Chapter 117: A Line in the Dirt

"Spring has sprung, Master Lin!" Wang sneered, his cruel eyes scanning the courtyard before locking onto Lin Yuan. "We gave you the winter to survive, but the grace period on your wife's debt is officially over. And since you made us wait through the freeze... the boss has decided that the interest on the debt has doubled."

Lin Yuan stood completely still in the center of the muddy courtyard, the bright spring sunlight casting sharp shadows across his face. Behind him, standing on the wooden porch of the dojo, were his three students, and his young son, Lin Fan.

A few months ago, Lin Yuan had swallowed his pride. He had bowed his head, handed over his wife's ancestral loom, and taken a beating to buy time. He had learned the bitter, humiliating lesson that pride could not fill a family.

But the situation had fundamentally changed.