Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 11 News about Liu Jianjun
It's been a day, and Liu Jianjun still hasn't returned.

Although Li Xian knew that someone as shrewd as Liu Jianjun would never suffer a loss outside, he was still somewhat worried because he hadn't seen Liu Jianjun by nightfall.

So, even though Qiu Shenji's lackeys weren't bothering him outside the courtyard tonight, Li Xian still couldn't sleep soundly, and only fell asleep in the middle of the night.

The next day, Li Xian still hadn't seen Liu Jianjun.

His worries intensified.

He wasn't sure if there was a curfew in Bazhou, or rather, in a small village like Liujiazhuang, whether or not there was a curfew was meaningless, as the government didn't have the power to enforce a curfew in such a remote place.

Where did Liu Jianjun go? Will something happen to him?

With something on his mind, Li Xian didn't even eat breakfast before heading towards Liu Jianjun's house.

As soon as I stepped out the door, I realized it wouldn't be right to go empty-handed, so I grabbed a pair of Spring Festival couplets from home.

As Li Xian arrived at Liu Jianjun's house, a chill ran through him.

This is the time when villagers make breakfast. Generally speaking, smoke will rise from the roof of any inhabited house.

Some of the smoke rose from the chimneys, but most of it playfully clung to the rooftops.

If the roof is made of tiles, they flow between the tiles; if the roof is made of thatch, they are like a milky white quilt, partially covering the thatch.

Regardless of the type, it will take a long time to dissipate.

But there was no smoke coming from Liu Jianjun's roof.

In other words, no one in Liu Jianjun's family cooked.

Li Xian saw smoke coming from the roof of Liu Laosan's house and wondered if Liu Jianjun was living with his second uncle.

With this in mind, Li Xian knocked on the courtyard gate.

Liu Lao Er's voice rang out from inside: "Someone's here! Come out and see!"

Then, Li Xian's gaze passed over the low mud wall and landed on Liu Laosan.

When Liu Laosan saw Li Xian, he was very enthusiastic. He rushed to the gate and opened it, saying, "Oh! A rare guest! A rare guest! Brother Xian! Come in quickly!"

As she spoke, she stepped aside and asked with a smile, "Have you had breakfast yet? Or would you like to make do with what I have here?"

Li Xian smiled reservedly, but he sensed the information in Liu Laosan's words and asked, "Did Liu Jianjun come back yesterday?"

Before yesterday, Liu Laosan did not know his own name, and even when he called himself "brother," he did not include the character "Xian."

He knew his own name, which must have been given to him by Liu Jianjun.

"That's right!" Liu Laosan said as he walked towards the house, "He didn't come back until it was dark last night, and he didn't even knock. He just climbed up the wall. His second aunt thought they had invited a thief!"

Relieved by Liu Laosan's confirmation, Li Xian asked curiously, "What about Liu Jianjun?"

"Who knows what he's up to! He went out again before dawn!"

As they were talking, Liu Laosan led Li Xian into the house, invited him to sit down, and said, "Your wife is cooking at home. Since you're already here, sit down and have something to eat!"

Li Xian was somewhat at a loss, but he really wanted to know about Liu Jianjun, so he handed over the Spring Festival couplets he was holding and said, "I felt really bad for visiting you so abruptly yesterday, so I went back and wrote a couplet to send over. I hope you won't find it offensive..."

Old Liu immediately accepted the Spring Festival couplets with a smile, repeatedly saying, "No problem! No problem! These are cultural items! How could I possibly look down on them!"

As he spoke, Liu Laosan unfolded the Spring Festival couplets, examined them seriously for a while, and then praised, "Great calligraphy! It's obviously better than what our Gou'er wrote!"

When Li Xian heard Liu Laosan praise his handwriting as better than Liu Jianjun's, he was secretly pleased. Although he thought Liu Jianjun's handwriting was as ugly as a dog's paddle, he couldn't help but suspect that Liu Laosan was just blaming others, so the outsider's opinion was the most objective.

But when Li Xian looked over, all the joy in his heart vanished.

Liu Laosan held the Spring Festival couplets upside down.

Just then, as if remembering something, Liu Laosan put away the Spring Festival couplets, his face showing an honest and simple apology: "We only found out yesterday that you're not used to spicy food after Gou'er came back..."

As he spoke, Liu Laosan subconsciously said, "That silly woman at home is so careless. I was wondering why you left in such a hurry yesterday!"

Li Xian gave an awkward smile.

Did Liu Jianjun say where he went or what he was doing when he came back yesterday?

"Who knows him! He's been a very withdrawn kid since he was little, he never tells anyone in the family what he does!"

Li Xian tried to smooth things over, saying, "Liu Jianjun has his own opinions."

"What's with all this 'opinion'? If you have too much 'opinion,' you won't even be able to find a wife!"

Seeing that Liu Laosan was about to complain about Liu Jianjun and Huya's marriage again, Li Xian quickly interrupted, "What else did he say yesterday?"

Liu Laosan was brought back to the topic, still somewhat unsatisfied, but followed Li Xian's words and said, "He came back last night and climbed over the wall. Everyone in the family thought we had been robbed. Er Gou was so scared that he cried loudly... Oh, Er Gou is my son, he's only five years old, and he's very timid."

Liu Laosan glanced at Li Xian and realized that he seemed to have steered the conversation off-topic again, so he forced a change of subject and said, "His second aunt told him that we met you yesterday, and he asked us to tell you not to worry, that he would come to find you after he had dealt with his business."

"Hey, what did you discuss with him?" Liu Laosan asked curiously.

Li Xian thought for a moment and felt that he should perhaps inform Liu Jianjun's elders about the matter between him and Liu Jianjun, so he carefully said, "Liu Jianjun asked me to take him to Chang'an."

"Go to Chang'an?!"

Liu Laosan jumped to his feet.

"What's he doing running off to Chang'an, a place he doesn't know at all! No way, I'll tell him why this kid doesn't want to get married! He's always so impractical, thinking about this and that!"

Li Xian didn't expect Liu Laosan to react so strongly, and sat there awkwardly for a moment.

Only then did Liu Laosan realize that Li Xian was there. He sat down again and earnestly advised, "Brother Xian, please forgive my nagging, but you must persuade him. Chang'an is such a far place. If he goes there, who will cultivate his land? It will all be left to fall into ruin!"

Li Xian didn't know what to say.

He only realized now that Liu Jianjun was a native of Bazhou for generations. When he went to Chang'an, he was not only helping him resolve the Qiu Shenji issue, but also giving up the land that gave him birth and nurtured him, and the family that loved him.

Although Li Xian didn't know how much wealth Liu Jianjun had, the information revealed by Liu Lao Er yesterday indicated that Liu Jianjun was the eldest son of their branch of the family and their only heir. The Liu family patriarch had left most of the family property to him.

Including the two houses outside, the half of the mountain I visited yesterday, and the fields covered with greenhouses that I caught a glimpse of.

Liu Jianjun needs to give up all of these.

Thinking about all this, Li Xian felt guilty again.

It seems like I'm always the one troubling others.

He treated his wife and children the same way before, and he treats Liu Jianjun the same way now.

He felt he should do something for Liu Jianjun as well.

……

(End of this chapter)