Li Chaoyong and Yang Yifang returned together today. Taking advantage of the absence of their two children, they discussed matters at hand.
"We should try to pay back the money we owe to Anfu," Li Chaoyong's voice was somewhat low: "You know his family's situation..."
Yang Yifang bit her lip and nodded. Over the past few days, the two of them had worked hard from dawn till dusk and earned some money, but she wanted to save this money for her son's college education. The family also needed money for various expenses, and the situation was quite severe. Of course, she didn't want to pay back the money.
But Liu Anfu's family had indeed faced a major crisis. Not paying back the money at such a time would be against their conscience.
So, although Yang Yifang sighed inwardly, she still agreed with her husband's decision.
Just then, Li Chaoyong's phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID was Liu Anfu, Li Chaoyong answered the call with a mix of emotions.
The eight thousand yuan they owed Liu Anfu had been reduced to a manageable five thousand after Li Chaoyong and Yang Yifang's hard work. Although it felt like a drop in the bucket, it was better to pay back a little.
Before Li Chaoyong could speak, Liu Anfu suddenly said, "Brother, I'm really sorry to have to come to your place... You know my situation, and if I had any other choice, I wouldn't have come."
Hearing this, Li Chaoyong picked up on the key information and asked, "Are you at our place now?"
"No, I just left."
Li Chaoyong's mood became heavy. He wasn't stupid and could guess that Liu Anfu had come to collect the debt. He thought about how to explain and said, "I'll come over to see you. I also have something to discuss with you."
But Liu Anfu said, "No need... Xiaocan gave me the money... I'm really sorry, but I took the ten thousand yuan. Thank you."
"What? Ten thousand yuan?" Li Chaoyong was surprised.
"Yes, didn't Xiaocan give it to me?" Liu Anfu asked, puzzled.
"Oh... you mean that." Li Chaoyong's heart raced, but he quickly suppressed his thoughts.
After hanging up, Li Chaoyong said to Yang Yifang, "Let's go back and ask Xiaocan what happened. He gave Anfu ten thousand yuan."
"Is that true?" Yang Yifang quickened her pace.
Upon hearing this, the first thing that came to their minds was where Li Chenchan had gotten so much money. Could it be from illegal means?
This was a natural reaction. A sudden windfall would make anyone suspicious.
But they quickly dismissed this thought. They knew their son, and Li Chenchan was certainly not the type to earn money through illegal means.
Back home, Li Chaoyong and Yang Yifang immediately called Li Chenchan out and asked, "Xiaocan, your uncle just called us. What's going on?"
Li Yuxue also came out of her room, hands in her pockets, and sat on the sofa. The events of the day still affected her.
Li Chenchan knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he said, "I'll show you something." Without waiting for a response, he went to his room and brought out the contract for the first part of "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty" to show them.
Seeing the contract, the couple exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
"Xiaocan... did you write this?" Li Chaoyong looked at Li Chenchan.
Li Chenchan nodded, "Yes, because of this book, I just received sixteen thousand yuan in royalties. I met my uncle, and knowing their family's situation, I gave him ten thousand yuan."
Hearing this, the couple felt a mix of emotions.
They were excited that their son had suddenly become as smart as before and could even write a book!
They were happy that he was so thoughtful, giving money to Liu Anfu and saying it was from them...
This consideration brought them a sense of comfort and joy.
But amidst the joy, there was also sadness. Li Chaoyong thought about his son's first earnings being used to pay off the family's debt, and his heart ached. He tried to suppress his feelings and said to Li Chenchan, "Xiaocan, you've done a lot."
Li Chenchan had been worried that they would ask many questions, demand the remaining money, or tell him to focus on his studies and stop writing. But he didn't expect his father to say such heartfelt words, revealing his lifelong strength and courage.
Li Chenchan suddenly felt that everything was worth it.
"Dad, don't say that. I'm part of the family too," Li Chenchan said.
Li Yuxue took the contract and looked at it in surprise. Thinking about Li Chenchan's two songs, his top rank in the grade, and today's contract, she felt immense pride and joy for her brother.
Thinking about the security he had given her today, Li Yuxue felt warm inside.
Yang Yifang, being more thoughtful, said, "Xiaocan, keep the remaining money safe. Don't spend it recklessly. Paying off the debt is our responsibility, and you don't need to worry too much about it..."
Li Chenchan wanted to say something but thought it over and nodded, "Okay, I plan to buy a fridge... The meat someone gave me today went bad."
Li Yuxue stood up from the sofa and looked at Li Chenchan, "Hey, even though it was bad, you ate two-thirds of it, right?"
Seeing the siblings and Li Chenchan's smug smile on the sofa, the old couple felt immense comfort.
They felt that even if they lost everything, having their children was worth it.
Our son is growing up!
Time passed slowly, and for everyone, the days of senior high school were like a tightly wound spring, filled with a sense of oppression.
Wu Chuan brought Li Chenchan's "Evening Return to Zhou" and "Waves Washing Sand - Beidaihe" to participate in this year's Imperial Ancient Poetry and Prose Competition.
This year, there were some good poems in Tianfu Province, but compared to other provinces, the level was not very high. The president of the Tianfu Ancient Poetry and Prose Association, Sun Shiyi, was a bit worried. If these poems went out, wouldn't people mock Tianfu Province for having no talent? This was Su Dongpo's hometown, after all!
Just then, Wu Chuan came to see Sun Shiyi.
Wu Chuan was a friend of Sun Shiyi's generation. He knew Wu Chuan had some talent. Today, seeing a piece of paper in Wu Chuan's hand, Sun Shiyi became interested—could this young man have brought a good poem?
Thinking this, Sun Shiyi quickly called out to Wu Chuan, "Wu Chuan, come over, come over."
PS: Thank you for the three generous donations from Ri Yiyi+.
The events of last night were truly heartbreaking, especially for someone from Yunnan in Kunming. The vicious thugs are not worth forgiving.