Lin Fen sighed and reminded Qin Lin, "Remember to invite me when you open. I'll help you look after the guests."
"Mom, I could never ask you to look after the guests," Qin Lin said at once.
Lin Fen gave a dissatisfied huff. "I may be in poor health, but my son's opening his business, and I want to be there."
"Mom, I'll wash the dishes later!" Qin Lin said with a smile. Having a mom was wonderful.
After they finished eating, Qin Lin gathered the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them.
Watching her busy son, Lin Fen sighed again. Her boy had been sensible since he was little, so much easier to raise than other kids his age. It was just that she and his father hadn't been capable parents.
After washing the dishes, Qin Lin was tidying up when he remembered the people he owed money to. He reminded her, "Mom, I invited Uncle Ergen and the others over. They should be here soon..."
Lin Fen froze, about to say something, when the doorbell rang. She hurried to open the door, but her face fell when she saw the visitor. "Ergen, you're here?"
The man was one of their creditors. They owed him thirty thousand yuan.
She was most afraid of facing their creditors now. Their family truly had no money to repay them.
"Hello, Sister-in-law Lin Fen," Qin Ergen greeted her, then asked, "Has Linzi come home?"
"Linzi, your Uncle Ergen is here." No matter how troubled Lin Fen felt, she could only invite him inside.
He had lent her husband money for treatment back then. Although they hadn't been able to save him, she couldn't avoid the man. A person had to have a conscience.
She had just welcomed Qin Ergen in when another surprised voice rang out. "Ergen, you're here too?"
Qin Ergen greeted the newcomer with a smile. "Dalin, you're here too? Has your snack shop opened?"
"We're still renovating," Qin Dalin replied with a smile.
As they chatted, more people arrived.
"Ergen, Dalin, you're here too."
"You're all here as well."
Lin Fen sighed silently. Every one of them had lent her family money. Her son really had invited them all.
People dreaded having creditors show up, but a debt was still a debt. When they came to the door, she had to welcome them warmly.
Forcing a smile, she ushered them inside and brought out cups to pour water for Qin Ergen and the others.
The group crowded into the small living room. Wangcai was startled by the number of people and hurried to its feet, then ran into the kitchen to find Qin Lin.
Qin Lin came out and immediately went to greet the visitors. "Uncle Ergen, Uncle Dalin..."
He was deeply grateful to these creditors. When his father had been diagnosed with cancer, they had still lent his family money, even knowing that Qin Lin might be left with only his mother and unable to repay them.
Yet Uncle Ergen and the others had lent the money anyway. That was a tremendous kindness.
And during the year since Qin Lin graduated, they had all known how hard things were for the two of them. Not one of them had come to demand repayment.
Sometimes, he envied his father. Not everyone was lucky enough to receive such kindness.
Or perhaps that kind of bond, common among the older generation, was something the younger generation no longer had.
Modern young people had been worn down by life's pressures and society's shallow values, leaving them with no spare energy to nurture such relationships.
Qin Ergen gave Qin Lin a heartfelt compliment. "Linzi, you've really made something of yourself. You're more capable than any of the other youngsters from our village."
Qin Dalin nodded. "Linzi's been sensible since he was a kid, and he always did well in school. If the useless brat in my family had been even half as sensible, I'd have been relieved."
The others agreed.
Qin Lin was the only kid from their village to get into a top university. The others were all too playful. It was just bad luck that Qin Lin's family had been struck by one tragedy after another.
Lin Fen was naturally happy to hear everyone praise her son, but then she sighed. Her son had been held back by his family.
After praising Qin Lin, Qin Ergen took out a note and handed it to Lin Fen. "Sister-in-law Lin Fen, here's the IOU for what you owe me."
Qin Dalin took out his own IOU as well. "Here's mine."
The others also took out the IOUs they had brought and laid them on the table.
Qin Lin had said he would repay them, so of course they had brought the IOUs.
Debts had to be settled in full—that had been the way since ancient times. The IOUs had to be destroyed in person.
Afraid his mother would worry, Qin Lin quickly explained, "Mom, I was the one who invited Uncle Ergen and the others. I've earned enough to pay them back."
Having creditors at the door was never a pleasant thing, so he sat beside his mother and took her hand to reassure her. Then he picked up the IOUs and said openly, "Uncle Ergen, Uncle Dalin, you all brought your phones, right? I'll transfer the money to your bank accounts."
Lin Fen stared at her son, stunned.
Meanwhile, Qin Ergen and the others all took out their phones.
"Linzi, I've got mine."
"Who goes anywhere without a phone these days?"
"Right, but you're really paying us all back at once?"
Qin Lin didn't hesitate. He checked each IOU against the amount owed, then transferred the money one by one through his banking app. Just like that, more than three hundred thousand yuan was gone, leaving his account in danger of running dry again!
But with the debts paid, he felt mostly relieved. He would make time to invite Uncle Ergen and the others to dinner in a few days. As for repaying their kindness, he would do that little by little.
After Qin Ergen and the others received the transfer notifications, smiles spread across their faces.
They had never planned to pressure Qin Lin and his mother to repay them, but they were still delighted that he had paid them back all at once.
Every family had its own troubles. Having that money back would make things a little easier for them.
Qin Ergen and the others looked at Lin Fen with envy. Her family had suffered one misfortune after another, but she had a good son. He was truly something to envy.
Linzi was remarkable. Not only had he had no parental support, he had also managed to pay back hundreds of thousands in debt for his parents so quickly.
What parent wouldn't want a son with that kind of ability?
Lin Fen could clearly feel their envy, and her emotions were complicated.
Qin Ergen and the others didn't stay long. After praising Linzi over and over, they took their leave one by one.
Qin Lin walked them downstairs, then uncovered the buckets on his tricycle. He gave each of them one of the wild fish he'd brought home as a small token of his appreciation.
"Linzi, are these wild fish?"
Qin Ergen and the others were clearly surprised.
"It's just a small gesture. Wild fish are nutritious. You uncles can cook them up and enjoy them with a drink."
"Linzi, you didn't have to be so thoughtful."
"..."
Qin Ergen and the others were clearly pleased. The wild fish were quite large, and not easy to come by.
After seeing Qin Ergen and the others off, Qin Lin picked up the IOUs again. His mother had signed them, and he had been there at the time. Now that he had them back, he couldn't help feeling emotional.
He went to his father's portrait and, with one determined breath, burned all the IOUs to ashes. Those debts had once weighed on him like a mountain, leaving him barely able to breathe.
Thanks to the game in his mind, he could finally escape the misery of farming.
Lin Fen was anxious. She immediately asked Qin Lin, "Linzi, tell Mom honestly. Where did you get all that money? You haven't done anything illegal, have you?"
That was what worried her most. It didn't matter whether her son had money. She just didn't want him to go down the wrong path.
Qin Lin had guessed that she would worry and had prepared an explanation. "Mom, how could I do anything illegal? I caught a wild ornamental fish and sold it for more than six hundred thousand yuan."
"Then I used some of the money to buy and resell produce. Remember those watermelons I brought back? I bought them wholesale and made another profit. I invested some of the money in the resort, and used what was left to pay off the debt."
His explanation actually had a flaw.
He had mixed up the order of the fish sale and the wholesale business.
"What kind of fish could be worth that much?" Lin Fen could hardly believe it.
Qin Lin explained, "A wild albino yellow tiger. I don't know what's so special about it, but rich people like them. Someone paid a lot of money for it."
As he spoke, Qin Lin took out his phone and showed his mother the tax record for the wild ornamental fish he had sold.
Lin Fen had no choice but to believe him. She looked incredulous. "There are fish that expensive? Your father must have been watching over you. That's why you caught it."
A long-forgotten smile appeared on Lin Fen's face, and she seemed much more at ease.
Qin Lin noticed the change in his mother and couldn't help smiling too.
"Linzi, that resort you're working on isn't just some thirty- or forty-thousand-yuan farmhouse stay, is it?" Lin Fen asked, finally catching on.
"No, it's quite a big resort," Qin Lin replied with a nod.
Lin Fen grew anxious. "Then hurry and explain things to Moqing. She came to see me earlier, and when she realized you hadn't told her about the farmhouse stay, I thought you'd only set up some little place for thirty or forty thousand. I thought you weren't confident about it, so I told her to wait for you a little longer."
"Moqing is such a good girl. You have to give her something to look forward to. Don't let someone else snatch her away. I'll only accept her as my daughter-in-law."
"Uh!" Qin Lin froze. He'd kept quiet because he wanted to surprise Zhao Moqing with the Bougainvillea Sea once it was ready.
Before you continue