Chapter 24: Creditors
Tang Luwu saw that Li Taohua's face was full of anger and Qin Huiyin was so angry that she looked pitiful. She was not good at speaking and didn't know how to persuade her.
She tugged at Tang Yixiao's sleeve and said, "What should we do?"
Tang Yi smiled and put away the unused bamboo buckets and bowls, then squatted down to pack up, ignoring the mother and daughter.
After the women left, the anger on Li Taohua's face disappeared, and she said to Qin Huiyin beside her: "All are sold out, we can close the stall now."
"Mom, you didn't even give me a wink just now. Aren't you afraid that I didn't understand your intention?" Qin Huiyin said with a smile.
"We mother and daughter have such a tacit understanding. You can understand what I want to do just by frowning. How can you not understand my intention?" Li Taohua said.
Tang Luwu was stunned, staring blankly at the mother and daughter who had turned from "enemies" into friends.
Qin Huiyin was amused by her appearance and said, "We did it on purpose. We want these aunts to feel that they have gotten a great deal, so that they will be so happy when they pay."
Tang Yi smiled and said calmly, "Do you think she might turn against her own daughter?"
Given her love for Qin Huiyin, she would unconditionally agree to whatever she said. How could she turn against her for such a small thing?
Tang Luwu breathed a sigh of relief. While packing her things, she observed Li Taohua and her daughter. When she saw Li Taohua pulling Qin Huiyin to count the cash box, envy flashed in her eyes.
Everything is sold out, you can go home now.
Today they didn't buy staple foods such as peas and rice, but only pig scraps. The fat butcher promised to leave her pig's trotters, and she didn't know where he found them from, but there were ten pig's trotters.
The ox cart arrived at the door of the Tang family. Before it stopped, a quarrel was heard inside, followed by the sound of things being smashed, and then the voice of Tang Dafu begging for mercy.
Tang Yixiao jumped off the ox cart and ran into the yard.
After Mr. Tang San stopped the ox cart, he followed the Tang family members in to check.
At this time, some villagers were outside looking in furtively. One of the villagers stopped Mr. Tang San and said, "Uncle San, don't get involved. This has nothing to do with you."
Master Tang San asked: "What happened?"
"It's still the fifty taels of silver that Tang Dafu owed. The creditor is here to collect the debt."
As soon as Li Taohua and others entered the door, the rough men who were smashing things inside heard the noise and rushed out.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks, dressed like a decent person, but with cloudy eyes. He brought seven or eight thugs with him, who were wearing workmen's clothes, and were tall, strong, and fierce-looking.
"You're back just in time." Chen Zhongyi looked at Li Taohua and her daughter, grinning, revealing his yellow teeth, with a wretched look on his face, "Take them all away."
Several men grabbed Li Taohua and her daughter.
"Wait a minute..." Qin Huiyin stood in front of Li Taohua and asked fiercely, "You broke into someone else's house and want to rob the woman again? Is there any law?"
Li Taohua hugged Qin Huiyin and said coldly: "What do you want to do?"
Tang Dafu crawled out screaming, and it was heartbreaking to see him dragging his legs out of there. But to these evil people, it was just a joke.
"Boss Chen, please give me some more time. When my leg is healed and I can work and earn money, I will definitely pay back the fifty taels of silver." Tang Dafu begged, "My wife and children have nothing to do with this matter. Please don't make it difficult for them. I recognize this silver. You can ask me to do anything and I will definitely pay it back."
"What can a disabled person like you do? Will anyone want you to work in the city? Even if someone does, you'll only get five or six hundred coins a month. When will you pay me back the fifty taels?" Chen Zhongyi stepped on Tang Dafu's face.
"Let my dad go!" Tang Yi laughed and pounced on him like an angry little wolf cub.
He pushed his head against Chen Zhongyi's stomach.
Chen Zhongyi was originally fat and big-eared. When Tang Yixiao pounced on him like that, his fat body staggered and fell backwards.
The guy behind him supported him.
Chen Zhongyi's face was filled with anger, and he said to his men, "Catch him and beat him up. Let him know the consequences of offending me."
Tang Luwu hugged Tang Yixiao and let the two guys' fists fall on her body. She gritted her teeth and said nothing, refusing to let others hurt Tang Yixiao.
"Stop it." Qin Huiyin shouted, "My brother is in poor health. You can ask around. He takes medicine every day. If anything happens to him, it won't be a matter of fifty taels of silver. Boss Chen, you don't want to be blamed for a murder, do you? The new county magistrate is not a corrupt official. You can't get rid of him by giving him money."
Chen Zhongyi stretched out his hand and asked the men to stop.
He looked at Qin Huiyin and grinned, "You are quite smart, little girl. Your mother is quite charming. If she is willing to be my fifteenth concubine, I will give her fifty taels of silver. But I have changed my mind now. You are still young. If you keep her for a few more years, you can be my concubine. Why don't you go with me to Chen's house and enjoy the good life? I will give you fifty taels of silver as a betrothal gift. How about that?"
"Bah, what are you dreaming about?" Li Taohua said, "If anyone dares to touch my daughter today, I will fight her to the death."
As she spoke, she took down the sickle that was hanging there and gestured towards them.
"You are a seductive woman. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lent your man fifty taels of silver. I know he can't pay it back, so I'm going to use you to pay off the debt, right?" Chen Zhongyi said, "But your daughter is more cost-effective than you, so you should take your daughter back to pay off the debt. I heard that you married Tang Dafu with your daughter. I'll help you raise your daughter, and you can live a good life. Isn't it better? I'm really a kind man."
"Boss Chen, you lent my stepfather fifty taels of silver, right?" Qin Huiyin said calmly, "Excuse me, what did you do with the fifty taels of silver? Why didn't we see it?"
Chen Zhongyi stared at her with his rat eyes: "Little girl, you want to deny it? What a pity, I am not stupid. Your father borrowed fifty taels of silver, and I made him sign it."
"Show it to me."
Chen Zhongyi took out the IOU and placed it in front of her: "Can you read? If not, I'll ask someone to read it to you."
"No need, I can recognize a few words." Qin Huiyin said, looking at the words on the IOU.
She read all the text and frowned.
The person who wrote this IOU was very thoughtful and detailed, so it was impossible to find any mistakes. The last fingerprint should be Tang Dafu's. When she looked at Tang Dafu, he lowered his head in shame.
"Mom, have you seen these fifty taels of silver?" Qin Huiyin asked.
Li Taohua stared at Tang Dafu and said, "No. When he was carried back, only his bloodstained clothes were left. Not a cent was left. He was unconscious at first, and only told me about the loan after he woke up seven or eight days later."
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