"Brother~"
In the small courtyard, Chen Erya was gently wiping Chen Ping'an's body, her heart aching for him.
Chen Ping'an wanted to wash himself as usual, but the little girl insisted on helping.
"Nannan, your brother is fine. It just looks a little scary."
Chen Ping'an said with a reassuring smile.
"Mm. I know, but it still breaks my heart to see you like this."
The little girl carefully wiped him down with a cloth.
"Nannan, don't feel bad. This is just what martial arts training is like. Compared to what a lot of people go through, this is nothing. I'm training so hard because I want us to live a good life, and for that, we both have to work hard! So from now on, I'll be in charge of training hard, and you'll be in charge of watching from the side and cheering me on. How does that sound?"
Chen Ping'an was coaxing Chen Erya as if she were a small child. Then again, at only nine years old, she really was still a child.
"Mm." The little girl nodded.
"Brother, I know. Dad used to say that you have to endure the bitterest of hardships to rise above others. You're suffering now so you can rise above others later."
"My Nannan is so smart!"
...
The night passed quickly as the siblings talked heart-to-heart. The next morning, Chen Ping'an began practicing his Iron Cloth Shirt with the new training method.
He could gain 1 Experience Point in just over half an hour. Two practice sessions now took only a little longer than a single session had before.
He clocked in on time for the constables' morning meeting. Two Constables were present today, Constable Huang and Constable Li.
The day passed quickly, filled with banter and conversation with Monkey Head Da Shan. The patrol was uneventful.
When he got home that evening, Chen Erya had almost finished making dinner. The little girl had been quite lavish today, buying not only beef but mutton as well.
The mutton came out of the pot, fragrant and appetizing, making one's mouth water.
Chen Ping'an had Chen Erya fill a bowl to the brim, then went out to deliver it to Uncle Zhang's family.
They had delivered the sand and gravel without taking any money, so it was only natural for Chen Ping'an to give something in return. This was a simple, fundamental principle of being a good neighbor.
When Chen Ping'an arrived with the large bowl of mutton, everyone in Uncle Zhang's family was there except for his son, Zhang Tieniu. It looked like they had just finished dinner.
There were three dishes and a soup on the table, with a good amount of meat.
Compared to their neighbors, Uncle Zhang's family ate extremely well.
Uncle Zhang's son and daughter-in-law worked as Assistants in a restaurant kitchen, so they could often bring back some of the kitchen's perks.
Chen Ping'an explained why he was there, but Uncle Zhang waved his hands dismissively.
"Brother Chen, how could we accept this!"
"Uncle Zhang, please take it. We happened to cook some mutton and thought you might like to try some."
Chen Ping'an said with a smile.
"This is too much! Just half is fine."
Uncle Zhang's little grandchild stood to the side, staring eagerly at the mutton. It smelled so fragrant that even on a full stomach, it made one's mouth water.
"Uncle Zhang, please take it all. It's just a small token of our appreciation."
"Well... all right, then." Glancing at his grandson, Uncle Zhang finally relented.
"Brother Chen, come in and sit for a while," Uncle Zhang's daughter-in-law invited with a smile. Uncle Zhang's daughter-in-law, Cui Lan, was stout and round-waisted, looking quite well-fed.
"I won't stay." Chen Ping'an waved his hand with a smile.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they transferred the mutton to one of their bowls, and Chen Ping'an left Uncle Zhang's home.
"Brother Chen is really too polite..."
Looking at the heaping bowl of mutton, Uncle Zhang let out a long breath.
"He is," Aunt Zhang agreed.
This one heaping bowl of mutton could easily be split into three smaller bowls.
"Brother Chen works for the officials; of course he's proper!" his daughter-in-law Cui Lan added.
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I should get going too. Brother Niu is still waiting for me!"
Cui Lan and Tie Niu were Assistants in the restaurant kitchen, and this was their busiest time. If it weren't for some business at home, she wouldn't have come back at this hour.
...
After leaving Uncle Zhang's house, Chen Ping'an started walking home. Halfway there, he happened to see a door that was ajar.
It was Old Pan's house!
Uncle Pan, who lived down the lane, still owed his family half a tael of silver.
Back when Old Chen was still alive, Old Pan's son was getting married and was in desperate need of money. So even though Old Chen was severely injured himself, he still lent them the half a tael of silver.
Later, even when Old Chen had to arrange for Chen Ping'an's temporary constable position and resorted to taking out a high-interest loan, he never asked Uncle Pan's family to repay the silver.
Now, more than half a year had passed since Old Chen's death, and it had been almost a year since Old Pan's family borrowed that half a tael of silver. Logically, they should have paid it back by now. But there had been no mention of it from their side.
On any other day, he might have let it slide. But now, Chen Ping'an had just paid off fourteen taels of owed silver, and the family's savings were depleted. On top of that, he was training in martial arts and needed to eat meat every night. With all these expenses, money was tight.
Getting that half a tael of silver back would help ease their financial burden.
Half a tael of silver was five mace, a full five hundred small coins. It was more than half his Monthly Allowance.
'What a coincidence. There's no time like the present. They might as well pay me back today.'
With this thought, Chen Ping'an knocked on Old Pan's door.
Old Pan's family wasn't doing poorly compared to their neighbors; in fact, they were doing quite well. The only time they had borrowed money was for their son's wedding.
"Who is it!?"
A woman's voice called from inside.
"Aunt Pan, it's me, Chen Ping'an."
After Chen Ping'an's voice rang out, there were several moments of silence from within. Just as Chen Ping'an was about to push the door open himself, the sound of the door opening was finally heard.
"Ping'an, come on, come in."
The door opened. It was Old Pan who spoke.
Several people were sitting inside. It seemed they had just finished their meal and were resting.
There was Old Pan, Aunt Pan, and his son and daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law's belly was large and round; she was clearly pregnant.
Aunt Pan's expression was a little sour, and Old Pan's son, Xiaopan, also looked uncomfortable.
"Ah, Ping'an's here. Have you eaten?" Old Pan greeted him with a smile.
"Not yet," Chen Ping'an replied with a smile.
"You've come at this hour, Ping'an. Is something the matter?"
Old Pan asked.
"There is something, actually. Uncle Pan, it's like this. Some time ago, your family borrowed half a tael of silver from mine, didn't you? I've come to ask you to return the money."
Chen Ping'an said, getting straight to the point.
He observed that as soon as the words left his mouth, Aunt Pan's expression turned even fouler.
"Oh, so it's about that." Old Pan hadn't expected Chen Ping'an to be so direct. "Well, Ping'an, this is all rather sudden. Let your Uncle Pan think about it."
A smile playing on his lips, Chen Ping'an said slowly, "Then please, Uncle Pan, take your time thinking. I'm not in a hurry. I'll just wait here."
Old Pan really hadn't expected this reaction from Chen Ping'an. He had thought his words would make the young man leave for the time being. Seeing that Chen Ping'an was waiting and had no intention of leaving, he adopted a dismissive tone.
"How about this, Ping'an. You go home for today. We'll talk again after your Uncle Pan has had time to think it over."
Old Pan's words were perfunctory, making no mention of the owed silver. His meaning was self-evident.