Chapter 365: Debt Collection
Chapter 365: Chapter 365: Debt Collection
Fang Dayong, a veteran debt collector, had seen his fair share of gambling addicts tear their families apart. The shrewd ones knew to draw a line in the sand early on. Clearly, the woman before him was one of those rare, sharp-minded individuals. Since she dared to act so self-assuredly, she must have had the backing to justify it. He realized there was no point in trying to squeeze the silver out of her.
The delay reignited his briefly subdued fury. "Gu Kaichen, you dare to lie to us?" he roared, delivering another vicious kick. "Boys, grab him. We’re going to his house to collect our silver."
Gu Kaichen glared at Bai Suihe, his expression dark. "Bai Suihe, are you really going to just stand by and watch?"
Bai Suihe scoffed. "Paying your debts is only natural. What does it have to do with me?
"We don’t even share the same family registry. Even if you take this to the county magistrate, you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
"But how did you end up so pathetic? Aren’t you still the Second Young Master of Vice Minister Gu’s family? Did your father and older brother really leave for the capital without leaving you a single penny?"
Fang Dayong’s eyes lit up. If the man had family wealth, that was good news. Plus, his background sounded impressive—this wasn’t going to be a dead-end debt after all. As for the official titles, Fang Dayong wasn’t intimidated. Could a gambling den operate in the county without its own powerful backers?
"Bring him along. We’re going to his house," Fang Dayong ordered. He was a man who knew his priorities. Since the lady clearly had no intention of bailing Gu Kaichen out, there was no reason to press her. Debt collectors had their rules; they didn’t drag innocent bystanders into their messes. They ran a legitimate gambling den, not a bandit camp. If they started robbing people on the streets, how could they expect to survive in Zhang County?
His men didn’t waste a breath. They hauled Gu Kaichen to his feet. "Mr. Fang, I know where their home is."
"Then lead the way. I refuse to believe I won’t collect this debt today."
Gu Kaichen glared at Bai Suihe, his eyes burning with resentment. That damn Ms. Bai didn’t care about their family ties at all! "Ms. Bai, you really aren’t going to help me?"
Bai Suihe curled her lip. "Shouldn’t you be asking your wife for help? If she can’t, you still have your father, your stepmother, and your concubine. Oh, and let’s not forget your older brother, who has probably struck it rich by now. Why would you ever come to us?"
Gu Kaichen opened his mouth to argue, but Fang Dayong had lost his patience. The men simply dragged him away. Seeing that the show was over, the gathered crowd dispersed. Bai Suihe muttered under her breath, "What awful luck."
"Madam, don’t let him get to you. Men like him are a lost cause from the start," Nanny Pang said, shaking her head. She wondered why he couldn’t just live a quiet life in Tian Village. He just had to go gambling without knowing his own limits.
"I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. If he’s resorting to gambling, he’s probably already squandered whatever silver the old man left behind. Those debt collectors won’t let this go if they can’t get their money." Bai Suihe feared the mess would eventually find its way back to them.
Nanny Pang was puzzled. "Madam, if you knew that, why didn’t you let me intervene earlier?" She had assumed her mistress wanted to handle the situation herself, but Bai Suihe had merely watched as the men dragged him away.
"He’s already absolute trash. Why should I bother kicking him when he’s down?" It wasn’t out of sympathy. Bai Suihe simply found it unnecessary. Gu Kaichen was about to bring those thugs right to his own doorstep. If she had poisoned him now, it might have inadvertently helped him dodge his current predicament. It was just a shame she wouldn’t be able to watch the drama unfold.
Nanny Pang didn’t press the issue. Cradling the young miss in her arms, she asked, "Shall we head back now, Madam?"
The encounter had killed Bai Suihe’s desire to stroll around. "Let’s go."
Gu Xingyang blinked. "Are we going back already?" she wondered.
"Mommy, I still want to stroll..."
Bai Suihe took her from Nanny Pang’s arms. "My mood is completely ruined today. Mommy will take you out for tea instead."
Gu Xingyang fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I can’t even drink tea yet..."
"There’s a storyteller at the teahouse. Let’s go listen." Bai Suihe naturally knew her daughter was too young for tea. The main purpose of the outing was to let her experience the world. She had been to a restaurant before, but they had never visited a teahouse.
Gu Xingyang felt a spark of anticipation. She wondered if the storyteller would share any interesting tales.
By the time they arrived at the teahouse, however, Bai Suihe looked down to find that Gu Xingyang had already fallen asleep. Glancing inside, she saw only two or three occupied tables and no sign of a storyteller. Disappointed, she decided to just head home.
Meanwhile, in Tian Village.
Xu Yulan felt like the sky was falling. She never imagined that Gu Kaichen could rack up such a massive gambling debt. Fifty taels of silver! Even if they sold her, it wouldn’t be enough to cover it.
"Where are we supposed to find silver?" Xu Yulan glared at Gu Kaichen, her eyes full of venom. "When your father left, he entrusted all the silver to you. Where did it go?" It hadn’t been a fortune, but there were over two hundred taels. The fact that he was now in debt meant the money was long gone. How was their large family supposed to survive now?
Xu Shuanghong and her daughters huddled in a corner. The three of them remained dead silent, though they were panicking internally. Ever since Gu Baijiang abandoned the family, the household had been falling apart. The three of them had been fending for themselves for their meals over the past few days. Truthfully, they had noticed the warning signs early on.
At first, Gu Kaichen had continued to cover the household expenses. But a few days ago, he claimed he had invested the silver in a small business venture and told everyone to tighten their belts for a while. The family’s food supply had completely dried up. Xu Shuanghong still had a small private stash of funds, but Xu Yulan was forced to forage for wild greens just to fill her stomach.
"That’s not my problem," Fang Dayong cut in. "We have the IOU right here in black and white. If you don’t hand over the silver today, he’s losing his hands." Fang Dayong swept his gaze across the room, unable to hide his disappointment. Could this rundown house really cough up fifty taels? He felt a twinge of regret. He should have followed that other woman from earlier. She looked like someone who cared about her reputation; if they had just trailed her, she might have eventually paid up to save face.
"No, no, no! We’ll pay!" Gu Kaichen immediately turned to Xu Yulan. "Hurry up and bring out the silver!"
"You heartless bastard!" Xu Yulan cried. "Do you really think I have any silver? You know damn well I don’t!
"Every coin we had was kept by the men of the Gu Family. When have we women ever been allowed to touch it? Even when I did get my hands on a few loose scraps, it all went toward keeping this family fed.
"The house is right here. Go ahead and tear it apart. If you find anything, you can use it to pay off your debt!"
Xu Yulan then shifted her gaze to Xu Shuanghong, who was cowering in the corner. Catching his wife’s hint, Gu Kaichen’s eyes lit up. "Aunt Xu! Hurry up and take out your silver! You can’t just stand there and watch them chop off my hands!"
"Gu Kaichen, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Xu Shuanghong shot back. "Where would I get any silver? When your father left, he didn’t leave me a single copper coin. You’re the man of the house now. How dare you beg us women for silver?"
Gu Kaichen wasn’t buying it. Xu Shuanghong had given them gold leaves before. "What about your gold leaves? Bring them out right now!"
The mere thought of losing his hands stripped Gu Kaichen of whatever dignity he had left. "If I lose my hands, how are you going to explain it to my father?"