After ten years of a sweeping ideological transformation, people were still ashamed to openly admit that interests came first.
Even if they were calculating inwardly, they couldn’t say out loud that money mattered more than family or relationships.
Liang Hui’s blunt honesty was like tearing off the last layer of fig leaf, leaving everyone unable to look directly at it.
The three younger brothers felt extremely awkward under the onlookers’ skeptical gazes. Only Yu Yao remained completely unfazed.
Standing on Liang Hui’s side, she urged Liang Haifeng:
“Didn’t you hear? Money matters more than you. So why aren’t you paying back the debt or writing the IOU? Why are you dragging your feet? Are you even a man?”
The crowd couldn’t stand it anymore and began to urge him as well:
“Kid, just throw the money in her face and be done with it. Stop letting her bully you!”
“Exactly! She’s already been so harsh with her words—why bother saving face for them!”
“Life is about pride. Just make him write the IOU right now and shut him up!”
“Families like this that only care about money—cut ties with them early!”
The crowd’s righteous indignation put Liang Haifeng in a very difficult position.
Either he repaid the money, or he wrote the IOU—there was no way for him to walk away cleanly.
He also wanted to fight for some dignity, but dignity required real money to back it up.
Over five hundred yuan… how had he unknowingly ended up owing Yu Yao so much?
His heart stirred, and he began to question the debt:
“How could I possibly owe you over five hundred? Are you sure you didn’t miscalculate…”
Before he could finish, Yu Yao began listing the accounts clearly:
“Since you were in middle school, every weekend you came back to the village and complained in front of me that you wanted study materials, but your parents didn’t have money. I lent you eight yuan to buy them.”
“Later you said your family was poor and you didn’t have enough for tuition and meals. I gave you five yuan every month, all the way until you graduated from university!”
“From middle school onward, which month did you not receive money from me for living expenses?”
“On top of that, when you bought new clothes or wanted sneakers, I also lent you money!”
With this calculation, it was no longer strange that he owed over five hundred yuan from middle school through university graduation.
Liang Hui glanced at Yu Yao indifferently.
Sensing his displeasure, Yu Yao gently pinched his long fingers and blinked up at him.
In a soft voice, she said, “I used to be naive and got tricked by bad people, losing a lot of money. Once I get the debt back, I’ll give it all to you to keep, okay?”
“Mm.” Liang Hui restrained himself, pressing his lips together slightly. His expression softened considerably.
Xiao Hai, Dongzi, and Liangzi exchanged looks.
Heh—sister-in-law is pretty good at coaxing people.
Judging by Brother Hui’s expression, his earlier anger over her “running away” had already been thrown to who-knows-where.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Liang Haifeng truly had no more options.
But he still didn’t want to write the IOU, so he kept stalling:
“I don’t have paper or pen. Let’s write it when we get back to the village.”
The shop owner, trying to be helpful, immediately said:
“I’ve got paper and pen right here. Just use mine!”