It wasnât until the second day of the Lunar New Year that the second couple of the He Family managed to intercept He Jinxuan.
He Jinxuan had known for some time what his Second Brother and sister-in-law were thinking, so he still asked, "Do you need something from me?"
He Jian Country didnât want to beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "Third Brother, you probably guessed why weâre here. Let me be frank, we canât pay back the money we borrowed from you previously.
I know you and your wife donât have an easy time earning money, but I also know you have money on hand. For the sake of our brotherhood, could you help your Second Brother out once more?"
He Jinxuan glanced at the fleeting blue hem outside the door and couldnât help but find it amusing: it seems this is their backup plan.
He Jinxuan cleared his throat lightly, "Second Brother, you just mentioned that itâs hard for my wife and me to earn money. We do have some money, but you also know Iâll be investing in a new project after the New Year, and money is needed everywhere.
When you borrowed that one thousand yuan earlier, we were clear about it. Second Brother, letâs think from another perspective. If I borrowed money from you and havenât paid it back yet, would you lend me more if I asked again?"
He Jian Countryâs face flushed red with embarrassment.
But thinking that if Third Brother doesnât lend him any money, he would have no chance to get back on his feet, he steeled himself, "Third Brother, if I had any other means, I wouldnât have asked you. Please help your Second Brother. In the future, Jiahui and Jiaming will surely honor you as their Third Uncle."
He Jinxuan was amused with anger, "Second Brother, you really have some guts saying that. So, are you implying that if I donât agree to lend you money today, they wonât acknowledge me as their Third Uncle in the future?"
Gao Yumei hurriedly tried to mediate, "Your Second Brother isnât great with words; thatâs not what he meant. I heard that the country is going to implement the one-child policy, allowing a couple to have only one child. Who can say for sure what the future holds?"
With this, He Jinxuan was even less willing to waste words with them, "Second Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean, but if we canât rely on our children, how can relying on nieces and nephews be any better?"
He Jian Country became anxious upon hearing these words, "Third Brother, what do you mean by that?"
He Jinxuan dusted off his clothes, "Second Brother, people need to have boundaries. Brothers should help each other, but you canât treat me like your personal bank, withdrawing money as you please. Moreover, now that weâre all married, we each have our own families."
Gao Yumei was afraid the loan wouldnât happen, "Jinxuan, if it werenât for the fact that all the previous money was lost and weâre in debt, we wouldnât have come to ask you for this.
I know your wifeâs family is not lacking in small change. For the sake of our parents and the two children, could you help us out? Once we get back on our feet, weâll definitely repay you with interest. Does that sound good?"
At this point, Mother He, who had been pacing outside the main door, also walked in, "Third Brother, among all the brothers, youâre the most well-off. If possible, help your Second Brother. Consider it as helping us."
Xinyan had been next door in the Fifth Brotherâs room talking to Guo Yueyue, thinking she didnât have time to come back when her son was born, so she brought the silver lock and silver bracelet she had prepared.
When the second couple entered their yard, she and Guo Yueyue heard the commotion from inside the house.
The Fifth Sister-in-law had a cheerful character and had never liked the Second Brother and Second Sister-in-lawâs way of doing things. Upon hearing the noise, she wrapped her son in a blanket and pulled Xinyan to the wall to eavesdrop.
Hearing her mother-in-lawâs words, the two sisters-in-law exchanged glances, and Guo Yueyue whispered with her lips pursed, "So biased indeed."
He Yuejin had told her about the He Familyâs matters, and the Third Brother-in-lawâs family had already done quite well. Yet they were making things difficult for their only son.
Even if the child was fostered out back then, the Third Brother-in-law hadnât stayed long with the He Family before joining the army. What right did the mother-in-law have to say these things?
Xinyan was also disgruntled hearing this. She hadnât spoken up because she wanted to see what He Jinxuan would do. If he didnât live up to her expectations, she thought it would be better to make plans while they still had no children.
She didnât want future arguments to turn their life into complete chaos.
He Jinxuan had no idea that his next actions would determine the survival of his marriage.