She’d been careless!
Realizing it, Fu Yunzhu quickly tried to patch things up for herself. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about borrowing relationships, legal lag, and all that. The thing about it being illegal that was my younger sister who said it.”
“Oh?” Gu Yu withdrew his gaze, the smile at the corner of his lips still lingering. “On what grounds do you think you can borrow whenever you want and repay whenever you want? If everyone in our village came to me and opened their mouths without restraint like your family, how would I run my business?”
At this moment, Fu Yunzhu actually liked how hard he was to talk to, though her face showed nothing but grievance and difficulty. “We know we were wrong. How about this let’s do exactly what the contract says. Let my dad come over and work for your family for a period of time.”
Gu Yu glanced at the girl in front of him again. Her expression of admitting fault looked sincere, without the slightest hint of a tell. In an instant, he felt a bit dejected, his mood sinking. He waved his hand at her. “Go.”
Fu Yunzhu hesitated. “Then my dad?”
“Whatever.”
Fu Yunzhu stood up. “And the IOU my grandma signed?”
Gu Yu took the contract out of the drawer and slapped it down in front of her. “My patience is limited. Only this once there won’t be a next time.”
Gu Yu’s attitude at this moment was something Fu Yunzhu hadn’t expected at all. It didn’t resemble his usual style, and she felt a little disappointed.
She hadn’t really come for the contract anyway.
Seeing that she didn’t move, Gu Yu asked, “Anything else?”
“Brother Gu Yu, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so don’t make an exception just because of me.” In the original owner’s memories, Gu Yu had been cold, but he had never stood by idly whenever she asked him for help. He would even, on occasion, inexplicably show her a bit of kindness.
Hearing this, Gu Yu felt even more disappointed. So it really wasn’t her. She would only curse him to die how would she ever care whether he felt uncomfortable? The only one who would think like this was the current Fu Yunzhu.
His mood immediately soured. “Then decide for yourself.”
When Fu Yunzhu saw his pitch-black eyes suddenly dim, taking on a fragile look she had never seen before, her heart sank with them for reasons she couldn’t explain. But she snapped back to clarity in the next instant. She had seen those eyes when they smiled and when they were cold; she knew this man was adept at bewitching people.
He had dragged her from heaven into hell, pierced her until she bled and left her wishing for death. In this lifetime, she would never let herself feel even the slightest stir of emotion for him again.
With that thought, she once more put on Fu Yunzhu’s mask and pushed the contract back toward Gu Yu. “We can’t break your rules. Let my dad come. He’s a strong laborer. When the time comes, all the dirty and exhausting work at your place can be handed over to him. If he does well, then you can return this contract to him how about that?”
After saying that, she remembered Gu Yu’s attitude toward the original owner and, afraid he might let them off, added, “After all, he made me give up my engagement to my sister. I hate him a bit.”
Gu Yu understood. With that reason, it did make sense for Fu Yunzhu to make such a decision. He lowered his gaze. “Then let him earn the return of this contract himself.”
Fu Yunzhu left and went back home. Fu Yufen still hadn’t gone back to school; the whole family was sitting there waiting for her.
“Well?” Fu Weidong asked first.
“Brother Gu Yu said that starting tomorrow, Dad should go to their place and work for a period of time to offset the breach penalty. If he does well, he’ll return the contract to Dad.”
Hearing this result, Fu Weidong was dumbfounded. “How could you really agree to that condition? I’m old those dirty, exhausting jobs written on that paper, how could I possibly do them?”
Fu Yunzhu put on a worried look. “Dad has a point. Then just renege outright. At worst, we give up this engagement.”
As soon as He Cuihua heard that, her eyes practically shot flames. “You damn girl you must have deliberately egged us on to borrow the money and get trapped!”
Fu Yunzhu looked utterly wronged. “I originally thought Brother Gu Yu would readily agree for my sister’s sake. Who would’ve known that to him, there’s no difference between my sister and me at all?”
At that, the whole family fell silent especially Fu Yufen, who flushed red to the roots, twisting the corner of her clothes until it was nearly torn.
He Cuihua ground her teeth. “That’s because Gu Yu doesn’t understand your sister yet. Look at his elders are any of them unhappy?”
Hearing this, Fu Yufen finally relaxed, saying nothing more aloud but agreeing wholeheartedly inside.
That’s right. From childhood to now, she and Gu Yu had barely exchanged a few words, while Fu Yunzhu was always trotting along behind him. The same attitude made sense. Once enough time passed, he would surely know who was good and who was not.
“What Mom says makes sense,” Fu Yunzhu said with a smile, then asked, “I’ve already delivered the condition for getting the contract back from the Gu family. As for who goes, you can discuss it among yourselves.”
Huang Xiuxiang spoke up. “Since Weidong can’t do it, then Cuihua should go.”
She still doted on her son.
He Cuihua hurriedly said, “I’m just a woman how much strength could I have? Those are all rough jobs. If something happens to me, what about Yufen? What about this family?”
Seeing that her daughter-in-law was useless, Huang Xiuxiang turned to Fu Yunzhu. “Since we can switch people, you go.”
Fu Yunzhu laughed in anger. “Grandma, they want proper labor. What can I, a young girl, really do? Don’t let them think we’re just brushing them off. If they refuse to give back the contract, then all that work would be for nothing.”
The family’s gazes all fell back on Fu Weidong. Finally, Fu Yufen spoke up, “Dad, thank you for your hard work.”
Hearing his youngest daughter’s plea, Fu Weidong finally had nothing left to say.
Watching Fu Weidong’s expression at this moment, Fu Yunzhu felt immensely satisfied. From now on, let this daughter of his “properly honor” him.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Fu Yufen grabbed her. “Sister, tomorrow morning I’ll go to the county with you. I’ll return to school, you go to the post office, and after you withdraw the money, bring it to school for me.”
She had already missed evening self-study today; she couldn’t afford to miss tomorrow morning.
Fu Yunzhu nodded. “Mm, okay.”
Early the next morning, before it was even light, there was a knock on Fu Yunzhu’s door. She got up to open it and saw Fu Yufen standing there. “We agreed yesterday to go to the county together why aren’t you up yet?”
“Is it time already?”
“I don’t have a watch. I’m just estimating.”
Fu Yunzhu didn’t argue with her. After all, she also had legitimate business to handle in the county and couldn’t miss the bus.
After washing up, the sisters set off together, walking to the town and boarding the bus to the county.
Once they arrived, the sisters split up. Fu Yunzhu first found a noodle shop and ordered herself a bowl of beef noodles and a braised egg.
All the good food in the Fu family was reserved for Fu Yufen. Ever since she’d come here, she hadn’t eaten a single decent meal at home.
After finishing the noodles, she went to the post office’s public telephone service counter, deciding to call her mother again.
The original owner’s mother had been extremely reluctant to part with her back when they divorced.
To spite her, Fu Weidong had fought her for custody. But in that era, divorce was just a written certificate there were no professional procedures like lawyers at all.
The village cadres were all locals, and none of them had ever seen a woman bold enough to demand a divorce from her own husband. On top of that, in outsiders’ eyes Fu Weidong kept up appearances very well, and the entire village sided with him. Naturally, the original owner’s mother couldn’t win.
Afterward, her mother called many times, but because the original owner had long been brainwashed by her father and sister, she wasn’t very willing to talk to her.
Even so, she had memorized her mother’s phone number.
Fu Yunzhu dialed the number again.
The phone rang five times with no answer, and she grew nervous. Phone fees were expensive just getting through cost money, and it was one yuan per minute.
Just as she was starting to feel anxious, the call connected. From the other end came a rich, magnetic young man’s voice:
“Hello?”