Han Chunli looked at the IOU she had written herself, feeling very conflicted.
But in order to get the money as soon as possible, she didn’t say anything else, and turned to Ji Linfeng: "Whenever Xiaowen is hospitalized, it costs a lot. Doesn’t every year see us borrowing money from Second Brother several times?"
Ji Linfeng didn’t respond to this. He knew that not all the money was for Xiaowen’s medical bills; a portion of it was spent by Han Chunli herself, but he couldn’t say that.
Han Jingchen spoke up: "Chunli, have you read the IOU?"
Han Chunli nodded: "Second Brother, it’s all our fault for being incompetent. I didn’t realize we’d borrowed so much money from you over the years."
Han Jingchen put down the teacup in his hand and looked at the couple: "As the saying goes, frequent borrowing and repaying makes borrowing easy, but for years, you’ve only borrowed and not repaid, making those around me concerned.
A few days ago, you ran over again, saying Xiaowen needs surgery, requesting another 4,000 yuan. That’s no small amount. To avoid misunderstandings, we thought of asking you to make a promise, at least preventing any future grudges over this money.
Han Chunli immediately responded: "Second Brother, did Big Brother and Third Sister say something?"
Han Jingchen didn’t answer directly, only smiled: "After all, if I can’t find my daughter, you all have inheritance rights to these properties. It’s better to make things clear."
Ji Linfeng’s face turned hot; he understood Second Brother’s implication. It wasn’t that Big Brother and Sister-in-law said something, but rather that his wife’s small schemes had been noticed by Second Brother, prompting this speech.
Ji Linfeng naturally had his own thoughts, but he was still someone who cared about his face. He blurted out: "The house over on Baiyuan Lane might be old, but it can still be sold for over 5,000. If Second Brother doesn’t mind, I’ll use that property to offset this debt.
Before it was 1,800 yuan, if Second Brother pays another 3,200, would that work for you?"
Han Chunli’s eyes widened: "Lin Feng, what nonsense are you talking about?"
That house is currently earning rental income; how can it be used to offset debt? Lin Feng is really confused.
Once the words had been spoken, Ji Linfeng couldn’t take them back even if he was reluctant: "Chunli, over the years, Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Sister have helped us a lot. Xiaowen’s surgery this time won’t be cheap; we can’t not have any responsibility. Giving that house to Second Brother will give us peace of mind too."
That house could at most sell for 4,000, but right now they really needed money. Moreover, after this, they would be embarrassed to ask Second Brother-in-law for money again, so better to ask for more now and resolve the borrowing issues.
Anyway, in the future, they’d have a share in Second Brother-in-law’s property; maybe the house would end up back in their hands. Why make things ugly?
Han Chunli was already in a bad mood from Second Brother’s words, and now she was even more annoyed by Ji Linfeng: "In the future, aside from wages, there will be no other income. How are we supposed to live?"
Ji Linfeng was afraid his wife would anger Second Brother-in-law and spoil everything. If Second Brother-in-law didn’t lend the money, what would they do about Xiaowen’s surgery costs?
Han Chunli was banking on Second Brother not to let Xiaowen die, intentionally speaking loudly: "Second Brother won’t ignore Xiaowen. Once Xiaowen recovers, we’ll have extra money at home, and we can repay slowly. Second Brother wouldn’t care, yet you insist on using the house to pay the debt. Isn’t this deliberately making Second Brother misunderstood?"
Han Jingchen truly admired Han Chunli’s way with words, trying to turn the tables on him, yet he decided not to let her have her way.