Chapter 71: An Unexpected Visitor

Thank you to Otaku Ruan for the generous reward. Thank you to “Disaecus” for the five recommendation votes! And thank you for the seven update tickets worth twelve thousand words each. Although I too long for these update tickets, and am deeply moved by the support from Disaecus and all the readers, and would love to write a few more chapters to repay everyone, I still have to work every day in addition to writing. Even this chapter was posted during my lunch break. I've already devoted all my spare time outside of work, but I can only guarantee two updates a day—any more, and I simply don’t have the time. However, once the novel is officially listed and generates enough income to sustain my livelihood, I will quit my current job to write full-time. Becoming a writer is my dream, and at that point, I will definitely update more often and try to earn those twelve-thousand-word update tickets!

Now, here is the main text.

Two hundred thousand yuan is no small sum; the paper bag holding the money felt solid and heavy in Zhang Wei’s hand. After picking up the cash and saying goodbye to Li Qing—promising to attend this year’s class reunion—he finally left the reception counter.

As soon as Zhang Song saw Zhang Wei had withdrawn the cash, he hurried over, craning his neck to peek into the bag and asking eagerly, “Bro, how did it go? Did you really get two hundred thousand yuan?”

“It’s out. Go hail a taxi. We’ll leave straight away,” Zhang Wei replied, not wanting to wander around with that much cash.

Peering into the bag at the sea of red bills, Zhang Song’s heart pounded wildly—he had never seen so much money in his life. Swallowing hard, he muttered to himself, “Over two hundred thousand yuan… That’s enough to last me half a lifetime.”

“Hey! Did you hear a word I said?” Seeing his brother standing there dazed, eyes glued to the bag, Zhang Wei gave him a light smack on the back of the head. “Stop staring. When we get home, you can cuddle it to sleep if you like.”

“Alright, I’m going.” Jolted back to reality, Zhang Song’s eyes finally regained their focus. He quickly responded and dashed out of the bank.

“This kid… Almost a college graduate and still so scatterbrained.” Watching him run off, Zhang Wei shook his head and sighed.

Before long, Zhang Song returned, stopping before Zhang Wei and panting heavily. “Bro, the taxi’s ready—it’s waiting at the bank entrance.”

Zhang Wei was a meticulous man. Just a few days prior, he’d read a news story about a middle-aged man who was stabbed twice and robbed of twenty thousand yuan before even leaving the bank’s surveillance range. Clearly, the criminals these days were bold.

Now, carrying two hundred thousand, Zhang Wei was even more cautious. He glanced outside through the bank’s glass doors, scanning for anything suspicious. Seeing nothing amiss and two security guards stationed at the entrance, he finally felt reassured and strode out to the waiting taxi.

Once inside, Zhang Wei finally relaxed. He dumped the paper bag into Zhang Song’s lap and said, “Here, didn’t you want a good look? Knock yourself out.”

“Come on, bro, don’t make me sound so crass!” Zhang Song replied with a sheepish grin. Yet, though his mouth protested, his eyes never left the cash.

“Driver, to the Faculty Residential Quarter of Experimental School, please,” Zhang Wei said, glancing at the driver in the rearview mirror—a man in his thirties, a bit chubby, with an honest, good-natured face.

“At this hour, I think those roads are probably jammed. It’ll be tough to get through,” the young driver said, turning his head with a troubled look.

“No worries. If it takes longer, we’ll pay extra,” Zhang Wei replied casually.

“That won’t be necessary. We’re a standard taxi, can’t do business that way,” the driver said, pointing at the meter, his expression earnest.

“Then, could you take East City Street instead? The roads should be clearer over there.” Having worked in real estate for years, Zhang Wei was well-versed in human nature and could easily read the driver’s intentions.

“Alright, as you say.” The driver nodded. His plan had been to take a detour—saving time and earning a bit more money. Since Zhang Wei suggested it himself, the driver readily agreed.

By avoiding the traffic jam, the taxi sped smoothly along and soon arrived at Zhang Wei’s apartment complex. For safety’s sake, Zhang Wei asked the driver to drive into the complex and park with the back door facing the stairwell of their building.

After paying the fare, the brothers got out one after the other. Zhang Wei took a few steps forward, but noticed Zhang Song lagging behind, gazing off in another direction. Perplexed, he asked, “What are you looking at? Hurry up! I bet Mom and Dad are already home.”

“Bro, I don’t know if Mom and Dad are back, but we’ve definitely got unexpected guests,” Zhang Song said, pouting.

“What unexpected guests? How do you know?” Zhang Wei asked.

“Whose black sedan do you think that is?” Zhang Song jerked his chin toward the nearby car.

“Ji O438…” Zhang Wei frowned at the license plate. “That number looks familiar. Isn’t it Second Aunt’s car?”

“Hmph, with such an ostentatious license plate, who else could it belong to but her?” Zhang Song snorted derisively.

“Alright, you and your tricks. No matter what, she’s still family—you should be polite when you see her.” Zhang Wei glanced at the plate, unable to suppress a smile. He had to admit, it was certainly distinctive.

“You might be polite, but she won’t return the favor. I bet she’s here to collect on a debt,” Zhang Song muttered angrily, itching to go over and give the car a good kick.

“Debt? Mom and Dad borrowed money from Second Uncle’s family?” Zhang Wei asked in surprise. “Would Second Aunt really lend money, given her nature?”

“She didn’t want to at first. But Mom and Dad promised that if they couldn’t pay back by the end of the year, they’d mortgage the house to her. Only then did she agree to lend them a hundred thousand—at the highest possible interest rate. I can’t believe how heartless she is,” Zhang Song said through gritted teeth.

“This is the way of the world—there are always more who kick you when you’re down than those who lend a hand,” Zhang Wei said, patting his brother’s shoulder in comfort.

“It’s her smug, petty face I can’t stand,” Zhang Song muttered.

“Never mind. Since she’s come, we’ll just pay back what we owe her and save ourselves the trouble of a trip.” Zhang Wei tugged his brother’s arm. “Let’s go upstairs.”

They lived on the third floor, East Entrance. Climbing the stairs to their door, Zhang Wei noticed the iron door wasn’t locked, just left ajar. Assuming his parents had left it open for them, he didn’t think much of it and went straight in.

As the brothers entered the hallway, they saw the living room empty. Just as Zhang Wei was about to call for his parents, a sharp, mocking female voice rang out from the southern room: “Elder brother, sister-in-law, today you either pay back the money or hand over the house to me. Otherwise, I’m not leaving!”

The speaker was none other than their Second Aunt, Liu Guihua, who had evidently arrived before them and was already pressing for repayment.

Hearing Liu Guihua’s voice, Zhang Song bristled with anger and strode toward the southern room, but Zhang Wei grabbed him and whispered in his ear, “Hold on. We don’t even know what’s going on yet—don’t barge in recklessly.”

“Sister-in-law, didn’t we agree? We said we’d pay you back by the end of the year, and if we couldn’t, we’d mortgage the house to you,” Zhang Wei’s mother pleaded earnestly.

Zhang Wei’s mother, Li Huilan, was an elementary school teacher—graceful, kind, and never one to quarrel. Even facing her sharp-tongued sister-in-law, she remained unfailingly polite.

“Sister-in-law, you only wanted to repay me at year’s end because you hoped, once the house was built and you got the deed, you could use it as collateral for a bank loan to pay me back, right?” Liu Guihua said, her words cutting.

“That was indeed our plan,” Li Huilan admitted.

“Well, you can forget about that. I’ve already inquired—they say the house you bought won’t be finished by the end of this year, or even next year, so you won’t be eligible for a bank loan. Your only option is to mortgage the house to us for repayment,” Liu Guihua declared.

“The purchase contract clearly states the house will be completed before year’s end. That’s a breach of contract!” Zhang Wei’s father, Zhang Jianguo, said angrily, his calloused hands clenched tight.

“Brother, I’ve seen that contract. The whole development is supposed to have over a dozen buildings, and the contract only guarantees the first one will be done by year’s end—it doesn’t specify yours. So technically, it’s not a breach. Even if you take it to court, it won’t help,” Liu Guihua argued. “Your only way out is to mortgage the house you just bought to us, or you’ll never be able to pay us back!”