Before dark, Du Chunzhi went to find Qiaoyun, Song Ergen’s wife, to discuss the repairs needed for her house.
During the divorce proceedings with the village head, Qiaoyun had consistently spoken up for Du Chunzhi, but now she appeared quite troubled. "My Ergen took a wrong step yesterday and fell on the field ridge; he won’t be able to get out of bed for several days. If you aren’t in a rush, wait until he’s recovered, and he’ll help you fix the wall then."
This was incredibly unfortunate. Du Chunzhi could only tell her to let Ergen rest well and that she would find another way herself.
As a resident of Songjia Village, it was only natural to seek help from the village head for such matters. Du Chunzhi went directly to Song Huaiyu’s house and said, "Uncle Village Head, although you gave me the house, it’s too dilapidated. If a wild boar runs down from the mountain, it could charge right into my room and knock the whole structure down. Uncle, could you help me find a few men to help me repair the courtyard wall?"
Song Huaiyu sighed. "It’s not that I don’t want to help, but it’s the busy farming season. Which man isn’t out in the fields? Even if I had the heart to help you, there’s simply no spare labor."
Upon hearing this, Du Chunzhi understood. Claiming there was too much work in the fields was just an excuse; if they really wanted to help, wouldn’t they find a way?
In reality, Song Huaiyu believed deep down that Songjia Village was for the Song family, and outsiders were just outsiders. Anyone not surnamed Song who lived here was doing so out of charity and could not be compared to the original residents. Furthermore, after she had made such a scene divorcing Song Yao and then gone to the county to file a complaint—resulting in Song Yao’s mother still being locked up—the neighboring villages were laughing at them. Song Huaiyu held some resentment over this. If it weren't for the fact that Du Chunzhi’s household registration was still here, he wouldn’t even have given her that house at the edge of the village.
Du Chunzhi realized this and took her leave. If the village head wouldn't act like a human being, did that mean she couldn't survive? It was just a courtyard wall; she would find another way. A living person wouldn't be stifled by a mere wall, would they?
Du Chunzhi returned to her place, but she couldn't sleep. The nights in the countryside were truly too dark, a darkness that made one anxious. In her past life, she had traveled to the Capital to do business for her master, wearing silks, sleeping under fine quilts, managing shops, and auditing accounts. She had seen much of the world and had forgotten that people in the countryside were so poor they were even stingy about lighting an oil lamp.
In the pitch-black night, Xiaohuang, who was curled up by the bed, suddenly bristled and began to bark loudly at the top of its lungs.
Du Chunzhi sensed trouble. She grabbed a stick and hid quietly behind the door. The grass in the yard was very tall and was now rustling. Through the faint moonlight filtering through the clouds, Du Chunzhi saw two dark figures parting the grass and walking toward her.
They were coming for her!
Just then, Xiaohuang darted out, aimed for one of their legs, and took a firm bite. The man howled in pain and began thrashing at the dog with the stick in his hand. Xiaohuang was quick; it scampered off a few paces and then began barking frantically at the intruders.
"Can’t a person get any sleep?!"
Clang! The door next door opened, and Zhao Laoliu emerged holding a fire starter and a fire poker, his face full of menace.
When the two men saw Laoliu come out, they turned and ran. They had intended to take advantage of the darkness, forgetting that a sturdy man lived right next door. Zhao Laoliu had arms as thick as legs and fists as hard as stones—they couldn't beat him; they stood no chance.
The two had snuck in and then scrambled away, all in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. Du Chunzhi thanked Laoliu and asked, "Brother Liu, did you see who they were?"
"It’s pitch black and the grass is so high. Both were wearing masks, so I couldn't see who they were. But it’s certainly those local hoodlums."
Du Chunzhi nodded and took the opportunity to ask, "Brother Liu, there’s an unexpected job opportunity. Are you interested?"
Laoliu held up the fire starter and watched her silently.
"My house is too broken; I need to build a courtyard wall, and the roof tiles need fixing. If you have time after rowing your boat, could you help me repair it? There’s payment!"
"I don't have time."
"Oh." Du Chunzhi had to give up, her mind racing to think of who else she could ask.
Laoliu thought for a moment and added, "I can help you call a few people. Wait at home tomorrow, just provide lunch."
Du Chunzhi agreed repeatedly and saw Laoliu off. "Thank you, Brother Liu! Take care, Brother Liu!"
A weight was lifted off her heart. When she went back, Du Chunzhi still couldn't sleep, lying with her eyes open until dawn.
Next door, Laoliu had already left for the ferry. The workers hadn't arrived yet, so she washed her face and began clearing the grass in the yard. Just as she finished one corner, someone showed up at the door.
"Is this where Du Chunzhi lives? It’s time to pay back the money you borrowed!"
What? When had she ever borrowed money?
Du Chunzhi went out to meet them and saw two men standing by the road. The Fatty on the left was holding a document. "See for yourself. Your thumbprint and seal are here; you can’t deny this."
Du Chunzhi hurriedly read the document and discovered it was an IOU: *Songjia Village’s Du Chunzhi borrowed ten taels of silver from Li Renxiao of Cuilin Town, to be repaid with twenty taels in one month. Signed as proof...*
Du Chunzhi was stunned. Her mind raced, and she said with a smile, "You can show it to me, but I can't read."
The Fatty snorted coldly, "Don't play dumb. You borrowed this money from my place last month. The deadline was yesterday. Since you didn't pay voluntarily, we naturally had to come to you."
"Last month? I don't remember this."
"Last month, you went to town with Song Huihui. She accompanied you when you signed this."
Du Chunzhi dug through her memories. It seemed... there really was such an event. Song Huihui was her sister-in-law. She had indeed accompanied her into town last month. At the time, her sister-in-law had taken a fancy to a piece of jewelry that cost ten taels, and she had cried about it for a long time. Later, they got separated, and near dusk, Song Huihui had suddenly found Du Chunzhi, saying her mother-in-law wanted to buy a few chicks on credit and asked her to just press her thumbprint on a paper.
The Du Chunzhi of that time was so innocent; seeing that Song Huihui really had bought a few chicks, she hadn't suspected a thing. She had even said that it was getting late and they needed to hurry back, so she pressed her print and left.
Clearly, the ten taels had been taken by Song Huihui to buy jewelry. No wonder her sister-in-law had been clamoring to visit her aunt’s house lately; she must have known that someone would come collecting!
In her past life, when the Li family came to demand the money, Du Chunzhi had already been sold to the Wang family, and she didn't know how the Song family had settled the account. This time, she had successfully freed herself, only to be entangled by these debt collectors.
It was written in black and white; there was no denying it. If she didn't pay today, the interest would keep mounting, and it would never end.
Du Chunzhi thought for a moment and took out seven taels of silver. "Two gentlemen, I only have this much on me. I will pay back the remaining thirteen as soon as possible. Can we agree not to add any more interest?"
The Fatty snatched the silver and barked, "I can't decide that! You have five days to pay it all back, or we’ll sell you off to cover the debt!"
Five days?
Du Chunzhi was going crazy. She hadn't even had a chance to warm the silver in her hands before it was gone; her heart ached! She had just divorced and was already looking forward to making money and living the good life, only to be hit with this immediately—she still had to clean up Song Huihui's mess!
Du Chunzhi gritted her teeth: *Song Huihui, you just wait. If you have the nerve, don't ever set foot in Songjia Village again!*