Although he already intended to help, Wang An didn't agree immediately. Instead, he continued to ask
"What do they do for a living? How much do they owe your family in total?"
Knowing one's enemy is the key to victory. It would be incredibly foolish to rush in without knowing the opponent's strength and background!
Han Xiaomin sighed and said
"The two of them were my family's original medicine traders. They used to take stock from us regularly. Back when my father was still alive, they each took two batches of goods without paying, though they signed IOU notes. Once my father passed away, they stopped acknowledging the debts."
Hearing that the opponents were medicine traders, Wang An felt somewhat more confident. When it came to collecting debts, there were two types of people one feared most.
The first type were those riddled with debt but who were so damn poor they didn't have a single cent to their name.
The second type were those with immense power, whether they operated in the underworld or the legitimate world; people who feared nothing.
However, unless there was some deep-seated grudge, people who had climbed to that level rarely left debts unpaid.
Han Xiaomin continued
"One of them owes my family over 950, and the other—who is the father of my previous boyfriend—owes my family 1,000 point something, just under 1,100."
Based on the wage levels of the era, 1,000 yuan back then was roughly equivalent to 140,000 or 150,000 yuan in later generations. 2,000 yuan would be about 300,000. Therefore, a sum of 2,000 yuan was certainly not a small amount of money for anyone.
That being said, the old bastard who was Han Xiaomin's ex-boyfriend's father was a real piece of work.
Wang An thought for a moment and asked again
"Are you sure they have the money and just don't want to pay, rather than simply having no money to give you?"
Han Xiaomin nodded vigorously, her face full of resentment as she said
"I'm sure, because I heard that one family bought a color TV and the other bought a refrigerator. Both were bought just a few days ago."
Looking at Han Xiaomin's small face, which was so angry she was almost crying, Wang An couldn't resist pinching it again and said
"Alright then. Considering how well you served me last night, I'll help you get that money back once we sign the contract. Hahaha..."
As soon as Wang An agreed, the tears stopped in Han Xiaomin's eyes. Ignoring his teasing, she looked at him with a face full of pleasant surprise and said
"Xiao An, you're so kind."
As she spoke, Han Xiaomin took the initiative to step forward, wrapped her arms around Wang An's neck, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss right on his cheek.
Wang An patted Han Xiaomin's perky backside, immediately feeling a trembling softness.
After kissing for a short while, Wang An said
"Alright, stop being so clingy. I'm going to take a shower first, then we'll go down for breakfast."
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that they had "exchanged" so many times last night that his body felt a bit overextended, Wang An would have insisted on another deep exchange with Han Xiaomin right now.
Thinking back to the erotic and romantic scenes of last night, Wang An couldn't help but feel a bit restless.
By the time Wang An finished washing up and came out, it was 7:30 AM, and Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and the other two had finally woken up.
Having slept for over three extra hours, the dark circles under Wang Li and Mu Xueli's eyes had completely vanished, and they were both energetic once again.
It had to be said that being young was truly wonderful; no matter how exhausted one was, a good night's sleep could bring back full vitality.
Once the four of them were ready, the group of six headed toward the restaurant behind the hotel.
Although the room rates at the Junle Hotel were very expensive, their service was indeed top-notch. In addition to the fully equipped rooms, breakfast was provided for free.
Of course, compared to a roadside inn where a bed cost 30 cents a night, a common hotel where a triple room cost 2 yuan, or a public security guesthouse where a standard room cost 3.50 yuan, the services of the Junle Hotel were nothing special.
During breakfast, Wang An mentioned to Wang Li and Mu Xueli that he planned to help Han Xiaomin collect her debts after signing the contract, which immediately received a strong positive response from the two.
Thus, after finishing breakfast, everyone went to Han Xiaomin's shop to sign the medicinal materials purchase contract.
This further relieved the economic pressure; primarily, the capital was no longer tied up in materials but was now fully circulating. This made Han Xiaomin very happy, and a few more smiles appeared on her lovely face.
After signing the contract, Tao Wenjing and Yuan Hongmei volunteered to stay behind to help Han Xiaomin mind the shop. Han Xiaomin borrowed an ancient GAZ from the Market Management Office and drove Wang An and the other two off aggressively to collect the debts.
It must be said that Han Xiaomin had quite a bit of influence; when she borrowed the car, the people at the management office handed over the keys without a moment's hesitation.
However, the fact that Han Xiaomin could actually drive was somewhat unexpected to Wang An.
Mainly, in this era, not many men could drive, and even fewer women could.
That said, the riding experience of this beat-up car was exceptionally poor.
In this freezing weather, the lack of heating was one thing, but the doors didn't close tightly, letting drafts leak in from everywhere. Not long after leaving the borders of Anguo, the driver, Comrade Han Xiaomin, was shivering uncontrollably, and her tender hands in woolen gloves were becoming numb.
As for the freezing, it was partly Han Xiaomin's own fault, as she had worn far too little in order to show off her beautiful figure.
Wang An, sitting in the passenger seat, felt alright, as the temperature in Yi Province was indeed quite warm compared to Hei Province.
Seeing Han Xiaomin's discomfort, Wang An couldn't help but say
"Xiao Min, pull over to the side. Let me drive."
Han Xiaomin said with some skepticism
"You've learned how to drive?"
Before Wang An could speak, Mu Xueli crossed her arms in the back and bragged
"You underestimate my brother-in-law too much. My brother-in-law's family has this car, but it's much better than this one. It's warm as a cocoon inside during winter."
As soon as Mu Xueli finished speaking, the look in Han Xiaomin's eyes toward Wang An shifted slightly.
Wang An smiled casually
"Don't worry, I'm much better at driving than you."
After they swapped seats, Wang An turned to Wang Li and said
"Old Fifth, take a cotton jacket from my bag and give it to Sister Han."
Han Xiaomin took the jacket handed over by Wang Li and covered her thighs, finally feeling less cold.
And so, the four of them chatted about medicinal materials as they sped toward the neighboring DZ County.
Because both people who owed Han Xiaomin money were in DZ County.
Anguo City and DZ County were adjacent, so the journey wasn't very long. After about an hour and a half, the four arrived in front of a pharmacy.
The owner of this pharmacy was the fellow who owed Han Xiaomin over 950 yuan.