Chapter 250 There will always be a time when I need your help...
"Aren't you afraid of getting tired?" Du Min seemed to suddenly remember that the person in question was still in front of him. He asked perfunctorily, and before the other party could answer, he said, "If you're afraid of getting tired, you have to bear it. Once you're here, you have to listen to me. If you can't take it, go back to Wu County. Once you go back, don't come looking for me again."
Jinshu gave an embarrassed smile. He was already regretting it; this wasn't the scene he had imagined. He had received two letters from his third uncle at home, thinking that his uncle had become successful and wanted to promote his relatives, so he could live a life of luxury with servants and fine clothes. With this belief, he gritted his teeth and endured the hardships of traveling from south to north, a journey that took half a year. He never expected to be treated like this.
"Do you want to go back?" Du Min asked tentatively.
Jinshu rubbed her hands together. "Never mind, I'm already here."
Du Min sneered, "Oh? You're actually really interested? You've had too many good days. Not only can you not read between the lines, you can't even tell the difference between what's said and what's said. You seemed quite clever when you were a kid."
Jinshu shut her mouth.
Du Min gestured for the servant to leave, then pulled at his cloak and sat down on the edge of the bed, casually asking, "Are your grandparents still healthy?"
"Jianlang, he can eat and sleep well..."
"Is he as big as you? He's twice as big as two people." Du Min glanced at his physique, thinking it was a waste of the good name he had carefully chosen back then.
“Everyone in the village says I’m lucky,” Jinshu explained in a low voice, suppressing her anger. “And I’ve lost weight, a lot of weight, at least twenty pounds.”
“You’re certainly living a comfortable life.” Du Min could tell that Jin Shu was afraid of him, but when he belittled her, she couldn’t help but want to defend herself. This meant that she had never been oppressed in the village and was even praised by the villagers, which led to her having excessive self-confidence.
"It's all thanks to my third uncle," Jinshu flattered.
“Talk about your grandparents.” Du Min wasn’t buying it.
“My grandma is a bit plumper, but my grandpa is still skinny. He has a bad temper and often refuses to eat,” Jinshu said.
"Why are you angry and not eating?" Du Min asked, staring at him.
“He likes to run around and often causes trouble at the village's clan school. When my parents and the villagers try to control him, he gets angry.” Jinshu’s eyes flickered.
Du Min understood what he meant by being too angry to eat; it must be that his elder brother and sister-in-law were making the old man angry and punishing him by making him go hungry.
"Have your grandparents' voices gotten any better?" Du Min asked, staring at him.
"No..." Jinshu subconsciously looked at him, only to meet a pair of probing eyes. He was so frightened that he quickly turned his head away, his reaction extremely strong.
"What's with your reaction? Do you think I eat people?" Du Min stood up.
Jinshu stammered, unable to speak, and broke out in a cold sweat.
Du Min remained silent, watching him scratch his head in frustration.
“Yes, it’s just the villagers talking nonsense. Some people say that you made my grandparents mute…” Jinshu’s voice grew softer and softer, then rose again, “I don’t believe it. I even fought with those bastards who spout nonsense. I beat them into submission, and no one dares to talk nonsense anymore.”
"You got into a fight, didn't your mother scold you?"
“No, my mother made me hit her. After I did, she came to our house and started cursing at my parents. After my mother finished cursing, my uncle would also come to our house to scold them and threaten them that they could no longer go to the clan school.”
Du Min finally heard some good news: "Tomorrow I will have my servant Yu buy some nice things for your mother and your uncle and send them back. Write the letter tonight and send it out with the package tomorrow."
"Yes," Jinshu replied.
"Your mother has gone to great lengths to raise you well." Du Min realized that Jinshu's character was probably deliberately cultivated by Li Hongguo. She wanted to use a comfortable and lazy life to grind down Jinshu's edges and ambitions, and to fill his desire for fame and fortune with the desire for food and drink, so as to prevent him from climbing up to her power.
Jinshu finally heard something she wanted to hear.
"You haven't read many books, have you?" Du Min asked.
“My mother said that you’ve taken away all the spiritual energy of Dujiawan. I’m not cut out for studying, and I won’t amount to anything by studying anyway. It’s better not to suffer the hardship of studying,” Jinshu said matter-of-factly.
Du Min remained silent.
Jinshu glanced at him, feeling uneasy.
"Leave Jizhou tomorrow and return to Wu County," Du Min said.
"Huh? But I just arrived." Jinshu objected again. "How about I go back to Huaizhou? I don't want to go back to Dujiawan."
Du Min's expression immediately changed: "You're not so lucky. If you don't go back, then work for me."
Jinshu simply said "Oh" and fell silent.
"Go back to your room and write a letter," Du Min dismissed the man.
Jinshu took a deep breath, trying to reduce the strain on her legs, and tiptoed out.
"Wait a minute." Du Min remembered something else. "Write down the names of all the people you've fought with and give them to me."
"Third Uncle, are you going to avenge me?" Jinshu asked in surprise. "No need, we're all from the same village..."
“It’s only written behind my back to ruin my reputation.” Du Min realized that unless he explained things clearly, this seemingly stupid man couldn’t understand.
"Oh." Jinshu took a few steps, then asked again, still worried, "Third Uncle, what are you going to do with them? I've already taught them a lesson, and they've repented."
“You don’t seem like your father’s son, but more like Du Lao Er’s son, no…” Du Min shook his head. He looked at the person at the door. Jin Shu’s presence here proved that Du Lao Er was no longer an indecisive and soft-hearted person.
“Remember to write it down and hand it in to me tomorrow morning.” Du Min didn’t explain to him.
Jinshu hesitated, then left with a heart full of worry. He felt he had said something wrong and ruined things, but he didn't dare tell his mother in the letter. So he pretended nothing had happened and revised and wrote a list.
There was a sudden knock on the door. Jinshu listened intently, and there was indeed someone outside. "Who is it?"
"Young master, I have been instructed by my superior to take you with us to practice our morning exercises," the head guard said through the door.
When Jinshu opened the door, the moon was still hanging in the sky.
The head of the guards took a good look at his physique and clicked his tongue in embarrassment.
Upon hearing the voice, Jinshu recalled the mocking words from his third uncle. He stopped himself from saying anything backing down, changed his clothes, and followed him out.
Taking this step marked the beginning of Jinshu's days of hardship. The head of the guards treated him like family, whipping him for any slacking off during morning practice. The head of the guards would whip him until he crawled on the ground, and also restricted his food intake, kicking him into the river to soak in cold water if he was caught stealing food. When on duty, he had to wield a hoe to help farmers dig fields, help carpenters cut and carry trees, help the old man who emptied chamber pots pull carts and carry manure, guard the warehouse to carry goods for foreign merchants to earn money, and fill in for the old soldiers in the military garrison to cultivate land...
Jinshu made up for all the hardships he hadn't endured in the previous twenty years within six months. He was so exhausted that he cried and begged to go back to Wu County, even kneeling by Du Min's bedside. He even tried to escape, but without exception, after crying and making a scene, he was forced to continue working.
That day, Du Min returned from outside and entered the post station. He found a letter on the table, opened it, and read the words "Retreat immediately" written on it.
"Pack your things and leave after an incense stick's time." Du Min quickly went out to inform them, then immediately went back inside to pack his luggage.
After a stick of incense had burned, Du Min and Jin Shu boarded a carriage and, escorted by guards, drove away from the post station. Once outside Ji County, they drove westward without stopping.
"Third Uncle, what happened?" Jinshu asked.
"My lord, there seem to be pursuers behind us." The chief guard rode over to report the news. "For your safety, I think we should split into two groups. You should change horses and change course at the fork in the road ahead, heading south to Yizhou."
"Third Uncle, what happened? Why are there still pursuers? Aren't you a high-ranking official?" Jinshu asked anxiously.
"Shut up!" Du Min snapped, then said to the outside, "I'll listen to you, change horses."
The carriage stopped, and Du Min picked up the most important bundle, which contained all the evidence he had collected. He mounted his horse and looked at the other person pacing anxiously on the ground. Half a year later, Jinshu was a completely different person from when she first arrived, and she didn't seem as troublesome anymore.
"Third Uncle, what should I do?" Jinshu stared at the horses under the others.
Du Min pointed to a short guard, "Guo Hu, dismount, strip off your clothes, find a place to hide here, and return to Ji County to find out what's going on. The rest of you split into two groups: one group will follow me south, and the other will take the empty carriage west to draw away the pursuers for me. After that, abandon the carriage and escape as quickly as possible. Do not attempt to fight back. We will meet in Yizhou a month later."
As soon as he finished speaking, the short guard had already stripped off his uniform.
Du Min gestured for Jin Shu to mount her horse, and he pulled on the reins, taking the lead and heading south.
One group of guards followed, while another group escorted the carriage westward at top speed.
Jinshu was so frightened that his hands and legs went weak, and he almost couldn't get on the stirrups. Seeing that the two groups had already gone far away, he let out two howls in fright, gritted his teeth, held his breath, climbed onto the horse, and urged it to chase after them.
Du Min and his group of ten rode their horses until midnight, when the horses could no longer keep up and stopped. Even after stopping, they did not rest, but instead led their horses onward by the moonlight.
They walked until dawn, and the group arrived at a no-man's-land where the three states of Yi, You, and Ji met, and temporarily settled in a small town.
After resting in the town for a day and replenishing their supplies, the group continued south.
Jinshu remained silent for the rest of the journey.
Ten days later, Du Min stayed at the Yizhou post station. Jin Shu found him and said firmly, "Third Uncle, I'm serious this time. I want to go back to Wu County."
"Are you scared out of your wits?" Du Min glanced at him. "Even someone as powerful and influential as me isn't afraid, what are you afraid of?"
Jinshu ignored his words, "I'm leaving tomorrow. If you won't send someone to escort me, I'll leave on my own."
"Fine, you can beg your way back." Du Min unfolded a soft cloth to wipe his feet and then looked away.
“I want to go back.” Jinshu stared at him. “You didn’t say that I would have to risk my life to work for you.”
"Nobody told me," Du Min retorted, "You're not dead, are you?"
"I'm dying."
"Why are you dying so soon?"
Jinshu spread out his hands. Half a year ago, his hands were so soft you couldn't feel the bones. Now, they were covered with scars and calluses. Right now, there were two abrasions on his palms, intertwined with scabs and bloodstains, caused by holding the reins.
“My hands are raw, my thighs are raw, and the wounds are festering. I’m quitting this job. I’m going back to Wuxian and I’ll never come out again,” Jinshu said.
"Go see a doctor, get some medicine and you'll be fine," Du Min said calmly. "It's just a minor injury, you won't die. With your tendency to back down at the drop of a hat, if you were born in the north and served in the military every year, would you desert when war breaks out?"
"I quit! Can't you understand human language?" Jinshu roared.
Du Min's expression changed. He grabbed the belt that was placed by the bed and lashed it across the face. The leather belt struck his face, leaving a red mark.
"Who are you yelling at?" Du Min looked at him coldly. "Are you trying to be difficult?"
Jinshu clenched her hands, panting heavily as she glared at him.
"What? You want to hit me again?" Du Min lashed out with the whip again. "You knew to run away when you encountered danger, so you ran away, leaving me here to risk my life? I've been living like a grandson out there, struggling to survive, just to support you, my grandpa?"
"What have I asked you to support? Have I gone to study at the Imperial Academy? Or have I lived in your governor's mansion? Have I been made to serve you like a servant?" Jinshu asked loudly. "Even if I were to risk my life for you, it wouldn't be my turn."
Du Min sneered, "Pretend to be my father my ass! You were already seven or eight years old when I went to the capital for the imperial examinations. Do you remember what kind of life you were living back then? Without me, could you have been so arrogant and domineering in the village? Could you have become so fat and bloated? You really are a descendant of the Du family, with your high noses and no sense of your own worth. You want to live in the governor's mansion? You want to study at the Imperial Academy? You want to be bossed around? Why are you making such a fuss about going back to Wu County? Didn't I give you the chance?"
Jinshu was so ashamed by the scolding that he couldn't lift his head. He retorted, "I quit. I don't want to live a life of being a servant. I don't want this opportunity. I want to go back."
“Go back, did I stop you?” Du Min put down his belt. “Get out, and get out of here right now.”
Jinshu remained motionless. It was already October, and the weather in Yizhou was cold. It was estimated that it would snow in another half month. He would freeze to death on the road if he left penniless.
"Men, throw him out of here!" Du Min shouted.
"You're the one who sent me, so you have to give me travel expenses." Jinshu shamelessly reached out her hand to ask for money.
"Who are you?" Du Min asked. "Do you think I'll still be your third uncle the moment you step out of this door? I don't care if you live or die."
The servant entered, and Du Min waved his hand, "Throw him out and don't let him into the post station."
Jinshu stared at him in shock.
"Young master, please." The attendant said.
Jinshu stormed off.
The servant saw the man out and then came back in to report, "Sir, the young master has left the post station and headed south. Should we send someone to follow him?"
"Follow him and see what he's up to." Du Min had a headache; if he couldn't use this person in the end, he would suffer a huge loss.
Jinshu used the brute strength he had developed over the past six months to help people carry goods to earn money for food. At night, he would rest at the City God Temple, where he was targeted by a gang of beggars who beat him black and blue and stole his thick clothes.
He endured ten days of hardship outside, but still lowered his head and begged Du Min for mercy.
The five guards who had led the carriage to distract the pursuers and the guards who had returned to Jizhou to gather information had all returned, bringing new news: the governor of Youzhou had just been summoned to the capital, and Prime Minister Zheng had immediately led troops to arrest the officials of the governor's office, including the salt officials and the military commander of Jizhou.
"It is said that officials in Youzhou and Jizhou colluded with foreign merchants to sell smuggled salt and slaves," Guo Hu said. "Now notices are posted everywhere in Jizhou, searching for escaped officials and foreign merchants."
"Pack your things and head back to Jizhou immediately." Du Min suspected he had been tricked. Who was the mastermind behind that group of pursuers? Did Prime Minister Zheng transfer him away to prevent him from sharing the credit?
"Back to Jizhou at this time?" Jinshu was terrified, her face turning pale. "Didn't Guard Guo say that there are still criminal officials on the run? What if they become desperate and attack you?"
Du Min ignored him, grabbed a few essential items, and hurried out.
Jinshu hesitated for a few seconds, then chased after him, shamelessly begged for a mount, and left Yizhou.
"Third Uncle, I'm just a burden. I can't help you by staying by your side. Why won't you let me go?" Jinshu chased after him and shouted into the wind, "What do you want in return for letting me go?"
"It's alright if I can't help, you can be buried with me when I die," Du Min said lightly.
“You wouldn’t even bother using me to be buried with you. You have no feelings for me, and you’d find it annoying to be buried next to me.” Jinshu exposed his lie. “You must have an ulterior motive.”
"Yes, when we need your help, you can stay put." Du Min gave him a high look, then cracked his whip and shouted, "Giddy up!"
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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.
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