Debt Must Be Repaid

The rain and snow that had filled the sky for several hours had gradually lightened. The raindrops had vanished, leaving only cotton-wool snowflakes drifting leisurely down.

Blanketed in white snow, Locust Tree Alley lay vast and hazy, glowing with a faint sheen.

The nearby homes all belonged to poor folk. Usually, to save on lamp oil, they extinguished their lights and went to bed as soon as night fell and dinner was over.

Tonight, with the cold freezing to the bone, people had crawled beneath their quilts even earlier. The streets and alleys were utterly silent.

Chen Cheng strode forward, the soft crunch of his feet on the snow sounding especially jarring in the silence.

Widow Tian's home was not far from Chen Cheng's, only a few dozen meters away. He arrived in the blink of an eye.

Bang!

He kicked the tightly shut courtyard gate, producing a muffled thud!

Chen Cheng had used seventy percent of his strength in that kick, yet the gate did not fly open. Widow Tian's courtyard gate was far sturdier than those of other households; even if he put his full strength into it, he likely could not kick it down.

But that did not matter. Chen Cheng had only kicked the gate to wake the people inside.

"Who is it?"

Widow Tian pinched her throat as she spoke, her voice carrying a touch of panic, like a startled hen.

"Tell Ma Liu to get the hell out here!"

Chen Cheng's voice was cold.

"Ma Liu isn't here."

"Then tell Second Fool to get the hell out here!"

"Second Fool isn't here either."

Bang! He delivered another heavy kick to the courtyard gate, leaving behind a footprint, then turned and left.

The rustle of footsteps sounded through the alley once more, gradually fading into the distance.

Widow Tian huddled beneath her quilt, raising her head to listen through the window. Her face shifted uncertainly before a vicious glint surfaced in her eyes.

"Chen Er... that sounded like Chen Er? That good-for-nothing dared kick my courtyard gate? When Ma Liu gets back, I'll make him pay!"

Chen Cheng returned home and shut the courtyard gate. Mu Xiaowan poked her head out from the kitchen doorway.

"Brother Cheng, did you just go out?"

"I ate too much dinner, so I went for a stroll to settle my stomach." Chen Cheng shrugged and replied gently.

Ate too much? Brother Cheng's bowl had been spotless—there had not even been a single grain of rice left.

Suspicion appeared on Mu Xiaowan's face, but she turned and went back into the kitchen.

After washing the dishes, Mu Xiaowan brought hot water into the bedroom, only to find Chen Cheng seated at the table, examining a stack of notes in his hand.

"Brother Cheng, it's time to wash your feet."

The Chen Family's child bride was exceptionally virtuous. She kept the house spotless and attended to washing his feet and warming his bed with meticulous care.

Having awakened wisdom, Chen Cheng was not quite used to it.

"Xiaowan, just leave the hot water there. I'll wash them myself."

"Brother Cheng, are you disgusted with me?"

Mu Xiaowan's little face fell, tears seemingly about to spill from her eyes as she looked utterly aggrieved.

"You're my only family in this world. How could I possibly be disgusted with you? It's just washing feet—I can do something so small myself. There's no need..."

Without another word, Mu Xiaowan removed Chen Cheng's shoes and began carefully washing his feet.

"So be it."

Chen Cheng sighed softly and could only let her do as she wished.

Mu Xiaowan washed them with utmost care and attention. Her hands were somewhat rough from working so often, but her movements were remarkably gentle.

Watching her petite, frail figure, Chen Cheng felt a certain string within his heart being plucked, and his gaze grew ever gentler.

After all, there was someone in this world who cared for him with all her heart. He had to treat her fiercely well, never allowing her to suffer the slightest grievance or hardship.

"Brother Cheng, they're clean."

After carefully drying his feet, Mu Xiaowan raised her head and revealed a sweet smile, like spring blossoms in bloom.

Chen Cheng's heart stirred. He reached out, gently caught her chin, and examined her closely.

In his memories, Mu Xiaowan had been born into a wealthy household. After her family suffered misfortune, she had been sold by a trafficker to Linji Prefecture City. Seeing that she could read, write, and observe propriety despite her young age, Father Chen had bought her to be Chen Cheng's child bride.

During the day, she smeared soot and ash across her face, making herself look dark and thin. Now that she had washed her face clean, she looked entirely different.

Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes clear and lively. Her features were slightly youthful and gaunt, yet exquisitely formed. If she ate better and received more nourishment, she would surely grow into a beauty capable of making fish sink and geese fall from the sky.

"Brother Cheng, wh-what are you doing?" Mu Xiaowan's face reddened as shyness overwhelmed her.

"Xiaowan, I'll make sure you live a good life. Every day, we'll have great mouthfuls of meat, mountain delicacies, and seafood."

He had been cultivating the Iron Garment Art every day recently. Though he could barely eat his fill, the lack of meat meant his body was gradually finding it difficult to bear the heavy burden brought by martial training.

So to Chen Cheng, a good life now meant eating meat by the mouthful!

Mu Xiaowan burst out laughing. "The masters of wealthy households don't eat meat every day. They find it too greasy."

"Then we'll be masters in the future, and masters have to eat meat every day." Chen Cheng smiled. He turned and picked up the notes on the table, selected two, and tore all the rest into pieces.

"Brother Cheng, these are the notes proving that our neighbors borrowed money from us. Why did you tear them up?"

Mu Xiaowan was startled by Chen Cheng's sudden action.

Locust Tree Alley was a poor district, and the neighboring households were all impoverished people. Most families were even worse off than the Chen Family. After all, Father Chen had at least worked for the authorities and received a monthly salary—a secure iron rice bowl.

These loan notes had been left behind by Father Chen. Because he had a stable income, whenever the neighbors encountered difficulties, they would borrow money from him to tide themselves over. He was a softhearted man and was willing to lend them money most of the time.

Yet in this world, good people were seldom rewarded. When Father Chen had fallen seriously ill and needed money, Chen Cheng, before awakening wisdom, had gone door to door to collect the debts. Hardly any households had repaid him.

Some truly could not repay the money, but most had simply never intended to repay it at all, fobbing him off with every excuse under the sun.

Chen Cheng had just looked through them carefully. Most of the notes involved only small sums, usually a few dozen copper coins. A rare one or two households owed more, but even that amounted to only one or two hundred copper coins.

Going door to door to demand payment might not be effective, but he had plenty of ways to make these deadbeats return every coin they owed, principal and interest alike!

Of the two remaining notes, one was for five taels of silver, while the other was for five hundred copper coins. The sums were fairly large, making them worth pressing for repayment.

Especially the note for five hundred copper coins, which Widow Tian's household had borrowed. That one deserved an extra push.

When Widow Tian's husband, Tian Dalang, had still been alive, he had run with gangs and enjoyed a brief spell of glory. Two years ago, Tian Dalang had been beaten to death in the street by men from another gang, and their home had been stripped bare by the rival gang as well.

Widow Tian and her son had been left alone, mother and child, without even the money to bury Tian Dalang. So she had gone to Father Chen to borrow money.

Seeing how pitiful Widow Tian was, Father Chen had lent her five hundred copper coins, allowing Tian Dalang to be buried.

Widow Tian was no kindhearted person. While Tian Dalang had been alive, she had already been lazy and greedy. After his death, she had seduced wild men everywhere, and no one knew how many lovers she had.

Recently, Widow Tian had been fooling around with the rogue Ma Liu, and even her son, Second Fool, had begun to follow her lead and go astray at such a young age.

As for the five hundred copper coins owed to the Chen Family, Chen Cheng had demanded it once before awakening wisdom. Widow Tian had flatly refused to acknowledge the debt. With Ma Liu backing her, Chen Cheng at the time had been unable to do anything about it.

"Our neighbors are all poor people. Your Brother Cheng is kindhearted and won't haggle with them. But I believe they'll soon come to repay the money of their own accord—and not a single coin less, principal and interest included." Chen Cheng said with a smile.

"Huh... repay it with interest? How could that possibly happen?" Mu Xiaowan grew even more curious.

But Chen Cheng wore a faint smile, his eyes deep as though he were occupied by some thought, so she did not continue questioning him.