Chapter 10: The Casino Debt Collector Comes Calling

"It's time to eat! What are you three men chatting about?" my second aunt shouted at the top of her lungs.

Huzi had long since lost focus, his eyes fixed on the large basin of noodles and mutton soup being brought out. Had his old man not been there, he would have pounced on it immediately.

Everyone picked up their bowls. Because the table was small, Chu Dazhuang and Huzi both piled their bowls high with noodles, ladled in some mutton soup, and squatted on the threshold, eating with gusto.

However, the scene that followed made Chu Chen regret giving Huzi so much money. He watched as Huzi circled the rim of his bowl once, and the entire portion disappeared into his stomach. Chu Chen’s eyes widened as he watched Huzi polish off four massive bowls of noodles before finally, albeit reluctantly, setting his bowl down. Even then, his eyes remained locked on the large chunks of mutton in the soup.

This sight made his second uncle and aunt want to smack the boy. They worried that if he ate like that, no one would ever want to hire him. The others finished after just one bowl, but apart from Chu Chen, no one dared to touch the meat in the soup. It seemed that until Chu Chen spoke, they were too timid to eat it.

Chu Chen shook his head. It seemed that if he wanted to lift them out of poverty, he would have to start by changing their mindset. He picked up the ladle and filled everyone's bowl with mutton. He didn't forget to give Li Qinglian a thumbs-up; she had finally been willing to cook it today.

Then, picking up the remaining mutton soup, he turned to Huzi. "Brother Huzi, are you full?"

"Uh, not—well, yes, I'm full." Huzi’s words were resistant, but his body was honest; he was practically drooling.

Chu Chen thrust the basin into his hands. "Brother Huzi, stick with me. As long as you listen, I can’t guarantee meat every single day, but I’ll make sure you get your fill every few days at least."

Huzi didn't understand a word Chu Chen said, but he hugged the basin and began to feast again. Chu Dazhuang and Second Aunt Wang Erni looked at Chu Chen with awkward expressions, as if to say, "Your brother is just like this, please bear with him."

Chu Chen didn't mind at all. Instead, he thought of their family names and couldn't help but chuckle. Chu Dazhuang, Wang Erni, Chu Xiaohu—the names were truly given in a slapdash manner.

Just as Huzi set the basin down and let out a long, satisfied belch, an ill-timed voice rang out from outside the door.

"I heard our Young Master Chu has struck it rich. It must be true, if you're eating mutton now."

Ma San arrived, sauntering toward them with a few thugs in tow. Hearing that snide, insincere tone, Chu Chen frowned deeply. *It seems the debt collectors from the gambling den have come knocking,* he thought.

"Oh, if it isn't Brother San. Bringing so many people? What's the matter? Was your affair with the village chief’s wife discovered?" Chu Chen shouted loudly at Ma San.

The village was small, and Chu Chen had shouted with all his might. Now, almost everyone in the village had heard him. Slowly, a crowd began to gather.

"Keep your mouth clean, Chu Chen! Don't go wagging your tongue like some woman," Ma San said, feeling guilty.

"Speak up. What are you doing at my place so early in the morning?"

Ma San whispered something to the man beside him, then turned back to grin at Chu Chen. "This is Brother Long from the Sanhe Gambling Den in town. You owe the den five taels of silver. It's time to pay up."

The man called Brother Long scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Li Qinglian behind Chu Chen, his eyes glinting with lechery. "Chu Chen, is it? A few days ago, you went to the gambling den and borrowed five taels. With compound interest, it's eight taels now. Pay up."

Brother Long spoke with an arrogant air. *This is daylight robbery,* Chu Chen thought. Eight taels—no wonder so many people were forced to sell their children.

"Eight taels? That's easy enough. But I don't have change, so why don't you find some?" Chu Chen took a ten-tael silver ingot from his clothes and held it up to Brother Long.

Seeing the ten-tael silver ingot, the crowd was stunned. How had this guy gotten so much money?

"Looks like he really did strike it rich. Old Chai and the others saw him returning with a mule cart yesterday."

"Exactly! I smelled mutton coming from his house this morning."

"Look at what Qinglian is wearing; that's the kind of clothing only city folk can afford."

The crowd whispered and discussed among themselves. Ma San and Brother Long were also wide-eyed. They had assumed the boy couldn't pay and planned to seize his wife to settle the debt. Ma San had coveted Li Qinglian for a long time, though the woman was virtuous and had rebuffed his advances several times.

"Actually, I don't mind giving you these ten taels. It makes no difference to me," Chu Chen said again.

The crowd gasped. It seemed the boy’s talent for squandering wealth hadn't faded at all.

Hearing this, Brother Long’s eyes lit up. "Not bad, kid. You're sensible. Hand it over."

Chu Chen looked at him with a grin and turned to whisper to Huzi, "Brother, how many of these guys can you take?"

"Now that I'm full? All of them," Huzi replied coolly.

Chu Chen quietly slipped a dagger into his hand. According to the laws of the Great Xia, if someone breaks into another person's home to commit violence, killing them in self-defense is not a crime.

"Brother Long, I don't mind giving you the money. But I remember that when you beat me up the other day, you all had a hand in it." Chu Chen smiled at Brother Long. "How about I pay you back in kind? That would be fair, right?"

"You're looking for death, kid! How dare you play me? Brothers, get him!" With that, the men drew their knives and charged toward them.

Chu Chen gripped a dark wooden club and stood in front of his second aunt and Li Qinglian. Huzi and Chu Dazhuang each held a dagger, staring fiercely at the intruders. The three men formed a defensive triangle.

"Come on over..." Chu Chen beckoned to Brother Long and his men from inside the house.

Brother Long suddenly waved his hand, shouting to his men, "Hold back!" Having spent years on the streets, he understood the laws of the Great Xia; he realized the trap in an instant.

"Kid, trying to trick your grandfather? You think I was born yesterday? If you've got guts, come out here!"

"I'm not coming out. If you've got guts, come in here!"

The group, originally on the verge of bloodshed, ended up in a standoff at the doorway, acting like children. After about an hour of arguing, Brother Long and his men were parched and sat down on the ground. The onlookers, finding it boring, went home.

It wasn't that Chu Chen was afraid of them; it was just that if he killed them in the village, how could he continue to live here? The villagers would surely look at him as if he were a monster. Only Chu Dazhuang understood Chu Chen’s intentions, while Huzi pulled over a small stool and sat at the door, watching the people outside with boredom, wondering if they were going to fight or not.

"Just you wait, kid. If you've got guts, don't ever step out of this house." Brother Long spat out a threat and prepared to leave.

"Don't worry. Your father here is going to town tomorrow. Let's see if I dare," Chu Chen shouted from inside the house while sipping tea.

Brother Long snorted. *This kid is more of a rogue than a rogue.* "Just you wait. I'll find a place where no one is around and finish you off."

Brother Long gave Ma San a look, and they hurriedly left with their men.