novelraw Chapter 29 A real man never shirks his responsibilities
Chapter 29 A real man never shirks his responsibilities
Lin Hanjiang's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and his tone was calm, which silenced the noisy crowd outside the door for a moment.
But soon, Second Uncle Lin Runtu squeezed to the front. He had dark skin and large finger joints, which showed that he was used to farm work.
His face was a mixture of anxiety and reproach: "Xiao Jiang! It's not that your second uncle is unreasonable, it's that your father did something really dishonest. He said he was going to the south to do big business and needed capital, so we relatives, thinking we were family, scraped together what we could to help him. And what happened? The business vanished, and he disappeared too! It's so hard for us country folk to save up any money!"
"Exactly!" Aunt Zhao Jinhua squeezed in, her voice loud and fast, "Hanjiang, you've really made something of yourself now. It's been on TV, it's in the newspapers, everyone's saying you made a fortune from just one song. We relatives don't ask for anything else, just that you pay back all our hard-earned money. Your father's gone, you, as his son, can't just watch us worry!"
"I didn't say I didn't acknowledge it."
Looking at those expectant faces, Lin Hanjiang felt a mix of emotions.
Among these people, some are genuinely helping out of family ties, while others may also be hoping to profit from the investment.
But in any case, the money was taken from them through their father's hands, and it was a real debt.
"My dad owes everyone money, and the IOUs are written in black and white; I acknowledge them all."
He raised his voice to make sure everyone could hear him.
"However, elders, I am still a student standing here today. I did win some prize money in the competition and have some other income, but I am still far from paying off all the debts my father has incurred."
"So what do you mean? Trying to renege on your debt?" a distant cousin asked in an unfriendly tone.
"It's not about defaulting on a debt."
Lin Hanjiang's gaze swept over the crowd.
"What I mean is, I, Lin Hanjiang, acknowledge this debt and will repay it, but I need time. I will quickly tally up the exact amount my father owes everyone and then formulate a repayment plan. It may not be possible to repay it all at once, but I guarantee that as long as I have income, I will repay it step by step according to the plan."
He paused, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with an even more earnest tone, carrying a composure rarely seen in a young man: "Everyone here is an elder who has watched me grow up. My father went astray and dragged everyone down with him. I apologize to everyone on his behalf."
As he spoke, Lin Hanjiang bowed deeply to the dozen or so pairs of eyes outside the door.
His back arched into a heavy curve, remaining there for a full two or three seconds.
This bow silenced everyone completely.
The rustling sound of the wind blowing through the sycamore leaves could be clearly heard.
The relatives looked at each other in surprise. None of the shirking of responsibility, wrangling, or putting on airs because of their reputation that they had anticipated had happened.
This nephew and niece, who shine so brightly on television, are now dressed in simple white shirts, standing inside the school gate, bowing and acknowledging their debts. Their sincere attitude leaves the nephew and niece somewhat at a loss.
Aunt Wang Chunmei was the first to react. She forced a smile, her tone softening considerably, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible pity: "Xiao Jiang, it's not that your aunt is forcing you. Your cousin is starting high school this year, which is a time when money is tight, and the family is almost starving."
"I understand, Aunt."
Lin Hanjiang straightened up and faced the crowd.
"I understand everyone's difficulties. Arguing like this won't solve anything. Since we're going to repay the money, we need to settle the accounts first. Dear elders, everyone should have the IOU that my father wrote back then with you, right?"
Second Uncle Lin Runtu nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, for such an important matter, how can we not bring proof?"
He patted the inner pocket of his old, faded Zhongshan suit.
"Yes, we brought them too!"
"I've kept all the IOUs safe and sound!"
Others echoed his sentiments.
Lin Hanjiang nodded: "Okay. Then let's do this: everyone show me the IOUs, and I'll write down the amounts on the spot so I have a general idea of how much we owe in total. Let's find a place to sit down and sort it out slowly, okay? Doing this in front of the school is really not a good look."
Lin Runtu looked at the others and, seeing that they were all somewhat interested, he took the initiative and said, "That's fine. Xiao Jiang makes sense. Once the accounts are settled, we'll feel at ease."
He then turned to Lin Hanjiang, "Where to? Can we get into this school?"
Lin Hanjiang turned to the security guards and politely negotiated, "Master Wang, Master Li, how about this? These are all my close relatives who are here to settle their accounts. They're not here to cause trouble. I'll take them to a classroom near Building 1 that's not in use, settle their accounts, and they'll leave. I guarantee it won't disrupt the teaching order."
Security guard Lao Wang glanced at the group of relatives who had calmed down, then at Lin Hanjiang's sincere attitude, hesitated for a moment, and nodded: "Alright, Lin. Take them to classroom 107. There are no classes there this afternoon. But try to hurry so as not to disturb the other students."
"Thank you, Master Wang!" Lin Hanjiang said, then whispered to Zu Hai, "Xiao Hai, could you please run over and get me a notebook and a pen? Go quickly and come back soon."
Zu Hai nodded vigorously: "Yes, senior brother, wait for me."
After saying that, she turned and ran, her ponytail swaying over her shoulder.
Lin Hanjiang then pushed open the small side door and said to his relatives, "Dear uncles and aunts, please come with me. Let's go to the classroom and sit down to talk."
The relatives filed in, curiously looking around at this nationally renowned music academy.
Green trees and red walls, with the faint sound of a zither, it was a completely different world for them.
They followed behind Lin Hanjiang, walking through the tree-lined path, their footsteps clattering as they whispered among themselves.
That put my mind at ease a little.
At least, Lin Hanjiang didn't run away or renege on his promise.
Classroom 107 is not large, and can seat thirty or forty people, but it was empty at the moment.
Lin Hanjiang told everyone to sit down in the front row as they pleased.
Soon, Zu Hai came running back, panting, and handed Lin Hanjiang a hardcover notebook and a fountain pen.
Lin Hanjiang sat down on the podium, opened his notebook, and uncapped his pen: "Second Uncle, you go first. Let me see the IOU, the amount, the date of the loan, tell me everything."
Lin Runtu stepped forward, took out a neatly folded, slightly frayed piece of paper from his inner pocket, and unfolded it.
It was the most common type of red lined letter paper, the handwriting somewhat messy, but the content was clear: "I have borrowed RMB 5,000 from Lin Runsheng for business operations, for a term of one year. Borrower: Lin Runsheng. Date: [Date]"
"This was borrowed last December."
Lin Runtu pointed to the date.
"They promised to pay back the principal and interest by the end of this year, but... sigh."
Lin Hanjiang neatly wrote: Second Uncle Lin Runtu, 5000 yuan, December of the year before last.
"Okay, Second Uncle, I've got it. Next."
Aunt Wang Chunmei quickly came over, taking out a more formal IOU with her fingerprint on it: "Xiao Jiang, this is 3000 yuan. Your dad said it was urgently needed, so my husband took out all the money he was saving to build a house."
"My aunt Zhao Jinhua was born in 2000."
"My uncle Lin Rungen is 1500."
"My third maternal uncle's family contributed 16000, which is a large sum; it was raised by several families."
……
"The tally is complete. The total amount of IOUs for my father, Lin Runsheng, that I have personally verified, is 223,700 yuan."