Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 152 Extra Xiao Mu (1)

In the first year of Xiande, the market in Yizhou was bustling with activity. Yizhou was located on the border between Liao and Da Zhou. Although there were occasional conflicts, a border market was set up for trade. Therefore, there were also many Liao people in Yizhou.

Beside the low wall of the market, a little boy with a dusty face sat, gazing longingly at the steaming buns from the vendor's basket, swallowing hard. He touched his empty pockets, then glanced at his younger brother lying unconscious beside him. His brother was sick, but he didn't even have enough copper coins to buy a single bun. He tucked the tattered straw mat around his brother; although spring had arrived, the north was still quite cold. Several other children like them lay crookedly in the sun beside the low wall, their faces pale and thin.

Just then, a group of well-dressed young men, having finished their meal, emerged from the restaurant. Leading them was a tall, slick-haired man who immediately spotted the children huddled in the corner. The moment he saw the children, his eyes lit up, and an idea formed in his mind. A smile played on his lips as he quickly instructed his servant, "Go quickly and have the waiter pack up the leftovers we didn't finish."

The other young men understood immediately, exchanged knowing smiles, and realized they were in for some fun. They all craned their necks to watch the spectacle.

"Brother Chen, what are your plans for today?" the shortest young man asked tremulously. He was the last to join this circle and didn't understand their games very well, but he knew that if he didn't want to be ostracized, he had to take the initiative.

"Brother Wang, what's the rush? Just wait and see the show!" Young Master Chen glanced at him disdainfully, then patted Young Master Wang on the shoulder, looking confident and smug.

A basket of oil-paper packages was brought over. Young Master Chen picked up the largest one, held it high, and then a loud voice rang out: "Hey, you little beggars? Want some roast chicken?"

The children immediately stood up, their faces beaming with joy, and gathered around, their eyes shining: "Great benefactor, please have mercy! I want to eat!"

"I also want!"

"I also want!"

The little boy also got up with a puzzled look and stood at the back, watching silently. His feelings were very complicated. His parents had said, "A gentleman does not eat food offered with contempt," and "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." But he was really hungry. He could go without eating, but his younger brother was still so small and had been sick for so many days... The little boy swallowed and looked at his younger brother lying on the ground, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Young Master Chen was extremely pleased with himself. He slowly opened the oil paper package, took a sniff, and said, "It smells so good! Want some? If you want some, bark like a dog. Whoever barks the loudest and best gets the meat!"

"Woof woof woof!" "Woof woof woof!" "Woof woof woof!" The market was immediately filled with the barking of dogs.

"Well done! Well done! Hahahaha!" Young Master Chen clapped his hands and laughed. "A reward is due!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Young Master Chen distributed the oil paper packets from the basket to the other young masters, then opened one for himself, picked up the meat inside, and threw it among the children. The meat fell to the ground, rolling in a layer of sand, but the children didn't care and rushed to grab it. Those who managed to grab some didn't bother to shake off the sand and hurriedly stuffed it into their mouths, their free hands grabbing more meat.

The other young masters followed suit and had a great time. Only the chubby young master Wang was a little reluctant and didn't know what to do with the oil paper package. A child, seeing that he was easy to talk to, mustered up his courage and snatched the oil paper package from his hand.

In an instant, several children pounced on the meat, shoving and jostling each other, knocking the boy standing by the wall to the ground. Young Master Wang quickly stepped forward and helped him up, asking, "Are you hurt?"

The boy didn't thank him, but instead cautiously stepped back. Taking advantage of the others' inattention, Young Master Wang took another oil paper package from the basket, shoved it into the boy's hand, and whispered, "Hurry up and go! Don't let anyone else see."

The boy glanced at him, his feelings complicated, then stuffed the oil paper package into his pocket, avoiding everyone's gaze, and ran to his younger brother. He carefully took a small piece of chicken from his pocket and put it into his brother's mouth, but his brother didn't react.

“Little brother, it’s chicken, eat it! Eat it!” Tears streamed down the boy’s face as he tore off pieces of meat and stuffed them into his little brother’s mouth. The boy tremblingly checked his brother’s breath; it was already…no breath. The boy’s hand fell limply, his mind blank. After a long while, he choked out, “Little brother…little brother…look at me! Didn’t we promise that when you got better, I’d take you to fly kites? Didn’t we promise that when you got better, I’d buy you candied fruit? Little brother…little brother…”

The boy looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, glaring hatefully at the group of young men who were having a great time, their laughter deafening. He was filled with hatred. He knew that his brother's death was a problem of this world, but who should he hate?
"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, the bones of those frozen to death lie." He finally understood the meaning of what his teacher had said before.

The meat was quickly distributed, and the children dispersed. The young men, however, sat down at a roadside tea stall, seemingly waiting for something, showing no intention of leaving. They chatted while keeping an eye on the group of beggar children. The boy sensed something was amiss. Why were they so concerned about these children? They weren't kind people at all! The boy wiped away his tears and listened intently.

"Let's wait and see what happens!" Young Master Chen laughed a few times and said, sitting down to wait for the show.

After everyone sat down, Young Master Wang took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead and asked impatiently, "Brother Chen, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what good show it is?"

This young master Wang joined them last, so naturally he didn't understand these tricks. The other young masters sneered, thinking to themselves, "He doesn't even understand this?" They were quite disdainful of him.

Young Master Chen, in high spirits, began to analyze the situation point by point: "Let's make a bet. When do you think these little beggars will react after eating this spiked meat and vegetables?"

"Those were just appetizers. I wonder if they'll spit it out after eating the roast chicken? Hahahaha..." Young Master Chen made a flower-blowing gesture with his right hand. "I put ten times the dosage of laxative in it, even a horse couldn't handle it, right?"

Everyone burst into laughter, but Young Master Wang looked troubled. He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. He was already overweight and prone to sweating, but now that he was nervous, he sweated even more. "This isn't good, is it? Those children are pale and thin. This medicine is so strong. If they take it, they might die."