Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Chen Wuyu?

What?

Old Man Zhao and Wang Shi exchanged a look. Weren't the things they dug up supposed to belong to the Yu family? So why is the surname Chen?

"Xiaobao, are you sure it's Chen Wuyu, not Yu Wuyu?" Old Man Zhao grabbed his daughter's little hand, pointing at the characters. "Take another good look. Could you have misread it? Is that what your nephew Jinyu taught you? Is it Chen or Yu?"

"It's Chen," Zhao Xiaobao pouted, unhappy that her father said she misread it. She studied very seriously, and her nephew Jinyu even praised her for being smart. "Dad, Xiaobao didn't misread it. It says Chen."

"Why is there a 'Chen' popping up now?!" Old Man Zhao instantly felt his head spin.

But Wang Shi remembered what Jin Yu had told her earlier: his mother's family was surnamed Chen. His general uncle was called Chen Guangmao, and his mother was Chen Hanzhi. Could this longevity lock be related to the Chen family?

Wang Shi had a sudden realization: this matter might be more complicated than it seemed. You didn't need to be a genius to figure out that even if the Chen family had a child who died young, a longevity lock meant for burial should appear in the Chen family's ancestral home. It couldn't possibly be in Tongjiang Town.

Unless... unless the child died in Tongjiang Town?

But even then, they wouldn't have buried such an important thing in the woods. Wealthy families were very particular about rituals. This longevity lock almost represented the child's identity. What parents would bury such a precious item in an unfamiliar, desolate wilderness out of grief?

Besides the longevity lock, there were also gold hairpins and bracelets, all jumbled together. However you looked at it, something was off.

If it wasn't buried by the parents, was it stolen by an outsider?

Wang Shi was alarmed by her own train of thought. She turned and swatted Old Man Zhao on the back. "Don't sleep tonight. Take the things and go to town now. I'm afraid this isn't a simple matter. Whether I'm overthinking it or not, we can handle making an extra trip. I'm just worried this might be very important to Jin Yu's mother's side of the family."

If it was truly stolen, how heartbroken must the parents be? If the child was still alive, it would just be the loss of some property, nothing major for a wealthy family like theirs. But if the child died young and the longevity lock was also lost, for the parents, that would be a fate worse than death.

Wang Shi was also a mother and deeply understood this feeling. Her earlier reluctance had mostly faded, leaving only a trace.

"Go now? You'll exhaust me! I just got back!" Old Man Zhao glared. "At least let me sleep for a couple of hours."

"Fine, then sleep." He was getting on in years, after all, and the trip had worn him out. Wang Shi turned to Zhao Ertian. "Second Son, take your sister to town immediately. Now. Go, right this minute!"

Remembering what the old man said about the General's Wife leaving with Jin Yu for the border tomorrow, this matter couldn't be delayed at all. Any later and they might have already left.

She wrapped the longevity lock in a handkerchief and placed it back in the box. After locking it, she handed it along with the key to her daughter. "Xiaobao, keep this box safe. This item is very important; you must not lose it."

"Okay." Zhao Xiaobao obediently put it away, carefully placing it in the wooden house.

Zhao Ertian had already packed up. Wang Shi personally placed a padded quilt in the basket, then put her daughter inside. Of course, before putting Xiaobao in, she had her father sent to the mystical realm to rest in the wooden house.

Luo Shi held a torch and was going along too. The couple would have each other's company on the road. Once they reached town, she would go to the mystical realm to rest, and let her father out to handle matters. Very convenient.

It was just past midnight. If they walked quickly without delay, they could reach town before 7 AM. Before a long journey, one always needs to eat breakfast, right? Need to pack luggage properly, right? This timing was just right, cutting it close.

Watching her son carrying her daughter on his back and her daughter-in-law holding the torch, the faint flame was the only light in the dark night.

Wang Shi stood in place, watching them go far into the distance, urging them to be careful again and again, she was really worried. Walking at night was dangerous. If not for the urgency of this matter, she wouldn't have wanted her family to take the risk.

...

The couple knew the situation was urgent and didn't stop to rest even once the whole way.

Mainly, they didn't dare to rest. Anyone who has walked mountain roads at night knows how scary it can be. It was okay to keep your nerve and press on, but once you stopped, listening to the sounds of wild beasts coming from who-knows-where, not just Luo Shi, even Zhao Ertian was on edge.

Zhao Ertian was a middling, unassuming sort of fellow. He and his wife were an extremely honest couple. They stayed tense until daybreak, only daring to relax when they were about to reach the main road. Luo Shi endured her trembling legs, gently shaking her sister-in-law awake. Zhao Xiaobao rubbed her eyes, first handed the bamboo water container to her second brother and sister-in-law, then tossed out her father who was sound asleep and snoring in the wooden house, and finally put her sister-in-law inside.

"Aiyo..." Old Man Zhao was completely caught off guard. Rubbing his old waist as he stood up, he wanted to lecture his daughter who had no respect for her elders, but saw her turn her back, grumbled a couple of times, and fell asleep again.

"Let's go." He sighed, looked at his second son drenched in sweat from the effort, and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Second Son had been carrying his sister, then his father, and now his wife too, bearing a heavy load the entire journey. No wonder he was so tired.

When they reached town, the town gate was just opening. Father and son couldn't help but sigh in relief. They'd made it, and that was the main thing.

Following a crowd of commoners with loads on poles and in baskets into the town, Old Man Zhao had never come to town at this hour before; every time he came towards the end of the market day. He hurried along the direction he went yesterday towards the Yu family. It was still early, the west side of town was quiet. Occasionally, young servants and maidservants came out from side doors, carrying baskets, seemingly going to the market to buy groceries.

Old Man Zhao couldn't afford to avoid people, mainly because he couldn't. There was only one main road; if you walk, I walk, nowhere to hide. As they passed by, an old woman scrutinized the father and son carefully, seemingly assessing where these two country fellows were going, whether they were selling something or if they were some poor relatives coming to seek help?

Fortunately, the Zhao Family members looked spirited, with honest, regular features, not shifty-eyed to invite unwarranted suspicion. They arrived at the Yu family without incident.

It was the same main gate, but no guards were stationed at the entrance.

It didn't look like anyone was preparing for a trip. Old Man Zhao's heart was uneasy. He stood at the gate, pacing back and forth. Seeing that no one came out at all, he had no choice but to knock.

He knocked for quite some time. No response.

He went to knock on the side door. This time, the door did open, but it wasn't a guard. It was a little maidservant, looking no more than ten years old. She peeked her little head out from behind the door, looked them over carefully, and said softly, "The master is not home. We're not buying anything now. You can try elsewhere."

"We're not selling anything," Old Man Zhao hurriedly said. "I have something urgent to discuss with your family's general... with your family's eldest young lady! Little girl, could you please pass on a message? Just say I'm the old man who came to deliver fish yesterday. I have an urgent matter to see her."

The little maidservant shrank her neck instinctively upon hearing "eldest young lady," clearly very afraid of the person he mentioned.

There was indeed some commotion in the front courtyard yesterday. Although she didn't know the reason, seeing the old man speak with certainty, opening his mouth asking to see the eldest young lady, she didn't dare to treat him rudely at all, and replied very politely. "Old sir, you've come at an unfortunate time. The eldest young lady had already set off and left Tongjiang Town yesterday evening. By now, I'm afraid she's already a hundred li away."

"..."

Seeing the other party's face full of shock, tinged with despair, she couldn't bear it. She took out the purse from her bosom. Although the eldest young lady was a violent person, beheaded the steward, and locked them all up, before she left, she was very generous, giving each of them servants five taels of silver, telling them to guard the ancestral home well, not to go out unless necessary. If news came from the main family in the capital with angry questions, they could truthfully report everything.

Although the eldest young lady was fierce, she also took all the responsibility upon herself. The little maidservant had a good head on her shoulders and knew that being locked up this time was actually a good thing for servants like them.

The old man seemed to be acquainted with the eldest young lady. She poured out some bits of silver from the pouch and handed it to them, whispering, "Here, whatever you're selling, I'll buy it. But only this once, okay? I won't buy next time. I still need to save money to buy my freedom." She stretched her hand forward. Seeing the old man standing there not taking it, she couldn't help but urge, "Give me the goods and you can go. Don't come again in the future, okay? I really won't buy anymore."

"Your family's eldest young lady, the General's Wife, she left with her people yesterday afternoon?!" Old Man Zhao took a long time to come back to his senses. So they'd left not long after his visit yesterday?

Then why did Jin Yu say they were leaving today?

Jin Yu would never lie to them. So, did the General's Wife lie to him? Or was there some sudden emergency that forced them to leave immediately?

Old Man Zhao was bewildered. He didn't even hear the little maidservant calling them. By the time he slowly regained his senses, he had already taken his son and left the wealthy area of the west side of town, walking on the bustling, noisy main street. Looking at the steaming noodle stall, a wry smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Ha, haha, damn it all. He'd always said to steer clear of the rich and powerful. And he was right! To think our family rushed through the night just to deliver this longevity lock to them. But in the end, they were afraid their fine silks and satins would get stained with mud, so they left long ago.

Old Man Zhao refused to believe it was a coincidence. He just felt his family was quite ridiculous. Damn it all. They'd been presumptuous, that's what. What were they delivering the longevity lock for? This longevity lock should be theirs! Whether you're Chen Wuyu or Yu Wuyu, from now on, you'll be called Zhao Wuyu!

With Jinyu gone, the family truly had no more 'fish' (Yu).

Old Man Zhao felt a knot of frustration in his chest. Especially when he turned his head and saw Second Son covered in sweat, and because of rushing at night, he had stepped into a dirt pit and fallen, his clothes all filthy. That made him even madder.

"Come on, Dad will take you to eat noodles. Eat three big bowls to vent this anger properly." Old Man Zhao threw an arm around his son's shoulder, then glanced at the daughter he was carrying on his back. Even with all the noise on the street, she hadn't woken up. Turning his head, he saw a vendor hawking sugar-coated haws from a pole he carried along the street. He directly called the person over. "Hey, sugar-coated haw vendor, yes, you, come over here."

Seeing a potential customer, the vendor ran over with a smile. "Old sir, you want to buy sugar-coated haws?"

"Along with the whole pole, I'll buy it all!" Old Man Zhao declared boldly. He decided to use the money Yu Linlang gave to soothe the irritation Yu Linlang brought. When Xiaobao wakes up and sees her dad bought her so many sugar-coated haws, wouldn't she jump for joy?

Thinking of his daughter being all sweet and affectionate to him, he instantly wasn't as angry anymore.

The vendor was so startled he stammered. "Even the whole pole? Y-you're not joking, are you?"

Old Man Zhao glared, pulling out a small ingot from his clothes—yes, this was his secret stash of cash. What man doesn’t have a little stash? He thought with righteous indignation. There were over twenty ingots; one more or less would never be missed. His private money was all saved to buy candy for Xiaobao and incidentally buy himself some wine to drink.

Well, buying wine was just incidental.

Sugar-coated haws were two wen a stick. The sugar stack held twenty-seven sticks. Since he was buying a lot, the vendor gave him two extra, so he was charged for twenty-five, an even fifty wen. The sugar stack was something the vendor made himself—it was just a matter of labor. The sticks and the base were his own materials, practically worthless, but he still charged twenty wen.

Whether it’s carrying heavy loads or making stacks, labor isn’t free, is it?

Twenty wen was a bit expensive. Old Man Zhao shot back: “What’s a pile of dry grass worth? You can pull up a whole armful out in the country. Ten wen is about right!”

“What’s valuable is the immediate need, isn’t it?” The vendor said with a sheepish laugh. “Ten wen is too cheap. Fifteen wen, take it or leave it.”

Old Man Zhao agreed without another word. Honestly, he wouldn’t have minded twenty wen either. Right now, he was seething with frustration and just wanted to spend money. Bargaining was pure habit.

In the end, he spent sixty-five wen to buy a whole stack of candied haws. Since the five-tael silver piece couldn’t be changed, Old Man Zhao headed straight to a nearby wine shop and, without hesitation, bought himself a jar of good wine worth three taels. Carrying the wine jar, he paid the vendor with copper coins. In one trip, he spent nearly four taels, and the pent-up anger in the old man’s heart finally lifted slightly.

“Let’s go, eat some noodles.” He waved a hand and took his son straight to the noodle stall.

His daughter wouldn’t wake up. Thinking that the divine realm had plenty of food, he wasn’t worried she’d go hungry when she woke. He went ahead and ordered four bowls of noodles—two bowls each for father and son: one bowl of shredded pork noodles, one bowl of minced meat noodles. After finishing breakfast, they spent another few dozen wen.

When paying, Zhao Ertian’s heart was in his throat, wondering what had gotten into his father.

Not wanting to stay in town any longer, Old Man Zhao didn’t even bother asking about prices. Carrying the sugar-coated haws on his shoulder like a peddler heading to the countryside, he called out as he went: “Sugar-coated haws! Sweet and big sugar-coated haws! Not two wen, not one wen, just three wen!”

When an adult actually came up with a child to buy some, he taunted that he wasn’t selling, which made the man curse in frustration: “You crafty old man, with your tricky sales pitch—I’d even accept paying one wen more than others. Now you say you’re not selling? Are you making fun of me?!”

“I only said ‘sugar-coated haws,’ not that I’m selling them.” Old Man Zhao was utterly unreasonable. He even turned sideways to show off his mountain-like muscles, which shut the cursing man right up.

Really, what kind of person is this?!

Seeing others uncomfortable made Old Man Zhao feel a bit better again. He glanced at the child in the man’s arms, who was pouting, wanting to cry but not daring to. He took a stick from the sugar stack and handed it to him: “Little one, I won’t charge you even one wen. Take it and eat it.”

Once out of town, Zhao Ertian wiped his sweat, looking at his usually steady father acting like a mischievous old kid today. He cautiously said, “Dad, so they left. So what? Let’s just do our own thing and stay true to ourselves. If things don’t work out, it’s just fate, heaven’s will. Let’s not overthink it.”

Old Man Zhao glanced at him: “Second son, when did you become so enlightened?”

“Huh?” Zhao Ertian looked utterly confused.

“Your old man’s giving you a compliment.” Old Man Zhao sighed. The farther they got from Tongjiang Town, the more at peace he felt. Second son was right—they just needed to do their own thing well. At least they came this time, so in the future, looking back, they wouldn’t feel they’d let anyone down.

As for what others thought, what did it have to do with them?

Once he figured that out, the last bit of discomfort in his heart completely vanished. Old Man Zhao let out a long sigh, carrying the wine jar in one hand and the sugar-coated haws on his shoulder, suddenly laughing heartily.

“Hahaha, this old man isn’t at a loss! This is top-quality wine worth over three taels a jar! On normal days, I wouldn’t dare buy it. Second son, when your mother asks later, just say it was one—” Before he could finish the word “one,” both Old Man Zhao and Zhao Ertian’s expressions changed simultaneously.

Footsteps were approaching from behind.

There was also the faint sound of blades clashing. As people who had just fought bandits to the death, Old Man Zhao and Zhao Ertian reacted almost instantly—they were being followed!

Old Man Zhao’s face instantly turned extremely grim. He had been careless. Yu Linlang had left suddenly with her people, and whoever was watching the Yu family would surely become suspicious. The reason nothing happened yesterday was that Yu Linlang had been covering their tracks behind the scenes.

Now that Yu Linlang was gone, and they were in a hurry, afraid they wouldn’t make it in time, they had entered and left town without any disguise, acting as if it were any normal day. They had completely forgotten they were now connected to the Yu family. In these troubled times, wasn’t that just walking right into the enemy’s hands?!

The anger Old Man Zhao had just dissipated instantly flared up again. Damn it, there really are no free benefits in this world. This hundred taels of silver isn’t just hot to hold—it’s burning their lives too!

Old Man Zhao scooped up his daughter from the basket. Without needing a signal, Zhao Ertian decisively threw the basket away, and father and son took off running.

A few breaths later, two men wielding large knives charged up.

One of them saw the basket discarded on the road and kicked it over, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes: “After them!”

The mountain path was bumpy. Zhao Xiaobao was shaken awake, opening her eyes to rapidly receding trees. She rubbed her eyes and let out a long yawn, mumbling, “Dad, are dogs trying to bite you?”

“Xiaobao’s awake?” Old Man Zhao glanced around, suddenly stopping in his tracks, then led his son into a dense thicket nearby. “Xiaobao, take out the big knives from the storeroom. Then go to the wooden house to eat your morning meal. Have a bowl of rice porridge, two buns, and one egg. Eat slowly. After eating, go feed the chicks. Come out after you’re done feeding them.”

He finished quickly, grabbing one of the large knives with red cloth tied to the handle that suddenly appeared on the ground. The moment Zhao Xiaobao disappeared and Zhao Ertian picked up the other knife, two men appeared on the mountain path outside the thicket.

“Damn it, where’d they go? I just saw them!” The shorter man angrily swung his knife, cutting down a clump of wild grass.

“Qi San and Qi Si didn’t return all night, and Yu Linlang left in a hurry yesterday. Could they have already found the person?” The taller man frowned. They couldn’t get close to the Yu family. When Yu Linlang left, she was very low-key—only one carriage. Who was inside, they had no idea. “You came back to report seeing a father and son going to the Yu family. Was it them?”

“The old man was, but the younger one was a different person.” The thought that Qi San and Qi Si might be dead made him want to kill that bitch Yu Linlang, and that father and son too. Could the child the higher-ups had been looking for have been hidden by them in the countryside? Otherwise, why would Yu Linlang leave Tongjiang Town as soon as that old man showed up?

But this was just his speculation. He didn’t dare report it. If that child had been hidden in Tongjiang Town all along, then those of them who had been searching fruitlessly, squatting outside the Yu family without learning a damn thing, would definitely face a bad end.

Now, they just had to catch that old man. Whether it was them or not, everything would become clear then.

Unfortunately, the old man he mentioned didn’t give him much time to fantasize. Just as the tall and short men were about to continue the chase, Old Man Zhao and Zhao Sandi flipped out from the dense thicket nearby and, without a word, raised their knives and swung.

The sudden change happened too fast. No one could have imagined that in just a short moment, the two fleeing prey reappeared as knife-wielding hunters.

Especially since the tall and short men were nothing like Scarface and Hei Ban in terms of size and strength. Even though they had some accent, Old Man Zhao could understand what they were saying. Dealing with men like these was no pressure for the Zhao Family, famous throughout the ten-mile radius for their tall, burly builds—it was like knocking down one with each hand.

And the opponents’ only advantage—their weapons—was completely negated in the eyes of the Zhao Family, who had already confiscated three large knives.

Old Man Zhao swung his knife down. The shorter man, terrified by the sudden change and only managing to raise his knife in a hurried block, felt his wrist shudder. He couldn’t hold the handle, and the force knocked him flat on the ground, stirring up dust and startling birds everywhere.

Old Man Zhao swiftly kicked the knife that had fallen to the ground into the thicket. He stepped on the man’s chest, the tip of his knife aimed at the shorter man’s throat, his old face cold as unmelting ice: “Who sent you?”

The shorter man stared at him in terror, completely unable to process what had happened. How had the roles reversed? Shouldn’t he be the one pointing a knife at their necks, asking what their relationship with the Yu family was, whether they were hiding a child?!

“You… who are you people?” Feeling the cold blade against his neck, the shorter man’s teeth chattered in fear.

“I’m asking the questions now. Who sent you? How many others know about us? Where are you from in Qingzhou Prefecture?” Old Man Zhao pressed slightly harder, and a stream of bright red blood flowed down the blade. “Don’t lie. I’ll let you go once you’ve told me.”

The shorter man’s eyes darted around. Seeing he was just a farming old man, he probably didn’t have the guts to kill. He mixed truth and lies: “We’re just following orders. A man named Qi Da sent us. We just wanted to ask if you know a child… Besides us, four or five others know. I’m from Anding County, he’s from Quyang County.”

Anding County and Quyang County?

Old Man Zhao’s heart stirred. Weren’t those two of the three counties hit hardest by the earthquake earlier this year? The other was Xinping County, said to have lost nine out of ten people. That area was now an empty county, with wandering ghosts howling at night—terrifying rumors.

“You’re not very honest. Shifty-eyed—clearly lying.” Old Man Zhao moved the knife away from his neck, his lips curling into a smile that made the shorter man, who had scrambled to his feet and was stealthily backing toward the thicket to retrieve his knife, panic.

“But it doesn’t matter. Yesterday, Yu Linlang cleaned up after us. Today, we’ll handle the danger ourselves.” Old Man Zhao glanced at the red cloth wrapped around the knife handle. “Little brother, you’re Qi Da, aren’t you? Really sorry about this.”

“Pfft—”

The shorter man suddenly spat a mouthful of foul, black blood. His eyes wide with disbelief, bulging from their sockets, he collapsed straight to the ground.

Until his death, he couldn’t figure out when the damn old man had poisoned him.

At the same time, the taller man was also captured by Zhao Ertian. Amid his terrified pleas for mercy, Old Man Zhao stepped forward and made a small cut on his neck.

Once the taller man stopped breathing, father and son directly threw the bodies into the woods.

…

After finishing her morning meal and feeding the chicks, Zhao Xiaobao emerged from the divine realm.

She wrinkled her little nose at a familiar, stinky smell in the air. Seeing her second brother hurrying over with a back basket, she naturally stretched out her hands. Old Man Zhao neatly folded the quilt, told her to put it in the wooden hut, and then lifted her into the basket.

The family of three continued their journey home.

A gentle breeze swept by, dispersing a few wisps of the smell of blood.

"Xiao Bao."

"Xiao Bao is here!"

"Remember this: if you want a peaceful life, stay far away from powerful and noble families. They're nothing but trouble for us!"

"Got it, I'll remember!"