A Place to Stay for Now

Chapter 23: A Place to Stay for Now

"You can handle whatever you need to do yourself, or have Qianshan send someone to help you. As long as you take care of this matter for me, you may call upon anyone in Meng City, and come and go as you please." The Prefect truly believed in trusting those he employed and never doubting them. It made people feel at ease, though Zi Bofeng knew that this fierce-looking big soldier would probably be following him around all day.

"Qianshan, I'll have to trouble you to protect Bofeng for a while. Don't let anyone disturb him." The Prefect looked at Luo Qianshan, who was covered in dust from his journey.

"This general obeys!" Luo Qianshan clasped his fist and answered crisply. With the Prefect's trust in him on this matter, how could he not lay down his life in return?

Zi Bofeng left the Prefect's study. The Prefect caught hold of Luo Qianshan and said, "Nan'er, keep an eye on that boy. Don't let him cause trouble."

"Rest assured, foster father." Luo Qianshan thumped his chest. He had roamed battlefields and killed countless men. How could a frail scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken cause trouble on his watch?

"Be careful. That boy's clever."

"This general understands." Luo Qianshan toyed with the steel saber at his waist. It gave a sharp clack.

Little Stone straddled the wall, watching Zi Jian patch the gaps along the courtyard wall with mortar. He soon grew bored and looked around. Across the street stood the large compound of Mengcheng Prefecture. Inside, a chubby little girl dressed in finery was playing with a pair of wooden carvings, one of a man and one of a woman. They looked as if her older brother had carved them. A woman in green watched her, occasionally calling her "Miss."

Was that Qiu'er?

Little Stone glanced around. Seeing that Zi Jian wasn't paying attention to him, he quietly slid down from the wall and ran to the other side of the street. Clinging to a big tree, he climbed up to the compound's outer wall and lay across the top, calling softly, "Qiu'er! Qiu'er!"

Qiu'er looked up at the dirty little head before her and asked in confusion, "How do you know my name?"

"Because I'm your Little Stone big brother!" Little Stone said matter-of-factly. "Of course I know your name, Qiu'er. You know mine too, don't you?"

"Little Stone big brother?" Qiu'er blinked, then lowered her gaze to the wooden carvings in her hands. They were made with only a few strokes, yet looked so lifelike. Qiu'er immediately smiled. "You're Little Stone big brother? Come down and play with me, okay?"

"Wait there..." Little Stone looked around, then swung himself over the wall. With his little bottom sticking up and his legs dangling, he slowly slid down. He landed on his rear, but immediately sprang up as if nothing had happened, dusting himself off.

Zi Bofeng had just come out of the Prefect's study. Through a few clusters of trees, he saw the whole scene and rolled his eyes. I'm beating the drum to plead my case, while Little Stone's scaling the wall to meet his wife. That's one impressive level of boldness. No wonder he's our Little Stone!

But he couldn't let Luo Qianshan see. The moment Luo Qianshan came out, Zi Bofeng pointed at the sky in the opposite direction. "Look, a plane!"

Luo Qianshan followed his finger. The blue sky was wide open, white clouds drifted lazily by, and it was a rare day of fine weather.

"Where's the plane?" Luo Qianshan asked, puzzled.

"If you didn't see it, never mind." Zi Bofeng shrugged and headed off.

Luo Qianshan scratched his head, then hurried after him.

After seeing Little Stone climb over from that direction, Zi Bofeng had a good idea where his father was. He left the Prefect's residence, turned the corner, and spotted his father.

When Zi Jian saw Zi Bofeng, he hurriedly stood up. "How did it go?"

Then he noticed the soldier following behind Zi Bofeng and jumped in alarm. Had something gone wrong? Was Bofeng here to say his final goodbyes?

The soldier clasped his fist. "Uncle!"

"It all worked out." Zi Bofeng grinned. "Lower Yan Village won't have to pay taxes anymore."

"Really?" Zi Jian was overjoyed, but didn't dare neglect Luo Qianshan. "Bofeng, you haven't introduced this gentleman."

"I'm Luo Qianshan, your son's friend," Luo Qianshan introduced himself. "Please just call me Qianshan, Uncle."

Though Luo Qianshan was wearing armor, Zi Jian didn't recognize his rank. He was only slightly surprised to hear that Zi Bofeng had a friend or two after studying in Meng City for a year. He just didn't know why his son's friend was a big soldier.

"General Luo..." Zi Jian hesitantly tried out the title, then pulled Zi Bofeng aside to hear the details.

Zi Bofeng proudly recounted how he had beaten the drum to plead his case, debated at the courthouse, and made Hu Caijun howl in misery. He left the rest unsaid, only mentioning that the Prefect wanted him to help sort out the accounts and that he'd need to stay in the city a few more days.

Seeing Zi Bofeng's smug look, Luo Qianshan shook his head slightly. He'd wanted to chop Zi Bofeng down from the start, but he'd admired the young prodigy who had just debated at the courthouse. Now that the boy's true nature was showing, he was nothing but a loud-mouthed child. Luo Qianshan had plenty of subordinates like him, all of them trained to be as obedient as monkeys.

"I was going to visit Zhuzi's Mother at the clinic later. If you have time, come with me. Then Little Stone and I will head back."

"Dad, you haven't eaten yet." Zi Bofeng stopped his father. "Let's go eat first."

Then he added, "Someone else is paying, anyway."

It wouldn't do to help them with their work and still have to pay for his own meal.

"I'll treat you," Luo Qianshan said, forcing out a smile.

"That's too kind." Zi Jian was genuinely embarrassed. He glanced around, puzzled. "Where's Little Stone?"

"I just saw him playing with the local children over there. We can bring him something after we eat," Zi Bofeng said. Little Stone was still over there playing with his future wife, of course, and Zi Bofeng couldn't tell Zi Jian. Otherwise, the honest, decent Zi Jian might have been scared sick.

Luo Qianshan didn't stint on Zi Bofeng, either. Knowing that the Prefect relied on him, he took them straight to a restaurant and ordered the finest food and wine.

"Goodness, it's been ages since I had a proper meal." Zi Bofeng swallowed. "Living in the village, my mouth's practically grown feathers from bland food."

Looking at his son's beaming face, Zi Jian felt a pang of sorrow. He was useless, and it was true that his son hadn't eaten anything good while living with him.

But Zi Bofeng had eaten more delicious food in his previous life than he could count. As he ate and reviewed every dish, he couldn't help feeling sorry for Little Stone. Would he rather play with his wife or enjoy a grand feast?

At that moment, Little Stone was sharing pastries with Qiu'er. After they finished, he secretly tucked one into his pocket to bring back for his uncle and big brother to try.

"Dad, don't be shy. Qianshan and I are close, and I'll be staying with him for the next few days." Zi Bofeng patted Luo Qianshan's shoulder. "Right, Qianshan?"

"That's right. Please, don't hold back," Luo Qianshan said with a strained smile. There goes my salary...

Seeing Zi Bofeng eating until his mouth glistened with grease, Luo Qianshan gritted his teeth and dug in too. He couldn't let all the good food end up in Zi Bofeng's stomach.

After they'd eaten and drunk their fill, Zi Jian and his son went to the clinic to visit Zhuzi's Mother. They spotted a flatbed cart outside from some distance away. Zhuzi was squatting beside it, struggling to swallow a dry bun and rolling his eyes now and then.

This was nothing like Zi Bofeng had imagined. The clinic didn't take in patients, it turned out. Though they had come to the city for treatment, there were no rooms for them to stay in. Fortunately, the weather was warm, and the nights weren't cold. Zhuzi's Mother rested on the flatbed cart under a blanket, while Zhuzi had spent the past two or three nights huddled beside it. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were as red as a rabbit's.

In the past, when Zi Jian came to the city for work and didn't head home that night, he would make do in some corner. Only when the weather was bad would he stay at a cheap inn, crammed into a communal bed with seven other people. Making money wasn't easy; one night's lodging would eat up an entire day's earnings.

"Zhuzi, take these dishes and a little wine to eat," Zi Jian said, stepping forward. Zi Jian had only eaten a little earlier. They'd packed up everything that was left, apart from a few buns he'd saved for Little Stone. To the poor, even these scraps made a respectable gift.

Only then did Zhuzi notice that the three newcomers were Zi Jian, his son, and an unfamiliar big soldier. He stood up, his gaze landing on Luo Qianshan. His heart jolted. What a fine-looking man!

Zhuzi was the best hunter in Lower Yan Village, but compared to Luo Qianshan, he was clearly lacking in vigor. Though the man was travel-worn, his clothes were still neat and pressed. He was obviously no ordinary soldier.

"This is General Luo, Bofeng's friend. We came to visit your mother."

"Mother, Zi Jian is here to see you. And General Luo and... Bofeng." When Zhuzi said Zi Bofeng's name, he glanced back at him. Zi Bofeng was left speechless. What had he done to earn such a grudge?

Zhuzi's Mother took Zi Jian's hand. Seeing her thin, bony fingers, Zi Bofeng couldn't help thinking of Blind Granny, and an indescribable feeling rose in his heart.

"Uncle Zhuzi, why are you leaving Grandma here?" Zi Bofeng asked. Wasn't the whole point of recuperating to rest? What kind of recovery was it, lying out in the wind and sun?

Zi Bofeng turned to look at Luo Qianshan, then said to Zhuzi, "Uncle Zhuzi, I have a place to stay in Meng City for now. If you don't mind, bring Grandma over with you. It'll be better than staying outside."

Zhuzi stared at Zi Bofeng, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Zi Bofeng not to hold a grudge, even after Zhuzi had slapped him.

But then he remembered what Zi Bofeng had said before and got angry again. He stiffened his neck. "No need."

"Zhuzi, you're strong enough to endure the wind and sun, but your mother's frail. She can't take this hardship. You should come with us."

"We don't need to go inside. A porch to shelter us from the wind and rain will be enough." Only then did Zhuzi agree.

"Dad, you should stay in the city for a few more days too," Zi Bofeng said. The Prefect would surely feed him well these next few days. He wanted his father and Little Stone to enjoy some good food too. Their bellies didn't have even two ounces of grease in them; life was just too hard.

Yaoyaoji