A Petty Man's Heart Never Dies

Jianxiong Martial Arts School disciple.

Six gleaming characters, carved into a jujube-wood talisman, radiated immense intimidation before everyone's eyes.

As for whether Zhou You's earlier question of whether it was worth it even needed asking? He had struck it rich.

This wooden talisman would protect the three members of the Zhou family. From this day onward, no petty scoundrels would dare break in.

Any thief who learned someone in this household was studying martial arts at the school would not dare even approach the corner of the wall.

It was no exaggeration to say that each of those six characters was worth at least fifty taels.

"Old Zhou, congratulations, congratulations!"

The old accountant cupped his hands in congratulations, not mentioning the debt collection in the slightest.

He said warmly, "Go back to work tomorrow. I'll have a word with the shopkeeper. After all these years, it's about time your wages got a raise!"

"The ten taels of silver I owe you?"

Old Man Zhou asked in confusion.

The old accountant waved his hand generously. "Keep owing it for now. I don't need it urgently."

It was as though his sickly old wife had never existed.

Old Man Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Of the remaining forty taels of debt, twenty-five taels would be enough to pay back most of it.

He rallied himself and dealt with the other creditors. "How much do I owe? I'll repay it right now."

The creditors who had been baring their fangs and brandishing their claws moments ago changed their faces again, becoming incomparably warm.

"What are you saying, Old Zhou? We've known each other for so long. Do you take me for someone who kicks a man when he's down?"

"Your family is in trouble and needs money right now. Don't mention repayment again."

"Your boy is really promising. Some other day, I'll bring my daughter over to visit, so they can get acquainted in advance."

Not one creditor wanted money anymore. They were all busy repairing their relationship with Old Man Zhou. Some even asked whether he still needed money and offered to lend him more.

In the blink of an eye, this group of creditors had all become reasonable, understanding good people.

The neighbors watched dumbfounded, but they also knew that the Old Zhou family had not only pulled through, but was about to prosper.

If they did not build ties now, then when would they?

The Zhou family's doorway did not quiet down until midnight.

Old Man Zhou was glowing with health, his previous dejection swept away without a trace.

"You, remember this: your master is your real father, even more important than your real father."

"You must honor him and serve him. Under no circumstances can you slack off."

"Back when I was an apprentice..."

Old Man Zhou was immersed in his reminiscences when Zhou You's mother brought over steaming hot food.

"You've been busy for so long. You must be hungry. Eat, eat."

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was Widow Li.

Widow Li carried a basin of meat dishes and said warmly, "I've closed up my stall. There are some leftovers. Brother Zhou, don't mind them."

Zhou You glanced at them. They were not leftovers, but untouched meat dishes.

In the past, even if Widow Li had leftovers, she would never have given their family so much as a bite.

She must have heard what had happened to the Old Zhou family after returning from closing her stall, and immediately came to curry favor.

Widow Li sat down and refused to leave. She praised Zhou You for being promising, then began lamenting how difficult it was for a woman like her to raise a child alone.

"Little Zhou, once you make something of yourself, don't forget to look after your auntie."

As she said this, Widow Li seemed to mention something intentionally—or perhaps unintentionally.

"Oh, right, right. I just saw that Mao Laoyao's family hadn't lit their stove. Maybe they were so furious that they couldn't even stomach dinner."

"Mao Xiaoli even went out in the middle of the night. I don't know what he was up to."

Hearing this, Zhou You nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Auntie."

If the father and son next door still refused to give up and wanted to pull some trick, then they could not blame him for showing no mercy.

Tu Laosan held a girl in his arms, clutching a large pork elbow and tearing into it, grease running all over his mouth.

The baijiu tasted as bland as water, and even the fragrant pork elbow was like chewing wax.

The more he ate, the more stifled he felt. The girl in his arms had red-rimmed eyes, desperately suppressing the sound of her sobs.

A surge of rage rose in Tu Laosan. "Who are you mourning for?"

He slapped the girl across the face, and visible redness and swelling immediately bloomed there.

"Do you believe I'll reward you to the dozens of brothers outside?"

The girl's face went white with fright. She dropped to her knees and desperately kowtowed, begging for mercy.

She was a farmer's daughter. Her family had been unable to repay a usurious loan, and the Wild Fox Gang had seized her and subjected her to humiliation.

They had lied to her, saying that if she served Tu Laosan well, they would let her go home.

But with the Wild Fox Gang's ways, respectable women they had tired of playing with were invariably sold into brothels as prostitutes.

"Third Master, calm your anger. This female will be worthless if she's played to ruin."

A cunning adviser with a goat beard stepped forward. "Third Master, that Zhou boy still hasn't come."

Today was originally supposed to be the day the Zhou family's son came to apologize. Kowtowing was secondary—the key was the fifty-tael payment, enough to let him enjoy himself for a while.

What did people join gangs for, if not to make money?

Every vicious and cruel act was committed to crack bones and suck marrow, to squeeze out wealth.

He had waited at the gang hall for an entire day, yet Zhou You never appeared, and the fifty taels of silver were nowhere to be seen.

Tu Laosan was so furious that he wished he could lead men to storm their house and burn the whole family alive.

"Send someone to handle it. Break the legs of that Zhou couple, then throw dead dogs into their home and dump chamber pots of manure there."

"I refuse to believe I can't make him stink. Once I've had enough fun, tie them up and bury them outside the city. Bury them alive."

Tu Laosan's cruel words were filled with utter contempt for human life.

Just then, one of the gang members outside reported that someone had brought news.

The newcomer was Mao Xiaoli. Afraid the neighbors might see him, he had come under cover of night to tip them off.

"You're saying that boy has entered Jianxiong Martial Arts School?"

That was troublesome. Although the Wild Fox Gang also retained martial artists, they would not possibly offend Wang Jianxiong for Tu Laosan's sake.

Gangs and martial arts schools generally maintained a stance of well water not mingling with river water.

Tu Laosan's elder brother, the gang leader, had sternly warned him: he was allowed to eat, drink, and play around, bully men and tyrannize women, and his brother would even back him up in conflicts with the Mad Horse Gang—but he was absolutely forbidden from offending a martial arts school.

"Third Master, don't worry. As far as I know, when the martial arts school takes in disciples, eighty percent of apprentices are eliminated within the first three months."

"The Zhou boy's aptitude is mediocre. Once he's expelled from the school three months from now, we can settle accounts with him."

"By then, he won't be one of the martial arts school's people, and the wooden talisman will be taken back. With no one protecting him, won't he be at Third Master's mercy? Heh heh!"

Those honeyed words made Tu Laosan's heart blossom with joy.

"Good. Then we'll wait another three months. I'll play him to death slowly."

Tu Laosan saw that Mao Xiaoli still had not left, his face wearing a fawning expression. Clearly, he was waiting for a reward.

What blind dog eyes. I don't even pay when I eat—would I give you a tip?

"Open his eyes for him. Throw him out."

A gang of hooligans swarmed forward, kicking and beating Mao Xiaoli in a savage thrashing that made him howl without end.

Mao Xiaoli's newly received wages were robbed clean away. They even stripped off his outer clothes and cloth shoes before throwing him bare-chested onto the street.

He wanted to cry but had no tears. When he touched his face, it was covered in blood, and two or three teeth had fallen out.

He had come in the dead of night to pass along news. Not only had he gained no benefit, he had been robbed instead.

He had truly played the petty man for nothing.

Mao Xiaoli shivered in the night wind, thinking that given Tu Laosan's viciousness, his future revenge against the Zhou family would surely be even more unscrupulous.

He had suffered misfortune, and he could not bear to see the Zhou family thriving either.

Imagining the Zhou family's miserable future, a blissful glow appeared on his bruised and swollen face.