Chapter 87

Chapter 87

The group was lucky enough to make it into the city before curfew.

The night was pitch black, and Pei Mu had someone find a nearby inn to put them up for the night. The whole trip, they'd been sleeping in bunk rooms with shared beds, and Pei Mu hadn't bothered getting his own private room either—though he usually booked either one big room or two smaller ones so his crew didn't have to share with strangers. Everyone in the room was his own people, so no one had to worry about their stuff getting stolen.

Since they got in so late, the big bunk rooms were naturally already taken, but there were still rooms in the cheaper section available—each one slept five. The caravan originally had exactly nine people, but with Yang Luo and Fang You added, that made one extra. The two quickly spoke up, saying they were skinny enough to squeeze into one person's spot, scared of being a burden and getting rejected.

Both were fourteen or fifteen, right at that age when they were shooting up, and having gone hungry for a while, they were really skinny. The group hadn't stopped during the trip, so no one knew the full story of what had happened to them, but since Boss Pei had decided to bring the two boys along, nobody objected. They'd slept out in the open before; now with beds and blankets, what was a little squeezing?

Pei Mu, though, said to the innkeeper, "Open up another medium room with two beds, and send two buckets of hot water up to the room."

Yang Luo and Fang You followed Pei Mu into the guest room, a little dazed. Pei Mu picked a bed and sat down, then jerked his chin at the two standing awkwardly by the door: "You two sleep on that bed."

Yang Luo and Fang You had never stayed in a room this nice even before the disaster. They quickly nodded and shuffled over, but didn't sit down—they were too dirty.

Pei Mu was pretty satisfied with their manners and said, "Your indenture fee will be five taels of silver each. I'll pay you once we get home and sign the contracts. At my house, you'll get plenty to eat, and if you work well, you'll get paid too. Just remember one thing: keep your mouths shut."

The two were so stunned they couldn't even react. They'd offered to work for nothing but a full stomach, yet Pei Mu had gone and promised them indenture fees anyway. When they snapped out of it, they dropped to their knees with a thud and kowtowed to Pei Mu: "Thank you, Boss."

Pei Mu accepted the gesture. "If anyone asks about your past later, only tell them about the disaster part. Don't say anything about those bandits who were robbing people—got it?"

Yang Luo and Fang You both nodded. "Got it."

This inn was close to the city gate and clearly used to dealing with traveling merchants, since the hot water came fast. Once the attendant had filled the tubs and left, Pei Mu got up.

"Get yourselves cleaned up. I'll go find you two some clothes."

After days of wandering, the two were dirty, but more than that, their clothes were torn apart at the seams, with some spots hanging by just strips of cloth. One look and anyone could tell they were refugees on the run.

Pei Mu was thinking ahead. Those bandits were so lawless that the authorities were bound to come crack down on them eventually. Even though the two had escaped from that group, they'd originally been dragged into joining it. That kind of thing was hard to explain with just words, so it was better to draw a clear line early on.

He went to the cheaper rooms where the others were staying and gave a rough rundown of the bandit situation, though he left out the part about Yang Luo and Fang You having been pulled into the group, only saying the two had escaped from those people and, unable to survive on their own, had sold themselves into service.

Hearing this, everyone felt both sympathy and lingering unease. Li Sun and a guy from another village who were a bit shorter each pulled out a set of old clothes and lent them to Pei Mu.

For Yang Luo and Fang You, that night was so peaceful it felt like a dream. Lying in bed, clean and refreshed, without the unbearable hunger or the terror of death hanging over them, a single quilt wrapped snugly around two skinny youths. The two exchanged a glance, tears of relief glistening in their eyes.

The next day, the two changed into their new clothes and set off with the caravan, full of energy.

After what had happened earlier, everyone was way more on guard than before, but the rest of the trip passed without incident. The group traveled safely into Songyun County and finally reached Liushan Village on the afternoon of the thirtieth day of the fourth month.

Before Pei Mu even got to the village, he spotted a familiar figure running toward him. Without hesitation, he jumped off the oxcart and strode forward to meet him.

Zhong Yizhu had been guessing when Pei Mu would arrive, and since the day before, he'd hired village kids for two copper coins each to keep an eye on the village entrance every day. When he heard a kid outside the house shouting that the caravan was back, he ran out without even washing his hands.

Both had been worried about the other, and now seeing each other safe and sound before their eyes, their hearts finally settled. The long, lingering longing finally found its outlet. Zhong Yizhu stopped in his tracks, eyes blurred with tears as he watched Pei Mu approach. Before he could even wipe his tears away to see his beloved more clearly, he was pulled fiercely into a familiar embrace.

"I'm back." Pei Mu's voice was low and hoarse. Finally touching the person he'd been thinking of day and night, he wished he could press them into his very body—no matter how tightly he held on, it never felt like enough.

"I missed you so much..." Zhong Yizhu choked out, muffled against his chest. Pei Mu's heart ached, and he lowered his head to rub his face firmly against the top of Zhong Yizhu's hair.

News of the caravan's return spread quickly, and curious onlookers gradually gathered from all around the village. Pei Mu bent down, hooked his arm under Zhong Yizhu's knees, and lifted him up, then said to Zhong He, who had followed behind Zhong Yizhu: "The people on the first cart are mine—they don't know the way. Bring them over."

Zhong He nodded and strode toward the back.

"Pei Mu's back! Hey, what's wrong with Zhu Ge'er?"

Villagers who approached greeted Pei Mu warmly. Pei Mu nodded and said, "Zhu Ge'er accidentally twisted his ankle. I'll take him home first."

"It's been rainy these past few days, so the roads are slippery—you should be careful. Go on, get him home."

Pei Mu held the trembling, sobbing person in his arms tightly and strode quickly toward the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

The villagers watched Pei Mu's retreating back and sighed—what a loving young couple. No one went to bother them, and instead turned their attention eagerly to the caravan behind.

Heavens! They'd really brought back this much cargo!

Nine fully loaded oxcarts, each one piled high with goods. The young men driving them bore traces of wind and frost on their faces, but they were all whole and unharmed—no one was injured.

If everyone had known that the success of the Bamboo Fragrance Shop was largely thanks to Zhong Yizhu, now it seemed Pei Mu's abilities truly couldn't be underestimated.

Remembering what had happened some days ago, some felt indignant for Zhong Yizhu, while others secretly regretted their actions.

Besides Pei Mu, three others from the caravan were from Liushan Village. Liu Youzong's family and the other two households had all come running over, and seeing their sons return safely, the whole families were overcome with joy and excitement.

With so many people on the road—some reuniting, some asking curious questions, some answering excitedly—it was all very lively, and the oxcarts moved more slowly through the crowd, which also gave the young couple more time together.

By the time they reached the eastern end of the village, the road was empty. Pei Mu shifted the person buried against his shoulder up a bit and said softly, "Baby, look at me."

Zhong Yizhu lifted a tear-streaked face to look at him, but the moment his eyes met Pei Mu's, his nose stung with fresh tears. Pei Mu leaned in and kissed his eyes, his own growing red as well.

Zhong Yizhu stared at him for a long moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "You've lost weight."

Pei Mu greedily traced every line of his face with his gaze, then hummed in response: "From missing you."

Tears welled up in Zhong Yizhu's eyes again. Pei Mu didn't know what to do with him, so he carried him into the house and finally soothed the seemingly endless tears with a deep, lingering kiss.

He kissed Zhong Yizhu's lips with tender persistence, silently pouring out all his longing.

They pressed together as intimately as they always had. A month of separation had felt so long—long enough to breed unfamiliarity, long enough to breed grievance.

But all of it melted away the moment their hearts touched. Zhong Yizhu's drifting, unsettled heart was caught firmly in Pei Mu's hands, then kissed with care.

"Pei Mu."

"Mm, I'm here."

Zhong Yizhu buried himself deeply into the hollow of Pei Mu's neck, his breathing finally settling into peace.

Author's note: I originally planned to write this tomorrow, but I was afraid the emotional thread would break, so I worked hard to salvage it and get it out.

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