Chapter 102: Chapter 102: A Loan Means Being in Debt Chapter 102: Chapter 102: A Loan Means Being in Debt Lu Youxi cleaned up her dormitory while promoting Lu Youbang’s deeds.
After finishing, she quickly called home to report her safety.
“Hello?” The youthful voice of Lu Youxue came through the phone.
They had just parted ways this morning; in fact, it hadn’t been long at all.
But hearing Lu Youxue’s voice made Lu Youxi feel as if they had been separated for ages.
She was already starting to miss Lu Youxue.
“It’s me,” Lu Youxi said with a smile.
“Sis!” Lu Youxue exclaimed in surprise, then looked at the caller ID on the home phone, displaying a string of unfamiliar mobile numbers, “Sis, did you buy a smartphone?”
“It’s Xu…” Lu Youxi, remembering that her family now knew Zhou Shuyan’s real name, corrected herself, “It was a gift from Zhou Shuyan.”
She didn’t mention that she still needed to pay for the phone.
In her family’s view, Zhou Shuyan was her husband.
What kind of husband would give his wife a smartphone and expect to be paid back?
Upon hearing this, Lu Youxue pouted slightly, not entirely willing to admit, “Then he’s been pretty thoughtful.”
This way, Lu Youxi could get in touch with home more conveniently.
“Lu Youbang seems to have a smartphone too,” Lu Youxue recalled, anger rising again.
Lu Youbang had demanded money from their parents to buy his smartphone.
He claimed that it was inconvenient to be in a big city without one, and it was useful in emergencies.
But when Lu Zhenjia refused to pay for it, he turned to Lu Zhenguo to ask for money.
Unlike his sister, whose smartphone her brother-in-law had bought for her.
Lu Youxi smiled, just about to speak, when she heard Liu Yushu’s voice coming from the other end, “Youxue, is that a call from your sister?”
“Mhm,” Lu Youxue nodded.
Liu Yushu quickly called out, “Zhenguo, Youxi’s on the phone!”
Lu Zhenguo dropped what he was doing and came over.
“Sis, I’m putting you on speaker,” Lu Youxue said.
“Okay.”
Lu Youxi responded, and after a few seconds, she heard Liu Yushu’s clear voice on the other end, “Youxi, have you arrived at school?”
“Yeah, I just finished cleaning the dorm,” Lu Youxi said, “The journey was smooth, don’t worry about me.”
“By the way, Zhou Shuyan gave me a smartphone. Take note of the mobile number so you can contact me anytime,” Lu Youxi added.
“Ah, smartphones are expensive… this…” Lu Zhenguo thought of the time when Lu Zhenjia came asking for money for Lu Youbang’s smartphone, which was three thousand yuan.
He didn’t know what type Zhou Shuyan gave to Lu Youxi, but he guessed that smartphones were definitely not cheap.
“How could Shuyan spend so much money?” Lu Zhenguo asked urgently, “You previously said he has a job in the Imperial Capital, is he able to return to his company smoothly?”
Lu Youxi’s mouth twitched slightly; she remembered that Lu Zhenguo hadn’t been very pleased with Zhou Shuyan before.
It had only been a few days, yet today he was calling him “Shuyan” so affectionately.
“He’s already settled things with his company,” Lu Youxi, of course, didn’t know for sure; she never actively inquired about Zhou Shuyan’s matters.
She guessed that things on Zhou Shuyan’s side weren’t simple and that it was better not to know too much.
But she casually said something to appease Lu Zhenguo.
“The phone wasn’t expensive, I checked online, this model is one thousand yuan,” Lu Youxi said, “I couldn’t let him buy something too pricey.”
When Lu Youxi looked up the phone’s price, she couldn’t quite describe her feelings.
Her heart beat a bit faster, and she felt somewhat warm.
Zhou Shuyan must have considered her situation when choosing the smartphone. Gifts are meant to bring joy, to genuinely help the other person without causing stress.
He likely compared many options before selecting a phone that was cost-effective and within her acceptable price range.
Lu Youxi didn’t know if Zhou Shuyan had anticipated that she might refuse the gift or, even if she accepted it, she would want to pay him back.
So, in addition to not wanting to burden her, it was also so that if she insisted on paying, it wouldn’t be too much for her to bear.
These were all her speculations, but Lu Youxi felt certain that Zhou Shuyan must have thought it all through.
“That’s good, that’s good,” Liu Yushu said, relieved.
In her opinion, Zhou Shuyan was already very commendable.
He came from a well-off family in the Imperial Capital and yet hadn’t changed his heart towards Lu Youxi despite knowing all the troubles of her family.
“By the way, how are your dorm mates? They’re easy to get along with, right? They… are all city folks?” Liu Yushu was worried that Lu Youxi’s roommates might look down on her.
“They’re all very good people,” Lu Youxi said, “They’re kind-hearted and well-mannered, they don’t look down on me, don’t worry.”
Liu Yushu didn’t know if Lu Youxi said this just to reassure her or if it was true, but she chose to believe it for now.
“Also, I’m planning to apply for a student loan tomorrow,” Lu Youxi said, “I previously asked the village chief for help, and he made a certificate for me in town, so there shouldn’t be a problem. As long as the loan is approved, you won’t need to worry about my tuition and living expenses.”
Liu Yushu was silent for a moment before saying, “We can’t be of any help, and now you have to take on a loan.”
“How much is the interest? Is it difficult to repay? You’re not earning money yet, taking on a loan is not okay,” Lu Zhenguo said worriedly.
“Dad, don’t worry, the student loan is specially provided by the state for students from financially challenged families so that those who get into university but can’t afford it can still go. The interest rate is not high, and the interest during the school period is covered by the state. After graduation, when I start working, then I can start paying it back.”
Lu Zhenguo breathed a sigh of relief; he didn’t know about these things.
“Then I will start saving money, so when you graduate and need to repay it, I should have saved up enough by then,” Lu Zhenguo said quickly.
“Okay,” Lu Youxi smiled faintly, pleased with Lu Zhenguo’s change.
Although Lu Zhenjia was in prison, the Lu Family’s elders and Ge Guifen were still outside.
And surely, Lu Zhenjia was destined for jail.
Wouldn’t the Lu Family’s elders need to prepare some money for Lu Zhenjia to have a better time in prison?
Things weren’t free in prison.
You had to pay for things.
If the Lu Family’s elders didn’t want Lu Zhenjia to suffer but didn’t want to spend money either, they would still end up asking Lu Zhenguo for it.
That’s why Lu Youxi made sure Lu Zhenguo knew about her loan.
In Lu Zhenguo’s eyes, taking out a loan was like owing money.
Lu Zhenguo hated owing people money, as if carrying debt on his back, always weighing on his mind, never at peace.
Given Lu Zhenguo’s character, he would certainly try to save as much as possible and pay it off quickly.
So, when the Lu Family’s elders eventually asked Lu Zhenguo for money, it would be to no avail.