Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 124: Lao Song, come out!

Lu Ya came out of Yang Yuan's room carrying two bags. When he saw Old Man Song standing in the yard, he stopped awkwardly.

Brother Ya smiled awkwardly and said, "Father Song, then...then I'm leaving."

Old Man Song waved his hand and said nothing.

Lu Ya shrank his neck and walked past Old Man Song awkwardly.

Yang Yuan did not go back to Song's snack shop, but asked him to pick up his luggage.

Lu Ya didn't want to do such a lousy thing, but if he didn't come, who would?
So, I had no choice but to come here.

Old Man Song stood at the door for a while, then limped in.

Beds, cabinets...

No bedding or clothes were taken, but daily necessities were still there. Yang Yuan asked Ya Ge to come and only take away two bags.

Old Man Song seemed to suddenly remember something and slowly walked into the small compartment on the gable of the house.

The cushion and incense burner are still there, but the memorial tablet on the altar is nowhere to be seen.

A thoughtful look appeared in Old Man Song's eyes.

……

"Swish~hiss..."

Mu Yaban drank tea and listened to Yu Jiguang's report. He smiled faintly: "Your judgment makes sense. This is probably the case."

He narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay, no need to keep an eye on him. In two days, go to the dock and see if he really left the Song Dynasty with that noble lady from the Jin Kingdom."

"Yes!"

"Shh~ That's right..."

Mu Si just took a sip of tea and suddenly seemed to remember something. She picked up a white bag from the desk and handed it to Yu Jiguang.

"Yu Kongmu, someone has come from Wang Jinbo's hometown. Please go and see him and send him some funeral money for me."

Yu Jiguang raised his eyebrows: "Yaban, he is Yaban Li's man, we don't need to pay attention to him, right?"

"Death is the greatest thing, whoosh~hiss..., the desire for food and drink cannot be satisfied!"

Da Chu, who was standing aside, rolled his eyes in amazement. What's wrong with the desire for food?
He felt somewhat indignant, but did not dare to retort.

Mu Yaban sighed and said, "Wang Yafan's death was really too tragic. Just hearing people talk about it makes my heart tremble. Well, let me show my sympathy."

"Yes!"

Yu Jiguang grinned. Mu Yaban had already paid the funeral money, and he was asked to go and send it off. Would he be embarrassed to show some respect?
Well, let me give you some thoughts...

……

At night, Mr. Qu slowly returned to the bluestone alley.

When he arrived at the Song's snack shop, he was surprised to find that the streets were still bustling with people, but the snack shop was already closed.

Mr. Qu thought about it and rang the doorbell.

In Luxi's boudoir on the second floor, the little girl was lying on the couch, her eyes swollen like peaches from crying.

Old Man Song stood there at a loss, not knowing how to comfort the child.

His wife died early, and he raised their daughter alone. He was fine in taking care of her on a daily basis, but by this time, she was a little tongue-tied.

"Luxi, don't be sad. You've been crying for so long. Don't make yourself sick from crying."

"Wuwuwu~~~Hiccup, why is my second brother so mean? He...he hooked up with the daughter of a rich and powerful family and left me alone..."

Lu Xi was still crying: "Why is he so cruel? Why didn't I see through him before?

"I...he broke off my engagement just like that. Do I still need to see anyone? Wuwuwu..."

"This... isn't it actually quite good? Isn't it better for us to find out about his bad character early on than to find out after we actually marry him? Luxi, look, God is helping you."

"You call this helping me? My man has been taken away by someone..."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Old Man Song pricked up his ears, stamped his feet, and went downstairs.

As soon as he left, Luxi stopped crying. She quickly wiped her tears, ran to the window, and quietly opened it a crack.

Could it be that my second brother...has changed his mind?
When Old Man Song opened the shop door, he saw Qu Jianlei standing outside.

Old Man Song's face darkened: "Yang Yuan is not here, and he will never come back."

"I know."

After Mr. Qu finished speaking, he squeezed in, pulled over a stool, and sat down at a table.

Seeing this, Old Man Song didn't turn on the lights, but just opened a door to let the light from outside in.

A faint light shone into the store, like a wall of light.

The two of them picked up a bench and sat down on either side of the light wall.

"You know? That kid... even told you specifically?"

Old Man Song's eyes were extremely sharp, completely different from his usual appearance.

Mr. Qu said: "No, I just guessed."

Mr. Qu pondered for a moment and said, "Today, my last lecture will be at 'Wang Mama Teahouse'.

"When I went there, a tea doctor told me that there was a guest named Yang Yuan who came today and asked her to bring a message to me.

"After I finish my story, I'll go to the Lexin Inn on Houshi Street in front to find him."

"and then?"

"I finished talking about the book and went over there. I asked the waiter to check and found his room."

"Keep playing!"

"I met him and asked him why he lived there, and he said..."

"You don't need to tell me the reason why he moved away."

Old Man Song frowned. He didn't want to hear it: "Just say what he asked you to do?" Mr. Qu was silent for a moment, looking at the light and shadow like a wall in front of him, with dust floating up and down in the light and shadow.

"He said that when doing things, one should start well and end well. So, he asked me to go to the 'Le Xin Inn' tomorrow morning and evening.

"He wanted to tell me as much as possible about the contents left unsaid in the Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties."

Old Man Song looked at Mr. Qu with confusion. These words made no sense and he did not understand them at once.

Mr. Qu smiled and said, "Didn't you say that you wanted to meet the master who taught me the 'New Three Kingdoms'?"

Old Man Song stood up suddenly, with half of his body immersed in the dim light and shadow.

"He is? Did Yang Yuan teach you the 'Three Kingdoms' you mentioned?"

"Not bad!"

"That boy, how could he..."

Old Man Song stood there for a moment, then slowly sat back down: "Go on."

Mr. Qu said: "Erlang taught me the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and then he taught me the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which I am talking about now."

Mr. Qu took out a heavy half-sized bag from under his sleeve and placed it on the dining table beside him.

"I make money from telling stories, so you guys don't have to worry about saving money. That's why I can afford to send money to Lingnan to help Mr. Yue's family. And this..."

Father Song glanced at the half-sized bag and asked, "What is this?"

Mr. Qu said: "Jewelry! This is what Erlang gave me tonight. He said that he fell in love with a noble lady from the Kingdom of Jin and he felt sorry for Luxi.

"He said he knew that even I wouldn't like someone who liked a golden man.

"But these jewels are innocent. He wouldn't let me tell you, he just told me to keep them and wait... wait..."

"What are you waiting for? Just say it now, why are you dawdling?"

"He said that he wanted me to keep the jewelry for him. Later, when Luxi finds a man she likes and they get married, he asked me to give it to her in my name as her dowry."

Old Man Song stopped talking.

Mr. Qu smiled slightly: "Erlang said that he likes the noble lady of the Jin Kingdom and wants to follow her to the Northern Kingdom. Do you believe it?"

Old Man Song remained silent.

Mr. Qu slowly put away his smile and said solemnly: "This child has done us a favor!"

Old Man Song remained silent.

Mr. Qu said, "Mr. Yue's military rules are that even if you freeze to death, you won't demolish the house; even if you starve to death, you won't rob! Do you think you can accept this jewelry or not?"

Father Song suddenly rolled his eyes and said coldly: "He gave it to you, not us! Why are you asking me?"

"Then... I'll take it."

Mr. Qu smiled and said, "We won't demolish houses even if we freeze to death, and we won't rob people even if we starve to death! However, if someone wants to reward the army, we can still accept it."

As he spoke, he picked up the cloth bag and hid it back under his robe.

Father Song said sullenly, "Tomorrow, I will go hire a few people, a cook, a kitchen helper, and a waiter."

"Ok?"

"I am the most powerful scout in the Tabai Army. Isn't that why you came to me and talked nonsense? Do you want me to investigate?"

Mr. Qu smiled: "But, your legs..."

"I am the most powerful scout in the Tabai Army, and I always have been!"

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Tomorrow morning, I have to go to the 'Lao Xin Inn' to listen to books. I'm an old man and can't stay up late..."

Mr. Qu kept muttering to himself, blocking the light with his body.

Old Man Song also stood up and said, "Since he asked you to keep a secret for him, you should keep it a secret and don't let my daughter know."

"I understand. Luxi is a motherless child, so pitiful. I, Old Qu, also hope that this child will suffer less and endure less pain..."

Mr. Qu said this and walked out slowly. The light and shadow, like a wall of light, shone into the shop.

Old Man Song stood in front of the light for a long time before slowly turning around. He first put the door panel up and then hobbled back to the backyard.

The window on the second floor made a slight closing sound because it was closed too quickly.

Father Song looked up and said, "Just now your uncle Qu came and told me something."

A low "Oh" sound came from behind the upstairs window.

Father Song paused and continued, "That boy didn't recognize the Jingshan Jade. He is the one who suffered the loss. There is nothing to be ashamed of! Don't cry..."

There was no response from behind the window.

"Okay, go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, Dad will go and hire a kitchen helper and a waiter..."

The window upstairs opened, and under the moonlight, a graceful face appeared: "Dad, why are we hiring someone for such a good time?"

Father Song said loudly: "Dad wants to convert the wing opposite into a dining hall, expand our business, and make Song's Snack Shop the most famous flavor restaurant in Qingshi Lane!"

"When the time comes, our Song family's daughter will be both wealthy and pretty. Even those educated husbands will rush to our house to ask for marriage!"

With a bang, the window closed.

Let dad go crazy if he wants to. Luxi doesn’t bother to pay any attention to him.

Old Man Song smiled and said, "I'm glad my daughter has stopped crying."

That kid was obviously walking on a road full of blades. No one could predict whether he could survive, so he chose to bear it himself.

The pain that troubled Lao Ji throughout his life was that his loved ones died in front of him, but he was powerless to do anything.

And those enemies he hated, whether dead or alive, would not remain on his mind until now.

The pain of hating someone is much lighter than the pain of not being able to love someone, and it is easier to heal.

Old Man Song is also a man, so, like Yang Yuan, he chose to conceal it.

Fighting and killing do not need the support of a woman who would be worried and cry.

Having him is enough. A cripple, a lazy man, can also stir up a big storm!
(End of this chapter)