Chen Su Ji

Chen Shi'an listened to the crowd's remarks and sighed inwardly, then gave a loud cough.

"Butcher Zhang wants one tael of silver in compensation. Fine, I accept."

He took out another tael of broken silver. "Everyone, bear witness. Once I pay this silver, the matter of my niece scratching his son is settled."

One tael of silver was no small sum to ordinary people in the Stronghold.

The neighbors were surprised to see Chen Shi'an produce a tael so readily. When he tossed it straight to Zhang Mazi without even blinking, they were even more astonished.

Chen Tiantian frowned. Although Chen Shi'an was standing up for her, she thought he was being far too weak.

Zhang Mazi's face lit up when he received the silver, and he prepared to leave.

"Hold on."

Chen Shi'an suddenly spoke. "We're not finished yet. What's the hurry?"

Zhang Mazi hefted the silver in his hand. "You've paid the compensation. What, are you going to keep us for dinner?"

The corners of Chen Shi'an's mouth lifted slightly. "The matter of my niece scratching your son is settled, but we haven't settled the account for your son hurting my niece."

He drew Chen Tiantian to his side and pointed at the bruise beneath her eye. "Neighbors, look at the injury on my niece's face. Half an inch higher, and it would have ruined her eye.

An injury like this is more than a hundred times worse than the scratches on Butcher Zhang's son's face.

Surely asking Butcher Zhang to pay twenty taels of silver isn't excessive?"

Everyone was stunned, including Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian.

To everyone present, twenty taels of silver was an enormous sum, enough to buy several butcher shops like Butcher Zhang's.

But compared with Butcher Zhang's earlier demand, it did not seem excessive.

"Chen Shi'an, have you gone mad?" Zhang Mazi narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

Chen Shi'an gave a cold laugh. "Your son insulted my niece, tore up her book, and struck first. My niece scratched him once, and you demanded a tael of silver from us.

Now I'm asking you for twenty taels. What's the problem?

From beginning to end, the Chen Family has been entirely in the right.

Even if the city guards came, they certainly wouldn't side with you, Zhang Mazi."

Zhang Mazi frowned, his gaze shifting repeatedly.

After weighing his options, he threw the silver back to Chen Shi'an. "Here's your silver back. Let's call today's matter settled."

Chen Shi'an caught the silver and said coldly, "That's one tael paid. You still owe nineteen. You aren't leaving until you've paid it all!"

"You ungrateful bastard!"

Zhang Mazi snorted. "I'm leaving right now. What are you going to do, eat me alive?"

With that, he turned to leave.

Before he could take a step, a hand landed on his shoulder. It was Chen Shi'an's.

"You're asking to die!"

Butcher Zhang whirled around and swung a fist the size of a vinegar bowl straight at Chen Shi'an's forehead.

The two shop hands behind him moved at the same time, charging toward Chen Shi'an.

Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian went pale with fright and cried out together:

"Brother-in-law, don't fight them! Let's just let this go!"

"Uncle, get out of the way!"

Seeing the two sides come to blows, the neighbors hurried backward, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, Zhang Mazi's fist had already reached the top of Chen Shi'an's head.

Chen Shi'an curled his lip slightly. His knife-hand shot out like lightning, striking first despite moving second, and jabbed straight into the crook of Zhang Mazi's elbow.

Zhang Mazi screamed. His arm went numb and throbbed with pain. He hastily pulled it back and raised his foot to kick Chen Shi'an.

But before he could fully lift his leg, Chen Shi'an's foot struck first, driving a kick into his knee.

Zhang Mazi immediately lost his footing and landed on his backside.

The two butcher shop hands had reached him by then, each swinging a fist at Chen Shi'an.

Two sharp slaps rang out. Their fists were still halfway through their swings when Chen Shi'an slapped each of them across the face, leaving them seeing stars for a long while.

The exchange took only a few breaths. Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian's cries had barely faded.

Everyone stared, dumbstruck. Who could have imagined that the worthless gambling addict they knew possessed such skill?

"Neighbors, you all saw it. Zhang Mazi struck first. I was defending myself.

If the city guards come, please bear witness for me."

Chen Shi'an firmly cupped his hands to the crowd, then fixed Zhang Mazi with a gaze as sharp as a blade. "Nineteen taels of silver. If you're even a fraction short, don't think you'll leave this courtyard."

Now Zhang Mazi was truly afraid. Chen Shi'an's knife-hand strike and kick had been swift and vicious, and he still had no feeling in his arm or leg.

More terrifying still was Chen Shi'an's gaze, fiercer than a wolf's.

Just then, Zhang Mazi's fat son quietly slipped toward the gate, hoping to escape.

"Little chubby, you're the star of this show. Why are you trying to run?"

Chen Shi'an lifted his head slightly. "I'll only count to three. If you don't get back here right away, you'll face the consequences."

The chubby boy burst into tears and ran back, crying all the way, before hiding behind Zhang Mazi.

Zhang Mazi was clearly a slave to his son. Seeing the boy cry, he immediately panicked, struggled to his feet, and pulled him into his arms, saying:

"Chen Shi'an, I admit defeat today. Twenty taels is far too much. I'm willing to pay you two taels."

Su Qingrou did not want things to escalate and was about to urge Chen Shi'an to accept.

But before she could speak, Chen Shi'an waved a hand. "Twenty taels. Not a fraction less!"

His tone was as firm as severing nails and slicing iron, leaving no room for negotiation.

Then he jerked his chin toward the two butcher shop hands. "Hurry back and tell Zhang Mazi's wife to bring the silver to ransom them."

The two shop hands fled the courtyard, each sporting a bright red handprint on his face.

About an incense stick's worth of time later, a stout, broad-shouldered woman rushed into the courtyard, shouting as she ran, "That damned scoundrel actually demanded twenty taels of silver! Isn't that robbery?

Officers, this is the Chen Family's home, and that's Chen Shi'an. In broad daylight, he's holding my husband and son here..."

Two men followed behind the fat woman, one tall and one short. Both wore fitted red jackets and black trousers and carried a horizontal saber-the standard attire of Windrise Stronghold's city guards.

The city guards' arrival came as no surprise to Chen Shi'an.

Su Qingrou's face brightened when she saw the tall guard. She was about to greet him when he abruptly waved a hand and coldly interrupted the fat woman.

"Stop shouting. We'll question those involved and find out what happened."

The fat woman immediately shut her mouth and stepped aside.

Then the tall guard and the short guard questioned the people in the courtyard one by one.

Before long, they had established what had happened.

The tall guard cleared his throat. "This was merely a scuffle between children, yet you turned it into a dispute between two families and even came to blows. Are you deliberately trying to make trouble for us city guards?"

As soon as he finished, the fat woman hurried forward and offered him thirty copper coins. "Thank you for coming all this way, officer. Please accept this little token for your tea."

That city guards took gratuities while carrying out their duties was an open secret in Windrise Stronghold.

Without the slightest hesitation, the tall guard naturally accepted the coins and openly gave half to the short guard.

Seeing this, the fat woman looked toward Chen Shi'an and Su Qingrou, smugness gleaming in her eyes.

Chen Shi'an curled his lip, strode forward, and respectfully offered the tall guard a tael of broken silver. "I'm sorry to have troubled you both to come over such a minor matter. This tael is a token of my apology. Please have a drink on me."

The smugness vanished from the fat woman's eyes, and her expression soured.

Zhang Mazi shot her a fierce glare and muttered a few curses.

The tall guard glanced quickly at Chen Shi'an. After a brief hesitation, he accepted the silver and again split it evenly with his companion.

Then he gave a loud cough. "I've gotten to the bottom of this.

In the scuffle between the children, Zhang Mazi's side was at fault. In the dispute between the adults, both sides were at fault, but Zhang Mazi bears more blame.

You opened your mouth and demanded a tael of silver. How long would you have to sell meat to earn that much?

At the same time, Chen Shi'an's demand for twenty taels was excessive.

Here's my ruling: Zhang Mazi will pay the Chen Family four taels of silver, and the matter will be settled. How does that sound?"

His gaze slowly swept over Zhang Mazi and Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an knew when to quit while he was ahead and promptly replied, "We'll follow your decision, officer."

With the city guard having spoken, Zhang Mazi did not dare refuse. He gritted his teeth and nodded, then glared at his wife. "What are you standing there for? Get the silver!"

The fat woman blinked, then took four taels of silver from inside her clothes, her eyes full of pain at the loss, and reluctantly held it out to Chen Shi'an.

Just then, the tall guard suddenly spoke. "Give the silver to Su Qingrou."

Slightly surprised, Chen Shi'an quickly studied the tall guard and realized that he looked somewhat familiar.

Once Su Qingrou had received the silver, the two city guards stayed no longer and strode away.

Zhang Mazi hurried after them with his wife and child, fleeing the courtyard close on the guards' heels.

As the neighbors were about to leave, Chen Shi'an called out, "Thank you all for bearing witness for the Chen Family today. My sister-in-law has prepared a small gift for everyone as a token of our gratitude."

Su Qingrou was clever and immediately understood his meaning. She added, "Sorry for the trouble, neighbors. Please wait a moment."

With that, she started to move.

"Sister-in-law, stay here and look after our guests. I'll fetch it." Chen Shi'an moved first, striding toward the cellar.

Naturally, everyone was happy to receive a gift. In no hurry to leave, they gathered in the courtyard, chatting and laughing as they guessed what Su Qingrou might give them.

A little later, Chen Shi'an returned with a large basket.

Inside were dozens of small, tightly sealed earthenware jars, each half a foot tall.

Soon, Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian had given everyone present a small jar.

The neighbors held the weighty jars, all looking puzzled.

"Sister Su, what's inside?" one woman could not resist asking.

Su Qingrou was about to answer when Chen Shi'an replied with a smile, "Auntie Zhao, this is chili sauce my sister-in-law made. It's perfect for eating with rice.

Oh, and this chili sauce has a name: Chen Su Ji!"

Everyone immediately began talking over one another:

"Chili sauce? What's that?"

"Aren't chilies a medicinal ingredient? Can you eat them? Won't they cause problems?"

"I've heard you really can eat chilies."

Chen Shi'an smiled slightly. "Neighbors, eat it without worry. My sister-in-law's cooking is first-rate. I guarantee you'll want more once you've tried it.

But remember to return the jars to us when you've finished the chili sauce."

It was free, after all. They would be fools not to take it. Everyone thanked them and gradually dispersed.

"Brother-in-law, are you all right?"

Once everyone had left, Su Qingrou anxiously looked Chen Shi'an up and down as she asked.

Chen Tiantian came over too, looking at him with a complicated expression, wanting to speak but holding back.

"Sister-in-law, I'm fine."

Chen Shi'an crouched and drew Chen Tiantian in front of him to examine the injury on her face.

This time, Chen Tiantian did not resist. Her little face flushed as she let him hold her hand.

"Little girl, remember this."

Chen Shi'an gently stroked her head. "If something like this happens again, don't fight them. Protect yourself first, then come home and find your uncle.

Your father may be gone, but you still have me."

Chen Tiantian burst into tears and threw herself into Chen Shi'an's arms. She cried without stopping, her tears soon soaking his shoulder.

After finally soothing Chen Tiantian, Chen Shi'an asked quietly, "Sister-in-law, do you know that tall city guard? I feel as though I've seen him somewhere before."

Su Qingrou nodded. "His name is Hou Fang. He's your elder brother's sworn brother. He visited our home before, but you were still little then, so you might not remember.

He's also in the City Guard Battalion, but he belongs to the Demon Hunting Team. Whenever he leaves the Stronghold, he's gone for months, sometimes even a year.

I didn't expect him to turn up today either.

It looks like he's left the Demon Hunting Team."

Chen Shi'an was a little surprised. "The Demon Hunting Team? Everyone who gets into that team is one of the City Guard Battalion's elite."

Windrise Stronghold's City Guard Battalion maintained a special Demon Hunting Team, whose primary duty was hunting demon beasts.

The Demon Hunting Team had fewer than a hundred members, but every one was an elite, and they held an exceptional standing within the City Guard Battalion.

Besides helping the City Guard Battalion repel demon beast attacks, the Demon Hunting Team would leave the stronghold from time to time to hunt demon beasts deep in the Desolate Ruins.

Demon beasts were powerful and ferocious, treating humans as food. Yet their bodies were treasure from head to toe, and killing even one could earn a great deal of silver.

Thus, demon beasts wanted to eat humans, and humans wanted to kill demon beasts. There was no end to it.

"The Demon Hunting Team holds such high status. Why would he leave to become an ordinary city guard?" Chen Shi'an looked puzzled.

Su Qingrou shook her head. "Who knows? I haven't seen him for several years either."

Chen Shi'an murmured an acknowledgment. "Sister-in-law, the chili sauce we made earlier has been fermenting for some time now, and today our neighbors are helping spread the word for free.

I reckon it won't be long before we can start selling our Chen Su Ji chili sauce and earning silver.

You don't need to take on other people's laundry anymore. Stay home and make chili sauce, and when you have time, plant some chilies in the courtyard."

"Can chili sauce really make money?" Su Qingrou asked uncertainly.

Chen Shi'an smiled slightly. "You'll know in a little while."