Chapter 108 Wuxia: Not a Substitute (4)
There is not much rain after autumn.
But when it actually rains, it comes down especially hard.
Six months later, on a rainy day.
Zhao Meng is back.
A blood-stained carriage stopped in the neighboring courtyard, and a lean man was the first to jump off.
"Brother Wang, this is my home. We've avoided their eyes and ears all this way, so we should be able to rest and recuperate properly."
The rough voice rang out, and Changqing knew that his scumbag father had returned, and with his good brother, the Wang family father and son.
He drew back the curtains.
Sure enough, another man got off the carriage. He was about the same size as Zhao Meng and was holding a seven or eight-year-old child in his arms. The strong smell of blood filled the air, indicating that both father and son were injured.
"interesting."
Changqing made no move to go out and say hello.
Zhao Meng turned around and pushed open the gate to the courtyard.
"Yue'e, Yue'e! I'm back."
He shouted, but then froze on the spot.
It was raining so hard just now that I couldn't see clearly. Why are there so many tall weeds in this yard? It doesn't look like anyone lives here at all.
"Yue'e! Yue'e!"
Zhao Meng shouted twice more, but the room remained silent.
That's awkward.
I brought my brother home, only to find the house deserted and no one there either.
Zhao Meng frowned, feeling somewhat angry.
Holding the seriously injured child in his arms, Wang Lei's face turned awkward. He thought to himself, "Brother Zhao hasn't been home for so many years, could it be that his wife ran off with someone else?" But as a guest, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Brother Zhao, let's settle in and make do with this place."
To avoid his enemies, he dared not stay at an inn, so he had no choice but to make do.
Zhao Meng slapped his forehead.
“Yes, Brother Wang, let’s go inside first. My nephew is injured, so we need to settle him down as soon as possible.”
The two walked into the yard one after the other, pushing aside the waist-high weeds, and finally arrived at the door of the house.
Zhao Meng took a deep breath and then pushed open the door.
Although he was somewhat prepared, the scene before him still made his eyes widen instantly.
The room was completely undisturbed; stools and tables were overturned on the floor, and the mess was an eyesore. A strong musty smell, along with the stench of animal excrement, assaulted the nostrils, making one's stomach churn and feel nauseous.
Holy crap!
Zhao Meng couldn't help but curse.
Brother Wang also frowned; he hadn't expected the kind-hearted Zhao Meng's home to be like this.
"Dad, it's alright, I can endure it even if I have to hide in the outhouse."
The child who had been unconscious in his arms seemed to have been awakened by the smell and mumbled something in his sleep, making Zhao Meng lose face.
"Where did that damned woman run off to?!"
When I got to the bedroom, it was even worse. The blankets were damp and wet to the touch, and the smell was just as bad as the living room.
"I'm going to borrow something from next door."
Zhao Meng felt he had completely lost face, and since he also wanted to know where that woman had gone, he went out and called out outside Changqing's courtyard.
Is anyone home? Is anyone home?
Changqing pushed open the door and came out holding an umbrella.
Small, child?
Zhao Meng was taken aback. "Young man, where are your parents? Could you lend me two blankets? We have guests coming over, and we don't have enough blankets."
Not enough? Or is it unusable?
Changqing chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.
In the story, when Zhao Meng arrived, there were people living in the house, and they cooked every day, so naturally there was everything they needed. Now, after half a year without anyone living there, it's practically a dilapidated temple.
My family is in the county town.
Changqing responded with a questioning look at Zhao Meng.
"Brother, who are you? Isn't the house next door where Lady Lin lives?"
He addressed Zhao Meng in a clear, crisp voice, using a very江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) style.
Zhao Meng's eyes lit up, and he excitedly grabbed Chang Qing's hand.
"Young man, do you know Lin Yue'e? She's my wife. Where is she now?"
Changqing subtly took a step back, easily avoiding his hand.
"Miss Lin lives at the Yuelai Inn in town. She has been staying there for half a year and rarely comes back."
He had barely finished speaking when he heard Zhao Meng curse, "You spendthrift woman!"
However, upon hearing that his wife was in town, he wasn't in a hurry to borrow blankets anymore. A house without a woman wouldn't do; who would clean? Who would cook? Was he, a grown man, supposed to do it all?
I need to call my wife back first.
He also had wounded family members to take care of, and he wasn't good at delicate work.
Zhao Meng thanked him and then turned and ran towards the town.
...
When Zhao Meng stormed into the inn, Lin Yue'e was drinking alone in silence.
Yu Tian, the inn doesn't have many guests, only long-term residents like her.
"Lin Yue'e!"
A loud shout came from the doorway. She looked up and blinked her somewhat dazed eyes. What came into view was a blurry figure that seemed strangely familiar, but she didn't recognize it.
"Hehe, brother, if you want to drink, you'll have to buy it yourself. I don't have much money left."
Lin Yue'e opened her mouth, exhaling a breath of alcohol, her voice slurred.
She assumed the visitor was someone who often mooched drinks at the inn. After all, she had money and was quite generous, often treating people to drinks. That's how it is for people in the martial arts world; money spent will always come back.
However, she really didn't have enough money. She had spent almost all her money on food and lodging at the inn during this period, and she estimated that she would probably have to go back to that little courtyard after a while.
The thought of the yard that hadn't been cleaned in so long made her scalp tingle.
Sometimes, she couldn't help but miss the days when her son was still by her side, but what could she do? Who would have thought that he wasn't her son?
It was already afternoon, and the shopkeeper, who was slumped behind the counter, was feeling drowsy. Hearing the conversation, he opened his eyes and saw a tall, strong man with an angry face standing at the door.
"Zhao, the great hero Zhao?"
Zhao Meng grew up in Hongyun Town, and the old shopkeeper recognized him, so he immediately stood up.
"Madam Zhao, your husband is back!"
At the shopkeeper's reminder, Zhao Meng strode in, grabbed Lin Yue'e's hair, and with a jerk, lifted her up from her seat.
However, Lin Yue'e was obviously extremely bored today and drank quite a lot. She was so confused that she didn't recognize anyone. Even when she was lifted up, her body went limp and fell back down.
"W-Who are you? I, my husband is Zhao, Zhao Meng, the great hero, and my son is the best in the world! Let me go!"
Lin Yue'e had been imagining her son, who had been taken away by a master, becoming the number one martial arts expert in the world. Feeling a bit uneasy, she drunkenly blurted it out to scare people.
Zhao Meng was so angry he almost laughed.
He leaned closer. "Lin Yue'e, look closely. Who am I?"
Lin Yue'e opened her hazy eyes, stared at him for a while, and suddenly, she pounced on him.
"Brother Meng!"
The scream was so loud it shattered rocks and nearly made the shopkeeper fall off his stool.
Lin Yue'e sobered up considerably.
She pulled Zhao Meng down to sit, and was about to begin recounting her longing over the years when Zhao Meng slapped his forehead, remembering that there were still guests at home.
"Yue'e, let's go back first, there's something I need to do at home."
Without saying a word, he grabbed Lin Yue'e and started walking outside.
The shopkeeper watched the two rush into the rain and disappear from sight, and couldn't help but shake his head.
These江湖人士 (jianghu figures) don't even bother to use umbrellas in the rain, as if getting soaked makes them more chivalrous. And since they're leaving, aren't they going to pack their things? Are they even going to stay in the guest room? They didn't even say a word.
"Forget it, let's just pack it up and put it aside."
The shopkeeper murmured something and then smiled helplessly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com