Chapter 4

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Did his family have an external debt?

Chen Zhiyuan tried hard to recall it in his mind, and he also furrowed his brows. He couldn’t remember at all.

“H-Hubby, I was the one who borrowed it. Three months ago, you went out to drink with Pockmark Wang and gambled. I-I really had no other choice, so I borrowed 100 coins from Xu Yuanwai’s cloth shop in the county town. I’m weaving two pieces of cloth every day, selling one and returning one…”

Li Zhu’er stuttered as she spoke, her eyes suddenly filled with fear. She stared nervously at Chen Zhiyuan, afraid that her husband would return to his old habits and hit her again.

“I see. Zhu’er, don’t worry. It’s only proper to return money that you have borrowed. It was all my fault that you suffered so much in the past. It’s only 100 coins. How much more do you need? I’ll think of a way to repay it.”

Chen Zhiyuan heard the reason and looked at Zhu’er, who was trembling slightly. He hugged her even tighter and comforted her.

It turned out that the scoundrel only knew how to drink and gamble, leaving all the burdens on the frail woman in his arms. How would he know that Zhu’er had secretly borrowed money in order to make a living? If he knew about this, Zhu’er would probably be beaten up again.

“Hubby, actually I had already paid off the money in debt to Xu Yuanwai’s cloth shop. It’s just that the young master of Xu Yuanwai’s family insisted that I had borrowed money from loan sharks and had to pay back 500 coins. Our family couldn’t afford to offend them, so I thought of living frugally and scraped up 500 coins to pay them back. Who knew that last month, he sent someone over again, saying that it was already 1000 coins…”

“What? This is outrageous! Zhu’er, you’ve already paid off so much, yet that Young Master Xu still dares to ask for money! The next time he dares to come knocking on my door, I’ll just kick him out. I won’t give him a single cent!”

Chen Zhiyuan flew into a rage when he heard that.

If this continued on, he would probably never be able to pay him back!

“Hubby, don’t! Xu Yuanwai has a huge family and business. Other than the cloth shop, they also have businesses outside. The Xu family’s current manager of the cloth shop is this young master, Xu Qingfeng. People call him Lord Xu, and we can’t afford to offend him.”

Li Zhu’er raised her head and looked at Chen Zhiyuan in panic, trying to stop her husband from having such dangerous thoughts, and she said repeatedly, “Hubby, with this fresh piece of meat that you brought, I will work hard to weave two more pieces of cloth tomorrow. We will pay him back in one go…”

Every time she went to the cloth shop to sell cloth, Lord Xu always looked at her differently. She more or less knew what he was thinking, but she did not dare to tell her husband.

Feeling Zhu’er’s trembling body, Chen Zhiyuan held her tightly in his arms and caressed her cheeks. “Don’t worry, Zhu’er. From now on, as long as I’m here, no one will dare to bully you again!”

However, a mere thousand coins were probably not enough for that Lord Xu to pay for a meal. He had sent people over and over again to collect the money. He knew very well what he wanted since he came from the future.

He was simply tired of eating the cabbage in the city and wanted to taste the wild vegetables from the farm.

Zhu’er’s eyes were filled with tears as she felt her husband’s warm embrace and his restless hands. For some reason, she felt an unprecedented sense of security today.

“Hubby, there’s something I want to ask. Where did you get this beef?”

After a long while, Li Zhu’er raised her head and looked seriously into her husband’s eyes. She asked this question.

It was the year of famine now, and there were so few cattle. Who would dare to kill a cow? She did not want her husband to go to jail just because he had become stable and reliable.

“Zhu’er, don’t worry. I guarantee that this meat is absolutely legitimate. No one will come and blame me. I met an otherworldly expert, and he gave me a cow and told me to treat you well from now on.”

Chen Zhiyuan looked at Zhu’er with a serious expression and said seriously.

Calling the system an otherworldly expert… there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. Maybe it was an otherworldly expert who created this thing.

“S-So that’s how it is… Then I’ll have to offer incense to this otherworldly expert every day from now on…”

Li Zhu’er’s face instantly turned red again. As the wife of a drunkard and scoundrel, she had never heard such provocative words before. She instantly became inarticulate.

“Zhu’er, you’re worrying too much. Since it’s an otherworldly expert, why would it need to be offered incense and prayers every day? As long as we live our lives well and have a few cute boys in the future, it will be the best way to repay the otherworldly expert.”

Chen Zhiyuan had a naughty smile on his face. Seeing that Li Zhu’er was so embarrassed that she could barely walk, he finally put aside his mischievous thoughts and took the fresh beef from Zhu’er’s hands. He walked to the kitchen and said, “Zhu’er, eat two pieces of roast meat to fill your stomach first. Today, let me show you my skills. The expert also taught me how to cook beef. Do you want to try it?”

“Hubby! How could you do this!”

Li Zhu’er cried out in surprise and quickly walked over, snatching the fresh beef from Chen Zhiyuan’s hands. She raised the roast meat in her hands and said, “There’s no way for a husband to work on the stove. I will save this roast meat for you to eat at night. I can make dinner with that bowl of porridge. This piece of fresh beef should be able to buy you a good set of clothes in the county town’s clothing shop!”

Looking at Zhu’er, whose eyes were filled with satisfaction, Chen Zhiyuan was deeply touched.

“Zhu’er, I don’t need any new clothes. Don’t eat that kind of porridge again in the future. I won’t allow you to eat this kind of thing again. If you fall sick from eating something bad, where will I find a good girl like you again?”

Chen Zhiyuan bent down and kissed Zhu’er’s face hard. He said seriously, “Zhu’er, there’s another family rule in our house. Men can also enter the kitchen!”

Then, regardless of whether Li Zhu’er agreed or not, Chen Zhiyuan picked up the beef and walked to the kitchen.

At that moment, there was a burst of shouting outside the courtyard.

“Open the door! Open the door! Lord Xu is here. Miss Li, come out quickly to welcome him!”

“Miss Li, when will you return the money you owe Lord Xu? If you can’t return it, go out and have a drink with Lord Xu. Perhaps, he might be able to give you another two months.”

“Hahaha…”

A burst of laughter came from outside the door.

Inside the house.

Li Zhu’er, who was still smiling, suddenly turned pale. She said to Chen Zhiyuan in a panic, “Hubby, Lord Xu is really here. He even brought a lot of lackeys. Quickly go out from the back door and hide.”

“Hide? If I hide, what are you going to do? Let them humiliate you? I, Chen Zhiyuan, am not that kind of person. Zhu’er, don’t panic. Let me deal with them. Go take the meat to the kitchen first!”

Chen Zhiyuan looked outside the door and sneered. He handed the meat to Zhu’er and walked out.

Speaking of the devil, he had really arrived.

He came just in time. He wanted to see what kind of person Lord Xu was!

Li Zhu’er saw that her husband had made a decision, and her heart was filled with joy and worry. She did not dare to disobey her husband, so she could only take the meat and quietly run to the kitchen. She looked nervously outside the door.