Chapter 20: Debt Repayment

That’s what she said, but in Zhao Yuzhu’s heart, she utterly detested her previous life at the old house! She was a typical thankless worker there, constantly busy from morning till night, yet still being called a free-loader by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law! Sometimes, when Zhao Yuzhu dreamed about it in the middle of the night, she harbored intense hatred for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law!

“No wonder you earned a good reputation for being virtuous among the neighbors. Your ability to swallow your anger is something even a thousand-year-old refined turtle couldn’t compare to,” Su Luyun chuckled lightly. Although these were words of praise, Zhao Yuzhu found them incredibly grating! Meeting Su Luyun’s half-smiling gaze, Zhao Yuzhu couldn’t help but retort, “How can I compare to you, Cousin? You’re incredible now; everyone’s saying that if this were in ancient times, they’d at least erect a monument to your chastity!” For this Pan Jinlian, people were actually going to erect a monument to her chastity, it was truly laughable!

Su Luyun laughed at this. “Really? Then I really was born in the wrong era!”

Zhao Yuzhu: “…” She had seen shameless people, but this was the first time she’d seen someone so utterly shameless!

Su Luyun stirred the rice porridge in the pot to prevent it from sticking, and said with a smile, “Are they all praising me outside now?”

Zhao Yuzhu glanced at her, and was momentarily stunned by her triumphant gaze. But then, her eyes widened in surprise! What she couldn’t understand before suddenly became clear at that moment! It was like a sudden clarity after the clouds had parted! She finally understood the reason for Su Luyun’s sudden change in attitude! Su Luyun wanted a good reputation that everyone would praise! A good reputation where even if she divorced Zhou Changdong, everyone would praise her instead of cursing her!

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Zhao Yuzhu, feeling she had figured out Su Luyun’s intentions, was in a great mood, but then quickly said, “Cousin, won’t this come at too great a cost?” She couldn’t possibly let Su Luyun get her way! She had to sabotage it!

“What cost?” Su Luyun raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Yuzhu had an expression that said, ‘You can’t fool me.’ “Aren’t you creating all this hype to build a good reputation for yourself?!”

“My reputation has always been quite good, hasn’t it? Why would I need to build it? Cousin, what are you talking about?”

Zhao Yuzhu: “…Cousin, what kind of joke are you playing? Didn’t you know everyone used to call you a spendthrift?” A good reputation? Among the wives with good reputations in this area, she was the only one!

Su Luyun smiled, “People called me a spendthrift because I didn’t bat an eye when I paid seventeen hundred yuan for this small courtyard. They were a step too late and couldn’t buy it, so they were so angry they rolled their eyes at me. They said the grapes were sour because they couldn’t eat them, that’s why they called me a spendthrift.”

“But I think my vision was sharp. Don’t look at how much money I spent on this courtyard back then, but if you wanted to buy it now, it would cost twenty-three hundred yuan, and as soon as I say I want to sell it, I estimate people would be scrambling to get it. You know how rare it is without me even saying it, right?”

“I don’t have to do anything and I’ll still net six hundred yuan.”

“…”

Su Luyun proudly recounted the story. But even though Zhao Yuzhu secretly gritted her teeth, she had to admit that buying that house back then was indeed the right decision! It was bought for seventeen hundred yuan then, and now saying twenty-three hundred yuan was still an understatement. If you added another one or two hundred, those with the means to afford it would probably be willing to buy it! Because such independent small courtyards were truly scarce and hard to come by! The tube apartment she and Ling Wenchuan lived in cost a high price of eight hundred yuan when they bought it this year, but it was only forty square meters, barely enough to separate into two rooms!

Moreover, tube buildings housed many people, it was very chaotic, and social relationships were complicated. There was no moment of peace from morning till night. How could it be as comfortable as living in this independent, spacious small courtyard?

Zhao Yuzhu didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore and brought the conversation back on track. “Cousin, won’t this be too great a cost for you?”

Su Luyun looked at her, “Cost? What cost?”

“The cost of getting a good reputation,” Zhao Yuzhu looked at her. “Look at how much you’ve sacrificed for a good reputation? Not to mention that three thousand yuan Zhou Changdong brought back that you gave back to the Zhou family, Auntie even said she would return all your expenses from three years of living at your in-laws’. You’ve been delayed for three years of your youth, and youth is priceless! Now you have to take care of Zhou Changdong’s every need! You’ve sacrificed so much, just for a good reputation. Is it worth it? Isn’t it too hard on you?!”

She completely acted as if she was looking out for her. In fact, Zhao Yuzhu had always shown such concern for the “paper character” whose intelligence had been lowered. For example, when the “paper character” was ambiguous with Sun Congxing according to the plot, she would both advise and remind her: “You’re already married, you can’t do anything to betray your husband, that’s wrong. Listen to me, quickly break it off with him, don’t act impulsively and make a mistake.”

But at the same time, she would say: “Fate is a strange thing; sometimes it just happens, and you can’t control it. Since you like him so much, he must be a very good person.”

 In short, she subtly instigated the “paper character” to indulge herself, without leaving any room for blame.

 She was a true toxic best friend! The “paper character” with lowered intelligence couldn’t see through it, but now the real person was here. Zhao Yuzhu’s little tricks were far from enough!

For example, right now, she was seemingly concerned and felt sorry for her, but in reality, she was subtly hinting and reminding her not to give up fighting for Zhou Changdong’s property just for a good reputation!

Su Luyun looked at Zhao Yuzhu playfully and smiled, “Yuzhu, you’re the only one who thinks of me. You’re so good!”

Zhao Yuzhu knew she had guessed correctly! “We grew up together. Although you’re my cousin, in my heart, even my own sister can’t compare to you!” she said.

Su Luyun nodded with satisfaction, then reached out to Zhao Yuzhu. “Although our bond is stronger than gold, Cousin, isn’t it time you paid me back the hundred yuan you owe me?”

Her thoughts shifted so quickly that Zhao Yuzhu couldn’t react for a moment! But then her face quickly stiffened, “Cousin, why are you suddenly asking me for money out of the blue?”

“It was your mention of money just now that reminded me. You borrowed quite a bit from me intermittently before,” Su Luyun said with a cheerful smile, looking at her.

Before, Ling Wenchuan hadn’t started working at the construction site yet; he worked at the factory, earning thirty yuan a month. And because they hadn’t separated their household yet, this money had to be handed over to the family for distribution. Zhao Yuzhu had been so stifled when she lived at the old house.

 So sometimes she would borrow money from the “paper character” to go to restaurants or watch movies. The “paper character” held Zhou Changdong’s financial power and was very generous, saying she didn’t need to return it and just gave it to her, but Zhao Yuzhu insisted it was a loan! But she just never paid it back!

“I offered to give it to you before, but you insisted it was a loan. Now that I need it, I won’t be polite with you. I’ve calculated it, no more, no less, exactly one hundred,” Su Luyun said with a smile.

Zhao Yuzhu’s face was twisted with anger; she had already said all the good and bad words! She wanted to say she had no money, but Su Luyun was a step faster, acting as if she had just remembered, “Look at me, I forgot, you don’t handle the money, okay, then I’ll go find Wenchuan when he gets back…”

Before she could finish, Zhao Yuzhu quickly said, “It’s just one hundred yuan, I have it, no need to find Wenchuan!”

“Alright then, go get it for me.”