Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons-Chapter 716: Doesn’t It Sound Bad to Borrow Money in the Morning?

Guo Jinnian pursed her lips. There it was, another request to speak up on behalf of the villagers. It wasn’t that she had a problem with them, but their lack of boundaries rubbed her the wrong way. They were clearly stepping up to help the community, yet they took it for granted and even dared to take offense. Their attitudes were truly unbearable.

Tong Yao’s gaze flickered as she asked Aunt Zhou, "You’re not hoping for us to persuade the village head, so your relatives can participate in the shareholding, are you?"

Aunt Zhou laughed and waved her hands, denying it, "No no, none of my family have invested, how could I meddle in my relatives’ affairs? Besides, didn’t the village head say that only villagers can invest? There’s no share for outsiders. I remember that clearly."

This made Guo Jinnian and Tong Yao curious. If that wasn’t the case, why was Aunt Zhou here?

Tong Yao did not sidestep and asked directly, "Aunt Zhou, why don’t you tell us straight away? Otherwise, we won’t be able to guess your purpose. It’s getting late, and we need to sleep. Tell us your request. If we can help, we will. If not, everyone should go to sleep early."

Aunt Zhou chuckled, "Since you put it that way, I’ll get straight to the point. Yaoyao, you know my family isn’t well-off. Now we want to become shareholders and my younger son is about to get married. The bride’s family demands three major items plus a dowry of two hundred yuan. Given our current situation, we just can’t afford it. I came here to borrow some money. Not much, just a thousand yuan."

Anxious that Tong Yao might refuse, she quickly added, "We’re all from the same village and know each other well. It doesn’t look like my big family is going anywhere. If you agree to lend me the money, I will return it as soon as the dividends from the farming come in. What do you think?"

Guo Jinnian’s eyes widened in disbelief. Aunt Zhou was quite bold. She looked like she was joking around, but her request was even more audacious than those asking for their relatives to sharehold. She asked to borrow a whopping thousand yuan just like that.

If it was her asking to borrow a thousand yuan from Tong Yao, she would feel ashamed. But Aunt Zhou made it seem as if it was a straightforward request. As if a thousand yuan was just a small amount of money.

Even though giving away a thousand yuan would not be a problem for Tong Yao now, that didn’t mean she should lend it out carelessly. What connection does Aunt Zhou’s son’s marriage have with Tong Yao?

What does shareholding have to do with Tong Yao either?

Tong Yao, on the other hand, found Aunt Zhou’s words amusing. Those who knew of the situation would understand that Aunt Zhou was seeking to invest and get her son a wife. But to those who didn’t, it would likely seem as if Tong Yao were the one getting a daughter-in-law.

A thousand yuan, with repayment scheduled for when the farming produces dividends - in other words, at least four years later. And if the farming doesn’t turn a profit, whether that debt would even be repaid remained uncertain.

In summary, Aunt Zhou wanted to use her money to earn an income and marry a wife for her son, costing their own family not a single penny.

Leaving aside the fact that if they gave in to such a request, other villagers would likely follow suit, Guo Jinnian was already growing weary of Aunt Zhou’s scheming. Was she planning to make a fool out of her?

Unfortunately for Aunt Zhou, she was not so easily fooled.

Tong Yao didn’t show any signs of anger, but her words made her refusal clear. "Aunt Zhou, I’m afraid I can’t help you. We don’t providing loans here. You had better go ask your relatives for help."

Aunt Zhou, upon hearing that Tong Yao wouldn’t lend her the money, started showing signs of panic. "Yaoyao, you’re so wealthy. How come you can’t help? I’m not asking for a lot, just a thousand yuan. You donated so much money to repair the road, you could easily deduct some from there to lend me." freewebnøvel.com

"Exactly." Aunt Zhou’s daughter-in-law chimed in, "We will repay you, since we’re neighbors. Shouldn’t we help each other out when we can afford to? Why are you being so indifferent?"

"The money for road repair was arranged with the city officials. If we reduce the funds, it would affect the quality of the road. That can’t be changed. You should go ask your relatives. I really can’t help with this." Cutting them off before they could argue further, Tong Yao crisply said, "It’s late. You should go back and rest also, we need to sleep."

Seeing Tong Yao was determined not to lend her the money, Aunt Zhou seemed displeased, but she wasn’t willing to give up just yet. She glanced around and asked, "Where are Xiaochen and Gu Hongwei? How come I don’t see them?"

"They went to the village head’s house." Tong Yao wasn’t worried since she knew they were both people who understood boundaries. "If you need to find them, just head directly to the village head’s house."

Aunt Zhou was adamant about waiting for them there. "We’ll just wait here. How long can they spend at the village head’s house this late at night? Besides, it wouldn’t be as convenient to talk inside his house, don’t you think so?"

Exchanging a glance, Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian chose to remain quiet and to leave Aunt Zhou be.

Watching them returning to the news, Aunt Zhou asked in confusion, "Why do you watch the news? What’s so interesting about it? Change the channel. That TV drama everyone’s talking about is on now. It’s really good. That’s my favorite show."

Neither Tong Yao nor Guo Jinnian reacted, but Aunt Zhou was unbothered. She went and changed the channel herself, commenting as she watched, "This color TV is so much more comfortable to watch than the black and white version. Yaoyao, your house is usually empty, are you not afraid the TV will break if left unused? Let me tell you, appliances like these shouldn’t sit idle for long or they’ll end up breaking down more easily."

"Boyi and Lijuan come back frequently." Tong Yao stated.

"I see they’re quite busy, seldom coming back," Aunt Zhou speculated, "Do they not want to come back to take care of your mother-in-law, that’s why they’re not willing to come back? Look, the seven-day post-funeral period for your mother-in-law isn’t even over yet, and they’ve already rushed back to the city. Even though they’ve made so much money, they’re still not content. Ah, no wonder your mother-in-law used to say life was hard. She had several kids, and not one looked after her each day."

"My mother-in-law’s seven-day post-funeral period isn’t over yet. In this late hour, it’s better for you to mention her less. I’m afraid she might follow you home." Tong Yao purposefully scared Aunt Zhou.

The conversation was fine until that point. But when Tong Yao mentioned her mother-in-law, Aunt Zhou genuinely became a little afraid. As it happened, Si Xiaohui exited the room just then. When Aunt Zhou saw Si Xiaohui, she began giggling again.

"Oh, Xiaohui, you’re still awake? I thought you were asleep."

Si Xiaohui had overheard their entire conversation from inside and felt these people were shameless, always reaching out for money.

Si Xiaohui gave Aunt Zhou a cold look and snapped, "Do you think I can sleep? You guys have been making so much noise one after the other."

Aunt Zhou’s face darkened, feeling like she was given the cold shoulder. She fell silent, and as Si Xiaohui shot them a glare, she plopped down on the couch.

"When are you guys leaving? Is there anything that can’t wait until morning? Who likes to be disturbed in the middle of the night?"

Aunt Zhou scratched the corner of her mouth, "Isn’t it inappropriate to borrow money in the morning?"