Thousands of Boats Float Along the Narrow Jin River (Part 2)
Meng Shizhuang went back and forth with a broken bowl in his hand, but was always turned away.
While he was out "picking up money" every day, Lao Ju, who had probably picked up some sarcasm from his lame grandmother, had a calm and solemn expression on his face. He snorted coldly with his lips raised, and then said sarcastically in a pinched tone: "How dare you take ill-gotten gains?"
Meng Shizhuang had lived his entire life blind, and didn't know what "ill-gotten gains" meant, but he knew that Lao Ju was unhappy with the money he'd stolen or robbed. The first few times he'd offered porridge and steamed buns, seeing Lao Ju's stubborn attitude, his own stubbornness kicked in, and he'd simply tipped his head back to drink the porridge clean, stuffing the buns into his arms. He'd secretly wished the old man would go hungry for a few meals, starving enough to make him bow down to him.
After weighing the medicine in his hand for the last three times, he gritted his teeth and accepted it, and told Lao Ju that he had returned the purse to the unlucky guy who had "lost" the money.
After hearing this, Lao Ju shook his head - his posture was full of sarcasm, and he spat out the four words "lip service" to him.
Meng Shizhuang was stunned at first and thought: Pretending to obey but actually disobeying?
Oh, so this is what the word means.
Then a wave of anger filled my heart.
His intact left hand tightly grasped the broken bowl of medicine, almost shattering it but unwilling to smash it. The whispers and low laughs around him could not drown out the breathing that Lao Ju was breathing like a broken bellows in his abdomen. He endured it again and again, and every word was filled with anger and unwillingness: "It's a visiting merchant. I can't find him."
Meng Shizhuang also knew that this explanation sounded too flimsy. He closed his eyes tightly, and the surge of air in his chest every time gave him a splitting headache.
But no matter how difficult it was, he admitted his mistake: "I will never do such a thing again."
Lao Ju understood that Meng Shizhuang was admitting her fault but didn't know it, so he kept his eyes closed—he didn't dare look at her. His throat felt so tight that he couldn't speak for a moment. But he couldn't help but be anxious, so he suppressed the bitterness in his heart, raised his chin slightly, and pretended to be calm and composed as he continued to interrogate Meng Shizhuang.
"Yeah?"
Those two light words rattled the nerves of everyone living in the dilapidated temple. Xiao Qi had been tiptoeing to take the medicine bowl from Meng Shizhuang's hand, but upon hearing this, his eyes glared and he quickly pulled away, nimbly hooking the hand of the lame old woman who was still watching the show. The lame old woman stumbled and was about to yell at him when a dark shadow brushed past her cheek, followed by a sharp, cracking sound that exploded in the leaky temple.
Under the charred statue of the prince, the beggar who was tortured by illness and unconscious also swallowed his miserable groans.
Only the cold wind, which didn't know the situation, was still howling.
Meng Shizhuang suddenly calmed down, his eyes fixed on the broken pieces of the medicine bowl that he had smashed.
The steaming medicine spread silently across the floor. For a long moment, the temple was silent. Seeing Meng Shizhuang standing there motionless, a few children and an old woman huddled in the corner crouched quietly over, observing Meng Shizhuang's expression as they licked the medicine on the ground. It was just like the first time Meng Shizhuang caught them secretly licking the shared medicine jar.
The fire in his heart that was aroused by Lao Ju sank like the heat on the ground gradually disappearing.
What followed was a familiar, deeply debilitating fatigue.
Meng Shizhuang opened his mouth but said nothing. He turned and left the dilapidated temple.
Lao Ju listened attentively to his movements until he could no longer hear them, then slowly opened his eyes. The people in the temple began to move cautiously. Xiao Qi touched the silver money Meng Shizhuang had given him in his arms and bravely stepped forward to comfort Lao Ju: "Hero, don't be angry... She, she is doing this for your own good."
The lame old woman he was supporting leaned over to look in the direction Meng Shizhuang had left, and tentatively sarcastically said to Lao Ju, "You, you really don't know how to appreciate your blessings!"
Lao Ju glanced at her lightly and started with his usual words: "Stealing chickens and dogs is not the right path."
Even at her age, the lame old woman wasn't one to indulge in devious ways. She chuckled softly, her eyes a bit distant. She took Xiao Qi's hand and sat down on the ground, then stumbled upon a question that seemed fitting: "Which immortal mountain did you come from to teach the world? In this world, if you don't steal or rob, you'll starve to death."
She folded her lame leg over the other, her right hand naturally tucking the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes behind her ear. Seeing her behavior, Lao Ju stood up and said pointedly, "Have you only walked through one world in your life?"
The lame old woman's face froze. She instinctively raised her fingertips, only to feel emptiness. She lowered her hand, staring at her wrinkled fingertips, unable to recall the feel of her golden hairpins or her red veil. She wavered, about to puff out her chest in a show of bravado and continue her verbal exchange with Lao Ju, but he sidestepped past her, walked over to where Meng Shizhuang had smashed the bowl, and bent down to pick up the shards.
-
After Meng Shizhuang came out of the dilapidated temple, he walked aimlessly along the river bank. The soft evening glow was spreading all over the place. He raised his head and let out a breath, thinking numbly: How long will Lao Ju and I ignore each other this time?
As soon as he closed his eyes, Lao Ju's nonchalant look appeared in his mind.
He remembered that Lao Ju hadn't eaten or drunk anything for over a day because he was so angry. Talking or not was just a matter of holding it in, but what about not eating?
Meng Shizhuang had a vague feeling that Lao Ju was serious this time.
Thinking of this, his weak body began to show signs of anger again.
What did he do wrong?
Why did Lao Ju insist on him returning something he had obtained with his own ability?
Meng Shizhuang was walking in a daze when he bumped into an old man with white eyebrows and long beard.
The old man rubbed his shoulders and stepped back a few steps. Recognizing Meng Shizhuang, he was quite surprised: "Why are you here today?" He stroked his white beard and said, "Wait, I'll ask the medicine boy to get you some medicine."
Meng Shizhuang stared at him for a long time before finally coming to his senses.
This is the old doctor who told him that "don't take medicine randomly."
After learning this, Meng Shizhuang could no longer save the money he had stolen, and every penny went into the clinic run by the other party. The old doctor took Lao Ju's pulse and said that Lao Ju was in a serious state of health, with serious damage to his heart and lungs, and that he needed to take medicine and food supplements continuously.
Meng Shizhuang's lips trembled as she looked at the medicine handed to her by the medicine boy and hesitated to take it.
The old doctor wasn't in a hurry at all. The bean sprout in front of him looked like a beggar, and although he was also involved in the business of robbery, he never owed him money for medicine - he was scared. The first time he prescribed medicine for the bean sprout's elder, he was strangled and threatened with "freeloading". The elder beside him coughed continuously, forcing the bean sprout to return the medicine and apologize. He looked at the threat in the other person's eyes and said as if jokingly: "Of course you can rob. If you rob this time, you can rob next time. But do you know what medicine you have robbed? I told you, don't take medicine carelessly."
So the other party never had a good look every time he came, but he applied the medicine every three days, never late, and never snatched it away again.
He also knew that the money Meng Shizhuang gave him was not legitimate, but he would not speak out and offend the other party.
Anyway, there are people to teach you.
It’s either the elders’ or the outsiders’ knife.
With a compassionate heart, the old doctor reminded: "After taking this medicine, bring the patient back. I will see how the medicine has been adjusted these days and whether the prescription needs to be changed."
Before Meng Shizhuang reached out to take the medicine, he lowered his eyes and said honestly, "I don't have any money."
The old doctor paused stroking his beard, thinking, "Whatever," and forced a not-so-friendly smile, pointing his finger in the distance: "Do you see that?"
Meng Shizhuang turned around and saw countless large and small boats parked on the river at sunset. He looked in the direction the old doctor pointed and saw several laborers unloading cargo at the dock, their upper bodies naked and walking non-stop.
The old doctor withdrew his hand and said, "You've come at a good time. The imperial court has recaptured Daohai City, and the merchants traveling here are much safer. There's also work to be done at the docks. You're welcome to go. I'll be waiting for you at the clinic."
Meng Shizhuang couldn't decipher the meaning of the old doctor's expression. Seeing his face, only the words, "Don't take random medicine," echoed in his ears. He took a deep breath and headed for the dock. The clinic was only a few steps away, and Meng Shizhuang easily locked eyes with the overseer, his legs crossed. A sack filled with copper coins was placed on the table.
He glanced at the supervisor twice. He was thin and frail, not like a martial artist. If he tried to rob someone, he would probably...
Before he could finish his thought, groups of burly men holding big swords walked past him. He looked up but couldn't even see the tops of these people's heads.
Meng Shizhuang frowned subconsciously.
The overseer was swinging his legs and humming a song. When he saw someone coming, he squinted his eyes and said disdainfully, "Where did this kid come from? Go beg for food somewhere else."
Meng Shizhuang looked at the patrolman who was still holding a knife, and asked without much hope, "How much do you want to pay?"
The supervisor shook his shoulders and laughed: "You? Kid, go and think about how heavy these sacks are."
Meng Shizhuang pressed on: "If you move it, you'll get copper coins?"
The supervisor waved his hand impatiently: "Yes, no cheating on children or adults."
He raised his eyes, wanting to see how Meng Shizhuang would carry the goods. A closer look revealed that the child's hands were crippled, but his body was straight. He was about to say they didn't want disabled people here, but then he thought, who cares if he's disabled or not? Anyone who can carry the goods will be paid a copper.
Meng Shizhuang followed the other deliverymen onto the deck. These men had worked all day without a sip of water, and now they all stopped to rest, wanting to see how such a skinny child would compete with them for work.
Meng Shizhuang first tried it with his left hand, but the sack of goods didn't move at all.
Someone nearby said, "Kid, we have to carry this stuff on our shoulders. Do you think we're carrying medicine bags?"
Meng Shizhuang glanced at the people in the distance who hadn't yet unloaded their cargo. He imitated them, bending over and resting his shoulder on the cargo, using his right hand to hold it in place while using his left to push the cargo onto his shoulder. The people around him frowned, wanting to warn him that bending so high could easily cause him to fall. Some even offered to lend a hand, but before they could move, Meng Shizhuang grunted and, with great effort, he managed to lift the cargo onto his shoulder.
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