"Grandpa, do you know Hu Er?"
On the compacted dirt street, a rather sturdy young child politely inquired of an old man who was selling glutinous rice cakes at a stall.
"Hu Er? Little kid, which Hu Er are you asking about?"
The kind-faced old man, whose back was slightly hunched, asked with a smile.
"The one who wanders the streets all day and does nothing productive!"
Feng Bingwen thought for a moment and then answered.
Although it is a peaceful and prosperous era, there should only be a minority of street thugs who harass respectable women in broad daylight, and there can't be too many of them.
"You mean that Hu Er? What do you want with him, little kid? Do you want to be like him?"
The old man's face hardened, and he looked somewhat serious.
"No, I heard he got beaten up yesterday, so I just wanted to see what was going on."
Feng Bingwen explained.
"Hey, you're pretty well-informed, kid. That guy did mess with someone yesterday and got beaten up. He's finally been dealt with and is lying at home now."
"Grandpa, do you know where Hu Er's house is?"
After class, Feng Bingwen, who had been asking questions all the way here, spoke with a very sincere tone.
"What? Little brat, did that beast Hu Er steal your things before?"
"More or less!"
Feng Bingwen chuckled, seemingly a little shy.
“If you were a few years older, I might have told you, but you’re too young. With your small arms and legs, it’s unlikely you can get revenge for what you suffered before. Hu Er’s face was badly beaten, but he can still move his body.”
"I'm just here to scout things out."
"Oh, I see. Well then, I'll tell you, Hu Er's house is in that alley over there..."
The old man selling glutinous rice cakes told Feng Bingwen, who was clearly there to cause trouble, where Hu Er lived.
"Thank you, sir."
As he spoke, Feng Bingwen walked in the direction the old man pointed out, but the old man stopped him.
"Hey, little one, weren't you here to scout ahead? What are you planning to do?"
"I'll just take a quick look and leave."
Feng Bingwen felt somewhat helpless. In the end, he was still young, and his appearance made people unconsciously look down on him.
"You little rascal, you run away as soon as you get into trouble. With Hu Er's pathetic state, he's probably too embarrassed to show his face in public."
"Alright!"
After dealing with the kind old man, Feng Bingwen found a tiled house in a small alley as he wished. He was slightly surprised to see the door that was clean enough, but then he casually pushed open the wooden door, stepped over the bluestone threshold, and went inside.
As soon as he entered, Feng Bingwen met the gaze of a young man with a swollen, bluish-purple face, and Feng Bingwen's eyes narrowed immediately.
The rather pitiful-looking young man was lying comfortably in a chair, enjoying the cool shade under the old tree in the courtyard. His feet were propped up on a stool, and a rather well-behaved-looking boy was massaging his legs next to him.
The sudden intrusion of the child plunged the relatively peaceful courtyard into a moment of silence. The next moment, the young man, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, recognized Feng Bingwen, jumped up with a limp, pushed aside the servant with a bewildered look on his face, picked up the small stool he had just been resting on, and prepared to throw it out.
Hu Er's reaction was already quite fast, but Feng Bingwen was even faster. He had just picked up the stool when Feng Bingwen's hand was already on his stomach.
puff!
Even when faced with Feng Bingwen's slap, which retained most of its power, Hu Er, an ordinary street thug, couldn't withstand it at all. He felt as if his stomach had been gored by a mad bull, churning violently. He opened his mouth and vomited a mouthful of sour water. He flew backwards for nearly ten feet before crashing to the ground.
Snap!
The small stool he had just been holding tumbled halfway through the air before landing on the ground with a thud, and was then kicked aside by Feng Bingwen who had walked over.
"What are you doing? You want to hit me?"
Feng Bingwen walked up to Hu Er and kicked him in the shoulder. Hu Er, who was curling up in pain, fell backward to the ground.
"You son of a bitch..."
"Your reading has gone to waste; it's full of vulgar language!"
Before the scoundrel could finish cursing, Feng Bingwen stepped on his face, shoving his mouth shut and pressing on the swollen wound on his face, causing the scoundrel's face to contort in pain.
"I'm here today for no other reason than to collect a debt!"
"People collecting debts?"
The servant, who had been stunned by the scene before him, came to his senses. Even after he recovered, he didn't know how to handle the situation.
"You've been eating and drinking for free at Ruyufang for so many days, it's time to pay back the money you owe for the pastries."
You owe me 103 copper coins, but I won't take advantage of you. I'll round it up and give you two silver coins.
"Two silver coins?"
The boy standing to the side stared wide-eyed. Wasn't it supposed to take a hundred copper coins to exchange for one silver coin? How could this be rounded up? He felt like his brain couldn't keep up.
"Did you understand? If you understand, then hurry up and give me the money. Don't waste my time."
Feng Bingwen moved his feet away, feeling that he had made himself clear.
"Feng Bingwen, don't think you're so great just because your grandfather is a scholar. This Qingshan County is not a place for you to be arrogant!"
Hu Er, who had just been trampled under Feng Bingwen's feet and hadn't been able to break free for a long time, knew that he had met a ruthless person. Although the other party looked like just a child, he seemed to be no match for him.
"Stop talking nonsense. Qingshan County is not my place to be arrogant, nor is it your place to be arrogant. Paying back debts is a matter of course. Give me the money now!"
Feng Bingwen urged impatiently.
What if I don't pay?
Hu Er still wanted to be stubborn.
"Yes, don't worry. I promised Officer Xing that I would spare your life and try my best not to cause him any murder."
Feng Bingwen nodded, took a step forward, and an invisible aura filled the courtyard.
Almost simultaneously, in the neighboring neighborhood, two enormous figures that were patrolling stopped at the same time, turned their heads, and stared at Feng Bingwen's location with their scarlet eyes.
"Wait a minute, I'll pay you back!"
Although he didn't have the keen senses of ghosts and gods, Hu Er still felt the intense pressure. He quickly lowered his head and admitted defeat, knowing that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle.
"Wouldn't it have been better if you had been this self-disciplined earlier?"
Feng Bingwen watched as the burly man walked into the house in the courtyard, then reluctantly took out two polished silver coins. Judging from the drooling expression on the servant's face, these two silver coins were a considerable sum of money.
"By the way, a friendly reminder: eat and drink well these days, nourish your body, and ensure your recovery."
Before leaving, Feng Bingwen kindly gave the other person a reminder.
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