Chapter 23: Sand and Gravel

Such is the way of the world; if you lack strength, you must accept it—do not dream of defying fate. If your status is insufficient, recognize it; do not expect everyone to grant you face.

Looking at the palm print on the table, Chen Pingan understood the situation perfectly.

Qi and blood at the second level, peak perfection; his physical strength was well-developed! Previously, he had only understood the concept, but the palm print on the table made the gap between them crystal clear.

There was a massive difference between striking a palm print through concentrated effort and leaving one behind as if it were nothing more than a casual gesture.

The latter represented a mastery of force—the ability to deploy and retract power at will.

Against such strength, he was completely outmatched.

With just that much force, if Young Master Hu were to strike him with a single palm, his current "Iron Cloth" technique, which was only at the minor success stage, would not be enough to withstand it. If he took a few more strikes, he would be dead or severely wounded!

Monthly dues!

The so-called "monthly dues" were merely a polite way of saying protection money.

It had always been common knowledge that the Tiger Head Gang collected monthly dues from Lihua Alley and the surrounding streets every month.

However, since Old Man Chen had established himself in the prefecture city, he had never paid a single cent of such nonsense.

Since Old Man Chen had never paid, Chen Pingan naturally wouldn't either.

The final words left by Young Master Hu were very clear: starting next month, Chen Pingan would begin paying his dues.

The reason Old Man Chen could avoid paying back then was that he was a formal constable registered with the Nanquanli Lane Zhenfusi, with Qi and blood at the second level, peak perfection.

Now, although Chen Pingan was also a constable of the Nanquanli Lane Zhenfusi, in the eyes of Young Master Hu and the others, he failed on two counts: first, he had not even entered the threshold of martial arts, and second, he was merely an unregistered, temporary constable.

Compared to Old Man Chen, the difference was like heaven and earth!

The rules for monthly dues were set by the Tiger Head Gang. Old Man Chen could break them, but the current Chen Pingan could not.

In the eyes of Young Master Hu and his men, the status of an unregistered constable was simply not enough!

When strength is lacking, one can only swallow their pride in silence. This was the rule of power, and the truth of this world.

Chen Pingan walked forward and closed the courtyard gate, the smile on his face slowly fading.

"Brother, are you alright?"

Seeing that Chen Pingan's expression was off, Chen Erya hurried forward to comfort him. She had heard everything Young Master Hu said just now.

"Nannuan, I'm fine! Now that the debt is cleared, I feel as light as a feather."

Chen Pingan waved the written receipt in his hand.

"Mm! The silver is all paid back. With you working as a constable outside, our life at home will get better and better!"

The little girl spoke to herself, nodding as she went to convince herself.

"I heard the aunts from the neighboring houses saying that the Tiger Head Gang's monthly dues are based on the number of people. One silver coin for an able-bodied man, half a silver coin for an able-bodied woman, and twenty small coins each for the elderly and children. With just you and me in the house, it's only one hundred and twenty small coins a month. With your monthly salary as a constable, it'll be easy~"

The little girl spoke with forced lightness.

In the currency of the Great Qian, one tael of silver was equal to ten silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to one hundred small coins.

Chen Pingan patted the little girl's head and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Nannuan is right. A mere one hundred and twenty small coins is no trouble for me."

"Mm." The little girl nodded heavily.

"Nannuan, the debt is cleared. From now on, we siblings will live our lives well."

Chen Pingan pulled Chen Erya into a hug, but a sharp light flickered in his eyes.

"Monthly dues!? In one month at most, I will make this Tiger Head Gang break their own rules for me!"

Inside the small courtyard, Chen Pingan comforted Chen Erya thoroughly. Since it was a day off, he didn't have to go on patrol, so he spent the afternoon practicing the Iron Cloth technique an extra time.

It still took half an hour, and the experience points on his panel increased from 4 to 5.

Chen Pingan tried to practice the Iron Cloth a second time, only to find his skin was faintly red, making it difficult to continue. It was likely because the interval between his rest periods wasn't long enough.

"If every day were a day off, I could get an extra practice session every day!"

Chen Pingan thought to himself.

Unfortunately, there was only one day off for every ten days.

After finishing his practice, Chen Pingan wiped his body down. He had stayed in the courtyard all afternoon without going out.

For dinner, he planned to make braised pig trotters, which was a substantial dish. Thus, Chen Pingan and Chen Erya began busywork in the small kitchen early. Working together, the siblings were very efficient.

Tonight's dinner: a large bowl of braised pig trotters, a plate of stir-fried meat with seasonal vegetables, a bowl of steamed egg with small shrimp, and one large and one small bowl of white rice.

The entire courtyard was filled with the aroma of meat, making one's mouth water.

Cultivating martial arts consumed a massive amount of energy, so Chen Pingan ended up eating the entire dinner clean.

This startled Chen Erya.

The other dishes were one thing, but those braised pig trotters...

They were called trotters, but in reality, all the meat above the trotters was there!

"Brother, your appetite has really improved lately!"

The little girl stared at Chen Pingan with wide, surprised eyes.

"Hahaha, yes, it's quite good, isn't it?" Chen Pingan said with a smile, picking the remaining bits of meat from the bones.

"Brother is practicing martial arts now and needs a sufficient supply of Qi and blood. When the body is hungry, the appetite naturally opens up! Nannuan, buy some more beef and mutton tomorrow; don't skimp on the money! Once I succeed in my martial arts and become a formal constable, we will have everything we need!"

Seeing Chen Pingan's lingering desire for more, the little girl nodded repeatedly like a garlic press.

After dinner, the siblings chatted idly. They were halfway through cleaning the dishes when a knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

"Who is it?"

The two looked at each other, and Chen Pingan called out.

"Little Brother Chen, it's me. Your Uncle Zhang."

A deep voice sounded from outside the door.

"It's Uncle Zhang!"

Chen Pingan hurried to open the gate and found a dark-skinned, sturdy, and capable old man standing there—it was indeed Uncle Zhang.

Uncle Zhang was carrying a basket of items on each shoulder; it was the sand and gravel Chen Pingan had requested.

"Come, come, Uncle Zhang, please come in."

Chen Pingan welcomed the old man inside.

"Little Brother Chen, where do you want this sand and gravel placed?"

Entering the courtyard, Uncle Zhang looked around.

"Just put it over there!"

With a smile, Chen Pingan pointed to a corner near the courtyard gate.

Uncle Zhang gave an affirmative grunt, set down the baskets of sand and gravel, and slowly poured them out where Chen Pingan had pointed.

"Little Brother Chen, what are you going to do with this sand and gravel?"

Uncle Zhang asked curiously as he poured.

"Oh, it's like this. The Zhenfusi passed down some grappling techniques, and they told us to practice with sand and gravel when we have free time."

Chen Pingan told a casual lie.

"I see." Uncle Zhang nodded, a hint of envy appearing on his face. "As expected of someone eating the government's rice; the benefits are truly good, even passing down martial arts skills."

"It's nothing, just some superficial skills, better than nothing." Chen Pingan laughed it off. "Uncle Zhang, you're doing well helping out in the restaurant's kitchen!"

"Sigh, Little Brother Chen, if my Tie Niu had even half your talent, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

As they chatted, the two baskets of sand and gravel were quickly emptied into the courtyard.