Mr. Minser owned the only general store in town. He was friends with many of the farm estates from whom he bought wheat, corn, chicken, and beef. They would often come to give him deals and do business with him. The only people who purchased from his store were the estate's servants, except for Mr. D, the man who sold him the beef and chicken. Mr. D had 15 children, one of whom was 18 and accompanied his father almost everywhere. There was only one large wheat estate nearby, as well as other large estates in the area. Any other nearby estate was at least two hundred miles away.
On a busy day, four businessmen entered his shop. They were the men from whom he had borrowed a loan one year ago in order to purchase a much-needed supply of corn and wheat. However, he was still unable to pay back the loan.
"Look," said one of them, seeming half-asleep, "you need to pay your loan."
Suddenly, there was a shout as someone tried to enter the shop, but the crowd of chatting people inside the doorway prevented them.
It happened to be his sister with her four little kids with their pocket money who liked to buy candy. His sister simply grabbed an apron, smiled, and said, "Busy day, huh?" before going into the back of the store.
"I want four candies," said the youngest, coming up to the counter and putting down his money.
"Ok, just wait one minute," he replied.
Just then, Mr. D entered with his two oldest sons. "I have got a parasol for you, plus I need my rifle back. I asked you to fix and clean it the other day," he said. "Oh, and I got this list. I don't really know what's on it, save ginger. My wife wrote them down. She ain't feeling good these days. It's ingredients to make some sort of tea, I heard." He then frowned.
"I'll get it for you," Minser said. "Exactly when was she supposed to have the baby?"
In a week, Mr. D replied.
Ok, I'll get your riffle for you.
I want my candy now! Said the his nephew
Anne, could you give your son the candies he wants and let him keep his money?
All right she said as she came out of the back room
K
Anne handed the four candies to her son and let him keep his money. The little boy happily thanked his aunt and started eating his candy. Meanwhile, Mr. Minser went to the back room to retrieve Mr. D's rifle and look for the ingredients for the tea. He quickly found the rifle and made sure it was in good condition before returning to the front of the store.
"I found your rifle, Mr. D," Mr. Minser said as he handed it over. "It's all cleaned and fixed up."
"Thank you," Mr. D replied, relieved. "And did you manage to find the ingredients for the tea?"
"I'm working on it," Mr. Minser said, searching through the shelves. "I know we have ginger, but let me see if we have the rest."
Mr. Minser continued looking for the ingredients, checking the labels on various jars and canisters. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. "Here you go, Mr. D," he said, handing him the rest of the ingredients. "I believe this should be everything your wife needs to make the tea."
"Thank you, Minser," Mr. D said gratefully. "I'll make sure she knows you helped."
"No problem at all," Mr. Minser replied. "I hope she feels better soon."
As Mr. D and his sons left the store, Mr. Minser returned his attention to the four businessmen who were waiting. "I apologize for the interruption," he said, addressing them. "Now, as for the loan, I understand that I haven't been able to pay it back yet. I'm facing some financial difficulties at the moment, but I assure you that I am working on it."
One of the businessmen sighed. "We understand that times have been tough," he said. "But we really need the money back soon. It's been a year already."
"I completely understand," Mr. Minser said sincerely. "I promise I will do everything I can to repay the loan as soon as possible. Just please give me a little more time."
The businessmen exchanged hesitant glances before finally nodding. "Alright, we'll give you another month," one of them said. "But please don't let us down."
"I won't," Mr. Minser promised. "Thank you for understanding."
With that settled, Mr. Minser turned his attention back to the rest of the customers in his store. It was indeed a busy day, but he was grateful for the support of his friends and customers. He knew that with their continued patronage, he would eventually be able to pay off his debt and keep his store running successfully.
Questions
Mr. Minser owned the only general store in town. He was friends with many of the farm estates from whom he bought wheat, corn, chicken, and beef. They would often come to give him deals and do business with him. The only people who purchased from his store were the estate's servants, except for Mr. D, the man who sold him the beef and chicken. Mr. D had 15 children, one of whom was 18 and accompanied his father almost everywhere. There was only one large wheat estate nearby, as well as other large estates in the area. Any other nearby estate was at least two hundred miles away.
On a busy day, four businessmen entered his shop. They were the men from whom he had borrowed a loan one year ago in order to purchase a much-needed supply of corn and wheat. However, he was still unable to pay back the loan.
"Look," said one of them, seeming half-asleep, "you need to pay your loan."
Suddenly, there was a shout as someone tried to enter the shop, but the crowd of chatting people inside the doorway prevented them.
It happened to be his sister with her four little kids with their pocket money who liked to buy candy. His sister simply grabbed an apron, smiled, and said, "Busy day, huh?" before going into the back of the store.
"I want four candies," said the youngest, coming up to the counter and putting down his money.
"Ok, just wait one minute," he replied.
Just then, Mr. D entered with his two oldest sons. "I have got a parasol for you, plus I need my rifle back. I asked you to fix and clean it the other day," he said. "Oh, and I got this list. I don't really know what's on it, save ginger. My wife wrote them down. She ain't feeling good these days. It's ingredients to make some sort of tea, I heard." He then frowned.
"I'll get it for you," Minser said. "Exactly when was she supposed to have the baby?"
In a week, Mr. D replied.
Ok, I'll get your riffle for you.
I want my candy now! Said the his nephew
Anne, could you give your son the candies he wants and let him keep his money?
All right she said as she came out of the back room
Anne handed the four candies to her son and let him keep his money. The little boy happily thanked his mother and started eating his candy. Meanwhile, Mr. Minser went to the back room to retrieve Mr. D's rifle and look for the ingredients for the tea. He quickly found the rifle and made sure it was in good condition before returning to the front of the store.
"I found your rifle, Mr. D," Mr. Minser said as he handed it over. "It's all cleaned and fixed up."
Mr, d put the Rifle over his knee and made it snap open in a half but still connected, one who did not use a rifle like that would have thought it broken.
Two of the business men started laughing.
Q1: Why did Mr. Minser borrow a loan from the businessmen?
A1: Mr. Minser borrowed a loan from the businessmen to purchase a much-needed supply of corn and wheat for his general store.
Q2: Why couldn't Mr. Minser pay back the loan?
A2: The information does not specify why Mr. Minser couldn't pay back the loan.