Monster Pays the Debt
One day Ayden stopped by the Wu family’s place to return something he had borrowed from Mr. Wu. The Wu family was in a terrible way that day. They were usually very cordial with Ayden, but today they were very distressed and anxious. Ayden felt somewhat in the way of whatever trouble they were having. In the small village of Lijiang though, all neighbors were as one family. Whenever a friend or neighbor was having any difficulty, no matter how big or how small, you could always count on your friends. But the Wu family was too polite to ever think of troubling a friend with their problems.
Well, it didn’t take Ayden long to discover what was going on. Today was the day that Old Lord Mu would be coming to collect on a debt that the Wu family owed. Ayden understood their situation very well. He himself had been in debt to Lord Mu many times before, and knew that Old Lord Mu was very fierce when it came to collecting debts. Not only did he want the money he had lent, but also a lot more for interest. If they didn't have all the money he wanted, he would take the animals that they owned as a payment for the debt. He would also force them to work for him for no pay. And, the worst of it all, he could do all of this legally because he was a nobleman and they were peasants.
Ayden thought he could help negotiate the payment so he asked how much money they had. Poor Mr. Wu Mu-han answered, “We have nothing to pay him with, nothing!” Ayden thought to himself, “Mr. Wu is just like his own name, truly mu-han!” In the regional dialect, Naxi, the expression mu-han means completely pitiful.
The poor Wu family was truly pitiful. It had been a rough year. They were farmers. They usually grew many vegitables and sold them in the Four Corners Square in Lijiang village. The weather had been especially cold and dry that year though, and the crops had died on many occassions. They barely had enough to feed their own family that year. That is why they took out a loan from Old Lord Mu.
Now, Ayden had fooled Old Lord Mu many a time and knew that his wits were especially slow. So Ayden, thinking to help out his friend and neighbor Mr. Wu, thought for a few moments about something they could do. Then, all of the sudden Ayden had a flash of inspiration. He told the Wu family there wasn't much time and reassured them saying, “Don't worry, I’ll show you a way to get out of this.”
First, Ayden directed them to find the largest pelt of dog fur they could find. As soon as they found it, he had them fasten it to his body, so that it covered all of his chest and belly, and even hung down over his legs some. The Wu family wondered just what he had in mind. He then borrowed a fur skin cap that had especially thick and heavy hair. It was so thick and heavy and long that it covered most of his head and face when he tied the straps around his chin.
After the cap, he had Mr. Wu go fetch his long raincoat that was made of straw and palm tree bark weaved together. He instructed Mr. Wu to soak it in the stream until it got nice and wet all the way through. When Mr. Wu returned with the coat, Ayden quickly put it on and ran into the chicken coop. I am sure you could only imagine the strange looks that Mr. and Mrs. Wu had on their faces when Ayden gathered all the loose chicken feathers that were in the pen into one big pile, and started rolling around in them. “What in the devil is that boy doing?!” exclaimed Mr. Wu.
When Ayden got up, all the chicken feathers had stuck to his wet coat. He looked like a monster! Now Mr. and Mrs. Wu understood what all the antics were about. Ayden had spied out the perfect hiding place. In the pigpen was a pig trough just big enough for him to lie in. He instructed Mr. and Mrs. Wu on the details of the plan, and gave them final instructions on what to do when Old Lord Mu came. He then lay in the pig trough and had them put a length of spare cloth over the trough to hide him completely. After a short while, Ayden could hear that Lord Mu had arrived to collect the debt.
As Old Lord Mu approached the door he annouced his arrival, “I’m here to collect the debt that you owe me…” From inside the pig trough, Ayden could only hear muffled voices. It was hard to make out what they were saying, but he could tell that they were discussing the debt. Actually, the only words he could really hear came from Old Lord Mu everytime he raised his voice in anger saying over and over, “Pay up…blah, blah, blah…Pay up…blah, blah, blah...Pay up.”
While Old Lord Mu was still insisting they give him his money, a strange roar suddenly cried out from somewhere in the yard. It frightened Old Lord Mu half to death. Lord Mu, still shaken up demanded, “Who was that?!” Mr. and Mrs. Wu looked at each other in agreement, then they both casually responded, “Oh that, well, it was nothing. Probably just some passing animal.” Lord Mu had noticed the way they looked at each other before they responded and suspected that they were trying to pull the wool over his eyes. He walked into the yard and glanced around. He went into their barn, and as he inspected one stall after another he accussed them saying, “What are you hiding? I know you’re hiding something!”
Old Lord Mu was expecting to find a horse, or a mule that he could perhaps take in payment for the debt. But Mr. and Mrs. Wu insisted that there was nothing. He still did not believe. He was checking here and there while shouting, “So, it’s here!” or, “Ahah! Here it is!” But, there was nothing to be found. Just as Lord Mu was about to give up looking, once again the odd noise cried out fiercly. This time Old Lord Mu could tell exactly where the noise was coming from. Lord Mu confidently marched toward the pig trough and the cry of a beast again shrieked even louder from within the trough.
Lord Mu was scared stiff. He froze in his tracks, not daring to go one footstep closer. Mr. and Mrs. Wu pleaded with him to just forget what he had heard. However, Lord Mu’s greedy heart would not allow him to miss out on some sort of payment. At first, he thought that since it was a pig trough, it must be a pig they were hiding. But, reasoning told him that the strange sound he had heard was not a pig. He figured that no matter what was inside that trough, it was something that he could profit from.
Hesitantly, he picked up a stick and started poking at the the cloth covering the trough asking, “What is it?” Mr. Wu answered in a stern voice, “Lord Mu, you had better not poke it.” Mr. Wu continued in a serious tone, “If you really must know, then I will tell you. In that trough exsists a rare beast, an oddity, a wonder of the known world. In that very trough is a monster!”
Lord Mu was struck with amazement. He asked Mr. Wu reverently, “Where did you discover such a beast?” Mr. Wu replied, “It wasn't easy catching it. It was only by luck that I happened upon it, and it was even luckier that I could catch it. That’s not even the most amazing thing about it either. It can speak like a human.” Needless to say, Lord Mu was extremely shocked by this news and exclaimed, “Who could have ever imagined that such a marvelous beast exist on this world!”
Almost immediately, Old Lord Mu thought to himself, “How can it be that I, a lord, a nobleman, the richest man in town not have a marvelous jewel of the rare world such as this monster. What is even more offensive is the thought of this poor devil Mr. Wu having the monster and not I. I must have this precious rarity! Otherwise, all my other posessions mean nothing. They are things that anyone could aquire with the right luck, but this, this monster is truly one of a kind!”
Having made up his mind that he needed this beast, Lord Mu used his most commanding voice to persuade Mr. Wu to give it to him. “Now Mr. Wu, you will of course sell me this beast. After all, you really have no use for it. I’ll tell you what I’ll do for you, that small debt you owe me, well, we can just forget about it if you give me the monster. There is really no need to make a donkey roll around in the dirt like this, we can just call it even. What do you think?” But, Mr. Wu rejected this idea immediately saying, “Oh no Lord Mu, I really couldn’t do that. That just wouldn’t do. I could never sell him.”
Lord Mu thought about it again for a moment. At last, he broke down and offered Mr. Wu ten pieces of silver in addition to forgiving the debt. But still, Mr. and Mrs. Wu declined again and again. Finally, Old Lord Mu gave in and said to Mr. and Mrs. Wu, “OK, you drive a hard bargain. I don't feel like bargaining any more. I’ll give you twenty silver pieces and that is my final offer.”
Mr. and Mrs. Wu were still putting on their act of reluctance while Lord Mu was using every bargaining tactic he knew to convince them to sell it. Mr. Wu held out as long as he could, and saw that Old Lord Mu was about to give up. Then, at last he gave in and accepted Lord Mu’s offer.
Twenty pieces of silver was a small price to pay for such a treasure and Old Lord Mu was only too happy to pay it. He was very eager to take a gander at his newly aquired prize. He very carefully lifted the cloth with a stick remembering to not poke the creature. He had not even lifted it half way off when Ayden leaped out in an instant growling and snarling. Frightened out of his senses, Lord Mu stood there trembling as his monster, or Ayden ran right out the gate. Old Lord Mu stood there dumbfounded for another moment or two before he realized what had happened.
As soon as he realized that his treasure was getting away, he shouted, “Catch it! Catch it! Catch it! Bring it back! Hurry!” It was too late though. By now there was no trace of the monster. He demanded that Mr. Wu should give him back the twenty silver pieces since the monster ran away. He said demandingly, “Return my money Mr. Wu!” Mr. Wu replied, “I wasn't the one who let it loose! It was the most precious creature on Earth and now it’s gone, because you let it go!” Old Lord Mu retorted, “But I payed for it, and now it’s gone! You should return my money!” Mr. Wu then said, “Yes Lord Mu, you did pay for it and that means it was yours. And, you let it go. It is unfair for you to expect me to pay for something that you lost.”
Old Lord Mu could not argue with that and left very upset. Meanwhile, Ayden had gotten rid of his monster costume and was on his way to the Wu family’s house. On the path he passed a sour Old Lord Mu mumbling curses to himself. Ayden greated him cordially, and all Lord Mu could do in return is mumble another mouth full of curses. He had been had once again, and didn't even know it.
