Chapter 22

"Auntie Zhang," Chen Ping'an greeted the old woman with a smile.

"Young Chen, what brings you here?" Auntie Zhang asked warmly.

Chen Ping'an smiled and explained his purpose, saying he needed some sand and gravel, and thought Uncle Zhang might have a way to get it.

"Oh, that's all? Don't worry, young Chen. I'll let your Uncle Zhang know as soon as he gets back," Auntie Zhang replied cheerfully.

Hearing this, Chen Ping'an reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins, intending to give them to Auntie Zhang. However, she adamantly refused to accept them.

"Neighbors shouldn't talk about money. It's just some sand and gravel, nothing of value. Don't worry about it," Auntie Zhang insisted, waving her hand.

Chen Ping'an couldn't persuade her, so he decided to let it go for now, making a mental note to bring some meat and vegetables another day.

"Young Chen, why don't you come in and sit for a while?" Auntie Zhang offered.

"No, thank you. I still have some things to take care of at home," Chen Ping'an declined politely.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Chen Ping'an left Uncle Zhang's house.

"Young Chen has really grown up," Auntie Zhang murmured to herself as she watched him leave, genuinely impressed by his maturity and manners, which were far beyond what one would expect from a young man not yet twenty.

With the sand and gravel matter settled, Chen Ping'an felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Now, all that was left was to wait for Little Tiger to come and collect the debt.

The morning passed quickly, and Chen Ping'an took the rare opportunity to go out with Chen Erya to buy some groceries. They even bought half a pig's leg.

Seeing the money spent, Chen Erya looked a bit pained, but considering her brother's intense martial arts training and the need for substantial food to keep his energy up, she didn't complain. She didn't even bring up the idea of saving money for her brother's future marriage.

Since Little Tiger could arrive at any moment, the siblings decided not to cook the pig's leg for lunch. Instead, they hid it away, saving it for dinner or the next day.

For lunch, they had a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of steamed pumpkin, a bowl of vegetable and shredded pork soup, and two bowls of white rice—one large and one small.

"Brother, how did you manage to gather fourteen taels of silver?" Chen Erya asked curiously, her eyes filled with admiration as they ate.

"Your brother has his ways," Chen Ping'an replied with a playful air of mystery, not wanting to burden her with the details of how he had managed to scrape together the money.

"You're amazing, brother," Chen Erya praised, her admiration evident.

The meal passed in a warm and cheerful atmosphere, and by the end, the plates were spotless.

After lunch, the two worked together to wash the dishes, chatting idly as they did. Just as Chen Ping'an was considering whether to start his Iron Shirt practice, there was a knock at the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Chen boy, the ten days are up. Time to pay up. Open the door!"

The voice was familiar—it was Liu, one of Little Tiger's trusted henchmen.

"I'm coming!" Chen Ping'an's expression turned serious.

Today, if he could repay the fourteen taels of silver, including interest, to the Tiger Head Gang, he and his sister could finally live freely and peacefully.

Creak!

The courtyard door was quickly opened by Chen Ping'an.

"Little Tiger, you're here! Please, come in."

Chen Ping'an greeted them with a smile, ushering the three men into the yard.

Today, three familiar faces had arrived: Little Tiger, Liu, and another thug named Fei.

Before, when Chen Ping'an hadn't yet entered the martial path, he couldn't sense it, but now, at the peak of the first level of Qi and Blood, he could tell at a glance that all three men were martial artists of some skill.

To have entered the martial path meant they were no ordinary thugs. It wasn't that the Tiger Head Gang was so powerful that even its lowly members had such skills, but rather that Little Tiger, as one of the gang's top enforcers, had capable men like Liu and Fei by his side.

"Little Tiger, please, have some water."

Chen Ping'an poured the water he had prepared earlier into a bowl and offered it to Little Tiger.

His home was humble, with no teacups or tea leaves, so plain water had to suffice.

However, before the water could reach Little Tiger's lips, Liu pushed it away.

"What is this? Little Tiger deserves better than plain water!"

As the water splashed across the wooden table, Chen Ping'an's smile remained unchanged.

"My home is humble, and all I have is water. I apologize for the poor hospitality."

"You should be sorry!" Liu snorted.

"Liu," Little Tiger waved his hand dismissively. "Chen boy, you know why we're here today."

"Of course, of course," Chen Ping'an replied with a smile, using his sleeve as a rag to wipe up the spilled water.

Once the table was dry, Chen Ping'an pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and poured the silver onto the table.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Little Tiger and his men, he began carefully counting the silver.

"One tael, three taels, five and a half taels, six taels, seven and a half taels..."

The silver on the table was in small, scattered pieces, and Chen Ping'an counted meticulously.

"Thirteen taels, fourteen taels! Little Tiger, here's fourteen taels of silver. Please, take a look."

Little Tiger glanced at the silver on the table and gave a slight nod.

However, before he could speak, Liu jumped in eagerly.

"Let me check! Make sure there's no fake silver here."

Liu grabbed the silver from the table and began inspecting each piece.

While counterfeit silver was rare in the market, it wasn't unheard of.

After a thorough inspection, Liu found no fake silver.

"You're lucky!" Liu glared at Chen Ping'an, his anger seemingly directed at him for no apparent reason, perhaps lingering resentment from their previous encounter.

"Chen boy, you really managed to gather fourteen taels. Not bad," Little Tiger said, though his expression gave little away.

"I received my monthly salary and borrowed a bit from some colleagues at the town guard office. That's how I managed to gather the silver to repay you, Little Tiger," Chen Ping'an explained with a smile.

"Colleagues, huh? Chen boy, it seems you've made some good connections at the town guard office," Little Tiger said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gave a half-smile.

"Haha, I suppose so. My colleagues have been kind. Old Chen left behind some connections for me," Chen Ping'an replied, his words carrying a subtle undertone.

"Having connections is a good thing," Little Tiger said, leaning on the table as he slowly stood up.

"With that, your debt of fourteen taels, including interest, is considered repaid. Here, give him the IOU. We wouldn't want anyone saying Little Tiger doesn't follow the rules."

At this, Fei, the thug standing behind Little Tiger, pulled out an IOU from his pocket and handed it to Chen Ping'an.

"Little Tiger is most gracious. Thank you, Little Tiger," Chen Ping'an said, his face still wearing a broad smile as he accepted the IOU.

"Let's go," Little Tiger called out, heading toward the courtyard gate with Fei following closely behind. Liu shot one last glare at Chen Ping'an before following them.

"Oh, one more thing," Little Tiger said, pausing at the gate as if remembering something.

"As you know, the Tiger Head Gang collects monthly fees from the households in this area. Most of the neighbors cooperate and pay on time. We've been lenient with you because of your debt, but now that it's repaid, there's no need for special treatment. This month's fee is waived, but starting next month, you'll need to pay like everyone else."

Hearing this, Chen Ping'an clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, his smile unwavering.

"Thank you, Little Tiger, for your kindness and consideration all this time."

"Good! You're a quick learner. Haha, let's go."

With a loud laugh, Little Tiger and his men left, their figures soon disappearing around the corner of the street.

Chen Ping'an lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the wooden table. Where Little Tiger had placed his hand earlier, a deep palm print was now clearly visible.