Eighth Master swallowed hard and forced himself to stay brave.
He stepped forward and said, “Chu Xun, your Second Uncle borrowed money from my master to treat your illness. Now not only are you refusing to repay it, you even injured my men. Tell me, how should this debt be settled?”
Second Uncle Chu hurried forward to explain.
But Chu Xun spoke first, his voice cold. “Since the promissory note says it will be repaid in early spring, then we follow the rules.”
“And with interest at nine in, thirteen out, you still came here forcing repayment ahead of time. Do you really think our Xiling Village is easy to bully?”
Some nearby neighbors had already heard the commotion and gathered outside the courtyard gate.
When they saw that it was Squire Liu’s men from town, they immediately began whispering among themselves.
“I heard Chu Mancang borrowed a few strings of cash from Squire Liu a while ago to treat Chu Xun, and used land as collateral.”
“Those bloodsuckers again. They’ve already taken quite a bit of land from the village. Now they’re here again?”
“That Zhao Ergou is really scum, teaming up with outsiders to bully our Xiling Village.”
“Serves them right! Beat those loan sharks to death!”
Some cursed, some stirred things up, and some even grew bold enough to pick up stones and wooden sticks from the ground.
This was a remote mountain village deep in the hills. The villagers might quarrel among themselves and have poor relations with their neighbors, but when outsiders came, they would never be vague or lenient.
If anyone dared to cause trouble in the village, they would have to see whether the villagers agreed.
Repaying the money was beyond their ability.
But afterward, if they all agreed they had never seen those three men, that would still be fine.
The skinny man saw so many people gathering around and became a little flustered.
In poor mountains and harsh waters, bad people are often born, and this trip had already put him in the wrong.
Early debt collection ruins the lender’s reputation, and if word gets out, it destroys a long-term business.
He had originally thought Chu Mancang would be easy to bully and that he could finish the matter quickly.
He never expected to run into someone as tough as Chu Xun!
Eighth Master looked at Chu Xun, who stood tall and carried himself with remarkable presence, and said with forced confidence, “We came here with the master’s approval. You’re dragging this out until early spring. If your whole family starves to death, who are we supposed to collect from? If necessary, let’s go to the county yamen and confront each other there. Let’s see who can outtalk whom!”
Chu Xun folded his arms and said calmly, “No need for you to worry. It’s only five strings of cash. Come get it yourself at the beginning of next month.”
With the shop in his hands and Qin Yue’er willing to help, he had plenty of ways to make money. He wasn’t worried at all.
Eighth Master was still about to say something when suddenly a commotion broke out in the crowd.
“Let me see who dares to run wild in our village!”
He turned around and saw an old man in his fifties with graying hair, holding a walking stick and glaring at him fiercely.
“Old Eight Liu, you even dare bully people from our village? Looking for a beating?”
This man was the village head of Xiling Village.
The village head was half an administrator, responsible for liaising with the authorities, handling taxes, and reading out decrees. He had considerable power.
And the old village head of Chu Family Village had always had a fiery temper.
When he was young, he had been a hunter with considerable skill, but later a wild boar broke his leg, and only then did he settle down.
Old Eight Liu was not afraid of the old man.
He pointed at the two burly men lying on the ground and snorted, “So it’s the old village head. I’m not the one bullying people. Look, the men I brought are still lying on the ground.”
The old village head leaned in to take a look, and his brows rose in surprise.
It was true: several men were sprawled on the ground, struggling to get up.
He lifted his head again and saw Chu Xun standing there upright like a pine tree.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who had been bullied.
Then the old village head looked at Second Uncle Chu and said, “Mancang, is what he said true? You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Second Uncle Chu quickly replied, “Uncle Bai, I’m fine.”
The old village head then looked at Chu Xun and said, “Chu Xun, I’ll handle this matter today. Don’t worry. They may have more people, but our villagers are here too. We’re not afraid of them!”
Chu Xun smiled and nodded, then looked at Old Eight Liu. “You heard my suggestion just now, right? Yes or no? Give me a straight answer!”
Old Eight Liu still wanted to keep talking tough.
But the old village head let out a cold snort and slammed his walking stick hard on the ground.
The nearby villagers all took a few fearless steps forward.
These rude bastards!
He backed up a few steps and gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll give the village head some face. I’ll come for the five strings of cash at the beginning of next month. If even one coin is missing by then, don’t blame my master for being merciless.”
With a flick of his sleeve, Old Eight Liu turned and fled in disgrace.
Zhao Ergou and the two burly men also hurriedly got up and ran off with him.
“All right, disperse. Go home and rest.”
The old village head spoke to dismiss the crowd.
After the people had gone far away, he turned to Second Uncle Chu with worry and said, “Mancang, this year is another great famine year. The harvest is poor, and there isn’t much work either. Can you really repay those five strings of cash next month?”
Second Uncle Chu looked embarrassed and scratched his head.
“Uncle Bai, I didn’t make any money on this trip into town. If it comes to it, I’ll sell a few more mu of land. I can always borrow enough to pay it back.”
The old village head sighed and looked at Chu Xun and Chu Qing standing nearby.
Chu Xun moved a low stool for him.
“Village head, don’t worry. I have a way to repay the money.”
The old village head waved his hand. “I know you studied in town and know a lot, but money isn’t that easy to earn.”
Chu Xun smiled.
Of course money wasn’t easy to earn, but he had a cheat code.
Looking at the old village head, he suddenly remembered that the man had once been a hunter, so his family must have hunting bows.
He had the system, but after all, making money through coins was still a bit slow.
And he still lacked a legitimate way to earn money in the open.
If he borrowed a bow from the old village head and went hunting in the mountains to exchange for money, then secretly used Shop Coins to keep things moving…
By then, it would be like buying ten jin of rice, eating for half a year, and still having two hundred jin left!
Chu Xun’s face lit up, and he immediately said with a smile, “Village head, I’d like to borrow your bow and arrows to go hunting in the mountains and earn some money. Would that be all right?”
Earn money by hunting?
Second Uncle Chu hurriedly stopped him. “No, no, Xunzi, you don’t know how dangerous hunting in the mountains is. If things go wrong, you could lose your life!”
Chu Qing also anxiously grabbed his arm.
“Yes, big brother, don’t take such a risk. You can’t go into the mountains!”
But Chu Xun still stared intensely at the old village head, his attitude firm.
“When I was studying, some of the books I read were hunting memoirs. I learned quite a few hunting techniques.
“There won’t be any danger. Besides, this is the only way our family can repay the debt right now.”
The old village head leaned on his walking stick and thought about the pressure on Chu Xun’s family.
He closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.
Only then did he let out a long sigh and say, “All right. Come with me. I’ll get you the bow, arrows, and the mountain map.”
Seeing this, Second Uncle Chu let out a long sigh and lowered his head helplessly.
At the yard gate, Chu Xun supported the old village head, and the two of them slowly walked out of the courtyard and toward the center of the village.
…
『PS: Chu Xun: “Village head, I remember your family has a granddaughter, right?”
Old village head: ?? Oh no! Han Xin is stealing my base!』