In the main room, Liu Yunping was shocked to see his wife and daughter bringing Jiang Feng along, and he immediately stood up from his seat in disbelief, saying, "Mr. Jiang, why are you here?"
Liu Yunping was just as grateful to Jiang Feng as Liu Shiyuan and Wang Xiumei were, because he knew that Jiang Feng was his lifesaver! He owed it all to Jiang Feng that he was barely able to stand with a crutch.
Immediately, he trembled as he personally came out to greet him, wanting to invite Jiang Feng inside.
"Yunping, Xiao Jiang came back with our daughter," Wang Xiumei said deliberately from the side.
"Call him Mr. Jiang!" Liu Yunping said seriously. He was not as clueless about etiquette as Wang Xiumei. Although a mother-in-law might increasingly like her son-in-law, Jiang Feng hadn't married their daughter yet, and calling him "Xiao Jiang" was seriously disrespectful!
Liu Shiyuan's grandparents looked at this stranger, Jiang Feng, with some suspicion, and Liu Yunping quickly explained to the elderly couple that he was the benefactor who helped treat his kidney disease!
The elderly couple immediately felt very grateful, and Liu Shiyuan's grandmother was about to kill a chicken for a meal, while her grandfather, Teacher Liu, quickly invited Jiang Feng inside to sit down.
"Old Master and Grandma, please don't go to any trouble. I'm just accompanying Shiyuan to visit. You're making me feel awkward," Jiang Feng said calmly.
The Liu Family was already like this, and Grandma Liu, at her advanced age, was still busy killing chicken and cooking. As a junior, he naturally couldn't accept this.
Then Liu Shiyuan, unexpectedly, gently held Jiang Feng's big hand and whispered, "Brother Jiang, don't stand on ceremony. It's a rural tradition; you're an honored guest in our family. If my grandparents don't entertain you, they would feel bad!"
Jiang Feng sighed softly, feeling the sincerity of rural people.
At this point, he helplessly followed Old Master Liu and Liu Yunping back inside, allowing Granny Liu and Wang Xiumei to prepare a meal for him.
At this moment, Liu Shiyuan showed her diligent and virtuous nature and joined her mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
...
In the main house, Jiang Feng learned through questioning that Liu Shiyuan's younger uncle had run away after borrowing six hundred thousand in black market loans. No wonder Liu Yunping and his wife were nervous; they were threatened with having their legs broken!
Moreover, after running away, Liu Yunbiao became a frightened bird, not contacting any family member for fear of being betrayed. He was hiding in the south, likely never intending to return for the rest of his life.
"Six hundred thousand!" Liu Yunping sat there with a bitter smile, "Mr. Jiang, it's no joke; even if we sold everything our family owns, we couldn't pay off this debt..."
Jiang Feng could empathize. Such a large sum was a difficult issue even for him, let alone this impoverished family.
"That unfilial beast, when he comes back, I'll break his legs!" Old Master Liu got angry at the mention of his youngest son, angrily leaning on his crutch, cursing his youngest son while looking at the empty courtyard.
Unfortunately, he could only be angry. Liu Yunbiao caused trouble and ran away, leaving this mess for the elderly couple to clean up.
At this point, after much bustling about, Granny Liu finally prepared a whole table of dishes, then came in to invite Jiang Feng and the family to come eat together.
The old lady and Wang Xiumei went all out to welcome Jiang Feng, preparing a table full of dishes, including chicken and fish, which was the highest standard in rural areas.
"Old lady, go to the cellar and get the bottle of homebrew grain liquor I made myself. Today I'm going to drink two cups properly with Xiao Jiang," Old Master Liu said to Granny Liu.
"With everything going on, you're still thinking about your liquor? You don't want your health anymore. No drinking!" Granny Liu glared at him, dissatisfied.
"Don't you know a distinguished guest is here today? Xiao Jiang rarely visits; don't be stubborn with me. Go, get my liquor!" Old Master Liu said discontentedly.
"Grandpa, don't make Grandma run errands; I'll go!" Liu Shiyuan couldn't bear to let Grandma run around, so she jumped up quickly, helping Grandpa get the liquor.
The family rarely had a reunion meal in the small courtyard, yet at the same time, on the dirt road entering the village, seven aggressive sedans drove into the village!
The leading car was a Mazda 6 five-door hatchback, followed by a black Mercedes. The wheels left clear tracks on the heavy dirt road.
In a poor village like Liu Family Village, it was usually impossible to see so many cars entering the village simultaneously, so the villagers of all ages were drawn in, speculating who these people were after.
The arrogant convoy stopped upon seeing the villagers, and the front Mazda 6 opened its doors. Four young men with curly hair, dressed in sportswear and wearing shiny gold chains around their necks, jumped out. Judging by their tattoos and appearance, they were not the kind sort.
One of them, with long curly hair, disdainfully glanced at the dusty villagers and asked, "Is there anyone named Liu in this village? Where is their home?"
The villagers looked at each other: "Most of us in the village have the last name Liu. We don't know which household you're looking for."
"Damn it! It's Liu Yunbiao's house! His father's name is Liu Laoshi; do you know them?"
"Are you looking for Fourth Uncle's house?"
"What happened at Fourth Uncle's house? Why are so many people looking for him?" The villagers began to discuss.
You see, the matter of Liu Yunbiao running away due to black market loans had never been publicized, so the villagers couldn't guess the purpose of these visitors.
"Do you know or not? If you know, lead us there!" Long Curly Hair shouted impatiently.
The villagers fell silent.
Living in the same village, most people would try to cover up for Teacher Liu's family if they encountered such an issue or quietly tip them off, rather than leading outsiders directly.
"Damn it, you're all mute? Don't want to speak, huh?" Long Curly Hair got angry.
At this time, a knock came from the Mercedes behind them. Long Curly Hair immediately quieted down and respectfully bent over to listen attentively.
After the person inside gave him a few instructions, Long Curly Hair straightened up and shouted to the villagers, "Our boss said, we don't want to waste time with you country bumpkins. Whoever leads us can earn one hundred yuan, but only one person has the chance!"
One hundred yuan wasn't much in the city nowadays, but it was quite a bit in the countryside. Under the lure of a big reward, there was always a traitor, and immediately a local ruffian stepped up, shouting, "I know! I know!"
Long Curly Hair disdainfully took out one hundred yuan and threw it at him, "Lead the way!"
And with that, the four young men got back into the Mazda 6, leading the convoy behind them. Together with the traitor, they menacingly headed toward the Liu family's old house!