Two days later, at dusk.
In a nameless place within the territory of Northern Liang.
Under the crimson sunset, a black horse carrying a burly man slowly approached.
The black horse lowered its head and walked listlessly, clearly exhausted from a long journey.
The man on horseback, however, was in high spirits. He carried a small bundle on his back and his face was beaming with joy.
"Well, we've finally arrived in Jun'an County. Has it changed that much in the last few years? I wonder if my mother still lives in the same old place. Looks like I'll have to put in some effort to find her."
The person on horseback was none other than Zhu Ba, who was coming down the mountain.
He had been away from home for several years, and after coming down the mountain, he could no longer suppress his homesickness. Therefore, he hurried along the way, just to return home as soon as possible.
Back in his hometown, he was a schoolteacher, but the Northern Liang was in constant turmoil, and the children couldn't even get enough to eat, so how could they go to school?
As a result, Zhu Ba lost his livelihood.
Originally intending to farm, Zhu Bayi was unfortunately robbed by bandits. Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and decided to become a bandit himself.
Of course, even if one were to become a bandit, one couldn't do it in one's hometown; after all, even a rabbit won't eat the grass near its burrow.
Another point is that if he were a bandit in his hometown, his mother would definitely scold him if she knew. Zhu Ba didn't want his mother to know, so he went to another place to become a bandit.
Now that the bandit gang has disbanded, Zhu Ba has also been relieved of his burden. The Northern Liang is not what it used to be. His brothers have found a way to make a living, and he should go home to see his elderly mother and younger brother.
As for his father, he was killed by Hu Ma many years ago. Zhu Ba couldn't even remember his father's appearance clearly. All that remained in his memory was his father's blurry face.
Zhu Ba was raised by his mother, who, in his memory, was a large, burly, and somewhat fierce peasant woman.
She was very strong, no less so than a man, and I probably inherited her good genes, which is why I also have such brute strength.
When he left home, his mother was already over fifty years old, but fortunately, she was still in good health, and his younger brother was already twenty years old, so Zhu Ba was at ease.
But after several years apart, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. So, this time when he returned home, he decided to stay by his mother's side and fulfill his filial duty.
Seeing the old horse beneath him panting heavily with its head down, Zhu Ba patted its head and chuckled softly:
"Old friend, you must be exhausted from this journey. I'm really sorry."
“It shouldn’t be too far from my home. After you take me home, I’ll gather some hay and make sure you have a good meal. From now on, you can stay home and help me grind grain. You won’t have to run around anymore, and you can enjoy your old age in peace.”
"hiss"
Whether the black horse understood its master's words or not, it raised its head and neighed.
Zhu Ba smiled slightly, dismounted, and led the horse slowly forward, intending to find someone to ask for his mother's address.
The streets here are dilapidated, and many doors are tightly closed, making it not much different from a mountain village.
Zhu Ba looked up and saw an old woman wearing a straw hat walking forward with a basket on her back. The edge of the straw hat was covered with white hair, and her back was hunched over. She was holding a stick and walking forward little by little. Judging from her hunched appearance, she must have been at least seventy years old.
Zhu Ba stroked his chin. "Judging by the days, Mother should be almost sixty this year, right? I wonder how her health is now."
He called out to the old woman, "Auntie, I have a question for you. Do you know where the Zhu Dafu family from Sunjiakou lives now?"
The old woman seemed not to hear, and continued walking forward little by little.
Zhu Ba scratched his head, thinking that perhaps his father had died young and people didn't recognize him, so he called out again, "Old man, do you know where Sun Xiuying from Sunjiakou lives?"
Sun Xiuying is his mother's name.
The old woman didn't turn back and kept walking forward. There was a house in front of her, which must have been her home.
Zhu Ba shook his head. "Sigh! This old lady is both blind and deaf! Forget it, let's ask someone else."
Just then, the black horse beside him neighed. Zhu Ba patted its body and chuckled, "Hungry?"
"Alright, we're not far from home yet. Let's find an inn to rest, take a shower, and clean up before we go back. I'll make sure you have a good meal."
Zhu Ba turned his gaze around, looking for an inn that was open. Coincidentally, there was an inn right across from the old woman's, with several horses standing outside, so it seemed that it was a place to stay.
Upon seeing the inn, Zhu Ba was overjoyed, and his mind involuntarily drifted to those jars of strong liquor. Since leaving his hometown, he had never tasted the fine wine brewed there again.
The alcohol outside his hometown was extremely bland and tasteless to him; he found the strong liquor from his hometown much more satisfying.
Zhu Ba led his horse slowly over, and when he arrived at the shop entrance, he tied the horse to the side and strode into the shop.
The inn was not large, and it didn't even have a proper stable. However, when Zhu Ba entered the inn, he found that there were quite a few people sitting inside.
There were a total of about twenty people, and these twenty people were seated on both sides.
As a former bandit, Zhu Ba keenly sensed something unusual; the atmosphere in the shop was tense.
At first glance, he noticed that one group of people were dressed in extremely fine clothes, unlike ordinary people. They looked more like officials. Although they were trying to conceal it, Zhu Ba could still tell that they had weapons hidden under their clothes.
Furthermore, behind this group of people were two wooden boxes, one large and one small. The large wooden box looked almost like a small coffin, which was quite strange.
The other group was dressed in coarse cloth, and each of them had bulging temples, clearly indicating that they were skilled in martial arts. Needless to say, they also concealed weapons under their loose clothing.
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