Chapter 71
Some things that had been buried for so long that Chen Qing had almost forgotten them were all brought back to light as soon as a breeze blew in.
Chen Qing finished a bowl of fish noodle soup with tears in his eyes. Zhou Yuan watched him finish and wiped away his tears with his hand: "Why are you crying?"
Zhou Yuan had calluses on his hands. Chen Qing sniffed and said, "Last time you asked me for a handkerchief, I gave it to you but you didn't bring it with you. Your hands hurt so much from rubbing them."
Seeing that his mood hadn't changed, Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and kissed his hand again: "I'll take him with me from now on."
He seemed very interested in the local customs and culture of Xiaxi. After finishing his meal, he didn't say he wanted to leave immediately. Instead, he strolled around the city with Chen Qing.
"Should I buy some of these for my mother and the others?" Zhou Yuan looked at the colorful headscarves in the fabric shop and thought he should buy some for the women in his family.
Chen Qing was both amused and exasperated: "There's no sandstorm like this at home, what do you need this for?"
Zhou Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll buy you one; you need it right now."
Ignoring Chen Qing's objections, she then bought him two headscarves, one moon-white and one bright yellow.
Chen Qing was holding a headscarf in his hand. When he put it on his head, he had already forgotten how to wrap it properly. He just messed it up and the wind blew it off when he walked out of the shop.
Zhou Yuan looked at Chen Qing, who was wearing a headscarf. He no longer looked like a person from Xiaxi Prefecture. Even though he dressed the same as them, he was completely different from the people here.
Zhou Yuan pulled him into his arms, thinking that only the soil and water of Luohe Village could have made Chen Qing grow up like this. The wind and sand of Xiaxi would only ravage and torment him. After finishing his business, it would be better to take him back as soon as possible.
Xiaxi is located in the north and borders the Northern Di, a vassal state of the country. The two countries have always had friendly relations and trade with each other. Therefore, a Northern Di trade market was set up in a fenced-off market in Xiaxi Prefecture, where many Northern Di people brought their goods to sell.
Zhou Yuan naturally wanted to join in the fun, and Chen Qing accompanied him.
He finally managed to put on his headscarf, but even so, it was still obvious that Chen Qing was not a local of Xiaxi. People from Xiaxi Prefecture, whether men or women or boys, were all very tall. Chen Qing took after his father, while Zhou Yuan was more like a Xiaxi native.
They strolled around the trade market, and Zhou Yuan bought some sparkling gems, saying he wanted to give them to the two unborn little ones, as well as to their own child. Although there was no sign of the baby yet, as a father, he wanted to treat them all equally and prepare some for them as well.
Chen Qing also liked them very much, and bought some other stones from a girl's stall. The people of Beidi could all speak Xiaxi language. Chen Qing had been away for a long time, but he could understand the gist of it. She said that these stones came from the foot of the sacred mountain of Beidi, and that the divine power of the Beidi gods fell on these stones, which could protect people's safety.
Chen Qing just smiled. He thought, the gods of the Northern Barbarians can't even protect their own people, so how could they protect a foreigner like him?
But he still bought them. Some of the beads weren't very shiny. He wanted to make a tassel for Zhou Yuan's scabbard and adorn it with gemstones, hoping that the god could also protect Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan took a fancy to a dagger with a ruby inlaid on the hilt. He examined the blade closely and found that the blacksmith's skills were almost on par with his adoptive father's.
Seeing that he liked it, Chen Qing paid for it directly. He remembered that Zhou Yuan had a long sword, but he couldn't always carry it around. Having a dagger would also be good for self-defense.
Although they felt they hadn't bought much, when they got back to the inn and piled everything on the bed, they realized they had bought quite a lot. Then they looked at each other and smiled.
I spent two days in the prefectural city and bought a lot of things, which I'm currently storing at the inn. I'll pick them up when I go back; I'll only need to pay a storage fee.
It takes a day and a half to travel from Xiaxi Prefecture to Jieshi Town. The town is not as prosperous as the prefecture, and the wind and sand make it look even more desolate.
They had only been on the road for a day and a half when Chen Qing noticed that Zhou Yuan's face was sunburned, cracked, red, and swollen.
"I remember there's clam oil for sale in town, but I forgot to buy it in the prefectural city!" Chen Qing was heartbroken, holding Zhou Yuan's face and looking at him again and again.
He was fine because he was wearing a headscarf, which covered his entire face.
Zhou Yuan didn't care: "I'll just be able to recover by our local environment when we get back. Besides, what's the point of a man being so refined?"
"Whether it's refined or not is one thing, but doesn't it hurt?" Chen Qing frowned as she looked at him.
"It doesn't hurt, this little bit of pain is nothing." Zhou Yuan didn't care at all.
Finally, following his memory, Chen Qing found the place in town that sold clam oil and bought one for Zhou Yuan.
The shopkeeper looked at Chen Qing and asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"
Chen Qing smiled and said, "My ancestral home is here, but I married someone from far away."
After saying that, he left. He often came to the town. His uncle would bring his embroidery to sell in town. In Xiaxi Prefecture, headscarves were commonly used. Since there were no dye houses in the town, there weren't many colors of headscarves, so headscarves with many patterns were especially popular.
Chen Qing's uncle was very good at embroidery. The headscarves he embroidered sold very well in town, which was also a source of income for their family.
The town hasn't really changed much; it's been the same for years. Chen Qing paused when he saw the shop where his uncle used to sell embroidery.
The man guarding the door thought he wanted to buy a headscarf and invited him very enthusiastically, but Chen Qing just shook his head and said no. When he left, he looked back again and seemed to see a long time ago when his uncle was holding his hand and speaking to the steward in a humble manner.
As he approached the inn, he ran into Zhou Yuan, who was about to leave. Zhou Yuan hugged him and said, "I thought you were lost and wanted to come find you."
“Even though so many years have passed, I still remember the way.” Chen Qing took his hand and led him back to the room. He then asked for water to wipe Zhou Yuan’s face before applying a layer of clam oil to his face.
Zhou Yuan wasn't used to the oily layer on his face and kept wanting to wipe it off, but Chen Qing held his hand down: "It'll be fine in a bit, don't touch it."
After doing all that, Chen Qing looked at Zhou Yuan and asked, "So, next, we're going back to the village to pay respects to Father and Little Father, and then we'll go back?"
"I'll also help you get revenge," Zhou Yuan said. The person who killed his father could be left alone for now, but these relatives who had bullied Chen Qing since he was a child still needed to be dealt with.
"Isn't it unnecessary? We're not going to have anything to do with them anymore, there's no need to bother with them." Chen Qing held Zhou Yuan's hand. "It's not necessary."
There were only two of them, while in his grandmother's family, his eldest uncle's family had three sons and one daughter, his second uncle's family had two sons and one son, and his two aunts each had two sons.
Here, the family with the most sons is considered powerful. The Chen family is one such family because they have many sons, so they practically have the upper hand in the village.
"Aside from bullying you, what else do your uncles and brothers do?"
“I didn’t have much contact with them,” Chen Qing said. “When I was a child, we would only get together during holidays.”
"Okay, we'll see when the time comes. Are there any families in the village who are kind to your family?" Zhou Yuan asked again.
Chen Qing thought for a moment: "Our neighbors were quite kind to our family back then."
He remembered that aunt, who had helped his stepfather when his father passed away. When his stepfather died, she even helped Chen Qing with the burial. Chen Qing didn't even say goodbye to her when he left.
"Let's buy something to thank her." Zhou Yuan took Chen Qing's hand and went out. There weren't many shops in town, and they didn't know what to buy as a gift, so they could only buy some meat, two new headscarves, and some snacks for the aunt.
The snacks in town were even coarser, but at least they kept for a long time.
After buying the goods, Zhou Yuan helped Chen Qing mount his horse, then mounted himself. With a flick of the whip, they headed towards Chen Qing's hometown, Linhuang Village.
On the way back, Chen Qing was asked to give directions. Chen Qing remembered the direction. Yellow sand flew as the horse passed by. The closer they got to the village entrance, the tighter Chen Qing gripped his sleeve.
Upon reaching the village entrance, Zhou Yuan slowed down: "Where to next?"
Chen Qing's fingertips trembled slightly as he pointed the way. They saw the boundary stone on the road, and Chen Qing pointed in the direction.
Jieshi Village is named after this large boundary stone. They stopped here, and the horse snorted impatiently.
After pausing for a while, Zhou Yuan set off again towards the village.
When I rode my horse past the village houses, many people came out to see what was happening. After all, it was rare for outsiders to come to the village, let alone someone who came on horseback.
Chen Qing's mud house was located in the village closest to the Hun River.
The Hun River is the river that took away Chen Qing's father. Because the Hun River carries a lot of silt, it dries up completely during the dry season, leaving only a ditch. During the rainy season, the Hun River becomes a mighty river, and the sound of the water echoes throughout the entire village.
Zhou Yuan stopped his horse, dismounted first, and then helped Chen Qing down. Chen Qing looked at the house, which was both strange and familiar, and gripped Zhou Yuan's hand tightly.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Zhou Yuan said.
Chen Qing finally took the first step, slowly approaching the house where he had lived for the past ten years or so. Only when he got closer did he realize that the house was not uninhabited.
"Who are you?" A woman walked out of the house, her age unknown because her head was covered by a veil. She looked at Chen Qing standing at the door.
Chen Qing stood there, stunned. Zhou Yuan walked up to him and asked, "Isn't this Uncle Chen's house? Who are you?"
The woman scoffed, "Chen San has been dead for so many years. Who are you? What do you want with Chen San? Don't come looking for us, we don't know Chen San."
Chen Qing was very angry, but he still tugged at Zhou Yuan's sleeve, and Zhou Yuan pulled him away. Chen Qing then looked at the house next to his house, which was his neighbor, the Du family.
Hearing the commotion, Aunt Du came out to see what was going on. Chen Qing turned around and saw Aunt Du, whom he hadn't seen for more than ten years.
Chen Qing pulled Zhou Yuan in front of Aunt Du and called out, "Aunt Du, it's me."
Aunt Du didn't recognize him: "Who are you?"
Chen Qing lifted his headscarf and looked at Aunt Du with red eyes: "Auntie, I'm Chen Qing."
"Chen Qing?" Aunt Du ran up to Chen Qing, cupping his face in her rough hands. "You're Chen Qing? Where have you been all these years?"
Chen Qing wiped away his tears: "I, I'm fine." He pulled Zhou Yuan over, "Auntie, this is me, my husband."
Aunt Du touched Chen Qing's face without even glancing at Zhou Yuan: "Okay, okay, as long as you're doing well."
Zhou Yuan handed the things they bought to Aunt Du: "I just arrived here and don't know what to buy. Please don't think it's too simple."
Aunt Du didn't care about taking anything. She looked Chen Qing over carefully and found that he was being well taken care of. Then she complained, "I looked for you after burying your stepfather. Where were you?"
With so much to say, Aunt Du pulled them into the house and brought them stools to sit on: "Don't mind the house."
Chen Qing glanced in the direction of his house: "Auntie, who lives in my house?"
Aunt Du's smile faded a bit: "Who else could it be? Your uncle's eldest son got married and had nowhere to live, so he moved into your house."
Chen Qing's lips drooped. His sister-in-law lived in his house, yet she was so disrespectful to his father, never calling him "Third Uncle" and only calling him "Chen San, Chen San."
Aunt Du had a lot of questions to ask him, but before she could say more than a few words, footsteps sounded outside again.
"Mother, I see horses outside. Do we have guests?" Du Feng, Du Aunt's son, said as he lifted the curtain. The first thing he saw was Chen Qing sitting on a small stool.
"Xiao Qing!" Du Feng ran up to Chen Qing, beaming with joy. "Xiao Qing! You're back?"
Zhou Yuan's smile immediately faded. Aunt Du didn't even recognize Chen Qing, but this man recognized Chen Qing after just one glance. It seems he has been thinking about Chen Qing quite a bit.
Zhou Yuan: ...
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