Chapter 53

“I…,” Bai Mei opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. “I don’t want it.”

“Debts must be repaid. Since she borrowed the money from you, she should pay you back!” Yu Xiangyang insisted.

Bai Mei’s hands were sweating under the table. “I want to see Nian Nian and talk to her.”

“My sister doesn’t want to see you,” Yu Xiangyang replied. “She said from that day forward, you and she are strangers.”

At this moment, Bai Mei felt both shame and anger!

She regretted her impulsive words that day. If she had followed Ding Yunfei’s advice and apologized sincerely to Yu Xiangnian, the matter might have been resolved.

But her anger toward Yu Xiangnian was even greater! She blamed Yu Xiangnian for putting her in this position. She wanted nothing more than to tear her apart!

Yu Xiangyang continued, “The money has been returned to you. Please hand over the bicycle and watch to me.”

Bai Mei sat frozen in her seat, biting her lip and unmoving.

The onlookers couldn’t wait any longer and started chiming in.

“Comrade Bai Mei, bring out the bicycle and watch!”

“You and Comrade Yu agreed in front of everyone that one would repay the money, and the other would provide the bicycle and watch today!”

“Comrade Bai Mei, are you not planning to compensate her? We didn’t see a new bicycle anywhere.”

Bai Mei’s face turned pale as she scanned the crowd, hoping Ding Yunfei would step up to help her.

At that moment, Ding Yunfei was hiding in the dormitory building, pretending to check the electrical circuits.

He had deliberately avoided this situation.

First, he didn’t want Bai Mei to use him again, and second, he didn’t want Yu Xiangnian to misunderstand and think he was siding with Bai Mei. So, he had left the logistics office early, citing electrical issues in the dormitory.

Bai Mei searched for him in vain and felt utterly disappointed.

The people around her kept talking.

“Comrade Bai Mei, say something, everyone is waiting!”

“Did you not buy the items?”

“Even if you didn’t buy them, you should give an explanation.”

Bai Mei felt utterly alone, humiliated, and wronged.

With a wail, she broke down crying on the desk.

“Why are you crying? You agreed with Comrade Yu to provide the compensation today. No one forced you!”

“Exactly! If you can’t pay, just say so openly. What’s the point of crying?”

Yin Yuankai, hearing the commotion from his office, decided to intervene.

He hadn’t wanted to get involved, but the noise was growing, and Bai Mei was in tears. After all, Bai Mei was his niece, someone he had brought in.

Her embarrassment reflected poorly on him too.

Reluctantly, he squeezed through the crowd.

“What’s all this crying about?” he scolded Bai Mei. “Is there something you can’t say? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Tearfully, Bai Mei looked up at Yin Yuankai, “Minister Yin, I…”

Yin Yuankai didn’t need her to finish; he knew she hadn’t bought the new bicycle and watch.

There wasn’t much he could say.

He could only try to negotiate with Yu Xiangyang. “Comrade Xiangyang, could you extend the deadline for Comrade Bai Mei? A new bicycle and watch cost over three hundred yuan. She couldn’t possibly gather that much money in just a few days.”

Yu Xiangyang was more reasonable than Yu Xiangnian, and as a comrade, he couldn’t refuse a polite request.

“Alright, she has three more days,” Yu Xiangyang agreed.

Yin Yuankai had hoped to negotiate for a week, but since Yu Xiangyang had already given him face by granting an extension, he couldn’t ask for more.

“Okay, three days then. By next Tuesday, Comrade Bai Mei must provide the new items to Comrade Yu.”

Yu Xiangyang asked, “And what if she can’t deliver by then?”

Yin Yuankai’s mouth twitched.

What could he do? What could he really do?

Having stepped in to speak on Bai Mei’s behalf, he couldn’t back down now and become a laughingstock.

“Alright, I’ll vouch for her. If she can’t compensate, you can come to me!”

With this assurance, Yu Xiangyang said, “Then it’s settled. I’m leaving now.”

As Yu Xiangyang reached for the 200 yuan on the table, Yin Yuankai stopped him.

“Comrade Xiangyang, since this money is being returned by Comrade Yu to Comrade Bai Mei, let her keep it for now. Everyone here can be a witness that the debt has been repaid. In three days, Comrade Bai Mei will compensate Comrade Yu with a new bicycle and watch.”

Everyone present knew that Bai Mei didn’t have the money to buy the bicycle and watch. Yin Yuankai intended to keep the 200 yuan to help Bai Mei.

Yu Xiangyang said nothing and left the logistics office, followed by the crowd.

In the office, only Yin Yuankai and Bai Mei remained.

“Uncle, thank you for earlier,” Bai Mei said softly.

Yin Yuankai glared at her with frustration. “Take this 200 yuan and go buy the bicycle and watch tomorrow.”

“I don’t have any money,” Bai Mei whispered.

“How much are you short?”

“I don’t have any money at all.”

Yin Yuankai nearly had a heart attack from the frustration. “What have you been doing these past few days instead of trying to gather the money?”

Bai Mei remained silent, head down.

She didn’t dare say that she had hoped Yu Xiangnian wouldn’t hold it against her or that she believed Ding Yunfei would step in to help at the last moment.

“Did you tell your parents about this?” Yin Yuankai asked.

Bai Mei shook her head.

She wouldn’t dare! With so much money involved, her parents would kill her!

Yin Yuankai reluctantly took out a wad of cash from his pocket, kept a few bills for himself, and placed six 10-yuan notes on Bai Mei’s desk.

“Here’s 60 yuan. Take it along with the 200 yuan you already have. Talk to your parents and borrow another 50 or 60 yuan. Buy the items and compensate her!”

“Besides, you won’t be losing out. You’ll get to use Yu Xiangnian’s new things. Your family can consider it an early purchase for your future marriage. And you have a job here, earning 18 yuan a month. You can repay 40 or 50 yuan within six months.”

Yin Yuankai walked to the office door, then turned back, very sternly saying, “Bai Mei, I’m helping you because I’m your uncle. Next Tuesday, you must bring the bicycle and watch, or even I won’t let you off!”

Upon returning to the regiment, Yu Xiangyang received good news.

The five who had gone to hunt the wolves each received a third-class merit, 200 yuan, and two hot water bottles.

The award notice stated: Due to their discovery and submission of 30 kilograms of gold, contributing significantly to the country’s development, they are hereby rewarded!

This was an award from the Southern Theater Command, carrying more weight than those from the Military District or the Army Corps.

Holding the bright red certificate and the third-class merit medal in his hands, Yu Xiangyang couldn’t stop grinning.

He nudged the expressionless Cheng Jingmo beside him, “Cheng Jingmo, that wolf dung wasn’t smeared in vain!”

Cheng Jingmo looked deeply at the award notice, thinking of Yu Xiangnian.