Today was Rotten Mouth Chen's third time coming to their house to demand repayment. She was extremely proactive when it came to her own nephew's affairs. Although Chen Mo did not know the intricacies involved, he could guess without much thought that there had to be something in it for her. Otherwise, why would such a snobbish fellow come running over so diligently?
"Dad! Mom's illness required hospitalization? Why didn't you tell me?" Chen Mo had not paid much attention to the debt. To him now, 10,000 Yuan was pocket change. But hearing that his mother had been hospitalized worried him greatly. Though she had looked fine just now, he still asked anxiously.
"Your mom doesn't have any serious problems. It's just an issue with her stomach. She's already been treated, so it's nothing major." As his father, he did not want his son to worry, so he only gave a brief explanation.
"Hey, you can close your door and discuss your family matters later. Right now, you'd better hurry up and pay back the money. We're all respectable people; you can't borrow money and refuse to repay it! If my nephew weren't so kind as to let you use your homestead to settle the debt, you'd have to repay this money even if you had to beg for food! This is a tremendous good deed!" Rotten Mouth Chen said smugly.
"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you, so don't speak!" Chen Mo snapped, thoroughly annoyed by Rotten Mouth Chen.
"Everyone, come and look! Does Er Wa's family have any sense of reason? They owe money but won't repay it—is there any justice left? Everyone, come take a look! You can't behave like this! The debtor is acting like a grandpa now, and won't even let anyone say a word to collect the debt! If you have the ability, then repay the money!" Rotten Mouth Chen immediately began wailing and shouting, performing with exaggerated gestures. Some women in the countryside were like this: whenever something displeased them or they got into an argument, they would use any words and actions possible, just to disgust people to death.
The onlookers immediately began whispering among themselves, happily watching Rotten Mouth Chen's performance.
"Rotten Mouth Chen is performing again!"
"Heavens, Rotten Mouth Chen is really embarrassing."
"But she's right. If you owe money, you should repay it."
"It's not even her nephew's money. Does she need to make such a scene?"
"Her thoughts are rotten. People these days!"
Some sighed, some disagreed, and some cursed Rotten Mouth Chen. All sorts of comments rang out, and for a moment, the crowd buzzed with discussion.
"Give me the IOU!" Chen Mo held out his hand in front of Rotten Mouth Chen. He decided to ignore her performance. With people like her, if you put a brick under their feet, they could climb all the way to heaven.
"Ah?" Rotten Mouth Chen suddenly fell silent like a duck whose neck had been seized, unable to react in time.
"Why should I give you the IOU? Don't even think about it! Oh, Chen family kid, you went to school, but no one's seen any learning from you. Instead, you've learned a bellyful of dirty tricks! You want to take the IOU and tear it up? No way! There are so many people watching. Don't get any good ideas!..." Once Rotten Mouth Chen recovered, she immediately began spraying Chen Mo with abuse.
"Shut up! You want my family to repay the money, but you won't let me see the IOU first. How am I supposed to repay it?" Chen Mo shouted.
"Oh, oh, oh! You're going to repay it? Do you even have money to repay it? Your dad hasn't said a word, so why are you sticking a scallion up your pig nose and pretending to be an elephant?" Rotten Mouth Chen said viciously.
"Heh. Idiot." Chen Mo turned to his father. "Dad, let me handle this." Seeing his father crouching in the courtyard, Chen Mo felt a sour ache in his heart and nearly wanted to cry. Parents truly did too much for their children. Fortunately, he did not dwell on it for long. It was only a moment. Now was not the time for sentiment; there would be time for that after this matter was settled.
Chen Mo's father did not say much. He relit the cigarette that was nearly finished, took a few more puffs, then quietly said, "Mm."
"You heard him. I'm handling this now." Chen Mo turned back to Rotten Mouth Chen.
Hearing Chen Mo's answer, Rotten Mouth Chen was momentarily speechless and did not know what to say. However, she still did not hand him the IOU she held.
"Auntie, I'll do it!" A sharp-faced fellow darted in from outside and snatched the IOU from Rotten Mouth Chen's hand. Four or five youngsters followed behind him.
"Hmph! You watched the show from outside for so long, and now you finally show your face?" Chen Mo snorted at the newcomer. As a cultivator, there was no way he could fail to sense the hostility around him. From the moment he had stood in the courtyard, he had felt faint hostility among the onlookers and noticed these fellows.
"Fuck! What the hell did you say? What the fuck does it have to do with you whether I come or not? You owe money and won't repay it, yet you've got the nerve to talk?" The newcomer was Rotten Mouth Chen's nephew, Chen Yinshui, also from the same village. He was an Er Laizi who had loafed around the village since childhood, often stealing chickens and dogs, making him extremely detestable.
"Did I ever say I wouldn't repay it?" Chen Mo said coldly.
"Fuck! If you've got money, then hurry up and pay it! If you don't, use your family's homestead to settle the debt!" Chen Yinshui cursed.
"Watch your mouth. It stinks like you ate shit," Chen Mo said.
Chen Yinshui had never truly intended for Chen Mo to repay the money. What he wanted most was that homestead. Chen Mo's family's homestead was situated right at a three-way intersection: one road led to town, one to a neighboring village, and the third toward another village. The homestead was right beside the road, in an excellent location. Opening a shop there would be a great choice, whether selling groceries or anything else.
If Chen Mo's family had had money, they would have opened a small convenience store there long ago. Chen Mo understood this, so he knew exactly what Chen Yinshui was after. Chen Yinshui wanted his family to give up that homestead for 8,000 yuan? Heh.
"Give me the IOU, and I'll give you the money. Then get the hell out!" Chen Mo said nothing more and pointed straight at Chen Yinshui's nose.
"Fuck! I don't want you to repay the money anymore! I'm in a bad mood today, so I'm taking your family's homestead to settle the debt!" Seeing how readily Chen Mo agreed to repay the money, Chen Yinshui felt conflicted. So he forcibly objected, directly revealing his true purpose.
Slap! Chen Mo stepped forward and slapped Chen Yinshui across his horse-like face. "Who the fuck are you cursing?"
Chen Mo had not used much force. Otherwise, an ordinary person like Chen Yinshui would not have been able to withstand his strength.
"Your mom! Brothers, get him! Teach this kid a good lesson!" Chen Yinshui covered his cheek, saying furiously.
The four or five youngsters behind him immediately pulled out sticks and charged forward. But in Chen Mo's eyes, they moved as slowly as crawling turtles. He could not be bothered to wait. He stepped forward, using both fists and feet, and knocked the youngsters to the ground in just a few moves.
Chen Mo stepped forward, grabbed Chen Yinshui by the neck, and lifted him up. Without saying anything, he began slapping that horse-like face. Unless an Er Laizi like Chen Yinshui was thoroughly put in his place, he would remain just as arrogant.
After slapping his horse-like face more than a dozen times, Chen Mo snatched the IOU from his hand. He first examined its contents, then asked his father about it and confirmed that it was genuine.
He released Chen Yinshui's neck and reached into his backpack. In truth, he transferred the money into the backpack through the Universe Bead. He took out two stacks of 10,000 yuan in hundred-yuan notes, counted out 12,000 yuan, and tossed it directly onto Chen Yinshui. "Here is 12,000 yuan, exactly as written on the IOU."
He took out another 2,000 Yuan and tossed it onto Chen Yinshui. "This money is for treating your injuries!" After saying that, he stepped forward and kicked Chen Yinshui several more times. Of course, he held back his strength. Otherwise, if he kicked him badly enough to cause a problem, he would have to run away too. But for a fellow who had been so arrogant in front of his parents, Chen Mo would never be able to swallow his anger without teaching him a lesson. He had come back today; otherwise, he would not even know what might have happened. If some unforeseen consequence had occurred, he would have regretted it to death.
After Chen Mo knocked him and his accomplices down, Chen Yinshui knew that he probably could not get anything done today. Though unwilling, there was nothing he could do. He could not gain any advantage through force, so what else could he do? Chen Mo had been the children's king in the village since childhood, earning that title fist by fist. It had not seemed like much after they grew up, but today reminded Chen Yinshui of Chen Mo's former prestige among the village youngsters. He was immediately rendered speechless, muttering without being able to say anything.
"Take the money and get lost!" Chen Mo said. Chen Yinshui and Rotten Mouth Chen were instantly frightened by his icy gaze. They wanted to argue, but could not bring themselves to speak.
Chen Yinshui, Rotten Mouth Chen, and the fellows lying on the ground helplessly supported one another as they left. But as they departed, the hatred in Chen Yinshui's and Rotten Mouth Chen's eyes was so intense that it seemed they wanted to pierce Chen Mo through with their stares.
When Chen Mo saw Chen Yinshui's gaze, his eyes narrowed slightly. If Chen Yinshui and Rotten Mouth Chen try any tricks next time, I'll make sure they pay dearly!
As the surrounding crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed, Chen Mo stepped forward and closed the gate to his courtyard before turning back toward his father.
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