Chapter 121 Follow the Monk
When the day broke, Ah Shui opened her eyes and saw the small jacket hanging on the head of the bed. She turned over and sat up, shouting loudly: "Mom——"
Uncle Niu heard the noise and came in. He took his clothes and sat over and said, "It's cold outside, do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"Where's my mom?" Ah Shui looked inside the bed. "Is she cooking?"
Uncle Niu sighed and used the words he had been thinking about all night to fool the child: "Do you still remember the brat who stopped you that day? That was your eldest brother and his father. They came from far away because your mother's mother died, and they took her back to attend the funeral."
Ah Shui was stunned, she didn't understand.
"Your mother's mother died, and she has to go back to attend the funeral. She will be away for a long time. She will come back when you grow up." Uncle Lao Niu continued.
Ah Shui understood what was said. She panicked and started crying. She ran to find her mother without even putting on her clothes.
In order to hold her down, Uncle Niu was sweating profusely. The young one cried, and the old one cried too. He cried that his child had a miserable life, was born in a poor family, and lost her mother at a young age.
"Your mother is so cruel. If I die, how will you live?" Uncle Niu hugged Ah Shui and cried, "My poor child."
Aunt Du came over and knocked on the door. She asked loudly, "Tong Huaer, why is Ah Shui crying so early in the morning?"
Uncle Niu ignored him. He paced back and forth in the room, holding the child, who was about to cry himself to death, muttering, "Just leave! Live with me and keep your mouth shut. That way, we can have a few more mouthfuls of food... Just shut up! You're working your dad to death, and then you'll have no home."
Aunt Du leaned against the door and peeked in through the crack. She caught sight of Lao Niu and pounded on the door angrily: "You old man, why are you pretending to be deaf at home? I thought something happened to you."
"What's going on?" asked the woman next door.
"Who knows what's going on? The child's crying is making me panic." Aunt Du patted her chest and said, "The old cow is inside. I guess the child fell."
"Crying and crying on the first day of the New Year..." the neighbor on the other side muttered irritably.
"Whose child doesn't cry? Doesn't your child cry?" Aunt Du choked him and turned back to her home.
Ah Shui was tired of crying and fell asleep. Uncle Lao Niu put her back on the bed. When he saw the clothes hanging on the headboard, he got angry. He was worried that the child would wake up and cry again when she saw the clothes, so he hid them and locked them in a wooden box.
At the Duwei Mansion, a little maid pushed open the door, carrying a basin of hot water. She called softly, "Auntie, it's time to get up. We have to go pay New Year's greetings to the eldest lady."
There was no sound from the bedroom. The maid put down the basin and walked in. Seeing the bulge in the mattress, she called out again, but still no response. She tiptoed over and peeked in. She screamed, "Madam Wen has run away!"
Now the Duwei Mansion was bustling with activity. In the main courtyard, the eldest wife asked with a gloomy face, "What's going on?"
"Last night, Madam Wen drank Tusu wine and felt unwell. She went to bed early and asked me not to disturb her. This morning, when I brought hot water into the room, I found that there was no one on the bed. There were clothes stuffed under the mattress, and it looked like someone was sleeping there." The little maid said tremblingly.
The eldest wife looked at the other four concubines who lived in the same courtyard with Concubine Wen. These incompetent concubines all lowered their heads, indicating that they were unaware of the situation.
The eldest wife looked at Captain Hu and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
Captain Hu had a gloomy face. To have such a mess on the first day of the new year was really unlucky. He waved his hand and said, "Thank you, Madam, for your concern."
"Search the mansion first, then go to the gatehouse and ask to see if Madam Wen was in or out of the mansion last night." The eldest wife was worried that Wen Ling had run away with someone else. After all, she had entered the mansion by seducing a man, so it would be reasonable for her to run away with a man if she couldn't bear it anymore.
"Madam Wen and the servants in the mansion..."
Before he could finish his words, Captain Hu smashed the teacup in his hand and said angrily, "Don't bother looking for her. She has no household registration, so she can't get far. Tell the gatekeeper that if you see her coming back, bring her directly to the main courtyard."
He would rather Madam Wen be seduced by someone outside the mansion than by a servant in the mansion, as that would be too much of a slap in the face for him.
"No one was allowed in or out of the city gate last night," the eldest wife reminded.
"If she's gone, that's even better. No need to look for her anymore." Captain Hu was about to say there was no need to investigate when a maid came in and said, "The doorman said we didn't see Madam Wen leave the house last night. We searched everywhere in the mansion, but there was no sign of her."
If the person was not found in the mansion, he must have sneaked out. Last night was New Year's Eve, and the gatekeepers must have been lazy and drinking and gambling. The eldest wife was aware of the loophole, but did not intend to pursue it. There were more concubines in the mansion than fish in the tank in the back kitchen, and it would not matter if one or two ran away.
But she still asked, "Shall I send someone to Madam Wen's ex-husband's house to inquire about this? I remember she has a sister living in Supervisor Hu's residence. Should I send someone over to ask as well?"
Captain Hu waved his hand and said, "Let's keep it a few days in advance. Who knows, he might be back in a few days. If he doesn't come back, send someone to ask after the Lantern Festival and report the death by the way."
He had long lost interest in Sui Ling, but Sui Ling was pretty, so he would occasionally go over to admire her after playing outside. Now that she couldn't stand the loneliness and ran away again, he didn't feel sorry.
"Don't make a big deal out of this. Just give him a warning." Captain Hu advised. He thought he was being romantic for having an affair, but it would be a joke if he was the one being cheated on. He couldn't let the matter out of the house. It would be better to report his death directly.
…
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Sui Wen'an and his party entered Yumen Pass, which was heavily guarded and had strict entry and exit inspections.
Tong Huaer was worried that Sui Ling's body would be discovered, so she urged him to leave as soon as possible.
There was no snow in the desert and the sun was bright. Considering that food and accommodation in the city would cost money, the others decided to leave as soon as possible.
Sui Wen'an paid the 22-cent customs fee on their behalf as they wished, and then led ten people, young and old, out of the Yumen Pass gate.
"Hero, please stay. Can we two walk together?" a monk called out to the man.
The others looked wary, but Sui Wen'an nodded happily. He had encountered the bald monk while traveling for business and had some understanding of the sect. He knew they weren't the kind of men who would kill on the road. Two more people on the road would help them look out for each other if they encountered a wolf pack.
Leaving the Yumen Pass behind, the group of thirteen stepped into the soft yellow sand. Tong Huaer stroked the wooden arrow in her sleeve and pondered, "What will the road ahead be like? Where did we part ways?"
"After another five or six days of walking, we'll reach a Gobi Desert. After we cross the Gobi Desert, we'll see people." Sui Wen'an replied, "I'll take you across the Gobi Desert, and then we'll part ways."
Tong Huaer stopped talking.
They walked during the day and slept in the desert at night. With Sui Wen'an's reminder, they would leave someone to watch over the night. When someone was covered with yellow sand, they would wake them up. When they woke up, they would continue on their journey. When they were tired, they would fall to the ground and sleep again.
Although the two monks traveled with Sui Wen'an and his companions, they rarely spoke to each other, and the night watch would join in. However, no one except Sui Wen'an believed them, and whenever the monks kept watch, they would always leave someone to accompany them.
Due to this, after coming out of the desert, the two monks kept their distance from them, and when they walked into the Gobi Desert, the two groups followed one in front and one behind.
The Gobi Desert is full of strange rocks. After walking two miles to the west and looking back, the entrance has disappeared.
It was the first time for Aunt Chun and Tong Hua'er to see such a landscape. The huge, bizarre rocks looked like giants. They walked among them, took a few turns, and when they looked up, they couldn't tell east, west, or south. Sometimes, when they woke in the middle of the night, they would be greeted by countless behemoths, their dark shadows looming, accompanied by the rustling sound of wind and sand, which was enough to terrify them.
They were able to hold out for the first few days, but as time went on, doubts began to creep in. Were they heading in the right direction? Were they heading west? Had they taken the wrong path? Could they get out before the water ran out? Would they die of hunger and thirst in this strange place?
Whenever they had to decide the direction to go, more than a dozen people would argue. Sui Wen'an was deeply resentful, but in the end he stopped talking and just followed his own judgment, and anyone who wanted to follow could follow.
"Did you bring us here on purpose? You just want to exhaust us to death." Tong Huaer cursed.
"If I had this idea, why would I go through so much trouble to de-slave you?" Sui Wen'an said helplessly.
This sentence calmed everyone's anxiety. At this point, they had no choice but to follow Sui Wen'an.
Sui Huaiquan, holding a child in each hand, looked at his mother anxiously, worried that she wouldn't be able to hold on. It suddenly occurred to him that Sui Wen'an had originally suggested they go west, probably because he didn't want them to go back. With this Gobi Desert blocking their way, no one dared to come back after they left.
During a break, Sui Huaiquan asked the two monks, "Where are you from?"
"The Great Yuezhi followed the Hu merchants to Yumen Pass four years ago." The monk looked at Sui Huaiquan and said, "The Han Empire is strong, why did you move out of the pass?"
"The family was destroyed and the people died." Sui Huaiquan did not hide it.
The two monks lowered their eyes and recited a Buddhist verse.
"Are you joining us because you can't get out of this Gobi Desert?" Sui Huaiquan asked.
The monk nodded.
Continuing forward, Sui Huaiquan asked Sui Wen'an about leaving his citizenship, but Sui Wen'an kept silent.
"Will you come back in the future?" Sui Huaiquan asked.
Sui Wen'an was unsure, "I don't plan to come back in the next few years."
After that, there was no more words, and the group continued on their journey in silence.
After countless days of walking, the Gobi Desert finally came to an end. With the exit in sight, Tong Huaer silently pulled a warm wooden arrow from her sleeve. One end of the arrow had an indelible dark mark. She quickly approached the man in front of her, and amidst a cry of surprise, she thrust her full force into the back of Sui Wen'an's neck.
Sui Wen'an turned around with a cry of surprise, and caught a glimpse of the wooden arrow poking down with his left eye. He leaned forward to dodge, but the arrow hit the thick fabric and did not hurt his skin.
After the first attack failed, Tong Hua tried to attack again, but Sui Wen'an turned around and kicked the man down.
"I should have brought a kitchen knife." Tong Huaer regretted it. She wanted to leave the kitchen knife to Lao Niu and A Shui, and only took a sharpened wooden arrow before leaving.
Aunt Chun stepped forward and snatched the wooden arrow from Tong Huaer's hand, saying, "It's all in the past. Don't cause any more trouble."
"It's over?" Tong Hua'er found it funny. She stretched out her fingers in a circle and asked with a laugh, "It's over? You all think it's over? For the past four years, four whole years, we've lived worse than animals. My family is gone, my daughter is dead, and my son lives like an ox. I, a girl from a good family, have become a prostitute who has been ridden by thousands of men and slept with by tens of thousands. I even gave birth to a child and I don't even know whose child it is. You tell me it's over? You can get over it, but I can't."
By the end of her speech, she had shouted at the top of her lungs, and her mouth tasted of blood.
Sui Xinlin's eyes changed. He looked at Sui Wen'an, and the hatred in his eyes was no longer hidden.
Aunt Wu, Mrs. Tian Ersao and Sui Hongxia burst into tears. Tong Huaer had lived a peaceful life for two or three years. They dared not think back to the days they spent in the brothel. It had been three months since they left the brothel. Every time they woke up in the middle of the night, they still felt a man pressing on them. They even felt disgusted and afraid when they saw men.
"Then what do you want to do?" Sui Wen'an said, "What else can I do?"
"I want you to die." Tong Huaer stood up. "You deserve to die. So many of us died because of you. Do you think we should be grateful to you just because we abolished slavery? What about the people who died? Why are they dead, but you're still alive?"
Sui Wen'an took a deep breath and tried to defend himself, "My father deserved death for corruption, and my three siblings deserved our exile. But we didn't condemn you, it was the court and the law. Since ancient times, clans have been guilty of crimes together, because when one person rises, the whole clan benefits. When my father was alive, you enjoyed many advantages: wealth, power, and influence. You benefited from his influence, so you must share his guilt."
Sui Wen'an looked at these people calmly and said, "I don't owe you anything. I have made amends for what I can. If you still have resentment and hatred, you can hate the court or your ancestors. Why did you give birth to Sui Jiushan?"
"Are you planning to act like a scoundrel?" Sui Xinlin asked, "What about your sisters? You deserve this. You should have sent them to be camp prostitutes."
Sui Wen'an choked up, he was like a pig bladder filled with water that was punctured, deflated instantly, and no longer had any momentum.
"Sui Ling is dead." Tong Huaer suddenly said. Seeing Sui Wen'an's panic, she added, "I killed her on New Year's Eve."
Sui Wen'an suddenly understood. He cried out, tears streaming down his face. He escaped with the murderer who had killed his sister and freed her from slavery.
"I'm going to kill you!" Sui Wen'an went crazy. He raised his fist to punch Tong Huaer, but was held down by others and beaten instead.
"Who are you going to kill?" Sui Xinlin pulled out a wooden arrow. His face flushed, and he said eagerly, "I've wanted to kill you for a long time."
Sui Wen'an collapsed on the ground with despair and no will to live. Kill him, he should have died long ago.
Two monks came over. The taller monk recited a Buddhist verse and said, "Evil karma, arising and fading, must all come to an end. Benefactor, please lay down your butcher knife, for the sea of suffering is endless."
No one paid any attention to him.
Aunt Chun stopped Sui Xinlin and said, "Don't do anything too extreme. Leave a way out for yourself and him. You wanted to kill him on the way to exile. If you had killed him then, we wouldn't be here today. If he had died on the way, Sui Yu wouldn't have been able to help outside, and Tong Hua'er might have died during the abortion, and you wouldn't have seen him today. If Sui Hui, Sui Yu, and Sui Ling had all been sent to the brothel, Sui Wen'an would have been a slave. Without him, we would never have been free. If we want to explain this, there's no way to explain it. Let's each take a step back and part ways now, forgetting the past."
Sui Xinlin refused to put down the wooden arrow.
"Xinlin, you still have a child, and the child is watching over you. Can you be sure that he will not be favored or resented by others in the future?" Aunt Chun said again.
Sui Xinlin glanced at Tong Ge'er, dropped the wooden arrow, picked up the child and strode away.
Aunt Chun grabbed Tong Huaer and pulled her to follow. Seeing this, the others also left one after another.
Sui Wen'an picked up the wooden arrow that had fallen to the ground, but just as he was about to raise it, the tall monk snatched it away. The monk broke the arrow and said, "God is merciful to all living beings. Donor, please do not be distracted."
…
Two days later, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping chased after them and saw three figures walking away from them in the distance. Two of them were bald monks, and the other one was not clearly visible.
"Is that him?" she asked.
"Looks like him." Zhao Xiping wasn't sure either. He shouted, "Sui Wen'an?"
The wind blew away the sound, but the person in the distance suddenly turned around, then turned around and continued walking forward.
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