“Qiao Wan, don’t you dare disrespect me when I’m giving you face!”
Feng Qingshan glared fiercely, raising his hand again as if to strike. He thought this would intimidate Qiao Wan, but instead of retreating, she stepped forward, tilting her chin up defiantly.
“Want to hit me? Go ahead! Try it and see if I won’t sue you until you can’t even afford underpants.”
Having lived in the village before, Qiao Wan knew well that when dealing with scoundrels, you had to be more ruthless than them.
Sure enough, Feng Qingshan’s hand remained frozen in the air, not daring to come down. The entire Xiahe Village had witnessed just how shameless Qiao Wan could be.
Seeing this, Carpenter Feng stepped forward, positioning himself between them. “Aside from the debt you burned, I wasn’t aware there were any unsettled accounts between our families.”
Qiao Wan planted the fire poker on the ground and began counting on her fingers for Carpenter Feng:
“The ten taels of silver the Qiao family owed you has been repaid. But what about the wages for my father and two older brothers who worked for your Feng family for two years?”
She then turned to Huo Yan: “How much do laborers earn per month in the city nowadays?”
Huo Yan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Qiao Wan: “Six hundred coppers for carrying heavy loads.”
“Six hundred coppers per month. My family members worked for two years and eight months. That’s one tael, nine mace, and two candareens per person. For three people, that totals five taels, seven mace, and six candareens. Pay up!”
Qiao Wan swiftly extended her hand for the money, not noticing the flicker of surprise in Huo Yan’s eyes beside her.
He rarely interacted with villagers and only knew Qiao Wan as the “troublemaker” described by others.
But her quick calculation had genuinely astonished him. He never expected Qiao Wan to be so sharp-minded.
Carpenter Feng was also taken aback. He had only focused on reclaiming the debt and forgotten this matter. His voice suddenly rose sharply:
“That’s the rate for manual laborers in the city! Your father and brothers aren’t worth that much.”
“How aren’t they worth it?” Qiao Qing, who had just returned and learned the situation from watching villagers, jumped in to refute: “The lumber for your Feng family’s work was all carried down from the mountains by my father and brothers. My older brothers handled all the loading and delivery for you. If that’s not manual labor, what is?”
“Qiao Qing, you’re lying!” Feng Qingshan instinctively denied.
“What lie? All the villagers have seen it with their own eyes!” Qiao Wan flared up, pointing at his nose and demanding: “The Qiao family will have these wages today. If your Feng family refuses to pay, I’ll take a blood-written petition to the academy and ask Feng Qinglin whether he feels comfortable spending the money you extorted from our family’s sweat and blood!”
“Qiao Wan, how dare you!” Carpenter Feng shouted, grabbing Qiao Wan by the throat as if wanting to strangle her on the spot.
Feng Qinglin was the Feng family’s entire hope. With the imperial exams approaching in a few months, Carpenter Feng was on the verge of becoming a scholar’s father. Qiao Wan’s threat was no different from desecrating their ancestral grave.
But before Carpenter Feng could apply pressure, Qiao Wan lifted her foot and delivered a sharp kick to his crotch.
The force was so brutal that even Huo Yan, standing nearby, gasped and instinctively tightened his lower body.
Carpenter Feng broke into a sweat from the pain, clutching his groin while hopping and screaming on the spot.
“Qiao Wan, you shameless bitch!”
Feng Qingshan quickly shielded Carpenter Feng behind him. He wanted to hit her but feared Qiao Wan might give him the same treatment, so he could only curse like a shrew from two steps away.
“And my father’s medical expenses. We’re not asking for much – just give me ten taels of silver total, and we’ll consider this matter settled.”
A barely perceptible smile flickered in Huo Yan’s eyes as he watched Qiao Wan’s unapologetic demeanor, finding it somewhat intriguing.
This girl not only had a quick mind but also a ruthless streak.
Feng Qingshan was livid at Qiao Wan’s words, his face turning ashen, yet he dared not step forward. He could only point at her nose and curse:
“Ten taels of silver? Why don’t you just rob us! Qiao Wan, your father is injured and needs money, but my father was hurt by you too! You should pay me twenty taels!”
Qiao Wan pointed at Qiao Fugeng’s head: “My father’s head is bleeding from your beating. If you can prove your father is more severely injured than mine, I’ll compensate you.”
As soon as Qiao Wan said this, the villagers watching the spectacle burst into laughter.
Although Carpenter Feng was clutching his crotch in obvious pain, anyone could see that compared to Qiao Fugeng’s half-bloodied face, his injury was far more “discreet.”
Feng Qingshan was left red-faced and speechless. No matter how severe his father’s injury was, could they possibly strip his pants to show everyone? Qiao Wan had clearly calculated that they valued their dignity!
“You… you’re twisting logic!” Feng Qingshan stomped his feet in fury but had no recourse.
Ignoring him, Qiao Wan turned her attention back to Carpenter Feng, tapping the ground lightly with the fire poker:
“Carpenter Feng, you’re the head of the household. Give me a straight answer! Will you pay the ten taels now, or shall I collect it after I return from the town academy? But let me warn you—if I have to come back from the academy, ten taels won’t settle this!”
Carpenter Feng was in so much pain he could barely stand, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Caught between unbearable agony, fear for his son’s future, the villagers’ judgmental stares, and Qiao Wan’s unyielding pressure, his resolve crumbled completely.
“We’ll pay… we’ll pay…” Carpenter Feng forced the words through gritted teeth, pulling the Qiao family’s money pouch from his robe and handing it to Feng Qingshan. “Give it to her!”
“Father!” Feng Qingshan was utterly unwilling.
“Give it!” Carpenter Feng nearly roared, the outburst aggravating his injury and causing him to double over in pain.
Seeing his father in such a state and fearing Qiao Wan might truly escalate the matter, Feng Qingshan could only stomp his foot in frustration, snatch the pouch, and shove it roughly at Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan took it, opened it publicly, and poured all the broken silver and copper coins into her palm, counting them meticulously.
“Ten taels exactly. Not a penny more, not a penny less.”
After counting, she tucked the silver into her robe, patted it securely, and scanned the crowd, declaring clearly:
“Let all the villagers bear witness! The Qiao family has repaid its debt to the Feng family. These ten taels are for my father’s medical expenses and the wages owed to the Qiao family. From now on, the Qiao and Feng families are square—each to their own path!”
Her words not only settled the previous accounts definitively but also legitimized the ten taels, preventing the Feng family from using this as leverage in the future.
Carpenter Feng looked defeated, clutching his injury without a word. Feng Qingshan trembled with rage but didn’t dare utter another syllable.
Having achieved her goal, Qiao Wan couldn’t be bothered to spare them another glance. She turned to Qiao Qing and said, “Sister, we need to find a doctor for Father and our brothers immediately.”
Qiao Qing nodded hastily and went to fetch an oxcart. Huo Yan stood silently nearby, his gaze once again drifting over Qiao Wan’s straight back and the pocket holding the silver, his curiosity deepening.
This Qiao Wan was not only fierce and ruthless, but also sharp with accounts and meticulous in her actions—truly… a far cry from the rumors.
Feng Qingshan carried Carpenter Feng away amidst the villagers’ gossip and laughter.
This battle ended in a complete victory for Qiao Wan, but she knew that after this incident, her feud with Feng Jia was now completely out in the open. The days to come would likely be even more turbulent.
Still, she tightened her grip on the silver in her bosom, her gaze resolute—whatever challenges came, she would face them head-on. She, Qiao Wan, was nothing like the original owner, that useless fool who only knew how to throw tantrums.