Chapter 31: Big Black Wants a Reward

“What did you say, they lost over six thousand strings of cash?”

Hearing that his two sons had lost more than six thousand strings of money, Master Qian nearly fainted from distress. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he gasped for breath, feeling as if his very life were slipping away. Darkness swam before his eyes, and he collapsed into a chair, wheezing as if another breath might be his last.

Madam Qian, seeing her husband in such a state, hurried to rub his back and help him catch his breath, gently persuading, “Husband, don’t be so angry for now. Let Qian Xi follow those men and see if he can redeem our eldest and second sons.”

The thought of having to spend money to ransom them only made Master Qian more furious. He ignored his own breathlessness and roared, “Leave them! If they dared to gamble, let them find their own way to repay the debt. Let the gambling den keep them. I don’t want those two unfilial sons anymore!”

“But if we don’t pay the debt, the interest will pile up, and it’ll cost even more tomorrow,” Madam Qian, his lawful wife, pressed on, hitting him where it hurt most. If this loss was already enough to kill him, how could he bear losing even more?

Reluctantly, Master Qian barked, “Qian Xi, go with those men and see what happened. Ask those two scoundrels what on earth they were thinking.”

“Yes, Master,” Qian Xi answered hastily, not daring to say another word seeing his master so enraged. He rushed out to follow the gambling den’s men to the scene.

The Qian brothers’ reckless betting was the talk of the town, so by the time Qian Xi arrived, he had already heard all about their dog-fighting wager. When he finally saw his young masters, it was merely a formality to confirm the rumors.

Afterwards, he returned to report to Master Qian, who was torn—he truly wished he could wash his hands of his sons, but in this age, there was no way to publicly sever such ties, and the gambling den certainly didn’t care. As long as the debtors were father and sons, that was all that mattered.

Faced with no other option, Master Qian had to pay the debt.

Watching the silver he had buried in his cellar carried out to settle the debt at the gambling den, Master Qian felt as if his very soul were being carved from his body.

Once the debt was paid, the Qian brothers were released. The staff at the gambling den welcomed them with broad smiles, even inviting them back to play again. But the two brothers were in no mood for games—faces pale as death, they obediently trudged home under the watchful eyes of the family servants.

The moment they crossed the threshold, Master Qian’s voice thundered, “Shut the main gates! Qian Xi, Qian Fu, fetch the family rod—I’ll beat these two wretches to death!”

At the mention of the family rod, the brothers—though they had braced themselves—couldn’t help but shiver with fear.

And well they might. The family punishment in the Qian household was truly terrifying. Two servants dragged out long benches, forced Qian Shengju and Qian Shengwen to lie face-down, stripped off their trousers, and exposed their pale buttocks, awaiting their father’s wrath.

Short of using an actual cudgel, it was little different from a public beating in the magistrate’s court.

“You two! Such nerve! Gambling away ten thousand strings of cash in one go? Why didn’t you just stake yourselves as well?”

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Words alone could not vent his fury; only a beating could do that.

The thick rattan cane lashed down on their flesh, pain searing to the bone. Qian Shengwen and Qian Shengju wailed for mercy.

“Father, we’ll never dare again, please forgive us this once!”

“Father, it was the Shen family’s ruffians who tricked us, it wasn’t our fault!”

That only infuriated Master Qian the more. “Not your fault? The nerve! I had you educated from childhood, hired tutors for you, for what? Now even common thugs can cheat you out of your wits! If I let you run the family business, you’d ruin us in no time!”

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The blows rained down.

If they’d kept silent, it might’ve gone better for them, but their excuses only spurred him on. Master Qian showed no mercy.

The wailing of Qian Shengju and Qian Shengwen was pitiful, their tears and snot streaming down their faces. No one dared step in—not even Madam Qian. The two had gambled away so much that even she was frightened. Such wastefulness could not go unpunished.

When their buttocks were crisscrossed with bruises and welts, so swollen and battered they could only sleep on their stomachs for half a month, Master Qian finally tired of beating and scolding them and slumped into the chair prepared by the servants, gasping for breath.

Six thousand strings of cash! In all his years of business, Master Qian had rarely handled such large transactions—a thousand or two was significant enough. But these two had lost over six thousand in one go! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

“Carry them to the ancestral hall. No supper for them tonight!”

Good heavens—was this still their own father? After a beating, no food either!

Meanwhile, Shen Shi and his companions were overjoyed. Especially Kong Xueli—ever since they left, he had not stopped chattering, still high on the thrill of their win.

“At first, I thought you were sure to lose, but in the end, you won! Brother Jieyu, could it be that you’ve truly been blessed by the Dao Ancestor?”

“By the way, now that you’ve won so much, what do you plan to do with it?”

“How wonderful! With so much money, you can finally study in peace, Brother Jieyu.”

“We’ll talk about it later.” Seeing Kong Xueli still so excited, Shen Shi had to interrupt him. “Since we’ve won, let me treat you tonight. You pick the place.”

“Really, Brother Jieyu? Last time we went to Willow Garden, but you left right after winning. How about we go join the fun this time?” Kong Xueli replied eagerly.

He had a taste for such outings—once was never enough.

“Since you’re carrying so much money, perhaps it’s best to take it home first,” Gongsun Ce suggested prudently, far less enthralled by the idea of another outing.

“Yes, yes, let’s bring the silver home first,” Kong Xueli immediately agreed, sobering up at once.

Shen Shi had no objection. Though Song Dynasty finance was advanced, the local money houses not only gave no interest, they charged a hefty safekeeping fee. For someone used to modern bank interest, that was truly hard to accept.

At that moment, Shen Shi felt something tugging at his trousers. He looked down—it was Blackie, pulling at him with his teeth. When Shen Shi glanced at him, Blackie immediately let go, wagging his tail so hard that drool streamed from his mouth.

“Brother Gongsun, what’s with this dog?” Kong Xueli asked, noticing the scene.

“Fourteenth Sister, what’s gotten into him?” Shen Shi also asked the little fox.

Animals, after all, communicate with each other far better than with humans.

“Young master, Blackie says you promised him a reward,” Fourteenth Sister relayed after asking Blackie.

“A reward? For winning me so much today, of course he deserves it.”

Hearing this, Shen Shi agreed generously.

Blackie, delighted, wagged his tail even more furiously, waiting for Shen Shi to shower him with praise.