"Mom, Xiao Yue is nice, but just because she’s nice, does it mean we have to marry her?" Mo Siyu felt like he’d been struck by lightning. He always knew his own mom wasn’t entirely reliable, but he hadn’t expected her to be this unreliable.
In his mind’s eye emerged Tang Yue’s delicate, flower-like countenance. Undeniably, Tang Yue held a special place in his heart. All these years, he had never liked women, much less allowed other women to get close to him.
But Tang Yue was the exception; he didn’t mind her closeness.
"Feelings can be cultivated. Xiao Yue is so outstanding, I think you two are a match made in heaven," said Mo Xiaolin, who adored Tang Yue and couldn’t stop singing her praises, almost wishing she could marry her off right away.
"Mom, she’s still young, and besides, we don’t have any feelings for each other, I don’t want to get married." Mo Siyu was very adamant about this; he didn’t want to marry a woman he didn’t love, even though his feelings for her were different, but without certainty, he wouldn’t marry.
He’d rather stay single all his life than marry someone he didn’t love.
"Mo Siyu," Mo Xiaolin said earnestly, "you’re always driving around, and there are only men in the motorcade. I want you to cultivate feelings with Xiao Yue, but there’s no way to do that. So you should come home for a visit, start by getting in touch."
"Mom’s seen quite a few girls, but none of them make me like them, and you don’t dislike them, like Xiao Yue does." Mo Xiaolin was well aware of her son’s character.
Ever since Mo Siyu turned twenty, she had been worrying about his lifelong matters, meeting lots of girls and even forcing Mo Siyu to go on blind dates, but each time, Mo Siyu would return with a sulky face, without a hint of a smile.
For three consecutive years, Mo Xiaolin had been worried. That’s when Tang Yue appeared.
The scene Mo Xiaolin witnessed in Qianjin Village made her certain that Si Yu would definitely fall in love with Xiao Yue in the future.
"Not disliking her doesn’t mean I have to marry her," Mo Siyu insisted on this point, making up an excuse: "Mom, I’m in a hurry, I have other things to do, so I won’t talk to you anymore."
With that, Mo Siyu hung up the phone.
The phone’s disconnect tone made Mo Xiaolin wonder how to get Mo Siyu to come home. Such a good girl, she simply couldn’t be missed.
Having finally recovered from the incident with Aunt Mo, Tang Yue couldn’t help but pat her face, telling herself not to overthink and started discussing the factory matters with Tang Mingli.
In the store, Tang Mingli hired a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who was very honest but not too much so. When selling clothes, she might have been shy at first, but she quickly got the hang of it.
Tang Mingli, taking this opportunity, began to inquire about setting up a factory. The more he learned, the more feasible he thought it was, so he began discussing the loan application with Tang Yue.
That day, Tang Mingli and Tang Yue first went to the bank to consult about the loan.
As soon as they arrived at the bank, they were greeted by a familiar face.
"Xiao Yue." Cai Wanwan was wearing a breezy, long dress, looking very pretty and even more so as Tang Yue had tailored it to accentuate Cai Wan’er’s slender waist.
Tang Yue hadn’t expected their connection to be so profound; they had met at Aunt Mo’s before, and now they ran into each other at the bank again.
"Sister Cai," Tang Yue said with a smile.
Cai Wan’er said enthusiastically, "Are you here to deposit money?"
"No," Tang Yue shook her head and quickly elaborated, "We’re thinking of applying for a loan, so we came to ask about it. Are you here to deposit money, Sister Cai?"
"You’re looking to take out a loan?" Cai Wan’er’s face instantly brightened, pulling Tang Yue aside, "Come, come with me over here."
"I’m here to see my husband. He’s the manager here. If you want a loan, you can directly talk to my husband," Cai Wan’er said with a smile, and soon Hu Jian Country arrived. He was tall with a square face, not particularly handsome, but certainly mature.
"Jianguo, Tang Yue and Tang Mingli, they’re the owners of the clothing store I recently shopped at," Cai Wan’er introduced. "This is my husband, Hu Jian Country."
After the formalities, Hu Jian Country asked about the amount Tang Mingli and Tang Yue wished to borrow and what they had for collateral.
Tang Mingli had brought the prepared property documents and planned to take out a loan of one hundred thousand yuan.
In 1987, being a ten-thousand-yuan household meant being quite wealthy, and Tang Mingli’s courage to take out a hundred thousand-yuan loan was not something ordinary people possessed.
"Alright, give me a few days, and I’ll get back to you," Hu Jian Country said with a smile. Regardless, the bank still needed to conduct basic due diligence.
After Tang Yue and Tang Mingli left, Cai Wan’er said, "Jianguo, Xiao Yue is the girl who helped Dad up that day, the girl Dad keeps praising."
"Oh?" Hu Jian Country hurried after them, but Tang Mingli and Tang Yue had already left. He said, "Wan’er, why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
"Jianguo, before I wanted to thank Xiao Yue, but she wouldn’t accept it. Doing good deeds without leaving a name; if we keep trying to thank her, she might not even accept," Cai Wan’er explained in detail.
Hu Jian Country got an idea and immediately said, "I will definitely find a way to secure the loan for them."
"Right, Wan’er, from now on, you should shop more at their store," Hu Jian Country reminded. Expressing gratitude didn’t necessarily require gifts or meals; sometimes, actions spoke louder.
Three days later, Hu Jian Country sent a message agreeing to their loan as long as they filled out the paperwork properly. He warned, "If the money or the interest is not paid back on time, the house will be mortgaged."
Tang Mingli signed resolutely, having already made up his mind, he wouldn’t hesitate anymore.
"Uncle, aren’t you afraid I’ll mess it up?" After he signed, Tang Yue also felt a bit nervous.
Tang Mingli smiled and said, "Xiao Yue, without you, I wouldn’t have earned this house anyway. If worse comes to worst, we’ll give up the house and start over."
Tang Yue’s heart surged with excitement, "Uncle, rest assured, I definitely won’t let you lose out."
Tang Yue’s mind was already racing with what styles of clothes were suitable for the new clothing factory, what to do first, what to do later, and what sizes were all things that needed careful consideration.
"By the way, Xiao Yue, for the sewing machines, I plan to buy them in Shenzhen," Tang Mingli suddenly spoke up.