Chapter 74: Boss Zhang is Generous (Please collect, please vote for recommendations!)

Originally, Zhang Ran had planned to return that same evening, but the old lady insisted repeatedly, so Zhang Ran could only stay for one more day.

While eating dinner in the evening, the village chief walked in.

"Village chief, you haven't eaten yet, right? Why not have a bite with us?" the old lady said warmly.

The village chief waved his hand and said, "I've already eaten, you all go ahead."

When they were almost finished eating, the village chief rubbed his hands together and said, "Well, Dayong, I have something to discuss with you."

The old man and the old lady seemed to have guessed the village chief's purpose; they opened their mouths as if to say something, but in the end, they just sighed.

He Yong said, "Please go ahead."

"It's like this: over these years, we haven't been able to help out much, and I feel a bit sorry about that," the village chief said first.

He Yong quickly said, "You are slapping me in the face by saying that. I know it hasn't been easy for everyone, and I am already deeply grateful that you could help my family."

Hearing his words, the village chief seemed to relax slightly, but he still said embarrassedly, "Well, there's also the matter that over these many years, your father borrowed money from quite a few families in the village. What do you think about that money?"

Upon hearing this, He Yong subconsciously looked at his parents. After seeing them nod, he immediately stated, "Village chief, please rest assured, this money will definitely not be short for anyone. I can guarantee that."

He also knew that it must have been very difficult for his elderly parents to raise his daughter and nurture her so well over these years.

He had actually been mentally prepared for the matter of the borrowed money; when his parents visited him in prison in the past, he had asked about it, but his parents never spoke to him about these things.

"Dayong, it's not that I don't trust you; I believe in your character. I didn't come here to press for debt collection," the village chief said, hesitating slightly.

He Yong did not urge him. The village chief opened his mouth and said, "How about this? I have already brought the IOUs with me; you can write out new ones."

Once these words were spoken, He Yong immediately understood the meaning of the village chief and everyone else. Without any hesitation, he said directly, "Fine, I will rewrite them right now. This is something I should do anyway."

Seeing He Yong's attitude, the village chief suddenly felt relieved. To be honest, he actually felt a bit embarrassed in his heart, but this was necessary.

One must know that although living standards have improved a lot now, no one's money is blown in by the wind, especially in remote rural areas like theirs; it can be said that every bit of money is stained with their blood and sweat.

In the past, when He Yong was still in prison, they had no choice, and they were too embarrassed not to lend, so they could only have whoever borrowed the money write an IOU.

But now that He Yong was out, the matter of the IOUs needed to be resolved. To put it bluntly, everyone was afraid that He Yong might not acknowledge the debt.

Although He Yong used to be very loyal, more than ten years had passed, and who knew if He Yong had changed.

The most critical thing was that the old man and the old lady were getting on in years. Don't look at how well they are now, without illness or disaster, but at this age, no one can say for sure.

To put it bluntly, if they were to suddenly pass away tomorrow, no one would be surprised; this is the power of time.

In the past, everyone believed that when a person dies, the debt is cleared. Although it is said that a son should pay his father's debts, if He Yong refused to acknowledge it, there was nothing anyone could do, so everyone was afraid.

This was the main reason the village chief came this time. If they exchanged them for new IOUs, their hearts would be much more at ease.

Regarding this, He Yong did not have a shred of resentment in his heart; on the contrary, he was very grateful.

Because this was clearly something everyone had discussed beforehand; they didn't swarm over all at once, nor did they bring it up at noon when there were many people around, but instead chose someone respected to come over, and picked such a late time.

These were clearly gestures to look after his face, and the fact that everyone was able to lend money had actually helped him a lot; he was not an unreasonable person.

He Qing actually knew a little about the IOUs, but not much. Ever since she started middle school, she spent very little time at home each year.

And even if she asked, her grandparents wouldn't tell her about these things, always saying they weren't short of money and telling her to buy more good food and pretty clothes.

Just as He Yong was preparing to rewrite the IOUs, Zhang Ran suddenly spoke, "Dayong, call everyone who lent money over."

Upon hearing this, He Yong understood Zhang Ran's intention and quickly said, "Brother Zhang, no, really no need, I..."

The old man and the old lady also quickly indicated that there was no need for this.

Zhang Ran first comforted the old man and the old lady, then looked at He Yong and said, "Alright, don't be so formal with me. Am I short of this little bit of money?

It just so happens that by resolving the family's affairs, you can also be more at ease; don't spend all day not thinking about work while worrying about these little things at home."

He Yong knew that Zhang Ran was comforting him. He wanted to say something, but after being glared at by Zhang Ran, he felt sheepish and couldn't open his mouth.

Zhang Ran looked at the village chief and said, "Village chief, if it's convenient, you can call everyone over. Today, I will pay back the money on He Yong's behalf. If it's too late now, tomorrow is fine too."

Upon hearing this, the village chief quickly said, "There's time, there's time. Everyone goes to bed late these days."

This was money, after all; even if they were asleep, they would rush over immediately. Who could still sleep?

It didn't take long at all; very quickly, a group of people rushed over, with expressions of surprise on everyone's faces.

They had originally thought that this money would have to wait a few more years, maybe even over a decade, but they hadn't expected to get it in their hands so quickly.

"Boss Zhang is truly generous."

"What did I say before? Capable people are capable no matter what."

"Hey, hey, hey, how much money do you think Boss Zhang has now? It must be quite a lot, otherwise how could he so casually pay off these debts for Dayong?"

"I don't know, but that's none of our business."

"What do you think about me letting my boy work for Boss Zhang? I feel like following Boss Zhang will definitely lead to a bright future."

"Hehe, forget it. Boss Zhang doesn't just take anyone."

Zhang Ran looked at the people in front of him and wasn't actually that surprised. When borrowing money in rural areas, except for some large sums, most of the money wasn't borrowed from just one family.

Basically, they borrowed a little from each household, which made it easier to borrow, and the pressure on others wasn't too great.

The largest sum among these people was only a little over ten thousand yuan, and some were just a few hundred yuan, though they had been outstanding for quite a while.

Zhang Ran looked at the dates on the IOUs and basically gave a little extra as interest.

Of course, Zhang Ran didn't carry that much cash on him, but online transfers were so convenient now that there was no need to carry cash around.

Everyone used their phones to transfer money, and the speed of the transfers was very fast. Despite the large number of people, everyone received their money in about half an hour.

Looking at the extra money on their phones, everyone was quite happy.