Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points

Chapter 479: Chapter 471 Kindness Must Have an Edge_1

Qin Niu did not feel any softer because Li Shuixiang was kneeling on the ground.

Since ancient times, there have been three kinds of favors one should not extend.

Otherwise, it’s very easy to get oneself entangled.

One does not help with illegal activities, with giving alms to the poor, or with acts of recklessness.

Xu Zhenchang had borrowed from Baofeng Silver Bank for his personal pleasure. Now the Xu Family’s assets were completely capable of repaying the debt. By coming to his house and kneeling to ask for his help, Li Shuixiang already had ulterior motives.

She merely wished to have Qin Niu settle the matter, or have him lend her the money to repay the debt.

It was her family that borrowed the money, and now that the creditor had come to collect, she was reluctant to cut her losses, and sought only to use Qin Niu as a shield. Where in the world could such a good deal be found?

“Husband, if we can lend a hand in this matter, let’s do it! Auntie Li wouldn’t be kneeling before us if she weren’t driven to desperation,”

Wang Wanyan was simply too kind-hearted.

She tended to soften easily.

In contrast, Tang Caixian was much better in such situations.

It’s not that Tang Caixian wasn’t kind-hearted; she knew when to show compassion and when to be ruthless.

“You and Cai Xian go and rest first. I’ll handle this, don’t worry. After all, Uncle Xu did help me before. Now that he’s in trouble, naturally, I won’t ignore him,” Qin Niu said in front of Li Shuixiang.

Otherwise, it would be very easy for Li Shuixiang to bear a grudge.

It’s difficult to be a good person these days,

“I believe Ah Niu will handle it well. We’re tired from the day. Let’s go inside and rest,”

Tang Caixian led Wang Wanyan into the living quarters.

“Auntie, I’d like to hear how you plan to solve this matter first.”

Qin Niu took a sip from his teacup.

Although his status had elevated, he still hadn’t learned the art of savoring tea slowly and deliberately.

He felt that the time could be better spent cultivating, reading, or nurturing his Insect Pets.

“I… I wish to borrow some Silver Money from Master Qin to pay off the debt. Land prices are extremely low right now, selling them off at such low prices is really hard for me to accept. I believe Master Qin understands that my husband and I started from nothing, working from dawn to dusk, tirelessly, to slowly accumulate a little wealth. I remember very distinctly every acquisition of each plot of land,”

“Master Qin, what do you say?”

She looked up at Qin Niu, her eyes brimming with plea.

Her face bore an expression of bitter suffering, with the traces of tears still visible.

Don’t think women are fools, Li Shuixiang is a shrewd woman.

By playing the pitiful and distressed act, she was essentially performing a distress strategy.

“How much do you plan to borrow? I’ve just acquired some land and shops, and money is tight. I’m also about to recruit a large number of farmers and purchase seeds, cattle for plowing, farm tools, fertilizers, and other items, which require a huge expense. To be frank, I haven’t even figured out where to get this money—I’m still thinking about where to borrow it from.”

Qin Niu naturally wouldn’t tell her that he still held over forty thousand taels of Silver Money.

Helping Xu Zhenchang repay this money was not a difficult task for him. He never had a deep relationship with Xu Zhenchang in the first place.

Xu Zhenchang had taken the initiative to ingratiate himself with Qin Niu only after he had made his fortune.

Before becoming an Insect Master, even when Wang Haikun bullied Qin Niu to near death, Xu Zhenchang, the village head, had never spoken a word of justice on his behalf—not even a word to persuade Wang Haikun.

Of course, Qin Niu did not blame Xu Zhenchang for his indifference.

Adults value their safety first and foremost.

Xu Zhenchang was neither kin nor kith to him, so naturally, he wouldn’t offend Wang Haikun, the village tyrant, just to speak up for him.

People are reciprocal.

When Qin Niu was weak and young, Xu Zhenchang didn’t offer much help. So now that Xu Zhenchang had fallen on hard times, Qin Niu wasn’t obliged to help him.

If Xu Zhenchang wanted assistance, he would definitely need to offer something beneficial in exchange.

The dozen or so acres owned by the Xu family were of no interest to Qin Niu.

However, the prospect of employing Xu Zhenchang as a manager for the Qin Residence was something he could consider.

Firstly, Xu Zhenchang had excellent planting techniques, as well as planting and management experience, which made him well-suited to be the manager of the Qin Residence.

Under normal circumstances, if Qin Niu asked Xu Zhenchang to be his manager, Xu Zhenchang would surely be reluctant.

But if Qin Niu offered him the opportunity to be a manager when Xu Zhenchang was in dire straits, he would undoubtedly be grateful and loyally handle affairs for him, which is precisely the outcome Qin Niu desired.

“At Baofeng Silver Bank, the total calculated debt comes to sixteen taels and five maces of silver. If I cannot pay it today, for each day I delay, at least two more maces of interest will accrue. Our family has run out of money, so if possible, please lend me the sixteen taels and five maces of silver, Master Qin. Rest assured, as soon as the price of the land rises, we will immediately sell our property to repay the silver money,”

Li Shuixiang said with a sobbing tone.

Xu Zhenchang only borrowed nine taels of silver, and in less than a year, the interest had shockingly reached seven taels and five maces.

High-interest lending was truly terrifying.

No wonder so many poor people who borrowed money ended up having to sell their sons, daughters, and wives to repay their debts.

Baofeng Silver Bank was still considered one of the more regulated banks, its interest rates were much lower than those places that specialized in high-interest lending.

Some high-interest loans could reach an interest rate of 300%.

Borrow one tael of silver for a full year, and you’d need to repay a total of four taels, including principal and interest.

Xu Zhenchang’s debt of nine taels of silver had now matured. If he couldn’t repay it on time, the bank would calculate interest on the new principal. With principal and interest combined, 16.5 taels, that is the new principal amount.

“Auntie, I really can’t come up with that much silver all at once. However, I do have some connection with Uncle Xu, and I can’t just ignore this matter. Please wait here for a while, and I’ll do my best to gather some silver for you,”

Qin Niu said, then rose and went inside.

Meanwhile, Li Shuixiang was still kneeling on the ground, realizing that despite his youth, Qin Niu was not so easy to handle.

She thought the self-pitying act she had put on would’ve earned the sympathy of most people.

It seemed that Qin Niu was not swayed by her tactics.

Constantly kneeling made her knees extremely painful. The ground in the Qin Residence was not made of mud, but paved with hard floor tiles. She wanted to stand up but worried that if Qin Niu returned and found her standing, he might no longer sympathize with her.

In the end, Li Shuixiang gritted her teeth and continued to kneel on the ground.

She calculated in her mind that the more miserable she appeared, the more generous Qin Niu would be with the loan.

Yet, even after such a long wait, Qin Niu still hadn’t returned.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Seeing Qin Niu come in, Wang Wanyan immediately asked, “Husband, did you settle Li Auntie’s issue so quickly?”

“Not yet! She wants to borrow sixteen taels and five maces of silver, and I told her that our household has many expenses and is quite strapped for cash,”

Qin Niu had no need to hide anything from his wife.

“Sixteen taels and five maces isn’t an especially large sum; our family can afford it. Are you worried that Li Auntie won’t repay the silver after borrowing it?”

Wang Wanyan clearly didn’t understand the various calculations of adults.

She was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

“That’s not it. Xu Zhenchang and Li Shuixiang aren’t the type to renege on debts. If they had the money, they would surely repay us. But have you thought about this? If we lend them money so readily this time, what if they come to us again with another problem next time, would you lend it to them or not?”

Qin Niu sat down and chatted casually with her.