Chapter 2 – Beat Him
After shedding most of her tears and catching her breath, Qian Shi(Mrs.) opened a trunk, retrieving a box from the bottom to show her son and daughter the money inside.
It contained strings of copper coins, quite weighty, along with just two small silver ingots – leftovers from building this house.
Their personal savings were only copper coins. Seeing this money made Qian Shi tear up again.
She counted it over – only nine strings of cash, and the two silver bits amounted to just one and a half taels.
Qian Shi then fetched the coin box from the bedside cabinet containing their daily expenses. With the recent autumn harvest, the third and fourth sons had earned wages helping at the Bai landlord’s home, which she had yet to properly store away.
However, this sum was not substantial either, just strung copper coins – one string per hundred coins, ten strings per string of cash.
Their luck was truly poor, with only six strung coin bundles and some scattered two to three dozen loose coins at the bottom.
Glancing at her daughter and son, hearing the escalating agonized screams outside, Qian Shi gathered the money, handing it to her son to take out while guiding her daughter with her other hand.
Seeing his mother with the money box, Fourth Zhou heaved a sigh of relief, nearly bursting into tears.
Man Bao watched clearly, indignant at her fourth uncle.
There were gamblers in the village too. The third household, Zhou San Shu’s family, had his son lose a bet half a year ago, leading the gambling den members back to sell his wife and children to settle the debt.
Their eldest niece, two years older than Man Bao and her good friend, made her keenly remember that gambling debts were a matter of life and death – unsure if it would cost her own life, but it would certainly cost the lives of loved ones.
Her parents had warned her brothers then, strictly forbidding them from gambling. Yet now it was their own family’s turn.
Infuriated, Man Bao charged forward and firmly planted her foot on Fourth Zhou’s face.
“Ow ow! Little sister, don’t step on me, I’m sorry!” Fourth Zhou cried.
Qian Shi did not stop her, instead telling her husband, “The money’s not enough, we’re short four and a half taels.”
The old Zhou patriarch frowned worriedly, while Qian Shi turned to the three daughters-in-law. “Take out whatever you have from your households. Consider it a loan from your fourth brother-in-law that he will repay later.”
Xiao Qian, Mrs. Feng(Feng Shi) and Mrs. He(He Shi) consulted their husbands, who grimaced but nodded resignedly before taking their children to retrieve their private savings.
The Zhou household had not divided, pooling all earnings for communal expenses on food and living. Long ago, Xiao Qian and the patriarch had agreed not to split unless they passed away, waiting until all children were married.
However, Qian Shi knew married sons differed from unmarried ones – they needed personal funds.
Thus, she always kept a loose grip, collecting harvest yields but only taking 60% of other earnings, leaving 40% for each household.
For instance, in Xiao Qian’s house, she made at least one hundred cents monthly from cooking at the school, contributing sixty but keeping the rest for herself.
In the second house, Second Zhou had picked up some woodworking and wicker weaving skills while serving the Bai landlord in his youth, making small earnings selling his handicrafts at the market during free time.
In the third house, hardworking Third Zhou was a favored laborer for the Bai household overseer, frequently hired for tasks and able to earn extra.
As for the remaining three younger sons, there were no expectations for the fourth lying on the ground. The fifth and sixth were too young, any money quickly wheedled away by their mother or little sister, or begged from their second brother to buy sweets at the market. Even searching their clothes would likely not produce two cents.
So Qian Shi did not bother searching them.
The three daughters-in-law quickly gathered their private savings, but it was not enough, still short two strings of cash.
Qian Shi turned to her husband and sons.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xiao Qian collapsed, slapping her thighs and crying, “Mother, we really have nothing left! We even took out the money set aside to buy mooncakes for my parents for Mid-Autumn. We’re going to be ruined!”
Infuriated, Qian Shi struck her. “What are you crying about? Your mother’s not dead yet. We’ve made it through famine years – you’re scared of just two hundred coins?”
Pondering, Man Bao scampered back to the main room, retrieving a silver lock from her precious box and handing it to Qian Shi. “Mother, use this of mine.”
Qian Shi’s expression changed drastically as she swiftly snatched the lock into her embrace. “This cannot be given away! This is…this is what your father gave you, the Taoist said your life is precious and needs protection. This locks your life force.”
The old Zhou patriarch agreed, “It cannot be given.”
The debt collector sneered, “So a longevity lock matters more than your son’s life? Well, are you paying up or not? Time’s ticking, and we need to return to the county town. If we can’t make it back, you’re covering our room and board!”
His men immediately began rummaging and kicking through the courtyard. “Pay up quickly – repaying debts is natural justice!”
Gamblers who came to collect never showed restraint. Big brother Zhou Dalang rushed to intervene, soon joined by the second and third brothers who released Fourth Zhou.
Even the fifth and sixth brothers’ blood boiled as they charged forward alongside their elder brothers. As villagers of Qili, they could not stand idly as their own were bullied, surging forth to pull them apart.
Unexpectedly, the debt collectors had never encountered a gambler’s family with so many brothers. Seeing the surrounding villagers, they did not dare go too far, merely shoving each other half-heartedly, but their rage still simmered.
With a sigh, the village chief stepped forward to placate everyone. “Enough, it’s just two hundred coins short. Uncle Jin, I’ll lend it to you first, just remember to repay me later.”
He sent his son to fetch the money from home.
Pooling together the collected funds filled the box, all copper coins save the two small silver ingots. The debt collectors did not mind, directly counting and pouching the copper coins.
However, they then weighed the silver bits, remarking, “But this silver can be exchanged for more copper coins than this at the moneychangers’. Everyone knows one tael fetches twelve strings now, so…”
Big brother Zhou Dalang kicked Fourth Zhou directly, demanding, “Did you bet with copper or silver coins?”
“Copper, it was copper coins!”
Zhou Dalang grabbed him by the collar, raining blows as he furiously questioned, “Was it copper? Was it copper?”
His nose bleeding and face swollen, Fourth Zhou wailed, “It was copper, just copper coins!”
The pummeling continued as Zhou Dalang’s face reddened, fists striking Zhou’s face one after another. “Was it copper? Was it copper?”
Zhou begged between sobs, “It was copper, big brother! Just copper! They’re lying to you, they’re lying!”
Seeing Zhou Dalang’s vicious beating, the debt collectors fell silent, pocketing the silver ingots and nodding. “Fine, copper it is then.”
They turned to leave, but Second Zhou blocked their path. “The IOU?”
Rolling his eyes, the collector handed it over, patting Second Zhou’s shoulder. “Your family is in over your heads. Best keep a tight leash on your brothers, or your luck may run much worse next time. Many families have been ruined and lives lost over gambling debts.”
The Zhou brothers all glared menacingly at Fourth Zhou, who shrank, barely daring to sniffle audibly upon seeing their furious looks.
Finally, the debt collectors departed.
The old patriarch and eldest son forced smiles as they saw the villagers off, thanking them for their help, especially the village chief who they insisted on treating to a meal to express their gratitude.
Once alone, the patriarch instructed Sixth Zhou to lock the gate before turning to continue beating his son with the wooden rod.
Fearing for her daughter’s sake, Qian Shi took her inside first, though it hardly mattered – the girl kicked off her shoes, clambered onto her bed and leaned out the window to watch her father pummel her fourth uncle with keen interest.
Physically drained and emotionally spent from the ordeal, Qian Shi did not stop her daughter, instead instructing the three daughters-in-law to prepare something to eat, as none had consumed a single grain since morning. The adults could endure, but not the children.
After making arrangements, she called her daughter over to have the silver lock put back on. “Didn’t I tell you not to take it off? Your father gave this to secure your life force. Never remove it again, understood?”
Man Bao grumbled, “It’s uncomfortable to wear.”
Considering, Qian Shi replied, “You can take it off at night, but must wear it during the day.”
Man Bao reluctantly agreed. Seeing her mother’s worried look, she asked, “Mom, what about fourth uncle?”
“Forget him. Let your father beat him. We just got back on our feet after years, and he’s already gambling – the kind that ruins a family. He deserves a beating.”
“If he’s going to be beaten to death, we may as well have killed those gambling den people instead – then we’d have saved money too.”
Qian Shi nearly choked. “You sound just like your father, utterly merciless.”
“Really? Dad’s that clever?”
Ignoring the question, Qian Shi said, “He still needs to be disciplined, otherwise he won’t learn his lesson. What if he gambles again and loses everything we have?”
“Fourth uncle only remembers food, not beatings. Unless his legs are crippled so he can’t go anywhere.”
“No, then we’d have to support him,” Qian Shi feared the patriarch beating his son disabled. Sighing, she called out the window, “Enough! Crippling him will just mean more medical costs when we have not a single cent left.”
The pounding gradually ceased. Filled with resigned disappointment, the patriarch glared at his son before kicking him and ordering the eldest and second sons to drag him inside.
Meanwhile, Man Bao told her mother, “Mom, I have a good idea to punish him without costing us money.”
“What idea?”
“Make fourth uncle clear wasteland, then let him farm it and use the earnings to repay the family and brothers’ households. He owes fifteen taels of silver after all.”
Puzzled, Qian Shi asked, “Clear wasteland? Why would you suggest that?”
Man Bao explained, “Didn’t the village chief’s elder brother say the county office is allowing us to clear wasteland, keeping whatever land we clear tax-free for the first three years?”
