Thoughts Unobstructed

"Why are you all just standing there? Go and get the fire started for dinner!"

At this moment, Hong Zheng finally snapped back to reality. He brushed past the matter of his daughter-in-law and issued his orders.

"Yes, yes, right away!"

The eldest and youngest aunts hurriedly responded, pulling the aunt along with them to busy themselves in the kitchen.

In the small courtyard, under the glow of the setting sun, a radiance as bright as the morning light began to rise.

Hong Ming watched his family return to harmony, and a smile could not help but bloom on his face.

He had not forgotten the business at hand, so he turned to ask Hong Zheng, "Grandfather, what happened just now?"

It would have been fine if Hong Ming hadn't asked, but the moment he did, the old man acted as if he had found a pillar of support and began to recount every detail.

He smeared Qian Biao's wicked deeds over and over again, leaving nothing out; he might as well have been burning incense for the man.

Hong Ming listened in silence, offering no opinion, letting the old man vent his frustrations.

Once the old man had finished explaining everything clearly, he pressed, "How much money did Su Qiang pay back for our family?"

"Ten taels!" Hong Zheng exhaled softly, his tone filled with emotion. "Ah Ming, Su Qiang has done us a huge favor this time. You must never forget such kindness!"

"Don't worry, Grandfather, I understand."

Hong Zheng didn't need to remind him; Hong Ming would never forget.

He glanced at the sky, pondered for a moment, and said, "Grandfather, I'm going to Su Qiang's place. I'll be back soon."

At that time, Su Qiang had just arrived home.

His younger brother Su Sheng and younger sister Su Lan had already prepared wine and food, waiting for him.

When the two saw Su Qiang, they hurriedly stood up to welcome him. "Big Brother, you're back? Sit down quickly. The food is all ready—it's all your favorites, prepared specifically to celebrate you joining the martial arts school!"

As they spoke, they pulled Su Qiang to the head of the table.

Su Qiang's body was somewhat stiff, and his expression was one of hesitation, as if he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Big Brother, what's wrong? It's such a great day today, why do you look so gloomy?"

Su Sheng poured a cup of wine for Su Qiang, but upon catching his expression, his movements faltered.

"Could it be that something went wrong with the apprenticeship?"

Hearing this, Su Lan stopped mid-motion while picking up food and turned toward Su Qiang.

Facing the gazes of his younger brother and sister, Su Qiang felt an inexplicable pressure. His Adam's apple bobbed as he forced out the words: "Nothing went wrong, exactly... it's just that I didn't get in."

"How could you not get in?" The two looked at him, bewildered.

Su Qiang said softly, "I spent the money."

"The money is gone?"

The two were stunned. That was ten taels of silver; how could Su Qiang have spent it all so quickly?

Su Sheng immediately pressed, "Big Brother, what did you spend the money on?"

"I used it all to help Ah Ming's family pay off their debt."

"What?!"

The two were shocked, their faces draining of color.

Su Lan asked in a tight voice, "When did Brother Ah Ming owe such a large sum of money?"

"He owed it when he lost his cargo before. Later, he borrowed Lamb Interest to pay it off, and when Qian Biao came to collect, I saw it, and so I..." Su Qiang explained the reason.

Su Sheng was so angry he could barely breathe. "Then you still shouldn't have used that money to pay off his debt! That was the martial arts tuition you saved up through blood and sweat! Now that it's all given to Ah Ming, when will you ever be able to save enough again? Relying on Ah Ming and his family? That's a pipe dream! By the time you miss the age limit, even if you scrape the money together, you won't be able to join the martial arts school!"

His tone was filled with frustration at his brother's lack of self-preservation.

It was like this last time, and it was like this again—Su Qiang only cared about Hong Ming, never considering himself.

The tuition was one thing, but the opportunity to join the martial arts school was precious beyond measure; it wasn't just about having money, but also about age and talent restrictions.

Su Qiang had finally managed to catch the tail end of the age requirement and found a school willing to take him, only for the money to vanish!

Ten taels of silver—saving that up again would not happen overnight.

Once he missed the age limit, even if Su Qiang saved enough money, the school might not be willing to accept him!

"Big Brother, you are so foolish!"

Su Sheng was so angered by Su Qiang's actions that he was left speechless.

Su Lan opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Su Qiang knew that Su Sheng was right, but he simply couldn't stand by and watch the Hong family fall into ruin.

The three siblings fell into silence.

The perfectly good celebration turned cold in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't until a light, brisk sound of footsteps broke the deadlock: "Ah Qiang."

"It's A-Ming!" Su Qiang recognized Hong Ming's voice.

He glanced at Su Sheng, hesitated for a moment, then rose to greet him.

Su Lan followed closely behind, and seeing this, Su Sheng let out a cold snort before also heading out.

Upon seeing Hong Ming, Su Qiang took the initiative to greet him: "A-Ming, when did you get back?"

"Just now," Hong Ming replied with a smile, not forgetting to greet Su Sheng and Su Lan as well.

Su Lan gave a slight nod in response, but Su Sheng turned his head away directly.

Seeing this, Su Qiang couldn't help but glare at him.

Hong Ming noticed but didn't mind, moving straight to the point: "A-Qiang, I've come to pay back the money."

"Pay back the money?" Su Qiang was slightly stunned.

Hong Ming nodded gently, took ten taels of silver from his robes, and pressed them into Su Qiang's hand.

"A-Ming, where did you get so much silver?"

Seeing the silver, Su Qiang frowned and asked.

Hong Ming replied as if it were obvious: "I earned it, of course!"

Hearing this, Su Qiang's lips twitched.

He wanted to ask Hong Ming where he found the time to earn so much, but remembering what Qian Biao had said earlier, he swallowed the words back.

"Very well, I'll accept this money."

Su Qiang didn't refuse; he truly needed the funds. After putting the money away, he invited him, "A-Ming, have you eaten? If not, come eat at my place."

Hong Ming politely declined, explaining that Hong Zheng and the others were already preparing a meal, and then took his leave.

Watching Hong Ming depart, Su Qiang glanced at Su Sheng and said indifferently: "Let's go, back inside to eat."

The rift between the two brothers from just moments ago seemed to have vanished, replaced by the atmosphere of the celebratory feast.

Just like in the Hong household, both inside and outside the house were filled with warmth.

As laughter and cheers rose, they seemed to pierce through the darkness of the night.

The night was heavy, pressing down on half the sky like a lead weight, the ink-like darkness swallowing most of the starlight.

Inside a certain house, a lamp flickered, struggling to cast light upon a table covered in the remnants of a feast.

Qian Biao and his two lackeys were enjoying the spoils brought by those ten taels of debt.

The crisp clinking of wine cups mixed with crude laughter and curses, sounding exceptionally jarring in the silent night.

One lackey asked with concern: "Brother Biao, will that Hong Ming really be expelled from the Water Army?"

The other lackey also looked worried: "Yeah, what if he actually succeeds in his training? If we treat him like this, then when the time comes..."

"Hmph, look at you two cowards, acting like frightened mice!"

Qian Biao set down his wine cup and snorted coldly.

"If I didn't have absolute certainty, would I dare to make trouble for the Hong Family?"

"Rest assured, I've already inquired clearly. There are less than ten days left until Hong Ming's three-month deadline. If he were going to succeed, he would have done so already. Since he hasn't, his hope is undoubtedly extinguished!"

He wiped the grease from his mouth, his eyes turning vicious: "A mere Hong Ming is nothing to fear. In two days, we'll gather our men and go collect the debt again. If they don't pay up, we'll make sure the Hong Family suffers!"

He paused, picked up a piece of fatty meat, smacked his lips, and added: "By comparison, I'm actually more worried about Su Qiang."

"Su Qiang?" The two were slightly stunned.

"That's right. I heard he's been scraping money together recently, wanting to join a martial arts school! If he succeeds in his training, how will we have any room to survive in Mudstone Alley?"

The two lackeys couldn't help but panic: "Then what should we do, Brother Biao?"

"Don't worry, hasn't his tuition money already been handed over to us?" Qian Biao gave a sinister smile, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.

With that money, he might even be able to join the martial arts school himself!

By then, let alone being a small boss in Mudstone Alley, he could even replace the leader of the Tiger Gang!

"Hmm?"

Just as he was lost in his fantasies, Qian Biao suddenly noticed a figure appearing before him.

Was it a double image?

No, that figure was standing there!

In an instant, Qian Biao's drunkenness vanished, and he reacted violently: "Who's there?!"

Bang!