Pang Xiaofang’s face flushed red with anger at Su Qing’s words. She pointed a finger at Su Qing and said, "Su Qing, so you’re just not going to lend me the money, is that it?"

"I’m sorry, Aunt Xiao Fang," Su Qing said calmly. "If you won’t tell me why you need to borrow the money, I can’t lend you such a large sum."

"Fine. Just fine," Pang Xiaofang said, panting with rage. "I guess I misjudged you. I thought you were a decent kid, but now I see. The way the Old Su Family treated you... you weren’t wronged after all. Hmph."

With that, Pang Xiaofang stormed off in a huff. As she left Su Qing’s home in a fury, she slammed the courtyard gate with a loud BANG.

Su Qing’s expression chilled. Her intuition told her that Wang Xuehong knew nothing about Pang Xiaofang’s visit. While she hadn’t interacted with Wang Xuehong much, she knew from Aunt Cuihua and the others that he was dedicated to serving the village. Like Zhao Youcai, he was fair and just; otherwise, the two of them wouldn’t be so well-supported by the villagers.

She figured that if Wang Xuehong truly needed such a large sum of money, he never would have sent Pang Xiaofang to ask for it alone. The most likely scenario was that Pang Xiaofang had come behind his back. As for the reason... ’Pang Xiaofang probably doesn’t want Wang Xuehong to know why she needs the money. She might not even want him to know she came to me at all.’

’So, why does Pang Xiaofang need to borrow so much money?’

After a moment’s thought, Su Qing pushed the question aside. It had nothing to do with her, so there was no need to dwell on it. ’Still,’ she thought, ’the Village Chief is a good man, so I should do the right thing. I can’t just let him get taken advantage of, right? Who knows, maybe there are pyramid schemes or scams in these days, just like in the future.’

So, after dinner that evening, Su Qing took a bag of pastries and went to Wang Xuehong’s house.

"What are you doing here?" Pang Xiaofang’s anger flared the moment she opened the door and saw Su Qing. She was still fuming from the humiliation she’d endured at Su Qing’s house that afternoon; her chest ached just thinking about it. To make matters worse, the money situation was still unresolved, and she was burning with anxiety. She didn’t dare tell Wang Xuehong, so the sight of Su Qing made her grind her teeth in frustration. ’She’s sitting on so much cash, yet she refused to help me in an emergency!’

"Aunt Xiao Fang, I’m here to see the Village Chief." Su Qing’s voice was loud enough for Wang Xuehong to hear from inside the house. "Is that Su Qing?" he called out. "Quick, come in."

With Wang Xuehong having spoken, Pang Xiaofang couldn’t very well turn Su Qing away. She let her in, but still glared at her.

Su Qing paid her no mind. Inside, she saw Wang Xuehong sitting by the kang table. He smiled and gestured for her to sit. "Come on, Su Qing, have a seat. What brings you to see me today?"

Then, seeing Pang Xiaofang standing aside without moving, he said, "Get Su Qing a glass of water."

Before Pang Xiaofang could speak, Su Qing smiled and said, "Village Chief, there’s no need. I actually came here today to apologize."

As she spoke, she placed the bag of pastries she was holding on the kang table.

"Apologize?" Wang Xuehong was confused by Su Qing’s words. "What do you have to apologize for?"

Meanwhile, Pang Xiaofang’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Su Qing. She was just about to speak up and stop her, but Su Qing was already spilling the beans. "Here’s the thing," Su Qing began. "This afternoon, Aunt Xiao Fang came to borrow money from me. She said she needed three hundred yuan. I felt that was a bit much, so I was hesitant to agree. But after she left, I felt bad about it. After all, you’ve helped me so much, Village Chief. It wouldn’t be right for me to stand by and do nothing now that your family needs money, don’t you think? So, I came over to apologize. Just tell me when you need the money, and I’ll bring it over."

"What!" Wang Xuehong was shocked. He turned and looked sternly at Pang Xiaofang. "You went to Su Qing to borrow money? And you asked for three hundred yuan?"

’Three hundred yuan! That was a huge amount of money. Their family’s entire savings didn’t even add up to that much!’

"I... I..." Pang Xiaofang was obviously flustered. She gritted her teeth, silently cursing Su Qing for dragging this out into the open. She had never planned on letting Wang Xuehong find out, so for the moment, she was at a complete loss for an excuse.

Seeing Pang Xiaofang remain silent, Wang Xuehong angrily slammed his hand on the table. "Speak! Why did you go to Su Qing to borrow such a large sum of money?"

Su Qing, standing aside, pretended to be surprised. "Oh, Village Chief, you didn’t know about it?"

Then, Su Qing covered her mouth, feigning embarrassment, and looked apologetically at Pang Xiaofang. "Aunt Xiao Fang, I’m so terribly sorry. I just assumed the Village Chief knew. If I’d known he didn’t, I wouldn’t have come. I would have just given you the money quietly."

’Pang Xiaofang was about to explode. That wretched girl! This afternoon she’d bluntly asked if Wang Xuehong knew, and now she was playing dumb. Who was she trying to fool?’

"Su Qing, you..." Pang Xiaofang began, pointing an angry finger at Su Qing, but Wang Xuehong cut her off with a shout. "What are you pointing at Su Qing for? You’ve got some nerve! Going to a kid to borrow money, and three hundred yuan no less! Do I not give you enough to eat? Or enough to wear? Is there some family expense I don’t know about? Why did you go to Su Qing for so much money? You’re not getting out of this until you give me a clear explanation."

Pang Xiaofang was furious and frantic, but for the life of her, she couldn’t come up with a plausible excuse.

Su Qing, meanwhile, played the peacemaker. "Village Chief, please don’t be angry. This is my fault, too. I came over without getting the full story. I’d feel terrible if you and Aunt Xiao Fang fought because of me."

"Su Qing, this has nothing to do with you," Wang Xuehong said. "I’m glad you came. Otherwise, I would’ve been completely in the dark. If something had really happened because of these three hundred yuan, I’d have been furious."

"Village Chief, don’t get too worked up," Su Qing added quickly. "Just talk with her calmly. Maybe Aunt Xiao Fang has her reasons, something she finds hard to say."

"Okay." Wang Xuehong wanted to press Pang Xiaofang for the reason she needed three hundred yuan, but that was clearly a conversation for behind closed doors. He turned to Su Qing and said, "Su Qing, your aunt and I need to talk this over. It’s not a good time to have you stay. You should head home and get some rest."

The seed had been planted. Su Qing knew it was time for her to leave, so she quickly said, "Okay, I’ll get going then. Please keep the pastries. Consider them a small token of my apology."

Before Wang Xuehong could say another word, she was gone in a flash.

Wang Xuehong was in no mood to fuss over the pastries. As soon as Su Qing was gone, he turned to Pang Xiaofang, his face livid with anger. "Talk. Why did you borrow so much money?"