An Bozi was furious, "You! Are you vampires?! It was only twenty thousand last month, how did it become fifty thousand?!"
The plain-clothed man sneered, "What else? No one in the entire village dares to lend you money, yet we did. Do you understand interest upon interest? Old man, you want to default? Fine, leave ten fingers behind."
An Bozi shrank back, patted his hands, all ten fingers still attached, and caved.
"Isn't it just fifty thousand? Take it." Ming Zhitian directly took out a banknote and placed it on the wooden table. It was indeed fifty thousand.
The plain-clothed man walked over and picked up the banknote. The plain-clothed man beside him asked, "Brother, is it real or fake?"
The plain-clothed man glanced at Ming Zhitian, "It's real. Kid, who is this old man to you?"
Ming Zhitian said, "Take the money and get lost, quickly."
The plain-clothed man, holding the fifty-thousand banknote, patted it. "Hmph, old man, you're lucky."
"Wait," Ming Zhitian said.
The plain-clothed man turned around, "Regretted it?"
Ming Zhitian said, "Leave the IOUs, and you can go."
The plain-clothed man's lips curled up, and then he took out the IOU that An Bozi had stamped his handprint on and threw it on the table. "Hmph, kid, you're good. Let's go!"
Ming Zhitian picked up the IOU and handed it to An Bozi. An Bozi was stunned at first, then quickly snatched it and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it whole!
Ming Zhitian was taken aback, but he had seen all sorts of people, so he was not surprised.
Ming Zhitian sized him up. Grayish-long hair, many wrinkles, single eyelids, no beard, somewhat short:
"You are An Bozi?"
An Bozi also sized up Ming Zhitian, tall and thin, a young man, dressed in a long white robe, without any jewelry, not like someone wealthy. "You know me?"
Ming Zhitian nodded, "In a way."
An Bozi thought, "Probably a relative."
He quickly said, "No money to lend!"
Ming Zhitian sneered, "Do you think someone who can produce fifty thousand yuan is short of money?"
Thinking about it, An Bozi couldn't understand, "You are neither a noble nor a relative, so why are you helping me, a poor old man?"
Ming Zhitian took out the two halves of the map and gave them to him. "You are An Bozi, a master of wood mechanics and a descendant of Lu Ban, is that so?"
An Bozi took the map, then his old face flushed. He thought to himself, "This is the map I casually threw away!"
Just as he was about to spout nonsense, he met Ming Zhitian's all-seeing gaze and immediately became honest. "I am... and I am not..."
Ming Zhitian lost his patience, "Are you or not?"
An Bozi lowered his head, "Sorry, I am not."
Ming Zhitian sighed, "As expected, then this map..."
An Bozi reluctantly explained, "I just drew it up out of boredom."
Ming Zhitian thought he misheard, "What?"
An Bozi smiled faintly, "I drew it."
"Damn it!" Ming Zhitian grabbed him and gave him a beating.
With a swollen, pig-like face, An Bozi said, "You... Kid, is it necessary!"
Ming Zhitian wiped his fist, "I hate liars the most. You even lied to me? Do you think my fifty thousand yuan was spent in vain? Consider it medicine money, I'm leaving."
Ming Zhitian turned and walked away without looking back. An Bozi called out, "Wait!"
Ming Zhitian stopped, "Something else?"
An Bozi said solemnly, "Although I am not a master of wood mechanics, I am indeed a descendant of Master Lu Ban..."
Ming Zhitian turned back, trying to see the truth in his eyes. An Bozi continued, "To be precise, I am the thirty-seventh generation descendant of Lu Ban."
Ming Zhitian observed for a long time, confirming he wasn't lying, "Are you telling the truth?"
An Bozi patted his chest, "Absolutely! True!"
Ming Zhitian nodded, "Continue."
An Bozi pointed at the piles of wood, "Don't look at me being idle all day, but how can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan? Do I lack skills? I have them! What am I lacking? Money! As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles requires a thousand coins, but a journey of ten thousand miles requires years. Am I not working hard? I am! Do I really lack money? I just lack food and drink, you understand?"