Chapter 62: Li Dakui Collects a Debt, Father and Daughter Rely on Each Other for Survival

Su Sheng expressed his willingness to accept the joint support of the elderly. In this era, that was no easy feat. After all, feeding extra mouths required precious rations. Sometimes, during years of famine, elderly family members would choose to end their own lives rather than watch their grandchildren go hungry. This was no exaggeration.

Therefore, the Party Secretary of Lijiawan Village was quite surprised by Su Sheng’s agreement.

"Well then, should I go over and break the ice first, then arrange a meeting between you two? Or would you prefer to come with me?"

"Um... could you please go ahead and sound them out first?"

Su Yu rubbed his forehead. His eldest brother had dropped the ball at a crucial moment and was suddenly feeling shy.

"Alright then, let's do this. I'll go mention this to Li Xiuqin's adoptive father and let you young folks meet first. Whether it works out or not, we can talk after you've met. If he agrees, you can have the adults in your family come over. How does that sound?"

The village secretary was no matchmaker; he didn't understand the subtleties of courtship. He had no intention of playing hardball or taking advantage of anyone—he simply spoke his mind.

"Sounds good. We'll leave it all up to you, Elder Secretary."

His eldest brother was likely too overwhelmed to react in time, leaving Su Yu to answer personally.

As the village secretary prepared to head out to Li Xiuqin's house, Su Yu hurriedly ran over, fetched a few catties of pastries from the cart, and handed them to the secretary to take along.

The old man didn't refuse. Since he was helping them out, and the pastries weren't going into his own stomach, there was no need for false modesty.

Li Xiuqin's adoptive father had a lame leg and lived in straitened circumstances with a sick family member at home. How could one visit without bringing gifts? It wasn't that Su Yu was trying to put on airs and act generous, but if you were too stingy to spend money when proposing marriage, yet claimed you would help care for the elderly together, you were simply trying to fool ghosts.

Therefore, Su Yu needed to handle things properly so that no one could find fault. Otherwise, given his brother's reputation, people would know the score the moment they asked around. If you acted without propriety, why on earth would they agree? By the time the arrangement was made, Su Sheng would probably be unable to support even himself—let alone care for an elderly man.

"Everyone, please sit down. I'll pour you some brown sugar water."

With that, the village secretary's wife brought out a bowl for each person, dropping a spoonful of brown sugar into every single one.

Su Yu tried to stop her, but couldn't; they were simply too hospitable.

Whether in the countryside or the city, when guests arrived, offering a bowl of brown sugar water was considered a decent reception. As for tea leaves, they required ration coupons. When people barely had enough to eat, they would trade any coupons they had for grain—who could afford to drink tea?

Even in the city, high-ranking workers earning fifty or sixty yuan a month could only afford to drink low-grade tea dust.

Before long, the front door was knocked, and a middle-aged aunt walked in.

"Mother of Dongwa, hurry! Over at Li Xiuqin's place, some people are there collecting a debt. The old man is trying to stop them, and the two sides are about to come to blows!"

Hearing this, not only Su Yu was stunned, but Su Sheng was too.

Enduring the burden of caring for an elderly person was one thing, but taking on heavy external debts was quite another. Surely, they wouldn't be expected to pay off someone else's debts as well?

Regardless of the situation, they had to go over and take a look.

Su Yu, Su Sheng, Huzi, along with the village secretary's wife and the aunt who brought the news, hurried off toward Li Xiuqin's house in a flurry.

"Brother, what should we do in a minute? What if her family really has huge debts?"

Before coming here, Su Yu had boasted that the woman's appearance was well above average, telling his brother not to worry and to accept readily. But now, things seemed to be taking an unexpected turn, making the situation rather tricky.

"Let's not worry about other things for now. Let's just go over and see what's happening, then adapt to the circumstances. If it's ten or twenty yuan, it's no big deal. But if it's too much, we aren't fools to be taken advantage of, so don't worry."

Not long after, the group arrived and stood amidst the crowd, listening to what was being said.

"Everyone, come take a look! It's all written down clearly in black and white!"

"Back then, when your dad hurt his leg and you went everywhere borrowing money, no one would lend you a dime. Wasn't it I who showed mercy and lent it to you? It's all in black and white, agreed to be repaid in three years—nine out and thirteen in, an eternal rule since ancient times. It's one hundred and fifty yuan, and I'm not asking for extra; just round it up to two hundred for me. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Good grief, Su Yu thought. Nine out and thirteen in? That was loan shark jargon, certainly not something an honest person would say.

"Dakuai, Old man Li is your own biological uncle! Pressuring him like this, do you want to drive your uncle to his grave?"

"Old Secretary, what are you saying? I, Dakuai, am not that kind of person. I just feel that my uncle's health is getting worse day by day. What if he passes away one of these days, and my IOU becomes nothing more than empty words? I'm just taking advantage of the fact that he's still alive to clear things up."

"Bollocks! Have you ever heard of bringing a bunch of outsiders to blockade a door for debt collection? He's your own uncle! Aren't you afraid your father will crawl out of his grave to curse an unfilial son like you?"

Unfazed by the village secretary's scolding, Li Dakuai chuckled playfully and retorted, "Old Secretary, I'm not forcing my uncle to pay me back right this second. But matters need to be cleared up, don't they? We aren't running a bank, and money doesn't blow in on the wind. How about this: let my uncle mortgage his house to me. As long as he's alive, things stay as they are. But the day he passes away, this house belongs to me."

"Old Secretary, you're the veteran secretary of Lijiawan; you shouldn't lean toward outsiders. When my uncle dies, wouldn't it be a shame for this house to go to some outsider with a different surname? What do you say?"

He actually sounded quite logical and justified. However, this was ultimately family business; the village secretary neither agreed nor refused, simply looking toward the doorway.

Old man Li walked out leaning on a crutch, glanced briefly at the pastries in the old secretary's hand, then stared at Dakuai before finally speaking: "Xiuqin, give him the house deed."

"Dad, we can't give it to him! Once he has it, he'll probably gamble it all away within days. When someone else comes to repossess the house then, they won't care where we live."

Several villagers joined in to persuade him, glaring furiously at Old man Li's nephew, though none of them dared to resort to physical violence over the disagreement.

"Xiuqin, once I'm dead, you won't be able to hold onto this house anyway. Just give it to him. But since Dakuai wants to lay everything out on the table, let's make it clear: once you take the house deed, I won't owe you a single cent. If you ever use this matter to harass Xiuqin in the future, your uncle will turn into a ghost and come back for you."

Li Dakuai's expression shifted instantly back into a grin as he nodded repeatedly.

Rural houses weren't worth much, but the foundations were valuable. Since Old man Li's house sat right in the middle of the village, the foundation was worth even more.

"I've made a laughingstock of the villagers. It's my incompetence that has dragged Xiuqin down."

With things having reached this point, Li Xiuqin had no choice but to go fetch the house deed with utmost reluctance. Regardless of the circumstances, her father had already agreed; if she stubbornly tried to protect it, others might suspect she was the one coveting the property.

"Xiuqin, you'll be getting married sooner or later, and this house is no use to you anyway. I originally thought that after my death, you could sell the house and have some income as a fallback. Ah... who could have foreseen the twists of fate, and who would have thought my leg..."

"A life free of debt is a life of peace, and then you can marry with a clear mind. As for me, don't worry about me. Even if I have to throw together a makeshift shed, an old man like me won't die."

"Dad, your daughter won't marry! I want to stay and take care of you."

The two leaned on each other and wept bitterly. This scene tugged at the heartstrings of all the neighbors standing around, but in times like these, life was hard for everyone, and no family stepped forward to offer help. After all, people were willing to rescue others from emergencies, but not from lifelong poverty.

"Alright, enough playacting. Don't worry, Uncle, I, Dakuai, am a man of my word. While you're still alive, do you think I'd actually chase you out?"

With that, he snatched the house deed from her hand and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Su Sheng's fiery temper flared up. He was someone who loved bickering and fighting, and he feared ruffians least of all.

However, Su Yu was quick-eyed and fast-handed, pulling him back just in time.