Chapter 591
Ying Mao
Chen Ji returned to Shaojiu Hutong at midnight.
He stood in the dimly lit alley, rubbed his cheeks, and then pushed open the door: "I'm back."
In the courtyard, a gangster leaned against a grape trellis, smoking his pipe; Erdao squatted on the ground, playing with ants; a young monk chanted sutras with his head down; and Xiaoman sat by the stone table, resting his chin on his hand.
Hearing the door open, they both turned around.
Chen Ji stood at the door: "Aren't you all asleep yet?"
Xiaoman stood up: "Young master, weren't we leaving tonight? Where are you going? And what was with the curfew earlier?"
Chen Ji walked into the kitchen as if nothing had happened, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "The curfew has nothing to do with me. We're not leaving tonight."
Xiaoman hesitated for a moment: "I'm not leaving... Wait, where's the princess?"
Chen Ji stopped the water glass in his hand at his lips: "She left with the Canal Gang, with her biological father Han Tong... Binghu from the Secret Service got Han Tong out of prison."
Xiaoman's eyes widened: "How could she go with the canal gang? You've done so much for her, young master, and she just leaves like that?"
Chen Ji leaned against the kitchen door frame, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "Han Tong is her biological father, so he should be able to protect her better. With the Canal Gang protecting her away from the capital, she doesn't have to live in fear. Besides, she has things she wants to do, and only the Canal Gang can help her."
Xiaoman pointed to the clutter scattered in the yard and said with a pained expression, "What am I going to do with all these things I bought?"
Chen Ji followed Xiao Man's finger and looked in that direction.
In the courtyard, two large bundles of wool felt tents were rolled up and leaned against the wall of the east wing.
Next to it were two iron pots, the larger one being a field pot and the smaller one a hanging pot, with brand-new iron chains still attached to the pot handles.
Next to it were neatly stacked oil paper packages, piled up one after another. Inside were dozens of kilograms of fried oat noodles, enough for one person to eat for two months.
The dried meat was strung together with thin hemp rope and hung under the grape trellis. The dried meat strips were wrapped again and again with tung oil cloth.
There were also cotton-padded clothes, fur coats, felt boots, water bags, salt bags, deerskin bags containing needles, thread and flint... The small courtyard was so full that there was hardly any room to step.
Chen Ji also began to worry.
Xiaoman stood with her hands on her hips, her twin buns trembling with anger: "I've been running around for three days, from Longfusi to Chongnanfang, from Chongnanfang to Tianqiao. My legs are about to break. I watched them cut the jerky, one strip at a time, no fat, no tendons, just the leanest part from the hind leg. And those tents, made of felt wool, I searched all over the capital to find just two. The shopkeeper said it's a craft from the north, and one can last ten years. And now you're telling me you're not going?"
Xiaoman became increasingly angry as she spoke, her eyes reddening: "Young master, do you know how much silver these things cost? Eight hundred taels! You didn't even feel this much pain when you pawned all the shops your aunt left behind. She just left whenever she wanted, but you just stayed whenever you wanted. You should have discussed it with me beforehand."
As she spoke, her voice grew hoarse: "Does she know how many injuries you suffered in Guyuan? Does she know how many pairs of boots you wore out on your way to the capital? Does she know how many people in the capital are cursing you because of her? Not just in the capital, but also the border troops at Chongli Pass, and the three Imperial Guards... How can she leave? If she leaves, the entire capital will laugh at you. They will laugh at you for abandoning your marriage to a convict woman, and then this convict woman doesn't even want you anymore!"
Tears streamed down Xiaoman's face. She turned away, wiping them away forcefully with the back of her hand, and whispered, "How could she do this!"
The man leaned against the grape trellis, slowly puffing on his pipe.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he glanced at Chen Ji: "The day the boss suddenly discussed whether the result or the process was more important up in Mei Rui Lou, he must have already foreseen this day, which is why he said the result wouldn't be too good."
Chen Ji stood at the kitchen door, still holding the empty cup in his hand: "I expected it."
The man grinned and said, "As long as it's a result you can handle, there's nothing to complain about. There shouldn't be anything else to do now, right? The boss can finally rest. Come with me to have some tea, listen to some opera, and then go fishing by the Mountain and River Altar. The autumn air is crisp and refreshing; it's incredibly pleasant."
At this point, he changed the subject: "By the way, Xiaoman, Erdao and I are planning to move in together. Which room would be suitable?"
Xiaoman rolled her eyes: "Aren't there two felt tents? You two can each take one. Use what you need and eat what you need. You can't let me work for three days for nothing!"
The man chuckled and said, "Alright, once winter comes, my wool felt tent will be warmer than your brick house."
Silence fell over the courtyard once again.
After a moment, Xiaoman broke the silence: "Has Young Master had dinner tonight?"
Chen Ji shook his head: "I didn't have time."
Xiaoman wiped away her tears, got up and walked towards the kitchen: "I'll cook for you. Auntie said that even if the sky falls, we still have to eat. As long as there's still fire in the stove, the home still tastes like home."
She went into the kitchen, tied on her apron, opened a pack of tinder, lit the stove, and muttered to herself, "So many tinder, who knows when we'll ever use them... Everyone else is celebrating the Double Ninth Festival with family reunion, but our family is facing separation! I'm so angry!"
Wait until the smell of burning firewood from the kitchen wafts out of the house.
For some reason, Chen Ji's tense nerves calmed down the moment he smelled the firewood. The soft crackling of the firewood burning in the stove was like a pair of hands smoothing out the wrinkles on his body.
At this moment, the young monk looked at Chen Ji: "I remember that the first time I met you was on the afternoon of the Double Ninth Festival. At that time, I returned to Luoyang with the prince and the princess from Donglin Academy. I never thought that in just one year, things would have changed so much."
Chen Ji sat down at the stone table and smiled, "How come a monk like you has become so sentimental?"
The young monk looked into Chen Ji's eyes and seemed to see something in them: "The mountain in your heart has finally been moved."
Chen Ji stroked the teacup in his hand, lost in thought: "Did they really move away?"
The young monk shook his head: "This humble monk has no answer, but you already have one in your heart, benefactor." Chen Ji remained silent.
The young monk suddenly asked, "Benefactor, if you were allowed to return to a year ago with your memories intact, would you be willing? To return to that night when you first arrived, or perhaps to the afternoon of the Double Ninth Festival."
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "I'm willing."
The young monk then asked, "If you were to go back a year, but the outcome couldn't be changed, would you still be willing to go back?"
Chen Ji was slightly taken aback and did not answer for a long time.
Just then, Xiaoman's voice rang out from the kitchen: "Little monk, what are you standing there for? Come and pick the vegetables!"
The young monk quickly replied, "Coming, coming."
He got up and walked towards the kitchen, but then heard Chen Ji suddenly reply, "I'm willing."
The young monk was taken aback, and it took him a couple of breaths to realize that Chen Ji was answering his question.
He turned and gazed into Chen Ji's eyes, then clasped his hands together and smiled, "Benefactor, what is it that you cling to in 'self-attachment'?"
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "The result?"
“Exactly,” the young monk said softly, “As the saying goes, Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the effect. Once one stops asking about cause and effect, one becomes a Buddha. Your answer just now showed that even if the outcome was predetermined, you were willing to go back. What you let go of was both the outcome and your attachment.”
At this point, the young monk pointed to Chen Ji's chest and said with relief, "The mountain in your heart has moved away on its own. From now on, it will no longer be a mountain, but a path walked at the foot of the mountain."
Chen Ji suddenly looked at the little monk: "I've let go of the result, have you picked up the cause?"
The young monk gave Chen Ji a deep look, then turned and walked into the kitchen: "This humble monk is going to prepare the vegetables..."
……
……
That night, Chen Ji had a very long dream.
In his dream, he was still sitting on that cart heading to Luhun Mountain Villa, under the magnificent sunset, eating tangerines with his friends.
Suddenly, a heavy snow began to fall, and Chen Ji's eyes were blinded by the snowflakes. When he rubbed his eyes and looked around, he was the only one left in the car.
The rooster crowed.
Chen Ji opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
He was still in his small house in Shaojiu Hutong, having moved back from the east wing to the empty main room, where dark clouds nestled warmly beside his pillow.
Gradually, some noises arose in Shaojiu Hutong: the footsteps of a man leaving for work, the sounds of a child being taken to school by his mother, the child's voice innocent and the mother's gentle.
Chen Ji sat up, dressed, and went to the courtyard, only to find that the members of the Gelaohui had gotten up early and were sitting at the stone table smoking pipes, wearing black cloth shirts.
Chen Ji asked curiously, "Why are you up so early?"
Looking at the sky, the man slowly said, "Ever since I came to Ningchao, I've been working myself to the bone every day. It's rare for me to have a moment of leisure, and I don't know what to do with myself."
Chen Ji said with a smile, "Let's go fishing. I've never fished before."
The man perked up: "Boss, fishing is so much fun!"
He slammed his pipe on the stone table, leaned forward, and his eyes lit up: "Find a quiet bend in the river, set up a fishing rod, bait it, and sit there all day long. The sun shines, the wind blows, the water ripples, you don't have to think about anything or worry about anything. Whether the fish bite or not doesn't matter, all you want is that leisure."
Chen Ji's lips curled up slightly: "The Air Force always has a way of comforting itself."
The man laughed heartily: "When I was young, back in my hometown, whenever I had nothing to do, I would carry a fishing rod to the river. We were poor back then and couldn't afford a proper fishing rod, so I would cut a bamboo, straighten it by heating it over a fire, tie a hemp thread to it, and bend a needle for the hook. With such rudimentary tools, I could still catch fish. Crucian carp, common carp, grass carp, and if I was lucky, I might even catch a big black carp. I would take it home and make soup, enough for the whole family for two meals."
He paused, squinted, as if recalling something from a long time ago: "After I went out to make my way in the world, I never fished again. It wasn't that I didn't have the time, it was that I didn't have the mindset. I was thinking all day about how to survive, how to climb up the social ladder, how not to be trampled on. I didn't have time to sit by the river and daydream."
Chen Jile said happily, "Then let's go fishing and sit there all day."
For breakfast at home, they had stir-fried oat noodles with egg drop soup, which made Pao Ge and Er Dao choke. After finishing their meal, the family of five went out, intending to head straight for the reed marshes next to the Altar of Mountains and Rivers.
But as soon as he stepped out, he saw a secret agent guarding the door.
Chen Ji stopped at the door: "What is it?"
The spy clasped his hands and said, "Lord Chen, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs sent word to remind you. You are Hai Dongqing of the Secret Service, and from now on you will need to report to the Eagle House every day. The Secret Service is currently very busy and needs manpower... Also, the morning report needs your personal attention."
Chen Ji glanced at him, then led the gang members straight out of the alley: "Whoever sent you to deliver this message, go back and tell them I'm sick and can't make it. Not only today, but tomorrow too, and the day after tomorrow even less. If it really comes to it, then remove my Hai Dongqing." (End of Chapter)