Chapter 4
The next day, Huo Shu got up early as usual. He opened the window halfway, and a damp scent of osmanthus wafted in with the wind.
He poked his head out to look at the scenery outside. The fog was thick, making it difficult to see the objects in the courtyard clearly.
The weather had already turned a bit cold, but accustomed to the significant temperature difference between morning and evening in the Northern Territory, this slight chill was nothing.
After a simple breakfast, Huo Shu led his horse out. A prepared donkey cart was already parked at the entrance.
A round, plump figure was gripping the handle of the donkey cart, stretching its short legs to try and climb in. After several futile attempts, it finally managed to scramble inside, its body heated up from the effort.
It was really putting in the effort, but didn’t even think to bring a small stool to help itself.
The person was wrapped even thicker than when he had seen them last night, appearing even plumper.
In the autumn, it was truly a unique sight.
Huo Shu, who rarely smiled, couldn’t help but turn his head and touch the tip of his high, cold nose.
“Militiaman Huo, let’s go.”
Huang Yin Sheng, who was in front, finished checking the reins and turned to Huo Shu, speaking to him.
Huo Shu lowered his hand and nodded slightly, then mounted his horse.
The autumn morning breeze blew gently, making the carriage curtains rustle. They would occasionally flap open.
The Huang family’s donkey cart was old and had been repaired many times, always not as functional as when it was new.
Ji Tao Yu, nestled inside the donkey cart, had been a little warm at first, but after being blown by the wind a couple of times, he felt cold again. He reached out to try and press the curtain down, so as to prevent more wind from blowing in.
As his body leaned towards the carriage window, he caught sight of a round, sturdy horse’s hindquarters outside the partially opened window, its long, smooth tail swinging in a leisurely arc as it moved.
Ji Tao Yu was stunned. He rarely saw horses. Even though livestock were used for farming in rural villages, they were mostly oxen, donkeys, or mules. Purebred horses were only owned by the nobles in the city.
His health was not good, and when he went to the city, he mostly stayed in the medical clinic helping his grandfather sort herbs. Even when he saw horses, it was from a distance, and he rarely had such close contact.
This black horse was strong and handsome, truly beautiful. He felt that the horse, so close to him, seemed to radiate a warmth that made his heart beat a little faster.
“Want to ride?”
Ji Tao Yu heard the voice and suddenly looked up. His savior was sitting straight on his horse, and those somewhat intimidating, triple-pupiled eyes had somehow looked over.
Tao Yu shrunk his neck and quickly shook his head.
He didn’t dare to ride the donkeys and oxen at home. When he was a child, his father had put him on the back of an ox, which had scared him into crying. His mother had scolded him severely. How could he dare to ride a horse that looked so spirited?
Huo Shu saw that the young man’s cheeks, hidden in his cloak, had mostly returned to their normal skin tone, but his complexion was not good. It was somewhat like the faded, semi-transparent petals of a pear blossom that had been soaked by rain.
A pair of innocent eyes watched him shake his head repeatedly. The triangular cloak made him look like a moving zongzi.
He didn’t speak and turned back to continue leisurely leading the horse. However, the reins in his hand tightened slightly, and the black horse’s pace slowed down.
The horse’s hindquarters in front of the carriage curtain suddenly turned into a waist as stiff as iron. Seeing this, Ji Tao Yu pursed his lips, first retracted his impolite gaze, and then silently lowered the curtain.
Huo Shu glimpsed the carriage window curtain, which had closed tightly, separating the two of them. His brow moved subtly.
Ji Tao Yu leaned in the carriage, holding a small pillow stuffed with scraps of cloth. His shoulder pressed down on the carriage curtain that was about to flip up.
The donkey cart swayed. He thought he should take another nap. The temperature had been low last night, and he had a slight recurring fever, so he hadn’t slept well. He was so tired that Brother Huang Qi had taken care of him all night.
He dozed off for a while, leaning to the left and then to the right, but he couldn’t fall asleep.
The donkey cart was airtight. The longer he stayed in, the more stuffy it became with his breathing. He eventually lifted the curtain a bit again.
However, the person riding the horse was still framed in the window.
Ji Tao Yu thought about meeting this person on the official road and was curious. He murmured, “Are you from the North, sir?”
Huo Shu was scanning the scenery of Tongzhou City as he rode. Amidst the clamor of various breakfast stalls, he heard a soft voice by his side, distinct from the coarse shouts.
However, he neither turned his head nor glanced sideways.
“Yes.”
Ji Tao Yu’s eyes widened slightly, surprised that his voice was so quiet, yet he could hear it clearly amidst the noise. But it was indeed cold and stern.
“Grandfather said you are looking for someone. Are you specifically heading south to find them this time?”
“I’ve never been to the south. I’m taking the opportunity to see it as well.”
“Tongzhou has plenty of food and attractions. Once you find the person you’re looking for, feel free to explore.”
“Yes.”
Here we go again.
Ji Tao Yu blinked, looking at the man who hadn’t turned his head at all. He was curious about the person he was looking for. Since it was from their village, perhaps he knew some information.
However, seeing that he didn’t seem to like interacting with people much, he decided not to say any more.
But he didn’t know if he had angered the man yesterday, and he was still seeing that anger.
Ji Tao Yu hesitated and said softly, “My name is Ji Tao Yu.”
Hearing this, Huo Shu suddenly turned his head. Their eyes met. Ji Tao Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly hid his face with the small pillow and leaned back into the carriage.
But this time, he didn’t pull the curtain.
Huo Shu’s lips parted slightly. He saw that the carriage had already left the city, and the noisy bustle of the city was no longer in his ears.
He glanced at Huang Yin Sheng, who was driving the donkey cart in front, and ultimately did not speak again.
Although the donkey cart was not as fast as a running horse, it only took a little over an hour to walk to Mingxun Village. The cart ride was even faster, taking only about half an hour.
They soon turned off the main road and entered the village. At this time of year, the village was still busy with the late autumn harvest. As the cart and horse entered the village road, the morning mist had completely dispersed, and the view suddenly became much more open.
However, after entering the village road, the donkey cart’s speed slowed down considerably. It wasn’t that the village roads were narrow and steep; in fact, the village roads were quite wide and well-maintained, no worse than the main road for driving.
The real reason was that many villagers came out to greet them.
“Doctor Huang came to the village so early.”
“The medicine you prescribed last time really worked. My legs and feet felt much more agile after only taking one dose.”
“Doctor Huang, are you still buying goji berries…”
The villagers’ warmth was all observed by Huo Shu. Although he remained outwardly calm, no one dared to look at him directly.
Instead, after exchanging pleasantries with Huang Yin Sheng, they straightened up and stared at Huo Shu’s retreating back only after the cart and horse had moved further away, only retracting their gaze after watching him for several yards.
By the time they reached the Ji family’s residence, the sun was already high in the sky.
Huo Shu waited for the donkey cart to drive into the tall courtyard gate, which was opened in the middle, before dismounting and waiting behind.
He looked up and observed the residence of the village head of Mingxun Village for a moment.
The Ji family’s house was typically arranged with a front courtyard and back rooms. However, the courtyard walls were made of stone, which looked much more grand and sturdy from a distance than the usual wooden or mud-plastered courtyard walls.
Upon entering the courtyard, there was a spacious farmhouse yard. In the center, two tall camphor trees stood tall on the west side. Their trunks were as thick as an adult’s waist, appearing to be quite old.
Under the camphor trees, a shade canopy was made from coarse canvas, and a square table and stools were set up, forming a place to cool off and rest.
On the east side, in the area not shaded by the camphor trees, the autumn sun shone, perfect for drying grains, dried vegetables, and herbs.
Between the east and west sides was a gravel path leading directly to the eaves of the house. One could see the house covered with black tiles.
The houses in the Jiangnan region were different from the courtyards in the north. The Ji family’s house was a courtyard with a central well, similar to those in the city.
Upon entering the main gate, one first entered a square courtyard. There might not be rooms on all four sides (east, south, west, north), but it was always enclosed to form a central courtyard.
On rainy days, rainwater would slide down the eaves from the four sides, forming water columns that flowed into the courtyard, creating the scene of “four waters returning to the hall.”
As the south had a lot of rain, this type of construction was common to facilitate living.
However, in the countryside, only large families of reputable standing had the conditions to build a “four waters returning to the hall” courtyard; not every household could do so.
Mingxun Village was not a small village; it was lively with many people.
As Huo Shu rode his tall horse, he saw many farmhouses. Although he did not go in to inspect them, just by looking at the fences and the size of the house construction, few surpassed the Ji family’s.
However, this was also expected. Huang Yin Sheng’s medical clinic in the bustling Tongzhou City was already well-established, and given the young man’s beautiful and elegant appearance, his mother must not have been an ordinary-looking person.
Consequently, the son-in-law chosen by Huang Yin Sheng could not have been too bad.
The Tongzhou region was famous for its well-read civil officials and renowned scholars. The customs and rules were much stricter than in the Northern Territory.
To hold the position of village head in this area, one must be from a long-standing, prominent family in the locality. Otherwise, it would be difficult to mobilize the rural households, and they would lack the knowledge to interact with government officials.
“Father is here.”
Hearing the sound of the cartwheels, the woman busy in the kitchen quickly put down her work and came out. Seeing them, she called out.
Huang Man Jing wiped her hands on the apron at her waist and walked towards the donkey cart, “Little Tao Zi, where is he?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Tao Yu poked his head out from the donkey cart, “Mother.”
Huang Man Jing glanced at Tao Yu, and her brow immediately furrowed, “What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold yesterday?”
As she spoke, her hand was already on Tao Yu’s forehead.
“He’s in the medical clinic. How could he catch a cold?”
Hearing the voices in the courtyard, a middle-aged man came out from the house. Ji Tao Yu’s facial features resembled his, making it clear who he was.
“Thank you for personally bringing him back, father-in-law.”
Ji Yang Zong greeted Huang Yin Sheng. Before he could even look at Tao Yu, his sharp eyes first spotted Huo Shu, who was tall and well-built, with an unfriendly expression, behind the donkey cart.
He took a few steps forward, politely bowed to him, and then turned to ask Huang Yin Sheng, “Who is this?”
“He is the young man’s savior. Man Jing, go and pour some tea and invite our guest to sit.”
Hearing this, Ji Yang Zong and Huang Man Jing’s faces stiffened. They exchanged a glance, and then Huang Man Jing responded to Huang Yin Sheng’s words and quickly pulled Tao Yu towards the kitchen.
Although they didn’t know the full story, after hearing Huang Yin Sheng’s words, Ji Yang Zong became even more courteous to Huo Shu and quickly led him into the house.
Huo Shu didn’t say much. Instead, Huang Yin Sheng roughly explained the course of events to the couple.
“We were afraid you would worry. Sending someone to deliver a message was not very appropriate, so we brought the young man back today.”
Huang Man Jing listened with a pounding heart, “How did he fall into the water? This child is usually not so impulsive.”
“I shouldn’t have let him go to the city to see the rankings. There are so many people when the autumn exams results are released; it’s the most chaotic.”
Ji Yang Zong regretted it, slapping his thigh. The young man was frail, and he couldn’t imagine how he would survive falling into the water.
They only had this child. If anything were to happen to him, it would be unbearable for them as a couple.
After a few complaints, Ji Yang Zong quickly got up from the table. He pulled Huang Man Jing and bowed deeply to Huo Shu, “Thank you, sir, for saving my son. I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude to repay your kindness.”
Huo Shu waved his hand, repeating the same excuse that he had saved him incidentally.
Seeing that Huo Shu was not one to mince words in conversation, Ji Yang Zong did not continue with any more platitudes. He turned to his wife and said,
“We’ll slaughter two poultry for lunch. I’ll call Da Niu back early to help you. We must properly host Militiaman Huo.”
Although Huo Shu found the taste of Jiangnan home cooking to be good, he did not forget his important matter. Since he had already arrived at the village, he could eat this meal at any time. However, finding the person as soon as possible would fulfill one of his wishes.
“My purpose in coming to the village is not to receive the village head’s thanks, but to entrust you with a matter.”
“May I ask, village head, is there a person named Zhao Chang Sui in the village? He is in his early twenties. Where is his family now?”
