Inn

Introduction

On the day Wei Ji set off by boat to take up his post in Luzhou, the sound of bronze drums rose on both banks of the Yue River as the local barbarians came to see him off.

I carried a pot of Chongbichun tea and sat down on the ground in front of the inn, looking at the figure under the hollyhock trellis in the courtyard: "Lin Zhong, come and have a drink!"

Lin Zhong sat down next to me, but didn't take the wine glass I offered: "Lord Wei is gone. Master, aren't you going to see him off?"

"Why send a gift? Luzhou isn't far away, it's not like we'll never see each other again." I shoved the wine glass into Lin Zhong's hand. "Have a drink with me!"

1

My name is Qingcheng, and I run an inn on the Bating Road on the border of Nanguang. It's called an inn, but it's actually a horse stable, a place for caravans to unload their goods and rest their horses.

In those days, even the worst horse could sell for 20,000 coins, while a child cost only a few hundred coins. In times of war, horses were even more expensive, and people were even cheaper.

In their struggle for territory, the local powerful clans led us to switch sides repeatedly, sometimes submitting to Dali and sometimes paying tribute to the Song Dynasty. Over the years, we have earned the reputation of being "the southwestern barbarians, fickle in their loyalty and treachery."

In recent years, the Nanguang region has gradually stabilized. According to the storyteller in town, the emperor of the Central Plains has been waging war against the north, and has been mainly pacifying our southwestern tribes. As long as we surrender our land and submit to his rule, the tea market and salt route can be reopened.

After the spring, government troops indeed came to weed the old market of Bating Road, and in the end, they even hung up a sign that read "Yuezhou Tea and Horse Market".

“Godmother, we’re sure to make a fortune this time!” Huai Xu’s words revealed my true feelings.

Feng Qiao buried his head in the patch on his knee: "Aunt, we can't be too optimistic. The prefect has not yet taken office, and even if he does, we don't know how many days he can hold on. If this official repeats the mistakes of Prefect Du three years ago, this Bating Road market will still be abandoned."

My nephew's words of cold water were spot on. I stopped dialing with the abacus, stroked the lines that had accumulated on my wrist over the years, and fell into deep thought:

Actually, the old man surnamed Du was a very good person. Despite his advanced age, he went to Sichuan with the intention of civilizing the barbarians and promoting the rule of the king. He practiced what he preached, venturing deep into the valleys and meeting with various barbarian chieftains.

Fearing being tricked by the Han officials, the barbarian chieftains kept their eyes on him and wanted to form an alliance. The old man couldn't refuse, so he signed the alliance several times. Not long after, he contracted malaria and couldn't bear it any longer, so he died.

When news of Du Lao's death in office spread, Han officials in the "southwest half" turned pale at the mere mention of "Yuezhou".

The local officials were pleased to see the government and market move to Luzhou, but the Han and Yi people who had lived there for generations were still struggling to survive in persistent abject poverty.

Huai Xu sighed: "As for Lord Du's matter, it was really a waste of money. Elsewhere, contracts are made by swearing oaths to chickens, dogs, horses, and oxen. Only in our area are we still using arm contracts."

"Stock up on more hay first. If we can't finish it, we can keep it for our own horses." I looked out the window and saw Lin Zhong still pruning the flowers and plants in the yard. This spring, the rain was good, and the plants were growing well. I thought that in another month or so, we would be able to eat the freshest hollyhock sprouts for salad.

Thinking of this, I felt a surge of joy and beckoned to Lin Zhong: "Lin Zhong, come over and have a drink!"

Lin Zhong responded and walked to the window, untied the wine gourd from his waist, and without looking at me, stretched out his long arm and placed the gourd on the table: "Master, you can drink it yourself."

I uncorked the cork and shook it, somewhat unwillingly: "Can't you just have a drink with me?"

Lin Zhong refused decisively: "No."

“Aunt,” Feng Qiao sniffed and leaned closer, “since Uncle Lin isn’t drinking, then how about I have a drink with you?”

"Dream on!" Huai Xu shoved Feng Qiao onto the table with his elbow. "This is 'Chongbichun,' a cup of which costs one tael of silver. My godmother bought it especially for Uncle Lin. What right do you have to beg for a drink?"

Huai Xu has been learning martial arts from Lin Zhong for eight years. Feng Qiao used to be a scholar, and although he learned a few moves from them after coming to me, he was no match for Huai Xu.

"Let go, let go!" Feng Qiao begged, baring his teeth. "I won't drink it then!"

"Look at you!" Huai Xu picked up Feng Qiao and straightened him, then smoothed out his wrinkled collar. "Ever since you came to the inn, Uncle Lin has never drunk with his godmother again."

Feng Qiao looked at me with an innocent expression, then turned to Lin Zhong's back and said in a trembling voice, "Is it...is it because I don't look auspicious enough?"

Ah, it's a coincidence, but it's also true. Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

I picked up the gourd and swallowed a mouthful of strong liquor out of thin air. It had been a long time since I'd drunk such strong liquor; it burned my throat and made me a little tipsy. "Cough cough cough, how could that be? My nephew looks quite auspicious. Cough cough cough, otherwise, why would Luo Erying have chased all the way from Junlian Town to deliver a purse to my nephew?"

"Auntie! Please! Please don't drink it!"

Upon hearing this, Huai Xu jumped up and grabbed Feng Qiao by the collar: "Who is Luo Erying?!"

My nephew was being choked and had difficulty breathing, so I had to speak up for him: "Luo Erying is the second daughter of Magistrate Luo."

Luo Tongpan was both a local official of Yuezhou and the leader of the Luo clan, a prominent family in Nanguang. The storytellers in the town often told tales of feuds and grudges between Nanguang and Mahu, and this man was the protagonist of those stories.

Huai Xu wouldn't let go: "How did you two meet?"

I noticed that my daughter's face was a little pale, while my nephew's was purple. I had no choice but to say, "Last month when we went to town to buy things, our horse got spooked. Luo Erying helped us calm it down, and Feng Qiao went up to thank her, and that's how we met."

Huai Xu reached into Feng Qiao's waist and searched: "Where's your purse?"

"Cough cough—" Feng Qiao caught his breath, "I, I didn't take it!"

"real?!"

“Really, really, your godmother can vouch for me.” I gestured, suppressing a laugh. “Feng Qiao is so brave. A girl held a dagger to his neck, but he said he had someone he loved and wouldn’t take her no matter what! By the way, Feng Qiao, who is your sweetheart? Huai Xu, do you know?”

Feng Qiao bowed to me and said, "Aunt, please stop talking!"

"Godmother! You've had too much to drink!" Huai Xu stamped her foot, snatched the wine gourd from my hand, and threw it back to Lin Zhong.

"Clatter-clatter—" The sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the courtyard.

Lin Zhong entered the room, poured a bowl of tea, and handed it to me, saying, "Luo Erying has arrived."

"What?!" Feng Qiao and I looked at each other in disbelief.

Huai Xu stood up confidently: "I'm going to meet her!"

Feng Qiao leaped up and stood in front of Huai Xu, shouting, "No!"

"Get out of my way!"

When Luo Erying rushed in, she caught the two of them arguing. Enraged, she pulled out a dagger and slammed it into the table: "Huai Xu! I challenge you to a duel!"

Huai Xu also drew a short knife from his boot: "Let's fight then, who's afraid of who?"

Those Liao girls are so straightforward! I slurped up a mouthful of tea and told them to go play outside in the open space, lest you trample on the flowers your Uncle Lin planted.

The two girls blew out like a gust of wind, leaving Feng Qiao bewildered: "Auntie!"

I waved my hand and said, "Let the girls handle their own affairs."

Feng Qiao cried out again, as if pleading for help, "Uncle Lin!"

"Don't worry," Lin Zhong said, patting Feng Qiao on the shoulder. "Luo Erying can't beat Huai Xu."

"You—" Feng Qiao was too anxious to speak and turned to run out.

I clapped my hands and laughed: "Don't be stupid and try to stop them! They might gang up on you and beat you up!"

Lin Zhong stroked his wine gourd: "Is Feng Qiao really your nephew?"

“Tang,” I glanced at him, “Actually, I’m raising him like a son-in-law. He’s a good-natured guy, and he’s smart too. If I don’t get married or have children in the future, I’ll rely on Huai Xu and him to take care of me in my old age.”

Lin Zhong turned his face away: "I can take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."

"Wait, wait. You're going to take care of me in my old age? How much younger are you, anyway?" I reached out to pull him. "Look me in the eyes. You haven't already regained your memories, have you? Tell me, this is a good thing, why are you hiding it from me?"

"I didn't." Lin Zhong brushed my hand away. "They're back."

A girl's silvery laughter rang out:

"I'm seventeen this year, how about you?"

I'm eighteen.

"And what about him?"

"twenty."

"My two elder brothers and sisters, would you be willing to form an alliance with me?"

"good!"

I'm familiar with this process.

I took three bowls out of the cupboard and lined them up in front of the statue of Erlang Shen. I also put three new incense sticks in the incense burner and said to the three little ones who walked in step by step, "Kneel down and make a pact."

After seeing Luo Erying off, Huai Xu clutched his wrist and cried out in pain.

"A few drops of blood are enough, I'm not telling you to commit suicide. Daughter, why did you cut so deep?"

Huai Xu's eyes welled up with tears: "It's my first time making a contract, I have no experience."

Yes, the first time you sign a contract, who isn't the one who gets hurt the most?

I picked at the deepest and longest scar on my wrist, and a sudden chill ran through me. The boy who had sworn eternal love to me—had been gone for twelve years…