The Pei family's furnace has been cold for thirty years. Everyone in town says they'll never get ahead. Pei Di, who tends the furnace, says nothing. He keeps a ledger: every loss he's suffered is recorded, one by one, in a box. The boxes are locked, and each good batch of iron unlocks one. Once a box is open, those who owe him will pay back double, with interest.
When Sun's Shop cuts off his supplies, he digs through an abandoned kiln. When a hundred-cash-per-catty price hike threatens to choke the whole town, he takes military contracts and earns money from the army. When they frame him for colluding with bandits, he exposes them in front of everyone. The whole street watches Shopkeeper Sun crush the teacup in his hand.
The rules of this town were written by Sun's Shop. Pei Di keeps score, one entry at a time. When the ledger is full, not a single debt will be forgotten.
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