From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!-Chapter 1098 - 1094: Usury Debt Collection (First Update)
Mr. Mu’s reprimand didn’t subdue Xiangxiang; instead, Xiangxiang cried even more fiercely.
Despite Old Mrs. Mu’s attempts to calm her, she couldn’t, so she had to pull Xiangxiang out of the main room.
She thought that not standing with Mr. Mu would resolve everything.
Mr. Mu stood in the main room, puffing on his dry pipe.
He was in a bad mood, not only because of Xiangxiang.
In recent days, he’s been feeling uneasy, with a heavy chest and a constant buzzing in his ears.
This was an omen of bad things to come for Mr. Mu.
"It seems I need to visit the Land God Temple; otherwise, I can’t find peace! I wonder how the news from Da De is."
As the days drew closer, everyone knew the court’s Imperial Examination results had been out for a while.
But the village was too far from the Capital, and nobody knew whether Mu Dade had become the Champion Scholar.
Every day, one or two groups of people from the village came to inquire about Mu Dade’s situation; Mr. Mu felt he couldn’t express his troubles.
Logically speaking, by now, his son should have sent word.
But why was there no news yet?
Could it be he didn’t pass?
As soon as Mr. Mu had this thought, he immediately dismissed it.
His son was bound to become the Champion Scholar...
Another day passed, and Gao Tiezhu, from whom Mr. Mu had borrowed "usury", sent two people from the Gao family to inquire about the situation.
Back then, the Old Mu Family borrowed fifty taels of silver from the Gao Family, with a one-year term, promising to repay once Mu Dade became the Champion Scholar.
Now, some people knew the list was out from the Capital, so naturally, the Gao family came to urge repayment and inquire.
Mr. Mu gave the same response to the Gao family.
However, the Gao family wasn’t so easily fooled.
"Mr. Mu, you know Boss Gao’s reputation; no one in this area doesn’t fear him.
We don’t know if your son became the Champion Scholar, but as his family, surely you must know?"
"Exactly, you are Mu Dade’s father. If he became the Champion Scholar, wouldn’t he have sent someone with the news at lightning speed?"
The two men from the Gao family were no pushovers.
Based on their years of experience, it was highly likely that Mu Dade hadn’t become the Champion Scholar.
Of course, the reason they came this time wasn’t purely about this matter; Gao Tiezhu’s daughter, Cuihua, was getting older, and the village mocked her increasingly.
Gao Tiezhu wanted to take this opportunity to marry his daughter to the Old Mu Family.
If Mu Dade became the Champion Scholar, his daughter could share in the riches.
If not, then Mu Danian could serve Cuihua as a horse and ox, using the marriage to repay the fifty taels of silver.
"If that’s what you say, I have no choice!" Mr. Mu was very angry.
About the Gao family’s money, he might just throw these two out of the Old Mu Family.
"Mr. Mu, don’t think our words are harsh; repaying debts is your rightful duty! Even if your son is a scholar, he can’t shirk it." one of the men said.
"That’s right, we just came to inquire this time, and Mr. Mu is already impatient. If Mu Dade becomes the Champion Scholar later, will he simply deny the debt?"
The two flunkies kept prodding Mr. Mu’s pride.
Mr. Mu was flushed with embarrassment.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Mu entered from outside; she heard the two men’s words, and her voice was instantly raised.
"Are you even speaking human language? Why wouldn’t my son become the Champion Scholar? Why would our Old Mu Family deny the debt?"
"Lady, don’t act tough with us; we brothers aren’t easy to deal with!" one of the men, raising his fist at Old Mrs. Mu.
Then he continued: "Our boss knows your family’s Fifth hasn’t married yet, and coincidentally, our boss’s precious daughter isn’t married either.
If you have no objections, choose a date for them, and get them engaged and married. By then, our boss and your Old Mu Family will be in-laws, and the fifty taels of silver won’t need repayment!"
"What did you say? Marry that Gao family’s Cuihua?" Mr. Mu’s voice suddenly raised.
He still remembered what Gao Cuihua looked like, with a wrinkled face, and full of sores.
Besides, that girl, looking masculine, was so rough that no man would marry Gao Hua.
Initially, upon hearing fifty taels of silver and getting a daughter-in-law for free, Old Mrs. Mu had some thoughts.
But seeing her old man so agitated, she felt there was a catch.
"Old man, what’s really going on, what’s wrong with that Gao Cuihua?" Old Mrs. Mu asked.
"What’s wrong? That woman is outrageously ugly, and looks exactly like her dad, with boils on her face!"
As soon as Mr. Mu finished speaking, Old Mrs. Mu exploded,
"Well then, I was wondering why they would willingly let us not repay the fifty taels of silver; turns out, they want to stick us with an unwanted ugly melon.
I tell you, we’ll repay the money when my son returns, and as for Gao Tiezhu’s stinky daughter, our Old Mu Family absolutely won’t take such a daughter-in-law!"
Old Mrs. Mu was also a person concerned with appearances.
Having married someone like Mrs. Lin, she’d been criticized by people her whole life.
If she were to bring in someone worse than Mrs. Lin, would she still have any face in Er Gui Village?
Old Mrs. Mu’s words were indeed unpleasant.
The two men couldn’t bear it.
They didn’t want to waste time at the Old Mu Family, so they directly left harsh words.
"You refuse to settle matters privately, so don’t blame my boss for going too far!"
After speaking, the two men left the Old Mu Family one after the other.
Mr. Mu was still furious.
Old Mrs. Mu was still cursing: "It’s outrageous, how dare they bring such malformed melons to our Old Mu Family, if Fifth doesn’t marry, I’ll never let him find such an ugly wife!"
"Mr. Mu, what’s really going on with Da De? Why is there not even a single message? The gossip in the village is terrible!" Old Mrs. Mu muttered, a bit unhappy.
"How would I know? If they want to talk, let them talk. Last time Da De’s documents came slowly, and they still accused us of being liars?"
Old Mrs. Mu thought about it and found reason.
She had long felt her son had the makings of an official.
Anyway, having waited so long, a few more months wouldn’t matter.
——
County, a secluded courtyard——
Mu Dade had returned from the Capital three days ago.
This trip yielded nothing at all; never mind entering the Palace Examination to vie for the Champion Scholar seat, he didn’t even pass the Imperial Examination.
He didn’t even obtain the qualification of a tribute student. In the Imperial Examination, Mu Dade and Ruan Xiao Jiao spent all their savings, finding connections and buying test questions.
In the end, it all turned out fruitless.
If Ruan Xiao Jiao hadn’t promised to help secure a good post with the County Magistrate, Mu Dade would have been crushed.
He didn’t want to return to the Old Mu Family, to face the scornful glances of those country bumpkins, nor did he want to see his parents looking disappointed.
