Cleared Accounts

Yan Kingdom, Jinzhou, Xishan County.

It was the summer solstice, and the scorching sun beat down like fire.

Zhou Ming stood with a weary expression outside his second uncle's front door, raised both hands, and vigorously rubbed his cheeks. He flashed a standard smile revealing eight teeth and pushed open the door.

"Uncle, Aunt, I'm back."

He had no choice; living under someone else's roof, whether suffering grievances outside or doing grueling labor all these years, he always faced his family with a smiling face every single day.

Feeling the somewhat weighty, jingling shattered silver and copper coins in his pocket, that hidden fatigue seemed to truly vanish at this moment.

"I'll go do odd jobs at the escort agency for a few more days, and add that to what I've saved over the years. That should be enough to go to the martial arts hall and study martial arts," Zhou Ming muttered softly as he walked toward the house.

Although Xishan County was small, the entrance fees for the few martial arts halls in the county had clear, set prices.

Twelve taels of silver a year.

When he was a little child outside a teahouse, he had heard a storyteller tell tales, and only then gained a slight, sideways understanding of this world.

People who practiced martial arts in this world actually possessed the ability to split mountains and cleave rivers.

From then on, at the age of eight, he roamed the major and minor alleys of the county, searching everywhere to do odd jobs and earn a few copper coins, starting to pave the way for his path of martial arts.

As for asking his second uncle for money, that was out of the question; having lived with his second uncle and second aunt since childhood, he knew clearly what kind of situation the household was in.

Being given a mouthful of food and a place to stay was already a kindness as vast as the heavens, and Zhou Ming asked for nothing more than that.

He was all grown up now, and slowly becoming able to support himself.

Something was amiss. How could the house be this quiet today when he came back?

Usually, as long as he called out, his seven-year-old cousin would definitely be the first to come out and greet him—after all, he occasionally bought small candies for her.

Did something happen?

Thinking of this, Zhou Ming walked quickly toward the main hall in the courtyard.

Just as he entered the hall, Zhou Ming discovered that his second uncle's entire family was sitting at the dining table. The table was laden with a lavish spread of dishes, looking as festive as Chinese New Year.

Well, well, even that idle, good-for-nothing cousin of his was here.

Seeing his cousin holding a chicken leg in her left hand and a duck leg in her right, eating until her mouth was oily, no wonder she didn't come out to greet him today. With chicken legs and duck legs like these, who would still think about the candies in his pocket?

Zhou Ming found it rather strange. Having lived in his second uncle's family for over a decade, from childhood until now, aside from Chinese New Year, there had honestly never been a meal this lavish on a normal day.

Seeing Zhou Ming enter the doorway, his second uncle greeted him, "Sit down. We'll eat and talk at the same time."

Zhou Ming sat down, looking at his second uncle with some doubt.

"Little bro, there's fantastic news I want to tell you."

As soon as Zhou Ming sat down, his good-for-nothing cousin Zhou Kang smiled and said.

"Oh? Big bro made a big fortune outside?" Zhou Ming looked at the lavish dishes and asked with a smile.

Zhou Kang picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, sipped a little wine, and shook his head as he said, "I partnered with Liu Ermazi from next door to take over a storefront on the main street in the county, and we brought in some liquor. We're getting ready to open a tavern."

Hearing this, Zhou Ming frowned slightly, asking in puzzlement, "Where did you get the money?"

Zhou Kang reeked of alcohol and his face was flushed red as he said, "Of course it's..."

Before Zhou Kang could finish speaking, the second aunt hastily interrupted, "Little Ming, ah, these are your favorite chicken wing tips."

As she spoke, she picked up a chicken wing tip and placed it in Zhou Ming's bowl.

Looking at this behavior from the second aunt, who had never given him a pleasant expression since childhood.

Zhou Ming's face turned pale.

He knew the family's situation inside and out.

In the entire Zhou Family, apart from this old ancestral home, there wasn't a single thing of value. A few years ago, his second uncle's family had a little money, but it had all been squandered by his good-for-nothing, heavily gambling cousin Zhou Kang.

Although his second uncle and second aunt ran small-scale businesses, it was only enough to maintain household expenses, and from time to time they still needed him to subsidize household costs.

He knew about opening a tavern because he had also considered doing that in the beginning: brewing his own wine and then going out to sell it.

First, he didn't have capital in hand, and second, this was a place where strength reigned supreme.

Even small-scale businesses like the one run by his second uncle and the others were routinely exploited by local ruffians.

Zhou Kang partnered with Liu Ermazi because Liu Ermazi was the leader of the local ruffians in this neighborhood.

As for opening a shop, he had looked into it. For a storefront in the best location in the county, the starting rent was one year, costing ten taels of silver—not to mention the cost of stocking liquor.

His second uncle and the others simply could not produce that kind of money.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ming turned pale, and asked with a slightly trembling voice, "Did you use my money?"

The second aunt smiled. "We're all family; why make distinctions between mine and yours? The household didn't have enough, so we used your money to cover for your older cousin first. Once your older cousin's business gets up and running, this silver will definitely be returned to you!"

"Returned? What is he going to return it with? Relying on his idleness, or relying on his chronic gambling habit!" Zhou Ming roared.

His dream since childhood had been to join a martial arts hall, practice martial arts, and become a martial artist.

For the sake of this dream, he had started striving since he was eight years old.

If he had time, now that the money had been taken, he would simply earn it back again.

But he had no time left!

He was twenty years old this year, and was already lagging behind. If he wasted any more years, even if he could study martial arts, as he grew older, his golden age for training would pass him by.

Because only before the age of thirty was the optimal time to build a foundation for martial arts training; otherwise, even if he practiced martial arts, he would never achieve any great accomplishments.

Zhou Ming clenched both fists tightly, gripping them fiercely, and glared angrily at Zhou Kang as he roared, "Zhou Kang! Go right now and cancel the shop lease, and get my money back!"

"Tsk, how preposterous! If you make your older cousin go cancel the lease, Liu Ermazi will be looking for trouble with your older cousin in a moment!" the second aunt scolded angrily.

Zhou Ming ignored the second aunt and turned his gaze to his second uncle.

His second uncle Zhou Fangcai sighed. "Little Ming, your second uncle is the one who let you down in this matter. As for the money, second uncle guarantees that Kang'er will make money and pay you back at the very first opportunity. With Liu Ermazi lending a hand, the business is sure to succeed!"

"Isn't it just a matter of ten taels of silver? Little bro, don't you worry. As soon as the business grows, I'll pay you right back. I'll return it double." Zhou Kang was reeking of alcohol, his face flushed as he spoke.

Zhou Ming closed his eyes and said nothing.

The entire living room fell into silence.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, loosened his tightly clenched fists, and walked over to Zhou Fangcai's side to kneel down.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After kowtowing three resounding kowtows, Zhou Ming stood up and said calmly, "I don't want this money anymore. Consider it repayment for Second Uncle's years of raising me. From now on, we are clear."

With that, Zhou Ming walked out of the hall without looking back.

"You little bastard! We just took ten taels of silver from you. Can ten taels of silver clear the debt of all these years of raising you?"

Zhou Ming, who had just stepped out of the Zhou Family gates, paused when he heard the second aunt's furious roaring from inside.

His heart turned cold!

He had nothing to say.

He did not look back, nor did he pack any belongings, because in this home, aside from a few pieces of clothing that belonged to him, not a single other thing was his.

Well, the ten taels of silver that originally belonged to him.

Were now gone as well.

"Second brother, where are you going?"

A timid cry came from behind.

Zhou Ming heard it; that was his cousin's voice.

But Zhou Ming did not look back.

His cousin was young, and this matter had nothing to do with her, but since they were already clear, there was no need for any further connection.

Inside the hall, Zhou Fangcai looked at his heavily intoxicated son.

He let out a deep sigh.

The second aunt glared at Zhou Fangcai. "What are you sighing for? Kang'er has mended his ways and is doing an honest business. We should be happy instead."

Zhou Fangcai flared up. "Li Xiujie, don't think I don't know that using Little Ming's money was your crooked idea. I know the temperament of Little Ming's child. Once he leaves, he's never coming back."

Li Xiujie wiped her hands with a towel while wiping Zhou Kang's face, saying with disdain, "We raised him so big, and we've done right by your eldest brother and sister-in-law's dying entrustment. So what if we took ten taels of silver from him, and now they're saying they're even? The cost of raising him up so big was far more than ten taels."