Chapter 132: Offering a Hand

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Isn’t this man supposed to be a good-for-nothing? How could he possibly have so much money?

Xu Hong refused to believe it. She knew what the Li family’s circumstances were like; there was no way they could have so much money.

And Mo Han was merely a live-in son-in-law. The money certainly could not be his.

“Surely this money isn’t counterfeit?” Xu Hong sneered.

But by then, no one was backing her up.

“It’s real. I went back to my room and tested it with a counterfeit-detection pen just now.”

At that moment, Li Xue came out holding the twenty thousand yuan Mo Han had just given her.

“Where did you get that money?” Xu Kai demanded, staring at the twenty thousand yuan in his wife’s hands.

“Mo Han just repaid what our family owed him,” Li Xue replied.

“Wasn’t it only ten thousand? Why are there twenty thousand?” Xu Kai turned to Mo Han.

“Uncle, the other ten thousand is interest.” Mo Han smiled.

“We’re all family. Why talk about interest?”

Xu Kai looked at Li Xue. “Give that extra ten thousand back to An’an and the others.”

There was clear reluctance in Li Xue’s eyes. Ten thousand yuan was no small amount; it would take her family several months to save that much. The thought of giving it back pained her.

But Xu Kai was the head of their household. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to return the ten thousand yuan.

She had known Xu Kai would refuse to keep it, which was why she had brought it out only after verifying it.

“Mo Han, we don’t want the interest.” With some reluctance, Li Xue handed the money back to him.

“Keep it. Our family has money now. Think of it as a gift for our first meeting.” Smiling, Mo Han pushed the money back toward her.

Everyone was speechless. Weren’t such gifts usually given by elders to the younger generation? He had completely reversed the tradition.

Still, as they stared at the ten thousand yuan, everyone felt a pang of emotion.

If only that money were theirs.

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Xu Kai was about to insist again when Li An’an persuaded him as well. “Uncle, this is just a token of Mo Han’s goodwill. Please accept it. It’s his first time meeting you.”

“This…” Xu Kai did not know how to argue.

Mo Han, however, picked up three bundles of cash and handed them to Xu Jin. “Uncle, ten thousand is to repay what we owe Auntie, and the other twenty thousand is a gift for Cousin Xu Qiong.”

“No, no. I can’t take your money.” Xu Jin hurriedly tried to push it away.

Mo Han pressed down on his hand and said with a smile, “I saw Cousin Qiong earlier. She must be going to university soon, right? University is expensive, and even twenty thousand probably won’t be enough.”

Xu Jin’s expression darkened. He usually survived by taking odd jobs, earning a hundred and fifty yuan on days when work was available. When there was no work, he had to live off his savings. Their circumstances were rather strained. To him, thirty thousand yuan was an enormous fortune.

“All right, then. Once Qiong starts working, I’ll have her earn the money and pay you back,” Xu Jin said after thinking it over.

“Of course. After Qiong graduates, if she can’t find a suitable job, we’ll help arrange one for her.” Mo Han nodded.

He then handed another twenty thousand yuan to Xu Kai. “Uncle, this twenty thousand is a gift for Cousin Yuanyuan. I heard she’s also attending university. There will certainly be plenty of expenses in the future.”

Xu Kai had another son, Xu Ming, but he had been married for some time and had apparently gone south to work. He was older than both Mo Han and Li An’an, so Mo Han did not include him.

Xu Kai was about to speak, but Mo Han smiled and said, “Uncle, this isn’t for you. Brother Xu Ming is older than I am, so I wouldn’t give him money either. Don’t refuse it. This is simply a token of goodwill from An’an and me.”

“All right. In that case, I’ll thank you on Yuanyuan’s behalf.” Xu Kai stopped declining. He could already see that Li An’an’s family had truly risen in the world.

Back when their family had fallen on hard times, he had lent them the only ten thousand yuan he possessed. Now that they had prospered, there was no need for him to stand on ceremony with them.

Besides, Mo Han had handled the matter with perfect tact, giving them ample respect. Xu Kai had no way to refuse.

After a round of polite exchanges, everyone began eating, with the sole exception of Xu Hong, whose face had grown dark with fury.

Mo Han had gone too far. He had given money to the families of her two younger brothers while giving nothing to her. It was infuriating.

“You all go ahead and eat. I’m not hungry. My son-in-law reserved a private dining room at Baishixuan, and I need to save room for the feast.”

With an expression of disdain, Xu Hong snorted and rose to leave.

When Mo Han and Li An’an said nothing, no one else tried to stop her either.

That made Xu Hong even angrier.

After the meal, Xu Kai, Li Jin, and the others went to the ancestral burial grounds to work.

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Finding it boring, Li An’an took Mo Han along to help at the burial grounds.

Restoring graves was a folk custom in southwestern China.

In the rural areas of the southwest, the dead were buried in their family’s ancestral burial grounds rather than in designated cemeteries, as was customary in the cities.

After a certain number of years, the graves would deteriorate. As long as the descendants were not in particularly poor financial circumstances, they would spend some money repairing and restoring them.

Seeing how laboriously everyone was carrying bricks and stones, Mo Han volunteered to help.

When he effortlessly lifted a monumental stone weighing more than five hundred kilograms and set it into place by himself, Xu Kai and the others were utterly dumbfounded.

They had planned to bind the stone securely with ropes and carry it using wooden poles, with eight people working together. Mo Han’s strength stunned them all.

Even Li An’an was surprised.

She knew Mo Han was formidable in a fight, but she had never imagined that he possessed such extraordinary strength.

What was more, although Mo Han stood around six feet tall, he was actually rather slender.

“I’ve practiced martial arts since I was a child, so I’m somewhat stronger than most,” Mo Han said with a smile.

So that was it.

Xu Kai and the others nodded, though they still found it hard to believe.

They often watched martial arts dramas on television, so they did have some faith in the power of Chinese martial arts.

With Mo Han, their strongman, helping them, work that should have lasted until evening was completed in less than two hours.

They hung paper offerings, set off firecrackers, paid their respects to their ancestors, and finished for the day.

When they returned to the Xu residence, they saw Xu Hong entering the main hall with a young man and woman.