Three big men, the ferocity of Fool, and the threat of two long knives,
and, of course, the terrifying dominance of the Wild Wolf Gang in this area.
The villagers of Shuanggang Village were terrified.
They obediently handed over 20 large coins.
In the crowd,
Chen Xuan watched these simple villagers of Shuanggang Village count their coins over and over before painfully handing them over to Fool.
A cold crease formed in his heart.
This world is just like that,
where power is revered.
This also made him even more eager to become a high-ranking Martial Artist.
Only then,
would he have a chance to control his own fate.
.....
Returning home.
Chen Xuan told the two women everything in full detail.
"Those Wild Wolf Gang people are simply bandits! Brazen bandits!"
Su Yun's delicate face flushed with anger.
These days are already so hard, there wasn't much money in the house to begin with,
her sisters had all told her.
Now,
another 20 large coins were paid.
It was even worse.
Angry, her delicate jade hands clenched into fists, but she had nowhere to exert her strength, so she just punched the air a few times to vent.
However, Su Wanqiu, who had been sitting there all along,
looked much more relaxed upon hearing this.
As long as Chen Xuan's affairs were not discovered, that was the best result.
As for those 20 large coins,
how could she not feel the pain of losing them?
But, arms are no match for legs, let alone those people of the Wild Wolf Gang who are not just legs, they're outright villains who eat people without spitting out the bones.
"Let it go, let's just consider it as breaking the bank to avoid calamity."
She said faintly and continued with her needlework.
Facing those people from the Wild Wolf Gang, villagers like them could only suffer from bullying.
"Alright, alright, Yun'er, don't be angry anymore, it's just 20 large coins, not much. I'll catch more rabbits in the mountains and that's it."
Chen Xuan comforted Su Yun, who was still seething with anger.
Suddenly,
a burst of cursing came from outside.
"It's all because of you, you old thing, insisting on inviting somebody from the Government Office. Look what happened now! Each household turned in 20 large coins, are you satisfied now?"
"Old man, using your age as an advantage!"
"Really hateful!"
"Yeah, our family has only a few coins left; how are we going to live from now on? Boohoo....."
.....
Upon hearing the curses,
Chen Xuan knew what was going on without even thinking.
"What's going on, who is shouting? I'll go take a look!"
The little girl, who was sulking just now, changed her demeanor in an instant, looking like she wanted to go out and watch the fun.
No wonder she's a woman, but a mindless woman,
Chen Xuan pulled her back.
"What's wrong, Brother Xuan?"
Looking at her innocent little face,
he felt so weary.
Alas!
Isn't it obvious? Can't she see it?
This little girl really verified the saying from the past life, big-chested and brainless!
But then thinking about it,
that was an insult, and it wasn't quite suitable for her, so he quickly overturned the thought.
Eventually thinking it through,
he concluded that Su Yun is just too young and simple-minded, which is better.
Or rather, pure would be a more fitting description.
"What are you looking at? Stay home well!"
At this moment, Su Wanqiu put down the needlework in her hands and glared at Su Yun, who was eager to watch the excitement.
Instantly,
the little girl calmed down.
She stood still, not daring to move, her head lowered.
She was most afraid of this sister.
Seeing her back down, Chen Xuan chuckled a little.
However, Su Yun caught it, and those charming eyes gave him a fierce glance.
However,
in Chen Xuan's eyes, this scene appeared to be so tasteful.
Unconsciously, he swallowed.
....
Right until sunset,
the cursing of Uncle Liu never stopped.
And knowing he was in the wrong, he never left his closed doors.
No matter how harshly the villagers cursed, he never appeared.
In the main room,
Chen Xuan sighed too.
Before today, Uncle Liu was still a respected elder in the village,
but in just one day,
he became a target of everyone's curses.
It really was enough to elicit a lament.
But he didn't feel any sympathy in his heart, after all, it was his own doing.
If he hadn't insisted on sending someone to the Government Office,
this matter wouldn't have happened,
and each household wouldn't have lost 20 large coins.
One can only say,
he's reaping his just desserts.
The cursing only ceased by dinner time.
For dinner,
the small table still housed three bowls of steaming sorghum porridge and a small dish of wild pickled vegetables prepared by Su Wanqiu.
That was all.
Moreover,
the sorghum porridge wasn't as thick as it had been in recent days.
Seeing this,
Su Wanqiu also sighed helplessly, "There's not much sorghum flour left in the house, so let's have it a bit thinner tonight."
Not only not much,
there was probably only enough sorghum flour for a few more bowls left in the rice jar.
"It's alright, Sister-in-law, this is fine too. Eating too much at night doesn't digest well!"
Chen Xuan picked up his bowl and drank heartily.
It truly was more like drinking,
it was so thin.
The little girl beside him felt bad for him as she saw this, holding her bowl in an attempt to share some of her porridge with him.
But Chen Xuan refused; there wasn't much to begin with, and if he ate Su Yun's share,
he'd never get through the second half of the night.
Yet in his heart, he felt warm, and he smiled at her.
Then he looked toward Su Wanqiu who was eating with her head down, and said, "Sister-in-law, let's go buy some more tomorrow."
"Let's wait a bit longer, we can hold on for a few more days!"
The chopsticks in Su Wanqiu's hand paused slightly, appearing hesitant.
After feeding those 20 large coins to the three brutes from the Wild Wolf Gang, the remaining money in the family was less than 50 coins.
Now, she wished to stretch every single coin to the fullest.
Moreover,
even though the heavy snow had stopped these few days,
the mountains were still blanketed in thick snow, and even if Chen Xuan hunted, he might not catch anything.
Better to save what they had.
The food prices now seemed to change daily.
With the money left, who knows how much sorghum flour they could buy.
If they really couldn't hold on, then they'd buy some sorghum and poorer wheat bran to mix and eat.
But by doing so,
it would be hard on Chen Xuan and Su Yun.
Seeing this, Chen Xuan said nothing more.
Just after dinner, taking advantage of the moment when Su Yun was tidying up the dishes and stepping into the kitchen,
he took out the taels he had found on Li Jin last night from his pocket and handed it to Su Wanqiu.
"What is this...?"
Feeling the heavy silver in her hands, she, being smart, immediately guessed its origin.
"Uh-huh!"
Chen Xuan didn't say much, just gave a simple nod.
Then he instructed her to keep it safe and not to worry about the money.
"Okay, okay!"
Su Wanqiu also nodded quickly.
She was no longer the expression full of worry but instead, a faint smile appeared.
This money,
for their family, could be considered lifesaving money.
Because losing those 20 large coins during the day had kept her in low spirits, now she finally felt better.
"Brother Xuan has really changed for the better, Yun'er is really lucky to be with you."
"I should be thanking you, sister-in-law, for managing this household well."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh....."
At this time,
tears faintly welled up in Su Wanqiu's eyes.
Just as Chen Xuan said,
running this household was truly too difficult.
"What's wrong, sister?"
At this moment,
Su Yun had already finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen, seeing her eyes slightly reddened, she quickly asked.
"Nothing, something just got into my eye, it stings a bit!"
"Ah, let me have a look!"