Chapter 7: How Much Do You Owe? I'll Pay It Back

Hearing Ye Cheng's teasing, Xiao Hu hurriedly took the money over, grinning foolishly as he slipped it into his pocket.

"Brother, if Mom saw I could make money, she'd be overjoyed."

"Don't talk about dying, come on, let's go buy some stuff and head back."

The village has only one small shop with limited goods; the dock is in town, where there's more variety.

The two strolled around town, bought some daily necessities, then Ye Cheng deliberately bought some braised vegetables and meat to bring back, spending a total of 30 yuan.

Back in the village, Xiao Hu hurried home excitedly to claim credit.

Ye Cheng returned, put things away, then placed the clams in a water basin to keep them alive, and carried the braised meat and vegetables to his older brother's house.

It had already grown dark, and every household began cooking.

Ye Cheng stepped inside; sister-in-law Jiang Yunxiang had already prepared the meal, and the family of three sat at the table with worried frowns, not knowing how to use chopsticks.

Seeing Ye Cheng enter, Ye Guowei quickly rose, forcing a smile: "A Cheng's here—come, sit down and have something to eat."

Jiang Yunxiang glanced at Ye Cheng, then reluctantly went to fetch bowls and chopsticks.

This younger brother-in-law—whenever he's out of money he comes to mooch a meal, or else to ask for cash; whenever he shows up, nothing good ever happens.

Even their son Dou Dou knows that Uncle is no good.

Ye Cheng glanced at the table: just three dishes—shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs, and a green vegetable—all very plain.

Older brother's place had only a bowl of rice, not even a cup of wine.

Ye Guowei does manual labor, which drains stamina; many people like to have a drink after work to feel relaxed.

He remembered that Ye Guowei used to drink as well, but today he didn't, for some unknown reason.

Moreover, just now the couple looked worried, probably because they'd run into some trouble.

"Sister-in-law, I've already eaten; you don't need to get the bowls and chopsticks." Ye Cheng said.

Hearing Ye Cheng say that, Jiang Yunxiang didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight out of the kitchen.

Ye Guowei glanced embarrassedly at his wife, knowing she was annoyed, but couldn't say much—after all, this brother of his is just that sort of person.

"A Cheng, you went out gathering seafood today—how was the haul?" Ye Guowei interjected.

"Not bad, Brother, Sister-in-law—I brought you some food: pork hock that Dou Dou likes, pig's trotter for you, Sister-in-law, and pork head meat that Older Brother loves." Ye Cheng said, placing the braised dishes on the table.

Ye Guowei gaped, looking incredulously at Ye Cheng, then at the dishes on the table: "This must cost several dozen yuan."

Jiang Yunxiang's face darkened; she hastily opened the package and saw it was indeed a heap of braised meat.

Dou Dou stared at the braised dishes on the table, his eyes lighting up, his chopsticks instinctively moving toward the pork hock.

"Don't move around," Jiang Yunxiang whispered sharply, her expression worsening: "A Cheng, it's not easy for your brother to earn money, and we still owe others; you're being so extravagant..."

Jiang Yunxiang complained a couple of times but then stopped; she's rather introverted and finds it hard to speak her mind.

Ye Cheng thought to himself, "No wonder their faces were so grim earlier—they thought I'd bought the meat with my brother's money."

"'We earn money and eat greens, while the younger brother-in-law spends money on meat—it's just not balanced in our hearts.'"

Ye Cheng sat down calmly, pulled three red bills from his pocket, and said, "Brother, Sister-in-law, I earned some money gathering seafood today and bought this with it—you can relax."

Upon hearing it was money from gathering seafood, Jiang Yunxiang's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

Ye Guowei, meanwhile, asked curiously, "Can gathering seafood really earn that much?"

"Yeah, luck was good today. Brother, just now Sister-in-law said the family still owes money?" Ye Cheng asked.

He had just searched the original host's memory and found not a trace; it seems the original host just took things without asking.

"Yeah, when Mom and Dad left they borrowed some money, and now the lender wants it back." Ye Guowei didn't hide it either.

"How much do you owe? I'll pay it back." Ye Cheng suddenly said.

Ye Guowei and Jiang Yunxiang stared at Ye Cheng in astonishment—what's gotten into this younger brother today?

First he brings over purchases, now he says he'll repay the debt.

"A Cheng, you wouldn't have gone off to do something bad, would you? I'm telling you—if you're short on cash, tell your brother; whatever you do, don't go hanging out with that bunch of kids."

Ye Cheng knew Ye Guowei was referring to Gu Feng and his gang of four or five, who are also from Baiyun Village and a bit older than Ye Cheng.

At most Ye Cheng is a little lazy, a bit of a rascal, maybe stealing chickens and dogs; that gang are bullies who dominate the market, always trying to recruit Ye Cheng—if Ye Guowei hadn't stopped him, Ye Cheng would have joined long ago.

Ye Guowei can tolerate his brother being a bit of a troublemaker, but cannot accept him taking a criminal path.

Seeing the concerned looks from his older brother and sister-in-law, Ye Cheng felt a surge of emotion and also a speechless exasperation—"Guys, I'm really not that hopeless."

"Brother, Sister-in-law, I really did earn this money gathering seafood—I went with Xiao Hu, and at the dock Old Lin's Seafood sold the goods: 32 catties of Flower Clam King, no lie."

"Old Lin's Seafood—yes, there's such a shop at the dock." Ye Guowei nodded.

"Sister-in-law, how much do we still owe?" Ye Cheng turned to Jiang Yunxiang, guessing his older brother wouldn't say.

Jiang Yunxiang glanced at Ye Guowei, lowered her head and muttered, "We still owe over 5,000; Uncle Zhang says he needs the money, and wants us to pay him back within a month."

5,000 yuan isn't much these days—after all, it's not the era when a ten-thousand-yuan household was considered rich.

But it's not insignificant either—based on Ye Guowei's monthly income of over a thousand, it's about half a year's wages.

"5,000, right? No problem—I'll definitely pay them back within a month; don't worry, I'll take responsibility." Ye Cheng patted his chest in assurance.

Today alone he made 500; in ten days that's 5,000; paying back 5,000 yuan in a month poses no pressure for Ye Cheng.

"A Cheng, gathering seafood is just luck—you can't expect it every day. Big Brother Ye will repay it; keep the money safe and just live your life." Ye Guowei, unwilling to let his brother repay, even shoved the three red bills back onto the table into Ye Cheng's hands.

Ye Cheng didn't refuse; he also needed some money himself.

"Brother, rest assured—I'll earn back the 5,000 yuan. You guys eat; don't worry about me."

Saying that, Ye Cheng greeted Dou Dou and left.

Ye Guowei watched Ye Cheng's retreating back, looking puzzled, and turned to his wife: "Hey, woman, what's gotten into A Cheng?"

"What can you do? As long as he can make money, it's better than you subsidizing him all the time."

"You keep saying that—he's my brother; if I don't help him, who will?"

"Mom, can I have the pork hock now?" Inside the house, Dou Dou asked in a childish, milky voice.

Eat, just eat what your uncle bought.