TATSD Chapter 69

A few more days passed, and Ji Wei’s shop on North Street became even more popular. Even Zhu Butou (Captain Zhu), who lived on East Street, had heard about it.

When Zhu Butou’s brother-in-law came by for a visit, he brought a bag of something he called mooncakes, meant for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

As soon as the mooncakes were revealed, Zhu Butou’s wife curiously tasted one, and couldn’t stop. She and the brother-in-law kept chatting and eating, finishing all six snow-skin mooncakes like they were casual snacks.

Zhu Butou’s wife then insisted that the mooncakes must be on the table for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Always doting on his wife, Zhu Butou didn’t dare refuse. On his day off, he hurried over to North Street.

Before coming, Zhu Butou didn’t know who was selling the mooncakes. After asking around, he found himself standing in front of the shop. Seeing Ji Wei shouting at customers, he suddenly realized that Ji Wei was the one selling them.

Surprised, Zhu Butou stood there for a while, until passersby recognized him, leaving him no choice but to walk over to the shop.

“Captain Zhu! Captain Zhu is here!”

“What brings Captain Zhu to North Street?”

“Did someone commit a crime here on North Street?”

Zhu Butou, who lived on East Street, rarely came to North Street unless there was a report of some wrongdoing. It was no wonder that the customers in line were curious.

“No, I’m just here to buy something,” Zhu Butou explained.

Hearing this, the others immediately understood and began chatting excitedly among themselves.

“That makes sense. Let me tell you, last time I only bought a few pieces. I thought they were expensive, and was afraid my wife would complain. But when I got home, she scolded me for not buying enough!”

“Exactly! My daughter is growing and eats a lot. She can eat two in one go! I told her they were pricey, but she didn’t care. She called me stingy for not buying more.”

“Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that the Mid-Autumn Festival only comes once a year, I wouldn’t have splurged.”

“Hey, hurry up! It’s your turn!”

Seeing the long line of people happily chatting as they waited without any impatience, Zhu Butou became a bit curious. He struck up a conversation with the person in front of him and learned that the shop had only opened a few days ago. It used to be a tea shop with hardly any business, but ever since Ji Wei took over, the place had become wildly popular, with people lining up to buy mooncakes.

“I was just curious and wanted to try them. I ended up buying ten! And they were gone before the festival even arrived, so now I’m back for more.”

Zhu Butou wasn’t particularly fond of food. When his brother-in-law brought the mooncakes, he had tried one – a red bean filling. It tasted good, but nothing extraordinary. He couldn’t understand why everyone was so obsessed.

When the people in line heard this, they laughed and shook their heads. “Red bean is the most boring flavor of the snow-skin mooncakes. You have to try the lotus seed with salted egg yolk and the sesame peanut! That’s where the real flavor is.”

Everyone around him nodded in agreement.

Still skeptical, Zhu Butou ordered five of each flavor when his turn came. After paying, he even added five more salted egg yolk mooncakes.

“Oh, by the way, when do you have time? I need to talk to you about Liu Qing,” Zhu Butou said. He had only come to buy mooncakes, but seeing Ji Wei reminded him of Liu Qing, who had been severely beaten and was still languishing in jail. He couldn’t resist bringing it up.

It had been a while since Ji Wei had thought about Liu Qing and the others. Zhu Butou’s mention of them jogged his memory of how they had been hauled off to the county office, though he didn’t know what had happened since.

Ji Wei called out to Zhao Hu, asking him to cover for a bit, and then led Zhu Butou to the backyard.

As they lifted the curtain to the yard, Zhu Butou was shocked by what he saw. The place was bustling with workers, all shirtless with their tops tied around their waists, toiling away in the heat.

This was not a common sight. Even someone as experienced as Zhu Butou was momentarily taken aback.

“They’re just helping me with the work. Captain Zhu, please, come this way so we can talk inside,” Ji Wei said as he led the way through the courtyard. Several of the men recognized Zhu Butou and cheerfully called out to him as they passed.

Once inside, Zhu Butou couldn’t help but glance back out the window. “All these people—are they all helping you make mooncakes?”

“Not just mooncakes. We’re making cookies too. Ever heard of them, Captain Zhu?”

“Of course, I’ve heard of them,” Zhu Butou replied. How could he not? In Daxi Town, these treats were far more popular than in Changliu Town.

In the past half month, many constables had been carrying a few pieces with them, saying they were smaller and lighter than steamed buns, easier to carry, and tastier than regular dry rations. Just a few were enough to stave off hunger, and word spread quickly until everyone started eating them.

Even Zhu Butou had bought some, though he had them brought over from Daxi Town and hadn’t realized they came from Ji Wei.

Now, he was genuinely surprised. He looked Ji Wei up and down as if he were seeing something extraordinary.

Ji Wei chuckled and shook his head. “Captain Zhu, you flatter me. It’s nothing special, just some small treats to make a living.”

“No need to be so modest with me. We’ve dealt with each other more than once,” Zhu Butou replied, locking eyes with Ji Wei. The two of them broke into laughter—it was clear how much things had changed.

“Alright, enough small talk. I wanted to update you on Liu Qing’s situation.” Zhu Butou dove into the topic.

It turned out that after Liu Qing had been dragged to the county office and beaten, no one had taken care of him. He was also sentenced to five days in jail by Lu Zhanhong. During that time, no one came to visit Liu Qing. His injuries worsened in the summer heat, leading to infection and festering. Lu Zhanhong, fearing something serious might happen, had a doctor prescribe some medicine.

Previously, Liu Qing had been given half a month to gather the funds he owed, but now his injuries hadn’t healed, and his house had been seized by the gambling den. Homeless and hopeless, Liu Qing had lost all will to fight and was in a state of complete despair.

“So, what are you saying, Captain Zhu?” Ji Wei raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by the story.

“Exactly what you’re thinking,” Zhu Butou nodded, a bit emotional himself. “You wouldn’t recognize Liu Qing now. He used to be big and intimidating, standing tall in the street and scaring the timid. But in such a short time, he’s withered away—he’s all skin and bones, like an old man on the verge of death.”

Ji Wei let out a quiet “Oh” and said nothing more.

“He says he can’t repay the twenty taels, and he’s willing to accept whatever punishment the authorities give him. He’s completely given up. The twenty taels are a lost cause, and the magistrate decides to send him to hard labor once he recovers.”

There were no major projects in Changliu Town at the moment, so Liu Qing would have to be sent elsewhere for hard labor. Hard labor, also known as penal servitude, involved backbreaking work—building bridges, paving roads, constructing city walls—endless toil.

He would be forced to work until his debts were repaid.

The twenty taels of silver were only the tip of the iceberg. Combined with his affair with the bun-seller’s wife and his numerous offenses in Lu Zhanhong’s jurisdiction, Liu Qing had been sentenced to twenty years of hard labor. Only after serving his full term would he be released and returned to his hometown of Changliu Town.

Liu Qing was twenty-six now, and those who did hard labor aged faster than others. Most didn’t live long. Even if he survived the next twenty years, his once-proud spirit would be long gone.

Hearing Zhu Butou’s account, Ji Wei didn’t feel satisfied or vindicated, but rather a bit melancholic.

This was a man who had earned a notorious reputation as a gang leader, terrorizing the town for six or seven years, yet in just a few months, he had been utterly ruined. It brought to mind the old saying:

“Evil will be punished. If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s just a matter of time.”

After Zhu Butou finished, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

“Do you want to go see him? In a few days, they’ll send him off, and you probably won’t get another chance to see him,” Zhu Butou said, noticing Ji Wei shaking his head. Zhu Butou sighed, rubbing his chin. “If it were me, I’d go take a look.”

Ji Wei chuckled indifferently. “Who would go out of their way to see a pile of stinking dog @%&? Besides, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.”

“True, you’re running a big business now. No time for that,” Zhu Butou said, recalling the time they had both been detained together. It brought a wave of nostalgia.

“I’ve stayed long enough; I should be going.”

“Let me walk you out, Captain Zhu. This way, please,” Ji Wei said, opening the door and following Zhu Butou out. As they neared the shop, Ji Wei suddenly remembered the long-silent Baozi Xi Shi and casually asked Zhu Butou about her.

“Oh, I nearly forgot all about that,” Zhu Butou replied, scratching his head.

“I was just curious.”

“Do you remember Liu Qing’s wife? She wasn’t easy to deal with. No wonder Liu Qing put up with it all while sneaking around with Baozi Xi Shi. After that incident, when she got hurt, years of resentment built up, and in a fit of anger, she went to the town chief, demanding a divorce from Liu Qing. The town chief had Baozi Xi Shi brought in for questioning, but no matter how they pressured her, she kept her mouth shut. Want to guess what happened in the end?”

Zhu Butou hadn’t witnessed it himself but had heard plenty of people talk about Baozi Xi Shi’s ordeal. To get her to confess, they had used all sorts of torture. For a weak woman to endure such threats and not break, it was clear the consequences were too terrifying for her to bear.

But even so, she had earned some respect.

“I’m guessing she never confessed, and in the end, Liu Qing admitted to everything?” Ji Wei said offhandedly.

“Oh, you’re sharp!” Zhu Butou clapped his hands. “Exactly. In the end, Liu Qing spilled everything. He figured it didn’t matter at that point. Baozi Xi Shi suffered because of him.”

“What happened to her in the end?” Ji Wei asked.

“Master Lu said no private punishment, no drowning in a pig cage, as that would disregard human life. When Liu Qing is sent off, she’ll be paraded through the streets…” Zhu Butou trailed off, a trace of sympathy crossing his face.

Even without him saying it, Ji Wei knew what that meant.

As Liu Yimian had once explained, if a woman was found guilty of having an affair with a married man, the law required that she be publicly paraded, and stripped of her clothes.

For a woman, this punishment was far worse than being drowned in a pig cage. No wonder Baozi Xi Shi would rather die than tell the truth.

Regardless, Baozi Xi Shi was ruined.

As Zhu Butou was leaving, he remarked, “Liu Qing was truly a scourge, dragging down himself and others with him.”

Ji Wei stood at the shop door, watching Zhu Butou disappear into the distance. The scorching sun overhead made him squint as its rays pierced his eyes.

Whether it was the blow to the head that killed the original owner, the insults thrown at Liu Yimian in the prison, or the way Baozi Xi Shi was used to sabotage his business—these memories swirled in Ji Wei’s mind. The long-held resentment inside him suddenly dissipated, and a feeling of relief washed over him.

He stood there, stretched lazily, and handed things over to Zhao Hu before returning to his work.

Who has time to dwell on the past? Tomorrow is what matters.

As for Liu Qing, he was nothing more than a petty clown, hardly worth Ji Wei’s thoughts.