Paying Back The Money (Part 2)

When she finally looked at him, he gave a brief glance inside the shop, indicating he was there to see Uncle Hong.

"He's busy inside. Business hasn't been good lately, and we don't have money to lend you. Your uncle is also working as a shopkeeper in town and makes two or three taels a month. Why don't you borrow the money from him? After all, he's your real uncle. He won't refuse to help his own nephew."

Mrs. Hong was determined not to let him see Uncle Hong, so Huo Tianzhou had no choice but to show her the IOU.

"You're here to repay the loan?" Mrs. Hong didn't believe him.

Huo Tianzhou nodded his jead slightly.

Mrs. Hong scrutinized him suspiciously, and only when she was sure he wasn't comebhere to borrow money did her expression soften.

"Did you recently earn some money?"

Given Huo Tianzhou's limited skills, he used to sell some bamboo crafts and only relying on acquaintances to buy them.

She used to be thankful if he didn't delay repayment, and now he was repaying before the end of the month without being overdue.

She probed further, "Is the money from Liang Hongyu? I heard she lost her job. Where did she get the money?"

When Mrs. Hong learned that Liang Hongyu had lost her job, she was extremely anxious, fearing they wouldn't get their money back.

She went on for a while, and Huo Tianzhou stood there like a wooden statue, unresponsive.

Finally, she grew impatient and said, "Give me the money, and I'll inform your Uncle Hong once he's finished."

Since the money was borrowed from Uncle Hong, it should naturally be returned to him, and the IOU retrieved.

Huo Tianzhou put away the IOU and indicated he would wait for Uncle Hong to come out.

"His money is my money. Giving it to me is the same as giving it to him. Do you trust me, or do you not trust your Uncle Hong? Are you worried I won't clear the debt?"

Every time he came by, he only repaid a few dozen coins, so what was the big deal?

Seeing that he still refused, Mrs. Hong's face fell, "When we lent your family money, our business hadn't even started. We had to buy ingredients on credit, and your Uncle Hong ran around negotiating with suppliers who weren't willing to wait."

"I always said we shouldn't have lent the money in the first place. We went out of our way to give it to them, and now, years later, we still haven't gotten it back. If we'd kept that money, our shop could have expanded to the main street by now..."

Huo Tianzhou insisted on waiting for Uncle Hong to come out, not because he didn't trust Mrs. Hong.

Although she wasn't fond of him, she wouldn't refuse to acknowledge a repayment.

In the past, Huo Tianzhou had repaid debts without others present, only to have the creditor deny receiving the money because the IOU hadn't been promptly cleared.

He had learned his lesson the hard way.

He stood silently to the side with his eyes half-lowered, listening to Mrs. Hong's ranting and indirect insults.

When Uncle Hong heard the commotion from inside, he thought it was a trouble maker customer.

He quickly put down his work and walked out.

"Tianzhou?"

Seeing who it was from inside, he stepped out and said, "What brings you here today? Is everything okay at home?"

"He's here to repay the loan."

Mrs. Hong gave Huo Tianzhou a sour look, urging him to hand over the money quickly so he could leave and not disrupt business.

"The buns are steaming. Go inside and watch them," Uncle Hong told her, trying to ease the tension.

He knew his wife had always been wary about lending money, fearing they wouldn't get it back.

Mrs. Hong reluctantly went back inside, and Uncle Hong turned his head to Huo Tianzhou, "Have you eaten? If not, have some food here."

Huo Tianzhou smiled faintly and shook his head, then took out the money pouch and handed it to him.

Uncle Hong was surprised that he was here to pay back the money now.

He counted the coins, totaling five hundred wen, and was even more puzzled.

Their shop did have some business, but money was always tight, and he was constantly nagged by his wife about it.

"At home..." He looked at Huo Tianzhou's thin face, unsure of what to say.

After a pause, he finally said, "Come inside, and I'll get you the IOU."

Huo Tianzhou shook his head, indicating that he would wait outside.

He had never entered the house during his visits.

Uncle Hong sighed but didn't insist, he then going inside to get the IOU.

After Huo Tianzhou received the IOU and left, Mrs. Hong came out.

Seeing him walk away, she turned back and said, "How much did he repay this time, a few dozen wen or just a handful? We never know if we'll get all our money back by the end of the year. I always said his mother's illness couldn't be cured, yet they kept selling land to pay for her treatment. And in the end, it was all for nothing..."

"Say no more," Uncle Hong interrupted, and then handing her the money pouch, "The debt is fully repaid. Be more mindful of your words when you see him. If it weren't for his father taking me on trading trips, we wouldn't have been able to start this shop."

Mrs. Hong ignored his reprimand, her attention on the money.

She exclaimed in surprise, "He really repaid everything! Where did they suddenly get so much money? Could it be that Liang Hongyu found a way to make money?"

"Business seems good, huh? Early in the morning and you've already made quite a bit."

Three people suddenly approached the front of the shop.

The leader was Lin Boqin, a local loafer.

He spoke casually, not stopping as he opened the steamer and grabbed a bun.

Mrs. Hong frowned, putting the money away anxiously, "Business hasn't been good lately. We still owe for the last batch of ingredients we bought, and this little money isn't enough to cover it."

As the other two each grabbed a bun, she quickly closed the lid.

"That'll be ten wen in total."

Uncle Hong, not wanting to argue with them, even quoted a price two wen less than usual since they had taken meat buns.