Chapter 171
171 Creditors Visit
They originally thought that it was a little beggar. After being captured, everyone realized that although this child looked disheveled, there were no patches on her clothes.
On a closer look, there was a small hairpin on her head. Although it was made of wood, it was exquisitely carved.
On a closer look, this person had gentle facial features and a clear voice. It was clearly a girl.
She looked about seven or eight years old.
And now, she was so choked that her face turned pale, and she looked like she was about to pass out.
The person who grabbed her could not help but let go.
“Oh no, this child will probably choke to death!”
“What should we do? My Second Uncle’s Third Uncle’s child choked to death like this back then!”
“Do you have water? Do you have water? Hurry up and bring a bowl of water over for this child to drink.”
“It’s useless. If you choke, you can’t drink water. You can only force the object out!”
Everyone watched from the side, but no one stepped forward.
Zhou Chuchu saw that everyone could not help but take a step back, and her heart felt desolate.
Could it be that she was going to die like this today?
At this moment, she felt that she could not breathe at all. Her chest hurt, and her vision was turning black.
The cake stuck in her throat could not be spat out at all, nor could she swallow it.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe.
“Big Sister, don’t panic!” A little girl’s voice sounded in her ear.
Then, something was brought to her mouth.
It was water!
She didn’t have time to think too much. She picked it up and drank it.
Someone shook his head.
This person had choked. Drinking water was useless.
It was not an ordinary type of choking either. It looked like she would die soon.
Little Ah Yu took out a gourd from her pocket. This was a prop that Old Madam Wang had prepared for her.
She was guarding against Little Ah Yu bringing water for others to drink in public.
The small gourd was not big, and Zhou Chuchu finished the water in two or three mouthfuls.
It was so sweet. It was even sweeter than the Ice Silk Snow Melting Soup at home.
She was finally not so regretful after being able to drink such delicious water before she choked to death.
“Big Sister, are you still feeling unwell? Do you still want to drink?”
Little Ah Yu was also very nervous. Seeing that this big sister did not speak for a long time, she quickly squatted down and tilted her head down to see if the big sister had closed her eyes.
Meatball had said that if a person died, their eyes would close.
Not only was Little Ah Yu curious, but the surrounding people were also curious.
Everyone stared at Zhou Chuchu, who was sitting on the ground.
Suddenly, Zhou Chuchu looked up.
It shocked everyone.
“I’m… fine.” Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Zhou Chuchu blushed. She had never received so much attention before.
Liu Shi also walked up. She did not have a good impression of this little girl who had snatched something.
“Since you’re fine, compensate us. You snatched our things just now.” Liu Shi pulled Little Ah Yu up and told her to keep a distance from Zhou Chuchu.
This was a person who would snatch things at any time. Who knew if she was a bad child?
Zhou Chuchu’s shout just now was not clear, so Liu Shi and Little Ah Yu did not hear it.
“That’s right, child. No matter how hungry you are, you can’t snatch things.”
“Our Nanhe Town can’t have a robber!”
“That’s right. You’re a new beggar, right? You have to follow the rules, or you’ll be chased out.”
Everyone spoke one after another, causing Zhou Chuchu’s face to turn red. She wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.
“I didn’t want to snatch it…” She was really too hungry.
Zhou Chuchu looked at Little Ah Yu and whispered, “I’m just here to collect something. Your Wang Family owes us something.”
She was still smart enough not to say in front of so many people that she was here to collect money.
Liu Shi originally wanted to say that their Wang family did not owe anything and that all their debts had been repaid.
Suddenly, she remembered that her mother-in-law had said a few days ago that they had a debt of 2,000 taels.
Could this be the creditor?
With an attitude that she would rather believe it than not, Liu Shi brought Zhou Chuchu back to the Wang family.
The surrounding commoners wanted to watch the commotion, but they were frightened away by the cold faces of the people who protected them in private.
After arriving at the Wang Family, Liu Shi told Old Madam Wang about the little girl.
Old Madam Wang did not say that this person was a liar. She only said to her, “You said that our family owes you. Where’s the evidence? How did you find our family?”
When Old Madam Wang was dignified without being angry, she was especially terrifying.
“I heard it.” Zhou Chuchu shrank her neck. This old granny’s aura was too strong. She felt even fiercer than her grandmother.
It turned out that Zhou Chuchu was the granddaughter of the Zhou family’s pawnshop.
Zhou Pawnshop was the one that had lent money to Old Madam Wang back then.
“Grandfather originally didn’t allow me to come, but my family’s shop was schemed against by evil people and now it’s in their hands. Father and the others were imprisoned, and Grandfather was so angry that he fell ill. Many of his external debts can’t be recovered, and his former relatives and friends are now like strangers. Helpless, I came to try.”
For some reason, Zhou Chuchu, who was originally quite eloquent, did not dare to lie in front of Old Madam Wang. She could only tell her background in detail.
“Grandfather said that you’re a kind family. When our shop was invaded, many things could not be saved. However, Grandfather risked his life to protect the token you left behind. This is it.”
Zhou Chuchu took out something from her pocket. On a closer look, it was a jade thumb ring.
The jade color was clear, as if there was something hidden inside.
She had vaguely learned from her grandmother that there was such a family who was indebted to them and came with the intention of giving it a try.
She first found Hu Family Village, then through pretending to be pitiful and begging, she roughly learned where Old man Wang’s family was now.
Then, she observed the bun shop opened by the Wang Family and got to know the Wang Family.
But after more than half a month, she did not even muster the courage to come knocking on their door to ask for money.
She had used up all the money she had on her to begin with. In the end, she was really hungry and did the deed of snatching the cake.
She naturally did not dare to rob other people. She only thought that the Wang Family owed their family money. In a fit of anger, she acted impulsively.
However, when Old Madam Wang saw the jade ring, she sighed and said, “If you come to our family now, I really can’t take out 2,000 taels of silver.”
The anticipation in Zhou Chuchu’s eyes gradually dimmed. “The doctor said that Grandfather’s medicine can’t stop now. Otherwise, the situation of the illness will be even worse.”
Her grandfather was the pillar of the family. If he fell just like that, the family would really be split apart.
Her father and the others would also be imprisoned. Now that no one was around, she did not know when they would be released.
She observed for a long time and saw that the Old Wang’s bun shop was doing well. She thought that they should be rich.
No matter what, they could at least give her Grandpa some money for his medicine, right?
Old Madam Wang touched the jade ring, her mind filled with thoughts.
She originally thought that it might take many years before they could redeem this thing.
Back then, not only did they leave behind the jade ring, but there were also some other things. However, they were all given to the shopkeeper as tokens of gratitude.
At that time, it was a period of chaos. Wealth, jewelry, gold, and trouble was flowing through the market.
Those things were not worth much during the war, but they were worth a lot after the war.
Old Shopkeeper Zhou would not lose out no matter what.
However, it was not good to be so calculative.
She looked at Zhou Chuchu, who was dressed like a beggar, and suddenly thought of an old beggar who had been sent out.
“I have much to repay the debt right now. But there’s something I might be able to help with,” Old Madam Wang said.
When Zhou Chuchu heard the first half of the sentence, she felt even more disappointed. She did not bring any hope to begin with, but there was still an anticipation of luck.
No matter what, it was impossible for the people who were praised by her grandfather to go back on their word, right?
To show her sincerity, she gave the jade ring to the other party.
Even when she was at her most bitter and hungry, she protected the jade ring very well.
“I can’t repay the money, but perhaps I can find someone to treat your grandfather’s illness,” Old Madam Wang said.
What?!
Zhou Chuchu immediately stood up. Because she moved too much, the chair behind her was pushed over.
They could save her grandfather’s illness?!
“Can you really make Grandfather recover?!”
Old Madam Wang shook her head. “I can’t guarantee that. I’m not a divine doctor.”
Moreover, she had to ask Ah Yu about this.
Old Madam Wang still had some of the gene repair fluid she had used on Old man Wang and Wang Chuangui.
If she was right, that thing should be able to treat this illness.
If she could cure the illness, it would be considered as returning the huge favor from back then.
But if she did this, she would owe Ah Yu even more.