Chapter 97

Looking at the meat in the bowl, Xiaofei looked at his grandmother with eyes full of longing.

Granny Du said with a heavy heart, "Your uncle put it in your bowl, so go ahead and eat it, but you must thank him."

Xiaofei looked happily at Cao Weiguo: "Thank you, Uncle."

Cao Weiguo smiled and said, "Xiaofei is very polite. Eat up."

Xiaofei happily began to eat in big mouthfuls; in his memory, he had never eaten such delicious meat.

"Slow down, there's more here."

Seeing how Xiaofei was eating, Cao Weiguo added another helping of vegetables to his bowl.

Granny Du was an adult after all; even though she was both hungry and craving the food, she only ate a little bit of the vegetables.

"Weiguo, I've come to you this time because I have a favor to ask."

Reluctantly putting down her chopsticks, Granny Du said to Cao Weiguo with embarrassment.

Cao Weiguo said, "Granny Du, what's this about favors? If you have something to say, just say it."

Granny Du said in a low voice, "Weiguo, could you lend my family fifty yuan? I will write an IOU, and my family will definitely pay it back."

She had already asked everyone in the Sihe Academy, but not a single family would lend it to her.

Although they were all neighbors and usually got along well, no one had it easy in these times, and everyone wished they could split a single cent into eight pieces to spend.

Having truly run out of options, she came to find Cao Weiguo with the attitude of just giving it a try.

After Granny Du finished speaking, she looked at Cao Weiguo, then looked at Song Yulan.

Lacking confidence, she added, "If you don't have any spare money, it doesn't matter."

Cao Weiguo asked, "Granny Du, could you tell me what you need the money for?"

Fifty yuan was not a small amount.

Many workers didn't even make fifty yuan in a month's salary.

Granny Du's eyes immediately turned red as she said, "Jin Peng got into a verbal altercation with someone outside and, in a moment of impulse, injured them. If we don't pay the medical expenses, the other party is going to report it to the authorities."

Lu Jin Peng was Granny Du's son and the only seedling of the Lu family; he was five years older than Cao Weiguo.

Because of his family background, Lu Jin Peng had never had a formal job and could only work as a temporary laborer at the flour mill, doing hard and tiring work.

Cao Weiguo asked, "Is the other party's injury serious?"

In this era, fighting and brawling were no small matters; once reported, the light punishment was detention, and the heavy one was prison.

Most importantly, once you had a criminal record, you would face discrimination everywhere.

Granny Du shook her head quickly: "It's not serious, just a swollen face; there are no other injuries."

Cao Weiguo knew Lu Jin Peng; although they didn't interact much, he had heard of him.

This man had an introverted and dull personality, was filial and hardworking, and supported the whole family by carrying heavy sacks; his reputation in the courtyard was quite good.

Cao Weiguo looked at Song Yulan: "Wife, bring over fifty yuan."

"Mm!"

Song Yulan was unwilling in her heart, but since the head of the household had spoken, she wouldn't oppose him in front of an outsider.

Granny Du stood up gratefully and bowed: "Thank you, Weiguo. Thank you, Weiguo."

Cao Weiguo quickly held Granny Du steady: "Granny Du, I know Brother Jin Peng is a good person, and your family are all honest people. If I can help when you encounter difficulties, I will."

Song Yulan obediently took out five ten-yuan bills from the room.

She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but in the end, she didn't speak and reluctantly handed the money to Cao Weiguo.

Cao Weiguo stuffed the money into Granny Du's hand: "Granny Du, take the money."

Granny Du clutched the money gratefully: "Thank you, Weiguo. I'll write you an IOU right now."

She really hadn't expected that the one in this courtyard who would help her family would be Cao Weiguo.

Cao Weiguo didn't put on a grand show of declining; he took paper and a pen from the drawer.

The Lu family had once been big landlords, and Granny Du had once been a young lady of a wealthy family.

She wrote the IOU meticulously, the handwriting clear and elegant.

Cao Weiguo put the IOU away, and Granny Du hurriedly took her grandson and took her leave.

"How could you just lend out so much money like that?"

Once Granny Du was far away, Song Yulan couldn't help but open her mouth.

That was fifty yuan!

In the countryside, a strong laborer couldn't save up that much money even after working hard for a year.

Cao Weiguo took his wife's hand: "Wife, the Lu family is having a hard time because of their family background, but Lu Jin Peng is a good person—filial and honest. This money won't be defaulted on."

The entire Lu family relied on Lu Jin Peng alone to support them.

If something happened to him, the Lu family would be finished.

Song Yulan hummed unhappily: "Hmph, I hope you haven't misjudged the person. That's fifty yuan; your heart is way too big."

The Lu Family

Granny Du handed the money to her daughter-in-law and hurried toward the flour mill.

At the flour mill, she handed the money to the victim, and the victim, having received the money, kept their promise and went to the security department.

In front of the section chief, they signed a settlement agreement, and only then was Lu Jin Peng released by the security department.

"Mom, where did our family get the money?"

Walking out of the flour mill, Lu Jin Peng asked with a face full of shame.

Granny Du said earnestly: "This money was lent by Cao Weiguo. You must remember this favor; even if you have to work yourself to death, you must pay the money back to him."

"Cao Weiguo!"

Lu Jin Peng felt both surprised and grateful in his heart, and he nodded heavily: "Mom, I won't forget it."

He was a few years older than Cao Weiguo, and the two had almost no interaction.

In the past, he had never paid attention to Cao Weiguo.

Yet when he was in trouble, it was Cao Weiguo who helped him.

Regardless of the reason, he kept this kindness in his heart.

After returning to the Sihe Academy, Lu Jin Peng went to the Cao family with a red face to express his thanks.

Lu Jin Peng bowed sincerely: "Weiguo, thank you for your helping hand. I will definitely keep this kindness in my heart."

Cao Weiguo quickly helped Lu Jin Peng up: "Brother Lu, you speak too harshly. We are all brothers in the same courtyard; helping each other is only right."

Lu Jin Peng said: "Weiguo, if it weren't for your help, my life might have been over. I will always remember this kindness, and I will pay the money back as soon as possible."

Cao Weiguo said: "Brother Lu, you take care of your family first. I'm not going hungry or cold here, and I'm not in a hurry to use the money. Pay it back whenever you are better off."

The two were talking in the courtyard, but the courtyard itself became lively.

Previously, Granny Du had borrowed money all over the courtyard and only went to Cao Weiguo last.

This made all the neighbors in the courtyard shake their heads secretly, thinking that Granny Du had lost her mind from anxiety.

Cao Weiguo was famous in the courtyard for being unsociable and stingy.

It was only during this period that Cao Weiguo had been doing better.

Only then did he have more interaction with Xu Damao in the courtyard.

Seeing Granny Du going in and out of the Cao house, people were all watching the joke.

Who would have thought that by the afternoon, Granny Du would return with Lu Jin Peng.

And then, upon asking around, they learned that Granny Du had borrowed fifty yuan from Cao Weiguo.

This immediately left everyone dumbfounded, feeling a burning sensation on their faces.

Lending out fifty yuan in one go!

If anyone said Cao Weiguo was an iron rooster now, then there wouldn't be an iron rooster left in the world.

Most people looked at Cao Weiguo with new respect.

There was also a portion who started harboring crooked thoughts, pondering about going to the Cao house to take advantage.

Others were secretly cursing viciously.

Jia Zhangshi was forcefully sewing a shoe sole: "Cao Weiguo, that black-hearted beast, helping a landlord's family but not helping my family. His heart is rotten with pus; sooner or later he will meet with disaster, unable to have children and ending his family line..."

Qin Huairu said with annoyance: "Mom, keep your voice down, don't let people outside hear you."

Jia Zhangshi said sharply: "Let them hear! Am I afraid of that short-lived, family-ending little beast?"

Qin Huairu frowned: "He is not what he used to be. If you curse like this and someone hears you, if our family really needs to borrow money from him in the future, will he still lend it? Aren't you offending him to death?"

Jia Zhangshi said viciously: "Hmph, offend him then. I, an old woman, would rather die than borrow money from him. I just hope he meets with bad luck and disaster."

The Eldest Uncle, who had walked to the door, shook his head helplessly, sighed, and turned to leave. ===== CHAPTER 99 =====