Brother Tie entered the alley clearly to make a call to Tong Hu, as he was indeed Tong Hu's man and naturally had to report to Tong Hu when something happened.
"Brother Hu, it's Iron Hands." After the call connected, Brother Tie recounted everything that had just happened in the hall to Tong Hu.
After listening to Brother Tie, Tong Hu said grimly, "Can his hand blade be harder than my machete? Don't come back yet, just keep watch there. If there's any slight movement inside, notify me immediately. Cui Jingyan, that little bitch, actually sought help from an expert. I'll see if his expert is afraid of a kitchen knife, no matter how skilled he may be."
"Yes, Brother Hu, I understand." Brother Tie coldly chuckled and then started to monitor every move of Golden Cauldron.
Golden Cauldron was still open for business, and Chu Feng got off work on time at ten o'clock.
Worried about Chu Feng, Cui Jingyan personally drove him home. To Chu Feng, Cui Jingyan's actions seemed totally unnecessary.
He wasn't afraid of Tong Hu and his men coming at all, but rather was afraid they wouldn't come. If possible, Chu Feng wanted to resolve the trouble all at once, to avoid them coming back repeatedly.
The house Chu Feng lived in was the only inheritance left by his elder brother, an old house so dilapidated that no one would buy it.
Just as he was going upstairs to his door, Chu Feng heard Qin Mei and another person talking inside.
"Xiao Mei, Chu Tian has been dead for three years now, and Chu Feng is about to go to college. You should also consider your own future. Besides, living with a poor kid all the time does invite gossip. Besides, the price Boss Li offered isn't low at all, two hundred thousand a year, just to accompany him. Think about it, two hundred thousand is enough to pay off most of your debt, you can't let all these debts fall on Xiao Feng," the speaker was a woman Chu Feng knew, his maternal second aunt.
Chu Feng originally thought his second aunt had come to propose a marriage for Qin Mei, but what he heard later was completely off, so he immediately pulled the door open and charged in.
"Although my brother is dead, I'm still here, and I will pay off his debts. This home does not welcome you, get out!" If it was really about a marriage proposal for Qin Mei, Chu Feng wouldn't have minded, but this was about making Qin Mei a mistress, which Chu Feng couldn't tolerate.
Chu Feng's sudden appearance startled Qin Mei and his second aunt, particularly when they saw Chu Feng looking as furious as a raging lion, his second aunt was particularly frightened.
When she regained her composure, she disdainfully and contemptuously said, "What can you, who hasn't even been to college, use to pay back the money? Your dead brother owed our family one hundred thousand, and it hasn't been paid back in three years. What do you have to pay it back with?"
Chu Feng sneered, "I remember when you took the money, you mentioned it was an investment and even said you would never want it back. Moreover, when my elder brother was earning money, he didn't skimp on sharing profits with you, did he? The total dividends must exceed the principal by now. Why think of the principal now when you didn't back then?"
Chu Feng's words made his second aunt's face turn from pale to red. Indeed, during the good times of Chu Tian's business, they did say it was an investment, but now that Chu Tian was gone, they certainly couldn't let their money be wasted.
"Then was then, and moreover, when we lent the money, we didn't say it was an investment. What's wrong with me coming to claim it now?" His second aunt, a shrew, retorted, hands on her hips.
Chu Feng said, "If it was a loan, why didn't I see you refuse any dividends back then?"
"That... that was your brother borrowing money as interest. The interest exists now too; it's just that I didn't press you for it because I saw your family was in a tough spot. Now that you mentioned it, let's settle this interest. Three years of interest, I'm not going to overcharge, just count it as fifty thousand. Total principal and interest, one hundred and fifty thousand. If you can't produce the money, I'll sue you so you won't even be able to go to college," his second aunt harshly stated.
"Xiao Feng..." Seeing this, Qin Mei quickly went to pull Chu Feng back.
Chu Feng sneered, "One hundred and fifty thousand, is it? Fine! You come to my house in three days to collect the money."
Her face lit up upon hearing this, "Good, I'll give you three days. If you can't produce the money, don't blame me for not being kind."
Chu Feng said, "Now you can get out of my house."
"You..." His second aunt, infuriated by Chu Feng to a ghastly pale, stamped her foot heavily and turned to leave Chu Feng's house.
After his second aunt left, Qin Mei sighed, "Xiao Feng, you're too impulsive. Where are we going to get one hundred and fifty thousand in three days?"
Chu Feng put his arm around Qin Mei's shoulders, "Sister Mei, I've told you, this family has me now. I'll figure out a way for the one hundred and fifty thousand."
Qin Mei looked at Chu Feng's resolute gaze, her heart trembled involuntarily, and then she nodded, saying, "Alright, Xiao Feng, Sister Mei believes in you."
When Chu Feng saw that Qin Mei believed in him, he revealed a smile bright as the sun and then said, "Sister Mei, it's getting late, you should sleep early."
"Okay!"
Qin Mei nodded and then returned to her own room.
After Qin Mei went back to her room, Chu Feng's expression darkened.
$150,000 was indeed not a small amount, and even if Chu Feng was capable now, he couldn't just conjure money out of thin air.
Chu Feng returned to his own room, threw himself on the bed, and began to think about how he could gather $150,000 in three days.
Robbery was definitely not an option, as skilled in martial arts as he might be, he still feared a kitchen knife. And the state had more than just kitchen knives at its disposal, there were also guns.
"Do I really need to borrow money from Sister Yan? But with such a large amount, would Sister Yan really lend it to me?"
Chu Feng found himself in a dilemma. Amid his frustration and confusion, he subconsciously grabbed the only keepsake his elder brother had left him, a jade token.
This was something Chu Tian had bought for Chu Feng during a trip to Xinjiang, engraved with Chu Feng's name.
As Chu Feng held the jade token in his hand, he immediately felt a cool energy enter his body, and his cultivation of the "Xuanhuang Technique" sped up unexpectedly.
The sudden activation of the "Xuanhuang Technique" startled Chu Feng, and when he looked down at the jade in his hand, he noticed that although its exterior hadn't changed, it seemed to have lost a bit of spiritual quality.
Of course, such spiritual quality was not perceptible to ordinary people, only someone practicing cultivation like Chu Feng could feel it.
"Jade, the quintessence of the earth. It harbors the spirit of heaven and earth, I must have absorbed what's known as Spiritual Energy, suitable for cultivation," Chu Feng murmured to himself.
"Ah! Got it!"
A bright idea suddenly struck Chu Feng.
Chu Feng thought that since he could absorb the spiritual energy within the jade, he naturally could sense the spiritual energy in other jade stones as well; he could rely on this ability to gamble on jade.
Gambling on jade was clearly the fastest way to make money, and Chu Feng believed that, with his ability to sense the spiritual quality within the jade, he could guarantee his wins.
"Sister Yan mentioned that she was going to attend a jade appraisal gathering in the next few days, including jade gambling. It looks like I need to find a way to go with Sister Yan."
Having figured out a solution, Chu Feng dived headlong into his pillow and fell asleep.
The next morning, Chu Feng got up early to prepare for school and also told Qin Mei that he had thought of a way to make money and asked her not to worry.
Seeing Chu Feng's confidence, Qin Mei naturally believed his words, but still, she decided to visit her parents' house today to see if she could gather some money.
Today was the monthly test day at the school, and Chu Feng certainly wouldn't disappoint his homeroom teacher.
However, just as Chu Feng got off the public bus, two people stopped him in his tracks.