Chapter 2: Young Master Hu

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The violent knocking, accompanied by the shaking of the courtyard gate, made the already dilapidated wooden door struggle to hold on.

"Brother!"

Chen Er'ya's expression, previously relaxed from the delicious food, suddenly tightened.

Chen Ping'an gave her a look, stood up, and headed toward the courtyard gate.

Their small courtyard was not large; it only took a few steps to reach the wooden gate. However, just as Chen Ping'an stood up and took a step, the gate was kicked open with a bang.

The crossbar used to secure the latch snapped in two!

As the crossbar hit the ground, a flash of ferocity crossed Chen Ping'an's eyes, though it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Breaking into a home without the owner's permission—according to the Great Qian Code, killing the intruder on the spot would not be considered excessive; it would be entirely reasonable and legal.

Several figures appeared before the gate. Leading them was a burly man with dark skin and an extremely ruddy complexion.

The man was exceptionally tall, a full head taller than Chen Ping'an.

"Kid from the Chen family, I’ve been knocking for so long and you didn't come to open up. I was a bit reckless, you don't mind, do you?"

The man looked at Chen Ping'an with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, carefully watching his reaction.

There was not a hint of anything unusual on Chen Ping'an's face; he was all smiles.

"What are you saying, Tiger Lord? It’s my fault for being slow to open the door."

"Call me Little Tiger Lord! Tiger Lord is my foster father; you can't just go around calling him that."

As the man spoke, he walked into the courtyard, his gaze immediately landing on the dishes on the wooden table.

"Kid from the Chen family, your food is pretty good! My brothers' meals today aren't even as good as this! You sure know how to enjoy yourself!"

Little Tiger Lord sat down on a wooden stool with a swagger, scaring Chen Er'ya into standing up and leaning against her brother.

"Pork belly, bone broth... Kid from the Chen family, you’re living quite comfortably!"

"As expected of the old Chen family, the standard of living is just different."

The gang lackeys following behind Little Tiger Lord spoke with snide, mocking tones.

Chen Ping'an's expression remained unchanged. He walked over, grabbed Chen Er'ya's hand, and squeezed it firmly.

"Yesterday, I happened to go out on a mission with the office to take down the Quicksand Gang. I was lucky enough to earn some merit, and it’s been a while since I’ve had meat. I thought I’d treat myself today. I didn't expect such a distinguished guest as Little Tiger Lord to drop by."

Chen Er'ya was a bit nervous, her whole body tense. Chen Ping'an squeezed her hand a few more times, trying his best to calm her down.

It was no wonder Chen Er'ya was nervous; the man in front of them was no ordinary person. He was a man of some reputation in the streets and alleys around Pear Blossom Lane.

The Tiger Head Gang, Little Tiger Lord!

The Tiger Head Gang's Tiger Lord had lost his biological son early on and had adopted several foster sons. The Little Tiger Lord before them was the foster son most valued by the Tiger Head Gang's Tiger Lord, being groomed as the successor to the gang.

Under normal circumstances, such a person wouldn't just show up at someone's door. But besides being the most valued foster son, Little Tiger Lord had another identity.

That is, he was Chen Ping'an's creditor!

Some time ago, in order to secure a position as a runner for Chen Ping'an, Chen's father had borrowed silver—and it was borrowed from Little Tiger Lord.

Little Tiger Lord didn't speak. He sat by the wooden table, looking at Chen Ping'an with an amused expression.

Little Tiger Lord didn't speak, and Chen Ping'an didn't speak either. He just stood there with a smile, watching quietly.

Sometimes, not panicking is a form of strength, and silence is also a form of strength!

Chen Ping'an knew that Little Tiger Lord understood the meaning behind his words.

An unregistered runner is still a runner!

"As expected of the Chen family kid! You’ve got some guts! You look a bit like old Chen. I didn't come here for anything else today, Little Tiger Lord, I just wanted to ask if it’s time to pay back the silver you borrowed!"

"Just as I thought!"

Chen Ping'an said to himself. The worst-case scenario had finally happened.

"Little Tiger Lord, when my father was still here, he made an agreement with you. He borrowed ten taels of silver, with the agreement to pay back thirteen taels after one year. As of now, there’s still nearly half a year left. Isn't it a bit early to pay it back now?"

Chen Ping'an wore a flattering smile, only showing a look of embarrassment at the very end.

Little Tiger Lord narrowed his eyes, looked at Chen Ping'an for a long while, and then said

"Kid from the Chen family, you know that back then, I was doing old man Chen a favor. The agreement was to borrow for a year and pay back thirteen taels. Go out and ask around; you won't find a lower interest rate anywhere! In this day and age, there are borrowers everywhere. In my Tiger Head Gang, if we lend money, it’s not unusual to pay back sixteen taels in half a year, let alone thirteen in a full year.

Lately, the gang has been auditing things strictly, and well, they found this old account. They’re pushing me to collect it early."

At the time, the loan was "nine out, thirteen back"!

They said it was ten taels, but he only received nine!

Old man Chen might have had some standing, but that only meant he was given a slight preference; it was nowhere near as exaggerated as Little Tiger Lord claimed.

As for the gang auditing things strictly? That was clearly a lie!

With Little Tiger Lord's status in the gang, who would dare give him trouble or pressure him to collect such a small debt?

Chen Ping'an grumbled inwardly.

However...

Since Little Tiger Lord was making up lies to deceive him, it meant he wasn't willing to tear off the mask just yet.

The thin layer of official status he wore had at least played some role.

"Little Tiger Lord, you know. My monthly salary is only eight hundred copper coins. I’ve only been on the job for a little over half a year. After daily expenses, I haven't saved much. Before my father died, he didn't have any savings left either, having spent it all on this official position for me. That’s why I had to borrow these ten taels from you! Could you grant me a little more time?"

Chen Ping'an was humble and spoke with good intentions.

Little Tiger Lord didn't speak, but the lackey beside him shouted sternly

"Kid from the Chen family, you’re eating pork belly and drinking bone broth, and you say you have no money!? Who would believe that! Hurry up! Pay the money today, or don't blame us brothers for being heartless and not showing any mercy!"

The lackey shouted, looking fierce and menacing.

Chen Ping'an didn't respond; he just bowed slightly, looking at Little Tiger Lord with an earnest expression.

Some people bark loudly, but in reality, they pose no threat at all! The lifeblood of these people is often held by those who don't make a sound.

Bang!

Seeing that Chen Ping'an didn't reply, the lackey became even more incensed and slammed his palm onto the wooden table, splashing the bone broth and knocking the pork belly out of the bowl.

"I'm talking to you, kid from the Chen family!"

Chen Ping'an remained silent, his expression earnest but his gaze firm.

"Liu'er, that's enough."

Little Tiger Lord pressed his hand down, and the loud-mouthed lackey immediately shut his mouth.

"How about this, kid from the Chen family? I won't make things difficult for you. I came today to give you a reminder. I'll give you five more days! After five days, pay back the principal and interest."

"Thank you for your mercy, Little Tiger Lord."

Chen Ping'an let go of Chen Er'ya's hand, first bowed in a salute, and then spoke slowly.

"Little Tiger Lord, in ten days, I will receive my monthly salary. You are a magnanimous person; why not grant me five more days? After ten days, when the salary is issued, even if I’m short, it will be easy for me to borrow from my colleagues. By then, I will definitely pay back the principal and interest to you in full!"

Chen Ping'an's tone was firm, showing no signs of guilt.

"Ten days!"

Little Tiger Lord snorted and stood up from the wooden stool in one motion.

Chen Ping'an didn't flinch, maintaining his bowing posture, motionless.

"A fine kid from the Chen family! Fine, I'll give you ten days! But after ten days, you won't be paying back thirteen taels, but fourteen!"

Hearing Little Tiger Lord's words, a flash of panic appeared in Chen Ping'an's eyes at just the right moment. People like Little Tiger Lord dealt with all sorts of characters and were experts at reading people. This flicker of panic was caught perfectly by him.

Chen Ping'an glanced at his sister, then at Little Tiger Lord, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and agreed.

"Fine, as you say, Little Tiger Lord. In ten days, I will pay you back the principal and interest—fourteen taels in total!"

"Good, good, good! Excellent! You’ve got guts! Truly the seed of the old Chen family."

Little Tiger Lord clapped his hands, laughing.

"Liu'er, A'mao, Fei'zi, let's go!"

Little Tiger Lord signaled to the others and headed out of the courtyard. As he passed Chen Ping'an, he smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your leniency, Little Tiger Lord. Take care."

Chen Ping'an sent them off with a smile.

Little Tiger Lord didn't look back, but the lackey called Liu'er gave Chen Ping'an a vicious glare.

Watching them leave until their backs disappeared into the distance, the smile on Chen Ping'an's face finally vanished.

That flicker of panic was intentional. A young man's character can be resilient, but being too monstrously clever is not necessarily a good thing!

Regardless of whether the other party cared, he was alone and helpless; naturally, he had to be more cautious.