"Aunt Zhang."
Chen Ping'an said with a smile, looking at the old woman.
"Brother Chen, what can I do for you?"
Chen Ping'an smiled faintly and explained his purpose. He said he needed some sand and gravel, and thought Uncle Zhang might know how to get some.
"Is that all? I was wondering what it could be! Don't you worry, Brother Chen. I'll tell your Uncle Zhang as soon as he gets back."
Aunt Zhang readily agreed.
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an pulled some small change from his pocket and tried to give it to Aunt Zhang. But she refused to take it, no matter what.
"We're neighbors, what's this talk of money? It's just some sand and gravel, it's nothing valuable. Don't worry about it."
Aunt Zhang refused again and again.
Chen Ping'an couldn't win her over, so he gave up for the time being. 'I'll just have to buy some meat and vegetables and bring them over another day,' he thought.
"Brother Chen, won't you come in and sit for a while?"
"I can't, I still have things to do at home." Chen Ping'an waved his hand in refusal.
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Chen Ping'an left Uncle Zhang's home.
"That Brother Chen has really become something!"
Aunt Zhang watched Chen Ping'an's departing figure and sighed with sincere admiration.
His words and manners just now had been extremely proper. He was so worldly and sophisticated, not at all like a young man who wasn't even twenty.
...
With the matter of the sand and gravel settled, Chen Ping'an felt a weight lift from his mind.
Now, all he had to do was wait for Young Master Xiao Hu to show up so he could pay off the owed silver.
The morning flew by. Chen Ping'an took the rare opportunity to go out with Chen Erya. They bought some vegetables and a whole half of a pig's leg.
Chen Erya was pained to see the silver coins being spent. But she considered that her brother was practicing martial arts now and using up a lot of energy. Without plenty of meat to eat, his body probably couldn't handle the strain.
Chen Erya didn't mention that they should be saving silver coins for her brother to get married.
Considering that Young Master Xiao Hu could arrive at any moment, the siblings didn't cook the large pig's leg for lunch. Instead, they hid it away to eat for dinner or the next day.
Today's lunch: a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of steamed pumpkin, a bowl of seasonal vegetable and shredded pork soup, and two bowls of white rice, one large and one small.
"Brother, how did you manage to get all fourteen taels of silver~?"
Chen Erya asked curiously as they ate, her eyes sparkling with adoration.
"Your big brother has his ways."
Chen Ping'an said, pretending to be smug. He didn't go into detail. Some things were better kept to himself; there was no need to give Chen Erya any more to worry about.
"You're amazing, Brother."
Chen Erya sang his praises.
Amidst this cheerful atmosphere, the siblings finished their lunch. With Chen Ping'an's final "mop-up," not a scrap of food was left.
After the meal, they worked together and quickly washed the bowls and chopsticks.
They chatted idly. Just as Chen Ping'an was hesitating, wondering if he should practice his Iron Cloth Shirt,
a knock sounded at the door.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Chen Family's kid, the ten days are up! Time to pay up. Open the door!"
It was a familiar voice—that of Liu'Er, Young Master Xiao Hu's trusted confidant.
"Coming!" Chen Ping'an's expression grew serious.
As long as he paid back the Tiger Head Gang's owed silver of fourteen taels today, principal and interest, he and Nannan could live freely and comfortably.
CREAK!
Chen Ping'an quickly opened the small courtyard gate.
"Young Master Xiao Hu, you've arrived! Quick, please, come in."
With a smile on his face, Chen Ping'an welcomed the men into the courtyard.
Three men had come today, all familiar faces to Chen Ping'an.
Young Master Xiao Hu, Liu'Er, and a ruffian named Feizi.
Before, when Chen Ping'an had not yet stepped onto the Martial Dao, he couldn't sense it clearly. But now, at Qi Blood First Level Perfection, a quick glance was all it took to realize that all of them had reached the Martial Arts Introduction.
Reaching the Martial Arts Introduction was enough to be considered a capable fighter in these parts!
It wasn't that the Tiger Head Gang was so powerful that even their grunts were at this level. Rather, as a high-ranking member of the Tiger Head Gang and one of its three Protectors, it was only natural that Young Master Xiao Hu's confidants would have such standing.
Just like Liu'Er, this Feizi was also a minor leader within the Tiger Head Gang.
"Young Master Xiao Hu, here, have some water."
Chen Ping'an poured the water he had prepared earlier into a bowl and offered it to Young Master Xiao Hu.
His home was simple. He had no teacups and no tea leaves, so he could only offer plain water.
But before the water could even reach Young Master Xiao Hu's lips, Liu'Er shoved it aside.
"What is this junk!? Do you know who Young Master Xiao Hu is? You expect him to come here and drink plain water?"
Watching the water splash across the wooden table, Chen Ping'an's smile didn't waver.
"My humble home is simple, I only have water to offer. I've wronged Young Master Xiao Hu."
"Good that you know it!"
Liu'Er snorted coldly.
"Liu'Er." Young Master Xiao Hu waved his hand. "Chen Family's kid, I'm sure you know why I'm here today."
"I do, I do." Chen Ping'an, his face wreathed in smiles, used his own sleeve as a rag to wipe up the spilled water.
Once the water was wiped away, Chen Ping'an took a cloth pouch from his robes and poured all the silver from it onto the table.
Then, in front of Young Master Xiao Hu and the others, he began to count it carefully.
"One tael, three taels, five and a half, six, seven and a half..."
The silver on the table was all broken silver, and Chen Ping'an counted it meticulously.
"Thirteen taels, fourteen taels! Young Master Xiao Hu, it's fourteen taels of silver in total. Please, take a look."
Looking at the silver on the table, Young Master Xiao Hu nodded slightly.
But before he could speak, Liu'Er at his side jumped in eagerly.
"Let me see! Make sure there's no fake silver."
Liu'Er snatched the silver from the table and began to inspect it piece by piece.
Although counterfeit silver was rare on the market these days, that didn't mean it didn't exist.
However, after checking every piece, he couldn't find any fakes.
"Guess it's your lucky day!"
Liu'Er shot Chen Ping'an a vicious glare. It was unclear where his anger was coming from. Perhaps it was because of what happened the other day.
"Chen Family's kid, you actually managed to scrape together fourteen taels. Not bad at all!"
As he spoke, Young Master Xiao Hu's face was expressionless, making it impossible to read his true meaning.
"I got my Monthly Allowance, and then I borrowed a bit from some colleagues at the Garrison Commandant's Office. That's how I managed to gather the silver I owed Young Master Xiao Hu."
Chen Ping'an said with a smile.
"Colleagues, huh! Chen Family's kid, looks like you're quite popular at the Garrison Commandant's Office!"
Young Master Xiao Hu narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips that didn't reach his eyes.
"Haha, it's alright. My colleagues are just kind. Old Chen left me with a few connections."
Chen Ping'an said, his face smiling, but his words were full of deeper meaning.
"It's good to have people looking out for you!"
Young Master Xiao Hu placed one hand on the wooden table and slowly stood up.
"In that case, your fourteen taels of silver, principal and interest, are considered paid in full. Here, give him the IOU. Don't let it be said that I, Young Master Xiao Hu, don't play by the rules."
At his words, the ruffian named Feizi behind him took out an IOU from his robes and handed it to Chen Ping'an.
"Young Master Xiao Hu is merciful. Thank you, Young Master Xiao Hu."
Chen Ping'an accepted the IOU for the owed silver, his face beaming.
"Let's go."
Young Master Xiao Hu gave the order and headed for the courtyard gate, with Feizi right behind him. Liu'Er shot Chen Ping'an one last venomous look before following them out.
"Oh, right."
As he reached the gate, Young Master Xiao Hu stopped as if he had just remembered something.
"You know that my Tiger Head Gang collects a monthly fee from the surrounding streets. The neighbors all show us respect and cooperate. Before, since you still owed us silver, we never brought up the monthly fee. You could call that looking out for you.
Now that the owed silver is paid off, you don't need any more special treatment. We'll waive this month's fee for you. You can start paying next month."
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an cupped his hands in a slight bow, the smile on his face unchanging.
"In that case, Ping'an thanks Young Master Xiao Hu for looking after him for so long."
"Not bad! A teachable youth, hahaha... Let's go."
Amidst loud laughter, Young Master Xiao Hu led his men away, their figures quickly disappearing around the corner of the alley.
Chen Ping'an lowered his head slightly, looking at the wooden tabletop. There, where Young Master Xiao Hu had just pressed his hand, a deep, thick Palm Seal was clearly visible.
...
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