That's just the way of the world. If you lack strength, you have to accept it; don't dream of defying fate. If your status is low, you have to recognize it. Don't expect everyone to show you respect.
Staring at the Palm Seal on the table, Chen Ping'an recognized the situation for what it was.
Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection—mastery over one's strength! Before, it had just been a concept to him, but the Palm Seal on the table made the gap in their power crystal clear.
There's a world of difference between making a palm print after building up your power and leaving one behind so casually.
The latter represented perfect control over one's power.
Against that kind of strength, he was no match at all.
With that kind of power, if Young Master Xiao Hu were to strike him, his Iron Cloth Shirt at Minor Achievement wouldn't be enough to withstand a single blow. A few more strikes, and he'd be severely injured, if not dead!
The monthly fee!
The so-called "monthly fee" was just a nicer term for protection money.
For a long time now, the Tiger Head Gang had been collecting a monthly fee in Pear Blossom Lane and the surrounding alleys. This was a well-known fact.
But ever since Old Chen had established himself in the County City, he had never paid any of their damn monthly fees.
Since Old Chen had never paid, Chen Ping'an naturally hadn't either.
Young Master Xiao Hu's final words had been perfectly clear: starting next month, Chen Ping'an would have to start paying the monthly fee.
Back then, Old Chen could get away with not paying because he was a registered official constable of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office and had reached Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection in the Martial Dao.
Now, although Chen Ping'an was also a constable for the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, in the eyes of Young Master Xiao Hu and his men, he hadn't even reached the Entry Level of the Martial Dao and was nothing more than an unregistered temporary constable.
Compared to the Old Chen of the past, the difference was like night and day.
The Tiger Head Gang had set the rule about the monthly fee. Old Chen had been strong enough to break it, but the Chen Ping'an of today was not.
In the eyes of Young Master Xiao Hu and his men, the status of an unregistered constable was not enough.
When you lack strength, you can only swallow the insult and endure it. This was the law of the strong, the truth of this world.
Chen Ping'an walked over and shut the courtyard gate. Only then did the smile on his face slowly fade.
"Brother, are you okay?"
Noticing the look on Chen Ping'an's face, Chen Erya rushed forward to comfort him. She had heard everything Young Master Xiao Hu said.
"Nannan, I'm fine! Now that the owed silver is paid off, I feel a huge weight off my shoulders."
Chen Ping'an waved the receipt in his hand.
"Mhm! The silver is all paid back. With you working as a constable, life for our family will get better and better!"
The little girl murmured, nodding as if to convince herself.
"I heard from the aunties next door, the Tiger Head Gang's monthly fee is per person. It's one mace of silver for an able-bodied man, half a mace for an able-bodied woman, and twenty small coins for the elderly and children. It's just you and me at home, so that's only one hundred and twenty small coins a month. With your Monthly Allowance as a constable, that's a piece of cake~"
The little girl said, pretending to be relaxed.
In the Daqian Empire, one tael of silver equals ten mace of silver. One mace of silver equals one hundred small coins.
Chen Ping'an patted the little girl's head and nodded in agreement.
"Mhm, Nannan, you're right. A mere one hundred and twenty small coins is no big deal for me."
"Mhm," the little girl nodded emphatically.
"Nannan, we've paid off all our debts. From now on, let's just focus on living a good life, the two of us."
Chen Ping'an pulled Chen Erya into a hug, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
'A monthly fee!? In one month, at most, I'll make the Tiger Head Gang break this rule for me!'
...
Back in the small courtyard, Chen Ping'an spent some time comforting Chen Erya. Since it was his day off, he didn't need to go on patrol, so he squeezed in an extra Iron Cloth Shirt practice session that afternoon.
The session still took an hour, and the Experience Points on his panel increased from 4 to 5.
Chen Ping'an tried to practice his Iron Cloth Shirt a second time, but he found his skin turning faintly red and couldn't continue. It was probably because he hadn't rested long enough.
'If every day was a day off, I could get an extra practice session in during the day!'
Chen Ping'an thought to himself.
Unfortunately, he only got one day off every ten days.
After finishing his Iron Cloth Shirt practice, Chen Ping'an quickly wiped himself down. He stayed in the small courtyard for the rest of the afternoon.
They were having braised pig's trotters for dinner, a truly substantial dish. So, Chen Ping'an and Chen Erya got busy in the small kitchen early on. Working together, the brother-and-sister pair were remarkably efficient.
Tonight's dinner consisted of a large bowl of braised pig's trotters, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables with sliced meat, a bowl of steamed egg with small shrimp, and two bowls of white rice—one large and one small.
The entire courtyard was filled with a mouth-watering, meaty aroma.
Cultivating the Martial Dao consumed a huge amount of energy, so Chen Ping'an ate every last bite of his dinner.
This completely stunned Chen Erya.
The other dishes were one thing, but those braised pig's trotters...
They were called trotters, but the cut included a generous portion of meat from higher up the leg!
"Brother, your appetite lately... it's huge!"
The little girl's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Chen Ping'an.
"Hahaha, yeah, not bad, huh!" Chen Ping'an said with a grin, picking the last scraps of meat from the bones.
"I'm practicing martial arts now, so I need a sufficient supply of Qi Blood. When the body is hungry, your appetite naturally increases! Nannan, buy some more beef and mutton tomorrow. Don't worry about saving money! As long as I succeed in my training and become an official constable, we'll have everything we need!"
Seeing that Chen Ping'an still looked unsated, the little girl nodded vigorously.
After dinner, the siblings chatted idly. They were halfway through clearing the dishes when a knock came from the courtyard gate.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Who is it?"
The two exchanged a glance, and Chen Ping'an called out.
"Brother Chen, it's me. Your Uncle Zhang."
A deep voice replied from outside the gate.
"Oh, it's Uncle Zhang!"
Chen Ping'an quickly opened the courtyard gate to find a sturdy, capable-looking old man with dark skin standing outside. It was indeed Uncle Zhang.
Uncle Zhang was carrying two baskets on a shoulder pole, one on each side, filled with the sand and gravel Chen Ping'an had requested.
"Come on in, Uncle Zhang, please."
Chen Ping'an welcomed the old man in.
"Brother Chen, where would you like me to put this sand and gravel?"
Once inside the courtyard, Uncle Zhang glanced around.
"Just over there is fine!"
Chen Ping'an said with a smile, pointing to a corner near the gate.
Uncle Zhang grunted in acknowledgment, set down the baskets, and slowly emptied the sand and gravel into the spot Chen Ping'an had indicated.
"Brother Chen, what do you need all this sand and gravel for?"
Uncle Zhang asked curiously as he poured out the gravel.
"Oh, it's like this. The Garrison Commandant's Office taught us some grappling techniques and told us to practice with sand and gravel in our spare time."
Chen Ping'an casually spun a lie.
"Oh, so that's why," Uncle Zhang nodded, a hint of envy in his expression. "It's really something to be working for the officials' family. The benefits are great... they even teach you skills."
"It's nothing, just some rudimentary skills. Better than nothing, I suppose," Chen Ping'an laughed. "Brother Zhang, you're doing well for yourself helping in the restaurant kitchen!"
"Ai, Brother Chen, if my Tie Niu were half as capable as you, I'd be waking up from my dreams laughing."
As they chatted, the two baskets of sand and gravel were quickly emptied into the courtyard.