Chapter 350: Why Do You Look So Familiar (Part 3) [Two-in-One]

"Looking for... looking for me?"

Shen Tang pointed to himself.

The feeling was similar to winning a small lottery prize.

It wasn't much money, but it was unexpected.

However, Shen Tang's attention was always unusual. After carefully considering Gong Xi Chou's words, she realized something was wrong: "Wait, when I heard you ask the landlady about He Yin, I thought you came specifically to visit me. So I was just a side trip?"

I was initially quite touched that my friend remembered me.

Upon further reflection, she realized she had misplaced her trust.

Instead of feeling embarrassed about being caught, Gong Xichou was puzzled by Shen Tang's question: "Isn't this all the same?"

Shen Tang said decisively: "It's different!"

That--

Gong Xichou tilted his head in confusion.

Ask in a solicitous tone: "Then should I apologize?"

Shen Tang admired his ability to get things done.

"Okay, I accept."

Don't let minor disagreements cause you to fall out with your best friend.

Gong Xichou's apology was straightforward and decisive, and Shen Tang accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Only the onlookers couldn't understand the logical connection between them. Perhaps this was the reason why they could become such close friends, while outsiders remained completely baffled?

"Parents, please have some tea."

The servant brought over a pot of tea.

Shen Tang looked at the pierced ears on the "servant's" full earlobes, smiled meaningfully at Gong Xi Chou, and asked, "Yours?"

She raised her little finger.

Gongxi Chou looked blankly at his little finger.

"What...does this mean?"

Gu Chi: "The little finger belongs to water and refers to children and younger generations."

After Gu Chi's incorrect explanation, Gong Xi Chou hurriedly explained, "She is not a junior member of the clan, but someone my adoptive father bestowed upon her. I saw that she had a pitiful background and was clever, so I kept her by my side as a maid to help manage her daily expenses."

He was originally cared for by maids.

With this maid, Gongxi Chou no longer worried about finding carelessly discarded pearls. He hadn't originally intended to take her with him on this trip, as the pressure of traveling day and night was too much for a frail woman. However, considering that some mischievous person might come looking for trouble while he was away, he decided to bring her along after all.

Shen Tang: "..."

One dared to explain, and the other dared to answer.

Her gossipy nature was forced to be extinguished.

The topic then shifted back to the strange boy.

"You said that the boy who came to me earlier, did he come to seek refuge with me, or did he come to seek revenge?"

Shen Tang was very confident in her charm, but unfortunately, there weren't many people in the world who could appreciate it. In addition, her reputation hadn't been fully established yet, so she probably wouldn't be able to attract high-end talent to join her makeshift troupe. The young man had excellent potential. Despite his disheveled appearance, every detail of his breathing and walking showed that he was a well-trained martial artist with a solid foundation.

Given these conditions, why would you be so foolish as to seek her out?

The chances of them seeking refuge are slim, but the probability of them seeking revenge is high.

Gong Xichou's answer was unexpected: "He should be seeking refuge with his mother. When I saved him, he kept saying he wanted to find Mama to repay her kindness. He said it was his elder sister's dying wish. It's just a pity he doesn't know the way very well..."

"His older sister?"

I have absolutely no recollection of it.

Did he ever save his sister?

Seeing Mama's reaction, Gong Xichou knew she was also surprised, so he suggested, "Why don't we call someone over and ask?"

"Alright."

Gong Xichou sent his servant to the stables in the back of the inn to fetch the boy. After a while, the boy finally came over, dragging his heavy chains. Gong Xichou pointed to an empty seat and said to the boy, "Sit down, I have some questions for you."

The boy hadn't taken a bath in who knows how long.

His exposed skin was covered in mud and grime, and he reeked of an indescribable sour stench. Despite his tattered clothes and bare feet, he was not at all awkward in front of strangers. When Gongxi Chou asked him to sit down, he sat down with great ease.

"She is the one you are looking for."

Gong Xichou pointed at Shen Tang.

Upon hearing this, the boy's usually calm eyes finally changed, and he abruptly turned his head in the direction Gong Xichou was pointing. He uttered three seemingly random words: "It's you?"

Perhaps because he hadn't spoken to outsiders for a long time, the boy's voice was much lower and hoarse than that of his peers.

"What do you mean, 'I am'?"

The boy then asked, "So you bought my nephew for forty coins? Where is he now?"

Forty coins?

Buy his nephew?

When did this happen?

Shen Tang vaguely felt this was familiar, but couldn't quite place it. Gong Xi Chou, for free, started promoting Shen Tang, practically shoving the following words into the boy's mind: "As expected of Mama, she's truly kind and compassionate, with the heart of a bodhisattva! So there's such a backstory. Don't worry, your nephew will definitely be doing well with my Mama!"

Shen Tang's forehead throbbed: "Shut up!"

Gong Xichou hadn't expected to be scolded, and he lowered his head with a wronged expression, secretly shifting his gaze upward to observe Shen Tang's reaction.

Shen Tang: "..."

She remembered the matter of "buying her nephew for forty coins". Last year, when she was still in Xiaocheng, Sibao County, Shen Tang's base was a bandit camp in the mountains. In order to further expand the bandit camp's manpower, Shen Tang decided to go down the mountain with Qi Shan to make purchases. It was on that trip that she bought Lü Jue.

Before encountering Lü Jue, Shen Tang saw a woman holding a baby in her arms by the roadside. The baby's skin was cold, and he had already died in the woman's arms. However, the woman was clearly incoherent, or rather, she refused to accept the fact that her son had died young, and she looked crazy.

Out of compassion for the woman's loving motherly heart, Shen Tang spent forty coins to buy the corpse from her and buried it in the back mountain.

That's all.

Shen Tang swallowed hard, thinking to himself that this was outrageous!

The woman must be the boy's older sister; upon closer inspection, the two do indeed share some resemblance. But why didn't the woman tell him that his nephew had already died?

Where is she going to find a nephew for the boy now?

"Ahem, the truth is..."

Shen Tang looked troubled.

Gong Xichou knew something was wrong when he saw this. He pretended to adjust his posture, changing from kneeling to a very casual and rude sitting position, his body slanted and his center of gravity leaning on the low table. The muscles under his dark-colored tight-fitting clothes were already in a state of "ready to be used".

Shen Tang chose to tell the truth.

“At that time, your sister was holding him by the roadside. I thought the child was sick but still had a breath left, so I went over to check on him. But he had no pulse and I realized he had already passed away. His belly was huge, so he must have suffocated from the clay. Your sister asked me if I wanted to buy it. I felt sorry for her because she was delirious, so I paid for it and buried him properly after I got home… I’m absolutely telling the truth! If you don’t believe me, I can tell you where your nephew’s grave is.”

As she spoke, the boy's eyes dimmed little by little, his eyes reddened, and tears welled up. There was no doubt or rage in his eyes; he was clearly somewhat prepared. He choked up slightly, saying, "My sister's family only has this many bloodlines. I thought I could find him and raise him properly. After much searching, I finally heard about Shen Jun... I never expected it to turn out like this..."

It's just that he got home too late.

No wonder others are like this.

Why didn't the boy doubt Shen Tang's words?

Naturally, it was because when he returned home and saw his older sister, emaciated except for her large belly, that he realized what tragedy had befallen his family. Of the five family members, all except his nephew had died in the same way. The young man held a sliver of hope that his nephew was still alive, but reason told him the chances were slim.

His nephew is too young, and his two older brothers died young. Will he survive until a kind person buys him and raises him?

Shen Tang's answer put his long-held anxiety to rest, but the heavy sound left him feeling saddened.

My condolences.

Shen Tang could only offer this consolation.

After listening, Gong Xichou roughly understood what had happened. He couldn't help but bring up the sore spot, and with a slightly dissatisfied expression, he rebuked the young man: "You're supposed to be a martial artist, yet you don't even have the ability to protect a few ordinary people?"

Shen Tang rolled her eyes at Gong Xi Chou.

He said, "The customs of the outside world are different from those of your clan."

In the Gongxichou clan, infants are typically raised by their mothers and maternal uncles, as clan members live close together and mutual support is convenient. However, in the outside world, when a woman marries into her husband's family, it's impossible for her young brother-in-law to also marry into the family.

Even if they wanted to seek refuge, it would be difficult.

The boy, in a good-natured manner, did not get angry.

He simply lowered his head silently, without uttering a word.

Actually, this matter can't really be blamed on him.

The boy was lucky; his talent was discovered when he was still a child, and he was taken in as a disciple. Because a brave and skilled martial artist had emerged in the family, it brought honor to his parents and sisters, and his older sister even found him an excellent marriage.

The man was considered a wealthy family in a nearby village.

The boy returned home once every three years, and each time he went back, he saw that his family was doing well. Even when Sibao County was captured by Zheng Qiao for the first time, his family managed to escape in time. Over the years, apart from their living conditions not being as comfortable as before, everything else was fine.

Family letters also reported good news but not bad.

The boy then focused on his studies and achieved some success before being born.

He had just come out when he heard that the rebel army of the Prince of Zhi was rampaging in Sibao County. The crops had not been good for the past two years, and even the heavens were not cooperating. His heart sank, and he went home while inquiring about the situation.

Only then did I realize how much had happened at home.

His parents were extorted and driven to their deaths by local bullies while on the run. With tears in his eyes, he reburied their remains and went to look for his older sister. When he found her, the stench of death filled the air in the dilapidated house. His once bright and beautiful older sister, now a withered skeleton, was curled up beside her rotting husband, clutching her belly.

The boy, who had just recovered from the loss of his parents, was devastated by the sight of several corpses in the dilapidated house, feeling as if the world was spinning before his eyes. His older sister was still alive; after drinking some hot soup, her spirits improved noticeably, and her gray skin regained a rosy hue.

The boy, however, knew this was a final burst of energy before death.

The older sister, in a lucid state, told him that her nephew had been bought by a kind person and was living a good life, and asked if she could help take care of him if she had the chance. She mumbled a description of the kind person's appearance, clothes, and voice, her cloudy eyes filled with gratitude and expectation.

She was grateful for Shen Tang's kindness, hoped that her son could live a happy life, and breathed her last with this hopeful expectation.

The boy bravely suppressed his grief and settled his sister's family.

Thus began his journey to find his nephew.

Having lost all his blood relatives in just a few days, the boy's grief and anger were deeply simmering inside him, difficult to vent. He forced himself to act as if nothing was wrong, inquiring about every scrap of news about Shen Tang. Coincidentally, he also stumbled upon the bully who had driven his parents to their deaths, harassing women and children.

That nerve called reason snapped.

He punched the bully's head repeatedly until it was a pulp, and finally the bully was captured and exiled. During his exile, he heard the bailiffs mention the Prefect of Fugu County, and unexpectedly realized that this person might be the one he was looking for. He then attacked and injured the bailiffs and fled.

As a result, he fainted from hunger and thirst and was picked up by Gongxi Chou.

Upon hearing that he was looking for the Prefect of He Yin, the latter agreed without hesitation to take him on the journey. The young man stayed behind to work as a temporary stable boy, as a way of repaying Gongxi Chou's kindness.

“You also have a troubled past.” Shen Tang looked at the boy with pity and said gently, “Do you have anywhere to go? If you don’t, why don’t you come with me? I’ll move your nephew’s grave here later. Although Heyin is a small place, it’s still a place to stay.”

The boy pursed his lips, seemingly hesitant.

He originally sought refuge with Shen Tang to have a legitimate reason to take care of his nephew, but now that his nephew is gone, he doesn't necessarily have to stay. However, Shen Tang's invitation touched a nerve, and he wavered.

Gong Xiqiu crossed his arms in dissatisfaction: "What's there to hesitate about?"

The boy looked at him and said, "It's more suitable to stay with your parents."

Gong Xichou was also a brave martial artist, and his intuition told him that this person was very strong, and even a head-on confrontation might not be enough to shake him.

In comparison, Shen Jun appeared overly refined and gentle.

But Gongxi Chou didn't welcome him at all.

He muttered in a barely audible voice, "Follow me? You won't even know when you'll suddenly die a meaningless death..."

He patted the boy on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "I can guarantee you with my bare hands that Mama is absolutely the best person in the world. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss out on her. Even if you're with someone else now, you might still end up with her later. Why make things so complicated? Why not just go for it from the start, don't you think?"

juvenile:"……"

He didn't really believe it.

But judging from Shen Tang's act of buying a corpse just to comfort a loving mother's heart, he is indeed a good person. A good person may not be a wise ruler to discerning people, but to ordinary people, he is a great blessing.

After a long silence, the young man said, "My surname is Xianyu."

"Salted fish?"

The boy didn't realize the problem.

He merely feigned submission: "Xianyu Jian."

"I am willing to obey your orders, Lord Shen."

————————

"I didn't expect to actually find a brave martial artist on this trip, and a good one at that." Gu Chi joked with Shen Tang in private, "It seems that the young master's daydream was not in vain."

Shen Tang pouted: "Have you teased me enough?"

Gu Chi wisely stopped talking.

Shen Tang asked Yu Zi to find a clean set of clothes and send them to Xianyu Jian. Since he was also her subordinate, he should be treated well, and the most basic thing was to take care of his personal hygiene.

"Is the visiting card for Zhang Yongqing ready?"

This business trip is limited in time.

The makeshift team was too small, with almost everyone holding multiple positions. She'd been lingering outside for too long; the few literary figures within the group were bound to rebel. She planned a swift and decisive solution. Gong Xichou shared similar thoughts.

The next day, we arranged to go to their house together.

Although he didn't reveal his purpose or true identity, Gong Xichou's martial prowess and tiger tally were enough to warrant Zhang Yongqing's personal reception. Honestly, what man could refuse a fifteenth-rank young master?

Even if the other party didn't come to seek refuge with him, what if they did? Shen Tang thought she had figured out Zhang He's thoughts.

To her surprise, when they met, his gaze remained fixed on her face—he just kept looking at her.

Shen Tang: "...Why is Lord Zhang looking at me like that?"

()

(End of this chapter)