Chapter 47 – Local Tyrant Creditor Little Mi
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Mi Li arrived at Duan Xiaoyu’s new home early to help her prepare the food.
“Have you prepared the promissory note yet?” Mi Li asked.
“It’s done.” Duan Xiaoyu handed her the promissory note.
Mi Li read it carefully, and then asked her to find an inkpad to imprint a fingerprint on it. This fingerprint should be left by the debtor. Mi Li did it for her and forged the witness’s signature. The whole thing was fake anyway. It was enough if it could fool Duan Xiaoyu’s family.
Since the loan amount was so large, the promissory note must be more formal.
“When will your parents arrive?” Mi Li collected the promissory note, turned and walked towards the kitchen.
Duan Xiaoyu followed behind her like a little tail, “If everything goes smoothly, they should arrive a little past 10 o’clock.”
“En. When the time comes, you’ll pick them up, and I’ll help entertain the guests.” Mi Li rolled up her sleeves, took out the ingredients, and prepared for a great battle.
“Little Mi, you’re so kind.” Duan Xiaoyu hugged her and was moved to tears.
“Of course.” Mi Li proudly said, “Sometimes, I can’t help but fall in love with myself.”
Duan Xiaoyu was amused by her.
At half past nine in the morning, Duan Xiaoyu received a call from her family and left to pick them up. Mi Li stayed to receive their invited friends.
A beautiful fruit platter, delicious snacks, and fragrant scented tea covered the whole coffee table. It looked, smelled, and tasted good.
Duan Xiaoyu didn’t invite many friends, just five to six people along with her parents and younger brother, just enough to occupy a large table.
Duan Xiaoyu, who left at half past nine, did not come back until after 11 o’clock. Behind her were a middle-aged couple in their fifties and a young man with dyed hair in his early twenties.
Seeing so many people sitting in the room, the three of them didn’t show much surprise on their faces. Obviously Duan Xiaoyu had already informed them in advance.
They showed a lukewarm smile to everyone, and then began to look around, a fiery light flashing in their eyes. Especially Duan Xiaoyu’s little brother — his expression seemed surprised and happy, and he seemed to be pondering something.
Mi Li’s eyebrows twitched, and she kept feeling that the family was about to make trouble.
Duan Xiaoyu introduced her parents and younger brother to her friends, and then helped them move their luggage into the guest room. They also dismissed propriety and wandered around, looking inside and out, occasionally passing judgment.
Duan Xiaoyu was like a maid, accompanying them with her head lowered.
“It’s time to eat, everyone come on over.” Mi Li finished setting the table and served everyone.
“Thank you, chef.” Everyone expressed their gratitude.
“You’re welcome, sit.” Mi Li delivered the food to the table one by one. The strong aroma of the meal filled the dining room, and everyone’s index fingers twitched.
The Duan parents and brother also sat with Duan Xiaoyu. Looking at the table full of delicious food, they were both greedy and distressed. They secretly accused Duan Xiaoyu of wasting money. Wouldn’t this meal cost at least 500 yuan?
The atmosphere at the dinner table was pretty good. Although Duan Xiaoyu’s parents were present and everyone else was a little restrained, the delicious food made them feel very satisfied.
After eating and drinking, everyone did not stay for too long. They left one by one, leaving only Mi Li to help clean up the aftermath.
“Xiaoyu, when did you buy the apartment? Why didn’t you tell us?” Mother Duan finally asked the question that she had been holding back for so long.
“I bought it two months ago.” Duan Xiaoyu glanced at Mi Li and said cautiously, “Recently the housing prices have soared, so I borrowed some money from a friend and bought this apartment.”
“You borrowed money to buy it? How much did you borrow?” Mother Duan continued to ask.
Duan Xiaoyu replied in a low voice, “3 million…”
“What? 3 million?” The Duan family trio exclaimed at the same time. For these country folks whose bank balances had never exceeded 100K, 3 million was simply an astronomical figure.
“Xiaoyu, are you crazy?” Mother Duan screamed. “How can you pay back so much money in the future?”
Duan Xiaoyu shyly said, “If I pay 70K to 80K yuan every year, I’ll pay it off eventually. My friend doesn’t charge me interest, which is more affordable than a bank loan.”
“70K to 80K a year, how long do you plan to stay in debt?” Mother Duan held her hand and said earnestly, “You’ll marry sooner or later, why did you buy an apartment? Listen to your mother, sell the apartment after its price rises. Or you can give it to your brother and let him pay back the loan together.”
Mi Li, who was busy in the kitchen, was secretly amused when she heard this. Giving the apartment to the younger brother, and still needing to pay back the loan together. Is this the logic of a robber? And she even spoke as though Duan Xiaoyu was the one who would benefit.
She walked to the living room with the tea, and the Duan family trio only treated her as part-time help, not even sparing her a glance.
“This is not a good idea…” Duan Xiaoyu retorted with little confidence.
“Why isn’t it good?” Mother Duan said in a tone that didn’t allow any disagreement, “It’s decided. If you don’t want to sell the apartment, then give it to your brother. You are a girl, do you plan to use the apartment as a dowry in the future? Then wouldn’t our family suffer a huge loss?”
“Auntie,” Mi Li suddenly interrupted. “The apartment belongs to Xiaoyu, it’s not a dowry. It can be given to her children in the future.”
“Children? That’s something over ten or twenty years into the future.” Mother Duan gave her a displeased look. “Who knows if anything will happen in the meantime? It’s more secure for the apartment to be held by a man in the family.”
Mi Li looked at Duan Xiaoyu’s younger brother Duan Zhengrong, “Little Brother Duan, what do you think?”
Just look at the names of the two people. There was no need to make the difference in treatment so obvious.[1]
Duan Zhengrong sat cross-legged and pretended to be obedient, “I’ll listen to my parents.”
Mi Li: This answer scores full marks, a living example of a filial son.
“Zhengrong is well behaved.” Mother Duan gave him a satisfied look, and then scolded Mi Li again, “This is our family matter, outsiders shouldn’t interfere.” Then she said to Duan Xiaoyu sternly, “Xiaoyu, we’ll decide for you in this matter. Give your brother the apartment. We’ll have him move in the next couple days.”
“Sorry.” Mi Li interrupted again, “I’m afraid you can’t take charge of this matter.”
“What do you mean?” The Duan family trio looked at her at the same time.
“Xiaoyu’s money was borrowed from me.” Mi Li took out the promissory note from her pocket and waved it in front of the three of them.
The three people were shocked. They had no idea that this maid would be the local tyrant creditor.
“The apartment she bought can only belong to her. If she transfers ownership of the apartment without my consent, I have the right to confiscate the apartment to offset the loan. This is all written on the promissory note.”
The Duan family trio stiffened and stared intently at the promissory note.
Father Duan stretched out his hand and prepared to grab it. Mi Li quickly put it away, and continued, “I lent money to Xiaoyu without charging interest because I believe in her and hope that she will lead a better life. If someone else takes ownership of the apartment, letting her carry such a huge debt on her back, then there’s no meaning in me lending her money.”
Mother Duan said angrily, “Xiaoyu is Zhengrong’s sister. What right do you have to prevent her from buying an apartment for her brother?”
“Of course she can buy an apartment for her younger brother.” Mi Li smiled, “But she can’t use the money I lent her. This money has only one use, and that is to buy an apartment for herself. Transferring or gifting it is not allowed.”
“Why are you so unreasonable?” Mother Duan was furious.
“It’s my money, of course I have a say. You don’t think that my money and the apartment would be given away for nothing, do you? 3 million yuan. Xiaoyu has to work for me for at least ten years to repay this debt. You are her parents and brother, shouldn’t you also support her financially?”
“Financial support? She’s the one who borrowed the money. What does it have to do with us?” Mother Duan brushed it aside, “We have no part in the apartment, so why should we help her pay back the loan?”
“That’s right. So if Xiaoyu gives the apartment to her brother, what reason do you have to make her pay back the money alongside her brother?” Mi Li threw her words right back at her.
“She is the older sister, naturally she should take care of her younger brother,” Mother Duan said matter-of-factly.
“She has taken care of him for so many years, isn’t that enough?” Mi Li replied bluntly, “Isn’t her little brother already 21 years old? Any able-bodied man of sound mind should have learned to be independent by this age. Could it be that he needs his sister to take care of him for the rest of his life? A daughter has the obligation to support her parents, but she has no obligation to support her younger brother.”
The Duan family trio were reprimanded until their faces flushed, not out of shame, but out of anger.
Duan Xiaoyu shrank into the corner like a quail and said nothing.
“What do you mean she has no obligation to raise her younger brother? Stop talking nonsense and trying to drive a wedge in our family’s relationship,” Father Duan scolded angrily.
“You are right, I shouldn’t have lent money to Xiaoyu.” Mi Li looked at Duan Xiaoyu. “This incident was caused by the apartment. I didn’t think it over enough. Given your family’s situation, you really can’t afford the 3 million debt. Leaving you this apartment will only increase your conflicts and burdens. Xiaoyu, why don’t you transfer the apartment to me? We can forget about the money.”
Duan Xiaoyu hadn’t answered yet, but Duan Zhengrong already objected, “No! The value of the apartment will increase in the future, and it is not worthwhile to get rid of it now.”
“Whether it rises or not, it’s not something you can afford right now.” Mi Li mocked in the tone of a nouveau riche. “Besides, this is Xiaoyu’s apartment. She has the final say on how to deal with it.”
“Sister, you must not transfer the apartment to someone else.” Duan Zhengrong quickly turned to Duan Xiaoyu.
“Yes.” Mother Duan said, “After a few years, the value of the apartment will have risen. If you sell it then, you can make a small profit.”
“Yes, the apartment must remain in your hands.” Father Duan glanced at Mi Li defensively. “We can’t afford to return 3 million, but we can borrow chickens to lay eggs.”[2]
Mi Li: “…” Wow, Uncle, you sure are wise.
Duan Xiaoyu was conflicted. “I can keep the apartment for now, but…”
“No buts!” Mother Duan gave the final word, “The apartment is yours, no one can take it away!”
Mi Li: “…” Good, they finally said something reasonable.
“All right.” Duan Xiaoyu gave Mi Li a grateful look and whispered, “I’ll listen to you.”
Seeing that Mother Duan wanted to say something, Mi Li interrupted, “Xiaoyu, I’ll help you find a few roommates. A monthly rent of 500 should help to reduce your burden. What do you think?” Mi Li deliberately reported a low rent figure, so as not to whet the appetites of the Duan family too much.
Xiao Yu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.
Mother Duan had her words stuck in her throat, unable to speak them out.
She originally wanted Duan Zhengrong to move in, but she was blocked by Mi Li with a single sentence. A monthly rent of 500 is still an income. There is no need for my son to come over to take up space. It’s enough to just have Xiaoyu give us all the rent.
Thinking of the extra one thousand or more income each month, Mother Duan felt very happy. She didn’t even notice Duan Zhengrong’s continuous glances at her.
Duan Zhengrong was envious of the conditions of the new apartment, but his parents did not cooperate, and he could only give up in anger.
- Duan Xiaoyu’s name means “small rain” and Mi Li is implying that her parents didn’t put much thought into it (e.g. it was drizzling when she was born). Duan Zhengrong’s name has a concept that means to excel.
- Borrow a chicken to lay eggs – this is a shameless saying that means to borrow the power of others for one’s own gain. Think about it; on the surface you’re borrowing a chicken, but in reality you’re stealing eggs. What if someone asked to borrow your house so they could rent it out?
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My heart is filled with anger reading this 🤬
Those parents who favour son over daughter usually raised their son to be useless baggage and the daughter ended up raising them 🙄 even tho the original idea of that because a daughter would eventually get marry and become someone else family but a son would be the one caring for their parents in their old age but now it was flipped to be the daughter taking care of her biased parents and useless brother even after marriage, but the parents still can’t see that and keep being biased