Chen Yuan’s hand stiffened slightly around his chopsticks. His pupils contracted as he shot a cold glance at Mrs. Li. He then placed his chopsticks on the table and walked silently to his small room.
The quilt on his bed was somewhat messy, showing obvious signs of having been rummaged through. He crouched down and lifted a broken stone slab under the bed. Buried beneath it was an old pouch.
Tearing it open, he saw that his accumulated savings of two taels and four maces of silver had vanished into thin air.
Currently, he could earn about 600 cents a month. After deducting various expenses, he could save a full three maces of silver. And the tuition fee for even the worst Martial Hall was one tael and five maces a month. This meant that if he saved another two taels of silver—which would take nearly half a year—he could finally afford to study at a Martial Arts Hall.
But with his long-accumulated silver taels stolen, everything had vanished like a burst bubble. A stifling sense of indignation swelled within Chen Yuan’s heart.
He wouldn’t just let this go!
He returned to the dining table, his gaze locked straight onto Mrs. Li, who was affectionately placing meat into Chen Kai’s bowl.
"Late Mother, return my money. That’s the money I saved up to practice martial arts."
Mrs. Li scoffed coldly, her tone acerbic. "What do you mean ’return’? Was that your money? I went through so much hardship to raise you. Now that Kai’Er needs money for martial arts, what’s wrong with taking a bit of your cash?"
She was extremely dissatisfied with Chen Yuan’s current attitude. Especially over the past three months; although Chen Yuan hadn’t said a word about it, she could clearly sense his alienation.
Chen Yuan frowned and confronted her. "Late Mother, ever since I started working at the docks at the age of fifteen, I’ve given the family two maces of silver every month. I’ve even covered my own taxes and residential fees. Is that not enough?"
Seeing Chen Yuan acting so aggressively, a hint of anger seeped into Mrs. Li’s tone.
"Chen Yuan, you ungrateful wretch! Did I ever let you starve or go thirsty? Right now, Kai’Er has the prospect of becoming a Martial Artist. As his older brother, it’s bad enough that you aren’t actively offering to help him, but you dare to push your luck over a few measly coins? If I don’t give them back, are you going to hit me?"
As she spoke, she looked at the silent Chen Dashan with an expression of deep grievance.
Chen Dashan glared at his eldest son, Chen Yuan, and said in a deep voice, "Stop making a scene. You’re already seventeen; you won’t achieve anything in martial arts. Throwing our full support behind Kai’Er right now is what truly matters. When Kai’Er becomes a Martial Artist, it will reflect well on you as his older brother."
Chen Kai had long been displeased with Chen Yuan’s tone. Seeing his parents backing him up, he immediately sneered.
"That’s right, Chen Yuan. Out of the dozen or so people who went to have their bones tested that day, I was the only one who turned out to have Grade D-Superior aptitude. You should stop holding onto pipe dreams. If you honestly support me now, I won’t forget you, brother."
In his heart, however, he thought, "If I didn’t need Chen Yuan’s money right now, I would have jumped up and cursed him out long ago."
Chen Yuan’s heart turned ice-cold. He knew these people didn’t care about his future at all; their minds were entirely focused on Chen Kai. Finally, his gaze fell upon his silent grandfather, Chen Dahai, and he asked in a muffled voice, "Grandpa, do I deserve to just slave away for this family?"
Chen Dahai knew this was unfair to Chen Yuan, and he was well aware that his eldest grandson had been holding onto a burning desire to practice martial arts. However, given the family’s financial situation, supporting even one person in martial arts was their absolute limit. He sighed.
"Eldest grandson, you know the family’s situation. You’ll just have to bear with the grievance for now. If Kai’Er manages to become a Martial Artist, he definitely won’t forget you, his big brother."
He could only look for an opportunity in the future to compensate his eldest grandson.
Chen Yuan fell silent. He sat down with his head lowered and began to eat, snatching up several large pieces of meat, tossing them into his bowl, and wolfing them down with the brown rice. Normally, Mrs. Li would have reprimanded him, but after the fuss Chen Yuan caused today, she held her tongue.
After all, she still needed to wring more silver out of him.
This was the most satisfying meal Chen Yuan had ever eaten. After finishing, he slammed his bowl down and walked straight to his room.
Mrs. Li’s nagging followed closely behind. "Don’t forget, you still have to hand over another two maces of silver every month from now on."
Chen Yuan completely ignored her. Did they expect him to hand over four maces of silver every month? What a pipe dream. Since they were heartless, they couldn’t blame him for being ruthless.
He silently packed his bags, and before the sun had completely set, he strode out of the house. Seeing Chen Yuan’s actions, the four of them were bewildered and uncertain. Chen Yuan’s gaze landed on Chen Dashan, his tone cold and resolute.
"Today, I, Chen Yuan, sever all ties with the Chen Family. From this day onward, we have nothing to do with each other."
The scene at the dining table had finally made him see this family for what they truly were. They were no different from a street gang, all trying to suck his blood dry. If he didn’t break away soon, he would have no hope of practicing martial arts in this lifetime.
Chen Dashan instantly turned purple with rage, furiously roaring, "Chen Yuan, you beast! How dare you cut ties with your own father? Are you even human?"
Mrs. Li was equally shocked and enraged. This wretched brat wanted to run off right after eating their meat. Hands on her hips like a shrew, she yelled, "You damned ungrateful wretch! We raised you for so many years and you have no conscience at all! You... you’ll die a horrible death!"
Chen Yuan’s tone remained flat. "Those two taels and four maces will serve as my repayment to you. From now on, we owe each other nothing. Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you."
Only when he looked at his slightly hunched grandfather did a trace of reluctance flash through his eyes. Even so, he left with resolute determination.
Not long after stepping out the door, he saw Qian Bao of the Black Dragon Gang stepping over the threshold of the Liu Family’s house with two thugs. Qian Bao was tossing a heavy coin pouch in his hand, evidently having just collected money from the Liu Family.
Perhaps Chen Yuan carrying a rucksack was too conspicuous. Qian Bao narrowed his eyes and walked straight toward him. Knowing he couldn’t hide, Chen Yuan squeezed out a smile and said respectfully, "Mr. Qian, what wind brought you here?"
Qian Bao’s triangular eyes sized Chen Yuan up and down as he drawled, "So it’s the eldest boy of the Chen Family. It’s getting dark; where are you heading with that bag?"
Taking a step closer, his tone turned colder. "Don’t tell me you’re trying to flee the ’protection’ zone of the Black Dragon Gang without even paying your settlement fee?"
Knowing this Mr. Qian was incredibly ruthless and prone to violence at the drop of a hat, Chen Yuan hurriedly explained, "You misunderstand, Mr. Qian. I had a conflict with my family and was forced to leave after severing ties with them. Right now, I’m heading to seek refuge with my aunt. I beg for your understanding."
Piqued with interest, Qian Bao patted Chen Yuan’s shoulders and waist, clicking his tongue. "Boy, you’ve got a sturdy build, and your actions definitely suit the style of our Black Dragon Gang. Any interest in joining us?"
An ungrateful wretch who would cut ties with his own parents had certainly met the threshold for joining a gang.
Taken aback, Chen Yuan politely declined, "Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Qian, but I’m not good at fighting. I just want to live a peaceful life."
The gangs were full of internal scheming and frequent bloody turf wars with other factions. A newcomer like him would only end up as cannon fodder.
Mr. Qian’s eyes chilled slightly, losing interest in the weak-willed boy. "In that case, pay this month’s residential fee first. For you, it’s fifteen copper coins."
Chen Yuan felt relieved that he still had the twenty-four copper coins he earned today in his pocket, otherwise, things would have been difficult. Still, he pretended to be in a tough spot and pleaded softly, "Mr. Qian, the very reason I left home in a fit of anger is that all my money was stolen by my family. My pockets are empty right now. I wonder if you could reduce the fee a little?"
Mr. Qian snorted coldly, impatient. "Piss off. I couldn’t care less about why you left home. If you can’t cough up the money right now, don’t blame me for getting rough."
The two thugs also stepped forward, rubbing their fists and cracking their knuckles, their intention to strike obvious.
Seeing the timing was right, Chen Yuan put on an expression of deep reluctance as he pulled fifteen copper coins from the pouch in his shirt and offered them with both hands. Qian Bao took the money. Glancing at the deflated pouch, he knew there was no more profit to be squeezed out, so he said nothing more and moved on to the next house.
Watching the retreating figures of the three men, Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t have the qualifications to offend Qian Bao yet; he could only play the pushover and let others walk all over him.
Unless... he learned martial arts.
Only by practicing martial arts could he change this precarious situation of walking on thin ice! However, with his savings completely gone, if he tried to save up again, he would completely miss the prime age for practicing martial arts.
Chen Yuan sighed. His aunt had always treated him well. Choosing to seek refuge with her now was his way of braving his shame to find a glimmer of opportunity.