Chapter 19 The Regret of Childhood Sweethearts

"Young Master Li, may I have a word with you in private?"
The steward of the Ai family approached nervously.
Li Yi glanced at him and replied coolly, "Say what you must here."
The steward glanced uneasily at the surrounding villagers, but under Li Yi’s cold gaze, he had no choice but to speak. "They say adversity brings people together. My master holds you in high regard and wishes to form a good relationship. He would like to hire you as the head of the Ai family’s guards, with a monthly wage of two taels of silver, and additional rewards during festivals."
A monthly wage of two taels was no small sum in these times—a high salary by any standard.
Many villagers looked on with envy.
Li Zijin whispered, "Yi, you just had a conflict with the Ai family. You’d best be cautious."
The steward quickly waved his hands, "My master is sincere; there’s absolutely no ill intent. Young Master Li, you are brave and capable. Our eldest young master, Ai Wannian, has been appointed as bailiff in Shenmu County and is in need of good men. My master hopes you’ll assist him. With the young master’s promising future, you might also gain an official position yourself."
"An official position? Yi, this could be your chance to make a name for yourself," Li Zijin said in surprise.
Gao Jie was tempted too. "With the Ai family’s backing, Ai Wannian’s prospects are limitless. As his man, you could even become a vanguard general one day."
The lure of officialdom made everyone’s eyes shine with eagerness.
Li Yi chuckled, realizing he had underestimated Ai Yingjia.
Despite the trouble he’d caused him, Ai now wanted to recruit him for his own use.
"Please thank Master Ai for me, but I’m unwilling to leave my homeland. I’m afraid I’ll have to decline serving him."
Li Yi refused without hesitation—he had no intention of becoming a servant to the Ai family.
The steward was surprised; for people like them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But seeing Li Yi’s resolute attitude, he couldn’t help but respect him a little more.
"There’s no rush. You may consider it for a few days," the steward said, then signaled to a nearby maid. "Take Young Master Li to the accounts office for his silver."
The pretty maid nodded and led Li Yi toward the Ai family’s residence.
"Be careful, Yi," Li Zijin whispered.
"If anything happens, just shout. We’ll storm in," Gao Jie added.
Li Yi nodded, took his saber from Li Guo, and followed the maid inside.
From the outside, the Ai family estate looked grand and spacious, but inside it was divided into countless courtyards and narrow corridors—a far cry from the faux-ancient buildings of later times.
"Yi, you were truly impressive today,"
As they passed through a small gate, the maid spoke up once they were alone.
Li Yi was surprised. "You know me?"

The maid’s face was tinged with grievance. She said with some annoyance, "I’m Fu Juan—you and I grew up together. After a few years apart, you don’t recognize me?"
Li Yi felt awkward, but after thinking carefully, he recalled her.
Their families used to be close, and he often played behind Fu Juan as a child. The adults had even hoped they would marry. But after Li Yi’s parents died and his family fell into ruin, Fu Juan’s parents broke off the engagement.
"How did you end up as a servant in the Ai family?" Li Yi asked.
Fu Juan’s expression was calm as she explained, "When my family broke the engagement, I rebelled, but it did no good. My parents forced me to marry Carpenter Liu. But the man fell ill. We borrowed silver from the Ai family for his treatment, but it was all for naught. He died, leaving me a widow with a child. With no other choice, I borrowed more from the Ai family to bury him. Carrying a child, I worked day and night weaving and farming, but it wasn’t enough to pay the taxes, let alone the Ai family’s interest.
"The interest kept rolling over, never ending. The Ai family came for their debt, and the authorities demanded taxes. I sold the five acres my husband left me, but still couldn’t pay it off. My child starved, eating unthreshed wheat, his stomach swollen until he died. In the end, I had to sell myself to the Ai family to repay the debt."
Li Yi was shaken by her tragic story.
But on reflection, with false-hearted landlords like the Ai family, how rare could such misery be?
"How does the Ai family treat you?"
Fu Juan looked around and whispered, "We get two bowls of thin gruel a day, must rise before dawn to work, and cannot sleep until the master has retired at night. If the work is poor, we’re scolded and whipped. If we fall ill, we’re thrown out to fend for ourselves."
"Do you get paid each month?"
"Paid?" Fu Juan almost laughed. "The steward said, ‘Don’t we feed and house you? Your wages are all spent on your keep.’"
Li Yi understood now: the Ai family forced peasants to sell their children and land through usury, and when there was nothing left, they sold themselves into servitude. Only in death could they be freed.
No wonder Lu Xun once said the feudal era was a time when people devoured each other. These landlords were more terrifying than ghouls who sucked the marrow from bones.
Fu Juan, however, seemed resigned to her fate. She whispered, "You’re right, the Ai family’s kindness is a sham. The officials and they are in league. I’ve already paid as much interest as I originally owed, but they say I still owe ten taels. Is there any justice in this world?"
"Justice? If there were justice, the Ai family would have been struck by lightning long ago."
"Exactly. Heaven should smite these dogs," Fu Juan replied, hatred burning in her eyes.
They entered the accounts office.
Fu Juan handed a slip to the clerk.
"Wait here," the clerk muttered, glancing at the two before signing and stamping the slip. He took it, then counted out ten taels of silver.
"I don’t want silver—give me copper coins," Li Yi said.
The clerk glared at him impatiently. "Do you think this is your family’s account office? Take what you’re given—there’s only silver."
Fu Juan tried to placate him. "Don’t be angry, Mr. Wang. I’m from the madam’s quarters. Please, just this once."
The clerk sneered and pushed her away. "You’re just a jinxed widow. Who are you to order me?"
He looked Li Yi over, noting his ragged cotton coat, and dismissed him with contempt.

"So you’re just a boor with no sense of your place. Make one more sound and I’ll have you beaten and thrown out."
Li Yi sneered, grabbed the clerk by the collar as if he were a chicken, and lifted him up.
Fu Juan hurriedly said, "Yi, don’t be impulsive."
"Let him try," the clerk spat. "Go on, if you dare!"
Li Yi smiled coldly, then slapped the clerk hard across the face—a crisp, resounding smack.
"You told me to hit you. I’ve never had such a vile request before," Li Yi grinned.
"Murder! Someone is trying to kill me! Help!" the clerk screamed.
Several guards rushed in, brandishing cudgels, but when they saw Li Yi, they stopped in their tracks, their aggression vanishing.
Li Yi shot them a withering glare and they stumbled back, colliding awkwardly.
At that moment, the steward entered and quickly tried to calm things down. "Let’s talk this out. Young Master Li, please don’t be angry."
Li Yi saw no point in arguing further. "Change the ten taels of silver into copper coins," he ordered.
The steward barked at the clerk, "Didn’t you hear? Do as Young Master Li says."
The clerk was stunned. He hurried to fetch the slip, and soon four baskets of copper coins were brought in.
In the Ming dynasty, one tael of silver could be exchanged for about a thousand copper coins, but in chaos-ridden Shaanxi, silver was scarce, so you could get over twelve hundred coins per tael. Two baskets together yielded over twelve thousand coins, weighing some four hundred catties in all.
Li Yi pointed to the guards. "You lot, carry these out for me."
The guards exchanged looks, but, unwilling to provoke Li Yi, did as they were told and shouldered the baskets.
Fu Juan stared at Li Yi in astonishment.
The tearful, chubby boy she once knew had grown into a man—not only tall and handsome, but also of an entirely different temperament.
Now, his expression calm and his gaze stern, a chill pride emanated from him.
Thinking of their past ties and present estrangement, her heart was filled with turmoil.
As the guards carried the copper coins out, Li Yi followed. When no one was looking, he slipped a piece of broken silver into Fu Juan’s hand.
She stood there in a daze, lingering at the doorway, watching as Li Yi’s figure faded into the distance.