The two men laughed heartily, while Zhao Laoliu listened from the side, sipping his wine from time to time.
"Oh, right," Du Chunzhi remembered something. She bent down, unfastened her trouser cuff, and pulled out the silver she had hidden inside.
Yu Qing: "..."
Zhao Laoliu: "..."
"Auntie, you really know how to hide things."
"Well, of course! I tied it so tight it didn't even fall out after a whole scuffle."
"Where did you get so much silver?"
"I made two 'Ai Hu' tiger charms and sold them to the Wang family twins. They kept outbidding each other until they were even buying blue bricks to use as stands."
"It sounds lively! Auntie, tell us all about it."
Du Chunzhi gave them a detailed account, which had Yu Qing chuckling throughout. She opened the cloth pouch, took out twenty taels of silver, and handed them to Yu Qing.
Yu Qing hurriedly said, "Auntie, I don't need this much. Fifteen taels is plenty."
"Auntie can't take advantage of you. Just the cost of the bricks and tiles for my courtyard was more than that, not to mention those large peony-carved floor tiles—the craftsman chiseled those out one blow at a time. I feel like I'm already underpaying you!"
Zhao Laoliu glanced at Yu Qing. "Just take it."
Yu Qing had no choice but to accept. "Then tomorrow I'll bring some broken bricks over and help you build a chicken coop, Auntie."
As they were talking, someone outside shouted, "The boss is back!"
Yu Qing’s eyes lit up, and he bounded out. "Dad! Look, have I grown taller?"
Du Chunzhi looked up and saw a sturdy man, appearing to be in his late thirties, walk in and cup his hands toward Zhao Laoliu. "Brother Liu."
Zhao Laoliu didn't get up, merely nodding slightly.
Like a happy little puppy, Yu Qing busied himself pouring wine for his father. "Dad, this is Aunt Du."
Yu Qing's father nodded. "Yu Family Brick Kiln, Yu Younian."
Du Chunzhi bowed politely. Once Yu Younian sat down, he must have been starving, as he buried his head in a half-plate of beef to tide himself over.
Yu Qing whispered to his father, "Aunt Du is Brother Liu’s neighbor. I just finished laying a wall for her—Brother Liu sent me there."
Yu Younian jerked his head up, set down his chopsticks, and cupped his hands. "No wonder we’re sitting at the same table. Big sister, please excuse my earlier coldness; don't take it to heart."
Du Chunzhi didn't know why he had suddenly become so polite. Just as she was about to speak, someone outside shouted, "Boss, Li Xiaoren is here!"
Yu Younian’s eyes widened like copper bells, and he asked in a rough voice, "What is he here for?"
Zhao Laoliu said coolly, "His men tried to scam my neighbor. They're tied up in the backyard right now. Do as you see fit."
"Understood!" Yu Younian shouted. "Let him in!"
Li Xiaoren walked in slowly, holding a folding fan. "Old Yu, we usually keep to ourselves. What’s the meaning of today’s visit?"
Yu Younian said, "Big sister, with me here, tell him exactly how they tried to scam you!"
Du Chunzhi recounted the events. Li Xiaoren said dismissively, "A life for a life, a debt for a debt—isn't that the natural order of things?"
Du Chunzhi saw it clearly now: Yu Younian was only backing her up because of Zhao Laoliu. Yu Qing was the same, constantly looking to his Uncle Liu for cues.
She caught the hint and asked Zhao Laoliu, "Brother Liu, can I pound the table and give him a piece of my mind?"
Zhao Laoliu nodded. "You can!"
Du Chunzhi slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "How does your family handle lending? Forget the interest for a moment—when Song Huihui said she was borrowing money and coaxed me into putting my thumbprint on that paper, you knew perfectly well what was going on! You just stood there and watched me fall into the trap. Would it have killed you to ask one extra question?"
Li Renxiao, being neither benevolent nor filial, sneered, "You were willing to trust Song Huihui; that’s on you, not anyone else!"
"Fine, so it’s my fault for not thinking it through and pressing my print on that paper in a muddle—I’ll take the loss! But you’re the ones who didn't keep your word, right? We agreed that if I paid back those thirteen taels within five days, the debt would be settled. Why are you raising the price today?!"
Li Renxiao chuckled. "My men were just following the rules."
Zhao Laoliu slammed his wine bowl onto the table. "We’ll stick to the original IOU today. Thirteen taels, and the debt is settled."
Li Renxiao scoffed. "You’re just a boatman, why are you putting on airs? Thinking you can mediate? You’re trying to act tough in front of me without knowing your own weight. One flick of my finger, and you’ll be wiped out!"
Zhao Laoliu grabbed Li Renxiao by the collar, radiating an intense pressure. "Why don't you try it?"
At a time like this, Du Chunzhi wasn't about to hold back. "Well, Li Renxiao? Are you going to sit back down in the mess you’ve made?"
When Yu Younian heard this, he slapped the table too. "Get two men! Drag him to the outhouse and have him follow the 'procedure' the big sister suggested!"
Du Chunzhi: "..."
Although Li Renxiao kept plenty of thugs, he was scrawny himself. One of the young men from the brick kiln hoisted him up with one hand and headed for the backyard.
"Wait!" Li Renxiao yelled. "Yu Younian, do you even know who I have backing me?!"
Yu Younian sneered, "Are you trying to pull rank on me? You’re not worthy! You’ve only been able to wander around town because I haven't bothered to deal with you. My Brother Liu rarely asks me for a favor, and I’m definitely handling this!"
"Do you want to become my enemy?"
"Consider us enemies, then. Let’s see who disappears from this town first. Get moving—take all those bottom-feeders of his to the outhouse and make them... clean up their mess, then sit back in it!"
Li Renxiao’s heart sank. Yu Younian’s brick kiln employed many men—it was the only one of its kind in the surrounding counties. With a display of force like this, he was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Even though the Li family had thugs, once a word was given, a whole crowd of workers would stand up. How could he possibly compete?
There had been no conflict before, so why today? Why would the boss of a brick kiln stand up for that tanned woman?
No, that wasn't it. Yu Younian was doing it for Zhao Laoliu.
As he thought this, he was already being dragged into the backyard outhouse, where his thugs lay scattered across the ground.
The young men from the brick kiln showed no mercy. They ripped the belt off Li Renxiao’s waist. "Don't dally. Get to it, start cleaning!"
The physical harm was minimal, but the humiliation was absolute.
Meanwhile, Zhao Laoliu stood up. "It’s about time to return. I’ll go ahead."
Yu Younian asked in a gruff voice, "Brother, what about these Li family people?"
Zhao Laoliu said, "Since you’ve dealt with them, deal with them thoroughly." He looked at Du Chunzhi. "The boat leaves in two quarters of an hour."
"I’d like to go back, but my IOU..."
Zhao Laoliu said, "They’re cleaning up in the back; it’s likely quite filthy. You don't need to wait here."
Yu Qing helped Du Chunzhi pick up her small bamboo basket. "Don't worry, Auntie. Leave this to my dad. I’ll send you word later."
Du Chunzhi had nothing left to worry about. With the silver in her hands, she took a quick walk through the town market, bought a large basket she could carry on her back, and began to shop.