Chapter 36: The Shocked Bai Family

Early in the morning, the Bai family was having breakfast.

Mrs. Bai sipped her porridge and ate a steamed bun, saying, "Sigh, Father, dear, have you heard?"

"Hmm?"

The two men looked toward her.

"I went out this morning and heard the Zhang family's daughter-in-law saying that when Jiu Si went home yesterday, he ran into people looking for gambling debts."

Dr. Bai frowned, his voice turning somewhat cold. "Did he go gambling again?"

"Not exactly. It was from before, about two months ago, I think. He gave the Yu family an IOU."

Only then did Dr. Bai's expression soften. "Oh."

Before Chen Jie began his apprenticeship, he had shared his past with the Bai family without reservation. Everyone knew about his previous gambling, and no one paid it much mind. As long as he wasn't gambling now and was willing to turn his life around, Dr. Bai would not judge him through a biased lens.

Mrs. Bai said, "No, I'm not trying to blame Jiu Si. I'm saying the Yu family is wicked. Two months ago, they let Jiu Si owe them an IOU for one tael of silver. Guess how much they went to demand yesterday?"

Hearing this, Dr. Bai said, "Nine out of thirteen—it shouldn't be more than two taels, right?"

"What? Twenty-five taels!" Mrs. Bai gestured to indicate the number twenty-five.

"How much?"

Dr. Bai and Wu Hong were both shocked. Only Wu Zhong continued eating calmly. As a manager of the fishing stalls for the Fishing Gang, he was well aware of the high-interest loans practiced by the Canal Gang. Moreover, the specialized moneylenders in their own Fishing Gang operated in a similar predatory fashion, with interest compounding endlessly; he had seen it many times and had grown accustomed to it.

"Twenty-five taels. That's a more than twenty-fold increase."

Although Mrs. Bai was the most respected woman in Xiantao Town, she still lived a rural life and possessed the gossiping nature of a village woman.

Once she finished, Wu Hong frowned. "Isn't that bullying?"

"Bullying? Bullying whom? They have an IOU; if they take it to the officials, they'll be in the right," Wu Zhong said, glancing at his son.

Dr. Bai fell silent and continued eating, his emotions unreadable. Beside him, Mrs. Bai sighed after finishing her story. "Poor Jiu Si. He finally turned his life around, only to run into this mess."

"That girl Yunjin is even more pitiful. Her man finally improved himself, only to be hit with this headache. Sigh... dear."

"Hmm?" Wu Zhong looked at his wife while chewing a bun.

"See if you can help with this matter. It hasn't been easy for Jiu Si."

Wu Zhong said nothing and looked toward Dr. Bai.

"Father, what do you mean?"

Dr. Bai took a sip of porridge, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's see if Jiu Si brings it up. If he does, we'll help."

Wu Zhong said, "Alright, I understand." Having said that, he continued eating.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door. Mrs. Bai stood up and asked, "Who is it?"

When she opened the door, she saw Chen Jie. He was carrying a large hemp sack and holding a stick. Seeing him like this, Mrs. Bai asked, "Where have you been?"

"Haha, I went up the mountain and got some good things to bring to Master."

Hearing this, Mrs. Bai said, "Come, come in and talk."

Chen Jie entered. "Master, Uncle Zhong, Brother Hong, good morning."

The three nodded in greeting. Wu Hong even stood up and said, "Jiu Si, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come, sit and eat with us."

"I'll go get a set of bowls and chopsticks," Mrs. Bai said.

"No need, I've already eaten," Chen Jie said politely.

Dr. Bai glanced at him and said, "If I tell you to eat, then eat. An apprentice must be obedient."

"Yes, I'll listen to Master."

Chen Jie was very sensible, and Dr. Bai nodded.

Once they sat down, everyone remained silent and began eating. Midway through, Mrs. Bai wanted to ask Chen Jie about yesterday's incident, but Wu Zhong stopped her.

Helping out depended on the situation. If someone asked for help and you provided it, it was a kindness. If you helped without being asked, those who were psychologically fragile might feel insulted, potentially turning your help into a grudge. Although they thought highly of Chen Jiu Si and his family, they had only known them for two days; one had to be careful with such matters.

After the meal, Mrs. Bai began clearing the table. Chen Jie offered to help but was refused.

"Don't you have business with your Master? Go attend to that; I can do it myself."

Dr. Bai also added, "Jiu Si, what brings you to me so early in the morning?"

Chen Jie thought for a moment and was about to speak when Dr. Bai said to Wu Zhong, "Come to my room to talk."

Upon entering Dr. Bai's room, the scent of medicinal herbs wafted over them. Wu Hong followed in as well. As the group sat down, the father and sons exchanged glances, waiting for Chen Jie to state his business.

However, Chen Jie did not mention the matter with Ma Liu. Instead, he said to Dr. Bai, "Master, I caught a Golden Pheasant on the mountain today. It looks quite unique. Take a look and see if it's some kind of rare breed."

"A Golden Pheasant?"

The three were stunned and immediately looked toward Chen Jie's sack.

As Chen Jie opened the sack, their eyes lit up. Wu Zhong even jumped up, shouting, "A Red-eyed Golden Pheasant!"

Dr. Bai was also somewhat excited. He stepped forward to touch the bird and said, "This must be at least thirty years old. This is practically a heavenly treasure."

Hearing this, Wu Hong said, "Haha, brother, you've struck it rich! This is a treasure—something even a martial artist couldn't buy even if they had the money."

Seeing their reactions and hearing Wu Hong's words, Chen Jie thought to himself: *As expected, my guess was right. It really is a heavenly treasure.*

After examining it for a while, Dr. Bai said to Chen Jie, "Jiu Si, I must say your luck is incredible. This is one of the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Treasures and Seventy-Two Earthly Treasures' of the Dabashan Mountains. Although its age is somewhat lacking, its value is extremely high."

"The flesh and blood of a Red-eyed Golden Pheasant can be used by martial artists as a tonic, making it very precious. Its beautiful feathers can also be made into ornaments, which are quite costly as well."

"A single Red-eyed Golden Pheasant is worth at least a hundred taels of silver, and even then, it's often unavailable on the market."

A hundred taels!

Chen Jie's heart pounded wildly. Beside him, Wu Zhong spoke up, "Jiu Si!"

"Uncle Zhong!"

Chen Jie looked at him. Wu Zhong said, "Are you selling this pheasant? I happen to have a use for it. How about this: I'll give you one hundred and twenty taels, and you sell the pheasant to me?"

"Of course, if you don't trust me, go check the market price and come back with an answer."

Hearing this, Chen Jie hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhong, what are you saying?"

"In that case, Uncle Zhong, I will give this pheasant to you as a gift."

"This..."

Wu Zhong immediately tried to refuse, but Chen Jie said, "Uncle Zhong, please don't refuse yet. Actually, I've run into some trouble and wanted to ask for your help. Let this be my way of saying thank you."

Hearing this, Wu Zhong narrowed his eyes. "What is it? If it's something I can help with, I certainly will."

"It's like this. Originally, I..."

Chen Jie recounted the entire story from beginning to end. After the three of them finished listening, Wu Hong slammed the table.

"Too much! One tael turned into twenty-five! Brother, don't worry about this—your big brother will settle this for you!"

"Don't be impulsive. Sit down."

Wu Zhong frowned slightly, then looked at Chen Jie. "Jiu Si, this is a small matter; I'll help you settle it. However, I cannot accept this pheasant. I will pay exactly what it is worth. Otherwise, I would be owing you a massive favor, and you have to think about that too, don't you?"