"I'd like you to return it, Uncle Pan."
Chen Ping'an's smile didn't waver. He ignored Old Pan's suggestion and held his ground.
"Ping'an, didn't I just tell you? You've brought this up so suddenly, and your Uncle Pan here isn't prepared. Why don't you go home for now and come back in a day or two? We can discuss what to do then."
Old Pan said persuasively.
The implication was that bringing up the debt was too sudden, leaving him completely unprepared. He was framing it as if Chen Ping'an were the one in the wrong.
Keep in mind, this silver had been owed for nearly a year. Any decent family would have brought the matter up themselves without being asked. Even if they were truly tight on cash, they would have explained the situation beforehand and negotiated a repayment plan. It would have been better for everyone, setting a clear deadline.
Old Pan was old and cunning, trying to control the conversation's rhythm. He even turned the tables, twisting his own failure to mention repayment into a story about how Chen Ping'an's sudden demand was causing him distress.
Most young men, upon hearing this, would have started to feel embarrassed. 'To think my rashness has caused him so much trouble.' With that thought, they would fall right into Old Pan's trap.
"Uncle Pan, this debt isn't just a day or two old. What kind of mental preparation do you need? Why don't you tell me about it?"
'You can set the pace, but I'll stick to my guns.'
At these words, the smile on Old Pan's face vanished completely.
"Ping'an, you're not married and you don't have any other debts. You're not hurting for this little bit of money, so why are you in such a rush to get it back? We're all neighbors here. Is this really necessary? It's not like we won't repay you! Didn't I just say I needed to think about it? Besides, you're a decent young man. Aren't you ashamed to be thinking about money all day long?"
Aunt Pan chimed in from the side, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
'What a classic move—shifting the blame and seizing the offensive! Truly a pair, these two!'
It would have been one thing if they hadn't mentioned other debts, but now that they had, the situation was utterly laughable.
Back then, Old Chen would rather take out a high-interest loan from the Tiger Head Gang than press the Pan family to repay their debt.
And Chen Ping'an had managed to scrape together fourteen taels of silver himself to clear the owed silver with the Tiger Head Gang. Yet now, the Pans were turning it around and making it seem like *he* was the one at fault.
'He was the one thinking about this money all day long!?'
'Who was it, really, that was obsessed with this money!?'
Paying your debts is a matter of basic decency!
Putting all else aside, Chen Ping'an didn't need their permission to get his money back. Even if they were broke, it was their responsibility to find a way to raise the silver and repay him first.
No matter how you looked at it, he was in the right.
Half a tael of silver. For nearly a year, he hadn't asked for a single coin's worth of interest.
And now, to hear them tell it, he was the one ignoring neighborly decency, completely obsessed with money.
"Uncle Pan, Aunt Pan, whether or not I need this money has absolutely nothing to do with you repaying your debt. I came here to discuss this quietly precisely out of consideration for our standing as neighbors. If word of this were to get out, who do you think would be the one losing face and feeling ashamed?"
Chen Ping'an didn't lose his temper or show any sign of agitation. He spoke slowly and deliberately.
"You!"
Chen Ping'an spoke slowly, but his words left Aunt Pan completely speechless.
Seeing Chen Ping'an lay it all out so plainly, Old Pan's expression turned cold. "Ping'an, I never said I wouldn't pay you back. Do you really have to speak like that!?"
"In that case, please repay me, Uncle Pan."
"Go home. I'll pay you in a few days!" Old Pan said coldly.
If Old Pan had said this from the start, Chen Ping'an might actually have agreed to give them a few more days. But now... that was wishful thinking.
"I must ask you to repay me now, Uncle Pan!"
Chen Ping'an's stance was resolute, his words firm and clear.
The Pan Family was completely stunned. They never imagined that Chen Ping'an, a young man barely out of his teens, would react this way in such a situation.
"Chen Ping'an, don't go too far!" Aunt Pan began to level accusations, her voice turning sharp and shrill like a hysterical shrew. "I said we'd pay you in a few days! Must you be so relentless? Are you trying to drive our Pan family into the ground?!"
Faced with Aunt Pan's outburst, Chen Ping'an remained calm. He spoke slowly, "Uncle Pan, neighbors care about keeping up appearances. If you don't repay my money today, then you can forget all about that."
BAM!
Uncle Pan slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet, furious.
"Chen Ping'an, you know we're neighbors! And I am still your elder! Do you have any respect for me at all, speaking like that?"
To be fair, Old Pan's enraged expression as he shot up was rather intimidating.
"You little brat, watch your mouth! Even if the Celestial King himself came today, we still don't have the money."
Aunt Pan was losing it, resorting to the typical tactics of a quarreling fishwife.
None of this, however, had any effect on Chen Ping'an.
"If that's how it is, then I'll see you at the Garrison Commandant's Office!"
With that, Chen Ping'an turned and started to walk out.
At this, Old Pan's bravado instantly deflated.
'The Garrison Commandant's Office!?'
'He had thought that at most, Chen Ping'an would go to the Li Zheng. How did the Garrison Commandant's Office get involved!?'
Every neighborhood in Nanquan Lane had a Li Zheng, responsible for mediating civil disputes. If it went to the Li Zheng, they could use their numbers and play the rogue to confuse the issue. The worst-case scenario would just be repaying the half tael of silver.
'But the Garrison Commandant's Office...'
'This...'
Old Pan finally realized something.
The young man before him was no ordinary youth. He was a constable with the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office!
When he was being polite, he could speak of neighborly bonds and call him "Uncle Pan." But when he wasn't, he had plenty of official ways to deal with people.
Old Chen was dead, and Chen Ping'an had always been so agreeable, that he'd forgotten the boy worked for the government.
'Damn it!'
"Wait!"
Old Pan couldn't stay seated any longer and called out to stop Chen Ping'an.
But Chen Ping'an didn't break his stride, ignoring him completely.
"Ping'an, wait, wait! I'll pay it back! I'll pay you right now!"
With that, Old Pan immediately ran into the back room.
"Old Pan!" Aunt Pan tried to stop him but was shoved aside. The woman was so caught up in her emotions she still hadn't grasped the situation.
At these words, Chen Ping'an stopped in his tracks.
The sounds of rummaging through chests and cabinets came from the back room. A moment later, Old Pan emerged holding a black cloth bag.
"Ping'an, don't be angry. The silver's all in here. Take a look."
Old Pan said, forcing a smile.
Chen Ping'an took the bag. Inside were coins of various sizes. He counted the silver coins, then slowly looked up at Old Pan.
"The amount... it isn't quite right, is it?"
"What? How can it not be right? I counted it! There are five hundred small coins in the bag, exactly half a tael of silver," Old Pan said, rushing forward in a panic.
Chen Ping'an watched Old Pan silently. "There are, indeed, five hundred small coins here. The loan was for half a tael of silver. Based on the prevailing market interest rate for nearly a year, the repayment should be five hundred fifty small coins. You're fifty short."