Everyone watched Xiao Fa stomp out of the building in grave silence. For a moment, no one spoke. Wei Shi Lan couldn't help but feel shocked at the young lady's disrespectful behavior.
However, at the same time, Xia Xia's mother shifted and continued eating as if none of it had happened.
Shi Lan turned. Seeing this made him slightly intrigued.
She spoke while dipping another round of noodles into the soup.
"Don't let your food go cold. You won't enjoy it properly that way."
Her tone carried no emotion, cold to the very core.
Shi Lan lowered his head and lifted a spoonful of noodles to his mouth, smiling. Just as peace seemed to return, another noise rang out—the sound of things being smashed and broken in the front yard.
Xia Xia and her mother hurried to their feet, and Xia Xia, that little girl, she hurled curses at whoever was outside.
"Ha! Those crippled frogs are here again! Absolute disgraces to their family lines! Even your ancestors curse you and spit where your names are mentioned, disgraceful frogs at the bottom of the well!"
She spat the words with every furious step, even though her mother walked ahead in silence.
Within a minute they disappeared into the yard, leaving Shi Lan alone at the table.
He looked at the food before him.
'There's no helping it. These will go cold.'
Shi Lan first found a way to safely cover the food on the table before stepping outside.
*
*
*
Outside, several men were smashing the clay medicine and water pots and scattering the carpet of herbs spread across the ground.
Xia Xia valiantly shouted at the man.
"Vermin, how dare—"
"Xia'er."
With a single call from her mother, she abruptly stopped. She still glared at them, but remained behind her mother.
The gang leader glared at her and pointed.
"I'm sure she'll make a fine flower maiden, don't you think?" the man said, laughing.
His gang laughed with him, but they stopped when the leader folded his arms and stared straight into Chang'e's eyes.
"Hey, Yuen Chang'e… where is your damn husband?! It's been four days and he still hasn't paid his gambling debt. Why is he courting death?!"
He pointed at her and stepped closer, almost jabbing a finger at her nose.
"Listen… The next time I come here and he isn't here again, you either have his debt of one hundred and fifty copper coins ready or prepare to lose your daughters, and even yourself. You might be old, but I'm sure the brothel will still find good use for you!"
Xia Xia snarled, but her mother held her back. Attacking them would only bring trouble to their doorstep. These men were trained fighters, while Xia Xia only had some talent in archery from spending time in the forest.
Neighbors had gathered around the fence, easily peering over the commotion in their homestead and gossiping.
"Aiii, poor Chang'e. All that man ever brings her is trouble, eh?" one old woman said, clapping her hands with pity in her eyes.
"So useless! That man knows nothing but gambling all day!" another woman said in disgust.
"And he doesn't even know how to take responsibility. He always runs away and only comes back after Chang'e and little Xia Xia have paid everything with their blood."
The gang leader glared at Chang'e one last time, gripping the crude butcher knife sheathed at his waist.
"Last grace, Yuen Chang'e. Next time, you'd better have your husband's money."
Chang'e stood like a statue, her hands politely crossed before her, while Xia Xia stayed behind her.
The men turned and walked away, spitting on the ground and kicking over baskets of seeds, spilling them everywhere.
Shi Lan remained in the doorway, leaning lightly against the frame. It took a great deal for him to even be standing right now.
'They are causing all this ruckus over just one hundred and fifty copper coins?'
Copper coins were the lowest denomination of currency in the mortal realm. Above them were silver coins, gold coins, and platinum coins which were a level of wealth most people here would never see in their entire lives.
However, such valuations stopped mattering once one entered the Spirit Realm. In his past life, Shi Lan had even reached the Star Realm and long forgotten the importance of money after becoming a Heavenly Cultivator.
'Entering a state, ask for its taboos. Entering a village, ask for its customs.'
Now that he was here, Shi Lan would need money. In fact, it was very important in the early stages of cultivation to have money to purchase rare pills that would help establish a smooth cultivation foundation.
'I also have to repay them for the meal.'
He inhaled and made his decision.
After the gang left, Shi Lan called Xia Xia over and asked for more details about everything. The little girl held nothing back, even making a few bashful remarks about her father as she explained the situation.
Chang'e had been married to her husband for twenty years, and in those twenty years this had become a normal occurrence. The man always gambled away her hard-earned money and fell into debts that she had to clear herself.
He had even gone so far as to steal money from the animals Xia Xia caught in the forest and sold to the butchers.
This time was no different. He had begged his wife and daughter like a shameless rat, asking them to pay it off, but Chang'e had grown angry and refused.
After that, he vanished. It had already been four days since then, and the debt collectors from the Lake Valley gambling den had begun coming to harass them for the money, threatening to sell the three women and the house to cover the debt.
'It's only one hundred and fifty copper coins, and they want to sell three women and a house. Those people are nothing but broad-daylight thieves.'
Afterward, Wei Shi Lan asked Xia Xia about the town itself.
The town was called Lake Valley Province, a small place filled with hardworking people. The husbands were naturally fishermen, while the wives ran various stalls selling smoked and fried fish. The more established families even owned small restaurants.
However, business had not been doing well since the gambling den began flourishing.
The men had become drunkards, frequenting gambling dens and spending their time with flower maidens.
This left the women of the town deeply dissatisfied and filled with anger. Some had even begun fishing themselves just to make ends meet.
Wei Shi Lan couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this. However, because of it, he now had a business idea.
Xia Xia looked at Wei Shi Lan with a worried expression.
"Brother Lan, are you okay? You look very scary right now."