Chapter Forty-Six: The Local Ruffians

After leaving Uncle Niu Er’s house, Xiao Ding told Xiao Fu to go straight home, while he himself headed toward the town.

The road was muddy after the rain, making it impossible for the donkey cart to proceed, so Xiao Ding had no choice but to walk.

When he reached Luoyun Village, he had just entered, not far from the entrance, when he spotted someone in a small courtyard, laboring with an iron shovel to clear the water that had pooled there.

“Xiao Ya…” Xiao Ding stopped, recognizing the person as his younger sister, Xiao Ya, and walked toward the courtyard.

“Big brother, what brings you here?” Xiao Ya straightened up, brushing her loose hair behind her ear.

“I’m on my way to town and happened to pass by. Are you clearing out the water?” Xiao Ding asked.

“Yes, the rain was pretty heavy last night. Water pooled in the yard and flowed into the house,” Xiao Ya replied.

Xiao Ding glanced at her two dilapidated clay houses. Though made of earth bricks, the years had taken their toll, and the walls were on the verge of collapse, looking as if they might tumble at any moment. In modern times, such a house would be considered hazardous.

“Where’s Lai Xi? Isn’t he home?” Xiao Ding asked.

“The rain was too heavy last night. He didn’t come back, probably stayed at Second Aunt’s husband’s house,” Xiao Ya answered.

“Oh. Hand me the shovel, I’ll help you clear it,” Xiao Ding said, taking the shovel from her.

In no time, Xiao Ding had dug a drainage ditch, channeling the water from the courtyard to the outside.

“Big brother, come in and have a cup of water!” Xiao Ya invited him in after he’d finished.

“No need, I still have to get to town. When Lai Xi gets back, tell him he doesn’t need to go to Uncle tomorrow. Both of you pack up and come to my place. I’m planning to build a house, and I need him to help with the doors and windows.”

“All right, no problem,” Xiao Ya replied.

As Xiao Ding turned to leave, he caught sight of Xiao Ya’s frail figure, remembering how she had been married to Zhao Lai Xi for three years without conceiving a child. He turned back and said, “Xiao Ya, if you have time, you should learn the practice Aunt Niu does. It strengthens the body and would be good for your health.”

“Practice?” Xiao Ya was puzzled.

“Yes, I learned it from a Daoist and passed it on to her,” Xiao Ding repeated the same story he’d told Aunt Niu before.

“Okay, I understand,” Xiao Ya said.

Slipping and sliding, Xiao Ding finally arrived at Luoxia Town, after walking for about an hour and a half.

At the far end of the street on the east side of town, there was an inconspicuous shop with a sign reading “Yao’s Brick and Tile Shop” in bold characters.

Actually, the brick kiln wasn’t located here; this was merely a sales outlet, used to attract business.

Xiao Ding went inside and examined the samples of bricks and tiles. They were all blue bricks and tiles, each several times larger than the flat bricks of modern times.

He inquired about the price. The shopkeeper, surnamed Yao, heard that Xiao Ding intended to build eight rooms, with many more to follow, and naturally offered him the best price.

People of this era were honest and straightforward; though there were unscrupulous merchants, they were rare. Most business was conducted on trust.

Finding the price acceptable, Xiao Ding didn’t try to bargain further. Instead, he discussed with Mr. Yao the quantity needed and the output of Yao’s brick kiln.

Mr. Yao calculated for him: to build eight rooms with their blue bricks would require tens of thousands of bricks, and with more buildings to come, the demand for blue bricks and tiles would be enormous. Yet their kiln could only produce a little over a thousand bricks per day.

“Let’s do this then,” Xiao Ding said. “Send me all your existing stock, and deliver the bricks from your kiln every day to Tian Dabao’s house in Luoxia Village. I’ll take whatever you send. We’ll settle payment on delivery at the price we agreed today. Keep sending until I tell you to stop.”

“All right, absolutely no problem!” Mr. Yao was beaming, delighted at Xiao Ding’s words.

After paying a deposit, Xiao Ding left Yao’s Brick and Tile Shop.

Looking up, it was nearly noon. If he walked back to Luoxia Village, it would take at least another hour. By the time he got home, it would be past midday. He thought it better to have lunch first, so he strolled around the street.

As he walked, a shop named “Li’s Furniture Store” appeared by the roadside. Xiao Ding paused. He wondered if this was the home of his Second Aunt Tian Erhua. He had heard her husband was a carpenter surnamed Li. If so, then Zhao Lai Xi was probably inside learning the trade.

Since regaining his memories, Xiao Ding felt even more distant from the Tian family relatives. Not only was there no blood relation, even if they were kin, after Tian family had driven Tian Dabao’s family out, he had no fondness for them.

But if Zhao Lai Xi was inside, should he go in to check?

As he hesitated, he noticed, diagonally across from Li’s Furniture Store, a small eatery with a modest storefront, probably selling simple fare like wontons and buns.

Feeling a bit hungry, he decided to eat first.

He entered the eatery, where, as it was still some time before noon, there weren’t many people.

The owners were a young couple, the man about seventeen or eighteen, the woman a year or two younger. Judging by their demeanor, they were newlyweds.

Seeing Xiao Ding enter, they quickly greeted him and invited him to sit. Xiao Ding ordered a plate of fried broad beans, a plate of stir-fried meat slices, a bowl of shredded meat noodles, and half a jin of spirits, then sat and waited.

Soon, the broad beans and spirits were served. Xiao Ding ate and drank slowly, waiting for the rest.

He took a sip of the spirits, finding that the liquor of this era was really not pleasant—low in alcohol, with a faint sourness. He glanced at the other tables and saw people drinking with apparent enjoyment, thinking to himself that folks here seemed used to this kind of drink.

As he ate and drank, three men entered the shop. All were around twenty-five or twenty-six, and the leader was somewhat stout, his neck nearly as thick as his head.

The male owner saw them come in and his face immediately fell. He hurried forward, forcing a smile, and said, “Honorable sirs, what brings you here today? Thank you for gracing our humble establishment.”

The stout leader glared, barking, “Enough nonsense. You haven’t paid this month’s protection money yet, have you? Fork it over!”

The young owner, just a lad, nearly cried at this. He replied quickly, “Sir, I just paid five taels of silver the other day, collected by this gentleman here…” He pointed to the thinner man behind the stout leader.

“Five taels? Are you kidding? Hand over another ten taels, or I’ll smash your shop right now!” The stout man glanced at his companion and barked at the young owner.

“Please, sir, have mercy. My shop has only been open a month—I don’t have that much silver. Could you give me a little time…” The young man pleaded, face full of distress.

“Save the chatter—are you paying or not?” The stout man cut him off.

“Sir, I really don’t have that much…” Before he could finish, the stout man slapped him hard, and the young owner’s face immediately swelled.