Aunt Zhang stopped washing the things in her hands when she heard Ye Qingxuan, straightened up, and gave him a reproachful look.
"I thought it was something precious. Turns out it's just sand and stones. There's plenty in the yard. However much you want, just go and gather it yourself."
As she spoke, she put down her work and turned to look for something to carry them in.
"Auntie, I can do it myself." Ye Qingxuan hurried forward and stopped her. "I brought a sack."
"You're such a polite child." Aunt Zhang said it with her mouth, but her face was full of smiles. Then she began to ramble again. "When your father was alive, he often said you were sensible. Now you're supporting the whole family by yourself and looking after Nannan. It isn't easy. If you run into any trouble in the future, just tell your aunt. Don't force yourself to shoulder everything alone."
Her words warmed Ye Qingxuan's heart. In this foul, corrupted world, there were still some human bonds untouched by profit.
He said no more, only nodded heavily. He picked up the burlap sack and went to the corner of the yard. First, he selected the fine river sand and filled one sack to the brim. Then he took another sack and chose only the small stones polished smooth and round by the current, filling it halfway.
The two sacks together weighed at least seventy or eighty pounds.
Seeing him carry them effortlessly, without even changing expression, Aunt Zhang couldn't help clicking her tongue in amazement. "Qingxuan, you look much sturdier than you did before. Have you been practicing martial arts with the masters of the Fengtian Division?"
"I've just been practicing some clumsy techniques to build up my strength." Ye Qingxuan replied with a smile, hoisting the two sacks of sand and stones onto his shoulder and carrying them steadily.
"That's a good thing too. With strength, people won't be able to bully you." Aunt Zhang saw him to the gate, then took two steamed white-flour buns from inside and forcibly stuffed them into his arms. "Take these. Eat them on the way."
Ye Qingxuan couldn't refuse, so he accepted them. He bowed deeply to Aunt Zhang, then turned and strode away. The weight on his shoulder was heavy, while the buns in his arms were warm. One represented the tempering of sinew, bone, and flesh; the other carried the warmth of human feeling in this world.
By the time he returned to the small courtyard in the Southern District, it was already afternoon.
The slanting sunlight poured into the courtyard, dyeing everything in warm hues. Ye Qingxuan placed the sacks of sand and stones beside the wall. Hearing the noise, Ye Caiwei poked her little head out from the house.
"Big Brother, what did you carry back?"
"They're for practicing martial arts." Ye Qingxuan dusted off his hands, then pulled the two white-flour buns from his robes. "Look, Aunt Zhang gave them to me."
Ye Caiwei cheered, took the buns, and nibbled at them in tiny bites, her eyes curving into crescents from her smile.
For lunch, Ye Qingxuan made an unprecedented splurge at the market. He bought two ounces of pork cheek and half a catty of white rice, then cooked them together with brown rice into a fragrant pot of meat porridge.
The rich aroma of meat filled the little outer room. The brother and sister sat at the table and ate with exceptional relish. It was the final calm before the storm.
"Nannan, after you finish eating, go back to the inner room. Close the door. No matter what you hear, don't come out, all right?" Ye Qingxuan added meat to his sister's bowl as he instructed her.
Ye Caiwei's movements paused. She raised her head, a trace of unease appearing in her large eyes.
"Big Brother, will they really come this afternoon?"
"They will." Ye Qingxuan's answer held not the slightest hesitation. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, reached out, and lightly scraped the tip of his sister's nose with his knuckle. "Don't worry. Big Brother can handle it."
His expression was very calm, and that calmness helped Ye Caiwei settle down a little. She nodded hard, finished the last mouthful of porridge in her bowl, obediently cleared away the dishes, and hid in the inner room. She even slid the bolt into place from inside.
Ye Qingxuan sat at the table without moving. He placed the money pouch containing fourteen taels of silver in the very center of the table.
The commotion in the alley outside the courtyard gradually faded. The sun slanted westward, and light streamed through the open doorway, stretching long shadows across the ground.
After an unknown length of time, footsteps approached from far away and stopped outside the courtyard gate.
"Knock, knock-knock."
The knocking was neither heavy nor light, yet it carried a force that brooked no refusal.
Ye Qingxuan stood up, piled a smile onto his face, hurried over, and pulled open the courtyard gate.
Three people stood outside.
At the head was Duan Tianbao, one of the three hall masters of Fierce Tiger Hall. Today he wore a dark-blue silk changshan, a jade belt around his waist, and toyed with two perfectly rounded iron balls in his hand. A genial smile hung on his face. He looked less like a gang leader than a wealthy landowner.
Behind him, on the left, was Hu Jiudao. Hu Jiudao still wore that same scoundrel's expression, his eyes slanted and the corner of his mouth twisted as his gaze swept around the little courtyard, full of undisguised contempt.
On the right was a burly stranger. Bare-chested, he revealed muscles the color of burnished bronze. His arms were folded across his chest, and his entire body resembled an iron pagoda.
The arrival of these three made the already cramped courtyard instantly feel crowded. An invisible pressure followed their footsteps and enveloped the entire house.
"Lord Bao, Brother Jiudao, please, come in." Ye Qingxuan's face blossomed with smiles as he stepped aside and bowed obsequiously, looking every inch the fawning lackey.
Hu Jiudao cut him a sideways glance, snorted, and entered the courtyard first. He looked east and west before his gaze finally landed on the two sacks of sand and stones by the wall. He gave a mocking laugh. "Oh? Are you preparing to build a wall or repair a stove? You're living quite a prosperous life."
"Brother Jiudao is too kind. I'm just fooling around." Ye Qingxuan's smile did not change as he ushered the three of them toward the house.
Duan Tianbao never said a word. His seemingly gentle eyes merely swept over Ye Qingxuan, then over the furnishings inside, finally landing on the bulging money pouch atop the table.
"Lord Bao, please sit." Ye Qingxuan carried over the only chair that was still reasonably sturdy, wiping it repeatedly with his sleeve before inviting Duan Tianbao to sit. Then he hurriedly went to boil water and brew tea.
"There's no need to bother." Duan Tianbao finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried an innate authority. He pointed at the money pouch on the table. "The day has come. Have you prepared everything?"
"It's all prepared, all prepared." Ye Qingxuan answered repeatedly. He untied the pouch and poured all the silver and coins inside onto the table.
A three-tael silver ingot, several irregular pieces of broken silver, and a large pile of copper coins and loose silver he had scraped together from all over.
Hu Jiudao stepped forward without a word and snatched up the silver ingot and broken silver. He weighed them in his hand first, then picked up a piece of broken silver, put it in his mouth, and bit down hard, leaving a clear row of teeth marks.
"The purity isn't bad." He spat the silver out and began counting the copper coins, cursing under his breath. "Damn it, using this junk to make up the amount. It's a pain just counting it."
Ye Qingxuan stood to one side, still wearing his accompanying smile, but fine beads of sweat had already appeared at his temples.
In the inner room, Ye Caiwei clamped both hands over her mouth and curled up in the corner of the bed, not daring to breathe loudly. Every word of the conversation outside stabbed into her heart like a needle.
Hu Jiudao counted for a long while before finally raising his head and nodding at Duan Tianbao. "Lord Bao, fourteen taels. Not a single coin short."
Only then did the genial smile on Duan Tianbao's face deepen. He pulled out the IOU bearing Ye Qingxuan's father's name and held it between his fingertips, waving it at Ye Qingxuan.
"Ye Qingxuan, you're a fine young man."
He placed the IOU on the table, then drew a flint from his robes. With a sharp snap, he struck it and set the yellowed paper alight.
The flames rose and quickly devoured the paper, reducing it to a wisp of twisted black ash.
Watching the IOU turn to ash, the great stone that had weighed on Ye Qingxuan's heart for so long finally fell away. He let out a long breath, genuine gratitude appearing on his face.
"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Bao. If there's ever anything this junior can do for you, please don't hesitate to command me."
"Think nothing of it." Duan Tianbao spun the iron balls in his hand faster, producing a faint clacking sound. He stood and patted Ye Qingxuan on the shoulder. "Your father was a real man back in his day. His son can't be inferior. The waters in Linyuan Prefecture run deep. You're only half-grown, and you have a younger sister to look after. It isn't easy."
His tone shifted, and his eyes fixed directly on Ye Qingxuan.
"How about this? From now on, Fierce Tiger Hall will protect you and your sister. In the Southern District, no one will dare bully you again."
Ye Qingxuan froze, then was overjoyed. He hurriedly bowed again in thanks. "Thank you, Lord Bao! Thank you, Lord Bao!"
"Don't rush to thank me." Duan Tianbao raised a hand and stopped him. His smile remained, but his words now carried an unmistakable tone that allowed no negotiation. "I, Duan Tianbao, have always done things by the rules. If I protect you, you can't show no appreciation at all. Starting next month, on the first day of every month, you'll pay one tael of silver as a token of respect. How about it?"
The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze in that instant.
The smile on Ye Qingxuan's face stiffened.
One tael of silver.
He was only a temporary constable. After working himself to the bone for a month and deducting living expenses, he could save only a few hundred copper coins. That one tael of silver was practically demanding his life.
How was this protection? It was clearly just another way to squeeze out the last drop of blood from his family! The old debt had only just been cleared, and a new shackle had arrived—an endless shackle at that.
Hu Jiudao gave a cold chuckle from the side. "Kid, Lord Bao only set this rule for you because he thinks highly of you. How many people want to curry favor with Lord Bao and still can't even find a way in?"
Duan Tianbao said nothing. He merely watched Ye Qingxuan in silence, waiting for his answer.
Ye Qingxuan's head slowly lowered. He stared at his toes, his body trembling faintly.
After a long while, he raised his head again and forced out a smile uglier than tears.
"To earn Lord Bao's regard is this junior's good fortune. I accept the rule."
"Clever." Duan Tianbao nodded in satisfaction. He took another sheet of paper, a brush, and a small red seal-ink pad from his robes and placed them on the table. "Then sign it."
It was a blank sheet of paper.
Ye Qingxuan picked up the brush and wrote his name on the paper.
Then he extended his right thumb and pressed it firmly into the seal-ink pad Duan Tianbao handed him, coating it in red ink.
He raised his thumb and pressed it hard against the place where his name was written.
A clear, vivid red fingerprint was stamped onto the white paper.
"Excellent." Duan Tianbao put away the paper, blew on the ink, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his robes.
He did not spare Ye Qingxuan another glance. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.
Hu Jiudao and the burly man followed close behind. At the gate, Hu Jiudao looked back and made a throat-slitting gesture at Ye Qingxuan. His mouth silently formed two words: "Next month."
The three men left, leaving the courtyard gate wide open. The sky outside had already turned dusky yellow.
Ye Qingxuan remained standing where he was, motionless.
The inner-room bolt clicked open. Ye Caiwei ran out barefoot, threw her arms around his leg, and burst into tears.
"Big Brother... Sob... Big Brother..."
Ye Qingxuan said nothing, nor did he comfort her. He only slowly raised his right hand and opened his palm.
His gaze fell on his thumb.
A ring of bright red seal ink still remained there, outlining the whorls on his fingertip with perfect clarity.
What exactly had this mark carved into him—submission, or something else?
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