Chen Jie hurried home, and for some reason, after hearing about Cui'er from Upper Peach Village jumping into the well, he had a bad premonition in his heart.
He hadn't even finished his meal at the Bai Family's before he rushed back home.
Sure enough, he hadn't reached the doorstep when Chen Jie saw a crowd gathered at his house.
Chen Jie was startled, could something have gone wrong?
Thinking this, Chen Jie ran quickly toward his home.
At this time, in the small courtyard of Chen Jie's family, Ma Liu was sitting on a chair, ogling Su Yunjin without any shame.
Not to mention, she really is as beautiful as the Young Master thought, quite good-looking indeed.
Even dressed in ragged clothes, her beauty couldn't be concealed.
To be able to play with her would be incredible, wonder if the Young Master would let me have a "review" after morning class. If so, then I could do without the reward from that morning class.
Really don't understand, how such a beautiful woman ended up with that useless Chen Jiusi, who not only hits and scolds her but also looks disdainfully at her, isn't this a waste of Heaven's gifts!
Ma Liu stared at Su Yunjin with no regard for decency.
Su Yunjin felt very uncomfortable, shielding Daisy in front of her, who was so scared that she had shrunk behind Su Yunjin, not daring to move.
Seeing this scene, Uncle Erba, who had already come to inquire after hearing the commotion, stepped forward and asked, "Brother Ma Liu, what are you doing here?"
Ma Liu glanced at Uncle Erba and said, "Oh, Chen Quezi, I'm here to collect a debt! Where's Chen Jiusi? Tell him to roll out here."
"Brother Ma Liu, how can you speak like that? My father and your father are contemporaries; shouldn't you at least call me 'Uncle'?"
Xiao Hu, angered by Ma Liu's words, challenged him.
Ma Liu ignored him and said to Chen Erba, "If you want me to call you uncle, fine, call Chen Jiusi over here, pay back the money and let me go back and square things away. Then you'll still be my uncle. Otherwise, don't talk about uncle—I won't even recognize my own father!"
"You!"
Chen Erba was infuriated by Ma Liu, and at this moment, Ma Liu also looked at Su Yunjin and said, "Sister-in-law, ask Chen Jiusi to come out, will you? I've been waiting here for half an hour now?"
Su Yunjin said, "I've told you, he's gone to Doctor Bai's to apprentice."
"Hah, he can apprentice at Doctor Bai's, him? Come on, stop lying. Hurry up and pay back the money. Whatever he wants to be, let him be— even if he wants to be a tortoise, I couldn't care less. Right, brothers?"
Ma Liu turned and spoke to the few lackeys behind him.
"Right."
The lackeys responded in chorus.
...
Watching the commotion inside, the onlookers outside asked each other what was happening.
"What's going on?"
"Debt collection. It seems Chen Jiusi has taken out a high-interest loan outside."
"Can it be? Hasn't Chen Jiusi gone straight?"
"Hmph, as if he could."
Upon hearing the discussion, Chen Sanliu, with his arms crossed, watched the excitement, a schadenfreude grin on his face.
Serves him right, not so flashy these past few days, now karma has caught up, huh?
Meanwhile, not far away, Lu San, who had a lame leg, was brought out by Lu Qinsi to enjoy the spectacle. Hearing that Chen Jie was in trouble, Lu San felt so good that his back didn't ache, his legs didn't hurt, and he hopped over a hundred meters effortlessly.
At this moment, watching the commotion from atop the wall, full of hatred in his eyes, Chen Jiusi was surely in for some bad luck.
Seeing more and more people gathering, Su Yunjin's expression grew ugly. Chen Jiusi had just learned his lesson, could he have gone back to his old ways?
But it's only been two days of comfort; such a short dream, could she be about to fall back into Hell?
"Sister, brother-in-law he..."
Daisy clutched her sister's sleeve.
Chen Erba said to Su Yunjin, "Yunjin, Jiu Si hasn't had the time for gambling these few days; it shouldn't be a recent debt. Don't worry just yet; I'll ask."
Thinking this, Uncle Erba came over to Ma Liu and asked, "Brother Ma Liu, when did Jiu Si owe this money?"
Ma Liu said, "A couple of months now, I guess."
Upon hearing this, Chen Erba and Su Yunjin both breathed a sigh of relief, it was good that it wasn't just these last couple of days, at least it proved that Jiu Si's repentance was genuine, and he wasn't deceiving them.
Uncle Erba, "How much money does he owe exactly?"
"Why, are you guys planning to repay it for him?"
Ma Liu looked at Uncle Erba, who replied, "Hmm."
Ma Liu took out the IOU and flashed it briefly, Uncle Erba glanced at Su Yunjin as he couldn't read.
Su Yunjin stepped forward to take a look and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"How much, girl?"
Uncle Erba asked, and Su Yunjin with joy in her face said, "One tael of silver."
"One tael, alright, Hu Zi, go home and get the money."
"Okay."
Hu Zi responded.
But Su Yunjin said, "Uncle Erba, you don't need that much, I have eight cents, just lend me two more cents."
"Oh, that'll do."
Uncle Erba prepared to send Hu Zi to fetch the money.
Ma Liu watched them and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Haha, one tael of silver, you guys...you don't really think it's just one tael of silver, do you?"
"Take a good look, this IOU was made on March 2nd, the ninth year of Zhizheng, and now it's May. Two months have passed, calculate the interest."
Ma Liu looked at Su Yunjin and Uncle Erba.
Upon hearing this, their expressions stiffened, then Uncle Erba looked at Ma Liu and said, "Then, how much is it now?"
Ma Liu smiled and said, "Not much, interest on interest, compound interest, it's just...twenty taels!"
"How much?!!"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Erba and Su Yunjin's eyes nearly popped out of their skulls, twenty taels!
Twenty taels!
"How can it roll up to so much!"
Both couldn't believe it, and the spectators outside gaped, twenty taels, holy shit, even selling the old Chen family wouldn't raise that much.
Outside, Lu San was so close to setting off fireworks to celebrate, right on, Chen Jiusi finally got his comeuppance.
Awesome!
Su Yunjin nearly didn't stay on her feet when she heard it, her body swayed.
Ma Liu prepared to help her, but Su Yunjin quickly dodged and immediately said with a pale face, "Twenty taels, we'll sell the pots and pans to repay it!"
Ma Liu said, "Hmm, better hurry then, it'll double by tomorrow!"
Su Yunjin looked at Ma Liu in despair, and Ma Liu said with a grin, "Sister-in-law, what's with that look?"
Su Yunjin asked, "What if we can't repay it?"
Ma Liu leaned in, grinning, "Can't pay? I'll take the house, anything of value, and then there'll be broken hands and feet, turned into a cripple."
Su Yunjin's face turned deathly pale.
Ma Liu with a wicked glint in his eye, looked Su Yunjin up and down, "Sister-in-law, you wouldn't want your man to become a cripple with all limbs broken, would you?"
"Actually, I have a way out. If you're willing, forget about the twenty taels of interest, you wouldn't even need to repay the principal. What do you say?"
"What, what do I need to do?"
Su Yunjin seemed to think of something, her face pale as she looked at Ma Liu.
Ma Liu was about to speak with a smile on his face, when suddenly, everyone heard a voice.
"Yo, Brother Ma Liu is here, why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have welcomed you properly!"
At the sound, everyone looked over and saw Chen Jie strolling in from the main entrance, looking at Ma Liu with a smile on his face.
And at the sight of Chen Jie, Su Yunjin relaxed.
Jiu Si, you've finally come back!