Notes on Longevity

Chapter 240: Ye used himself to negotiate terms; a story from several years ago in Huangzhou...

Zhao Yunchu hid behind a pillar outside the hall. When she saw An Zhilan, who had gone and then returned, enter the hall, she tiptoed back to the door. She stood at the door and listened to the hall, but there was no sound for a long time. So she peeked inside.

Inside the hall, Zhao Wuyong and An Zhilan sat firmly in the first seats, while Yang Chenghan stood with his back to Zhao Yunchu. Behind him, Cheng Ye remained kneeling, head bowed and silent.

Zhao Wuyong tapped the table lightly with his fingers, the dull sound filling the room with a sense of oppression. An Zhilan looked at Zhao Wuyong tapping the table, then said to Yang Chenghan, "Han'er, sit down."

Yang Chenghan's mind was in utter chaos. He felt a vague sense of unease about Zhao Wuyong, stemming from Lu Ya's and Cheng Ye's statements. If Zhao Wuyong's words were spoken under pressure, were they sincere or unintentional? As for Cheng Ye, since he had left with Wan Dou, why did he return?

Faced with Yang Chenghan's silence, An Zhilan shook her head. She turned to look at Zhao Wuyong and said softly, her eyes full of heartache for Yang Chenghan: "Master, please say something."

Zhao Wuyong looked at An Zhilan, sighed, and shook his head helplessly, saying, "Cheng Han, please sit down first."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chenghan looked up at Zhao Wuyong, taking in his helpless expression. Yang Chenghan struggled internally, but finally bowed to Zhao Wuyong and said, "Yes, Uncle."

As Yang Chenghan returned to his seat, Zhao Yunchu, who had been eavesdropping at the door, quickly pulled her head back. Without any cover, she could only press her ear against the door to listen to their conversation.

"Cheng Ye, according to you, your return with Wan Dou today means you want Wan Dou to stay in the Zhao family?"

After a while, Zhao Wuyong looked at Cheng Ye kneeling on the ground and asked.

“Yes,” Cheng Ye finally raised his head when he heard Zhao Wuyong speak.

Zhao Wuyong snorted coldly. If he didn't know Zhao Yunchu was outside, he would have pointed at Cheng Ye's nose and cursed, "If I didn't know that Wan Dou's brother was you, it wouldn't have been a problem for her to stay in the Zhao family. Besides, she signed a contract of servitude and was originally a member of the Zhao family. But now, she is the sister of a criminal wanted by the imperial court. Why should I keep her? If people find out in the future, they will want to exaggerate and ruin my reputation. Why should I do something that could bring us unnecessary trouble for you?"

Cheng Ye clenched his fists, but kept his face calm, and said, "Of course I know, so I came here today to ask Master Zhao for another favor."

Zhao Wuyong said impatiently, "What right do you have to negotiate with me? Just because of your martial arts skills? Let me tell you, my Zhao family has come this far not because of money alone."

“Cheng Ye knew, so I wanted Master Zhao to arrest me and report me to the authorities.”

Cheng Ye's words not only startled Zhao Wuyong and An Zhilan, who were seated at the table, but also shocked Yang Chenghan, who was pondering the cause and effect. He suddenly stood up, stared at Cheng Ye, and asked, "Report to the authorities?"

Cheng Ye said to Yang Chenghan, "You heard me right, Young Master Chenghan."

Yang Chenghan wanted to ask him why, but when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to say them.

What he wanted to ask was why they did it this way.

But what was he thinking when he asked this question to someone wanted by the imperial court? Was it concern or a sense of indifference? Both, but he couldn't say.

He shakily sat back down, his eyes glazed over as he fell into deep thought, unable to pull himself out of it.

"You want to exchange your own death for Wan Dou's lifelong peace?"

Zhao Wuyong rubbed his fingers together, the frown lines between his brows growing ever closer.

"If you can hand me over, Master Zhao, and that will sever your ties with Wan Dou, I will die without regret."

"Many years ago, my beloved died in an inn, and since then I have had no desire to live on. But I don't know if it was God's pity or mercy that made me meet Xiang'er. I remember when I first saw her, she was less than three feet tall, her face was sallow, her lips were peeling layer by layer, and even her clothes were tattered."

"I don't know how she got there, nor who her parents are. I originally planned to give her to another family and then go find her. But when those families saw Xiang'er's dying state, none of them were willing to raise her, so I had no choice but to keep her with me, thinking I would raise her well first and then give her away. But, several years have passed in the blink of an eye, and we have arrived in Huangzhou City."

Ten years into the Wen and Shang dynasties, the great chaos had just subsided, in the first month of winter.

The city of Huangzhou was bustling with activity and a vibrant atmosphere. Cheng Ye, dressed in black with a black veil over his face and a bamboo hat, held a long spear upright in one hand and pulled Wan Dou along the street with the other.

In Huangzhou City, which had just entered winter, red lanterns were already hung in every shop and household. Wan Dou, dressed in thick clothes, followed Cheng Ye at a leisurely pace, looking around with curiosity about Huangzhou.

They passed through many towns along the way, but Huangzhou City was always crowded and full of joy, which was a rare sight. Her gaze kept sweeping over the stalls and the passersby.

That year, she had just turned eight years old.

"Little girl, would you like to buy a sugar figurine?"

The street vendors called out as they passed by Cheng Ye and Wan Dou. When he saw Wan Dou's curious look at everything, he quickly picked up a sugar figurine that had already been made and waved it in front of her.

When Wan Dou saw the delicious food, she felt a strong urge to eat it, so she pulled Cheng Ye aside, pointed to the sugar figurine stall and said, "Brother, I want to eat a sugar figurine."

Cheng Ye followed her gaze and saw the bright orange sugar figurines that looked incredibly tempting, but they didn't have any extra coins to buy them.

He squatted down and looked at little Wan Dou, saying, "Xiang'er, let's find a place to stay first, and then we can eat, okay?"

His voice was deep and gentle, as if a thousand words had been condensed into this one sentence.

Wan Dou looked at the shiny sugar figurine with reluctance, and nodded sadly, "I understand, brother."

Cheng Ye got up and continued to walk with Wan Dou through the streets and alleys, among the crowds.

As night fell, Huangzhou City became even more bustling.

Cheng Ye led Wan Dou to a very simple inn. Even the tables and chairs inside were old and had a slightly damp, strange smell, but the room was cheap. It cost only fifty coins for a whole day and night. Although the inn had food, Cheng Ye insisted on taking Wan Dou out to eat. So, while eating noodles, Wan Dou asked him, "Brother, isn't there food in the inn? Why don't we eat there before coming out?"

Cheng Ye didn't take a gun when he went out; instead, he somehow got hold of a sword. Although he was wearing a veil, the smile in his eyes was unmistakable. He said to Wan Dou, "That place is in disrepair. Staying there is fine, but definitely don't eat there. If you get an upset stomach, you can imagine how uncomfortable that would be."

His words and eyes were full of doting affection for Wan Dou.

“I remember last time you ate a steamed bun that someone threw to you. It was ice cold, and the meat filling inside smelled a bit rotten. I said I didn’t want it, but you immediately ate it in a few bites. What happened in the end? You felt dizzy and lightheaded, and you ended up spending all our money for food and lodging for several days. In the end, you had to endure two days of hunger.”

Wan Dou's rosy cheeks flushed red instantly. She said shyly, "Back then, my brother used all the money to drink. I haven't eaten meat in a long time. My brother also had a share of the money lost."

Wan Dou's words made Cheng Ye laugh. "Alright, alright, brother was wrong. Look, how long can brother drink now?"

Wan Dou covered her mouth and chuckled, "Brother, you're lying! I've seen you secretly drinking behind my back all the time. Once you were even drunk, and it took me ages to drag you home!"

Wan Dou's words and the way she covered her mouth and giggled pierced his heart. He reached out and touched her small head tenderly, saying softly, "Wan Qing, brother was wrong. Brother won't get drunk anymore."

"Hmm?" Wan Dou tilted her head, her mouth full of noodles, staring at Cheng Ye with curiosity in her eyes, and asked indistinctly, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly calling me by my name instead of Xiang'er?"

Wan Dou's adorable appearance broke Cheng Ye's heart. The tenderness in his eyes withstood the scorching summer and freezing winter, and even the pain of separation and death, but it couldn't stop his eyes from welling up with tears at this moment.

Wanqing was the name of his beloved. Xiang'er was the nickname Cheng Ye gave Wan Dou when they passed by a sea of ​​flowers. However, Wan Dou resisted, but she couldn't dissuade Cheng Ye from his oblivious heart.

"Brother, why are you crying?"

When Wan Dou saw Cheng Ye's tears streaming down his face, she immediately put down her chopsticks and ran to his side, wiping away his tears with her small hands.

Cheng Ye pulled Wan Dou into his arms and softly murmured her name: "Wan Qing".

Wan Dou responded to him again and again, calling out, "Brother."

Throughout their journey, the two relied entirely on Cheng Ye's martial arts skills. Whenever they arrived in a city or town, he would take Wan Dou to perform on the streets to make a living.

Wan Dou had told him that they could stay in one place; she wasn't young anymore and could go out to do odd jobs or work in the courtyard. But Cheng Ye refused each time. The reason was simple: he couldn't bear to part with her. Whenever she performed, he always had Wan Dou sit to the side as a spectator. The main reason was that he was afraid that if she stayed in one place and was always in the public eye, she might be recognized one day.

But today they had arrived in Huangzhou City, now the most prosperous place besides the capital. He had Wan Dou shout out to them while he danced with his sword.

This was Wan Dou's first time shouting, but under Cheng Ye's influence, she quickly became proficient in the way. He stood on a stone block, raised his hands, and waved them, shouting: "Watch the show! Watch the show! There are swordsmen dancing. A cup of wine, a song, who says that it's hard to have both in life? Let's watch the swordsmen talk about the past and present while drunk."

As soon as Wan Dou finished speaking, Cheng Ye held a sword in one hand and raised a wine jar in the other, drinking wildly.

With a "thud," the wine jar fell to the ground, and more and more people, attracted by the adorable Wan Dou, stared at Cheng Ye with curiosity.

Cheng Ye didn't waste any words. After he put his veil back on, he began to practice his swordplay, chanting as he did so: "In ancient times, there were beauties, whose charm could topple kingdoms. In ancient times, there were scholars, whose looks were dignified. Talented men and beautiful women, playing the zither together. A cup of wine, a moment of joy; a song, a parting."

Cheng Ye was in a state of semi-drunkenness, sometimes sober and sometimes sober. He practiced swordplay and recited incantations, but the image of his beloved also appeared in his mind.

While Wan Dou cheered for him, she also continued to urge him on. Finally, at curfew, the two of them were in the inn calculating the reward money for the day.

Most of the money was in copper coins, with half of it in loose silver. They were overjoyed to see so much money before them; it was the first time they had ever seen so much. But what excited them most wasn't just the money itself, but the last half—three whole pieces of pure silver. Although they didn't know who was so wealthy, it greatly alleviated their short-term financial difficulties.

At this moment, Wan Dou was like a little money-grubber. After counting the money, she leaned on the table and hugged it to her chest. Then she stared at Cheng Ye and said, "I'll keep this money, otherwise you'll squander it again."

Cheng Ye patted her head and laughed, "Then you'd better watch out. If I secretly take it out to buy alcohol while you're asleep tonight, don't cry."

Wan Dou hesitated and hummed in agreement. Then, staring at the money in her bosom, she reluctantly took out a few pieces of silver of varying sizes and said, "This should be enough, right? There's no more. This money is enough for us to live on for more than half a year. We can't spend it recklessly."

Cheng Ye held the money in his hand, staring at her with a smile: "Get some rest. Tomorrow I'll go out and find a room to rent long-term. We can take advantage of these few days to perform a few more shows and try to earn enough money for a year, then we'll leave in six months."

Wan Dou looked at Cheng Ye and asked, "Where will we go after we leave Huangzhou?"

Cheng Ye looked out the window and at the full moon in the sky, saying, "After leaving Huangzhou, there is Fuyunzhou, after Fuyunzhou is Qingzhou, and further ahead is Muzhou, which borders the Southern Kingdom. After leaving Muzhou, we will be in the Southern Kingdom."

"Are we going to the Southern Kingdom?" Wan Dou asked curiously, her big eyes wide open.

Cheng Ye did not give a clear answer, but said, "If possible, we won't have to travel like this when we get to the South."

"Great!" Wan Dou was thrilled to hear this. She was tired of having to move every now and then after living in one place for a while. This way, she could stay with the people she knew for a long time instead of having to say goodbye all the time.

Cheng Ye tossed the silver back to Wan Dou, then stood up and said, "Go to sleep early."

Looking at the loose silver coins that had returned to her, Wan Dou stared at Cheng Ye in confusion and asked, "Brother, why didn't you take the silver?"

Cheng Ye leaned on the table and laughed, "I'm going out to look at houses tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the money safe, so I'll ask you to manage it for now. I'll come back to you after I've negotiated the price."

But Wan Dou sensed something was wrong. "Brother, you wouldn't be secretly hiding money again, would you?"

(End of this chapter)