chsdbacks Chapter 419 is a complete waste of money – a case of throwing good money after bad.
Chapter 419 is a complete waste of money – a case of throwing good money after bad.
At this moment, the eldest son slowly walked forward, his tone calm and gentle: "Mother is back. She must be tired from her journey. Would you like to go back to her room and rest for a while?"
At fourteen, he was already a teenager, just beginning to mature.
Shen Li looked at her boss and her heart softened.
She didn't know when it started, but the eldest son stopped calling her "Mom" like the second and third sons did, and instead called her "Mother" in a more respectful way.
Every time her eldest son called her "Mother," she would subconsciously composed herself and become serious, as if she were truly a dignified matriarch.
I even felt different myself.
Both are fourteen years old, but the eldest is much more mature and composed than the second. He has a faint scholarly air about him, and at such a young age, he exudes a refined and gentle temperament that makes people unable to help but like him.
Looking at her outstanding eldest son, Shen Li felt a surge of pride and joy: How wonderful, this is her son, so excellent and so sensible.
Her gaze fell on Huanhuan, who was being led by the eldest brother's hand, and she said with a smile, "She's already clinging to her brother as soon as she got back. She's definitely closer to her brother."
Huanhuan tilted her little face up, smiling brightly: "Because big brother is the best!"
Upon hearing this, the third child immediately objected and reached out to grab Huanhuan, saying, "No, no, Huanhuan, come here and say it again, who's the best?"
At this moment, Lu's mother came over and reminded her with a smile, "Don't bully your sister, or she'll cry."
The courtyard was instantly filled with laughter and joy as the family enjoyed themselves. The gloom that had been stirred up by Aunt Shen vanished without a trace.
Looking at the harmonious scene before her, Lu's mother smiled and said, "Lili is back, and our in-laws are all here too. Let's have dinner here today. I'll call Qingnan and Xiaonan right now and ask them to come over as well, so the whole family can have a lively time together."
Mother Shen smiled and nodded in agreement: "Great, it's more lively with more people."
Looking at the happy family in the house, Lu Cheng felt a faint sense of helplessness.
His biological mother didn't even notice he was back; her gaze was fixed on her granddaughter and daughter-in-law, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Okay, it seems he really was adopted.
But after so many years, he's gotten used to it.
It has to be said that the old houses still have the strongest sense of community.
In contrast, the manor where they lived was quiet and sparsely populated, which was quite a unique experience for each of them.
The next morning, Shen's third aunt dragged her uncle Luo Changhai to the door.
My third aunt's husband looked noticeably haggard, with cloudy and dull eyes. It was clear at a glance that he had suffered a serious injury and his health was severely compromised.
Grandpa and Grandma were not in the living room.
Aunt Shen squinted at Shen Li, who was sitting in the main seat, and asked anxiously, "Where's my mother?"
Didn't we agree to lend it to her?
Where is her mother? Only Shen Li is here. Shen Li's third aunt felt uneasy looking at Shen Li.
Because they couldn't gain any advantage over Shen Li.
Shen Li raised her eyes, her tone calm: "Grandma and Grandpa went out for a walk. I'll handle this. All you want is money; it doesn't matter who takes it."
Shen Sangu's face immediately darkened, and her tone became sharp: "Didn't we agree that I would just bring Changhai? Why did they have to go out?"
Shen Li curved the corners of her mouth slightly, but there was no smile in her eyes: "It doesn't matter who comes, as long as things can be resolved properly."
She had already discussed this with her grandmother, and they decided that she would handle it herself.
Grandma has money, but if she gives that money to Third Aunt, it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it's gone forever.
But her money is different; every penny has to be spent openly and meticulously accounted for.
Luo Changhai shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes..."
Shen Li glanced at Feng Ye beside her.
Feng Ye immediately stepped forward, handing over paper, a pen, and inkpad, saying crisply, "Take a look first, and sign it only after you've read it carefully. I'll give you the money after you sign it."
Luo Changhai initially smiled and stared at the contents of the paper, but his expression gradually darkened until his brows furrowed into a knot.
It was clearly written on the paper: He had incurred huge debts due to personal loans for stock speculation, and now he was borrowing 50,000 yuan from Shen Li. The interest would be calculated at the bank's current interest rate, and he would pay the interest annually. The principal would be repaid whenever the borrower needed it.
"No," Luo Changhai said anxiously, looking up to argue.
"Why am I borrowing from you? And wasn't it agreed that it would be 200,000? How did it become 50,000?"
Shen Li's lips curled into a cold smile: "I've had my people investigate your debt thoroughly; it totals 80,000. You can easily scrape together the remaining 30,000 from elsewhere. I'll give you 50,000; that should be enough for your emergency."
That bastard actually tried to swindle Grandma out of 200,000 yuan! What a pipe dream!
Luo Changhai's face flushed red and then turned pale as he awkwardly rubbed his hands, saying, "Didn't we say we're all family? Why do we have to calculate interest...?"
Shen Li's tone suddenly turned cold: "Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, go back now and continue dealing with those debt collectors."
Aunt Shen suddenly interrupted, her tone domineering: "No way! Why should I use your money? I won't borrow from you, I'll borrow from my mother!"
Shen Li looked at her with a half-smile: "You borrowed it from Grandma, so you're planning not to pay it back, right?"
Caught off guard, Shen Sangu's eyes flickered, and she feigned composure, arguing, "How...how could that be! I'll definitely pay back Mom's money!"
Shen Li raised an eyebrow, her tone full of sarcasm: "How are you going to pay it back? At your age, Aunt, are you going to have to go out and sweep the streets to pay off your debts?"
Shen Sangu was speechless with anger, her chest heaving with rage, but she was completely helpless.
She never expected that her found niece would be so difficult to deal with, refusing to be swayed by either soft or hard tactics.
Now that things have come to this, they have no other choice but to accept it reluctantly.
Shen Li then gave Feng Ye a wink.
Feng Ye immediately took out five bundles of brand-new 100-yuan bills from the iron box next to him. The bills were printed with the portraits of four leaders and looked particularly thick.
Luo Changhai grabbed the money, clutched it tightly, and turned to leave.
Shen Li's voice suddenly rang out from behind, carrying an undeniable authority: "This is the first and last time. Interest is calculated at an annual rate, and it must be paid in full every year at the due date. Not a penny less."
Shen Sangu was seething with resentment, but looking at the money in her husband's hand, she ultimately didn't dare to lash out.
If it were her older brother and sister-in-law, she could argue and make a fuss; and with her mother, she could feign pitifulness to gain sympathy.
But when facing Shen Li, all her tricks were useless. She could only stomp her feet and slink away with Luo Changhai.
Watching the two figures disappear, Shen Li turned around and went back to her grandmother's courtyard.
In the courtyard, Grandpa was pouring tea for Grandma. His gaze fell on her slightly worried face, and he gently comforted her, "Alright, at our age, we should just enjoy our retirement."
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, we can't worry about that too much. Just trust Lili, she'll definitely handle things well."
Although Grandma's hair was completely white, she wore a neat modern Chinese-style bun with a simple golden nanmu hairpin in her hair—a hairpin that Grandpa made by hand and had worn for many years.
Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her; even in her advanced age, her bone structure remains exquisite, and one can still see the stunning beauty she possessed in her youth.