Chapter 39 He was cast adrift in the river of time…
Dai Li followed Qin Shaozong to the salt-shoveling area of the salt lake.
The final step in the five-step salt production method is shoveling. Compared to the other steps, this step is entirely manual labor. Simply pile the crystallized salt on a salt pile and wait for subsequent transportation.
Looking around, piles of snow-white "ice cream cones," large and small, stood on the ground. The pure white was pleasing to the eye and intoxicating.
After tasting the refined salt, everyone, including Qin Shaozong and the Xuanxiao cavalry he had assigned to produce salt, was quite happy.
Anyone can see that this is an enormous fortune.
The world will be shaken by the fine salt, the nobles of Chang'an will be obsessed with it, and even foreign tribes from the Western Regions and the Northern Kingdoms will offer beautiful gems, precious animal hides, and fine warhorses in exchange for it.
A barrage of intense gazes fell upon her, and Dai Li subconsciously paused, only then realizing that perhaps, like the Dragon Bone Waterwheel, he had not concealed the fact that the refined salt came from her hands.
Everyone was discussing refined salt, but he suddenly asked, "Is the Peach Blossom Spring that my wife speaks of near Nankang County or Qiantang?"
Her tone was very ordinary, as if she were chatting casually with a close friend. But Dai Li knew it wasn't like that; after the advent of refined salt, he had developed an unusually strong interest in the "Shangri-La" she spoke of.
First there was the dragon-bone waterwheel, then there was refined salt, so why can't there be something else...?
What he asked about was perhaps not just the Peach Blossom Spring.
Dai Li said calmly, "I also want to know the answer to Your Excellency's question."
Just when she thought he would press her for more questions, or even unveil the veil of secrecy and ask her what other objects besides refined salt existed in Peach Blossom Spring that had not yet appeared...
He said, "It doesn't matter if we can't find the way. Anyway, once your wife and son are reunited, it doesn't matter where they stay."
Qin Shaozong automatically ignored the husband she mentioned who "had a conflict with her but whom she never brought up."
Let alone the fact that she can't find her paradise or see her old flame for now. Even if her old flame did come looking for her, he could make sure she never leaves.
"Madam, what do you think is a suitable price for refined salt when it is sold to other places?" Qin Shaozong asked.
Dai Li glanced at him, not believing that he had no idea about this matter. "At first, the more expensive the better. After all, the salt field is too big, and there are many people who need to work together. This method is not easy to keep secret."
Unlike meticulous research conducted behind closed doors, the salt fields are vast and easily accessible, allowing people to come from all directions. Once refined salt is produced, various forces will inevitably trace its origins, and Dai Li privately believes that the method of making refined salt cannot be kept secret for long.
After a pause, Dai Li said with great doubt, "But are you sure you can sell them? Selling smuggled salt is illegal. Be careful, or the local powerful figures might take the whole pot away from you."
Qin Shaozong simply smiled and said, "I have my own way."
There was a small salt pit ahead, not very big, but about two palms deep. Just as she was about to step into the pit, Qin Shaozong reached out and pulled her out.
He did it so naturally, but Dai Li was startled. By the time she realized what was happening, the familiar feeling of restraint around her waist had disappeared, and when she looked at the person beside her, his expression was ordinary, as if he had just casually helped her.
Dai Li: "..."
The successful production of refined salt indicates that all previous processes went smoothly, so the two of them spent much less time at the salt field today than before.
When he left, Qin Shaozong took a bag of fine salt with him to improve the meals at his residence. Dai Li felt that this man had finally done something decent.
*
Yangzhou, from Nanxian.
A county is much smaller than a prefecture, and among all the counties, this one, Nanxian, is one of the smallest. Its already small population was further reduced by nearly a third due to a minor epidemic that occurred three years ago.
"Click." The dilapidated wooden door opened, and a limping, elderly figure entered the thatched hut.
"Old Sun, look who's here!" His wife's voice was loud and cheerful as she greeted Old Sun as he entered the house.
Old Sun looked up.
Oh, it's the married daughter returning with her husband.
Old Sun grinned, clearly pleased, but he deliberately added a few sarcastic remarks, "I haven't seen you for two years. I thought you'd died out there. What brings you back today?"
He turned to his wife, Wang, and instructed her, "There are two more mouths to feed at home today. Go to Old Li's place at the end of the street and buy two more flatbreads."
“No need to trouble yourself, I brought wine and meat.” Sun Niangzi pulled her mother back, and then gave her husband a look. He understood and opened the sack he was carrying.
Sure enough, it contained a small pot of fermented millet and a roast duck.
The two elders were overjoyed upon seeing this.
The family sat around the table and began their lunch.
After her husband and Old Man Sun had finished two rounds of drinking, Madam Sun said, "Father, I have a question for you. Years ago, when you were a monk at the temple fair in Qiantang, did you ever see a fair-skinned, nine-year-old boy with short hair?"
Sun Niangzi's husband, Li Aniu, added: "The child was born with peach blossom eyes and a light brown teardrop-shaped birthmark on his shoulder."
At this point, Madam Sun had no hope.
A Niu went back to her parents' home with her husband because she remembered that her father used to work as a temple fair attendant in Qiantang and wanted to ask about his whereabouts. She realized that she hadn't been back to her parents' home for a long time, which led to the two of them agreeing to go back together.
She knew that the Qin family of Qiantang were searching for the missing person everywhere, and she knew that her husband was eyeing the amazing reward. After all, not only would there be a hefty reward for finding the missing person, but if they provided important clues that were verified and approved, they would also receive a reward.
In her heart, however, Madam Sun did not believe that this trip would be fruitful.
Her father hadn't attended the temple fair for many years, and had also been away from Qiantang for many years. The young boy the Qin family was looking for had only been missing for half a year; how could that timeline match up?
The guild members who went to the Qin family almost wore down the threshold of the Qin residence, but they all returned empty-handed, including Zhao Tietou, who had the most powerful connections. In her opinion, the boy had most likely died quietly somewhere else, and with a gust of wind and a drop of rain, his body was unrecognizable, and who knows, it might have even been carried off by wild wolves outside the city.
Her husband was blinded by greed and had lost his mind, now resorting to her father's desperate measures. However, she genuinely wanted to return to her parents' home, so she wouldn't be foolish enough to stop him.
After Li Aniu finished speaking, he looked anxiously at Old Man Sun.
Old Sun held a ceramic cup in his left hand and wooden chopsticks in his right, his eyes fixed on the roast duck in front of him, as if he were thinking about which piece of meat to pick up later.
"I've seen it before."
Li Aniu's body trembled, and he asked repeatedly, "Uncle Sun, are you sure the boy you saw is the one I just mentioned? When did you see him? Where did you see him? What was the boy like then? And where did he go?"
Madam Sun was also bewildered, "Father, didn't you stop working as a temple attendant seven years ago?"
Old Sun didn't look at anyone, seemingly lost in his own memories. "That was many years ago. Eight, nine, or ten years ago, I can't remember exactly. I met that child by the river outside the city. He was soaking wet, and his hair was very short, about this length..."
Old Sun put down his chopsticks and gestured with his hand to his head, his palm less than half a foot away from his scalp.
"I had never seen a child with such short hair before, and the child was dressed very strangely, in shorts and a t-shirt, like a farmer working in the fields. But he had fair and delicate skin. I saw that he was all alone and that it was windy by the river, so I was worried that he would catch a cold. Luckily, I had flint with me, so I told him to take off his clothes and I would dry them for him."
"And then what happened?" Li Aniu pressed. "Did he have a light brown teardrop-shaped birthmark? Right, it had to be on his right shoulder."
Old Sun raised his glass and took a sip of wine. He didn't immediately answer Li Aniu's question, but instead said according to his memory: "He called me uncle and asked me to take him to some kind of bureau. He also said that something he had was broken and he couldn't contact his mother. He wanted to borrow something from me. The boy even recited a long string of numbers and a name. I guess that name was the 'mother' he was talking about."
Lady Sun was completely confused.
What exactly was her father talking about? What scheme? What about something being broken...?
What is "mama"? Does it refer to one's mother?
Could it be that her father held a grudge for so many years because of the other party's nonsense?
"That child was about this tall," Old Sun gestured to the side to indicate his height. "He wasn't very big, but he seemed quite clever and polite. However, his speech was unpredictable, though he wasn't mentally challenged. At the time, I guessed he was the son of a wealthy family, and I only helped him dry his clothes because I wanted to take him home and collect a reward."
Li Aniu was so startled that he jumped up from his chair. Neither Sun Niangzi nor he had mentioned the information about "five feet seven inches".
But just now, Uncle Sun casually gestured, and the height was exactly five feet seven inches.
Madam Sun stared in disbelief, and after a long while, she repeated her husband's earlier question, "Then, does he have a teardrop-shaped birthmark on his right shoulder?"
Old Sun nodded and then shook his head. "It seems like there was a birthmark, but then again, I don't. How could I possibly remember?"
"I'm not eating anymore." Li Aniu slammed down his chopsticks, having no appetite whatsoever. "Uncle Sun, come with us to Qiantang right now! Let's go ask for our reward! The mansion, the shops, the fertile land, and hundreds of taels of silver—it's all ours!"
After a few drinks, Old Man Sun remained motionless, whether slightly drunk or still lost in his memories.
He didn't react, but his wife, Wang, heard this and her eyes lit up. "Old Sun, hurry to Qiantang to collect your reward. It's over a hundred taels of silver, plus a steady stream of shops that will make you money. Even if you lose your last leg, you won't have to worry for the rest of your life. You can buy as much good wine as you want then!"
Old Sun shuddered and quickly stood up. "Let's go, let's go to Qiantang, right away."
The whole family was very excited, except for Madam Sun. She didn't say anything after that, a small knot forming between her brows.
The "seen" her father mentioned must have happened at least seven years ago. It doesn't make sense that the son of a wealthy family has only been missing for half a year.
*
Qiantang, Qin Residence.
Since receiving Qin Shaozong's letter more than half a month ago, Qin Ran has not returned to Fanhua County. He traveled around various counties with Qiantang as his center, and later mainly settled in Qiantang.
With less than seven days left until the one-month deadline, Qin Ran was so anxious that several blisters appeared on her lips.
"If we still can't find him in seven days, how will we explain this to that person?" He paced back and forth in the room, with his eldest son, Qin Yishang, who had come to Qiantang to search for him, beside him.
Qin Yishang felt that his father was being overly anxious. "If we can't find it, we can't find it. We've done our best. Just report the truth. Your Excellency is magnanimous and won't blame us."
Qin Ran said with exasperation, "Thirty-five years have passed since your grandfather moved our lineage from the north to Yangzhou."
To outsiders, the Qin family seemed closely connected. When Lord Song of Fanhua County had tea with him, he would often mention the Marquis of Wu'an in the north, and Qin Ran would appear quite proud of it. But Qin Ran himself knew that their branch in Yangzhou had not had a deep connection with the main family for more than thirty years.
Aside from sending someone north with New Year's gifts, there was no other communication.
Now that an opportunity has finally come knocking, the feeling of being powerless to seize it is truly infuriating.
Just then, a servant came to report, "My lord, an old monk is coming to the door, saying he has important clues to provide."
Qin Ran had heard these words countless times at the beginning of his search. People came to his door every day, each claiming to have important clues, their eyes fixed on the reward money in his pocket. He didn't care about the few coins; he was just annoyed that these people were trying to fool him with lies, needlessly hindering his search.
Later, it was Sergeant Hu who came up with a solution, which stopped the endless troubles.
"Father, that guy who claimed to have important clues last time really exhausted me." Qin Yishang still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it now. He traveled day and night to several counties, and even one of his horses died from exhaustion. In the end, he found out that everything was a fake. It was no exaggeration for him to be furious and enraged at the time.
Qin Ran pinched the bridge of his nose. "Recently, fewer and fewer people have been coming to our door. In any case, we will have to see this old monk."
As the Qin father and son entered the main hall, Hu Bao happened to return with his men. The Sun family, seeing two groups of people arrive simultaneously, immediately became flustered. Sun's wife, in particular, couldn't help but tug at her husband's sleeve.
She still felt that the matter was somewhat unreliable.
No matter how much else matches up, the timing doesn't make sense! It's not just a month or two, but several years, enough time for a nine-year-old child to grow into a teenager.
Even the most confused person wouldn't be unable to distinguish whether a lost boy or a missing teenager...
Hu Bao glanced around and took in Sun Niangzi's subtle movements, but he didn't say anything at the moment.
Qin Ran looked at Old Man Sun to the left and said, "So you have important clues? Make a long story short. If the clues are true, you will be rewarded. But if I find out that you are full of lies and that you came here only to swindle money, don't blame me for having the captain put you in jail."
The hall was bright, and the furnishings were exquisite, clearly of considerable value. The two men at the head of the table were dressed in rich attire, with jade rings hanging from their waists. Behind them, several tall, burly men, each dressed in black, wore…
It's a knife, isn't it?
Old Sun began to tremble violently. The journey from Nanjun to Qiantang had taken a long time, and he had long since sobered up. Now, standing in the hall, he felt extremely uneasy: "Your Excellency, I will only speak of what I know. You can judge for yourself. If you do not believe me, could you please pretend this never happened and just give me a few copper coins to take me home?"
Qin Yishang was filled with rage.
He'd already shown his weakness after just a little provocation; he was probably just trying to scam money. He said there was no point in even seeing him; they should just kick him out.
Qin Ran's lips twitched, and suspicion also welled up in his heart. But since he was already here, he might as well listen to the clues they had. "Speak."
At first, Old Man Sun stammered a couple of sentences and kept his head down, not daring to look at people, but as he spoke, he became immersed in his memories.
He described the specific location, how he met the other person by chance, the child's clothes and appearance, the birthmark on his body, and the other person's strange words.
"...His parents must be extremely good-looking people. In all my years, I have never seen such a handsome child. It's just that he is not clear-headed and always talks nonsense," said Old Man Sun.
At first, the Qin father and son had no hope, but as they listened, they looked at each other and a glimmer of hope inexplicably arose.
It didn't seem to have any major flaws, and unlike other scammers who were focused on matching information, this old man hadn't revealed the boy's name yet.
Whether Old Man Sun forgot or subconsciously felt it was absurd, he didn't immediately bring up the time this time.
Until later...
"When did you see that child?" Qin Ran asked.
The hall fell silent instantly. Old Man Sun, who had been looking up, lowered his head. The silence was like a bucket of cold water poured over the Qin family father and son.
Something's not right.
Could it be that they were wrong before?
"Ten years ago," someone whispered.
Not only the Qin family father and son, but even Hu Bao, who was standing to the side, had a drastic change in expression.
"Ten years ago?!"
"Do you know what you're saying? There's a limit to how absurd things can be! You're spouting nonsense here, trying to cheat and swindle people. Believe me, I'll have the captain throw you in jail right now!"
Upon hearing the word "prison," Old Man Sun, who had been somewhat timid, suddenly became resolute and began to ramble on: "I really didn't lie. I met that child ten years ago. His height, hair, and appearance all matched. He also told me about his... possibly his mother's name, and his relatives' names..."
Old Sun choked up, sweating profusely with anxiety.
Ten years later, he still remembers this incident because the boy was so strange back then. But some of the words the boy used at the time, including that string of numbers and the name that followed, have long been lost to time, leaving no trace.
"Father, stop listening to his nonsense and kick him out quickly to save time," Qin Ran's eldest son, Qin Yishang, said indignantly.
Qin Ran had the same idea, "You go..."
"You said that the child was by the river, and his clothes were completely wet?" Hu Bao, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly said.
When Old Man Sun saw that someone was actually asking him for details, he grabbed onto a piece of driftwood like a drowning man, "Yes, yes, it's like I swam around in the river, I was soaked to the bone."
Hu Bao seemed to be deep in thought.
Mo Yanyun is a loose tongue, and when he's drunk, he's even more unrestrained, blurting out whatever comes to mind.
He had heard the other party say that the reason Lady Dai was discovered by the Marquis was because the Marquis heard a noise coming from a side room in the courtyard, which led him to go in and arrest her. The two had been in the room for less than half a cup of tea when Lady Dai came out wearing a men's robe.
Why did Lady Dai wear a men's robe at that time?
Why can't she appear in women's clothing? Is there something wrong with her clothes?
Hu Bao was not present at the time, so he had no answer.
But vaguely, he felt that there was a subtle, indescribable connection between the two things, like spider silk wrapping around his nerves, pulling at them again and again.
“Think carefully, what did that boy say about his mother’s name?” Hu Bao said sternly.
Old Sun was sweating profusely, but he trembled and couldn't utter a single word.
Qin Yishang was about to speak, but his father stopped him with a look. His father shook his head slightly, signaling him not to interfere.
Time passed slowly, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly tense. Old Man Sun and his family all began to consider leaving.
Old Man Sun still couldn't say anything, so Hu Bao sighed, "Fine, you two leave..."
The word "separation" drifted into Old Man Sun's ears, like an invisible hammer striking his temples, shaking off all the dust and rust that had accumulated over the years.
Thus, tides appeared in the river of time, rising and receding. And when the water receded, the abandoned past reappeared on the riverbank.
“Li…Li Dai, or Dai Li…” Old Man Sun only remembered two words, “just these two words, as for how to put them in order, I’ve forgotten.”
Hu Bao's pupils narrowed to needles, his heart churning with turmoil. Not only him, but the other four Xuanxiao cavalrymen also showed expressions of shock.
The old man actually mentioned Madam Dai's name.
Could it be that the strange little boy he mentioned is really Lady Dai's son?
But……
But the old man said that happened ten years ago!
Madam Dai was so focused on finding her son that she couldn't possibly have misremembered the exact timeline of his disappearance.
So, where exactly did things go wrong?
Author's Note: Here I am! [shy]
Chapter 35 is unlocked. I'll wait for the right time to revise it again (Lamp's stubbornness.jpg).
I need nutrient solution [green heart]
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