Chapter 81: IOU

The main content of the IOU stated that at the end of 1977, Kong Yi borrowed 1,000 yuan from Yuzhu.

He promised to repay it within three years, and once repaid, the IOU would be destroyed.

At the bottom, there was a signature and a seal.

The IOU was still in fairly good condition, though it had darkened over time.

This indicated that Kong Yi had never repaid the money.

She recalled that when Yuzhu passed away, Zhou Ming’s wife mentioned that her former cousin-in-law had visited and taken something.

Thinking carefully, it was highly likely that what Kong Yi took was money.

But how did he know where Yuzhu had kept the money?

Jing Xi suddenly felt uneasy. Her life with Yuzhu had always been frugal—they ate simply, and Yuzhu didn’t own many clothes. So where did Yuzhu get 1,000 yuan to lend to Kong Yi?

Also, was this Kong Yi actually her former cousin-in-law?

Jing Xi’s mind was filled with doubts.

She decided to go find Xiao Jie.

She left immediately. It was still early, and there were buses heading to town.

This was her first time visiting the address Xiao Jie had given her. It was in a residential building on the third floor.

After reaching the building and finding the apartment number, she knocked on the door. Within seconds, she heard footsteps.

The door opened, revealing Liang Chen’s familiar face.

For a brief moment, Liang Chen looked embarrassed, as if caught off guard.

Clearly surprised, he blurted out, “Xiao Jing, what are you doing here?”

Jing Xi explained, “I need to talk to Xiao Jie. Is he here?”

Liang Chen nodded. “He went out to buy something but should be back soon.” Then, as if feeling guilty, he glanced inside the apartment.

Jing Xi followed his gaze and was stunned to see Liu Chun sitting inside!

Well, well!

Jing Xi looked at Liu Chun, whose face showed surprise and even a hint of embarrassment. She immediately found this amusing.

Oh? So you two were sneaking around behind my back?

Without waiting for an invitation, Jing Xi stepped inside and walked over to Liu Chun. “Chun’er, what are you doing here?”

Liu Chun blinked a few times. “Uh… I had something to do, so I came to see Liang Chen.”

Jing Xi raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s that? Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in school today?”

Liu Chun kept blinking. “We only have a half-day today.”

“Oh, I see. So what was it that you needed from Liang Chen?”

Liu Chun: “……”

She had no idea what to say.

Seeing that Jing Xi was pressing Liu Chun relentlessly, Liang Chen quickly stepped in to help. “At noon, Xiao Jie and I ran into Liu Chun on the street. We asked if she wanted to hang out, and she said yes. She hadn’t been here long before you arrived.”

Jing Xi nodded. “I see! Liu Chun, you should’ve just said you were hanging out. No need to make up an excuse. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your parents.”

Liu Chun immediately nodded like a pecking chick, but then suddenly realized something and blushed deeply.

Jing Xi was thoroughly entertained—she had never seen Liu Chun this shy before.

Of course, she knew exactly what was going on.

She had long suspected that this little girl had a crush on Liang Chen.

And honestly, Liang Chen wasn’t a bad choice—tall, decent-looking, and both he and Xiao Jie had good relationships with their families.

As for the age difference…

Jing Xi looked up. “Chen’er, how old are you this year?”

Liang Chen took a sip of water to cover his awkwardness. When he heard the question, he quickly replied, “I’m twenty-three.”

Jing Xi nodded. Liu Chun was seventeen, only about half a year younger than her—not too big of a gap.

Honestly, Liang Chen didn’t look old, but he dressed in a way that made him seem older. She had assumed he was pushing thirty but just looked young.

Turns out, he was actually young!

“Not bad, not bad! The age gap isn’t too big. An older husband and a younger wife—what a perfect match!”

Liang Chen was clearly not expecting that comment. He immediately spat out his water.

Liu Chun quickly grabbed Jing Xi’s arm, her face now flushed all the way to her neck. “Xiao Jing!”

Jing Xi burst into laughter. “Sorry, I just couldn’t hold it in. You two are too amusing!”

Only then did Liang Chen and Liu Chun realize—Jing Xi had been teasing them the whole time!

As the sound of the door opening echoed, the three people inside instinctively turned toward the entrance.

Xiao Jie walked in, carrying a few bottles of soda, a bag of fried peanuts, and some other snacks.

Seeing Jing Xi there, he was a bit surprised. “How come you have time to visit today?”

Jing Xi replied, “I came to ask you something.”

Xiao Jie set down the items and led Jing Xi into the kitchen.

“Have you found any news about the person I asked you to look into last time?” she asked.

Xiao Jie nodded. “I was actually planning to come find you in the next few days. I didn’t expect you to show up first.”

Jing Xi took out the old promissory note from her pocket and sighed. “I have no idea how many secrets my aunt left me. Look at this.”

Xiao Jie took the note, read it over, and immediately understood the situation.

A thousand yuan in 1977—that was a huge amount of money!

Xiao Jie had been privately investigating Yuzhu and discovered that she and her daughter hadn’t been living in great conditions. So how had she managed to lend such a large sum to a former husband she had divorced years ago?

“This Kong Yi is indeed your former uncle-in-law,” Xiao Jie confirmed. “He retired from the mines after a workplace injury crushed his leg. Now, he stays at home recovering. The government gave him compensation, and from what I’ve heard, it was quite a lot of money.”

Jing Xi nodded, recalling what Zhou Ming’s wife, Zhao Qin, had said about her “little cousin.”

“Is the little cousin still around?” she asked.

At first, Xiao Jie didn’t understand. Then, realizing she meant Kong Yi’s new wife, he said, “Yeah, she’s still around. She’s the head of the household now.”

Jing Xi smirked. That woman probably held an unshakable position in the Kong family by now.

“Wait here, I have something for you,” Xiao Jie said before stepping out.

Two minutes later, he returned with a piece of paper. Jing Xi took it and saw it contained detailed personal information about Kong Yi—along with information on his wife, Wang Xiaoli.

The couple had two sons together. Based on the ages, the older one was around the same age as Jing Xi, while the younger one was about thirteen or fourteen.

What puzzled her was how Wang Xiaoli, a rural woman, had managed to land a job at the mines.

Had Kong Yi pulled some strings for her?

Xiao Jie chuckled. “Let me tell you something interesting. When we went to Nanzhen, we happened to run into this couple on the street. Kong Yi was sitting in a wheelchair, and Wang Xiaoli was yelling at him, smacking him around.”

“From the looks of it, Kong Yi isn’t doing well. Normally, someone who suffered a workplace injury would receive a good amount of compensation—several thousand yuan at least—but he was dressed in rags and reeked.”

“Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoli was dressed to the nines—makeup on, lips painted bright red. You’d never guess she was pushing fifty.”

Xiao Jie’s tone carried a hint of amusement, but Jing Xi could tell he was implying something.

“You found out something else about Wang Xiaoli, didn’t you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Xiao Jie studied her face for a moment before smirking and shaking his head. “You’re right. But it’s not exactly pleasant news.”

Jing Xi blurted out, “She’s cheating on him?”

Xiao Jie let out a laugh. “You sure are blunt. But… yeah, she probably is.”

Jing Xi pressed further. “Is it with someone from the mines?”

Xiao Jie shook his head. “No. It’s someone you’d never expect.”