Guan Hu tucked the brocade pouch into his robes and prepared to return.
Unfortunately, I suddenly experienced a sharp, unbearable cramp in my stomach, and I cursed under my breath, wondering what I had eaten.
Looking around at the strange houses, I quickly spotted one that seemed relatively normal. I steeled myself and knocked on the wooden door of the building, which was adorned with a red flag. Someone who lived in a respectable place would surely be easy to talk to.
Don't run into that skinny old man from the village entrance again, he could kill you out of the blue.
The door opened quickly, revealing an elderly woman. Her skin was loose and she was of advanced age, yet she was dressed extravagantly and wore heavy makeup.
Guan Hu was momentarily stunned! He thought to himself, "Why are all the places in Shibalipu like this?! It's terrifying!"
The old woman leaned against the door, a smile playing on her lips. She looked him up and down, then asked with a smile, "Are you here for a meal or a room, sir?"
Is this place a place to eat? Or a place to stay? Is anyone coming? Guan Hu was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Because I urgently needed to use the restroom, I could only politely say, "Let's eat."
"Come in!" The old woman's eyes showed satisfaction with Guan Hu. She stepped aside to let him in, closed the door behind her, and led the way, asking, "What would you like to eat, sir?"
"Two catties of beef and a jar of good wine, please. By the way, Madam, where is the toilet? I urgently need to use it." Guan Hu ordered the dishes according to his usual way of eating, then clutched his stomach and asked anxiously, his tone respectful and not daring to be careless.
"Go straight ahead, turn left after you exit the corridor, and you'll find the outhouse. Be careful," the old woman said jokingly, pointing to the backyard.
Using the dim light, Guan Hu passed through the dining tables in the front hall, pushed open a wooden door, and entered the backyard. He hurriedly turned left and went to the outhouse without giving it much thought.
As soon as I squatted down, my stomach started gurgling, and emptying it made it feel much better. I cursed inwardly; it's been tough work lately, and I wonder when I'll be able to have a proper rest. Ever since a barbecue restaurant moved into Longyang Town, Manager Hua has been absolutely disgusted with it, determined to destroy it. He thinks, "What can a tiny shop like this possibly do? Even if you work your whole life, you might not be able to buy even one percent of Hua Man Lou."
After spending these past few years with Hua Yuhe, he's come to understand that women and petty people are the hardest to deal with! And since he can't afford to offend them, he can only go through the motions.
He let out a long sigh, pulled up his pants, and walked out. He ran into another old woman, her hands covered in blood, clutching a kitchen knife as she passed by.
Their eyes met, and Guan Hu was so frightened that he took two steps back before he could control his emotions. His eyes were fixed on the dripping blood knife, and the thought of murder and robbery surged into his mind.
The old woman had a strange smile and said quietly, "Slaughter the cow." Then she turned and went inside.
Upon closer inspection, half a tail was still hanging on the threshold, pulled inside by the bloody hand from within the door.
They really did slaughter a cow!
"Oh, oh." Guan Hu clutched his pounding heart, uttered two words, and hurried towards the front hall, but his heart felt inexplicably uneasy.
Back in the front hall, a young woman with half her face disfigured was setting out wine and meat at the table. Seeing Guan Hu approach, she hurriedly pulled at her hair, trying to cover her disfigured face. She quickly placed the wine and meat down, then lowered her head and retreated hastily.
At first glance, he seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before.
The old woman who opened the door urged, "Sir, eat it while it's hot, the braised beef will be too tough to chew if it gets cold."
"Okay, sure." Guan Hu looked at the food and snapped out of his daze. His stomach was empty; he was indeed hungry, so he wolfed it down.
However, after eating two pounds of beef and finishing the last sip of wine, Guan Hu gradually felt dizzy. He stood up and weakly asked, "How much?" before passing out with a slurred speech.
The old woman tiptoed forward, nudged the man slumped over the table, and when there was no response, beckoned upstairs.
Two sturdy middle-aged women quickly came down and dragged the person into the room, one on each side.
After a thorough search, everything was laid out on the table. There was a fine sword, three hundred taels of silver notes and some loose silver, and a brocade pouch, but nothing else.
"How can they be so poor?!" several old women exclaimed with disdain.
Of all the jobs I've done, this one is the poorest!
The woman at the head of the table looked at the items on the table, then squeezed the brocade pouch and poured out a piece of top-quality jade inlaid with gold. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was engraved with the two characters "Murong," and her expression changed.
This man is neither a member of the Murong family nor related to them, so he is not suitable to be made into beef.
They've been living a life of leisure and idleness in Shibalipu for so long, they should be fearless! But now, the old sisters have such a deep bond, how can they afford to be homeless and wander around aimlessly?
Since it's related to the Murong family, then forget it. Having made up her mind, the old woman stuffed the brocade pouch back into his arms, accepted everything else, and said, "Let the girls come out and take a look. Whoever likes it can have it, just like always."
The older women behind him swarmed around him until the next day.
Late at night, Guan Hu woke up again and found himself in a pile of firewood outside Shibalipu, where the second-in-command was in excruciating pain.
He quickly checked the brocade pouch to make sure the contents were still there, then, holding his breath, he shuffled away from Shibalipu.
They ran very, very far until they were too tired to run any further, when they happened to meet a man driving an oxcart carrying manure. Without any hesitation, they stopped the cart.
"Young man, what's wrong with you?" the oxcart driver asked kindly, seeing him walking in pain.
"My stomach hurts, my stomach hurts. Could you give me a ride, brother?" Guan Hu was too embarrassed to tell the truth, so he lowered his stance and asked for a ride.
“Stomach ache? I don’t think so!” The oxcart driver tightened the reins to stop the cart, let Guan Hu sit next to him, and then cracked his whip to continue on his way.
He glanced at Guan Hu's second-in-command, chuckled, and said, "Brother, just got married? Don't be embarrassed, I was like that back in the day. Take my advice, there's no such thing as land that's been over-cultivated, only oxen that have died from exhaustion. Take it easy, there's still a long way to go." He then burst into laughter.
Guan Hu was even more ashamed, and he hated those old women to death!
"Here, have a drink." The oxcart driver handed over a bamboo tube.
Guan Hu didn't stand on ceremony, took the bamboo tube, took a sip, and exclaimed with sparkling eyes, "What kind of wine is this? It's so delicious!"
"Doesn't homemade peach wine have a fruity aroma? I fell in love with it at first sip, and the more I drank, the more addicted I became!" Brother Niu Che said enthusiastically.
"With this skill, why are you driving a carriage? You're wasting your talent!" Guan Hu said casually.
"Hey! This wine won't sell!" The oxcart driver's earlier smugness vanished.
"Oh, why?"
“Every time I set up a stall, people would inexplicably disrupt my business. After it happened so many times, I got scared. Rural people should live in the countryside. Those big shots in the city can’t tolerate a country bumpkin like me.”
Although Guan Hu was a rogue and scoundrel, he was so angry that he gritted his teeth. So he said to him, "Brother, you've met a benefactor today. I rode in your oxcart and drank your peach wine today. I'm determined to help you with this. As soon as it's light, send as much wine as you have at home to Hua Man Lou. I'll take it all."
"Huh?" The older man didn't understand, rubbed his eyes, and looked at Guan Hu expectantly.
"I've remembered, Hua Manlou." Guan Hu said with unwavering determination.
"Oh, what's your name?" the oxcart driver asked incredulously.
"My name is Guan Hu! How should I address you, brother?"
"Brother Guan, my name is Liu Jianping, Xiao Liu."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
