Chapter 501 Dividing the Spoils
It sounds like a man's voice. Could it be my senior's childhood friend?
The Taoist priest got up and opened the door. "Ninth Brother?"
"I was just about to look for you, come in quickly."
This is perhaps one of the few people in the Zhang family who is willing to talk to them properly.
Zhang Ziyou looked to be about the same age as the Taoist priest, only his beard wasn't as long, but the wrinkles around his eyes and the vicissitudes in his eyes were more obvious than the Taoist priest's.
"Sixth Brother, Master Song, I heard about what happened this afternoon, so I came to remind you. Zhang Yaoming is no kind person. In the past, if anyone offended him, he would not only send people to take their lives, but also insult their families. Be careful these next few days, and it would be better to leave as soon as possible."
The Taoist priest shook his head slightly. "I have made preparations and negotiated terms with the Yu family. She is well past the age of knowing one's destiny. She knows how many sins the Zhang family has committed and how much retribution they have suffered. If she does not stop them, she will only suffer the consequences. I don't need to say more about this."
Zhang Ziyou nodded.
He placed the basket on the table and said, "I brought you two bowls of mutton soup from home, and some steamed noodles. Try them."
The Taoist priest stared blankly at the steamed noodles in the basket.
He picked up his chopsticks. "I haven't eaten like this for many years."
Song Chunxue didn't see her senior brother's expression, but she knew that he was reminded of the taste he had eaten as a child.
Sure enough, he only took one bite before getting up and making an excuse to go to the outhouse.
Zhang Ziyou remarked with emotion, "Sixth Brother is still so prone to tears."
Song Chunxue asked curiously, "Did you cry often before, Senior Brother?"
Zhang Ziyou shook his head with a smile, "He doesn't cry often, he's just too soft-hearted and can't stand seeing others suffer. Sixth Brother is like his mother, kind by nature, not like his father at all."
"Over the years, everyone who knows him has felt sorry that he became a Taoist priest, but I think he was born to cultivate himself and had the world in his heart."
"If Sixth Brother hadn't run away from home back then and had stayed with the Zhang family, it's hard to say whether he would have survived."
At this point, Zhang Ziyou sighed, "It's understandable that he hates his third uncle. If it were me, I would have fought them to the death when I was young."
Now that things had come to this point, Song Chunxue noticed Zhang Ziyou's expression, which seemed to encourage her to continue asking questions.
"What happened back then? Why was my senior brother's mother driven to her death?"
Zhang Ziyou glanced in the direction of the door.
"Back then, my sixth brother was less than ten years old. My third uncle always looked down on my third aunt, always thinking she was too aloof and refused to talk to him. He even hit her several times, but my sixth brother didn't know that."
"Until Madam Yu appeared before Third Aunt with her son and a big belly, begging her to give up her position as the first wife..." Zhang Ziyou sighed, "Several uncles and elders saw that she had no one to support her, and even said that she should ask for a divorce. She endured all of this, but Madam Yu used clumsy means to frame Third Aunt for stealing the treasures from the storeroom. She could not bear the humiliation and hanged herself."
A flash went through Song Chunxue's vision, as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Although Sixth Brother was young, when he returned from school and saw Third Aunt's corpse, he immediately grabbed a sword and chopped down Third Uncle's door, and went on a rampage like a madman."
Zhang Ziyou said with a sorrowful expression, "I still remember that after my third aunt was buried, my sixth brother said something that shocked everyone, which made them all call him an unfilial son. But I think my sixth brother is a real man."
Those few simple words left Song Chunxue deeply shaken.
How desperate my senior brother must have felt at that time.
"My third uncle later went to visit my sixth brother at Xuliang Mountain, but my sixth brother knocked out two of his teeth and made him write a contract severing their father-son relationship, cutting off his hair as a vow..."
As he spoke, Zhang Ziyou looked at Song Chunxue and said, "I'm very happy to see that my senior brother is no longer alone."
"Master Song, I know this is a bit abrupt, but since you call her your senior brother and are willing to accompany him from afar to settle your grievances, it shows that you are the person he trusts most in this world. I hope that in the future, you can take better care of him."
Zhang Ziyou stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "I'm counting on you."
"Brother, you're too kind. My senior brother has been taking care of me these past few years. He has been incredibly kind to me, and I will do my best to repay him. Don't worry." Song Chunxue stood up and returned the greeting.
Zhang Ziyou's eyes reddened slightly. "Once he leaves, Sixth Brother probably will never want to come back. If the Taoist priest remembers, please remind him to write a letter for me."
"Definitely." Song Chunxue said sincerely, "If someone back home truly cares about you, you will be very gratified."
They talked for a long time afterward, but the senior brother still didn't come back.
"I should go back now. I have over a hundred sheep at home that need water, and it takes two or three people to keep up with them." Zhang Ziyou stood up and took out a small silver bracelet from his pocket.
Song Chunxue was surprised, "This is my senior brother's?"
“Yes,” Zhang Ziyou nodded, “I bought it from Zhang Yaoming’s child. They said they found it in the warehouse. His mother said it wasn’t anything valuable and could be used as a trinket.”
He handed the table to Song Chunxue, saying, "Please return it to Sixth Brother, Daoist Master."
"Okay, I will definitely give it to her."
Song Chunxue stroked the bracelet, her thoughts unable to settle for a long time.
This must be a silver bracelet that my senior brother wore when he was five or six years old; it still has a faded red string tied to it.
She suddenly thought of her children, who used to be so poor they couldn't even get enough to eat. They didn't even have a penny, let alone a silver bracelet.
But ever since Sanwa started herding sheep, life has gotten better day by day.
But later, the silver was divided among everyone; other children all had silver bracelets to wear, but the third child didn't.
The senior brother's silver bracelet had very delicate runes on it, which showed how much his mother loved him when she was alive.
...
Before dusk, several carriages from the Zhang family arrived, carrying heavy black boxes which were all carried to the senior brother's room.
Song Chunxue stood by the window and noticed that the items on the third carriage were all old things.
I guess it must be a memento from my senior's mother.
The senior apprentice and the steward chatted in the room for half an hour. I don't know what they talked about, but the steward climbed onto the carriage while crying.
Song Chunxue stood at the door, wanting to go out and see what good things others had brought for her senior brother, but she was afraid that her senior brother was sad and didn't want to see her.
"Knock knock knock".
"Junior brother, come to my room."
Song Chunxue hurriedly opened the door, and the wolves stared at the Taoist priest as if they were meat.
"Come and share the spoils with me."
"If you say that, your father will be so angry he'll come back to life."
Stepping into the room, the neatly arranged silver and gold ingots, along with a whole box of pearls, jade bracelets, and other jewelry, were dazzling and made one's heart race, with blood rushing to the top of one's head.
She picked up the lustrous white pearls and the jade bracelet tied with a rope, and couldn't help but sigh, "Senior brother should have come years ago. He suffered for so many years in vain."
The Taoist priest looked somber. "He wasn't dead yet, and I hadn't let go of him either."
The implication is that he was willing to endure hardship at that time.
"We'll each take half and fill your Qiankun bags. I'll keep the rest, but we need to leave a few boxes, otherwise people will get suspicious."
"I'll sneak over to Zhang Ziyou's house later and tell him to distribute the land deeds. You stay here and guard the place. Don't let anyone with bad intentions get near the empty box. We'll move to another place in the middle of the night."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
