Chapter 853 The Handmaid
In the dark room, on a hard wooden couch.
By the faint glow of the fire, Ouyang Rong examined the blood-written letter more closely.
According to Cui Hao's casual message, the tomb owner was named Lu Changgeng, a scholar who fled south to the Southern Dynasties three hundred years ago. He had some connection with Cui Hao, and his handwritten letters were among the burial objects in the tomb. One of the letters still had a Kui Xing talisman on it. It was made of silk and had not decayed.
Ouyang Rong put down the blood-written letter, his brow furrowed in thought.
As for why Cui Hao, the Grand Minister of Works of the Northern Wei Dynasty and a leading figure among scholars in the north, would have such correspondence with a scholar from the south during the period of hostility between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Cui Hao did not mention a word about it.
“Lu Changgeng…”
The sky outside was beginning to lighten. Ouyang Rong deliberately extinguished the tinder. Darkness obscured his face, making it somewhat indistinct. He murmured something under his breath.
The blood-written letter only said that this person's tomb was in Yunmeng Marsh, but did not specify the exact location, so how could anyone find it?
We can't exactly call on Liu Lang to lead a team for a thorough search.
Besides, he can't go too far from Peach Blossom Town right now; he has to stay here and wait for a certain powerful female ruler to appear at any time and take him into the Cloud Dream Sword Marsh...
Although there was some doubt that Lady Zhi Shuang might have forgotten about him.
Upon closer reflection, the scholars who were able to migrate south in that era were not from impoverished or humble backgrounds.
Moreover, you see, although it is clearly a wave of refugees leaving their homes, the escape of scholars is called the "migrants' southward migration".
So elegant, so composed, so refined, so gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest.
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a spring outing, but it was really just a hasty retreat.
That being said, those who could afford to travel south in their finest attire were mostly from prominent families in the north, and Lu Changgeng's family was probably no exception.
Such scholars, after their deaths, were buried in the Yunmengze area. Presumably, they were not buried in lonely graves or among wandering ghosts, but rather in an established family cemetery. Although Confucianism advocates providing generously for the living and simplifying funerals, there is also the tradition of returning to one's roots. The graves of scholars should be placed in the family's ancestral home.
Based on this analysis, Lu Changgeng's family must have settled and lived in Yunmengze back then, which is why he was buried here after his death.
Since it was a family burial site, it had to be located in an area inhabited by ordinary people, and the family cemetery was also nearby, at least two or three hundred years ago when Lu Changgeng was buried there.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and glanced out the small window. The weather in the town was still shrouded in fog.
Looking across the surrounding area, this Peach Blossom Town seems to fit the requirements perfectly. Judging from the style of the old houses and gates in this town, it has the architectural style of the Southern Dynasties, so it must have been built a long time ago. It is also one of the markets at the foot of the mountain that is deepest into Yunmeng Marsh... It is not impossible that Lu Changgeng's family lived in this town.
Of course, Yunmengze is so vast, bordering many prefectures and counties, that there's a high probability the Lu family isn't here; it's just a matter of luck.
However, Ouyang Rong always felt that Cui Hao wouldn't speak without reason.
Before leaving, Cui Hao praised him for his intelligence, but Cui Hao himself was almost as intelligent as a demon.
Ouyang Rong decided to take some time during the day to investigate.
After thinking it over, Ouyang Rong turned over, using the blankets to cover himself, carefully folded up the blood-written letter, opened a corner of the scroll under his pillow, and stuffed it inside.
Before the rooster could climb onto the roof from the neighboring yard, he reached into the scroll to retrieve something again.
At this moment, he paused in the darkness, as if sensing something. With a "whoosh," his hand returned to his robes and pressed down on a restless ink stick.
It was wriggling like an earthworm, trying to break free of his clothes and come out for some fresh air.
Ouyang Rong sternly stuffed it back in, put it back in its place, and pressed his palm against it through the clothes.
He ignored the "little ink stick's" trembling and unruly protests.
Ouyang Rong wore a bronze mask every morning and evening to protect his avatar, just in case, even though it gradually consumed a certain amount of merit points.
Similarly, we must continue to guard against the leakage of the Little Ink Essence's aura.
Ouyang Rong pulled the blanket up to bury his face, making a soft sound through his teeth:
"Where are we going to find ink for you here? Last time before I left Xunyang, I gave you a good meal and you were still being picky. Stop causing trouble and learn from Da Bai..."
After speaking, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes and sensed the white sturgeon.
The little guy was indeed well-behaved and honest, and was currently swimming with its tail wagging under a misty body of water about three miles outside of Taoyuan Town.
On the dimly lit bed, Ouyang Rong suddenly opened his eyes.
Almost at the same time, a series of heavy footsteps sounded outside the clock tower.
"Brother Liang, is Brother Liang awake? It's time to ring the bell, I'm ready. I think that big rooster next door is about to jump onto the wall..."
Er Gou, a new colleague at the inn, rang out with his loud voice as usual.
Ouyang Rong, dressed in a dark blue monk's robe and sleeping fully clothed, did not respond. He rolled off the bed, grabbed the scroll under his pillow, stuffed it into his bosom, and then habitually stroked his chin. He picked up a felt hat and put it on his eyebrows, lowered his head slightly, got up to open the wooden door of the bell tower, walked out, passed Er Gou, and headed towards the wooden stairs leading to the top floor.
Er Gou followed along eagerly.
The young monk in front of them didn't even greet them, and said in a rather impolite tone:
"Come up here, watch me tap first, then you can do the second half."
Er Gou wasn't annoyed; he curiously peered at the large clock on the rooftop.
"Oh, Brother Liang, do we really have to knock 108 times? Once in the morning and once at night, every day like this, it must be so tiring, Brother Liang, is there some special meaning to this..."
Ouyang Rong did not answer.
Er Gou didn't ask any more questions and obediently followed along, still curiously looking around as they went.
Ouyang Rong was in front, and Er Gou was behind, as they climbed to the top floor together.
Halfway up the mountain, Ouyang Rong heard Er Gou's trembling voice from behind:
"Brother Liu, Brother Liang, it's so high! I'm scared..."
Ouyang Rong simply took off his felt hat and casually but precisely tossed it onto his head:
Don't look down.
"oh oh."
With half of his eyes covered by the felt hat, Sha Ergou wasn't so afraid anymore. He groped around like a blind man as he followed Ouyang Rong up to the top floor, which was about twenty feet high.
Upon arriving at the clock tower, Ouyang Rong did not ask for his hat back.
He glanced back at the young man standing tall and trembling in front of him, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy and dared not look too long at the view from above.
The young man was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with short hair, dark skin, a large and flat nose, and an ordinary, honest appearance. However, he had some messy tattoos on his body, which were showing from his neck.
They were dressed like typical natives of the Wu-Yue region, with short hair and tattoos, still quite uncivilized. If they were in Jiangzhou, Governor Ouyang Rong would definitely have to help them integrate into "Our Holy Zhou," and wouldn't allow a single one to fall behind.
Unfortunately, heading south, especially in the Lingnan region, many prefectures and counties were still under the control of the barbarians, governed by their customs, which meant that the barbarian chieftains were self-governing.
The Yunmeng Marsh, which is close to them, is also a no-man's-land, and people still flee there from time to time. There are many uncivilized villages scattered around the periphery, but a proper Han town like Taoyuan Town is a rare sight.
I met him a few days ago. Er Gou told me that he comes from there, and his village is quite far from Taoyuan Town.
Ouyang Rong touched his chin and suddenly realized that his appearance wasn't much better.
Others have short hair and tattoos, but he, like Aqing, has the character "Yue" tattooed on his forehead. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, this symbolized the status of a government slave.
No wonder Er Gou was so friendly with Ouyang Rong just a few days ago and took the initiative to talk to him. He probably thought that Ouyang Rong was like him, a native of Wu and Yue from the surrounding villages.
"Brother Liang, why are you looking at me like that?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"It's nothing. You... By the way, do you have a surname?"
The short-haired young man thought for a moment and said:
“Sha, our village is called Shajialong, and my sister also says her surname is Sha when she’s outside.”
"Sha Er Gou... Sha... Gou..."
Ouyang Rong paused halfway through his sentence, somewhat speechless:
"I'll still call you Er Gou from now on."
Sha Ergou grinned, revealing his big white teeth:
"Either is fine."
He asked curiously:
"And what about Brother Liang? What's his surname?"
Ouyang Rong quieted down, turned around and hugged the wood, and in the silence, suddenly struck the first bell of the morning.
"willow."
Sha Ergou saw the young man in monk's robes fluttering in the cool morning breeze finish speaking without turning his head.
"clang--!"
The resounding bell awakened the snow-covered ancient town.
...
Sha Ergou had only arrived at the Red Dust Inn the day before yesterday. Like Ouyang Rong, he worked as a maid, helping the innkeeper with manual labor.
The reason he came to watch the bell ringing this morning was because Ouyang Rong had asked him yesterday if he wanted to learn, and the two of them divided the work together.
Having just arrived in this place, Sha Ergou also wanted to earn some extra money, so he immediately agreed and said he would give it a try.
Ouyang Rong asked someone to share the bell-ringing work. Besides freeing up his hands to do other things, it also made him appear "more normal"... Who doesn't get tired of ringing the bell so many times every day, rain or shine?
After descending the bell tower, Ouyang Rong tossed a handkerchief to Sha Ergou.
He struck the first half of the 108 bells, and then handed the second half over to Sha Ergou.
Ouyang Rong locked the bell tower door, led the way towards the Red Dust Inn, and casually asked:
"So, what are you going to do?"
Sha Ergou glanced back timidly at the clock tower behind him. Noticing that Brother Liang had turned around, he gritted his teeth and nodded resolutely:
"Dry!"
Without pointing out the short-haired youth's fear of heights, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly:
"Alright, let's start today. I have something to do this afternoon, so you can ring the bell for me. The evening bell is yours too. We'll split the wages 50/50, and the township head will settle accounts every ten days..."
Sha Ergou listened attentively. It was clear that this was also his first time leaving his poor hometown. He was honest and simple, and coming to Taoyuan Town was like going to the city to see the world for him, so he studied very hard.
Without turning his head, Ouyang Rong said, "I'll give you the hat. I'll clock in the morning, so you don't have to get up so early like today..."
"Okay, okay..."
Sha Ergou nodded repeatedly, glancing at the back of the taciturn older brother in front of him.
He felt that this Brother Liang was unusually organized and methodical in his speech and actions. He could break down even the most complicated matters and explain them in detail. He had a kind of calming quality that made people feel at peace.
This was something Sha Ergou had never seen before. At first, because of Ouyang Rong's appearance, Sha Ergou thought that he was also a native. Since he was in an unfamiliar environment, he naturally felt closer to him.
But now, looking at him, this Brother Liang is definitely different from him. Perhaps they have similar backgrounds and both have cut their hair short and gotten tattoos, but Brother Liang has been through so much over the years that he is so completely different...
Sha Ergou suddenly said:
"Is Brother Liang a very good swimmer?"
Ouyang Rong's back didn't pause; he calmly asked:
How did you figure that out?
Sha Ergou scratched his head:
"Brother Liang, with your physique and long arms, you're clearly a skilled swimmer. Your build is exactly the same as the best paddlers in our village; you must have been a seasoned swimmer for years..."
He then smiled and pointed to himself:
"And so am I, Brother Liang. Although I'm a bit afraid of heights, I'm faster than fish in the water. But I probably can't compare to you, Brother Liang. Let's go play in the water at the big lake another day..."
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment.
What Sha Er Gou was referring to was actually A Shan.
When Ah Shan first met him, it was because Ah Shan bravely saved him from drowning in a turbulent current.
Ouyang Rong interrupted in a muffled voice:
"That was before. I was injured later, so I have to try to avoid getting it wet."
Sha Ergou was taken aback, seemingly wanting to ask more questions, but then held back:
"oh oh."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes slightly.
In a way, this is also a drawback of the bronze mask; if it falls into water, its illusory form will be destroyed.
After waiting for a while, Sha Ergou didn't speak again, as if he was blaming himself for saying the wrong thing.
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"Ergou, what made you decide to come to Taoyuan County?"
Sha Ergou lowered his head:
"I was brought here by someone, and they told me to stay at the inn for now."
Ouyang Rong paused slightly:
"Who? Who brought you here?"
Sha Ergou, oblivious to anything amiss, stated directly:
"Mrs. Yu, she was the one who took my sister away before, and brought her to Taoyuan Town..."
As he spoke, his voice softened.
Ouyang Rong turned around and carefully examined Sha Ergou's expression. Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, it shouldn't have been brought by Xue Zhongzhu.
Ouyang Rong didn't ask any more questions.
They traveled in silence until they arrived at the Red Dust Inn.
The inn was already open to guests. Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou arrived early and were called to work by Boss Yu.
The inn's servants included not only Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou, but also six or seven other men.
Hongchen Inn is the largest restaurant in the north of Taoyuan Town. It is located right near the town entrance, and most travelers arriving from the north stay here to rest and stay overnight, so there are naturally quite a few people to help out.
Busy until noon, Ouyang Rong collected some dry rations, met up with Sha Ergou, and prepared to find a place to rest in the backyard. They passed by the lobby counter.
Just then, I saw two young women on the counter being surrounded by five male servants who were taking a break, chatting and laughing with them.
Ouyang Rong was still thinking about a certain tomb and was somewhat distracted. As he passed the counter, he felt his sleeve being tugged.
He turned his head and saw that it was Sha Ergou who was pulling on his sleeve.
Ouyang Rong frowned and followed Sha Ergou's winking gaze to look at the two young women behind the counter.
One of the women Ouyang Rong recognized was the youngest daughter of Boss Yu. She had a round, youthful face with some freckles, and her figure resembled her mother's, with a slightly thick waist. However, it was probably because of the beautiful young woman standing next to her that made her look so.
Ouyang Rong's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the beautiful young woman. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and slender, with a face only the size of a palm, delicate and pretty. Her waist appeared even slimmer against the backdrop of her freckles, and her legs, hidden under her skirt, were probably quite shapely. Most importantly, in addition to her well-proportioned figure, her skin was also very fair, unlike the petite and delicate type of young woman from Jiangnan.
At this moment, both young women were at the counter calculating accounts with abacuses, while the five male servants took advantage of the break to exchange a few frivolous remarks, their attention naturally focused on the prettiest one.
However, apart from Miss Yu secretly blushing, the tall young lady's lowered face remained somewhat indifferent as she slowly fiddled with the abacus, as if she hadn't heard anything.
This also made the surrounding servants and customers increasingly curious and eager to try it.
"This Miss Song is a new maid. I heard from Brother Guang and the others that she's from Jiannan Road. She was kidnapped by human traffickers while fleeing the war, and the proprietress took pity on her and bought her from them. She works at the counter, and I heard she can even read..."
Sha Ergou whispered with his lips pursed.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze; he hadn't really paid much attention to it these past two days.
"oh."
Ouyang Rong took a bite of his dry rations, turned around, and continued walking.
Sha Ergou was stunned for a moment, and then reluctantly left. He had originally wanted to go over and talk to him.
Upon arriving in the backyard, Sha Ergou followed behind Ouyang Rong and asked curiously:
"Brother Liang, which town is Jiannan Road? Are all the girls there so fair and thin?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at him:
"You can't handle that woman over there."
Sha Ergou asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head without saying a word, then sat down and began to eat his dry rations.
About half an hour later, Ouyang Rong, who had finished his afternoon nap, opened his eyes, gave Sha Ergou a few instructions, and then went to the counter in the lobby.
Only Miss Yu was at the counter; the new maid surnamed Song was nowhere to be seen.
Ouyang Rong didn't mind and directly stated his purpose.
The freckled young woman lowered her head to flip through the account book:
"Oh, Liu Aliang, you're taking a break, right? Wait a moment, I'll settle your wages..."
...
(PS: Daytime update failed, nailed to the pillar of shame OR2)
(End of this chapter)
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