerless in her youth?’

’If I didn’t know, I could ignore it. But now I do, and Lin Qiao is one of my people now. And the main "power" her neighbors rely on comes from employees at my own family’s company. All I have to do is ask my eldest maternal uncle to have someone let one of those brothers know about my relationship with Lin Qiao. I’m sure that as long as they aren’t complete idiots, even if they’ve been turning a blind eye until now, they’ll know exactly what to do next.’

’Actually, it wasn’t surprising that things like this happened to Lin Qiao’s house. Having no sons was a major disadvantage in itself, a reason to be looked down upon. Plus, although her father had many siblings, he wasn’t favored by his own parents. Without a son of their own, even the members of their Clan wouldn’t necessarily treat them well. As a result, her family couldn’t draw on the strength of their own relatives. In a situation like that, with the other family’s Clan being so powerful, they were the perfect soft target, weren’t they?’