Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 24 Treasure
"Brother Peach!"

"Let's go back first!"

"be careful."

"only!!"

Taozi's door was wide open, and he was sitting on the bed, looking burly. A student came in and said goodbye to him.

Lu Qubing sat timidly aside, watching the scene helplessly.

One holiday every ten days.

Taozi welcomed her second holiday.

"I have to come and say goodbye to you on holidays. If you don't know me, you might think you are the chief priest of the county school."

Lu Qubing murmured.

The last person to say goodbye was Kou Liu.

In such a hot day, he wrapped himself up tightly, unlike others who were dressed in tatters. Taozi's eyes wandered over him.

"Brother, I'll take my leave now!"

Kou Liu saluted him very respectfully.

Lu Qubing sneered, "Don't be so hypocritical, go back and see your master!"

Kou Liu said seriously: "I have nothing to do with that Fei Zongxian. Instead, it is Cui Jijiu, who is highly respected by Lu Jun - he is Fei Zongxian's brother-in-law."

"All the things that Fei Zongxian has robbed in recent days are hung in the room of the chief priest."

"Although Mr. Lu is pedantic and stupid, his character is not too bad, so I tell you, I hope you will respect yourself!"

After he finished speaking, he nodded to Taozi again and was about to leave.

Liu Taozi suddenly spoke.

"The yamen are chasing the murderer everywhere. If someone in the county school is missing, they might be suspected and arrested."

Kou Liu paused, seemed to grunt, and left quickly.

Lu Qubing wanted to grab him, "Stop talking nonsense, give it to me."

Kou Liu walked very fast without stopping. Looking at Kou Liu going away, Lu Qubing seemed a little irritable.

"How is that possible? Mr. Cui comes from a famous family, has a good reputation, is thrifty and loves his wife. Besides, Mr. Cui's wife is not Fei at all."

"As for calligraphy and painting, he..."

The difference from last time was that his tone became weaker and his voice became smaller.

Kou Liu's serious look, his confident tone, and even many things that are easily overlooked began to connect in his mind.

Taozi watched Lu Qubing's expression constantly changing. He was struggling and hesitating. Finally, he sat down on the bed in despair and despair.

He looked up, a look of despair on his face.

He stared at Taozi blankly.

"Mr. Cui colluded with Fei Zongxian and wanted to kill me? Was what he said that day true?"

"it is true."

"Even a famous family is like this."

Lu Qubing smiled miserably.

"Is it possible that we in the Great Qi cannot find a kind and upright person?"

Liu Taozi looked at him and said slowly, "I can find it."

Kou Liu walked quickly on the road. He was undoubtedly an experienced Cheng'an man. He walked very fast. While he was on the road, he would pay attention to his surroundings and would not get close to anyone.

Once a stranger is spotted, change direction immediately and quickly distance yourself.

He regained the feeling of flying over eaves and walls, and his steps were flexible and fast, shuttling back and forth in the alleys.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped and looked back, breathlessly.

After making sure that no one was following him, he circled twice and arrived at a courtyard in the north of the city.

This courtyard is really grand, with tall walls and you can vaguely see something engraved on the door.

However, the courtyard wall had probably not been repaired for a long time and had gaps in it, and there were also several huge cracks on the gate.

As soon as he knocked on the door, an old voice came from inside.

"Who?"

"Mom, it's me!"

With a rustling sound, the gate was slowly opened.

The person who opened the door was an old woman, hunched over, with gray hair, holding a cane in one hand, and looking ahead blankly.

"mom!"

Kou Liu hugged his mother excitedly, his face pressed against her hair, his eyes becoming a little moist.

The old woman reached out her hand and touched Kou Liu's face.

Kou Liu and his mother went into the yard and closed the door.

The yard was empty. Looking around, there was not a single ornament to be found. Not even a weed could be found on the grayish-white ground.

"Son, aren't you studying at the county school? Why did you come back?"

The old woman was quite nervous.

"Ten days off!"

The old woman nodded then. While she spoke, her eyes were staring straight ahead. It was obvious that she couldn't see anything.

Kou Liu took her hand and followed her back into the house.

The house was equally run-down and old, with a lingering smell of decay.

"How are you doing in the county school? Do the lecturers like you? How are your classmates?"

"Well, it's OK. The lecturer doesn't like me very much, but my classmates are all good and helped me a lot." "That's good, that's good. How about your studies? Are you able to learn well?"

"Mom, let's not talk about this for now!"

Kou Liu interrupted his mother, undressed himself, and took out two pieces of paper from his arms.

"Touch it! What is this?!"

The old woman reached out her hand tremblingly, picked up the yellowed paper, and fumbled with it repeatedly.

"This is."

"A treasure left by my father!"

"I got it back for you!"

"From now on you will never"

"hiss!"

Kou Liu had just said half of his words when the old woman tore the paper in her hand.

"mom!!!"

"What are you doing?!"

Kou Liu quickly snatched the calligraphy back, his face full of heartache, "This is real! It's real!"

"Why do you want to do this!!"

Kou Liu was extremely excited and was about to ask a question when he saw two tear marks on the old mother's cheeks.

"Do you think I'm old, blind, and useless, so you're deceiving me like this?"

"I'm not lying to you. This is real."

"You said you wanted to go to the county school, study hard, turn over a new leaf, and stop stealing. But you went to the county school just to get these pieces of paper?"

"I"

Kou Liu didn't know how to respond for a moment.

He could only wipe his mother's tears and said, "I can't bear to see you feel sad. This is the treasure your father left for you."

"So you lied to me?"

"I'm not lying. What's the use of the law school?!"

"Do you know what that place is? As long as you can prove your identity and know how to read, anyone can go there. They won't teach you anything. You just need to pay money and be locked up in a mansion!"

"Even if you wait for a month, you may not pass the exam. Even if you pass the exam, you will still be bullied and become a slave to the officials. You cannot leave and will never get ahead."

Kou Liu gritted his teeth, "Is this what you want me to do?"

"It's the right way after all. How does it compare to stealing other people's property?"

The old mother asked back.

"This is not stealing, I just took it for use"

"Snapped!"

Kou Liu was slapped in the face before he could finish his words.

"It's because I'm a useless old woman. After your father passed away, I cried until I went blind. I couldn't control you, so I turned you into a thief!"

"Even if you are an official, you can earn your living by yourself. Do you want to be a thief for the rest of your life and never look back?"

Kou Liu tore his hair and sat on the ground in pain.

When he looked up, his eyes were filled with tears.

"Do I want to be a thief?"

"Don't I want to inherit my father's legacy and revitalize the family? Don't I want to be a respected person?"

"My mother wants me to follow the right path."

"But this world!!! This world where right and wrong are not distinguished!! Is there any righteous path for him to follow?"

Hearing the hoarseness and sorrow in her son's voice, the old woman took a few trembling steps towards him, groped for his face, and gently wiped away his tears.

"My son, you have been filial and intelligent since childhood. Your father has high hopes for you."

"We don't ask you to be successful, nor do we ask you to revive the clan. Your father and I are the same. We only ask you to be a good person and not do evil."

"In all these years, I have never accepted anything you have brought to me."

"I'd rather starve to death than eat what you stole."

“The world is not good, but we must live well and with conscience.”

Kou Liu cried silently without saying a word, just looking ahead with grievance.

The old woman smiled a little, "My son, study hard. Being an official is hard, but it is better than being a thief."

She gently stroked Kou Liu's face and hugged her son in her arms again.

"The treasure your father left me is not those pieces of paper but a filial and kind son."

Kou Liu burst into tears in his mother's arms.

Liu Taozi walked quickly on the road, and Lu Qubing followed him breathlessly, carrying large and small bags on his back.

This time when Taozi went home, she still brought her talkative brother with her.

Liu Taozi walked so fast that Lu Qubing almost had to run to keep up with him. He was sweating all over, and sweat was flowing through his hair, making it wet.

There were still few pedestrians on the road, but there were quite a few soldiers and knights.

Liu Taozi and Lu Qubing both had badges hanging around their waists, one for school and one for official position.

This effectively stopped those people from harassing us.

When they walked all the way to the East Gate, one person stood up excitedly.

"Brother Taozi!!"

(End of this chapter)