Whenever he passed by Yao Fulang’s house, he would crouch low and dash past, hurrying to get as far away as possible.
Chen Guizhi had already made clothes for both Li Feng and his mother, so their garments weren’t urgent. Sewing could be done slowly, and Lu Liu could take his time.
Knowing the family’s situation, Chen Guizhi also asked him to set aside some fabric to make outfits for his two biological fathers. This touched Lu Liu so much that his eyes welled up with tears.
He gradually began taking over household affairs, mainly making decisions.
There were the usual village matters: contributions for weddings and funerals, gifts for holidays, routine social interactions, and business dealings.
For example, after the little shop had been open a while, more and more people began to buy on credit.
When they went to the county to buy things, there would be no credit. But in the village, seeing their shop prospering and knowing they had money, some people would buy a little at a time on credit.
The new ledgers Lu Liu treasured were quickly filled with the names and amounts of these debtors.
He had already thought it through: living in the village, still collecting mountain produce, it was necessary to maintain good relations with people. Credit was fine, but terms had to be set. Life in the mountains moved fast—he decided on a one-month repayment period.
If not repaid, they wouldn’t sell that person anything else, nor would they accept any mountain goods from them.
Most villagers were decent; only a few were shameless.
Ordinary people might try to take advantage, but when the time came, they paid what they owed.
Some, illiterate and afraid Lu Liu would record it wrong, would follow the trend, buying on credit a few times, but always paid in cash for peace of mind.
Relatives sometimes tried to cheat by passing off subpar goods.
For instance, selling dried mushrooms that weren’t properly dried, hoping to weigh more and collect extra money. A few imperfectly dried mushrooms were normal—they’d just dry them again before selling. But deliberately selling underprepared mushrooms was over the line.
There were also mushrooms that were flawed in appearance. These could be accepted, but at a lower price. Sellers tried to cheat, knowing Lu Liu handled the money. When settling, they would interrupt him constantly, talking over him so he couldn’t finish counting.
They’d make a fuss, shouting about the silver amounts, pretending to be in a hurry while actually doing nothing urgent, hoping Lu Liu would accept whatever they said.
Silver! And bad goods could affect his older brother’s business!
At first, Lu Liu tried to handle it patiently, multiple times a day, over several days. But he grew frustrated.
His voice was soft, his demeanor gentle, and no one listened. Several times, he called for his mother, who told him to handle it himself.
Handling it himself made him flustered.
He couldn’t bring himself to smash the abacus or the inkstone, so he slapped the table with his palm.
Slapping the table did nothing.
Lu Liu was genuinely angry!
Lu Yang brought him two ledgers—one for the little shop’s accounts, one for the mountain produce.
The shop ledger tracked incoming money and credit customers. The mountain produce ledger was for outgoing payments—they owed nothing.
Suddenly, Lu Liu had a spark of inspiration and shouted, “Since you’re not in a hurry for payment, I’ll let this silver slide on credit for now!”
That worked; the crowd quieted for a moment.
But soon, they laughed and resumed their old tricks.
Lu Liu stared at them for a while, then smiling, closed the ledger. He declared he wouldn’t settle!
The group protested, “If you don’t take the silver, we won’t sell!”
Lu Liu stayed calm. Several times when Li Feng went to the county, his brother would tell him to stay firm, always saying that mountain mushrooms must keep being collected.
The quantity to collect was clear—not all, but 80–90% was sufficient.
With so many villagers, some would inevitably sell outside.
Merchants short on stock would buy mountain mushrooms in the village. If prices were right, some mushrooms could be sold externally.
Raising the price meant fewer mushrooms would be taken, so only a small portion left the village. No big deal.
If a small fraction could be let go, why not reject subpar mushrooms?
After all, their family offered the best price. If unsatisfied, buyers could take them elsewhere. Let them eat them themselves or sell them in town—it was none of his concern.
Lu Liu wasn’t intimidated by a few families banding together. He didn’t understand much, but he was willing to listen and follow instructions.
His brother had said it made sense. He declared no payment, and even his mother didn’t intervene.
Those who came to complain were told: “My son-in-law is handling the accounts. If he says to give credit, that’s credit. Everyone’s family here supports each other. If we don’t have silver now, you can keep your goods. Once we sell and earn, we’ll pay you. Every cent.”
Some nearly argued with Chen Guizhi in the courtyard: “You’re making money off our goods, but we earn nothing! What do we do?”
Chen Guizhi waved at Lu Liu. “Go tell them yourself.”
Being the household head meant your words had to be strong. You didn’t need to start fights, but you had to be able to stand your ground.
Lu Liu braced himself and approached.
He always thought he couldn’t argue—he just spoke the plain truth.
Sent by his mother, he realized he couldn’t outshout so many people. He went back and forth, circling, saying:
“We’re all family. If we’re family, what’s wrong with me giving credit? I’m not refusing to pay.”
“I haven’t paid now, but I will later.”
“You can also wait until I have money to buy mushrooms and take your goods back.”
“I didn’t stop you, so why be angry?”
“Credit isn’t a crime. We’re family. If we weren’t, I wouldn’t even give credit!”
“Don’t shout; shouting doesn’t make you right. I said it’s credit, so it’s credit. Want silver? Come back next time.”
“I’m not counting now. Even if I did, there’s no silver today!”
“Why pay others and not you? Because you’re family, and I’m being fair. Believe me, I’ll pay once I earn.”
“I want credit. Treat me as family and give it to me.”
“…Do you not consider me family?”
“Do you not consider us family?”
“Are our families related?”
“If we’re family, give me credit.”
…
Lu Liu became famous that day.
By now, he knew many people and had dealt with them all. Before, people said he was soft, had no temper, not fierce.
After that day, everyone called him the Iron-Toothed Rabbit. Soft on the outside, tough and biting inside. His personality wasn’t overly aggressive, but his actions had teeth.
Li Feng had gone to the river to wash clothes, and Chen Guizhi said he handled the accounts, argued with relatives, and still won.
The topic circled back to: “People from the county are different.”
A reputation made from arguing isn’t always a good one.
But Lu Liu smiled day by day, thrilled to bits!
He could argue, he wasn’t soft, he was decisive, fierce—he was the Iron-Toothed Rabbit! Not to be bullied!
These words delighted him so much, he felt light on his feet, as if he could soar to the heavens.
When Li Feng returned from the mountain and heard of his achievements, he would want to check his iron teeth and poke his little rabbit ears.
This fellow was mischievous, driven by the chicken’s greed, still wanting to touch Lu Liu’s little rabbit tail. Lu Liu had no such tail!
That night, the family sat down to dinner.
