4: Chapter 4: Debt-Free and Carefree

Zhang Wei also knew that Fan Haitao must have pocketed quite a bit of profit. But since the origin of his items was unclear, he treated it as both parties getting what they needed.

Returning to his rental, he bumped into the landlord uncle at the door just as he was about to open it.

He froze for a moment upon seeing Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Zhang, didn't you terminate your lease and head back to your hometown? Did you forget something?"

Zhang Wei slapped his forehead. Last night, he had been so focused on dealing with the gold bars that he had completely forgotten his plan to move out and return home today.

"Sorry about that, Uncle," Zhang Wei said apologetically.

"The situation has changed. I've found a good new job here in Shenghai, so I don't plan on going back to my hometown anymore. But don't worry, I'll find a new place and move out today, staying for another day or two at most."

The landlord felt a bit awkward hearing this but didn't know what to say.

When Zhang Wei terminated the lease, there was still more than half a month left before it expired. Because the landlord was a decent man who hadn't raised the rent in two years and had always been polite—without any of those shady inspection tactics when moving out—Zhang Wei hadn't mentioned a refund either. Respect was mutual.

The landlord waved his hand. "Congratulations on finding a new job. Since the lease hasn't expired yet anyway, it's fine to stay a few more days. Just give me a call before you move out."

After bidding the landlord farewell and returning to his room, his phone suddenly rang.

Zhang Wei glanced at it; it was a call from his mom.

"Mom, I'll be heading to the high-speed rail station in a bit. I expect to be home by seven or eight tonight."

His mother's voice on the other end was hesitant. "Xiao Wei, something's come up at home. How about you don't come back today and we talk in a few days?"

Zhang Wei frowned. "Did something happen at home?"

At that moment, he heard a commotion from the other end of the line, with faint mentions of "external debt" and "repaying money." Zhang Wei understood instantly; it was likely those relatives coming to collect debts again.

Besides their own savings, his father's medical expenses had required borrowing over 200,000 yuan in external debt. His mother had sold a batch of fruit from the shop at a low price, leaving about 200,000 yuan in remaining debt.

This debt had been like a heavy boulder weighing on his parents. Now, his mother had to care for his father's injury while dealing with a mob of debt-collecting relatives. The pressure was immense.

"Mom, don't worry. We'll talk about everything once I'm back."

Fortunately, Zhang Wei now had over 300,000 yuan in his bank account. This trip home was the perfect chance to settle this matter once and for all.

Zhang Wei went to a nearby bank first and withdrew 250,000 yuan in cash from the counter. He stuffed the money into his backpack and headed for the high-speed rail station.

Over four hours later, he got off at the provincial capital. It was still a forty-minute drive to his hometown, Fengtai Town. Zhang Wei didn't bother waiting for a bus and hailed a taxi directly to rush home.

At the Zhang residence.

The small living room was packed with people. Zhang Weiguo sat in his wheelchair, his face as grim as still water.

"Weiguo, it's only natural to pay back what you owe. You must repay this money today, no matter what!"

"Exactly. If you don't pay up, we're not leaving."

Li Huihong looked at her husband in the wheelchair with concern. Her usually good temper was now tinged with anger.

When they first borrowed the money, they had agreed with the relatives to repay it in three years, paying 10% interest annually. Only a few months had passed, but seeing her ask Zhang Wei to come back and run the shop, these people worried the youngster would ruin the business and leave them unable to collect. So, they had come rushing to demand repayment without rhyme or reason.

"Alright, alright."

The Second Maternal Uncle, Li Huiguo, who was sitting to the side, said with a facade of earnest persuasion:

"Weiguo, Huihong, don't blame them. After all, everyone's money didn't just blow in with the wind. Given the current state of your fruit shop, how are you going to pay back what's owed? You have to give us an explanation, don't you?"

Zhang Weiguo said in a low voice, "Second Uncle, our Zhang Wei is coming back. He'll take over the fruit shop, and we'll be able to pay back the money from the monthly profits."

The Second Maternal Aunt sitting nearby sneered, "What does a kid like Zhang Wei know? I heard he can't even find a job in Shenghai right now." She then glanced at the slovenly shamate youth beside her. "Unlike my Lihua, who drives long-haul routes, has seen the world, and has many friends."

Li Huihong was fuming. Her son had excelled in his studies since childhood; when he was admitted to a 211 university in Shenghai, all the relatives had been green with envy.

The Second Maternal Aunt's son, Li Lihua, was a vocational school graduate who had always been a loafer. He worked as a long-haul truck driver, but word was he recently hit someone and was found fully liable, so the fleet kicked him out. How could someone like that even be compared to her son?

"We also know your family can't produce this much money right now."

The Second Uncle continued to act as if he were looking out for Zhang Wei's family.

"How about this? I'll help you pay back 100,000 first. It's not good for the fruit shop to stay closed. Weiguo, transfer the shop to me. Lihua isn't driving right now, so he can run it. As for the money he owes, Zhang Wei can pay it back monthly once he finds a job."

"Exactly, if you don't have the money, use the shop to cover it. That way, all the problems are solved, right?" the Second Maternal Aunt added.

Zhang Weiguo and Li Huihong were at a loss for a moment.

Seeing the couple's distress, the Second Uncle was secretly gloating. Wasn't it exactly what he wanted if they couldn't pay?

He had been willing to lend money in the first place because he had his eye on the fruit shop's profits. After seeing that Li Huihong had no heart for the business, he had privately approached the other creditors and used alarmist talk to successfully persuade them to join him in demanding repayment.

Then, he would take over the shop at a low price of 100,000 yuan. He wouldn't even keep that 100,000; he'd distribute it among the other creditors. As for the 100,000 he himself had lent the couple—didn't they still have a small house? He'd find a way to seize that later.

"Your family certainly has it all figured out."

Everyone turned around to see Zhang Wei walking into the house with an expressionless face.

The Second Maternal Aunt's face soured. "You're just a junior, and you come in here making a scene. Everyone sitting here is your elder; you have no right to speak!"

Zhang Weiguo and Li Huihong also looked over with worried faces.

Giving his parents a reassuring look, Zhang Wei pulled up a chair and sat down. "Our shop has always operated with integrity over the years, and the regulars nearby are happy to shop here. The monthly profit is good. It's like a hen that lays eggs every day to sell; who would be stupid enough to sell the hen that lays the golden eggs?"

"If worst comes to worst, I'll just take out a bank loan to repay the debt and pay the interest every month. Trying to force my parents to give up our shop... who gave you the courage? Fish Leong?"

The shamate youth nearby shrieked upon hearing this, "You little brat! Watch your mouth!"

"Enough!" Zhang Weiguo could no longer suppress his simmering rage.

He slapped the armrest of his wheelchair and roared, "Even if I have to mortgage the house to the bank, I will pay back what is owed. Xiao Wei is back now and needs a livelihood. I will not sell the fruit shop."

Seeing that negotiations had broken down, the Second Uncle stopped playing the nice guy and sneered, "Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us for being heartless."

"Either you pay up today, or I'll have Lihua smash your shop tonight and divide up everything inside to cover the debt."

"Exactly! If you don't pay, no one's going to have a good time!" The relatives began to stir up trouble again.

Zhang Weiguo and Li Huihong were extremely anxious but felt powerless.

Zhang Wei, however, wasn't hurried at all. He said calmly, "Is 200,000 yuan a lot?"

As he spoke, he pulled stack after stack of RMB from his backpack and slammed them heavily onto the table.

Before long, the table was piled high with money.

The room went silent instantly, everyone stunned. The Second Maternal Aunt's mouth hung so wide she couldn't close it.

Zhang Weiguo and Li Huihong were also incredibly surprised. "Xiao Wei, weren't you fired by your company? Where did all this money come from?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Zhang Wei.

"Mom, Dad, I'm doing business with a friend now. This is part of what I earned recently. Don't worry, our family won't be short of money from now on."

Zhang Wei made up an excuse, concealing the matter of the Intelligence System.

"Where would a youngster get so much money? He must be up to some illegal business out there," the Second Maternal Aunt shouted spitefully once she regained her senses.

Seeing her son being targeted repeatedly, Li Huihong couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily, "Our family's business is none of your concern!"

"You should worry about your own son instead. Everyone in town knows he spends his days drinking, gambling, and visiting prostitutes. I just hope he doesn't get hauled off by the police one day."

"How dare you talk about my son! I'll kill you!" The Second Maternal Aunt exploded upon hearing this. She lunged from her chair, intending to grab Li Huihong's hair.

Zhang Wei wasn't about to indulge her. He suddenly lashed out and slapped her across the face, instantly causing half of the woman's face to swell up.

The shamate youth beside her was dazed for a moment before reacting. He pointed at Zhang Wei and shrieked, "You little bastard, you dare hit my mom! Believe it or not, I'll trash your house!"

Zhang Wei watched him bark and said coldly, "Try me." He took out another stack of RMB and tapped it gently against his palm. "Hitting a shrew like your mother already felt like it dirtied my hands. Our family isn't short on money now. If you dare cause trouble, do you think anyone would be interested if I offered 10,000 yuan to have someone break one of your legs?"

Everyone gasped. For 10,000 yuan to break a leg, there were plenty of thugs outside willing to do the job.

The shamate youth didn't dare speak now. He was just a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong; he folded immediately upon meeting someone tough.

"Enough," Zhang Weiguo spoke up. "Write your receipts, take the money, and leave. We won't be seeing each other anymore."

Although he didn't know where his son had gotten such a large sum of money, with outsiders present, he couldn't ask too much. The priority was to settle the debts.

Seeing the situation, the relatives scrambled to write receipts. The Second Uncle's family stopped their fussing and left dejectedly with their money.

Zhang Wei watched them coldly. If these people dared to cause trouble again, he wouldn't mind giving them a severe lesson.

After a while, the house finally quieted down. Li Huihong closed the door and pulled her son to sit beside her.

"Xiao Wei, tell Mom, where did you get all that money? There's always a way to handle things at home; just don't go down the wrong path."

"Mom, what are you thinking?" Zhang Wei made up a reason to comfort his parents. "I really did find a new job. The manager is a relative of a friend of mine, and he introduced me. The salary is several times what it used to be. This money was actually borrowed from the manager, and I'll pay it back slowly from my salary later."

His father was skeptical but didn't say much. His child was grown, had his own career, and could shoulder the family's burdens; as a parent, he felt proud.

After staying the night in his hometown, Zhang Wei woke up early the next day, had breakfast at home, and prepared to return to Shenghai.

After all, the Intelligence System wouldn't update if Zhang Wei wasn't within the vicinity of Shenghai City. Besides, he had to hurry and find a new place to live; the landlord at the rental was still waiting.

Before leaving, Zhang Wei handed the extra 50,000 RMB he had withdrawn to his parents.

He urged his parents to hire two clerks to manage the fruit shop so his mother would only need to drop by occasionally, which would be much easier for her. The remaining money was for household expenses.

Having settled the family matters, Zhang Wei boarded the high-speed train back to Shenghai.