Chapter 2

Stepping over the fire basin, taking a bath, and changing clothes...

After going through various customs after his release, everyone finally sat down in the house to talk about what had happened.

It was only then that Wang Xiaofei truly understood the situation at home.

At a glance, there was hardly any decent furniture in the house, and there was no television in sight.

Looking at his parents' and little sister's clothing, although they were very clean, it was clear that their clothes were quite old, and some even had patches.

"I'll go return the cart," Wang Xiongshan said and walked out.

"The cart isn't ours?" It was only then that Wang Xiaofei realized that his family had even borrowed a cart to pick him up.

"It's from Old Zhao's family in the village. His daughter is said to have made it big in the provincial capital and sends money back from time to time," Lu Xianglian said.

"Is the family in a lot of trouble?" Thinking about how they hadn't even spent money on a bus to pick him up, Wang Xiaofei understood that the family must be almost destitute.

"It's okay, don't worry. You should rest well now that you're out. Don't worry about the family matters," Lu Xianglian smiled at her son.

At this moment, the neighbors started to come to Wang Xiaofei's house.

People in the village lived close to each other, and they knew about everything, big or small. Everyone knew that the Wang family had gone to the city to pick up Wang Xiaofei, and now they had all come.

"Xiaofei, you must behave well from now on and not cause any more trouble," Uncle Huang sighed as he looked at Wang Xiaofei.

"Xiaofei, help the family more. Look, Cai Xia is about to drop out of school, sigh," Mr. Li, who had taught Wang Xiaofei in elementary school, shook his head and sighed.

"Little sister, are you not going to school anymore?" Wang Xiaofei looked at his sister.

Wang Cai Xia hesitated for a moment and said, "The family can't afford to send me to university."

It was only then that Wang Xiaofei remembered that his sister had been accepted into university.

"Cai Xia, what's the point of a girl studying so much? Your aunt mentioned a marriage proposal a while ago. What do you and your mother think? You should at least give Old Qiu an answer, right? He said the dowry would be 30,000 yuan."

"Yes, if this marriage goes through, your family can pay off half of the debt."

Wang Xiaofei was alarmed and said loudly, "Little sister, what's the situation?"

Lu Xianglian sighed but didn't say anything.

Aunt Xiang said, "Xiaofei, you might not know, but after your father's surgery, the recovery costs were very high. When your grandfather passed away, it also cost a lot. Your family has borrowed money from almost everyone in the village. You didn't know before, but now that you're out, everyone is counting on you."

"Aunt Xiang, don't worry, we will pay the money back!"

Lu Xianglian glanced at her son and quickly said.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me anything?" Wang Xiaofei was a bit angry.

"Brother, Mom said you were in there for three years and didn't know what was happening outside. We'll tell you about the family matters gradually."

Seeing more and more people from the village coming, Wang Xiaofei understood that they were here to collect debts, but as neighbors, they found it hard to speak up. Now, they were even considering selling a daughter to pay off the debt!

Thinking about this, Wang Xiaofei looked at everyone and said, "Uncles and aunts, now that I'm back, I will work to pay off the debts. You can rest assured."

"Xiaofei, hearing you say this, we are relieved. Sigh, it's not easy for everyone!"

Uncle Zhou praised Wang Xiaofei.

After talking for a while, everyone gradually left.

At this moment, his father, Wang Xiongshan, also returned. Wang Xiaofei noticed that his father's face didn't look good.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Hmph, they said they would lend us the cart and I would work for them for a day, but now they've changed their mind. They said the horse is hungry and I need to work for another day."

Seeing the situation at home and hearing his father's complaint, Wang Xiaofei finally understood the family's difficulties.

"Mom, Dad, now that I'm back, the family matters are my responsibility. I hope you won't hide anything from me anymore."

Sighing, Lu Xianglian said, "Since you know, I'll tell you. The Zheng family did pay for your father's surgery, but they didn't cover the recovery costs. To help your father recover and to handle your grandfather's funeral, we borrowed about 40,000 yuan from the villagers. Your little sister has recorded all the debts, and we need to pay them back."

Wang Xiaofei's face changed. The Zheng family had promised to cover the surgery costs, nutrition fees, and recovery costs after he took the blame. How did it end up like this?

Wang Xiongshan squatted on the ground, holding his head, and said, "Your mother has suffered a lot. It's all my fault. She has been busy taking care of me and supporting your sister's education. Your sister did well in the exams and got into a university in the capital, but where do we have the money to send her?"

"Don't worry, I will pay the money back!" Wang Xiaofei felt a deep pain seeing his parents' helplessness.

Looking at his sister, Wang Xiaofei said, "Little sister, there's still about half a month before school starts, right?"

"Um."

Wang Cai Xia felt sad and nodded lightly.

"Little sister, don't worry. We will still go to university. I will find a way to get the money. No matter what, I will support you to go to university!"

"Xiaofei, we can't do anything bad!"

Lu Xianglian was alarmed and looked at Wang Xiaofei seriously, as if she was afraid he would do something out of line.

"Xiaofei, we can pay off the debts gradually. If it's really impossible, Cai Xia might as well not go to school. Women will eventually get married anyway."

Wang Xiongshan was also worried that Wang Xiaofei might do something out of line for the money.

"Dad, don't worry. I won't do anything bad. It's just a few ten thousand yuan. I will find a way to earn it!"

Wang Cai Xia's eyes lit up, and she looked at her brother, "Brother, can I really go to university?"

Seeing his sister's eager eyes, Wang Xiaofei felt a pang in his heart and said, "Don't worry, everything is on me!"

"Great!"

Wang Cai Xia's eyes sparkled.

Lu Xianglian and Wang Xiongshan exchanged glances, their eyes filled with worry.

They talked late into the night, asking about Wang Xiaofei's time in prison. Wang Xiaofei gave a general account of his situation, of course, mostly focusing on the positive aspects.

Lying in bed at night, smelling the sun-dried quilt that was clearly prepared for him, Wang Xiaofei couldn't sleep. His mind was preoccupied with how to make money.

The family needed money, and if he wanted to practice cultivation, he would also need to buy some herbs and other items, which would also require money.

But how could he get the money?