Rebirth: CEO's Sweetheart Reaches the Life Pinnacle!-Chapter 65 - 63 Borrowing Money Farce

For a moment, neither of them spoke, all the way until they got home.

Wu Dachuan entered the house, and while Li Guozhi headed out to the courtyard to wash clothes at the water pump, he quietly slipped into Mrs. Wu’s room next door.

It was already half past nine. Mrs. Wu had tidied up and was about to go to bed. "Son, did you bring your wife back?"

"Yeah, Mom, keep your voice down! She’s outside doing the laundry. I need to tell you something!"

"What is it? What’s with all the secrecy?" Mrs. Wu asked, looking at her son’s cautious demeanor.

Wu Dachuan glanced outside. Seeing Li Guozhi busy washing clothes, he leaned in close to Mrs. Wu’s ear and repeated what his wife had said on the way!

After hearing it, Mrs. Wu’s expression was animated as she slapped her thigh. "This is great news! Fantastic news! Son, looks like we’ll get some good fortune out of this!"

"What kind of fortune could we get?" Wu Dachuan looked perplexed. Even though this might turn out to be true, what could they gain?

Mrs. Wu smacked his big head. "For having such a big head, you sure don’t have much inside it! You spend all day wandering around outside, haven’t you heard? There’s talk about demolition near our area. If the old house gets torn down, wouldn’t it have to be compensated in square meters? Plus, imagine if I move in with you guys. Would two bedrooms be enough space?"

Wu Dachuan quickly shook his head. Though the old lady was up there in age, her words were completely reasonable.

Mrs. Wu observed her son’s expression and paused before continuing: "Wu Yue is getting older every year. Sharing a room with me would affect her studies, wouldn’t it? So we’ll need three bedrooms and a living area. Between compensation and renovation, how much is that going to cost? Do I, an old lady, have that money? Do you two have it? Where are we supposed to get all this cash?"

"So, Mom, are you saying we should borrow money from Li Si?" Wu Dachuan rubbed the back of his head, starting to understand. If they asked to borrow, his wife was Li Si’s biological aunt. Even if they didn’t repay, could Li Si really be strict about it?

"Son, I just did some figuring. We’ll need at least eighty or a hundred thousand. Think about it: not just covering more square meters, there’s also renovation, which will cost tens of thousands. After we move in, what about the furniture and appliances? Will we still use the old ones? No, it’s better to replace them all in one go. Don’t you think I’ve got it figured out?"

"But... would she really lend us that much all at once?" Wu Dachuan was uneasy.

"What’s there to be scared of? When Li Si was little, we treated her well. If she refuses, she’s just being ungrateful! No worries; if we hit a wall, let your wife talk to her. A niece not helping her aunt in hard times? That’s unheard of!" Mrs. Wu looked confident, as though she could already see her family’s ideal future ahead, her face brimming with anticipation.

That day, Li Si had arranged to have dinner at "Old Friend’s Kitchen" outside the campus with a few dorm mates. They walked together, talking and laughing.

"Li Si! Over here!"

A booming male voice called her name. The group looked toward the source of the voice. Li Si frowned slightly when she spotted Wu Dachuan and his mother not far away.

In her previous life, Li Si had no fondness for this patriarchal family or the old lady who always picked on her aunt. But what are they doing here?

The two of them walked quickly over with ingratiating smiles plastered on their faces. "Li Si, getting prettier by the day. Grandma Wu almost didn’t recognize you. If I bumped into you on the street, I might not have known it was you!"

"Ha, is that so?"

Li Si forced a hollow laugh, unsure of what else to say.

"Li Si, are you heading out to eat with your classmates? Your uncle has something to discuss with you. Could we talk over there?"

Wu Dachuan grinned, nodding at the classmates standing behind Li Si. He and the old lady had been waiting outside the school gate since before ten, thinking they’d try their luck there instead of going inside. Their patience paid off when they happened to spot her.

"No need! Just say what you came to say here!"

Li Si didn’t feel there was anything important to discuss. And even if there was, shouldn’t her aunt have come to her directly?

"Look how crowded it is here; it’s hard to talk. Besides, Grandma Wu is getting older, and this midday sun is too much for her."

"Kong Dan, you guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up after talking with my uncle for a bit!"

Li Si turned to Kong Dan and her group since it was the middle of the day and time was limited.

"No need! Don’t worry, Li Si, we’ll wait for you right over there!" Before Jiang Fan or Yu Lili could respond, Kong Dan jumped in quickly.

Li Si could only nod reluctantly and follow Wu Dachuan and his mother to the shade under a nearby tree.

"Uncle, Grandma Wu, go ahead. Say what you came for."

Li Si stood her ground, cutting to the chase while watching their persistently smiling expressions. She speculated whether her aunt might be in trouble.

Wu Dachuan cleared his throat to mask his nerves. "Li Si, we came today to ask for your help with something."

"Uncle, that depends on what you need help with. I’m just a student, no skills to speak of. What could I possibly do for you?"

Li Si was blunt, already trying to nip things in the bud. She was puzzled because, as far as she knew, nothing major should have happened in their family this year.

"Ahem, Li Si, you know the situation at your uncle’s house. Our family’s house is about to be torn down, but with so many people and such a small area, we simply can’t make do. To get a larger space, we’ll need more money. Your sister Wu Yue is about to start high school, and costs are everywhere. We came today to ask if we could borrow some money from you. Rest assured, as soon as we’re back on our feet, we’ll pay you for sure! You won’t lose a penny!" Wu Dachuan played the pity card.

"You already know, last year when Aunt came to borrow money from me, I told you that my father only left me a little money. I don’t have extra funds to loan you. Besides, isn’t Aunt earning a decent salary now? Between her income and yours, surely you have enough?" What’s wrong with them, repeating the same thing over and over?

"No! Even if we don’t eat or drink, we can’t save up enough. Right now, we’re already tightening our belts to the extreme. If you don’t help us, we’ll have no choice but to beg for food!"

What? The two of them together, after deducting Aunt’s private spending, still earn almost three thousand a month, and they’d have to beg? This is 2005, not 2015. Even in 2015, many families survive on three thousand a month. What kind of joke is this?

Li Si grew agitated; people’s desires truly have no bounds. She didn’t want to keep tangling with them any longer. "Well, even if you tell me, I simply can’t help! I can’t sell my house just to lend you money, can I?"

Mrs. Wu wouldn’t accept this. "Little Li Si, saying something like that isn’t right. Your father didn’t leave you money, but someone must be funding you. We don’t need much—just a little from between your fingers would be enough for us to live!"

Li Si’s eyes widened, her anger surging as she loudly demanded, "What do you mean by that? Explain yourself clearly!"

"Come on now, you can’t fool everyone forever! Do you think this old lady hasn’t learned anything in her years? If no one was footing your bills, how did you manage to open that private kitchen?"

Mrs. Wu curled her lips and put her hands on her hips, shouting at Li Si. She had made up her mind. If the girl didn’t experience some intimidation, there was no way they’d get the money. Since she was still in school, Mrs. Wu decided she’d let her classmates know just how shameless she was!