Chapter 309

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao did not rush to look at the debt note first; she only raised the lamp in her hand, shone it on that big fellow's appearance, and asked: "Although my family owes debts, I know every single creditor, and have long negotiated extensions for slow repayment — yet I have never seen you before; I wonder where this debt you claim I owe comes from?"

The other party said: "You also know you owe many debts? You owe others' money, yet don't speak of quick repayment, instead hiring people everywhere here, buying tables and chairs, and I hear you even want to open a food shop!"

"Your creditors couldn't bear to watch; because you are an orphan girl, still rallying others everywhere, held up high by you, they couldn't bring themselves to come to your door, so they had to sell the debts to my master's family — now you don't owe them, you only owe my family!"

As he spoke, he shook the debt note in his hand and demanded: "Is this your debt or not?! The debt to the Cai Family Fish Stall, the Rong Family Meat Shop, the Xinghe Firewood Shop..."

This man counted off a whole string, a full seven or eight households.

Once he finished counting, he pressed: "Is it or isn't it! I urgently need money today, cannot wait even a bit; you still won't repay?!"

Song Miao had her own mental ledger; hearing this man list names, she almost immediately reacted.

— Aren't these exactly those creditors who came knocking recently but could never find anyone?

No wonder they avoided her; turns out they had long since sold off the debts.

It's not that debts can't be sold, but her extension repayment was agreed upon early with all creditors; those who agreed would get extra interest, and if they disagreed, she would repay immediately.

Relying on Song Miao's skill, Song Ji's business at this time — anyone could see there was no need to worry a bit; steady interest collection, and the rate given wasn't low; as long as they weren't in urgent need of money, most chose to continue lending, the longer the better.

Choices were given early, not forced — Song Miao, a person with no power or influence, had no way to coerce; on the premise that both sides had signed contracts, doing things like this was rather unscrupulous.

She frowned and said: "What you say is right; owing debts and repaying money is only proper — only, is this debt of yours real or fake? If real, I absolutely will not delay a single copper; but if the creditor doesn't show, and you've come to swindle me, today repaid, tomorrow you'll be back at the door again..."

"You wait!"

As they spoke, the other party turned and called out.

Before long, several people shuffled in from outside.

Yet they were all those very creditors from that day.

And following along with the crowd, there were also many neighbors from the alley.

Because the food shop did breakfast business, it had always slept earlier than others, rather having a bit of a day-night reversal meaning.

However, although this hour had entered night, it ultimately wasn't deep into the night; hearing the noisy clamor here for a good while, some people got wind of it, came out to look, saw many people, and followed to surround the place, asking what was happening.

Seeing people arrive, that leading big fellow grew even more spirited.

He said loudly: "Song Xiaoniangzi, you want to see the creditors; now the creditors have come! Besides the creditors, there are also your left and right neighbors as witnesses; this time there's no more reason to drag it out; you should hurry up and repay the money, right?!"

Song Miao sighed inwardly, and called out to the several creditors who had come: "Various uncles and aunts, that day I owed you all money, spoke of extension, also said if you disagreed, you could notify me in advance — if you all were in urgent need of money, why did you avoid me, ignore me, and instead sell off the debts? Knowing the debt collector harbors ill intent, yet still acting like this, is that righteous?"

The crowd heard Song Miao speak, and also didn't meet her gaze directly, and couldn't answer, only averting their eyes.

After a good long while, finally one person shouted: "Song family girl, you really don't know propriety — my own debt, I'll give to whoever I want; you, a debtor, still have the nerve to flare up! Meddling in so much!"

"Second — when you went to the Shentu Hu old man's house to pick up goods back then, did you think of me?? Now you want me to do the thinking for you!"

This person's words barely fell, and those beside him, as if finding a vent, immediately copied him: "Exactly! When you went to pick up fish from the Feng Family back then, did you ever think of my Cai Family Fish Stall! If not for your heartlessness before, how would we have sold off the debts so smoothly now!"

"If you could continue buying my melons and vegetables properly, forget giving me one extra percent interest, even three extra percent I wouldn't sell this debt — surnamed Song, you do the first day, don't blame me for doing the fifteenth!"

"You deserve it! All your own doing, now you find it stinking yourself — I was only short two catties of charcoal back then, and delivered wrong a few times; you said afterwards, didn't I exchange it for you?? Still not enough, you stubbornly refused to use my family again; when you didn't give me face back then, did you ever think there'd be today!"

Hearing them condemn her here, Song Miao had already had some guesses, and now she completely understood the reason.

Ever since she arrived here, she first set up a stall and had business, then went to negotiate debt extensions with each household.

Song Ji's business grew gradually; purchasing naturally also came slowly; at the start, thinking doing business with familiars was better than strangers, she tried to keep using the original suppliers as much as possible.

Some creditors, after trying her skill, had a clear idea in their hearts, and seeing her pitiable, agreed readily, even willing to settle every ten days or half a month; some felt she bought too little, unwilling to deliver to her door, or delivered a few times but not quite suitable, or worried Song Ji owed too much debt, fearing future repayment difficulties, unwilling to agree further.

But by the time business slowly grew, the former's business naturally continued; but those later ones who had originally refused, or tried and found unsuitable, almost every single one crowded back, wanting to continue supplying Song Ji.

Just a few months down, Song Ji already had its own purchasing places, inevitably making polite refusals.

This time, presumably one reason was seeing they couldn't get Song Ji's business, and two, this so-called "master family" offered more money to buy Song Ji's debts; they hit it off and transferred all the IOUs in their hands.

Greedy for money is greedy for money; although doing things unscrupulously, it's also not entirely condemnable; but at this moment, these many people, every single one speaking with righteous confidence, wanting the benefits, also wanting to take every verbal advantage, in front of mediators, patrol officers, patrol soldiers, still trying to pin the black pot on her head — Song Miao would never agree.

She raised her voice: "Uncle Cai, that day Song Ji wanted to buy fish, buy shrimp, buy dried soft fish, wasn't I the first to seek your house? You say yourself, why did I switch to the Feng family later?"

That "Uncle Cai" hmphed, saying: "You yourself disregard old ties, how would I know!"

"Same goods, you sell to other households thirty wen per catty, sell to me thirty-six wen, I don't buy less than other households — do I just look stupid?"

"I said I only want live ones; the fish and shrimp you gave me all changed color, one time the fish gills even turned pink, and you still told me they were just dropped dead by you — if someone truly ate them and got sick, ruining the food shop's reputation, would you compensate me?? Even if you compensated, could you afford it??"

Uncle Cai couldn't help retorting: "Others eat and don't get sick, only your customers get sick??"

"Then you admit the ones you gave me were all dead fish and dead shrimp??"

"Plenty of food shops specially buy dead fish and dead shrimp to sell; everyone sells them, you can't sell them?? Pretending to be high and mighty here!"

Song Miao said loudly: "Others can sell, my family just can't! Customers come to eat at my place precisely because my things are good, delicious and clean!"

And said: "If I had temporary need, told you once, let you send a bit more goods over, you wouldn't agree, either complaining endlessly; but switched to another household, never a single complaint, every time delivering live fish and live shrimp, goods both large and good; if it were you, would you put aside cheap good goods and not buy, go buy expensive stinking fish and rotten shrimp??"

Speaking here, an old woman from next door standing to the side interjected: "Song Xiaoniangzi, don't you bother reasoning with him; this goods sees you're a young girl, young and ignorant, just took over the business, wants to scrape back the grandchildren's firewood-rice-oil-salt money from you!"

For a moment, voices of agreement rose on all sides.

That Uncle Cai turned and glared, scolded that old woman a few sentences about meddling, and scolded Song Miao.

But fundamentally no one paid him any mind; only people pointing at him, whispering who knows what.

Seeing things going wrong, another person hurriedly said: "Whether he's wrong or not is another matter; where was I wrong?? Which time didn't I deliver the firewood complete for you??"

Song Miao coldly laughed: "You delivered complete, but did you deliver right?? I need oil pine for kindling, and good bamboo charcoal; you gave me ordinary pine branches soaked in oil, several times couldn't even light a fire, charcoal all charcoal heads, one burn a stove full of smoke, smoked my meat until it all had a smoked flavor! I'm not selling smoked meat — this kind of meat given to you, would you buy it??"

"Second, you watering the firewood inside, did you think you could hide it? When burning firewood, the firewood tails all water-wet; do you think I can't see even this??"

"Firewood originally carries a bit of water! That way rain is plentiful!"

"Then why don't other people's firewood carry water? Other places' oil pine can light?? You sell for much more than other households!"

Hearing the talk here grow more and more unlike the truth, the big fellow at the head hurried forward and shoved apart the fish workshop man and the firewood seller, saying: "Where does all this nonsense come from? Is the IOU real or not? Right now you want to see the creditor, the creditor has also arrived — where is my money! Don't think you can deny it, I want it right now, and if you can't pay, I'll take this house as payment! And for the rest of you, you behave yourselves, sell yourselves, come to my house as maids to pay off the debt!"

For a moment the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Neighbors who could bear it no longer spat: "What dog-shit dream are you dreaming!"

And neighbors who had received benefits from Song Ji's business hurriedly asked: "Xiao Song, if you don't have enough, I'll lend you a bit!"

Yet another said: "If you dare act recklessly, we'll report to the officials — Song Ji has Taixue masters and students inside, and Capital Prefecture Office Chai Guan coming and going, would they be afraid?!"

But then the patrol officer at the side who claimed to be from Nanxun Gate said: "No matter how many people she knows, a debt owed must be repaid, can she still evade it?"

Another said: "Eight hundred guan, if you have it, then pay it for this young lady!"

Hearing the figure eight hundred, the neighbors who had come later fell silent at once, daring not to speak again, all knowing this time the trouble was big.

Someone else had long since slipped away in a puff of smoke, quietly running out to find Zhuque Gate's own patrol soldiers, patrol officers.

Song Miao, however, had no spare time to idle chat with the other side.

She first demanded the written note be brought over.

The other party refused to let go, only turning it over for her to look at herself.

Before long, Song Miao found several errors, recalculated the numbers, and in the end, with fractions and whole numbers, the actual debt was seven hundred sixty-eight guan, three hundred and six wen.

Once the calculation was clear, she didn't say much more, but turned and called into the door: "Erniang."

And clearly reported the number.

Very quickly, Cheng Erniang agreed, and began carrying out baskets one shoulder-load after another.

Song Miao then addressed the neighbors at the side: "Fellow neighbors and villagers, lately I want to reopen a food shop, and with many expenses in various places, I worried the old creditors would be displeased if they saw, so early on I greeted each of them..."

She simply told how she had done it, then added: "The rest all settled, only tonight's few, searched and searched, could never find the people, didn't expect it was actually because the debt was sold off."

"One's own debt, to whomever one wants to transfer it, one transfers it; I am the debtor, naturally I have no right to speak — what I can do is merely repay the money."

She lightly lifted the cloth covering the top of a basket.

Inside it was packed full, all strings of cash.

Another one, again strings of cash.

The end of Sanzao County Alley fell terrifyingly quiet at once, only the sound of crickets in the corner, and the feeble shrieks from the bellies of late-summer autumn cicadas.

By the time Cheng Erniang had carried out four shoulder-loads, eight baskets, Song Miao had also revealed the money inside all eight baskets.

"Could never find the few of you, though I don't know what happened, but my family has suffered disaster; at the beginning of the year someone came to the door with this house's deed, and someone came with debts, wanting me to give an old Yuanzai..."

She paused, though she didn't finish the words, everyone present knew what lay inside the meaning.

"I calculated the amount of silver and money the food shop owed you all, discussed with the old customers, asked each of them to lend three hundred, five hundred to repay the debt, several places, hundreds of kind-hearted customers, now gathered together, enough to repay these seven hundred odd guan — truly coincidental, this money was only gathered this afternoon, still warm when we met you all at the door, saving the food shop the trouble of going house to house and not finding the right person to deliver it to!"

As Song Miao spoke here, the other side was silent to the extreme, for half a stretch no one answered.

"Everyone, won't you count it once? Once you leave here, if there's any problem inside, I absolutely take no responsibility!"

In the end it was still that leading big fellow who stepped forward, and called two more people over to count the money.

The money had long been strung properly, laid out very clearly.

The two counted once through, found no mistake, could only nod helplessly at the big fellow.

Seeing this, not only the big fellow, but even those creditors — whether fish sellers, meat sellers, firewood sellers, rice sellers, and so on — every single one's face looked ugly.

"Right now the debt I owe you all, is it all considered fully repaid?"

Song Miao spoke while looking toward the patrol officers and mediators behind, saying: "Trouble you few to help act as witnesses — I want an official document, stating the repayment situation, please help sign and seal, and also take back the original IOUs, and also..."

Thus by the time Wang Sanlang arrived carrying Zhang Siniang in haste, and at the alley entrance met the Zhuque Gate patrol soldiers and patrol officers kindly invited by Sanzao County Alley neighbors, they finally all arrived outside the food shop, but there only a few neighbors remained, comforting Song Miao.

"Rest assured, your mother in the earth protects you, those petty villains will surely have schemed in vain!"

"If anything, just come knock on my door, even midnight I'm not afraid — left neighbor right neighbor, it's precisely the time to help!"

And an hour later, in a mansion several streets away, that previous big fellow had men carry several baskets of copper coins into the room, not daring to lift his head, only able to tuck his tail between his legs, and say in a low voice: "Yuanzai... this time, your servant had his eye pecked by a wild goose..."