Hearing this, Zhang Xiaobei couldn't help but startle, "I owe you money?"
"I didn't owe you money before, but from today, I do, and it's not a small amount."
Meng Qing Dong's face was full of smugness as he reached into his pocket, took out a piece of paper, and waved it in front of Zhang Xiaobei.
"See this? This is the IOU your family owes He Fengling, a total of twenty thousand yuan. Now He Fengling has transferred the debt to me, that's not a problem, right?"
"..." Zhang Xiaobei grabbed the debt note from Meng Qing Dong's hand, unfolded and saw it was indeed the same IOU his family owed He Fengling.
Watching the IOU in Zhang Xiaobei's hands, He Xiaoya couldn't help but become anxious, turning her head to look at her second uncle He Fengling, who was hiding in the crowd.
"Second Uncle, didn't you say that you were not in a hurry for the money? That I could pay you back whenever I had it. Why did you transfer the IOU to Meng Qing Dong?"
Standing among the crowd, He Fengling hung his head and mumbled for a while, not saying a word.
"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. I've got this!" Zhang Xiaobei clenched his fists tightly.
"Whoa, that's some big talk. Since you, Zhang Xiaobei, are so capable, don't just stand there, pay up!" Meng Qing Dong crossed his arms and looked at Zhang Xiaobei with a mocking smile, feeling exceedingly smug inside.
Ji Xian Village was not big, and everyone knew exactly what everyone else's situation was like. Considering Zhang Xiaobei's current family situation, it wasn't just twenty thousand yuan he couldn't come up with; even two hundred yuan would be impossible for him.
"Paying debts is a matter of course. I will pay you the twenty thousand yuan."
Upon hearing this, Meng Qing Dong pursed his lips and let out a cold snicker.
"Pay me? What will you pay with? Your family is so poor that even the mice would leave with tears in their eyes. Here's the deal, we live in the same village, and see each other often, so I won't make it difficult for you. You immediately transfer all your family's land and deeds to me, take your dear sister-in-law, and get out of Ji Xian Village forever. Never let me see you again," said Meng Qing Dong, with a hint of malice flashing in the corner of his eye.
He had come this time for revenge against Zhang Xiaobei for the beating he had received the previous night. He wanted to watch Zhang Xiaobei become homeless, forced to live on the streets with his sister-in-law, like a dog that had lost its home.
And once he applied a bit more pressure, how could He Xiaoya possibly escape his palm?
The more Meng Qing Dong thought about it, the more pleased he felt, his small eyes leering at He Xiaoya up and down with undisguised lasciviousness.
"Meng Qing Dong, open your dog eyes and look carefully. It's clearly written on the IOU that there's still a month left until the repayment date. Not to mention that I don't have the money now, even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."
"You..."
Meng Qing Dong looked at the date on the IOU and was almost bursting with anger; he had finally found a way to deal with Zhang Xiaobei after much thought.
Yet, to his surprise, his opponent dissolved his plan so easily, leaving him feeling like he was punching cotton—with all his rage, there was nowhere to vent it.
"You... you," Meng Qing Dong's face turned white with anger, his fists creaking. "Very well, you've got guts. One month it is, and if you can't pay up by then, I'd like to see what you'll say! Don't think I, Meng Qing Dong, a seemingly honest man, can be easily bullied!"
Meng Qing Dong turned to leave with his cronies, not expecting to hear Zhang Xiaobei's cold voice rise from behind everyone.
"Stop, who said you could leave?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Qing Dong and the others immediately halted and turned their heads to stare at Zhang Xiaobei behind them.
"What do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do? Do you think this is your backyard where you can come and go as you please?" Zhang Xiaobei said sternly.
"So what if it is?" Meng Qing Dong replied, sneering disdainfully.
"Without permission, you barged into another person's home and verbally assaulted them; I need to teach you a lesson." No sooner had the words left his mouth than Meng Qing Dong suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes, followed by a crisp sound as his left cheek began to burn with pain.
"You dare hit someone!"
"I hit you, and it's called self-defense!"
"Guys, come on, beat this kid down for me!"
Seeing their good friend get hit, the men who came with Meng Qingdong stared angrily, and, brandishing whatever they were holding, immediately charged forward.
Dealing with a bumpkin like this was a piece of cake for these folks, but when they actually got close to Zhang Xiaobei, something felt off—they had clearly struck the kid with their clubs.
But the next second the clubs hit the ground or their companions instead.
What's going on?
In the blink of an eye, several men were scattered by Zhang Xiaobei's beating, losing their fighting spirit, clutching their painful spots, not daring to come forward.
Seeing this scene, Meng Qingdong was completely dumbfounded. These people had cost him a lot of money to bring in from the county town, and he couldn't believe that in such a short time, six or seven of them had been dealt with by Zhang Xiaobei alone.
Meng Qingdong was tempted to rush over and fight Zhang Xiaobei to the death, but seeing the miserable state of these men, he instinctively stepped back.
"Good on you, Zhang Xiaobei, you really are capable. Just not sure if you can keep being so capable," Meng Qingdong sneered. "We'll see!"
"Stop right there!"
The men shuddered once again upon hearing Zhang Xiaobei's voice.
"Zhang Xiaobei, what more do you want? I advise you not to push your luck."
Seeing Zhang Xiaobei's unfriendly face, Meng Qingdong couldn't help but regret. If he had known this would happen, he should have found another way to deal with him.
"You bullied my sister-in-law, and you think you can just walk away like that?" Zhang Xiaobei said coldly, pointing at He Xiaoya behind him.
Hearing this, Meng Qingdong turned to look at his friends with swollen faces, and then at the onlookers outside the yard, his hands tightening with a creaking noise.
Zhang Xiaobei's intention was clear—he wanted Meng Qingdong to give He Xiaoya a satisfactory public explanation.
Although Meng Qingdong was not exactly a big shot in the village, with his medical skills, he was a person of some standing.
Publicly apologizing to a widow was undoubtedly a huge humiliation for him.
But if he didn't give them a satisfactory explanation today, it seemed that leaving here in peace would be harder than reaching the heavens.
"Fine, I apologize," Meng Qingdong took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, his face red as he turned to He Xiaoya. "Sister, sorry! It was our rashness. Please don't take it to heart."
"It's... it's okay."
Meng Qingdong's apology greatly surprised He Xiaoya; she never dreamt that Meng Qingdong, who always considered himself above others, would apologize to her in front of so many people.
And all this was because of Zhang Xiaobei's presence. Thinking of this, He Xiaoya felt a warmth in her heart.
At the same time, she was also worried for Zhang Xiaobei. Not only had he beaten these people up before, but he also forced Meng Qingdong to publicly apologize to her, making a thorough enemy out of him.
After driving away Meng Qingdong and the others, the onlooking villagers also started to disperse one by one, some secretly breaking into a sweat for the uncle and niece, while others wore a look of schadenfreude...
Twenty thousand yuan was not a small sum for a place like Ji Xian Village, where birds wouldn't even poop. Not to mention a month, even a year might not be enough to gather it.
Especially for the Zhang family, there was no need to say—they had nothing except three rundown rooms with a roof and two living people.
Pay back the money? In your dreams!