FMT 36

Chapter 36 Trouble

The Zhang family’s small courtyard looked a little better than the Chen family’s, but once inside, the house was empty, with almost nothing left.

There were barely even a few chairs to sit and rest on. Lianye, embarrassed, moved the only chair that looked presentable, wiped it with her sleeve, and let Chen Shuangning sit.

She and Liandan made do by sitting on the small stools normally used for chores.

In such a situation, outsiders could not say much, and it was not convenient to stay longer. Tang Hua and Li Fu took their leave and went back first.

The layout of the Zhangs’ house was similar to the Chens’. Entering, one first saw the kitchen, and on either side were doors leading to two bedrooms.

Liandan glanced at the two tightly closed doors and asked worriedly, “What exactly happened? How did your in-laws and your husband all fall ill together?”

Lianye wiped her tears. “There’s a family in this village, surname Zheng. They have three sons. They say they learned some martial skills and work for some Tiger Band.”

Chen Shuangning’s expression shifted. He asked slowly, “Wei Tiger Band?”

Lianye nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, the Wei Tiger Band. I heard they have many people. In these parts, no one dares provoke them. Even the officials supposedly give them face.”

Chen Shuangning lowered his gaze, his fingers tapping lightly on the chair arm, saying nothing.

Lianye wiped her tears again. “Our Qingyi had a fever as a child and was left disabled. His health has never been good. He can’t do heavy labor, and even when he tried to find day work in town, no one would hire him. We could only survive by the whole family struggling to farm a few dozen mu of land. These last two years my in-laws are old and can hardly work anymore, so life has been even harder.”

Liandan’s face dimmed. He took a handkerchief from his chest and helped his sister wipe her tears.

Lianye took the handkerchief and clenched it tightly in her fingers. “So when the Zheng family’s second son held his wedding, they said they would hire Qingyi to record the gift accounts, promising him five coins if he did it well. Qingyi was so happy to go.”

“He studied a few years in a private school when he was little. Only after he became disabled did he stop going. He had done account work before, so naturally it was no problem.”

“And then?” Liandan asked anxiously.

Lianye ground her teeth in anger. “That day the accounts were recorded clearly. The Zhengs said they would send the wages the next day. But the following day, they came to our home making trouble, saying all the gift money had disappeared, saying Qingyi stole it, and that they would report to the officials and have him arrested!”

Liandan let out an “Ah.” “Brother-in-law would never do such a thing!”

Lianye gripped Liandan’s hand, crying. “Qingyi only handled the accounts. He never even touched the money. I argued with them, asked why they falsely accused him. Then the third Zheng son came out and said he personally saw Qingyi carrying an identical purse, claiming he had prepared it in advance to swap during the accounting.”

Lianye said urgently, “When Qingyi left the house, I was the one who gave him his robe. I know exactly what he wore and carried. He had no purse at all. He left empty-handed.”

Tears welled up in Liandan’s eyes. He patted himself, then remembered his handkerchief was already with his sister.

The one beside him offered a white handkerchief. Liandan looked up at the young man sitting nearby, his gaze helpless and lost.

Chen Shuangning raised his hand and wiped the tears from his face with the handkerchief. Then his eyes turned to Lianye. “When they came to make trouble, they must have wanted compensation. But the three Zheng brothers are with the Wei Tiger Band. The wedding gifts must have been substantial. They knew your family could not repay it. Then,” he paused, “what they want is your family’s land.”

Lianye cried. She sat on the low stool, hands on her knees, her whole body shaking. “That’s exactly it. We rely on the land to eat and live. If we give it up, our whole family will starve and freeze to death!”

“These days, they come to our home every few days demanding the deed. Qingyi’s health was already weak. Being wronged like this, anger consumed him, and he fell ill. My in-laws are old and could not endure the stress either. In these past two days, they too have been bedridden. Now in this house, I am the only one left well.”

Liandan leaned in and hugged his sister, his heart aching. The siblings cried together.

Only after their emotions settled and the sobbing eased did Chen Shuangning speak. “Have you called a doctor?”

Lianye nodded, her face full of worry. “Yes, but they’ve taken much medicine with no effect.”

She did not mention how much it had cost, but looking at the emptiness of the house, the reason was clear.

Hearing this, Chen Shuangning’s eyes shifted. “The doctor in Kaoshan Village has great skill. He could be called to try.” He then turned toward Liandan, who was watching him. “On the road earlier, I happened to meet him. He was going to town to see a patient. He is old and slow. I’ll go after him, see if I can catch up.”

Liandan looked at him and blinked, understanding, and nodded a beat late. “Yes, yes, we ran into him earlier.” He put his arm around his sister’s shoulders. “The old doctor is very skilled. He will surely cure them.”

He was not good at lying, and did not know how odd he looked saying it, but fortunately Lianye was too troubled to notice.

Hearing this, Lianye nodded, her face looking a little better, her eyes showing some light again.

….

By the time they returned home, the sky was already dark. They went to the Li family’s to bring back the things bought that day. Tang Hua caught Liandan’s hand and asked worriedly, “How is your sister’s family?”

Liandan said, “A doctor looked at them. After taking the medicine, the effect was good. Her in-laws can sit up, and brother-in-law’s complexion looks much improved.”

He did not dare say it was the old doctor from their village. He only vaguely said “a doctor,” afraid someone from the same village might overhear and expose the truth.

Xue Ming disguised herself as the old doctor that day and examined the two elders and brother-in-law at the Zhang house. She could even open his belly to take out the child, so her medical skill was higher than other doctors. Liandan trusted her.

As expected, after she prescribed medicine, boiled it, and they drank it, the effect showed immediately.

Tang Hua sighed and said, “Good. If there is anything we can help with, tell us.”

Liandan nodded and thanked him.

Chen Shuangning carried all the goods. Liandan carried some too. The two went home together.

Liandan picked out a bag of pastries, took it to Aunt Wu next door, and brought Xiaodan back.

Xiaodan had not seen dad or father all day. Whoever held him, his chubby face leaned against theirs. His small hands hugged an adult’s neck tightly. He grumbled and huffed.

Liandan brought out the goat’s milk that had been prepared. Chen Shuangning set Xiaodan on his lap so he could feed the child, and he himself put away the bundles they had brought back.

The ground was frozen. The snow crust in the courtyard was thick. Food could be buried in it to keep it from spoiling.

The stove burned strong. At that hour they were hungry, so they simply heated steamed buns, ate them with the sauce braised pig ears and pickles bought in town, and drank hot water.

Before sleeping, Liandan took out a hairpin. It looked wooden, but felt smooth like jade. It did not seem ordinary.

He hesitated, then showed the pin to Chen Shuangning. “During the day at my sister’s house, Xue Ming slipped this to me. My sister was watching, so I did not dare return it.”

Chen Shuangning glanced at the pin in his hand. His gaze paused briefly. Then he looked away and said lightly, “It is not valuable. Since she gave it, keep it.”

Liandan still hesitated. Chen Shuangning had already stood, took the pin, and fixed it in his hair.

For that instant, the two were very close. Liandan unconsciously held his breath. Soon Chen Shuangning had stepped back and sat down again.

Liandan touched the pin on his head and said, embarrassed, “When you see Xue Ming, thank her for me. And about my sister’s family, we troubled her.”

Chen Shuangning replied, “Alright.”

The talk should have ended, yet Liandan still did not move away.

Chen Shuangning looked up at him. Liandan twisted his fingers in his robe. “Today was thanks to you. Thank you.”

Chen Shuangning gave a quiet “Mm.” “It was nothing. A small effort. Do not mind it. It is late. Go rest.”

….

Six days passed quickly.

On the seventh day, after breakfast and tidying up, Liandan watched Chen Shuangning hold Xiaodan for a while. After setting the child down, he looked toward Liandan.

Liandan knew he was leaving. He felt sour. He wanted to speak, but the words stuck in his throat.

A small object was held out to him. Liandan looked up at the young man, puzzled. Chen Shuangning lowered his gaze and said, “This is half of a tiger tally. If you need me, take it to Lingyun Temple and give it to any monk.”

Liandan took it, looked down, and held it in his palm. When he looked up again, his vision swayed. The window lattice clicked. No one stood before him anymore.

Liandan bit his lip. Words he did not dare say stayed inside. Tears pooled in his eyes.

….

After leaving the Chen house, Chen Shuangning went straight up the mountain to Lingyun Temple.

After entering the gate, he went to the rear meditation quarters and entered one room.

If Liandan had been there, he would have recognized it as the room where he stayed that night at Lingyun Temple.

But now it looked very different. Inside stood a fine soft couch. Gauze curtains hung at the sides. By the window an Eight Immortals table held books and brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Clothes of unknown fabric hung on the wall rack.

In the center, a delicate censer let out light smoke, filling the room with fragrance.

After entering, Chen Shuangning took off his outer robe, tossed it on a chair, and lay down on the couch.

At the same time, a lively young woman hurried in at the open door with a medicine box. She rushed to the bedside, worried as she looked at the man lying there.

There were a few coughs, then coughing so violent it sounded suffocating. Xue Ming stroked his back again and again to ease him. It still did not help, until with a puffing splash, bright red blood hit the floor and stained the front of his white robe, spreading fast.

Only then did he take a deep breath. Supported by Xue Ming, he lay back on the bed.

Xue Ming’s eyes were red. She did not scold him this time. She wiped the blood from his face with a handkerchief and gave him a pill.

Chen Shuangning kept his eyes closed and rested for a while. Footsteps came in from the door, more than one person, and stopped by the bed.

“Left Protector has sent a letter. He wants to make peace. He promises to retire, choose a mountain to live on alone, and never return to the sect to fight you for power.”

The speaker was Liu Shuqi. Behind him stood several young men of about the same age, all in dark robes, eyes sharp, clearly trained.

The man on the bed did not respond. It was unclear whether he was sleeping or thinking.

Liu Shuqi said, “This time he and Right Protector set a trap to lure you, and even asked the heretic Zhou Shan, long absent from the world, for help. They did not expect you still had strength to deal with them together. Zhou Shan died. Right Protector was gravely wounded, life or death unknown. Seeing the turn, Left Protector fled. Their followers died or scattered. Now Left Protector is a stray dog, unlikely to rise again.”

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“Let him go. Are you content?” The man on the bed spoke suddenly, eyes still closed.

Liu Shuqi pressed his lips and said nothing.

“In those years, the Sect Leader’s crimes involved both him and Right Protector. Your parents’ blood is on their hands. Are you content?”

This time he asked the young men behind Liu Shuqi.

Their eyes reddened at once. Veins stood out on their foreheads. They still clenched their teeth and stayed silent. Xue Ming covered her face and wept.

Chen Shuangning raised a hand and waved. “Go. Let me have quiet.”

They bowed and left.

Xue Ming glanced at him, poured warm water, set it by the bed, and left as well.

The door closed. The room fell silent. Only the sound of a young monk sweeping the courtyard came in.

Chen Shuangning opened his eyes and stared at a point on the ceiling. His eyes were bloodshot, like a sea of blood churned inside.

After a long time, he lowered his gaze and took a pouch embroidered with lotus from his sleeve.

It had once been vivid in color. Now it had dulled from handling, but it was well kept and undamaged.

He held it in his hand and looked at it for a while. The red in his eyes slowly faded. Holding the pouch to his chest, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.