r18novel Chapter 28: Barging into the school gate, relatives demanding debts.
Chapter 28: Barging into the school gate, relatives demanding debts.
"Ooh—ah—ee—yo—"
On Thursday afternoon, Lin Hanjiang's voice echoed in the vocal classroom.
From a low murmur to a high crescendo, it repeats endlessly.
These days, apart from eating and sleeping, he has practically lived in this classroom.
With the finals just around the corner, every detail of the new song needs to be polished to perfection, and the emotions need to be fully developed.
It was two days ago that I treated my senior sister and Xiao Hai to a meal on the second floor of the cafeteria.
Tomorrow is Friday, the day of the CCTV Young Singers Competition finals.
Time flies.
Yesterday, I finally managed to find some free time to make a long-distance call to my mother in the countryside.
There was a lot of static on the phone, and Wang Xiulian's voice sounded both relieved and worried.
He asked about his father, Lin Runsheng. His mother remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Your father... the last time he wrote was a month ago. He said he was doing a small business with someone in Hainan, and then we haven't heard from him since."
Lin Hanjiang's heart sank.
The real estate bubble in Hainan continues to grow this year and will swell to a dangerous level next year before bursting.
If Father really did borrow money at exorbitant interest rates and get involved...
"Mom, could you find a way to get in touch with Dad? Tell him that no matter what he does, he must never touch loan sharks."
Even if I make money next year, after paying off the high-interest loan, I won't earn much.
If you're spending your own money, you'll have to get out before the Hainan real estate market collapses next year.
Wang Xiulian, however, was more concerned about her son: "Xiao Jiang, I heard you singing on the radio, you sang so well... But now that you're famous, you have to be careful and not be impatient. Don't rush into making money; I've taken on some sewing work in the village, and we can save some money slowly. You're a student, so please don't go astray..."
The mother's voice choked with emotion.
She was heartbroken by her husband and now only prays for her children's safety.
This made Lin Hanjiang feel both heartbroken and heavy-hearted.
How long will it take my mother to save this little bit of money? It's like a drop in the ocean.
He could only repeatedly assure his mother and sister that he would walk the right path and ask them to be patient for a little longer.
Lin Hanjiang didn't really blame his father.
After all, he had lived a comfortable life in previous years.
Without his father's courage to take risks, he wouldn't have come to the music academy; art is the most expensive field.
This reminded him of a saying.
"Chinese people have always judged heroes by their success or failure. Success is seen as visionary and eloquent; failure is seen as glib and unrealistic. But heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river, and even the most outstanding individuals struggle to make progress. How much more so for us, who have no choice but to gamble our entire lives to change our family's fate."
Wasn't his father the same?
After hanging up the phone, the worry weighed on my heart like a stone.
Even now, as he practices singing, thoughts of his father's potential danger, his mother's hidden worries, and the shadow of a 200,000 yuan debt still occasionally surface and disturb him.
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother Hanjiang!"
Zu Hai’s urgent voice suddenly came from the doorway, interrupting his practice of the high notes.
Lin Hanjiang turned around and saw his junior sister with an unusual look of panic on her face and her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly indicating that she had run over.
"Xiao Hai, what's wrong? Tell me slowly." Lin Hanjiang stopped practicing, picked up his enamel mug, and took a sip of water.
"At the school gate...a large group of people have arrived at the school gate." Zu Hai caught his breath and pointed outside. "They're making a lot of noise, claiming to be your relatives who are here to collect a debt. The security guards are trying to stop them, but they're very loud, and many students are watching."
Lin Hanjiang's mind went blank.
relative?
Debt collection?
In his previous life, during those years when he was unknown, no relative had ever come to the school in such a grand manner.
Yes, everything is different now.
In the past few days, newspapers, television, and radio have been filled with news about "Lin Hanjiang, the dark horse of the CCTV Young Singers Competition," "The Story of Spring," and "sky-high interview fees."
His name is inextricably linked with "making money" and "becoming famous," and his name has spread throughout the streets and alleys.
Those relatives who had lent money to their father but couldn't find the creditors for a long time naturally turned their attention to this suddenly exposed "celebrity".
What was bound to happen has finally happened.
And it came at such an inopportune time.
The day before the final.
If I don't finish the game now, it will definitely affect my performance.
"Let's go take a look."
Lin Hanjiang quickly calmed down and put the jar down.
Hiding won't help; we have to face this.
Zu Hai looked at him worriedly: "Senior brother, how about... I go find Teacher Jin or Senior Sister Zhang Ye first?"
"No need, let's go check the situation first." Lin Hanjiang's voice was calm, but his pace quickened.
The two walked through the lush campus in early summer, and the closer they got to the school gate, the clearer the noise became.
"Let us in! We're looking for Lin Hanjiang!"
"His father owes us so much money, now that his son is famous, shouldn't we get some kind of explanation?"
"Exactly! It's only right that the son should pay for the father's debts!"
The school's wrought iron gate was tightly closed, and two security guards stood with their arms outstretched in front of it.
Outside the door, a dozen or so people, men and women, mostly in their forties or fifties, were gathered in a dark mass, wearing gray or blue polyester or tartan clothing commonly seen in the early 90s.
Some people were still carrying old travel bags or net bags, looking travel-worn and their faces showed the anxiety of a long journey.
Lin Hanjiang immediately recognized several familiar yet unfamiliar faces.
My second uncle, Lin Runtu, always had a frown on his face; my cousin, Wang Chunmei, spoke in a loud, affected tone; and my aunt, Zhao Jinhua, always seemed to be trying to take advantage of me...
There are also some I don't recognize.
"Look, Xiao Jiang! It's Xiao Jiang coming out!" His sharp-eyed cousin, Wang Chunmei, was the first to spot him.
All eyes turned to Lin Hanjiang, and instantly, shouts and questions flooded in like a tidal wave:
"Xiao Jiang, come here quickly. Talk to these security guards and ask them to let us in!"
"Nephew Hanjiang, you can't ignore your father's situation!"
"Lin Hanjiang, your father, Lin Runsheng, borrowed three thousand yuan from our family and wrote an IOU. It's been two years, and he's disappeared without a trace. You have to acknowledge the money."
"And our family's is two thousand five!"
"Our family has four thousand!"
"Forget about interest, just pay back the principal first!"
Security guard Lao Wang recognized Lin Hanjiang and turned around, his face showing difficulty: "Lin, look at this... They say they're all your relatives, here to see your father, but our school has rules that outsiders can't come in like this. And this is causing..."
"Thank you, Master Wang and Master Li."
Lin Hanjiang first sincerely thanked the two security guards.
He told them to open the door a crack, and he went out to talk to them.
As soon as Lin Hanjiang stepped out, he was surrounded.
"Hanjiang, you've finally come out."
"Xiao Jiang, what do you think we should do?"
"Make your dad pay back the money."
Lin Hanjiang shouted, "Listen to me!"
That finally drowned out the noise.
"Second Uncle, Cousin Aunt, Cousin Sister-in-law, and all uncles and aunts."
"Everyone has come from afar, thank you for your hard work. But this is a school, and our noise here will disturb the students' studies and disrupt the school's order. Can we find somewhere to talk this out calmly?"