Ni Yuhua's face darkened upon hearing his words. The reason she wanted to borrow money was to avoid selling the house. Without the house, the family she worked hard to build would be gone.

Can a rented house be the same as a house you buy? This is a simple modern concept for women: only with a home can there be a family; without a home, what marriage or family is there?

Not to mention that most of the money earned from the hardware store business in the future would have to go towards paying off the debt.

The interest on the gambling debt is very high, and the money they earn from the store in a year would only be enough to pay the interest at most.

Therefore, it is necessary to borrow money first to pay off the gambling debt in one go; otherwise, with interest compounding, they would never be able to repay it in a lifetime.

"What do I have to do for you to lend me the money?" Ni Yuhua was obviously not giving up, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng. "As long as it's something I can do, I'll fulfill your request."

Looking at her serious expression, Chen Feng was momentarily moved, but his natural sense of morality quickly suppressed that unhealthy thought.

"What's your education background? Did you attend university?" Chen Feng suddenly asked.

Ni Yuhua was taken aback, and her face reddened again with embarrassment and annoyance, but she still answered truthfully, "I graduated from high school, but didn't get into university."

She knew Chen Feng was a high-achieving graduate from East Sea Institute of Technology, while she only graduated from high school. His question naturally made her feel a bit embarrassed.

After nodding, Chen Feng asked again, "What jobs have you done after graduating from high school?"

Though slightly puzzled, Ni Yuhua continued to answer, "I first worked at a clothing factory, then helped a relative sell mobile phones, and later, for the past five or six years, I have been running the hardware store with Guoxiang."

"What special skills or talents do you have?" Chen Feng asked further.

Ni Yuhua found it strange but still thought for a moment and said, "My spoken English is quite good. I started self-learning in high school and have continued since then, thinking I might do foreign trade someday. I've communicated with foreigners before; everyday conversation is no problem. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I also play the bamboo flute, which I learned in middle school, and have continued playing over the years. I can sew and tailor clothes, often making garments for myself and my family.

Additionally, my sales skills are decent; most of the large customers at the hardware store, especially those making big purchases, have been brought in by me."

Listening to this, Chen Feng couldn't help but laugh, "You're quite talented."

Ni Yuhua smiled with a slight sense of pride.

After thinking it over, Chen Feng said, "I can lend you one million, but you have to work for me for at least five years until the debt is repaid. Can you do that?"

"Work for you?" Ni Yuhua replied, puzzled, "What kind of work?"

Chen Feng said earnestly, "I plan to open a gold store in Lin Nan, a franchise chain. You can be the sales manager."

Ni Yuhua was stunned; she never imagined Chen Feng would open a gold store and then offer her a position as sales manager.

The shift was so fast that she couldn't process it immediately.

However, Chen Feng's plan to open the gold store was not a whim but something he had thought about a few days earlier.

The reason being he now had too much cash, and keeping it in the bank without circulation seemed unwise, so he feared it would attract unwanted attention. Thus, he planned to invest in a business venture with no fear of loss.

Moreover, Chen Feng wanted to find new work for his parents. His father often had to lift and transport goods for the supermarket, which was stressful.

Therefore, opening a gold store seemed like a good idea; his parents could simply oversee it, given that a gold store wouldn't be overwhelmingly busy.

However, Chen Feng's parents lacked knowledge about business operations in a gold store, so someone younger was needed to manage it.

Moreover, Chen Feng didn't want his parents to worry about the store's operations, so the store manager had to be another person, ideally someone from the industry.

As for his parents, Chen Feng planned to title his mom as the assistant manager and his dad as the head of security.

"Are you serious?"

After being stunned for a while, Ni Yuhua still found it hard to believe.

Chen Feng replied earnestly, "Of course I'm serious. I'm going back home tomorrow and plan to open the gold store along the way."

"Do you really trust me? This is a gold store, and you're making me the sales manager. Are you really comfortable with that?"

With a complex expression, Ni Yuhua looked at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng smiled slightly, "What's there not to trust? I'm opening this store mainly to give my parents something easy to do. My mom will be the assistant manager, my dad the head of security, and I'll hire a well-paid experienced industry store manager. Your role as the sales manager will primarily be sales-focused, earning commissions. If you do well, you might pay off the debt within two to three years, or even faster."

After hesitating for a while, Ni Yuhua bravely said, "Since you're willing to lend me one million and believe I can repay it in two or three years, why not lend me another million? Go all the way as a good person; I don't want to sell the house."

Chen Feng's face turned cold, and he said bluntly, "To me, you're worth at most one million now. I'm lending it to you because I admire your determination and your dedication to your family and husband. Also, I want to find a good employee for my future gold store. I believe you can be a competent sales manager. So, you'd better not push your luck."

Ni Yuhua felt ashamed and said with a flushed face, "I was wrong; you lending me one million is already very generous. I shouldn't ask for more. If the house has to be sold, so be it."

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Go back and discuss it with your husband, and then contact me tomorrow afternoon when I should be in Lin Nan at home."

"Ah, well, then I... I'll stay with you first..." Ni Yuhua said, her tongue tied, looking down with her face red, not daring to meet Chen Feng's gaze.

When she was willing to fight for it earlier, she wasn't that shy, but now that Chen Feng agreed to lend her money, she felt embarrassed.

Chen Feng understood her intentions and resisted the urge to make any wrongful move, shaking his head firmly and saying seriously, "I've already made it clear that although I may not be a great person, I won't take advantage of someone in distress. So, let's skip the 'being with me' thing. Alright, get out of the car."

Seeing Chen Feng asking her to get out, Ni Yuhua hesitated, not because she couldn't leave Chen Feng, but because she feared he might change his mind.

Chen Feng saw through her thoughts and laughed, "Worried that I'll go back on my word?"

"No, no." Ni Yuhua quickly denied, then said, "There's no need to discuss with Guoxiang; I can make the decision myself, and I've agreed. If you want, I can write you an IOU now."