Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): 52 years of farming, producing hundreds of millions of tons

Although this method is far inferior to modern cooking techniques,

But for Wan Ping'an, who had been pregnant for a long time, it was already wonderful enough.

After finishing the meal, Wan Ping'an used a wooden spoon to scoop the remaining broth into a porcelain bowl and two earthenware bowls.

Then he took out two white steamed buns from the bamboo basket and placed them on the tray.

After finishing, Wan Ping'an tidied up the things on the table and started eating. Not long after, he heard another commotion outside the yard.

"Xu Damao? What's wrong with you? Quickly give me back the ten yuan you lent me to buy meat." He Yuzhu asked Xu Damao for the money.

"Sigh... Yuzhu, I'm really short of funds here," Xu Damao sighed.

"Hmph! Xu Damao, you used to be quite rich, how come you're so poor now that you can't even afford to eat? Who are you trying to fool!" He Yuzhu questioned.

"Yuzhu, I've been tricked. If you don't believe me, go to the granary in the north of the city and ask someone there, and you'll know for sure."

"What the hell did I get scammed?"

"Sigh, it's the money you borrowed from me last time."

“You…!” He Yuzhu stared wide-eyed at Xu Damao.

"Alright, alright, Yuzhu, stop bothering me. You know my family is poor right now, and I really don't have the money to pay you back."

Seeing that He Yuzhu was so angry that he could hardly speak, Xu Damao quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Pah! You son of a bitch, weren't you scammed? How come you're being scammed now?" He Yuzhu shouted angrily.

"I've really been scammed. Believe it or not, I really have nothing left to give you now."

"Fine, since you put it that way, then don't blame me for ordering!"

"Yuzhu! You're being ridiculous. I really don't have any money right now. Please give me a few more days."

"Get out of my way! Don't get in my way, you coward, you dare to act tough in front of me? Believe me or not, I'll beat you to death! No matter what you say today, you have to give me back my ten dollars!"

"Yuzhu, why are you like this!..."

"So what if I force you, Li Zhao!"

Before Xu Damao could finish speaking, a sound was heard.

"Bang!" The door was kicked open, and there was He Yuzhu holding a carrying pole, staring at him fiercely.

Hearing the commotion from inside, Wan Ping'an brought out the meal he had just prepared and ate it while looking at them with a slight frown and a cold expression.

"Xu Damao, you owe me money and you're trying to renege on it, aren't you?!" He Yuzhu rushed over, raised his carrying pole, and struck Xu Damao without warning.

Chapter 282 Xu Damao Borrows Money at High Interest Rates

Caught off guard, Xu Damao ended up taking a hard hit from Sha Zhu's stick.

"Shazhu, what are you doing?!" Wan Ping'an shouted sternly.

He Yuzhu turned around at the sound and saw him standing at his door with a plate of food in his hand. His face was so dark it looked like ink could drip from it, and he said with a sneer, "Uncle, you have to do me justice. Xu Damao owes me money and hasn't paid me back for a month!"

"Uncle, please have Sha Zhu put down the carrying pole first, then we can sit down and talk slowly," Xu Damao said calmly, but he felt a sense of oppression.

After all, he had personally witnessed how Wan Ping'an beat people up.

He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment before throwing the carrying pole back to the ground.

Xu Damao clutched his stomach and bent over coughing. Actually, He Yuzhu hadn't intended to ask Xu Damao for money today. He just saw that an old man named Wan Ping'an had bought meat to eat, and he was a little tempted, so he remembered that Xu Damao still owed him ten yuan.

"Thank you for your concern, sir, but I don't have ten yuan right now," Xu Damao said, wiping the blood from the corner of his lips.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu immediately bristled and said:

"Xu Damao, stop pretending! I clearly saw you slip ten yuan to a young man while you were selling meat. Now you're saying you didn't? Are you trying to fool me?"

"Shazhu, don't get agitated." Wan Ping'an walked over to He Yuzhu and said, while gesturing for him to calm down.

"Let's talk this out slowly, we're all from the same courtyard house." After Wan Ping'an finished speaking, He Yuzhu nodded and gradually calmed down.

Wan Ping'an then turned to Xu Damao and said, "Xu Damao, tell me honestly, what exactly happened? Why do you owe Shazhu ten yuan?"

"Uh, well, it's a long story!" Xu Damao shook his head.

Wan Ping'an frowned and said, "Just tell me already, why are you hesitating?"

"Actually...actually..."

Xu Damao stammered for a moment before finally saying, "Actually, I was scammed some time ago."

"What happened?" He Yuzhu pressed.

“My family was so poor we couldn’t even afford to eat, so I borrowed some money from loan sharks…” Xu Damao sighed.

"I see," Wan Ping'an (chbh) said thoughtfully. "So that's why you borrowed ten yuan from Sha Zhu?"

"Hmm," Xu Damao replied helplessly.

"And this time? Was it because of loan sharks again, or because of gambling?"

"Sigh," Xu Damao sighed again.

"You can't do this. You can't always use family difficulties as an excuse, can you?" Wan Ping'an frowned and reminded him.

“But…” Xu Damao gritted his teeth and finally told the truth:

"This time it really was because of gambling."

Wan Ping'an and He Yuzhu exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit like laughing and crying at the same time.

"You've actually gotten addicted to gambling?" Wan Ping'an said, frowning.

"Alas! One wrong step can lead to eternal regret!" Xu Damao sighed. "I had never gambled before, but I just happened to be caught up in it. I had no choice but to borrow money from loan sharks, and I lost it all overnight. That's why I lent Shazhu ten yuan. I really don't have the money to pay him back..."

"So you're planning to renege on your debt?!" He Yuzhu sneered.

"Sigh!" Xu Damao said with distress, "I really can't raise the money. What do you suggest we do?"

Wan Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "How about this, when you have more money, you can pay off the remaining debt. As for this money..." Wan Ping'an paused, looked at Xu Damao, and seemed to hesitate.

Chapter 283 Installment Payment

"You're not thinking of borrowing money from me, are you? How much do you want to borrow?" Wan Ping'an asked.

After Wan Ping'an finished asking his question, Xu Damao fell into deep thought.

He Yuzhu looked at Xu Damao and urged, "Xu Damao, hurry up and tell me, how much do you want to borrow?"

Wan Ping'an also winked at Xu Damao, hoping he would agree more readily.

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Damao looked up and said, "Fifty."

He Yuzhu was taken aback, then glared at him with his bull-like eyes and roared:

"Xu Damao, are you even human?! You can't even give me ten yuan, so you just ask an old man for money?"

Xu Damao lowered his head and said, "This is the only way I can do it."

"So you're just deliberately trying to renege on your debt?!" He Yuzhu pointed at Xu Damao and cursed, "Believe me or not, I'll beat you to death?"

"Enough!" Wan Ping'an slammed his hand on the table and stood up, stopping the furious He Yuzhu.

Although He Yuzhu was indignant, he still obediently stepped aside.

Wan Ping'an looked at Xu Damao, whose expression was gloomy, and said:

"Have you thought this through? I'm not lending you this money, but since you can't pay Sha Zhu back, how about you pay him in installments and then help him clean his house every day?"

Xu Damao nodded, then looked at Wan Ping'an, "Uncle, I can agree. I know you don't need these few dozen yuan, but if you help me, I certainly can't take advantage of you for nothing. How about this, I'll pay you back when I make money someday."

"You're still trying to renege on your debt, aren't you? Didn't you hear what the old man said? He wouldn't give it to you!" He Yuzhu glared at Xu Damao. "You really can't change your ways! I'll kill you sooner or later!"

Wan Ping'an waved his hand to signal He Yuzhu to calm down. He looked at Xu Damao and said, "I can't handle this matter. Think it over carefully. If you really want to renege on your debt, then don't blame me for turning against you."

"Sigh." Xu Damao sighed deeply, lowered his head, and remained silent for a long time.

Wan Ping'an wasn't in a hurry to pressure him; he just waited patiently.

However, He Yuzhu couldn't wait any longer and yelled at Xu Damao:

"Damn it! Xu Damao, are you even a man? An old man gave you a chance, why don't you appreciate it? Aren't you afraid that everyone in the courtyard will look down on you when they find out?"

Xu Damao suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at He Yuzhu, gritting his teeth as he said, "Try talking nonsense again?!"

·· Requesting flowers ·

He Yuzhu met Xu Damao's gaze without flinching, "You dare threaten me? You think I'm afraid of you!"

The two were on the verge of attack, glaring at each other as if they were about to strike at any moment.

In the end, Xu Damao was the first to be defeated.

Xu Damao said with a dejected face:

"Fine! I'll give it back to you, but what exactly was that installment plan that old man was talking about?"

"Tch! You're actually pretty sensible!" He Yuzhu said, scoffing.

"There are three payment options. The first is monthly, for example, if you owe me 500 yuan, you have to pay me 300 yuan every month. The second is weekly or daily payments, meaning that as long as you go to work on time every day, you must repay within the specified time. Of course, the premise is that we don't need you to do heavy work. You can do whatever you want, like you are now, like carrying bricks on the street or doing odd jobs, as long as you pay the money in full. As for the third option... hehehehe..."

At this point, He Yuzhu revealed a wicked smile, staring at Xu Damao as he continued,

"It means unconditionally obeying my orders. You have to do whatever I tell you to do until the debt is paid off!"