"In black ink, red seal and white paper, do you, a little scoundrel, still intend to deny it?" The leader shook the IOU, pointing to the phrase that indicated âfive hundred taels,â "See it clearly, five hundred taels, and below that is your signature and personal seal. Do you still dare to deny it?"
The characters were clear and legible; not only had Ms. Liu Juniorâs brother seen it, but the Land Officer of Liu Village had seen it as well, along with anyone present who could read.
Ms. Liu Juniorâs brother collapsed on the spot.
It was over, truly over! Five hundred taels!
Selling everything his family owned wouldnât cover it, but how had he come to owe five hundred taels when he had no recollection of it whatsoever?
"Are you saying that youâll pay back the money now or not?"
"We wonât pay back; thereâs no money to pay back. Do as you please, drag people away or sell them," said Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law, her anger boiling over. She wished all these people would drop dead.
The leader paused, then glanced over at the Yang Family, "Are you sure you wonât pay? If youâre certain, then Iâm taking people away. Damn it all, Iâll ask one last time."
His voice suddenly rose, startling everyone in the Yang Family.
The elders of the Yang Family had nothing to say at this moment. Five hundred taels wasnât a trifling fifty; the whole village might chip in for fifty, but five hundred was more than the entire village could muster.
Beyond that, who would be willing to take out their money to pay off debts for such a shameless person?
Deciding to abstain, and seeing the elders of the Liu Family washing their hands of the matter, the Land Officer from Liu Village was even less inclined to intervene.
The lead ruffian, upon seeing this, gestured with a wave of his hand, and two men stepped forward to drag away Ms. Liu Juniorâs brother. He even went forward and patted the latterâs cheek, "If I were you, Iâd prefer to die than bring shame upon my family."
"Him alone is not enough. Do you think his worthless life is worth five hundred taels? Take all the Liu Family away!"
"No!" His wife objected, "Thatâs not right; the debt is his, why should you take us? She turned and glanced behind her surreptitiously until she saw Eldest Sister-in-Law, who hadnât dressed yet but was squatting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her chest, and abruptly cried out, "Take her away, she will do, just look at her, not old, can be sold to a brothel to make money to repay your silver."
"Oh, this young miss has quite the ruthless heart," the debt collectors laughed, delighted with their prey. They had come for exactly this reason, and had nothing to complain about, "Take this one as well."
"No, I wonât go! Kill me, but I wonât go." Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law, no longer caring about dignity, turned to run inside the house, but was desperately grasped by her sister-in-law.
She pleaded with her husband to save her, but he did not even cast her a glance, his mind wholly occupied by the scene he had just stumbled upon.
As for Ms. Liu, the mother, she was bewildered, completely unable to comprehend how things had come to this.
She couldnât recall at all how she had ended up in the old bachelorâs house.
Hearing now about the debt her youngest son had incurredâfive hundred taels! Indeed, even selling the whole family wouldnât be enough.
Suddenly she wished for nothing more than for her daughter to have avoided capture. The Yang Family would surely have five hundred taels, but now!
"Take this old woman away too; she may not be worth much but is capable of hard labor!"
While she was stunned, suddenly two people grabbed her.
Desperately struggling, she screamed, "Eldest, save me, Eldest, save me!" "All your fault, you little beast, why havenât you died? Who told you to go into debt?" "Eldest, you heartless one, I am your mother, why are you standing there doing nothing?"
The old lady of the Liu Family struggled fiercely, with terror now overwhelming her earlier shame, as she desperately cried out for her sonâs help.