Into the Sea

13

The fist of the largest of Gao Ran's thugs caught Hao Min's nose before he could recover from his surprise.

"Shit!" The fisherman doubled over, clutching at his once again bleeding nose. If it hadn't been broken before, it was now.

"Won't you invite us in?" Gao Ran asked.

The knee that next caught Hao Min in the stomach sent him sprawling across his own floor. It was followed by a kick that forced an animal like grunt from his mouth.

"Oh my. You already have company. And what pretty company it is," said Gao Ran. Hao Min looked up in horror as Gao Ran went to perch on the edge of his bed, where the girl had woken. She pulled the blankets up to her chest to hide herself.

"Oh my, my dear, and who might you be? How much did Hao Min have to pay to buy a night with someone as gorgeous as you?"

"He did not pay anything," said the girl defiantly. "I am his wife. Do not touch me!" she hissed, reaching out to slap at the hand that had reached to pry the blankets from her hands.

"His wife!" Gao Ran collapsed back onto the bed into helpless laughter. "I knew you were hiding something Hao Min, but this? Ren Hao Min, you lucky bastard, I will never understand how you do it!"

The debt collected chortled, sitting up. "Really my dear, what did he tell you? That he had come into money? Or that he had a large windfall coming his way? Whatever it was he used to get you by his side, I can assure you it was a lie. This sorry excuse for a human has more debt than anyone this side of Zhanghai."

"It is his father's debt, a debt you have no doubt inflated to keep him paying," the girl snapped.

The girl's words sent Gao Ran into helpless laughter once more. "His father's debt! Is that what he told you?"

The girl's eyes narrowed.

"Please," Hao Min begged, from the floor.

Gao Ran cleared his throat at last. "Here, let me set you straight, my dear. Our fisherman friend here was able to pay off his father's debt in less than a year. It is his own debt he is paying now."

"What?" the girl asked, eyes narrowing further.

"You see, while his father was just a drinker, Hao Min had more... diverse tastes. Wine, the pipe, and the prettiest women were what he wanted. None as pretty as you, of course."

The girl said nothing. Her hands on the blankets clenched.

"Please," Hao Min begged, struggling to rise. "Please don't tell her."

Gao Ran ignored him. "But really, it was gambling that got him the most. He couldn't say no to a hand of cards. No matter how deep he was in, he would keep playing. Lost ten times as much as he won. Unluckiest son of a bitch that I've ever met."

The debt collector's eyes narrowed. "When it comes to cards, at least. How he got you in his bed, I'll never know."

He stood. "Anyway, he finally straightened out a few years ago. Not soon enough though. He'll be paying off his bad habits the rest of his life. Not much of a life really, is it?" Gao Ran asked, resting a foot on Hao Min's back. He forced the fisherman down, to the ground. "If it were me, I would just walk into the sea, like your father did."

In the bed, the girl said nothing. Hao Min hung his head, almost glad Gao Ran had pushed him to the floor so he could not see her face.

"Anyway, Hao Min. I'm here with a proposition," said Gao Ran, gesturing to his two associates. "Rather than wait for you to pay off your debt on that pittance of an income you make fishing, I'll accept your... wife in exchange. I can make far more off her."