Chapter 883: Repaying Kindness

Shen Wenyu said, "He Yuzhu, what you said just now makes a lot of sense. Could you give us some specific guidance?"

He Yuzhu replied, "I can, but I don't have the time right now. I'll come back after a while. However, I'll have to trouble you to help find someone to repair the old Shen Family house; we will cover the costs."

Shen Wenyu said readily, "No problem. There is a construction team in the village. They can certainly have it repaired as good as new in a month, so you'll be able to stay there when you come back in the future."

He Yuzhu nodded, "Fine, I will leave someone behind to specifically keep an eye on this matter."

Shen Guizhi saw that the time was about right, so she said to He Yuzhu, "I want to go nearby to see my cousin. She always followed me around when she was little. I heard that her family's life hasn't been very good."

He Yuzhu responded immediately, "Then let's go now."

Shen Wenyu said, "Her place isn't easy to find. I'll take you there."

He Yuzhu nodded, "Then I'll trouble you!"

"He Yuzhu, don't be so polite. We are all close relatives."

The group set off in four cars.

At first, the road was quite easy to travel, but gradually, the asphalt road turned into a gravel road, and then it became a completely dirt road.

Approaching the entrance of Xitian Village, the road had already rotted into a mud pit and was completely impassable.

Shen Guizhi asked, "Does Shen Guixiang live here?"

Shen Wenyu nodded, "That's right. This village is the poorest in the entire region. Guixiang's husband died early, and her son's leg was broken in a car accident when he was young. Her grandson is nearly thirty, but he still has epilepsy. His wife left behind two little girls and ran away; now the two girls are only seven or eight years old. This family is truly living a bitter life."

Shen Guizhi remained silent.

The road was impassable, so the group had no choice but to step through the mud to walk into the village.

Shen Wenyu pointed to a courtyard with a dilapidated wall and said, "This is the one."

He walked a few steps faster and shouted loudly, "Sister Guixiang! Someone has come to see you, someone you would never even imagine!"

At this moment, an old woman wearing a worn-out cotton-padded jacket walked out.

Although she was dressed shabbily, her spirit was very high, and she walked with a vigorous, spirited gait, not at all like someone over seventy.

Shen Guizhi looked at this younger cousin, who was three or four years her junior, and seeing her in such a state now, tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

"Guixiang, is that you?" Her eyes turned red, and her voice trembled.

Shen Guixiang stared blankly at the old woman in front of her, who looked to be only in her early sixties with fair skin, opened her mouth wide, and asked hesitantly, "You... who are you?"

"I am Shen Guizhi."

Shen Guixiang dared not recognize the person in front of her. This person was a few years older than her, so how could she look like someone who wasn't even seventy?

Shen Wenyu urged, "Sister Guixiang, why haven't you invited the guests into the house yet?"

Only then did Shen Guixiang come back to her senses. She hurriedly stepped forward to take Shen Guizhi's hand and said with some embarrassment, "I am too slow-witted. You have lived in the city for so many years, sheltered from the wind and rain, so it is normal that you look so young."

Shen Guizhi smiled and gently stroked Shen Guixiang's head.

Shen Guixiang could not hold back and burst into tears. She said with a choked voice, "Sister Guizhi, it is you. You like to touch my head. I don't let anyone else touch it, only you. I recognize you now. Why did you only come back now? I have been waiting for so many years..."

Shen Guizhi also cried and said, "In the early years, life was hard, and in recent years, the children have all been busy. Mainly, I didn't know who was still around, so I never came over."

Shen Guixiang said, "I did hear that you lived in Beijing, but with my family's situation, I didn't have the money to go see you!"

Shen Guizhi walked into her house; it was almost bare, with only two beds—though calling them beds, they were actually just a few wooden planks laid over bricks.

Shen Guixiang said apologetically, "We don't have any good tea at home. I'll boil some hot water for you right now."

Shen Guizhi waved her hand, "No need. Let's all go out together and grab something to eat while we're at it."

Shen Guixiang looked at the people who had come and understood in her heart—they were all dressed decently. She nodded repeatedly, "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you."

She hurriedly called her son, grandson, and the two great-granddaughters from the main room to pay their respects to Shen Guizhi.

A large group of them knelt down with a rustle.

She specifically pulled the two eight-year-old girls over and said, "This is your great-grandmother. Kowtow to your great-grandmother."

The two little girls obediently prepared to kowtow.

Shen Guizhi hurriedly had He Yuzhu help everyone up.

She took two jade bracelets out of her pocket, handed them to the two little girls, and said with a smile, "I didn't bring any gifts, so consider this a small token of my affection."

As soon as Shen Guixiang saw the two jade bracelets, she knew they were of great value and hurriedly waved her hand to stop her, "Guizhi, this gift is truly too heavy; I cannot accept it."

Shen Guizhi shook her head and said with a smile, "Why are you being so polite with me? I came this time specifically to take you away. Our children are all grown up, and there's no one to keep me company and talk to me. If you come over, you can just keep me company."

Shen Guixiang hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "That would be too much trouble for you. My whole family is either sick or frequently falling ill, and they have to take medicine every day. I don't want to add to your burdens."

Shen Guizhi said sternly, "In the past, I wouldn't have dared to make such a bold claim. But now that our children are all capable and we are living well, even with your whole family added, it wouldn't crush us."

"But my family still owes other people money," Shen Guixiang said.

"Just the fact that you pulled me out of the river back then, nearly drowning yourself, makes this worth doing," Shen Guizhi said.

Shen Guixiang smiled after hearing this; it was clear she was very happy.

She waved her hand and laughed, "You were a landlubber since you were little, but I followed the boys into the river to catch fish every day. Even though I drank a few mouthfuls of water that time, it wasn't enough to drown me. You, don't keep dwelling on these things."

Shen Guizhi comforted her, "You are being too polite with me. Let's go to the hotel and reminisce!"

As soon as the group came out, they saw a group of young hoodlums blocking the doorway.

He Yuzhu frowned and asked, "Aunt Guixiang, do you have enemies in this village?"

Before Shen Guixiang could answer, three young men wearing leather jackets shouted loudly at her, "Old Woman Sun, it seems your family really does know some wealthy people! In that case, you'd better pay back the money you owe all at once this time."

One of them deliberately picked up a stone and smashed it hard into the mud, causing mud to splash everywhere and splatter all over Shen Guizhi.

He Yuzhu originally hadn't intended to pay any attention to these three—if you owe money, you pay it back, that's all.

But the other party throwing that stone completely ignited his temper.

He walked over slowly and asked Shen Guixiang in a low voice, "Aunt, how much money does your family owe them?"

Shen Guixiang said with some embarrassment, "My family originally owed them a few hundred yuan, but they said they wanted to calculate interest, and now it has risen to three thousand."

He Yuzhu waved his hand at the three of them.

One of them, who had a small mustache, said, "It's not three thousand anymore. Three thousand was last month; now it's five thousand."

He Yuzhu smiled and beckoned to him again, saying in a calm tone, "Come here, I'll give you money." After speaking, he pulled a stack of money from his pocket, exactly ten thousand yuan. In front of the few people, he split the money in half and pulled out one portion.

Watching He Yuzhu's unhurried, even somewhat arrogant demeanor, Xiaohuzi felt displeased, but for the sake of the money, he still walked over and reached out to take it.

He Yuzhu, however, threw the money directly into the muddy water right in front of him.

Xiaohuzi was instantly enraged; not even bothering to pick up the money, he swung his fist and struck toward He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu kicked out as fast as lightning, sending Xiaohuzi flying seven or eight meters away, where he plunged headfirst into a nearby puddle, splashing a large amount of muddy water and covering the people around him in mud.