Chapter 523: Cheng Mu, the Moneylender.

Chapter 523: Cheng Mu, the Moneylender.
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Because of the sudden disappearance of the document and the incident with Xia Ru, the house in the county town where Xia Jiang’s family used to live was taken away by several people claiming to be the owners.
Having been driven out, Xia Jiang and his wife had no place to go, so they returned to their old house in the countryside.
Since the Xia family’s three brothers had divided their family, there was little interaction between the three households. Even Xia He’s family was unaware that Xia Jiang and his wife had secretly moved back to the village.
When Xia Wan and Chen MO arrived, they found Xia Yu lying under a big tree at the entrance of the village, chewing on a piece of straw.
Xia Yu had been punished by Xia He for a recent mishap at home and hadn’t been home for several days. She spent her days traveling back and forth between the county town and the village, hanging out with a group of thugs.
That day, having no money left, Xia Yu was lying under the tree, contemplating how to ask Chen Lian for more money.
Hearing a car approaching, Xia Yu immediately looked up and saw a familiar black sedan driving from a distance.
She sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes, and upon confirming that it was Chen Mo’s car, she immediately rushed towards it.
The car screeched to a halt just in front of Xia Yu.
“Xia Yu, are you trying to get yourself killed?” Xia Wan, already on edge, burst out in anger when startled by Xia Yu.
Xia Yu, still appearing indifferent, even smiled at Xia Wan, “What, had a change of heart and decided to come back home to check on things?” “Get out of the way!” Xia Wan yelled impatiently at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu, however, did not take Xia Wan’s warning seriously and continued to block the car, “Still got that big temper, huh?”
“Do you really think nobody here can deal with you?” Xia Yu said in an unfriendly tone, obviously angered by Xia Wan’s attitude.
Chen MO didn’t give Xia Yu another chance to speak, stepping on the brakes and then flooring the accelerator.
As expected, Xia Yu jumped aside in fright, cursing as she watched Chen MO and Xia Wan’s car drive away.
They drove all the way to Xia Jiang’s house.
Xia Jiang’s house was tightly shut, with weeds outside the walls that had withered and piled up, seemingly untended for a long time.
“Could it be that they never came back here?” Xia Wan voiced her anxiety.
If Xia Jiang and the others hadn’t returned, where should they look for them?
“Don’t worry, let’s go in and take a look first,” Chen MO said, gently grabbing Xia Wan’s hand to calm her down.
They got out of the car and pushed open the door. The house’s door was wide open, and it didn’t look like anyone was living there.
Xia Wan’s heart sank even further.
Chen MO, still holding her hand, walked into the house.
There were a few cups on the wooden table at the entrance, with some water still left in them.
“It seems they haven’t come back since they left. Moreover, they must have left in a hurry, ” Chen MO deduced.
Xia Wan tried to calm herself, looking for clues among these items.
However, they didn’t find any clues after searching through Xia Jiangs family’s things.
“Boss Xia, come out! When will you pay me the money you promised?” A voice called out impatiently at the door, “Stop saying your family has no money. The car that was parked outside your house last night wasn’t cheap; everyone saw
Xia Wan and Chen MO exchanged a glance and rushed out of the house.
The man standing at the door was Cheng Mu, an old widower who lived at the end of the village.
Cheng Mu had been married three times, with both of his children having passed away.
As a result, villagers gossiped that Cheng Mu was cursed with a lonely star, bringing misfortune to his parents and siblings, and destined to die alone.
However, Cheng Mu, though not having close relationships with his family, was particularly fortunate with money.
Although not exceedingly wealthy, he always had some unexpected income, making his life quite comfortable.
Cheng Mu knew his money would eventually run out.
So, he thought of a new way to get rich.
There were many poor people in the village who needed help to get through hard times.
Cheng Mu seized this opportunity and lent out money to earn interest, ensuring a continuous flow of income.
The Xia family, although not considered rich in the village, had Xia Hai, the third son, to earn money and support the family, so they had no dealings with Cheng Mu.
However, since the Xia family split up, the eldest and second sons of the Xia family occasionally borrowed money from Cheng Mu to help out.
It was said that Xia Jiang’s daughter, who had married into the county town, hadn’t sent any money home for the past two months, so Xia Jiang swallowed his pride and borrowed a few hundred yuan from Cheng Mu to get by. But when the day came to repay the money, Xia Jiang was unable to pay it back.
Cheng Mu had no choice but to visit Xia Jiang’s house every day to check on the situation..