Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

“I can go and call someone,” Zhou Yuren said, clicking his tongue. “But you have to be honest. I won’t ask anything else, just tell me, do you and Cheng Jinxiang still have any money left from farming these past few years?”

Zhou Yuren's question stumped Zhao Tiesheng, who stammered, "The family money wasn't divided. My father manages it all."

"I'm asking about the money. Is there any left?" Zhou Yuren asked with a stern face.

"It seems like he lent my older sister 20,000 yuan to buy a tractor, and spent the rest on pocket money," Zhao Tiesheng said.

“Then it’s gone.” Zhou Yuren smiled. “This money isn’t yours. If it were, how could you not know whether it was lent out or gone? You know nothing.”

“My father said this is for my wife and me, to be used when we build a new house,” Zhao Tiesheng retorted.

Zhou Yuren seemed a little distracted: "I've been quite busy lately. The geese still need to build a wall, it's not just about putting up a plastic sheet, I have to help build it. I'm not exactly a smooth talker, there are some things I don't know how to say, so I won't go. You should ask someone else."

“Brother-in-law, you were the matchmaker back then, and we're brothers-in-law, you can't not go.”

"Being a matchmaker doesn't mean I'll be responsible for your whole lives. I have my reasons for doing this. Da'e's family is pressuring me, and you know her temper. If she says something and I don't go, she'll ride on my neck and pull my hair. I can't afford not to work for her. Besides, our Tianfu might be going on a blind date in the next few days. If someone introduces him to someone, do you think I can leave home?"

"If I leave home, they won't be able to find me. If this falls through, it will ruin Tianfu's life. As his father, I can't afford to be careless. So, I really have no choice. If I had a way and time, I would definitely go." Zhou Yuren made excuses, but he was determined not to go.

He didn't have the face to call him that. If his brother-in-law asked the same question, aside from anything else, just a few questions would make the person who went there lose face. Zhou Yuren knew all of these questions and couldn't answer them.

What if my brother-in-law asks: "Where did the 30,000 yuan you earned from farming go in all these years of marriage? Why don't you even have a house to live in after five or six years of marriage? How poor are you that you have to sell your children?"

Zhou Yuren knows these questions, so no one can answer them. If they can't answer them, what are they supposed to do? Just wait to get beaten up by their brother-in-law?

Zhou Yuren was thin-skinned; he didn't want to get beaten up.

And what if his wife, Cheng Jinxi, comes home and complains, saying something like, "Back when Zhou Yuren was poor, he always beat me up..."

Then it's all for nothing; there's no need to go home at all.

Therefore, it was impossible for Zhou Yuren to go.

Zhao Tiesheng pleaded desperately, but Zhou Yuren remained unmoved.

I can't go to that job.

“Brother-in-law, it’s almost nine o’clock. The children are asleep, so I can’t keep you any longer. I have to get up at five tomorrow morning to go up the mountain to find stones. The walls around the goose shed will need about fifty cubic meters of stones. That’s a huge job. It’s even more time-consuming than building a house. I’m worried I won’t be able to gather enough stones for her this winter. But I can’t help it, hehehe… I can’t not go, so I’m going to bed now. I really can’t go. You can ask around. Your Tiebao is educated, he’s a teacher, let him go. He’s eloquent, he’ll definitely be able to handle it.” Zhou Yuren gave him the order to leave.

Seeing that there was really no other way, Zhao Tiesheng could only get up and leave. After all, the reasons and excuses given by Zhou Yuren were good enough, and he had no choice.

Even if Zhou Yuren had no excuse, when asking someone for a favor, there's no such thing as forcing them.