Sun Ping went from house to house with his men, knocking on doors.
When the fishermen opened their doors and saw Sun Ping, they still wore smiles, wanting to call him "A-Ping" and ask how his martial arts training in the city was going.
But the moment they saw the ledger in his hand and the Fish-Dragon Gang members behind him, every face changed.
As those fishermen looked at him, there was something in their eyes that made his heart panic.
Sun Ping recognized it. It was disappointment—the kind that said, "How did you become like this?"
At first, Sun Ping barely dared to raise his eyes to look at his fellow villagers. But after collecting from several households, he quickly got used to it.
After collecting the money, he returned to the Fish-Dragon Gang and handed the silver over to Gang Leader Ding. Gang Leader Ding counted it, nodded in satisfaction, then pinched off a small piece and tossed it to him. "Yours. Five qian."
Five qian of silver.
Sun Ping caught the piece of silver. It was not heavy, yet it weighed heavily on his heart.
His father rose before dawn and returned after dark, hauling nets for an entire day to earn only a few dozen copper coins. Yet Sun Ping had merely gone door to door, said a few words, and received five qian of silver.
He tucked the silver into his clothes and walked out of the Fish-Dragon Gang's courtyard.
The wind brushed his face, cool and crisp, but there was a flame in his heart, burning so fiercely that his whole body felt hot.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
He remembered the fishermen's eyes—their disappointment, that look of "How did you become like this?"
He crouched down, covering his face with both