Chapter Ten: Leaving Home and Village Behind

  For a very long time, Yin Xu was puzzled that after killing twenty government soldiers, the government didn't make any moves. In fact, this had something to do with Minister Jiang who sent people to pick lingzhi mushrooms.

  The incident was related to his private use of corvée, and if it were exposed, it would be very detrimental to his official career. Therefore, he claimed that there were thieves escaping, and the supervisor He Kun led people to chase them. A fight broke out between the two sides, causing a big fire in the forest. All the thieves were killed, and He Kun and 20 soldiers died in the line of duty.

  In this way, it is only necessary to send a condolence letter to the He family and then issue a document to capture the leader of the bandits who came from Dongfang County. Chen Kui, the county lieutenant of Fangxian County, received the official letter and came to Xiangxi Town to investigate the family members of the bandit leader Yin Xu. The Wu family learned about this news as a result.

  Wu Zhong was frightened and terrified, his subordinates deserted, and many soldiers died in the chaos. The guilt of misrule haunted him for a long time.

  Ma heard that her brother was killed and let out a loud cry. She had only asked her brother for help, never thinking that Yin Xu would die, and He Kun would also die, which made her feel very guilty. However, this guilt was soon consciously avoided and transformed into a twisted hatred.

  Chen Kui made a visit and found that Donglai was a lone commander with no relatives or friends. He left Xiangxi Town in a huff and replied to the public letter from Jiang Daren of Kuaiji. Wu Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief, and for several days he was busy with the autumn harvest tax.

  That day early in the morning, Wu Zhong went out, and Wu Youcai quietly slipped into Madam Ma's room.

  Looking at Ma's scrunched up face, he asked: "What's wrong? Who made you angry?"

  Ma's face turned cold, and he gritted his teeth: "Who else? That little thief implicated my brother. The other day when I went back to my mother's home for a visit, I saw my aunt heartbroken and couldn't swallow this breath."

  "Wu Youcai said with a scowl: 'Isn't he already dead? Where can we go to seek revenge now?!'"

  "Wanting revenge doesn't necessarily mean you have to find him personally, does it?" Looking at Wu Youcai's curious gaze, Ma Shi sneered: "You say, in this world, apart from himself, who else is that little thief most concerned about?"

  Wu Youcai's heart skipped a beat, and he whispered: "Yuniang?"

  Ma's eyes turned white with anger towards Wu Youcai, and she sarcastically said: "Oh my! Calling out so intimately, do you like being saved by a girl?"

  Wu Youcai was in a great hurry, his mother's face suddenly showed a vinegar expression, and he didn't know what would happen. He hastily said: "No, no."

  "Heh heh, Ma said with a sly smile: 'Master without dignity, if you like someone just say it! I was even thinking of going to propose for you!'"

  "Ah?" Wu Youcai didn't know whether he was surprised or shocked.

  "If that little thief knew in the underworld that his most beloved daughter had married someone else, would he feel heartbroken? Haha!" Madam Ma's face suddenly turned gloomy and she said coldly: "Bring that little girl back home, it just so happens to fulfill your wish. As a mother-in-law, I will definitely teach my daughter-in-law well. You also saw that day how deeply in love the two were, tormenting her is the same as tormenting the little thief, making him feel heartbroken and letting him know the consequences of offending me."

  Wu Youcai was uneasy, and he didn't agree with making a dead person angry, but all he said was... Li Yuniang is elegant and lovely, if I can bring her back home to try the taste, it's not bad. But Ma Shi's idea made him feel a bit cruel.

  Before he could think more, Madam Ma said in a low voice: "What? Can't bear to part with it? If not, even if you begged for it, you wouldn't get it. Now I'm giving you a beautiful girl, do you want her or not? Don't force me to lose my temper."

  Wu Youcai nodded vaguely, under the lustful power of Madam Ma. Madam Ma laughed and was extremely pleased, embracing Wu Youcai in her arms, saying "This is my good son." As she spoke, she had already begun to undress him, and soon the room was filled with Madam Ma's flirtatious moans.

  ————————————————————

  Xiangxi Guest House, Li Bozi, Yuniang's father, was busy. Ma Shi came to the door. Nothing is done without a reason, what did he come for? Li Bozi felt uneasy and welcomed Ting Zhang's wife into the hall with a smile on his face.

  "Alas, where is Yuniang?" As soon as they sat down, before Li Zuo could speak, Ma asked.

  Li Bo's heart skipped a beat, and he forced a smile: "Yuniang has gone with her aunt Hong to do some needlework."

  "Yuniang is really a good girl, sensible, well-behaved and pretty. The more Madam Ma praised her, the more anxious Li Baozi became, especially when Madam Ma said: "Yuniang is not young anymore, has Mr. Li considered Yuniang's future?"

  "Alas! Li Bo's heart was suddenly filled with anxiety, and he smiled wryly: "The young girl is still young and doesn't understand things yet. Let's wait another two years for the marriage, and keep me company for a few more days, this old man."

  "Really?" Madam Ma exclaimed in surprise: "I heard that Old Master Li had someone find a husband for Yuniang in Fan Township."

  "This... uh..." Li Bozi was at a loss, unsure of how to respond.

  "Haha! Hehe!" Ma said with a loud laugh: "It's better for this daughter to marry someone close by, so she can be taken care of at home."

  "Hehe...... this......"

  Ma said, "Yesterday, the village head told me that Hua Zai is already at the age of marriage. The village head has set his eyes on a girl from Donghu Town, but Hua Zai refused to comply. Upon inquiry, I found out that Hua Zai had long since taken a liking for your daughter, Yu Niang."

  "Yuniang is someone we've watched grow up, and there's nothing to complain about in terms of her character or appearance. Tingzhang also agrees, and early this morning he urged me to come propose."

  Wu Youcai wants to marry Yuniang? Li Bozi's scalp felt numb upon hearing this. What kind of thing is Wu Youcai, who doesn't know him? Marrying his daughter to him would be like pushing her into a fiery pit. However, the Wu family couldn't be offended at will, so he could only force a smile and say: "Madam is too kind, but my Yuniang is still young and doesn't understand things, besides, I'm from a merchant background, of low social status, how can she be worthy of Young Master Youcai?"

  "Come on! What's with the modesty, Boss Li?"

  "Nowhere, nowhere, this..."

  Before Li Bozi could speak, Madam Ma hastily said: "Don't worry, Mr. Li. After Yuniang marries into our family, she will take care of you and support you in your old age."

  Ma's family took advantage of every opportunity, covering his mouth, and Li Bozi could only nod and agree, not knowing how to respond.

  Looking at Li Bo's stuttering, Ma thought to herself with a sneer, and calmly lowered her face, saying: "Could it be that Mr. Li looks down on our Wu family?"

  Li Bozi was shocked and said: "No, no, how could it be?"

  "What's that for?" Ma asked, feigning puzzlement, and hesitated for a moment before saying: "Could it be that Old Master Li still has his heart set on finding that rebellious little thief to be his son-in-law? By the way, let me tell you that Donglai tried to escape from the construction site of the imperial highway and was killed by the government troops."

  "What? Donglai is dead?" Li Buzi's body shook, the tea bowl in his hand clattered to the ground, shattering into pieces.

  "Not bad, you know that the government has a law of guilt by association. If Old Master Li has any ill intentions and the big shots in the county yamen find out, it's likely to be... Haha!" Madam Ma laughed loudly: "Old Master Li, think carefully about it, come visit again tomorrow, I'll return to my residence first, waiting for good news." After saying that, she turned around and left with a flourish, leaving Li Buzi standing alone in a daze, bewildered and unsure of what to do.

  Donglai became a fugitive? Was he killed? Li Buzi took a long time to accept this fact. He was very clear about his daughter and Donglai's affair, but did not approve of it. Donglai was just a poor boy with no skills, how could he take care of his daughter in this chaotic world where survival was already difficult?

  He had originally wanted to find a wealthy and respectable family for his daughter in Fan Township, but Yuniang was not willing. A few days ago, when he heard that Donglai had been beaten to death, Yuniang rushed over despite the heavy rain, crying her heart out, and he knew that his daughter was bewitched and would never be good again.

  Later, it was said that Donglai's divine daughter blessed and transformed, and the matter was settled. Li Buzi heard about it and secretly rejoiced, thinking that taking Donglai as a son-in-law wouldn't be bad after all. Who would have thought that Donglai would actually die like this? Oh well! It's just that Wu's family is forcing marriage... After a long time, his body suddenly convulsed violently, and he thought to himself: For now, it can only be this way.

  Today, the Xiangxi Guest House closed before noon, and everyone saw Li Bazi's drowsy appearance, guessing that he might be ill. In the Wu Mansion, Madam Ma heard about it and couldn't help but sneer with a hint of complacency, thinking that Li Bazi was really useless.

  Jade returned home and found something was wrong. Her father wasn't doing business, but instead packing things up.

  "Dad, what are you doing?"

  Li Bo pulled his daughter closer and lowered his voice to tell her the whole story. As for Donglai's death, he didn't mention a word, he couldn't let his daughter know at this time, he didn't want to see her sad.

  "But I promised Donglai Ge that I would wait for his return!"

  Li Bozi heard it in his ears, his heart ached endlessly, and he collected his thoughts, without changing his expression, saying: "This matter can be discussed later, we can't afford to offend the Wu family, let's avoid them for now."

  "But..."

  "Alright!" Li Bozi said reluctantly, his face stern, in a low voice: "We can't worry about that now, we have to leave Xiangxi Town tonight."

  Li Yuniang was thinking of going east, but she also knew that Wu Youcai's proposal meant something, and silently accepted some small gifts from her father.

  As night fell, Li Bozi took his daughter and quietly walked out of the town, taking deep breaths. After leaving the town, Li Bozi secretly let out a sigh of relief, took one last look at Xiangxi Town where he had lived for decades, and reluctantly bid farewell to his hometown.

  Li Buzi and his daughter quietly left Xiangxi Town, passing by the Temple of the Goddess. Yuniang couldn't help but shed tears, she had promised Donglai Ge that she would wait for him to return. Donglai Ge had also promised that he would definitely come back. But now? She was forced to leave against her will, and if he came back and couldn't find her, wouldn't he be anxious?

  Donglai Ge, where are you?

  Standing in front of the Goddess Temple, Yuniang suddenly felt a sense of reluctance to leave.

  "Yu Niang, hurry up! We can't afford to delay!" Li Bozi's tone was severe, and Yu Niang had no choice but to wipe away her tears and proceed.

  However, it's too late to turn back now.

  "Halt!"

  "Seize the rebellious accomplices!" The shout rose from behind, a fiery dragon hastily approached, Wu Youcai had already led his family servants to chase after them. Under the light of the torches, his lewd and triumphant smile could be vaguely seen.

  "What? Boss Li, you want to run away? Go find that rebellious traitor?" Wu Youcai sneered: "You're really something. Originally wanted to call you 'father-in-law', why did it have to end up like this?"

  Li Bozi sneered and said: "Wu Gongzi is joking, I'm just taking Yuma to visit her relatives." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to shield his daughter behind him.

  Wu Youcai sneered, "Visiting relatives? Do you visit relatives in the middle of the night? What your wife said is right, you people are indeed shameless. Since you don't dare to marry openly and honestly, then don't blame me for not being polite."

  Saying that, he swung his big hand and was about to move forward to catch someone.

  Li Bozi knew that things had gone beyond recall, and he propped himself up on his lame foot, stretching out a hand to block the way in front of him, shouting loudly: "Yuniang, run quickly! Run quickly!"

  "Dad!" Yuniang ran out two steps and turned back, crying out loud.

  "Never mind me, run quickly!" The servant of Wu's household came up and knocked Li Bo down to the ground with one punch.

  "Father!" Yuniang cried out as she ran forward. But how could a weak woman outrun a big man?

  "Hey little girl! Where are you running?" Wu Youcai chased after her, laughing lewdly.

  "Get back! Get back!" Yu Niang hastily retreated, the sound of water rushing behind her, and behind that was the Xiangxi River, with no way to retreat.

  Wu Youcai approached with a sly smile, Yu Niang glanced into the distance, and the outline of the Temple of the Goddess was faintly visible. Tears burst forth, carrying all her memories of Du Dong, she turned around and jumped, splashing up a huge wave on the river's surface.

  "Yu Niang!" Li Bozi lay on the ground, his voice hoarse from shouting, his heart torn apart. He stretched out his hands with all his might, trying to grab Yu Niang, but it was too late.

  Wu Youcai was taken aback for a moment and hastily said: "Quickly, go and pull him up."

  After a while, the house servant came back and reported: It's pitch dark and we can't see anything. The river is very wide and we can't find him anywhere.

  Wu Youcai couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, "Alas! What a pity!" He immediately ordered: "Tomorrow, continue downstream to search. We must find him alive or dead. Also, hand over the old cripple to County Magistrate Chen."

  At night, Xiangxi River occasionally rises with a few ripples, then returns to calmness, quietly flowing far away...