freenovelworld Chapter 204 Keep your word
Chapter 204 Keep your word
Lin Qingchuan asked worriedly, "How is Qianchuan now? Have Father and Stepmother made things difficult for him?"
"They are your biological father and stepmother, that's true, but they are still their biological parents. They've argued and made a scene, but he's determined to divide the debt. What can the old couple do to him? He got slapped by your father and scolded by your other brothers, but that's about it."
Did Dad hit my fourth brother?
Yes, that's right. With Dad's temper, no matter who disobeys him or angers him, they'll get a slap from him.
However, the fourth brother has always been taciturn, mild-tempered, and quiet, and has never talked back to his parents. Unexpectedly, he suddenly had the courage to break with his parents and brothers.
It's fine if they fall out. Qianchuan isn't a bad person by nature. If he continues to follow his parents' arrangements, and he's someone who doesn't fight or compete, with his family burdened with hundreds of taels of debt, he'll probably be so worn out by his family that he'll never have a chance to get ahead in his life.
"Shuisheng, Xiaotang and I will go to Pingding County to deliver supplies first. When we return to town at noon, Xiaotang and I will go to Qianchuan to talk to him and give him some advice on starting a small business. After you and Jiu'er finish delivering supplies to Dushui County, please ask around to see if there are any street-front shops in the county that meet our needs."
"Okay, Brother Qingchuan, I understand. Jiu'er and I will go find Ya Ren to inquire after we finish delivering the goods."
The two of them carried the braised pig's trotters onto the carriage together. Liu Cai'er had prepared breakfast and packed it into two food boxes, one for each carriage.
When they returned to town at noon, Lin Xiaotang and her father drove the horse-drawn carriage toward Juxian Restaurant.
She felt it wasn't appropriate for the father and daughter to go directly to Juxian Restaurant.
"Dad, let's find someone to call Fourth Uncle out later. We supply braised pig's trotters to Yunlai Restaurant. Juxian Restaurant and Yunlai Restaurant are competitors, they're rivals. If we go there, they won't welcome us. Besides, Fourth Uncle has fallen out with Grandpa, Stepmother, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Youngest Uncle. If we openly go to Fourth Uncle, Second Uncle and Third Uncle will definitely know that we gave him the idea. What if they're angry and come to make trouble for us?"
Lin Qingchuan thought about it and realized that it was true. He had been so eager to find his fourth brother that he had forgotten all about it.
"Tang'er is very thoughtful. Let's park the carriage further away so they don't see it."
When they arrived at Juxian Restaurant, Lin Qingchuan drove the carriage a little further away and parked it by the roadside against the wall so as not to block the way and delay pedestrians.
He spent a copper coin to find a child playing by the roadside and asked the child to quietly call Shen Qianchuan out.
The child was overjoyed and excited to receive a copper coin for doing something so simple, and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Okay, I'll go right away and I'll definitely get the person out for you."
Lin Xiaotang quickly said, "Just tell him that a father and daughter are looking for him, and that he must come out. Don't say anything else, understand?"
"Yes, got it."
After saying that, he took the copper coin and ran quickly into Juxian Restaurant. A short while later, Shen Qianchuan followed the child out of the Juxian Restaurant.
He followed the direction the child was pointing and saw his older brother and niece; hope instantly ignited in their bewildered eyes.
As expected, his older brother and Xiao Tang hadn't lied to him. No sooner had he successfully divided the debt with his family than his older brother and Xiao Tang came looking for him.
No wonder Big Brother and Xiao Tang were able to make their business successful; they are both people of their word, which is admirable!
A smile instantly appeared on his expressionless face, and the man who always walked at a leisurely pace suddenly started running, lifting the hem of his clothes.
Perhaps because his family owed a huge sum of money, the person who was always dressed neatly now had a few patches on his clothes, and he looked much more mature.
Lin Xiaotang smiled and called out "Fourth Uncle." Shen Shaochuan ran up to them and stopped. "Hey," he responded and patted Lin Xiaotang's head.
“Xiao Tang, your fourth uncle didn’t look closely before, but since the family split up, you’ve grown a lot taller and more beautiful this year.”
"Since he started working at the restaurant, Fourth Uncle has become more talkative than before."
Lin Qingchuan glared at his daughter, "Tang'er, don't talk nonsense."
The fourth brother went to Juxian Restaurant out of necessity. Because of the family's debts, he could no longer continue his studies and had no money to prepare for the county examination three years later.
Of all the brothers, the fourth brother was the most diligent and hardworking. He must have been very sad that he could no longer study.
The daughter's joke was clearly unintentional, but it might still bring up painful memories for her fourth brother.
To everyone's surprise, Shen Qianchuan smiled calmly and said, "Big brother, what Xiaotang said is not wrong. I used to be quiet all day long. When my second and third brothers and Xiaochuan and the others were arguing, I would just listen silently. But since I went to Juxian Restaurant to work as a waiter, the manager taught us that we not only have to do our work, but also have to be observant and attentive. After working for a long time, we can't stay silent anymore."
Lin Qingchuan's eyes flickered with complex emotions for a moment. He patted his fourth brother's shoulder and sighed, "Qianchuan, the family has so much debt. It must have been hard on you."
He wasn't heartbroken, but he felt that his fourth brother was not like that family. Getting stuck in the quagmire would only make him sink deeper and deeper, and he felt a little sorry for him. But when his family was being tormented by their father and stepmother, his fourth brother remained silent, neither kicking them when they were down nor helping them out. He couldn't immediately open his heart to his fourth brother now.
Xiao Tang can think of a business that's suitable for her fourth brother to do, and they'll help him out if they can, but that's about it. Whether her fourth brother can work with them in the future depends on his performance.
Shen Qianchuan opened his mouth, feeling a little uneasy. He knew he had done wrong before, and now that he was in trouble, it would be a bit unethical to shamelessly ask his older brother and Xiaotang for help.
After thinking it over and over, he apologized with a flushed face, “Brother, I was ignorant before. I didn’t help you when you were working day and night. Since I started working as a waiter at Juxian Restaurant, I’ve realized how tiring it is to work. Back home, you did more and worked harder than the waiters. I was wrong. Please apologize to your wife on my behalf.”
Lin Qingchuan was quite surprised that his fourth brother apologized to him and his wife.
"Qianchuan, the past is the past, and I'm sure your sister-in-law won't hold it against you."
In the entire Shen family, apart from the fourth brother, everyone else took it for granted that it was their duty to work for the whole family.
He was right; his fourth brother was different from that family!
Lin Xiaotang never expected that her fourth uncle would have such awareness, not only recognizing his mistakes but also being able to swallow his pride and apologize.
As the Buddhist saying goes: "The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore!"
Since her fourth uncle has sincerely come to his senses, she will also give him a gift.
She smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle, you are calm and composed, and you do things without being flustered. You are most suitable to work with us. But you also know that if you work with us now, my father will help you pay off part of your debts. Once Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Little Uncle find out, they will definitely ask my father for help immediately. You know what kind of people they are. They will not consider family ties and are not grateful. We finally separated from the Shen family and do not want to have anything to do with them again. I can only give you the idea of starting your own business first."
The smile on Shen Qianchuan's face gradually faded. He nodded seriously and said, "Xiao Tang, your fourth uncle understands everything you said. Your fourth uncle will not tell them that you helped your fourth uncle. You just need to give your fourth uncle some advice. Your fourth uncle is willing to work hard and is also willing to do business on his own."