Meanwhile, at Aunt Liu’s place...
Rainy days were the only time farming families could steal a moment of leisure. Zhou Ger had cut pigweed, fed the pigs, and now had the entire afternoon free.
Aunt Liu called him into the house and told him about Zhao Ger’s situation.
"I’ll make clothes for Guaizai and Zhao Ger. As for Fang Zichen’s, I’ll have to trouble you, Mother," Zhou Ger said, running his hand over the fabric with a smile.
He was married. Even though he and Zhao Ger were close, sewing clothes for Fang Zichen would invite gossip if people found out.
Aunt Liu was older, so there was no need to avoid such propriety with a young man.
"Make Guaizai’s clothes a bit bigger. He’s growing, and this fabric is good, it’ll last years without wearing out," Aunt Liu said.
Farming families lived frugally, always calculating carefully. Clothes were mended and patched, passed down from older to younger siblings—this was how farming families had survived for generations.
Zhou Ger nodded. "I know." He smiled. "Zhao Ger and Guaizai have finally seen the light after suffering so long."
Aunt Liu wasn’t as optimistic. She was older, had seen and experienced more, and couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhao Ger’s situation was precarious.
She had never interacted with Fang Zichen and didn’t know him. Just hearing Zhao Ger and Zhou Ger describe him in a few words wasn’t enough to earn her trust.
"Let’s hope so," she finally said.
Zhou Ger continued, "Mother, Zhao Ger told me Fang Zichen has been carrying cargo at the docks for the past half-month, earning almost a hundred copper coins a day! But this kind of work won’t last long. I wonder how soon they can save up three taels of silver."
He and Zhao Ger had been close for over a decade, and Zhao Ger had always been open with him.
Aunt Liu was surprised. "How can he earn that much?"
During the farming off-season, the men in the village would go out to find odd jobs.
Most were illiterate and had no connections, so they could only take on cheap manual labor.
Many men from the village had carried cargo at the docks, but none had ever earned that much.
"He’s really strong," Zhou Ger said. "Others carry one bag at a time, he can carry two."
"Really?" Aunt Liu remembered how fiercely Fang Zichen had beaten those men and believed it. "Don’t spread this around. If the Ma family hears, they’ll definitely make trouble."
"I know. But this probably won’t stay hidden for long," Zhou Ger said. "Fang Zichen goes to the docks every day. If the Ma family really wants to know, they’ll find out sooner or later. And if they dare make trouble again, Fang Zichen can just beat them like last time."
Aunt Liu glared at him. "You make it sound simple. After they get beaten, what then? Even if they don’t dare to harass Zhao Ger’s family, they can still spread gossip in the village, can’t they?"
Zhou Ger shrugged indifferently. "So what if they gossip? It’s not like we’ll lose flesh over it."
Aunt Liu: "..."
Zhou Ger wasn’t wrong—the Ma family had already learned about Fang Zichen working at the docks.
After being beaten by Fang Zichen, the two families were practically enemies. The Ma family made it a habit to keep tabs on what the other side was up to.
At first, when they heard Fang Zichen’s family was so poor they could only eat wild greens, they were overjoyed. Their resentment from the beating faded significantly. If the other side was suffering, they were happy.
But then they saw Fang Zichen going to town every day, learned he was working at the docks, and that he was earning so much money—they were so furious they nearly ground their teeth to dust.
Now, Madam Ma and her sisters-in-law sat in the house with the men, discussing the matter.
"A hundred copper coins a day? That’s got to be a lie," Ma Dazhuang said.
He had worked at the docks before—backbreaking labor for just thirty copper coins a day. A hundred copper coins was beyond exaggeration. Who the hell was spreading such nonsense?
Madam Ma snorted. "Who’s lying? My nephew told me himself. You think he’d lie?"
"If it’s your nephew saying it, then it’s even less believable," Ma Dazhuang said.
Madam Ma had married into the village from outside. But if someone asked anyone in Xiaohe Village, "Do you know Madam Ma’s nephew, Ma Xiaozheng?" nine out of ten would nod and say yes.
Why?
Because Ma Xiaozheng was notorious throughout the county.
His infamy stemmed from being caught sneaking around with another man's wife. The husband had stripped him naked and hung him from the banyan tree at the village entrance.
Overnight, Ma Xiaozheng became a legend in the surrounding villages.
"Hey, have you heard about what happened in Xiaorong Village?"
"Yeah, it’s all over the place. That guy’s name was Ma Xiaozheng, right?"
"Ma Xiaozheng? More like Ma Xiaowai!"
[His real name Ma Xiaozheng (马小正) - where 正 (zhèng) means upright/proper. Replacing 正 with 歪 (wāi) meaning crooked/bent]
"Hahaha, exactly! My cousin’s married into Xiaorong Village. She saw Ma Xiaowai hanging naked from that tree. She said..."
"Said what?"
"That his thing was the size of a finger, and his balls were so small you could barely see them!"
"Seriously?"
"Dead serious! Everyone who saw him said the same."
"Ugh, and with that, he still had the nerve to sneak around? What woman would be blind enough to want him?"
After that incident, Ma Xiaozheng couldn’t stay in Xiaorong Village and came to live with the Ma family for a while.
They were distant relatives, within five generations.
Ma Xiaozheng was slick-tongued scoundrel with no sense of shame. Even while taking refuge with the Ma family, he couldn't keep his hands to himself - he began shamelessly flirting with Ma Laosan's wife. When Ma Laosan found out, he beat Ma Xiaozheng and threw him out on the spot.
After this disgraceful episode, only Madam Ma still gave him any credence. The rest of the Ma family wouldn't believe him if he swore the sky was blue.
Ma Erzhu spoke up. "Eldest Brother, whether that hundred copper coins is real or not, the fact is, he’s been working at the docks for over half a month. He must have earned some money. Should we—"
"You dare go?" Ma Dazhuang shot back. His stomach still ached from the last beating.
"He owes us silver. What’s there to be afraid of? Debt must be repaid, that’s only right." Ma Erzhu then tried to rally support. "Third Brother, don’t you think so?"
Ma Laosan frowned. His wife, Madam Sun, gave him a meaningful look. Remembering what she had told him last night, he said, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, honestly, I don’t think our family is lacking that bit of food Zhao Ger would have eaten."
"Third Brother, what do you mean by that?" Ma Dazhuang’s brows furrowed.
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