LW chapter 75

 

Aunt Du said, “If we go further north, we will reach the Northern Di, where there are garrisons stationed. Our town is on the main route to the garrison area, and Zhou Chuang spends all day idling around.”

“That day, we happened to run into the garrison’s replacement. No one knew that the new commander was a very handsome young man. Zhou Chuang had no respect for his elders and planned to harm them. Coincidentally, the garrison was resting in the city and staying at the Zhou family inn, along with a number of military salaries.

“They didn’t raise a military flag, so Zhou Chuang didn’t know his identity. He drugged the people in the shop and was finally caught by the commander. The commander then reported it to the authorities. Little did they know, the district magistrate was colluding with Zhou Chuang and wanted to kill the commander.”

“They all thought the ger was weak and incapable, even as a commander. But they didn’t expect that he had truly been on the battlefield, covered in blood. He killed and escaped from the district prison. Then, like thunder and lightning, the district magistrate was dismissed and exiled; Zhou Chuang was beheaded, and his property was confiscated.

Hearing this, Chen Qing recalled what Zhou Yuan had told him about a ger vice general on the battlefield. Could it be this person?

Zhou Yuan looked at him. “He was on our front line. His surname is Chen, and his name is Zixi.”

The last time Zhou Yuan went to the capital, he visited General Xiao. General Xiao mentioned some things regarding the reorganization of the army and said that Vice General Chen had come to the northern border. He said that if Zhou Yuan still wanted to join the barracks, he could arrange it. Zhou Yuan refused again.

After leaving Aunt Du’s house, Zhou Yuan led his horse and walked slowly with Chen Qing. “He just died like that?” Chen Qing asked.

“Evildoers will be punished by Heaven.” Zhou Yuan replied, “It’s a bit regrettable that we didn’t take revenge ourselves, but there are always regrets in life, aren’t there?”

Chen Qing nodded. “I just feel a little complicated.”

“I know Ah Qing’s heart is heavy today. Take a bath and sleep well tonight. After we finish matters for Father tomorrow, we’ll go home.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Yuan lifted Chen Qing onto the horse and rode back to the inn. He asked the servant for a bath and borrowed the kitchen to steam some egg pudding for Chen Qing.

In Xia Xi, people ate eggs by boiling them and drinking the soup. Chen Qing liked drinking it when he was young, but since eggs were rare, he only had it once or twice. Now, he couldn’t stand the taste of egg soup.

After eating a bowl of egg pudding and bathing in warm water, Chen Qing curled up in Zhou Yuan’s arms. He couldn’t sleep right away, so Zhou Yuan tired him out a little until he could hardly move his fingers. Then, he slowly fell asleep.

It had been more than ten years since Chen Qing had dreamed of his father and little father.

They were wearing clean, neat clothes. Little Father stood behind Father and smiled gently at him.

They didn’t say anything, but their eyes conveyed a lot.

Chen Qing waved at them. He saw his father walk up to him and place his hand on his head. Chen Qing gently rubbed his palm and watched them disappear.

After they left, it seemed as if another bright light burst in the sky and a star fell into his palm.

When Chen Qing woke up, the sky was clear and Zhou Yuan was awake, staring at him.

“What did you dream about last night? Your tears soaked my clothes.” Zhou Yuan hugged him, letting him lie on top of him.

Chen Qing shook his head and hugged his neck. “I forgot, but in the dream, it felt very warm. It was like my whole body was soaking in hot water. It was very comfortable. It seems like I’ve never slept so comfortably.”

“That’s good, but now we should get up.” Zhou Yuan hugged him. “Today, we have to hold the funeral for Father and the family.”

“All right, let’s get up.”

Today, Meng Qi brought people from the escort agency to discuss business with Du Feng, and Meng Shuanzi followed them.

Aunt Du helped them order the funeral banquet, including tables, chairs, benches, and special funeral music.

According to the custom of holding a funeral in Xiaxi House, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan tied black cloth around their left arms.

Everyone in the village, except for the Chen family, came. It was like having a free banquet without needing to give anything in return. The villagers didn’t really know Chen Qing, though. They only remembered that Chen San’s son had run away, and they didn’t expect him to return to hold a funeral for his parents.

Everyone praised Chen Qing for his filial piety. However, they were also a little afraid of Zhou Yuan standing beside him. After greeting the guests, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan sat down and waited for the meal to start.

Chen Qing seemed to have become much more mature during this trip. He knew how to greet people. Although he spoke haltingly, he tried to be a good son and hold a grand funeral for his father and stepfather.

“Thank you all for coming.” Chen Qing choked up and said, “Thank you.”

Even though these people didn’t help out or take advantage of others’ misfortune, they were still neighbors, and that was enough.

After comforting the villagers, Zhou Yuan looked around but didn’t see Meng Shuanzi. He didn’t know where he went. Meng Qi looked around, but he was nowhere to be found. Chen Qing left some food for Meng Shuanzi, though they might not be used to it.

After everyone finished eating and Zhou Yuan paid the bill, Chen Qing looked inside the house and childhood memories he had forgotten resurfaced.

Since no one played with him, he ran around the house or sat next to his little father and embroidered with him.

There were still many things to do.

Before they left, they told Aunt Du they wanted to let her live in the house. Aunt Du refused, saying her own home had enough space. Later, Chen Qing thought that if Du Feng moved in, the Chen family might come looking for trouble after they were gone. Better to avoid unnecessary problems.

Chen Qing discussed it with Zhou Yuan and decided to tear down the house. They would also resubmit the deed to the county office, meaning this homestead would no longer belong to their family.

“Ah Qing, once you tear down the house and hand over the deed, this place will no longer be your home.” Zhou Yuan said.

Chen Qing nodded. “My home is in Luohe Village.”

Zhou Yuan gently rubbed his head and said, “Then let’s finish this and go home. This trip has taken a long time, and your mother must miss you.”

As soon as he said that, the other escort team members left with the goods, leaving only Meng Qi, Meng Shuanzi, and Zhou Yuan.

Now it was time to tear down the house. There were no belongings of the Chen Qing family in the house. Over the years, everything had been discarded. The house was empty, with nothing left.

Chen Qing took the hoe and struck the front wall first. He was quite strong, but the house didn’t budge. Zhou Yuan took the hoe from him, swung it hard, and the clay fell to the ground.

Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi started working, too. Soon, the house that their father and little father had spent half their lives working on was leveled to the ground.

Chen Qing stood there, watching as smoke and clay dust fell upon him.

“I hope Father and Little Father won’t blame me,” he said.

Zhou Yuan nodded. “They won’t blame you.”

After Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi finished the remaining work, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan went to Father’s and Little Father’s graves again.

They had already merged with this piece of loess. Chen Qing took a handful of loess from in front of Father’s grave and put it in his pouch.

They went to the poplar tree again. Chen Qing wanted to break off a branch, but the tree was too tall, so Zhou Yuan cut off a piece of bark from the trunk with his dagger.

He put it in Chen Qing’s pouch too.

The most important reason for coming here was to take his father and little father back to Luohe Village.

Looking at the ruined house, Chen Qing took a deep breath and left with his relatives. From then on, with high mountains and long roads, he would never return.

Back in the city, Zhou Yuan told Chen Qing to rest well because he was tired. He said that he was going out with Meng Qi and the others and might come back late, so Chen Qing should eat dinner by himself.

Chen Qing thought they were probably talking about the escort business, so he slept soundly.

Zhou Yuan and the others did come back very late. It was already dark by the time Chen Qing was waiting for Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan had a little yellow dust on his body, but Chen Qing didn’t care much. After all, the wind and sand here were too strong, and having a little sand on one’s body was common.

Chen Qing asked the servant to bring food and accompanied Zhou Yuan while he ate. “Are we going back tomorrow?”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “Are you reluctant to leave?”

“No.” Chen Qing took a bite of the cake. “I want to go home. I miss my mother.”

“On the way back, we don’t have to rush. I want to take you to the capital. After all, we were in a hurry when we came out. Let’s take it slow and look around on the way back. We might not have such a chance in the future.”

Chen Qing nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

He was still carrying his father and Little Father in his pouch. They hadn’t left Jieshi City yet. It would be nice to go with them.

“All right, the first stop is the capital. I’ll take you to eat Tianji there.”

Chen Qing came to his side and hugged him. “Zhou Yuan, thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Zhou Yuan hugged him back.

“If it weren’t for you, I might not have had the chance to come back.” Chen Qing leaned his head on Zhou Yuan’s shoulder.

“Even without me, I believe you could still do what you want to do.” Zhou Yuan kissed the corner of his mouth and said, “The first time I saw you, I thought you were attractive.”

Chen Qing turned to look at him. He remembered the first time he saw Zhou Yuan: when he heard about Meng Tao’s death. Zhou Yuan felt the same way when he saw him.

“You were so small, carrying your mother home step by step, so steadily. I knew you were a strong person.”

“Then, I saw you carrying two buckets of water and walking steadily on the mountain road. I thought you were like the toughest wild hyacinth in the mountains[mfn]symbolizes someone who is resilient, strong, and able to flourish even in hardship[/mfn]. No matter what, you could live a good life.”

Chen Qing smiled. “At that time, I had just finished cleaning the chicken coop and still smelled terrible. You helped me.”

Zhou Yuan also smiled. “Then I forgot; I only remembered what you looked like.”

It turned out that he wasn’t the only one drawn to Chen Qing when they first met.

“All right, I’ll go get some hot water. Let’s bathe and then sleep. We’ll head back tomorrow.” Zhou Yuan set him down, asked the servant to bring food, and fetched hot water.

While Chen Qing was washing, he asked again, “What were you doing in the afternoon?”

Zhou Yuan remained silent. “Nothing important,” he said.

After that, Chen Qing didn’t ask again. After bathing, Zhou Yuan went to bed.

After Zhou Yuan cleaned up, he hugged Chen Qing and kissed the corner of his lips and his hair. Having slept all afternoon, Chen Qing became sleepy again.

Seeing that he was asleep, Zhou Yuan let him go and let him sleep beside him. After all, it was still very hot at night.

As for what he did that afternoon, he took Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi to beat up a few Chen family members. Of course, they beat them with sacks and ran away. Even if the Chen family suspected them, they would be long gone by the time they found out.

The next day, they packed their bags and prepared to leave. After mounting their horses, a ger blocked Meng Shuanzi’s horse. He carried a bag on his back and stood in front of the horse with his hands spread wide.

Chen Qing, Zhou Yuan, and Meng Qi stared at the newcomer in surprise, wondering how Meng Shuanzi could be involved with him right under their noses. No wonder Meng Shuanzi was missing that day.

“No, why are you obsessed with me? I didn’t provoke you.”

The man still blocked Meng Shuanzi’s horse. “You unfaithful man!”

“Wow.” Chen Qing stared at them.

Provoked by the man, Meng Shuanzi grabbed his hand and helped him onto the horse. Then, he waved the whip and took the man away.

Zhou Yuan and Meng Qi followed behind, but not too closely. Curious, Chen Qing asked Zhou Yuan, “What’s going on?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“He can’t really take that person away, can he?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head again. “I don’t know.”

Chen Qing glared at him, looking unhappy. “Why don’t you know anything?”

 

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