Chapter 41

Lu Dashan had just woken up, barely catching his breath, when he saw a large group of people standing before him. Immediately, everything went dark, and he nearly fainted again.

Fortunately, the brigade leader stopped him just in time before he fainted.

“Lu Dashan, we need to properly discuss how you will compensate Lu Chen. Pull yourself together!”

The brigade leader’s loud voice successfully snapped Lu Dashan back to his senses.

Looking at the brigade leader and the leaders from the commune surrounding him, Lu Dashan’s face was full of fear. Just as he was about to plead for mercy, the commune leaders, as if anticipating his intentions, raised their hands to cut him off.

“Enough. There’s no time to waste. Let’s get straight to the point.”

Seeing the leaders’ firm attitudes, Lu Dashan realized that pleading was entirely futile.

He could only wait in despair for the final “judgment.”

When he finally heard the demands relayed by Meng Xuan on Lu Chen’s behalf, his expression froze.

Lu Chen wasn’t demanding that he go to prison?!

Could he really be that kind-hearted?

The thought that he might avoid prison and have a chance to turn his situation around made Lu Dashan’s emotions surge.

Without a second thought, he frantically nodded and eagerly agreed.

“Okay, I’m willing! I’ll accept these terms! I’ll return everything to him. As long as I don’t have to go to jail, I’ll do anything!”

However, while Lu Dashan was quick to agree, Jiang Guihua’s expression shifted.

For once, her mind was sharper than Lu Dashan’s, and she quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind Meng Xuan’s words.

Though Meng Xuan’s tone was light, his message was clear—they were required to return everything they owed Lu Chen.

Everything.

That included Lu Chen’s father’s compensation, a staggering three thousand yuan—three thousand yuan without a single cent missing!

Where on earth would they get such a huge sum of money? Even selling themselves might not be enough!

Jiang Guihua was already in shock upon hearing Meng Xuan’s statement. When she saw Lu Dashan agree so readily, she was dumbfounded.

He’s crazy. Lu Dashan has completely lost his mind!

“Lu Dashan, wait. We can’t just agree to this…”

Jiang Guihua intended to suggest they try pleading for leniency to soften the terms, but before she could finish, Lu Dashan interrupted her.

“Shut up! What do you know, woman? This is settled!”

Knowing there was a way out of going to prison, Lu Dashan regained his energy and confidence.

“The leaders have clearly stated the terms. This isn’t your place to interfere! Besides, we took Lu Chen’s things, didn’t we? Shouldn’t we return them?”

Jiang Guihua was left bewildered by his words. If she hadn’t been with Lu Dashan every moment, she might have thought he’d been replaced by someone else.

After all, having been married to Lu Dashan for years, she knew his personality inside and out.

Lu Dashan couldn’t possibly be this generous. How could he willingly return such a large amount of money to Lu Chen?

Yet now…

Seeing Jiang Guihua’s confused expression, Lu Dashan felt frustrated. He wanted to curse her for being so dull at a time like this.

Did she really think he had genuinely surrendered? No—this was just a temporary tactic to appease everyone!

Return the money? Most of it was already spent. How could he possibly pay it back? What was he supposed to do—regurgitate the money he had used?

Of course not.

Just as Jiang Guihua understood him well, Lu Dashan also understood Lu Chen. While Lu Chen could be ruthless, he also had a soft heart. This whole ordeal had been blown out of proportion, and Lu Chen’s anger must have subsided significantly by now.

Later, Lu Dashan planned to sincerely apologize, give all the remaining money in the household to Lu Chen, and let him see their dire circumstances. With no money and only their lives, Lu Chen likely wouldn’t press them further.

As long as Lu Chen showed even a little leniency, Lu Dashan could catch a break. The brigade leader and commune leaders would then have no grounds to intervene further.

As for the remaining debt to Lu Chen? He’d repay it slowly. For now, he just needed to avoid prison. Even if life became harder than before, he was willing to accept it.

He’d simply live as he had during his impoverished childhood.

The brigade leader and commune leaders, seeing Lu Dashan’s seemingly repentant attitude, began to think better of him. At this moment, he genuinely appeared to have realized his mistakes and decided to turn over a new leaf.

However, while they felt relieved, Meng Xuan remained skeptical.

As the saying goes, truly wicked people are rotten to the core and won’t easily change their nature. A small setback wouldn’t make them reform.

In Meng Xuan’s eyes, Lu Dashan was precisely such a person—selfish to the bone, incapable of genuine change after decades of ingrained habits.

Moreover, his overly eager agreement only reinforced Meng Xuan’s doubts. It was too quick, too insincere.

After further deliberation, the brigade leader and commune leaders looked at Lu Dashan with a mix of skepticism and trust.

“You’ve heard all the conditions and will fulfill them properly, correct?”

Lu Dashan nodded earnestly.

“I truly understand my mistakes. I’ll return everything I owe to Lu Chen. If you don’t believe me, how about I write a promissory note, and the leaders can act as witnesses?”

Lu Dashan’s words startled even the brigade leader. He took the initiative to propose writing an IOU, which showed his sincerity.

The brigade leader exchanged glances with the commune leaders, all agreeing that it was a good idea. Then, they looked at Meng Xuan, silently asking for his opinion.

At first, Meng Xuan’s expression was unreadable, but then he suddenly smiled. He looked at Lu Dashan and said, “Alright, let’s proceed as Comrade Lu Dashan suggested. Writing everything down in black and white certainly adds credibility. After all, if anyone breaks the agreement in the future, there will be evidence, right?”

Meng Xuan’s words were perfectly reasonable, and neither the brigade leader nor the commune leaders had any objections.

“Alright, Comrade Meng, please call Lu Chen over so he can review the IOU. I’ll go get paper and a pen,” the brigade leader said before splitting up with Meng Xuan to handle their tasks.

Meng Xuan quickly returned next door to inform Lu Chen and Meng Yinyin about the discussion and the decision. Meng Yinyin, not as quick-witted as Lu Chen or Meng Xuan, didn’t catch on to any underlying issues. However, Lu Chen, upon hearing Lu Dashan’s proposal, couldn’t help but sneer.

“He’s playing his cards well.”

Meng Yinyin frowned and asked what kind of scheme Lu Dashan had in mind.

Meng Xuan rolled his eyes, unwilling to explain, but Lu Chen patiently laid out Lu Dashan’s plan. Lu Dashan intended to repay part of the money immediately, perhaps even write an IOU for the remaining debt. However, this was a calculated move.

An IOU was just a piece of paper. Lu Dashan owed a significant amount, and even if he truly intended to repay, it might take him a lifetime to do so. If he passed away before settling the debt, the IOU would become worthless, and the remaining amount would vanish with him.

This was why Lu Chen said Lu Dashan had a clever plan. Perhaps Lu Dashan even assumed that Lu Chen would eventually soften and stop pressing him for repayment.

But this time, he had miscalculated.

After explaining, Meng Yinyin predictably lashed out, cursing Lu Dashan. Yet, after venting, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

“If he’s planning to become a deadbeat, there’s no way he can pay back the money. We can’t beat him to death, can we?”

What frustrated her most was that even beating him up wouldn’t bring back the money.

Fuming, her face flushed red, she declared angrily, “That old man is despicable!”

He was clearly relying on the fact that they wouldn’t dare resort to force.

“Why not just send him to prison? If we can’t get the money back, we might as well make his life miserable!” she suggested.

At least that way, they could get some satisfaction, even if it didn’t recover the funds.

However, neither Lu Chen nor Meng Xuan agreed with her idea. Lu Chen gave her a reassuring look and said calmly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already thought this through.”

Lu Chen had anticipated such behavior from Lu Dashan when he first demanded repayment. Since Lu Dashan had volunteered to write an IOU, there was no harm in accommodating him.

Meng Xuan didn’t know exactly what Lu Chen had planned, but over the past few days, he had come to understand that Lu Chen was neither rash nor naive. On the contrary, he was both courageous and strategic. He was capable of enduring hardships and staying patient to achieve his goals. Such a person was bound to accomplish great things in the future.

“Alright, since you’ve got a plan, let’s go,” Meng Xuan said, eager not to waste any more time. He called Lu Chen, and the two headed to the next house.

Meng Yinyin, brimming with curiosity about how Lu Chen would handle Lu Dashan, quickly followed.

When they arrived at Lu Dashan’s house, the brigade leader had just returned with paper and a pen. Seeing that everyone was present, he announced, “Okay, since both of you are here, let’s follow your previous request, Lu Chen, and let Lu Dashan return the money that belonged to you that he took away.”

With that, the brigade leader turned to Lu Dashan, his tone firm. “Lu Dashan, enough delay. You and Jiang Guihua should hand over the money now. Pay what you can, and write an IOU for the rest. The sooner you repay, the better.”

Reluctantly, Jiang Guihua went to retrieve the small box where they kept their money. There wasn’t much left, as Wang Chengwu had previously borrowed 300 yuan, depleting their funds. Although Wang Chengwu had returned the money before leaving, the total in the box was still only 450 yuan.

Far short of the 3,000 yuan debt, they were over 2,000 yuan short.

Jiang Guihua begrudgingly handed all the money to the brigade leader, saying, “This is all we have, not a single cent more!”

Her tone and expression were genuine. The brigade leader nodded. Although it wasn’t a small amount, it was far from enough to cover the debt.

Still, the money would be enough to improve Lu Chen’s current situation.

The brigade leader sighed and was about to instruct Lu Chen to take the money and let Lu Dashan write an IOU for the remainder, to be repaid over time. But then, he hesitated.

What could Lu Dashan possibly do to earn the remaining 2,000 yuan in the time he had left?

The brigade leader finally realized the situation, and his mood took a downturn. He even shot a subtle glare at Lu Dashan.

Could it be that Lu Dashan intended to keep owing Lu Chen indefinitely?

If that were the case, was the justice they were pursuing for Lu Chen truly just?

As the brigade leader began to doubt, Lu Chen didn’t even glance at the money in the box. Instead, he said, “This amount isn’t enough.”

Lu Dashan’s face showed a bitter expression.

“Lu Chen, uncle knows this money isn’t enough. I truly owe you an apology, but our family has nothing left. Once my health recovers, I promise to figure out a way to earn money and pay back the rest as soon as possible. I swear I won’t default, not even by a penny. If you don’t believe me, we can write an IOU right now!”

He looked earnest and sincere, as if he genuinely had no other options and truly intended to work hard to repay Lu Chen.

But Lu Chen couldn’t hold back a sneer. His sharp gaze fixed on Lu Dashan like a piercing blade, cutting through the small schemes hidden in his heart.

Lu Dashan’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt nervous.

Could Lu Chen have figured out that he intended to shirk his debt?

As this thought crossed his mind, Lu Chen spoke again.

“No need to write an IOU for now. Let’s first assess the value of everything in your house, including this courtyard. We’ll see how much it’s worth.”