At the mention of the word "illegal", Mrs. Xu wiped her tears on one side, while Mr. Xu sighed and lit another cigarette.
However, the gaudily - dressed woman put her hands on her hips and shrieked, "Who are you people? It's the Xus' family matter. It's none of your outsiders' business! Arranged by parents and matchmaker, it's perfectly justifiable!"
Pei Jiangmu gave her a cold look. That look made the shrewish woman instantly fall silent and subconsciously take a half - step back.
Then, he turned his gaze to Mr. Xu, who was squatting on the ground. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority. "Selling your daughter to save your son? This won't hold water anywhere." "The gambling debt that Xu Qiang owes, you can't afford to pay it off, nor are you obliged to."
Mr. Xu looked up in shock, as if what Pei Jiangmu said was something extremely immoral. His face was full of disapproval. "Isn't it natural for a family to help each other?" "I've raised her for so many years. Now that her elder brother is in trouble, how can she not help?" "Are we just going to watch her brother get a leg chopped off?"
Just then, Xu Qiang walked into the house. Hearing what his father said, he immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Yeah."
The driver frowned when he saw that Xu Qiang still had the nerve to butt in and act so self - righteously. He was about to step forward to teach him a lesson.
Suddenly, Mrs. Xu, who had been huddling in the corner, stood up and blocked in front of Xu Qiang. "No, don't hit him."
She looked terrified. Her voice was even trembling, but she still firmly protected Xu Qiang.
Ai Gao got excited again and roared, "Auntie, now you know how to protect your son? Why didn't you protect Linlin when your son beat her?" "What's so good about this good - for - nothing son of yours? It's precisely because of your spoiling that he has become what he is today." "You still haven't realized that this son is no longer reliable. Once he got involved in gambling, he's like a bottomless pit." "Now you've taken all of Linlin's money and are even selling her for the betrothal gift. What about next time?" "Next time when he owes more debts, who are you going to sell?"
After she said this, the Xu parents fell silent again.
Xu Qiang was a bit indignant when he heard her belittle him like this. But just as he was about to speak, a cold glare from Pei Jiangmu scared him into lowering his head again.
This time, even the gaudily - dressed woman didn't know what to say.
"If I'm not mistaken, you don't even dare to tell outsiders that Xu Qiang owes gambling debts, do you?" "Everyone knows that gambling ruins a person. What would those people think if they knew he was using the betrothal gift to pay off his gambling debts?" "The one who can offer such a high betrothal gift might well have the ability to break your son's leg, don't you think?"
Pei Jiangmu suddenly spoke up. His tone was calm, showing no personal feelings, but it was enough to silence everyone.
Mr. Xu smoked his cigarette even more vigorously.
They really hadn't told outsiders about Xu Qiang's debt. They only said that they were going to marry off Xu Qiang and were short of some money.
If people knew that he owed gambling debts, they would be laughed at.
Seeing that the Xu parents were silent, the gaudily - dressed woman suddenly spoke up again. "It's okay. I believe Qiangzi just made a mistake this time. As long as he's given a chance to start over." "Moreover, that Boss Wang, although he has a bad temper and might get violent when drunk." "But his family is rich. They own a factory in our town." "Xiaolin is a college student. Once she marries into his family, she can manage the factory. Xu Qiang can also go and help in the factory. He's sure to get rid of his bad habits." "And with Qiangzi around, that Boss Wang definitely won't dare to beat Xiaolin."
She was determined to make this match.
After all, the reward from the Wang family for making the match was quite generous.
Pei Jiangmu didn't even look at her. He just glanced at the driver.
The driver received the "message" and immediately said, "Come on. That Boss Wang is a domestic abuser. What do you mean by having a bad temper?" "Moreover, his factory is about to be shut down due to pollution problems. He owes a huge amount of debt." "Are you sure he can really come up with 288,000 yuan and give Xu Lin a good life?" "I'm afraid they'll all end up paying off debts together."
These words were like a bombshell, leaving the Xu parents and Xu Qiang stunned.
"You... You're talking nonsense!" the woman shrieked in rebuttal, but her face had turned pale.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you can go and ask around in the town." The driver snorted lightly, his tone indifferent. "Or, I can call the relevant department right now to check if the notice to shut down Boss Wang's factory has been issued."
He had just heard this news from Qi Yu. It couldn't be false.
The cigarette in Mr. Xu's hand fell to the ground. All the color drained from his face.
Mrs. Xu finally took action.
She suddenly grabbed Mr. Xu's arm and cried, "Husband! No! We can't push Xiaolin into the fire pit!" "Let's return that money. Return it quickly."
Mr. Xu roared, "I told you not to accept it at that time, but you just had to be greedy."
Xu Qiang got anxious when he heard this. "Return it? I've already spent all the money. What should I return with?"
Xu Lin was also extremely shocked. "You've already accepted their money?"
Mrs. Xu quickly explained, "We only accepted 50,000 yuan. They said it was to show their sincerity."
Xu Lin couldn't take it anymore. "You're pushing me to the brink."
Just then, a noisy sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the yard.
Then, an arrogant voice roared, "Xu Qiang! Get your ass out here! Pay up! If you don't pay up today, I'll smash your house!"
The faces of the Xu family in the house all changed at once.
The people from the casino had really come to their door.
Xu Qiang turned as pale as a sheet and immediately hid behind his mother. "Mom! Mom! Save me! They've really come!"
Mrs. Xu was also extremely frightened. Her already haggard face was now full of panic.
Soon, a group of men wearing black tight - fitting T - shirts with dragon and tiger tattoos on their arms rushed into the yard menacingly.
The one in the lead was a crew - cut man with a fleshy face.
"Xu Qiang! Where's the money?" The crew - cut man kicked over the chicken food bowl in the yard and roared menacingly.
Xu Qiang trembled all over and stammered, "Brother Long... We agreed on three days. It... It's not even due yet..."
"Agreed your ass!" The crew - cut man slapped him, making Xu Qiang spin around on the spot. "Do I need you to teach me how to do things, Brother Long? I'll come whenever I want." "If you can't come up with the money today, I'll chop off one of your legs. Smash it!"
Hearing this, his minions behind him were about to take action.
"Stop." A cold voice suddenly rang out. It wasn't very loud, but it strangely overpowered the chaos on the scene.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
They saw Pei Jiangmu slowly walking out of the main room. He stood under the eaves, looking calmly at those ferocious thugs.
The crew - cut man squinted his eyes and sized him up. "Who are you? Trying to butt in?"
Pei Jiangmu didn't answer. He just nodded slightly to the driver behind him.
The bodyguard immediately stepped forward and said, "Brother Long, don't you recognize me?"
After saying that, he even winked at the crew - cut man.