Chapter 6

Huo Shu entered a small room in Zhao’s house, near the fence, with just a few belongings. It used to be Zhao Changsui’s room.

The room was small and sparsely furnished. On the table, there were some miscellaneous books Zhao Changsui had read seven or eight years ago, including a collection of strange stories.

Huo Shu placed his bundle on the table and casually flipped through a couple of pages of the book. It had more illustrations than words, indeed suitable for someone who had only attended a private school for two years.

Although the room had been uninhabited for several years, it was very clean. The table and stools were dust-free, and there was no moldy smell in the air, indicating regular cleaning.

Putting down the book, Huo Shu took out a silver hairpin from the bundle and said to himself, “Now I’ve fulfilled half of your entrusted task. What should I do with the other half?”

At noon, Huo Shu and Zhao’s mother had a meal in the main hall.

Although Zhao’s mother wanted to entertain Huo Shu with a good meal, the family had been struggling financially in recent years, and there wasn’t much meat or wine left.

There wasn’t enough time to buy fresh ingredients, so she could only purchase a fish from a neighbor and slaughter one of their own chickens for soup. She also prepared some vegetables, making it a meal that could rival the festivities of New Year’s or other celebrations.

Huo Shu didn’t complain and ate everything.

Oddly enough, Zhao’s mother didn’t eat much, but watching Huo Shu eat made her happy. “In the afternoon, I’ll go get some good wine. It’ll be cool after the sun sets, and we can enjoy it in the courtyard.”

“No need to trouble yourself. It’s not easy to go to the city.”

“It’s no trouble. There are families in the village that brew wine, so there’s no need to go to the city.”

Huo Shu nodded and said, “Aunt, do you know who Changsui’s lover is?”

Zhao’s mother paused with her chopsticks in hand, not quite understanding Huo Shu’s meaning. “Lover?”

Then she laughed, “Changsui was still young when he was conscripted, too young to be involved in romantic relationships. There’s no lover like you mentioned. At that time, he didn’t know anything and was just eager to work.”

Huo Shu’s brow furrowed slightly. This kid wasn’t very honest.

“What’s wrong? Did Changsui mention having someone he liked?”

Huo Shu looked at Zhao’s mother’s swollen eyes. It had been ten years since Changsui passed away. The whereabouts of his lover were unknown, but mentioning it might only bring more sadness.

He neither confirmed nor denied it, changing the subject, “I’ll have another bowl of rice.”

“Sure, Aunt will give you more. There’s plenty of rice cooked. Eat as much as you want. You’re big and need to eat more bowls.”

After lunch, Zhao’s mother prepared some incense and paper money to visit Changsui’s father. Now that Changsui had a resting place, it was time to inform his father in the afterlife.

Huo Shu followed to offer incense.

…

“Tao Yu, are you pulling onions? Are you preparing dinner this early?”

With the sun weakening, Ji Taoyu, who had taken a nap, grabbed a basket and went to her own field.

Today, Uncle Zu came to the village to collect medicinal herbs, and he wanted to prepare dinner early so that Huang Yinsheng could have an early and late meal before returning to the city.

Seeing the neighbor, Yu Sunshi, coming over on the dirt road, Taoyu put the vegetables in the basket, stood up, and called out, though his voice sounded colder than usual.

“Mrs. Sun.”

The woman didn’t notice anything amiss and said, “I heard Doctor Huang came to the village today. I’ve finished the medicinal soup at home, so I had to come bother Ge’er again to give me two more doses of the medicine from last time.”

The woman took out money from her purse to give to Ji Taoyu.

Many people in the village knew that Ji Taoyu had some medical skills. When they couldn’t go to the city or when the medicine wasn’t urgently needed, they would ask Taoyu for help. When he went to Doctor Huang Yinsheng’s clinic in the city, he would bring the medicine back for them.

This kind of help with purchasing goods was common. However, people in the village preferred to ask Ji Taoyu for help not only because he had medical skills but also because he was Doctor Huang Yinsheng’s grandson. Getting medicine from him would often be cheaper than from other sources.

Ji Taoyu tacitly accepted this arrangement and had always done so.

However, this time, before the woman could hand over the money, Ji Taoyu said, “Two doses of medicine, Mrs. Sun, will be two hundred and sixty wen.”

The woman paused at his words. “Has the price of the medicine gone up?”

Previously, a single dose had only cost one hundred wen, so two doses would only be two hundred wen. How did it suddenly increase by sixty wen?

“The price has always been the same. If Mrs. Sun goes to another clinic to get the medicine, the price will only be higher.”

The woman hurriedly said, “Taoyu, what’s going on?”

Ji Taoyu replied, “When I went to the clinic with prescriptions from our villagers before, I always thought of them as fellow villagers and never thought of profiting from their medical expenses. The price of the medicine was always the lowest, even lower than the market price. I thought of it as a matter of fellow feeling.”

“Yes, everyone in the village knows. Everyone is grateful to the Li family.”

During festivals, who in the village didn’t send some meat to the Li family if they slaughtered a pig or sheep?

Ji Taoyu said coldly, “I don’t do these things for everyone’s gratitude. I just hope that everyone can live together in harmony and friendliness. But unfortunately, some people don’t care about fellow feeling. In that case, there’s no need for me to go out of my way to be friendly.”

Even the simplest person could tell that he was addressing her. Mrs. Sun protested, “Taoyu, what are you saying?”

“Mrs. Sun has always been gentle and kind. But seeing this, it seems you don’t know the full story. I suggest you go back and ask Xia Ge’er how he treats his fellow villagers.”

Ji Taoyu reminded her, “I hope Mrs. Sun can get some truthful answers. If he insists on distorting the truth, then as a useless and sickly person, I can only rely on my parents to uphold justice.”

Although Mrs. Sun didn’t fully understand what had upset Ji Taoyu, it was clear from his words that her son was somehow involved. She wondered if the two boys had quarreled. However, Ji Taoyu’s words made her heart pound.

Ji Taoyu had always been gentle and easy to talk to. It was the first time she had seen her so cold. She vaguely felt that her son had done something serious.

“I’ll go back and ask Xia Ge’er right away. Whether right or wrong, I hope you don’t get too upset and harm your health.”

Mrs. Sun decided not to buy the medicine and hurriedly returned home.

Once she was out of sight, Ji Taoyu breathed a sigh of relief and went back to picking onions.

Ji Taoyu felt that she had nearly lost her life because of the trouble caused by the young man from the Yu family. Whether it was a moment of anger or his true nature, if he wasn’t held accountable, Ji Taoyu couldn’t let it go.

“You have a sharp tongue,” Ji Taoyu thought to herself.

Even if he hadn’t met Mrs. Sun here, he had planned to talk to her about it later.

However, she was suddenly startled by a voice behind him, almost falling to her knees in the dirt. If the villagers overheard their conversation earlier, who knows how much trouble it could cause?

She turned slowly and saw a stern face looking down at her from above, arms crossed. The man’s gaze was fixed on him. “The one who pushed you into the water is her son. Can you guarantee that her mother will turn a blind eye and be fair to you?”

“I can’t guarantee that, but it shows the character of this family. If he apologizes and admits his fault, I won’t pursue it further. But if he refuses, then my parents will have to intervene. People in the village can always find opportunities to settle scores over time.”

Huo Shu deep gaze at Ji Taoyu. She seemed a bit confused and naive, but not foolish.

“That’s a method, but it’s too troublesome. If you want to vent your anger, I can help you. Where does this family live?”

“It’s been a long time since I used my knife,” Huo Shu said.

Ji Taoyu was shocked. “Killing someone will land you in prison!”

“Who said anything about killing him?”

Ji Taoyu hesitated for a moment, then heard Huo Shu say calmly, “Just chopping off his hands would be enough.”

“What… what’s the difference?”

Ji Taoyu’s face paled even more. “The village should remain peaceful. We can’t resort to violence.”

Seeing Ji Taoyu’s frightened expression, Huo Shu couldn’t help but find it amusing. “If you insist, I’ll drop it.”

“If you act like this, I might just report you to the authorities.”

Even white cabbage dared to threaten him. Huo Shu raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing.

“Fine, if you don’t want to, forget it.”

Ji Taoyu breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but mutter, “I didn’t expect a righteous man like you to eavesdrop.”

“I have no habit of covering my ears in broad daylight,” Huo Shu replied.

Realizing she was in the wrong, Ji Taoyu lowered her voice. “You… you won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”

Huo Shu replied, “It depends on the situation.”

Ji Taoyu couldn’t quite grasp the ambiguous meaning of her words, but she felt that someone like Huo Shu wasn’t the type to judge others easily. Thinking this way, she felt slightly relieved.

“Why are you here, sir?”

“To pay my respects.”

“At Mr. Zhao’s grave?”

Ji Taoyu remembered that a fellow villager from the Zhao family, who had been bedridden for the past two years, had passed away and was buried here. She had attended the funeral banquet at the Zhao family’s house.

“Yes.”

“Did you come alone?”

“Mrs. Sun brought me here.”

Ji Taoyu’s heart skipped a beat at this, and she glanced around, but didn’t see another person.

“Where is Mrs. Yuan?”

“She forgot to bring the fire lighter, so she went back to get it.”

Ji Taoyu sighed and pursed her lips. This person seemed unwilling to engage in conversation beyond what was necessary. If it weren’t for her being his lifesaver, Ji Taoyu wouldn’t even bother.

“Have you settled everything?”

“No.”

Ji Taoyu felt that she couldn’t continue the conversation. If he asked too much, she might be prying into someone’s privacy, but staying silent made her seem uninterested.

Seeing this, she simply said, “Well, sir, you can stay in the village and take your time to resolve things.”

After saying this, she continued to pick onions.

Huo Shu watched the person squatting on the ground, resembling a harmless bundle of cabbage.

He spoke slowly, “You’re so eloquent with the villagers, but you stutter when talking to me. Am I some kind of terrifying beast?”

Ji Taoyu bit her lip. Whether she was a terrifying beast or not, who knew? One moment she talked about killing someone, the next about chopping off hands. It was scary.

She silently continued to pick the onions, not responding.

Seeing Ji Taoyu’s lack of response, Huo Shu spoke seriously, “I’m looking for someone, but I don’t know their name or where they live.”

Ji Taoyu paused in her movements and looked up at Huo Shu. “How do you expect to find them then? And why do you want to find them?”

“I have something to give to this person.”

“So you have a token.”

Seeing Huo Shu nod, Ji Taoyu wondered if Huo Shu wanted her to help find this person.

Huo Shu neither confirmed nor denied it, pausing for a moment.

“If possible.”

Ji Taoyu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Seeing this, she whispered, “Then don’t mention today’s incident to anyone, and I’ll help you find them.”

Huo Shu looked at Ji Taoyu’s face, trying to negotiate, and raised an eyebrow. “I saved you, and now you’ll help me find someone. There’s no debt between us.”

“I’ll keep your secret, but that’s a separate matter.”

Ji Taoyu furrowed her brow. Wasn’t this person just acting like he didn’t expect anything in return earlier? But now, he was secretly bargaining.

“What… what do you want in return?”

Huo Shu replied slowly, “Hush money.”

Ji Taoyu was silent for a moment, murmuring softly, “Don’t you have any money? Why do you need that?”

“I’m not from a wealthy family. Being short on money is common, isn’t it?”

Although Ji Taoyu knew it was rude, she couldn’t help but wonder. Seeing that Huo Shu was not very young anymore and still hadn’t saved any money, she wondered what she would rely on to settle down after this fight.

She pursed her lips, feeling hesitant: “But I haven’t saved much money either.”

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow slightly: “Then let me treat you to a meal.”

Ji Taoyu said awkwardly: “Okay, whenever you’re free, just let me know, and I’ll have my parents prepare food and drinks to treat you.”

Huo Shu said, “Your parents are treating to thank me for saving you; it’s your responsibility to treat me separately.”

“How could that be possible! There’s a difference between men and women.”

Ji Taoyu immediately refused, noticing Huo Shu’s slightly dangerous expression. She quickly lowered his gaze to avoid Huo Shu’s piercing stare.

“In that case… I can be quite talkative.”

With that, Huo Shu turned to leave.

Ji Taoyu, seeing this, hurriedly said, “While I can’t treat you separately, I can prepare some small dishes myself and put them in a food box for you. Would that be okay?”

Huo Shu didn’t look back, but he also stopped in his tracks: “How good are you at cooking?”

“It’s decent.”

“In that case, it’ll do.”

Ji Taoyu sighed in relief, then thought to ask Huo Shu if she had any clues about the person she was looking for, but Zhao’s mother approached with a torch, so she stopped talking.

“Taoge, are you picking vegetables?”

Ji Taoyu smiled and nodded, “Grandpa Zu came to the village to collect medicinal herbs, I thought he could have dinner here before going back.”

“Taoge is really filial.”

Ji Taoyu exchanged a few words with Zhao’s mother.

Turning her head again, Huo Shu’s figure was nowhere to be seen, as if no one had come by at all.