Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"Oh, look, Ango's got company."

Three people came from the road to the left of the Li family home—an elderly Fulang, a middle-aged woman, and a younger Ge.

The one speaking was the middle-aged woman, her skin sallow and her frame thin.

Her voice was shrill and piercing, and when she raised it in that shout, it drew everyone's attention in the yard out front.

Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow. These three were clearly trouble. Besides the woman who had spoken, the elderly Fulang had beady triangular eyes and a protruding mouth, supported by the woman and the younger Ge, his face set in a scowl that practically screamed "looking for a fight."

The younger Ge didn't look as mean, but he'd already rolled his eyes twice in the few seconds they'd been there.

Zhou Gu was half-afraid the guy's eyes would roll right out of his skull.

In a village, these were the kind of people you didn't want to mess with.

Li Gu'an smiled at Shen Song and the others, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the three newcomers, and said, sounding like he was about to enjoy a show: "You three showed up at just the right time—these are the ones who come by to pick a fight."

He told Shen Song and the others to grab a rock to sit on or just plop down on the ground. "I don't have any benches to offer, so you'll have to rough it. Sit tight and enjoy the show. When I'm done here, I'll take you to see the piglets. I've raised them real good—you won't regret the wait."

Shen Song and Zhou Gu were both real curious. The two of them dragged Li Maizi along and sat cross-legged against the thatched cottage wall.

Li Gu'an didn't look back at Shen Song and the others, and turned to face the three troublemakers.

His tone was impatient. "Why are you back again today? You pull this stunt every single day—got that much energy to burn? If you've got that much energy, why not go find a job? Even mending clothes or washing laundry for folks would earn you a few coppers, which is more than you'd get by mooching off my family. I'm not giving you one single copper."

The second he finished, the younger Ge rolled his eyes and said, "Li Gu'an, is that any way to talk to your elders! Is that what your little dad taught you?"

Li Gu'an tsked. "Forget how my little dad raised me—how did your parents and little dads raise you? You're supposed to be elders, yet you're still leeching off the younger generation, trying to swoop in and take everything once someone dies. My dad's dead, but me and my little dad are still alive."

"Who's taking anything!" the middle-aged woman snapped, all indignant. With outsiders around, she couldn't just lunge at him like she usually did, so she bit back her anger and went on, "You're a Ge—you're gonna marry out sooner or later, and you sure as hell can't take your little dad with you when you marry. What man would sign up for that? Once you're gone, what's your little dad gonna do? He'd still be stuck in this village, and with how useless he is—can't lift a finger or carry a thing—in the end, wouldn't we still be the ones taking care of him?

We're only trying to help you look after your little dad—out of the goodness of our hearts. But you know how tough things are. It's not easy for any family to feed an extra mouth, and we're not exactly rolling in money either. Besides, your little dad needs medicine from time to time. So what's wrong with asking for a little something in return?"

Li Gu'an laughed, mocking her. "When did I ever say I was getting married? And when did I ever ask you to look after my little dad? There's not even a hint of that happening, and you're already holding out your hand for money. You want to swoop in and take everything after someone dies, but you're scared of being called out. Auntie, you've got no shame left at all."

"Li Gu'an!"

The middle-aged woman's face flushed red with anger as she shouted and moved to strike him.

She'd barely stepped forward when her arm was grabbed tightly by a withered old hand. She turned back, confused. "Little dad, don't stop me. Today I'm going to teach this brat a lesson on behalf of my dead second brother."

The old Fulang's cloudy eyes looked at his eldest daughter-in-law, his wrinkled face utterly expressionless. That look alone was enough to quiet the woman who was about to throw a punch.

Li Gu'an had been ready for a fight, but he hadn't expected it to fizzle out midway.

Instead, he frowned. His grandfather was even harder to deal with.

"An'ge." The old Fulang's hair was completely white, but he spoke calmly and steadily, though his voice clearly betrayed his advanced age. "Your fourth uncle's eldest is getting married this year, and there's no room at their place. Your house only has you and your little dad—you have space to spare. Let them move in."

This wasn't a discussion—it was a notice.

Li Gu'an snorted coldly. "This house was built bit by bit by my dad and my little dad with their own savings. It has nothing to do with the Li family."

"Your father never separated from the Li family even in death. He's buried in the Li family ancestral grave. His things can't be said to have nothing to do with the Li family."

Li Gu'an's brows furrowed tightly as he listened to his grandfather—who had never once looked at him or his little dad properly—issue his final order. "In five days, I'll bring people to clean up the house. You and your little dad move to the small room. Otherwise, once your cousin's child is born, there won't be enough room."

"I'm not moving." Li Gu'an said.

The old Fulang's eyes seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts. His voice didn't rise, remaining steady. "Then dig your father up from the Li family ancestral grave and bury him in the mass grave instead."

Li Gu'an couldn't believe it. From inside the house came his little dad's worried cry. He suppressed his anger, fists clenched, and demanded, "Grandfather, my dad was your son too. How could you do this to him?"

"He's dead. But the living still have to go on living."

Li Gu'an was left speechless.

The old Fulang didn't say anything more. He'd accomplished what he came for today. He led his people away, waiting only for five days to pass before coming to clean out the house.

Li Gu'an watched the three retreating figures and let out a derisive laugh.

No, that wasn't it at all.

It was because his father had never been favored by the family since childhood. So even in death, he remained unwanted.

Li Gu'an turned around and saw Shen Song and the other two still sitting cross-legged on the ground, all six eyes fixed on him—two faces showing awkwardness, one showing curiosity.

Remembering what he'd said earlier, Li Gu'an felt a bit embarrassed as he walked over and pulled the three of them up.

"I said I'd put on a good show for you, but this time I lost."

Zhou Gu patted the dirt off his backside and comforted him, "With a grandfather as formidable as yours, the fact that you lasted this long against him before losing is already pretty impressive."

Li Maizi didn't know what to say. His own natal family was a mess too. The previous problem had seemed resolved, but after a few quiet years, just two days ago he'd had another big blowout with the whole village.

He stayed silent, bent down to gently brush the dirt off Shen Song, then brushed it off his own clothes.

Li Gu'an smiled at Zhou Gu's words. He went back inside to quickly reassure his little dad not to worry, then came out and led the three to the pigpen in the back to see the piglets.

It wasn't until they entered the pigpen and were hit by the stench of pig manure that Shen Song snapped back to reality.

Ever since he'd transmigrated to this new planet, most of his understanding of family relationships had come from his own household.

After that came Lin Yue and his children, Shopkeeper Xu's family, Shushu's Grandpa, Old Molasses Man's family, and the Zhou family.

When he'd learned that his fifth brother-in-law's real family hadn't treated him well, Shen Song understood that even among relatives, not all of them were good.

The emotions here were rich and varied—everyone had so many feelings, so many likes and dislikes.

Shen Song suddenly thought of Xie Zhiyu.

He wondered, what was Xie Zhiyu's family like?

Were they good to him?

Why had Xie Zhiyu been afflicted with such a strange and deadly Gu Poison? Why couldn't Xie Zhiyu eat? Why had Xie Zhiyu never mentioned anything about his family, never brought up anyone in his household?

Shen Song realized that he saw Xie Zhiyu every day, yet he didn't know anything about him at all.

He'd never thought about these things before.

But in this moment, he desperately wanted to understand Xie Zhiyu.

He wanted to know everything about Xie Zhiyu.

His heart was beating fast again.

Shen Song pressed a hand to his chest and decided to go see Qi Yuanjing tomorrow.

Li Guan was also very dedicated to raising his pigs, and the piglets looked even better than the ones from the previous two families.

Not that the other two families raised them poorly—they raised them well too—but Li Guan's were simply better.

Li Guan had six piglets ready to be collected, also at the price of three hundred and thirty wen per piglet.

Six piglets came to over one tael and nine mace of silver.

Zhou Gu gave two hundred wen as a deposit, saying someone would come tomorrow to pick up the piglets.

Li Guan put away the two strings of copper coins and smiled as he sent them off.

After they left, he carried the coins into the house.

The thatched hut was dark inside—even on a sunny day, barely any light got in.

The back room smelled musty, with a faint smell of medicine.

Most farmhouses didn't have real beds—just a wooden plank to sleep on, and that was already considered decent.

Li Guan sat on the edge of the bed. The man lying there was pale and frail. He turned to look at him, eyes red and swollen.

Li Guan wiped the tears from the corner of the man's eyes and urged, "Papa, you can't cry anymore. The doctor said if you keep crying, you'll lose your eyesight."

Li Fulang reached out and grabbed his son's hand, holding it tight. His voice was hoarse. "Ang'er, don't worry about me anymore."

"Papa, don't say things like that again." Li Guan took his father's hand in return and pressed the two strings of copper coins into it. "Our piglets were sold—this is the deposit. When they come to pick them up tomorrow, they'll pay even more, over one tael and nine mace in total. With that silver, plus the three taels we've saved up, I'll sell the piglets tomorrow and then go to the orphanage in the prefectural city to bring back a child."

Li Fulang was stunned. "Where did you hear about all this?"

Li Guan said, "I naturally spent some copper coins to ask around in the county town. I have to plan for the future, don't I? When the time comes, I'll have the child registered under your name directly at the county office—surnamed Li, and they'll be yours and father's child.

I asked around, and with about four taels of silver for the arrangements, the child can be registered directly at the county office. That way, even if we don't go through the clan and the name isn't written in the genealogy, once the county office registers it, it's officially recognized. When the child turns fifteen, given our situation, we can establish our own household."

After hearing Li Guan's words, Li Fulang took a while to process it all.

He hadn't expected Li Guan to have planned so much.

Still hesitating, he heard Li Guan say again, "Papa, don't worry about the future. I can raise pigs and support the family. Once we bring home a little brother and raise him to fifteen, the three of us can live our own lives freely."

Li Fulang thought it over again and again, feeling the matter was difficult, but when he met Li Guan's hopeful gaze, he nodded and said yes.

-

The next day, Shen Song didn't go to pick up the piglets—Li Geng and the others went instead.

After delivering the vegetables, Shen Song went to the Xie residence as usual, practiced calligraphy for half an hour, and then said he was leaving.

You An packed quite a few good things to eat for Shen Song and placed them on his ox cart.

Shen Song drove the ox cart and turned toward Qi Yuanjing's place.

Hearing that Shen Song had come, Qi Yuanjing was a bit surprised.

When Shen Song saw Qi Yuanjing, he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked if he hadn't slept for days.

Qi Yuanjing yawned and nodded. "Yeah, it's that obvious. What brings you here today? Did you have a fight with Xie Zhiyu?"

Shen Song shook his head. "No fight. Why do you ask?"

"Just asking. No fight, huh? So are you feeling sick or something?" Qi Yuanjing asked in return.

Shen Song nodded and pointed at his chest. "Sometimes my heart races—palpitations, chest tightness, my body's all tense, and my head's all wound up. It's uncomfortable."

That bad?!

Qi Yuanjing was suddenly wide awake. With a worried expression, he pulled Shen Song to sit on the daybed, placed the wrist rest on the table, and told him to rest his hand on it, quickly taking his pulse.

After feeling the pulse for a while, Qi Yuanjing had Shen Song switch to the other hand.

He took the pulse from both hands several times back and forth, then said in confusion, "Your pulse is very healthy."

He'd rarely seen a pulse as healthy as Shen Song's.

But then why were the symptoms Shen Song described so serious?

Qi Yuanjing thought for a moment, then picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, held it above the paper, and asked carefully, "When do these symptoms happen? Like, what's going on around you?"

He was about to jot it all down so his master could take a look if he couldn't figure it out.

But then he heard Shen Song say, "When Xie Zhiyu gets too close to me, and when I occasionally think of Xie Zhiyu in my head."

Qi Yuanjing set the brush down directly.

"Yeah, you're really sick."

Shen Song asked worriedly, "Then what do I need to do to get better?"

Qi Yuanjing said, "This sickness of yours is tricky—hard to cure, but also not hard at all."

Shen Song knew something was really wrong with him, but at least there was hope.

He asked Qi Yuanjing, "So what's wrong with me?"

Qi Yuanjing thought for a moment, then said with a straight face, "You've got a case of the heart-flutters."

Shen Song nodded. So that's what it was called—heart-flutter syndrome.

Seeing Shen Song buy it completely, Qi Yuanjing hid a smile behind his hand as he rubbed his chin. If his master weren't currently making him research smallpox, and if he didn't have so many medical texts and ancient books to read, he'd love to stir the pot and watch the drama unfold.

Too bad.

Shen Song pressed on, "So how do I cure it?"

Qi Yuanjing said, "This sickness is hard because no medicine can fix it. But it's also easy, because you don't need medicine at all. You're in better shape than most people with this. All you gotta do is look at Xie Zhiyu more and hang out with him more."

Shen Song didn't think it'd be that easy. "That's it? I don't gotta take any medicine?"

"Nope." Qi Yuanjing affirmed, "The heart's sickness needs a heart's cure. The person who gives you these symptoms is your medicine. Just get closer to him, and you'll be fine in no time."

Shen Song nodded. Qi Yuanjing had healed his third brother-in-law's wound and even saved Xie Zhiyu when he was at death's door.

The guy was a miracle worker.

Even though Shen Song had his doubts, he decided to trust Qi Yuanjing and give it a shot.

Back at Shen Family Village, Shen Song saw a bunch of people out in the fields and a ton of carriages.

His ox cart couldn't make it through, so he had to stop.

He stood on tiptoe and peered ahead, vaguely making out some minor officials in official caps.

After a good while, those well-dressed folks looked like they'd finished checking out the fields and were real pleased, so they climbed into their carriages.

It wasn't until their carriages were gone that Shen Song's ox cart could finally get through.

When he got home, Shen Song was surprised to see his fifth brother there.

He took the eight and a half taels to the cowshed, fed the ox, and came back to the yard to find Shen Chong still sitting there, reading a book.

Shen Song squatted down next to him and asked, "Fifth brother, when I came back, I saw a lot of people looking at the village's fields, and there were yamen clerks too. Is something wrong with our fields?"

Shen Chong looked up from his book. "Nothing's wrong with them. Remember how Clerk Liu said earlier that someone might come to buy up the fields in Shen Family Gully soon? Well, it's them."

Shen Song remembered what Liu Xiaoping had said a few days back when they bought the mountain land—thanks to his heads-up, the family had grabbed extra plots, including Pianshan Lake.

These people worked fast—hadn't even been that many days.

Thinking about the lake, Shen Song asked, "Fifth brother, what should we do about the lake? The poultry and piglets are all taken care of, but the lake and the orchard still need work. Should we wait till the orchard's done before we free up time to handle the lake?"

Shen Chong set down his book and looked at his little brother. "Xiao Ba, how far can your ability go?"

"Huh?" Shen Song looked confused.

Shen Chong dropped his voice. "You've got divine power—can you get the gods to show themselves?"

For the past couple days, Shen Chong had been mulling over Liu Xiaoping's words, wondering whether to tempt someone with money and split Shawa Gully from the inside.

But the more he thought, the more he hated it—why should his Shen family hand over silver?

If the lake really was what those Shawa Gully folks claimed, the Shen family would be more than willing to pay up.

Even if those Shawa Gully folks had just said a few polite words, seeing as they'd used the lake for years, the Shen family would've given them something.

But they were clearly trying to strong-arm money out of them, and the Shen family wouldn't give up a single coin willingly.

The two brothers talked the whole afternoon, and neither went up the mountain.

After dark, two figures stood in the Shen family's yard.

It was Shen Song and Shen Chong.

The brothers snuck out of the house and headed for the mountain.

When they got to the foot of the mountain, Shen Song called out over his shoulder, "Everyone, stop here. Don't follow me."

The hidden guards in the shadows stopped without a moment's hesitation.

Their master had given the order—everything was to go by Shen Song's wishes.

Only when Shen Song couldn't feel them following anymore did he signal Shen Chong to keep going.

Shen Chong glanced at the pitch-black woods, but he couldn't see or sense a thing.

Had people really been trailing them the whole time?

The brothers carried lanterns and walked on slowly. Shen Chong asked, "Are those people in the shadows still the ones Lord Xie sent to guard our family?"

Shen Song said, "Yes. Because of the village brawl a couple days back—we won but still got banged up. Xie Zhiyu said he'd send them, so if something like that happens again, they'll secretly help us in a fight."

Shen Chong nodded. "Back when the bandits the Chen family hired came after us, it was Lord Xie's men who helped us get away. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Xiao Ba, can you ask Lord Xie if these men can show themselves? If so, we'll fix up some good dishes and buy some good wine to host them. If not, we can pack the food in boxes and leave it somewhere for them to grab."

Shen Song agreed right away. "Okay, I'll ask Xie Zhiyu tomorrow."

Shen Chong smiled, then after a short pause, asked, "Xiao Ba, you get along well with Lord Xie?"

"Yeah, Xie Zhiyu's a really good friend of mine." Shen Song nodded without hesitation.

Shen Chong glanced at his little brother in the dim lantern light.

Not to mention the clothes Xiao Ba wore head to toe—even what he himself had on, the cap on his head, the belt at his waist, and what everyone else in the family wore—wasn't it all sent over by that Lord Xie?

How could ordinary friendship go so far as to look after one person, and then his whole family too?

Shen Chong let out a quiet sigh.

"Xiao Ba."

"What is it, fifth brother?"

"From now on, pay more attention to the friends you keep."

Shen Song was confused. "Pay attention to what?"

Shen Chong said, "Pay attention to figuring out—among your friends, whether your feelings for them are the same."

Shen Song thought it over but didn't get it. Still, if his fifth brother said to do it, he would.

So he said, "Okay, fifth brother."

The two brothers walked all the way up to the lake.

As they got close, they blew out the candles in the lanterns. In the moonlight, they could see people patrolling around the lake.

They were Shawa Gully folks.

Ever since the two villages fought that day, Shawa Gully had posted men at the lake.

Their job was to keep the Shen Family Gully folks from coming to fence off the lake while they were gone.

But even if Shen Family Gully did fence it off, no big deal—they'd just tear it down again.

The village chief had said that unless the Shen family paid up, they couldn't touch the lake.

What the Shawa Gully folks hadn't expected was that since that day, nobody from Shen Family Gully had come near the lake.

They still went up the mountain, but they kept busy elsewhere and just didn't come here.

Even Li Dayou was a bit puzzled, but he firmly believed the Shen family couldn't really give up on the lake—otherwise, why would they have fought that fight at all?

As long as Shawa Gully held the lake, they were bound to get the money!

Every day, Li Dayou sent the village's strongest young men over, telling them over and over to be careful—if they couldn't stop the Shen family folks, they had to find a way to run back and warn the village when the Shen family tried to mess with the lake.

The young men guarding the lake were careful enough, but with farm work during the day and watch duty at night, they were wiped out.

Seeing no sign of anyone coming, they all lay down by the lake and dozed off.

The nights in the mountains were cold, so everyone brought bundles of dry straw—some spread on the ground, some draped over themselves.

The men huddled together to sleep, and it wasn't so cold anymore.

Shen Song placed his hand on the ground.

Shen Chong stared at Shen Song's hand, but couldn't make out anything.

Then he looked up toward the lakeshore, where under the moonlight, tall mounds of earth slowly rose from the lake's edge.

Those mounds gradually shifted shape, and Shen Chong watched in awe.

This was the first time he had clearly seen, in tangible form, the ability his brother Xiao Ba possessed.

After the two brothers finished what they needed to do, they helped each other carefully down the mountain. After walking a short distance, Shen Chong pulled out a flint and relit the lantern.

Thinking back on what he had just witnessed, he still couldn't calm down.

"Xiao Ba, you're truly amazing."

Shen Song grinned sheepishly, feeling a bit awkward.

The mountain lake lay in a valley, sheltered by peaks, so dawn came late there.

But the villagers, accustomed to long days of labor, woke right on time.

The sky wasn't fully light yet—a bluish haze blanketed everything, and with the mountains blocking the view, even the morning glow on the horizon was hard to see.

The sleepy-eyed villagers of Shanwagou slowly sat up, the straw covering them slipping off with their movements.

Still half-asleep, they sensed something extra in front of them.

Rubbing their eyes and looking up, once they saw what it was, all a dozen or so able-bodied young men screamed in terror.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Help! There's a ghost!"

"Run!!!"

The dozen or so men scrambled and crawled, their legs buckling from sheer fright, supporting each other as they stumbled and staggered all the way back to Shanwagou.

When Li Dayou saw the men he'd sent return with terrified faces, their voices trembling as they babbled about the mountain lake being haunted and a huge mud statue suddenly appearing, he could tell they weren't faking it. Whether he liked it or not, he had to believe.

So he gathered most of Shanwagou's people, all carrying farm tools, and headed to the mountain lake to check it out.

The whole group set out in a big crowd. Aside from the dozen or so young men who had come to report—who were scared out of their wits—the others felt more curiosity than fear.

When they reached the mountain lake, they also saw the mud statue that had scared the dozen lake guards senseless.

The Shanwagou villagers were still a distance from the lake, close enough to see the towering mud statue in its entirety.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, too stunned to react.

What had appeared by the mountain lake wasn't some ghost statue at all—it was the statue of the Land God from the little three-sided shrine!

The god had revealed himself!

The Land God of Shenjiagou had shown himself!

The Shanwagou villagers dropped their farm tools in fright and fell to their knees, kowtowing and praying for the Land God to bless them with good weather and good harvests.

Crops grown in the mountains had even lower yields.

Shanwagou was the poorest village for miles around.

They didn't dare pray for harvests as abundant as Shenjiagou down below—they just begged for just a tenth more grain than their current mountain plots produced.

Li Dayou was also kowtowing piously.

After finishing his prayers, an elderly clan uncle asked, "Dayou, the talk of a deity protecting us in the mountain lake was always a lie. Now Shenjiagou's Land God has appeared—a mud statue this tall couldn't possibly have been built by human hands overnight. And we had men guarding the lake—they didn't hear a thing. This must be the Land God, unhappy with what we did before, showing up to warn us. Are we still going to block the lake and make the Shen family pay us?"

Li Dayou looked at the towering Land God statue, and his heart sank.

How could he dare offend the Land God?

But giving up on demanding money from the Shen family was like having a cooked duck snatched from his mouth.

On one hand, Li Dayou believed in the Land God now. On the other, he wanted the money that was almost his.

Li Dayou was really conflicted.

While he was still agonizing, most of the villagers had already started leaving.

"Where are you all going? Come back!" Li Dayou hurriedly called out.

The villagers held their farm tools, not daring to look back.

Not because they were afraid of Li Dayou—but because they were scared of seeing the Land God statue.

Someone in the crowd replied, "I'm not going back. My family's done messing with that lake. I'm afraid of offending the Land God."

At those words, many nodded in agreement—they weren't going back either, and they'd never mess with the lake again.

Not only couldn't Li Dayou stop them, even more people left.

Those who remained were either too weak-kneed to walk or wanted to kowtow a few more times.

Only a few idlers who never liked farming anyway still wanted to follow Li Dayou to extort money from the Shen family for a good time.

One of them said, "Village chief, if they won't do it, we're willing. When do we make our move?"

Li Dayou, keeping his voice low, hissed, "Saying things like that in front of the deity's statue—keep it down!"

The man laughed again. "What's there to fear? It's just a god in charge of crops, and I don't grow any."

Li Dayou jumped up in a rage and smacked him on the back of the head. "Li Feng, shut your mouth! Why didn't that bear in the mountains just swat you to death back then? You don't farm, but I've still got to!"

Li Feng rubbed the back of his head, grimacing in pain, and shouted at Li Dayou's retreating back as he stormed off, "What do you mean, chief? Are we just dropping the whole money thing?"