As noon approached, the scorching sun shone equally on every passerby walking under it, regardless of their status.
A martial artist's appetite was astonishing; a bowl of wontons and a few chive pockets naturally wouldn't fill his stomach. The two first returned to the barracks, changed into their official uniforms, and then walked through alleys and lanes, stopping here and there, sampling all sorts of street food.
Not long after, before they even reached their destination, Liu Song couldn't walk anymore, nor could he eat anymore, letting out one loud burp after another without end.
Several fragrant, large meat buns were still in his hand; he couldn't stuff them down, and throwing them away… that was an unthinkable act.
Currently, he hadn't even perfected the Skin-Grinding Realm, and his stomach capacity and digestive system were far from as strong as Ning Yue's.
“Ugh… I say, Brother Yue, ugh… why don’t we drink some tea and rest for a bit first? We’re not far from there anyway.”
Ning Yue laughed, “I told you to work harder every day, but you didn’t listen. Now, at a critical moment, you’re useless, aren’t you?”
He took the meat buns and devoured them in a few bites.
“Ugh—” Ning Yue was also a bit full.
The two chatted and laughed, unimpeded, but the path grew increasingly remote, with the stench of rotten vegetables, spoiled food, and sewage periodically assailing their nostrils.
Ning Yue asked, puzzled, “Where have you brought me?”
“How could the He family, having fallen from grace, be reduced to such a state?”
Liu Song also asked, puzzled, “Sir, the silver distributed to you after the confiscation of property a few days ago hasn’t even warmed up yet, has it?”
So Ning Yue fell silent.
The money was long spent; it indeed hadn’t had a chance to warm up.
Upon reaching the entrance, a clamor began to rise.
“Zhang Er Gongzi, this is your Zhang family owing money and not paying it back. Now, with no one to settle my dozens of taels in goods, you can’t blame me.”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
“Our cart service’s payment hasn’t been settled either. Now that only you are left in the Zhang Residence, and seeing your current impoverished state, I fear you have no money to pay. So don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
.......
Ning Yue cautiously peered over the doorframe, peeking in twice.
He saw several burly men in coarse cloth clothing in the center of the courtyard, surrounding a young man with a crooked mouth and squinting eyes, delivering punches.
And his own Elder sister, Ning Qian, had shed her silk robe and changed into a grey cloth hemp garment. Her face, which she usually loved to heavily make up, now only had some residual stove ash.
But she looked to be in good spirits, currently sitting on a small stool in the corner, covering her little niece’s eyes with one hand, while watching the spectacle with a mix of trepidation and schadenfreude.
Indeed, one’s own gossip was the most delicious!
Ning Yue thought that if he gave his Elder sister a handful of melon seeds right now, she would probably be dying of craving.
So, he wasn’t in a hurry to enter the house, and continued to watch from over the threshold.
The small courtyard had only two main rooms and a woodshed. All visible objects in the courtyard were smashed and broken, and even the small stool under his Elder sister's large bottom was missing a leg, wobbling precariously.
It could barely support her weight.
Despite such a lively scene, there were no other common people watching. Ning Yue thought it was likely that this sight had been unfolding for more than a day.
At this moment, Zhang Er Gongzi had already been beaten into a pulp, slumping to the ground.
The burly men were also tired from beating him. Under the midday sun, their faces were flushed, and they were panting heavily.
“Uh uh uh uh—” Zhang Er Gongzi’s cries were like a rooster about to be slaughtered, its neck squeezed.
The sound grew from soft to loud, causing his Elder sister to frown and reach out to cover her little niece’s ears.
“I already said there’s no money, no money, the Zhang Residence is gone! All I have left now is a broken jade hairpin given to me by the old master, and you don’t even care for it. What else can I do?! Just beat me to death.”
Zhang Er Gongzi’s eyes were hollow, as if he could no longer feel the pain in his body. “Xiao He left, Cui Ping also left, all the women left me, and not even one of my children remained. What’s the point of me living then?!”
“Pah!” A mouthful of thick phlegm landed on his face. An older burly man opened his mouth and cursed, “Don’t even look at your own character! If it weren’t for your Zhang family’s money supporting you before, which woman would be blind enough to follow you?!”
“Exactly, exactly, Brother Wang is right!” Everyone echoed.
Brother Wang reached into his bosom, pulled out the jade hairpin, and said, “And this broken jade hairpin of yours, it’s rough and bumpy, and what’s more, it’s broken! The body of the hairpin is gone.”
“Yesterday, I went to the pawnshop and asked shopkeeper Liu. Guess what? He directly threw me out the door, making me lose so much face. How unlucky.” Brother Wang said, throwing the jade hairpin, and it smashed hard against the corner of the wall.
“Ding!…”
The system’s notification sounded in his mind.
After glancing at it twice, Ning Yue spent another ten-odd seconds calming his excited emotions.
He thought to himself: This time, I really came at the right moment!
He turned his head and saw his Elder sister also unconsciously pursing her lips and nodding along, as if she strongly agreed with Brother Wang’s words, which made him secretly amused.
Only then did he realize that Zhang Er Gongzi’s pale face, swollen eye bags, and the scratch marks on his neck didn’t seem to be from the burly men.
“Cough cough—” Ning Yue’s throat was uncomfortable again.
Liu Song took the lead, kicking over the threshold, and angrily shouted at the group, “What are you doing?! What are you doing?! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you few dare to commit violence in this courtyard?!”
“Is there still law? Is there still justice?!”
“Clang!” As Liu Song finished speaking, his waist saber was drawn.
The burly men, along with Zhang Er Gongzi, were all stunned by the sudden intrusion of the black-uniformed official, their legs trembling!
Ning Yue, however, ignored ‘General Liu’s’ impending magnificent display of drawing his saber and standing firm.
He turned his gaze to his Elder sister, who had finally noticed him.
He saw two lines of clear tears silently streaming down his Elder sister’s dirty face. “You heartless little one, why did you only come now?!”
As she spoke, her hemp garment flew up, and her figure was already rushing towards Ning Yue.
On the day of the confiscation, his Elder sister had fainted early from fright and hadn’t seen Ning Yue, who appeared later.
Later, having fallen to such destitution, she didn’t even know who had confiscated the property, or why the Zhang Residence was destroyed while she alone was spared.
At this moment, Ning Yue felt that compared to last time, his Elder sister’s tears this time were clearly much more sincere.
Men and women should not touch, and since they were relatives, it was even less appropriate to get close.
Ning Yue had no choice but to extend his hands early, bracing himself against his Elder sister, who was pouncing towards him.
His Elder sister, like a pool of soft water, melted into Ning Yue’s arms, and his brand-new silver Flying Fish Robe was thus covered in dust.
When the Zhang Residence was still intact, Ning Qian was, after all, the legitimate wife of the family’s eldest son. Although there were some infighting and schemes in her daily life, she was accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, with countless people doting on and serving her.
After more than ten years of such a life, how could she endure the heart-stopping, destitute days of late?
Having fallen to this state, it was arguably the most difficult time she had ever experienced in her life. She couldn’t even cook a meal properly, let alone take care of her child, wash clothes, chop firewood, or do housework.
Of course, even if she tidied up, it would be in vain. The few people in the courtyard came daily, and all valuable items in the house had been plundered, while the valueless ones were smashed to pieces by the angry crowd.
And most crucially, she had no money!
They say a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, but the incident happened so suddenly, and the officials confiscating the property were overly thorough. The places where she hid money were supposedly secret enough, but two of her three cunning hideouts were also blocked off.
The remaining meager silver, after some small expenses, was now almost gone. Ning Qian suddenly felt helpless and alone. If not for her daughter being so young, she would have considered taking her own life.
Fortunately, Ning Yue had arrived, and she finally saw hope!