12: Chapter 12 Repaying the Money and Buying a Car

"Dad, Mom," Cao Xiao called out with a slight sob, quickly going over to take the things from his parents' hands.

"You're back, Xiao Xiao." When his father, Cao Jingde, saw Cao Xiao, a smile blossomed on his originally weary face.

"Xiao Xiao, wait a moment. Mom will finish cooking these vegetables and then we'll eat." His mother, Li Fengmei, took the vegetables back from Cao Xiao's hands and carried them toward the kitchen to get busy.

"Mom, no need to cook. I've already made everything; we can just eat. Put the fish in the fridge and we'll have it tomorrow. Sit down first, I have something to tell you both," Cao Xiao said, pointing to the dining table.

"What is it? Do you need money for a girlfriend? How much? Mom will give it to you in a bit," his mother said without a second thought.

"No, you and Dad sit down first. This is very important." Cao Xiao pulled his parents over to sit on the tattered little sofa.

"Did you get into trouble?" his father asked anxiously with a dark expression.

"No, it's a good thing—a very good thing! But you need to be mentally prepared," Cao Xiao said, looking seriously at his parents.

"What kind of great thing could it be? Did you really get a girlfriend?" his mother asked curiously.

"I'll just say it straight. Here's the deal: a friend of mine opened a coal processing plant. A couple of days ago, he asked me to help find a market. Today, I went to Second Aunt's house and asked Second Uncle for help. We sold the processed coal powder to a steel plant in Jinghu City. They placed an order for five thousand tons. As long as I sell it for a thousand yuan per ton, my friend gives me an eight percent commission. If the price is higher, I get everything over a thousand. Today, I sold it to that steel plant for eleven hundred yuan, which means I get nine hundred thousand. However, they only paid half the payment today, so my share is four hundred and fifty thousand. With this money, we can pay off all our family's debts." Cao Xiao blurted out the reason he had prepared in one breath, then quietly watched his parents' reaction.

"How can it be so much? Is that friend of yours reliable? Don't let it be a false hope in the end," his father said with concern instead of the excitement Cao Xiao had imagined.

Cao Xiao took out his phone, found the bank transfer voucher, and then pulled out the contract he signed with Hao Daqiang today, handing it to his father. He then said, "The money is all in my bank account; I haven't given the payment to my friend yet. The official seal on this contract can't be faked. You should believe me now, right?"

His father took the phone and carefully counted the string of zeros, then handed it to his mother. He took the contract and read it over several times, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and looked calmly at Cao Xiao. "Our family has truly struck it lucky this time. You must thank your friend properly. However, you can't take this much money. Only take the eight percent commission on the total payment. Since he gave you such a great opportunity, you shouldn't be greedy."

"Dad, I earned this through my own ability. It's not a case of someone helping me; rather, I'm the one helping my friend. He was tricked into buying a set of expensive imported processing equipment, but the products he produced had no extra added value and the production costs were high. He couldn't sell them at a high price, and selling at a low price would mean a loss, so the products were just sitting there in the rain. If I hadn't used my connections to help him sell a large batch of stock at a high price, he might have gone bankrupt. So, we can take this money with a clear conscience." Cao Xiao knew his father's mindset—that a person of integrity doesn't accept charity—but he still had to find a way to convince him. Only then could he openly pay off the family's debts.

"I see. Then you handle it yourself. As long as your conscience is clear, you don't have to worry about what others think," his father said.

"Then we'll go withdraw the money tomorrow and pay off everything we owe. Tomorrow is Sunday; someone might come to collect debts, so it's better to pay them off quickly for some peace and quiet," his mother added from the side.

Cao Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief. The biggest obstacle had been resolved; all that remained was the repayment. Cao Xiao said, "I'm not entirely sure of the details. After dinner, let's settle all these old accounts. We don't need to calculate interest for the money from my maternal uncles' families, or they'll get angry; we'll just buy more gifts when we visit. For the money borrowed from other relatives and friends, we'll add bank interest and buy a small gift for each family. As for those few families who later charged us usury rates, we'll just pay the money, take the IOUs, and leave. We won't associate with them anymore; it's disgusting. A few thousand yuan has multiplied several times over these years, and they still raise the interest and come to the door to demand payment every year. What kind of relatives are they? They're worse than ordinary friends, using compound interest to treat us like an ATM."

"By the way, your Second Uncle helped us so much this time. What did you say to him?" his mother asked.

"He wouldn't accept a cut. I know his temper, so I only gave him ten thousand yuan, saying it was to show respect to him and Second Aunt, and only then did he take it. I don't know how much money our family took from there back then, but we don't need to pay that back. After the payment is settled next month, I'll go on a few more runs and buy him a nice car. Also, I want to resign from the coal mine. The company will be disbanded before long anyway, and we're not short on money now. I'll do business on my own in the future. You two don't need to sell vegetables or run the shop anymore. Selling vegetables is too hard, and Dad shouldn't be moving heavy goods. If there's a chance, we'll transfer the shop to someone else. For now, you two should rest at home for a while. If you really can't stay idle, go travel around a bit," Cao Xiao said with some emotion.

"Your Second Uncle is a true gentleman; that's my evaluation of him. Your mother and I will listen to you. Our bodies have been severely overextended these past few years; it's time to recover properly," his father said. In modern society, it was hard to find someone who could be called a 'gentleman' in the ancient sense.

Cao Xiao also knew in his heart that what his family owed was not just money, but also favors, and favors are the hardest to repay. With his parents no longer working so hard, the worry in Cao Xiao's heart eased slightly. He planned to take his parents to a large hospital for a check-up once he had handled everything. Cao Xiao said, "Let's eat first. I was full after eating at Second Aunt's house at noon, but when I came back, the smell of a pile of rotting meat by the road made me want to empty my stomach."

"Let's eat. We'll settle the accounts after eating. Xiao Xiao, drink a bit with me. I'm happy today. Fengmei, you have some too." Only now did his father truly become happy, opening the wine he had just bought and pouring three glasses.

"Wuwuwu! Finally, we're free. I've really had enough of these days," his mother suddenly burst into tears.

Without experiencing those hard times, one wouldn't know what kind of torture it was—living in a cramped space, unable to afford good clothes or meat, a life of utter blandness where every cent spent was painful. Especially as parents, watching their children suffer with them and be looked down upon by their peers—that deep self-blame haunted every day and night. Cao Xiao didn't blame his parents; fate was unpredictable, and one shouldn't complain about what must be faced. He only blamed himself for his lack of ability, which forced his parents to work day and night.

Cao Xiao's eyes were also moist. He raised his glass and clinked it with his parents, drinking half a glass in one go. The wine was very strong, costing less than fifty yuan, and the taste was poor, burning the throat and hurting the stomach, but Cao Xiao felt that this moment in life was the most real. From this moment on, fate would be different.

The family finished a 500ml bottle of white spirit. His mother drank less than half a glass, while Cao Xiao and his father split the rest. After the meal, everyone was flushed. Cao Xiao's head was also dizzy, but he wasn't tired at all. After clearing the dishes, the family happily sat at the table to calculate the debts.

The final result was a total debt of five hundred and forty thousand yuan. This was the total amount, including what Cao Xiao had borrowed from colleagues and friends, as well as the debt to Second Aunt's family. Of course, this included interest; without interest, it was only a bit over four hundred thousand.

They owed Second Aunt's family one hundred and twenty thousand. Cao Xiao owed friends and colleagues two hundred and ten thousand. His two maternal uncles were owed fifty thousand each. Cao Xiao didn't plan to repay the uncles immediately; both families were in the provincial capital, and he would pay them back when he went there next week. So, the amount to be repaid tomorrow was one hundred and ten thousand. The usury from two relatives amounted to forty thousand, whereas the original principal was only eight thousand; when the money was borrowed, they had agreed on no interest, but they later went back on their word and kept adding interest. Of the final seventy thousand, twenty thousand was from a friend of his father's, and fifty thousand was from five other relatives. Thus, he had to drive his parents to repay the money early tomorrow morning.

After settling the accounts, Cao Xiao quietly chatted with his younger brother and sisters on WeChat. It was too late, and the dorm lights were out, so it wasn't convenient to call. Cao Xiao told them about making money today and transferred one thousand yuan to his younger brother and three thousand each to his two younger sisters to buy clothes and for pocket money. He told them not to tell their parents and that he would be responsible for all their future expenses. His siblings were very happy and asked Cao Xiao to visit when he had time. Cao Xiao said he would go when he was free, as he no longer had to work at the coal mine.

Early the next morning, Cao Xiao was woken up by his mother. Today was a big day for their family. His mother had gotten up early to buy breakfast. It wasn't even seven o'clock after breakfast, which was too early to set out. They watched TV for a while until eight-thirty, then went downstairs to drive to a nearby bank to withdraw cash before going to the mall to buy gifts.

The gift for each family was a carton of Chunghwa cigarettes, a bottle of Moutai, or a box of tea costing several hundred yuan. These gifts alone cost several thousand. He accompanied his parents as they visited each family, paying off the debts and presenting the gifts. For those who didn't charge interest, he didn't force it; he simply noted the favor.

Cao Xiao went to repay the last two usurious debts himself. If his parents went, they wouldn't be able to save face. Cao Xiao arrived empty-handed, calculated the interest clearly to their faces, exchanged the IOUs, and left without even drinking a drop of water. Seeing Cao Xiao repaying the money, these two relatives changed their tune and suddenly became warm and welcoming. Cao Xiao didn't buy it; there was no need to associate with these people anymore. They were strangers from now on, and he couldn't even be bothered to say another word.

Cao Xiao sent his parents home to rest and went to his father's shop to post a transfer advertisement. He didn't go home for lunch, instead eating something by the road before driving toward the city.

Li Dongping's car had to be returned today. Since he would be running around a lot lately, he also needed a car for transportation. Now that he had money in his pocket, he would go pick one up. It didn't need to be fancy, just sturdy and durable, because most of the places he would go in the future were mountainous areas. Sedans were out of the question; a four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle or a more comfortable SUV would be best.

Cao Xiao's home was in Xinyang County, Xiangmen City, while the Hengyu Coal Mine where he worked was in Fangzhu Town, Xinyang County. Xinyang County had a developed forestry industry, and Fangzhu Town was famous for producing square bamboo.

Driving to the city's Auto City, he looked around the domestic section and found that he hadn't even heard of many of the car brands. This was awkward. Since the new century, the domestic automobile industry had developed rapidly, with new brands constantly emerging and some even going abroad to sell well worldwide, but they were mostly low-to-mid-range cars, with only a few well-known ones. It wasn't that there were no high-end cars, but they weren't something ordinary people could buy.

After hesitating for a while, Cao Xiao finally found an old brand he recognized. He didn't have many requirements for a car now, as long as it was reliable. So, he parked and walked in.

This was a Leopard 4S dealership. Leopard is a brand under the Changfeng Group. The company's predecessor was the former Chinese military Factory No. 7319, with a history of over 50 years. it is the largest light off-road vehicle manufacturer in the country. During its peak, it even accounted for half of the national off-road vehicle market. Its quality and reputation were very good; the only downside was that the company was a Sino-Japanese joint venture.

Cao Xiao wandered around the showroom by himself. There weren't many models he was satisfied with, but he finally took a fancy to an '08 Leopard CS6 4WD SUV. After calling over a salesperson to ask about the car's details, Cao Xiao decided to buy it. The appearance was decent and not ugly for city use, and its off-road capability was outstanding, allowing it to overcome poor road conditions in mountainous areas.

The Leopard CS6 is a city SUV with outstanding traversability and off-road performance. The interior is spacious, stylish, and comfortable, with excellent power performance. It is an SUV with prominent off-road capabilities, featuring a powerful VM engine, a 4.98-meter long body, a 2.725-meter wheelbase, a master-control all-wheel-drive system, and a pure off-road chassis.

The Leopard CS6 comes in four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive, with several interior options. Cao Xiao naturally chose the four-wheel drive. The 2.4L displacement meant high fuel consumption, but he could completely afford the fuel money now. He also chose the luxury interior. Consequently, the price of this Leopard CS6 4WD Luxury SUV reached 230,000 yuan. Under Cao Xiao's urging, he didn't even negotiate the price and paid the full amount directly. Including insurance and everything else, it cost Cao Xiao nearly 260,000 yuan. The salesperson quickly handled the procedures, put on temporary license plates, and gave Cao Xiao some benefits like maintenance. The new plates would take a few days to process, and Cao Xiao entrusted the 4S shop to handle it.

Finally, he asked the 4S shop to help him drive the car to Huangmei Town. It was 6:00 PM when he arrived at his rental house in Huangmei Town. After seeing off the driver, Cao Xiao parked his car and then called Li Dongping, telling him in advance that he was coming over as a guest. He drove Li Dongping's car to the gas station to fill it up, bought a bottle of Guanyongfang by the road, took out the game he had prepared the day before yesterday from his personal space, and then knocked on Li Dongping's door.