Liu Juan glared fiercely at Liu Fang, then walked to Liu Fen's side, grabbed one of her hands, and began to shake it, lowering her voice:
"Big sister! It's nothing like that. Sister Er is just talking nonsense. She probably ran away halfway and misunderstood. It's not me who owes money, it's a friend. They couldn't find her, so they came to my shop to make a scene. Sister Er, you didn't even listen properly and are spreading rumors everywhere!"
Brother Chao folded his arms across his chest. He didn't care how this old woman lied; he only cared about getting their two million back!
Although the principal was one million, there was still several months' worth of interest!
This old woman was ruthless, saying she would find someone to guarantee a two-million loan and repay them. He initially didn't want to agree, but his boss said this woman still had a house and car, and if worse came to worst, she had guarantors, so there was no fear of her borrowing!
Only then did he agree to accompany this old woman on this trip.
Although Liu Juan deliberately lowered her voice, in the deserted alley after work, it could still be heard clearly.
"Then what was the 400,000 you borrowed for?"
Liu Fen frowned slightly. Her younger sister had come home earlier, saying she needed to gather two million to stock up on goods. She hadn't asked many questions.
"Oh, since we're talking about it, I have a friend in customs. A few days ago, they seized a batch of illegally imported salmon. They asked if I could take the shipment off their hands. I contacted several salmon wholesalers, and when they buy the goods, I'll resell them to them. It won't take more than five days to make over a million."
Hearing this, Liu Fang felt it was quite reliable. She knew salmon; it was a relatively expensive fish, and it was all frozen. Thinking this, Liu Fang suppressed her heartache and smiled, congratulating her:
"Then congratulations, Xiao Juan, for making so much money again!"
"Oh, it's just over a million, hardly 'big money.' It's just that business payments are being chased tightly lately, and I don't have enough cash on hand. They said if I don't transfer the money before the day after tomorrow, I can't secure this batch of salmon. Originally, borrowing 400,000 from Big Sister would have been enough. Now it's not, so I thought of borrowing from Brother Chao to tide things over. It would be great if Sister Er could sign as a guarantor, giving me a reason to have my husband give you a few hundred thousand. Then everything would be covered! I'm only doing this because you've always treated me well since we were young, Big Sister, I'm just trying to help you!"
Hearing this, Liu Chen's eyelids slightly drooped, and her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists. How could Liu Juan be so shameless? How could she have the nerve to say it was to help her mother?
She remembered being forced to drop out of school due to debt collectors, leaving school early to work and pay off debts. She had distributed flyers in a doll costume under the scorching sun of 39 degrees Celsius, and stood at the hotel entrance in a cheongsam to greet guests in minus four or five degrees Celsius.
To save money, she didn't even dare to buy a lipstick, and only replaced her shoes when they were worn through. To get the manufacturer to hire her as a salesperson despite her lack of experience, she even agreed to a basic salary of only five hundred yuan. To increase her sales, she shamelessly went to dealers' stores every day to help them move goods, just for the opportunity to display her products.
Liu Juan also noticed Liu Chen's movements, but she thought her niece was envious of her new high-heeled shoes. At that moment, a hint of pride and demureness appeared on her face as she smiled.
"Sister Er, look at Chen Chen's sneakers; they don't even have a brand. Kids these days all like to wear Nike and Adidas. You should at least buy Chen Chen a pair! They're not expensive, only seven or eight hundred yuan a pair."
Liu Fang was accustomed to her younger sister's boastful tone and simply smiled, saying, "A pair of shoes is so expensive. How could I afford such things? We're an ordinary family; as long as we have enough to eat and wear, that's enough."
Liu Juan's lips curved upwards. Feeling confident that the loan and borrowing matters today were settled, she smiled brightly and said, "Oh, stop talking about that. You're my sister, and Chen Chen is my niece. Once you sign the guarantee, I'll contact my friend. When the goods are sold, I'll give you your share. Let alone one pair of shoes, you can buy five or six pairs to wear!"
Upon hearing about the guarantee, Liu Fang's expression showed a hint of temptation as she didn't have to spend anything. Liu Juan saw this and eagerly urged her:
"Oh, actually, for this guarantee, my husband's younger brother was supposed to do it. But then I thought, my husband's family has benefited so much from us before, it's time for the Liu family to get their turn, isn't it?"
Liu Fang knew that her sister and her brother-in-law had never gotten along well, and hearing this, she felt even more convinced.
Liu Chen, who had been tightly clenching her fists, suddenly relaxed them and looked up at her beaming, smug aunt, asking:
"Auntie, why are you thinking of bringing Mom and Auntie along for such a good opportunity? Doesn't your family's house alone cost several million? Why not get a mortgage from the bank? The approval is fast, too. I heard the radio advertising it when I was on the bus this morning!"
Brother Chao also found it strange. This old woman was not only borrowing from their loan company but also from relatives. If it was for that salmon deal, why didn't she just get a bank loan with her house?
Liu Juan caught a glimpse of the doubt on Brother Chao's face, panicked inwardly, but put on a disdainful expression:
"They need the money urgently. How can the bank be fast enough? You little brat, you actually doubt me! You really don't know a good deed when you see one!"
In the past, whenever it involved money, her niece would usually back down. Because children naturally sensed their parents' attitudes, Liu Juan never worried about her harsh words offending her niece; her sister would always make her back down.
However, this time, she was wrong.
Liu Chen's large eyes blinked, and she asked a question that made Liu Juan wish she had never come today.