LW chapter 71

 

Things that had long been tightly sealed—so long that Chen Qing had almost forgotten them—would be revealed again by the slightest breeze.

Chen Qing ate a bowl of fish noodle soup with tears in his eyes. Zhou Yuan saw him finish and wiped his tears away. “Why are you crying?”

Zhou Yuan had calluses on his hands. Chen Qing snorted. “The last time I asked you for a handkerchief, you didn’t have one. Your hands hurt me so much.”

Zhou Yuan felt relieved when he saw that his mood hadn’t changed. He kissed his hand again. “Bring it with you from now on.”

He seemed very interested in Xiaxi’s customs. After dinner, he didn’t say he would leave immediately. Instead, he went shopping in the capital with Chen Qing.

“Should we buy some for Mother and the others?” Zhou Yuan saw colorful veils in a fabric store and wanted to buy some for the women in his family.

Chen Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “At home, there’s no strong wind or sand. Why do you need these?”

Zhou Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Then just buy one, you need it now.”

Despite Chen Qing’s objections, Zhou Yuan bought two veils: one moon-white and one bright yellow.

Chen Qing held the veils in his hands. When he put one on his head, he forgot how to wrap it. He fiddled with it, and the veil blew in the wind as he left the shop.

Zhou Yuan stared at Chen Qing with the veil wrapped around his head. He no longer looked like someone from the Xiaxi Prefecture. Even if he dressed like them, he was completely different.

Zhou Yuan hugged him, thinking that only Luohe Village’s soil and water could make Chen Qing who he is now.

The wind and sand of Xiaxi would only destroy and torment him.

Once the matter was settled, it would be best to take Chen Qing back to Luohe Village as soon as possible.

Xiaxi is located in the north and borders the subordinate state of Beidi. The two countries have always maintained friendly diplomatic and trade relations, which is why a joint market with Beidi was established in the walled market of Xiaxi Prefecture.

Many Beidi people brought their goods to sell at the market. Zhou Yuan, of course, wanted to join in, so he was accompanied by Chen Qing.

Although he wore a veil, it was clear that Chen Qing was not a native of Xiaxi. The people of Xiaxi, both men and women and gers, were all tall.

Chen Qing resembled his father, but Zhou Yuan looked more like a native of Xiaxi.

They walked around the market, and Zhou Yuan bought sparkling gems, saying he would give them to the two unborn babies and their future children.

Although there were no signs of their existence yet, he needed to treat them equally and prepare for them as a father.

Chen Qing liked them very much too and bought some other stones from a girl’s stall.

All the Beidi people spoke the Xiaxi language. Chen Qing had been away for a long time, but he could still understand the general idea.

He said these stones came from beneath the sacred Beidi Mountains. The power of the Beidi gods fell upon these stones, which could protect people.

Chen Qing just smiled. He thought the Beidi gods couldn’t even protect their own people, so how could they protect him, a stranger?

Still, he bought them. Some of the beads were dull. He wanted to weave tassels onto Zhou Yuan’s sword sheath and decorate it with gems, hoping the gods would protect Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan liked a dagger with a ruby inlay on its hilt. He carefully examined the blade. The Beidi blacksmithing skill was similar to that of his foster father.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan liked it, Chen Qing immediately paid for it. Zhou Yuan remembered that he had a long knife, but he could not always carry it on his back while working.

Having a dagger could protect him. Although he felt he hadn’t bought much, when he returned to the inn and piled all the items on the bed, he realized they had bought quite a few things.

They smiled at each other. After staying in the city for two days, they had purchased many items.

Now, they would leave them at the inn. They would take them when they returned and only needed to pay a storage fee.

It took a day and a half to travel from Xiaxi Prefecture to Jieshi City. This city was not as prosperous as the others. When the wind blew sand around, the city looked even quieter.

After only a day and a half on the road, Chen Qing noticed that Zhou Yuan’s face was sunburned, red, and swollen. “I remember there was a shell oil shop in the city, but I forgot to buy it!”

Worried, Chen Qing held Zhou Yuan’s face and looked at it repeatedly. He was wearing a veil and had covered his whole face, so it was okay.

Zhou Yuan didn’t care. “Let it rest in our water and soil when he returns. After all, why should a man be so gentle?”

“Being gentle is one thing, but doesn’t it hurt?” Chen Qing frowned and stared at him. “No, this little pain is nothing,” Zhou Yuan replied, unconcerned.

Finally, Chen Qing found a place in the city that sold shell oil and bought some for Zhou Yuan.

The shopkeeper looked at Chen Qing and said, “You’re not from around here, are you?” Chen Qing smiled and replied, “My ancestral home is here, but I married far away.”

Then, he left. He often came to the city. After his father finished embroidering something, he would bring it to the city to sell.

Most Xiaxi households used veils. Since there was no dyeing workshop in the city, there weren’t many colors for veils. This made veils with many patterns very popular.

Chen Qing’s father was very skilled at embroidery. The veils he embroidered sold well in the city, providing an additional source of income for his family.

In fact, nothing in the city had changed, and it had been this way for years. When Chen Qing saw the shop where his father used to sell embroidery, he paused for a moment.

The guard thought he wanted to buy a veil and invited him in enthusiastically.

Chen Qing just shook his head and declined. As he left, he looked back, as if he could see the past: his father leading him and speaking humbly with the manager. As he walked toward the inn, he happened to meet Zhou Yuan, who was about to go out.

Zhou Yuan hugged him and said, “I thought you were lost, so I wanted to find you.”

“Even after so many years, I still remember the way.” Chen Qing pulled his hand back inside, asked for water to wipe Zhou Yuan’s face, and then applied shell oil to it.

Zhou Yuan wasn’t used to having a layer of oil on his face and wanted to wipe it off, but Chen Qing held his hand. “It will fade soon. Don’t touch it.”

After doing all this, Chen Qing looked at Zhou Yuan. “Shall we go back to the village, pay our respects to Father and Little Father, and then return?”

“I also want to help you vent your anger.” Zhou Yuan said the person who killed his father could be ignored for now, but the relatives who had oppressed Chen Qing since childhood still needed to be dealt with.

“No need. We won’t have any relations with them again, so there’s no need to worry about them.” Chen Qing held Zhou Yuan’s hand and said, “No need.”

In his grandmother’s family, the eldest uncle had three sons and one daughter, the second uncle had two sons and one daughter, and both aunts had two sons each. In this society, families with more sons had more power. The Chen family had more sons, so they were highly respected in the village.

“Did your uncles’ sons like to oppress you?”

“I didn’t interact with them much.” Chen Qing said.
“When I was young, we only gathered during festivals.

“I see. We’ll see later. Were there any families in the village who treated your family well?” Zhou Yuan asked again.

Chen Qing thought for a moment. “Our neighbors were quite good to my family back then.” He remembered how Aunt helped Little Father when his father died. When Little Father died, she helped Chen Qing bury him. When Chen Qing ran away, she didn’t tell anyone.

“Then let’s buy something to show our gratitude.” Zhou Yuan held Chen Qing’s hand and went out. There weren’t many goods for sale in the city, so they didn’t know what to buy as souvenirs. They could only buy meat and two new veils for Aunt, as well as some other snacks.

The city’s snacks were coarser but could be kept for a long time.

After buying the items, Zhou Yuan helped Chen Qing onto the horse. Then, he mounted the horse himself, waved the horsewhip, and rode to Chen Qing’s hometown, Linhuang Village.

On the way, he asked Chen Qing to show him the way. Chen Qing remembered the direction.

The road the horse took was full of yellow sand. The closer they got to the village entrance, the tighter Chen Qing held onto Zhou Yuan’s sleeve.

When they arrived at the village entrance, Zhou Yuan slowed down. “Where to next?”

Chen Qing’s fingertips trembled as he pointed the way. They saw the milestone on the road, and Chen Qing pointed toward it.

Jieshi Village was named after this large milestone. They stopped there, and the horse snorted impatiently. After pausing for a moment, Zhou Yuan set off again for the village.

As they rode past the houses, many families came out to watch. After all, there were rarely any outsiders in the village, let alone people coming on horseback.

Chen Qing’s yellow mud house was in the village closest to the Hunhe River. It was the river that took Chen Qing’s father away.

Because the river carried so much mud, it would dry up completely during the dry season, leaving only a ditch. During the flood season, the river would swell, and the sound of the rushing water echoed throughout the village.

Zhou Yuan stopped his horse, dismounted, and carried Chen Qing down. Seeing this strange yet familiar house, Chen Qing held Zhou Yuan’s hand tightly. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” Zhou Yuan said.

Chen Qing finally took the first step. He approached the house he had lived in for the past ten years, little by little. When he entered, he found that the house was empty.

“Who are you?” A woman emerged from the house. Her age was hidden by her veil. She looked at Chen Qing, who was standing at the door. Chen Qing was stunned. Zhou Yuan walked up and said, “Isn’t this Uncle Chen San’s house? Who are you?”

The woman sneered. “Chen San has been dead for years. Who are you? Why do you want to meet him? Don’t look for us, we don’t know him.”

Chen Qing was furious, but he held onto Zhou Yuan’s sleeve. Zhou Yuan pulled him away. Chen Qing looked at the house next door. It was the Du family, his neighbors.

Aunt Du heard the commotion and came out to watch. Chen Qing turned around and saw Aunt Du, whom he hadn’t seen in over ten years.

He pulled Zhou Yuan in front of her and called out, “Aunt Du, it’s me.” Aunt Du didn’t recognize him. “Who are you?”

Chen Qing lifted his veil and looked at her with red eyes. “Aunt, I’m Chen Qing.”

“Chen Qing?” Aunt Du ran toward him and held his face with her rough hands.

“Are you Chen Qing? Where have you been all this time?”

Chen Qing wiped his tears. “I’m fine.”

He pulled Zhou Yuan forward and said, “Aunt, this is my husband.”

Aunt Du touched Chen Qing’s face. She didn’t even look at Zhou Yuan. “Alright, alright, alright.”

Zhou Yuan handed the items they had purchased to Aunt Du. “I just arrived and didn’t know what to buy. Please don’t mind how simple they are.”

Aunt Du didn’t have time to take them. Looking closer at Chen Qing, she saw that he had been well cared for and complained, “I looked for you after burying your father. Where have you been?” There was too much to say.

Aunt Du pulled them into the house, moved some benches, and told them to sit down. “Don’t underestimate your house.”

Chen Qing glanced at his house. “Aunt, who lives in my house?”

Aunt Du’s smile faded slightly. “Who else? Your eldest uncle didn’t have a house after he got married, so he moved in with you.”

Chen Qing’s mouth dropped. His uncle lived in his house, yet he was rude to his father. He didn’t even call him Uncle San, he just called him Chen San.

Aunt Du had many questions for him, but before she could speak, footsteps were heard outside again. “Mother, I saw a horse outside. Are there guests in the house?”

Aunt Du’s son, Du Feng, said this as he lifted the curtain. At first glance, he saw Chen Qing sitting on the small bench. “Xiao Qing!”

Du Feng ran to Chen Qing, laughing happily. “Xiao Qing! You’re back?” Zhou Yuan’s smile immediately faded.

Aunt Du didn’t recognize Chen Qing when she saw him, but this man recognized him after just a glance.

He seemed to miss him very much.

Zhou Yuan: …

 

---

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨