Chapter 107 - 106: Return to the Village to Visit Relatives

Chapter 107: Chapter 106: Return to the Village to Visit Relatives On the third day, early in the morning, Hu Ma, Zhou Datong, and the others sat in a hired carriage. The driver was an experienced old skill, well-traveled and thus willing to take on a job like entering the Old Yin Mountain. However, even so, this old skill had made a point to tell Hu Ma—who, despite his youth, was a generous Young Master—that they would only travel during daylight hours. On rainy days and at night, they absolutely had to stop and rest. Hu Ma didn’t need to be told; he had learned these rules when he first ventured out with the Second Master. His understanding of the Old Yin Mountain was naturally not as deep as the Second Master’s, or even this old skill’s, but being cautious was never a mistake. It was precisely to minimize trouble on the road that he hadn’t even brought the Green Tai Sui, fearing it might attract an evil spirit. Traveling by day and resting by night, they gradually delved deeper into the Old Yin Mountain region. The youngsters already felt the familiar sense of nearing home. Even more unexpectedly, as they passed through a patch of forest, they ran into familiar faces. "Passing travelers, please show some kindness! Our village has suffered a disaster; we can’t even make it through the New Year..." Seeing the group of villagers wielding hoes, dung forks, clubs, and stones, the youngsters on the cart exchanged glances. The old skill hurriedly reined in the old cart-horse and turned to look at Hu Ma. This had been agreed upon beforehand: if they encountered bandits or refugees blocking the road to rob them, the Young Master would deal with it. The driver was only responsible for the cart and would not get involved in anything else. Did Second Master really cry as soon as he got off the carriage back then? Hu Ma thought about how the Second Master had handled a similar situation. He found it a bit awkward; he couldn’t bring himself to cry. So, as he disembarked, he immediately broke into a smile, cupped his fists towards the people blocking their path, and said, "Fellow villagers, may you prosper this New Year!" "Perhaps you esteemed folks are forgetful. Just a few months ago, our family elders brought us through here. It was thanks to your directions that we managed to avoid an evil spirit! We thought we might run into you all here again, so we prepared some New Year’s provisions in advance. Come on over and help us unload them!" As he spoke, he had Zhou Datong take out a pre-prepared sack of coarse rice and a piece of pork weighing seven or eight pounds. This group of men saw that Hu Ma, despite his youthful appearance, spoke without any stage fright, and they too exchanged uncertain glances. Seeing this, Hu Ma directly grabbed the sack of coarse rice with one hand, hooked the piece of pork with his little finger, held them out levelly, and walked forward, smilingly indicating for them to take the items. The leader’s expression changed slightly at this sight. He hurriedly threw down his hoe and cupped his hands, "Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you, friend, for remembering us..." He was about to have someone next to him accept the gifts, but one man, after glancing at the cart and noticing there were still considerable amounts of cloth and grain, was visibly tempted. He quietly approached the leader and whispered in his ear. But the leader turned and slapped him across the face. "What nonsense are you spouting? These are friends we have a good relationship with!" "We need to celebrate the New Year, and you think they don’t?" While speaking, he accepted the items with profuse thanks, even assuring Hu Ma that they would remember him and wouldn’t accept anything next time he came through. Having politely navigated this encounter, the group proceeded safely into the forest. Even the old skill driving the cart felt a measure of admiration for Hu Ma. As they went deeper, it grew increasingly quiet, and they saw fewer and fewer people. To put it bluntly, even highwaymen only operated near the edges of the Old Yin Mountain. Once deep within the Old Yin Mountain itself, the masters of these woods were no longer human. Everyone here lived cautiously, their hearts filled with reverence. Compared to other places, the Old Yin Mountain’s distinguishing feature was an abundance of evil spirits, which paradoxically meant fewer human-caused disasters. Of course, the Old Yin Mountain was exceedingly mysterious and didn’t have a good reputation among outsiders. First-time visitors would undoubtedly be suspicious and uneasy. But for the youths hailing from Dayang Village, this was like coming home, and their hearts grew increasingly excited. After another two days’ journey, they finally neared Dayang Village. The path, overgrown with wild grass, split into two branches. One led directly into the village, while the other went first to the Second Master’s place. Hu Ma chose the latter without hesitation. Having finally made it back after so much effort, of course, he wanted to see his closest relations first. The other youths had no objections; the thought of seeing the Second Master brought smiles to their eyes. The carriage wheels went CREAK, GROAN. Around noon, they spotted the Second Master’s manor on a small hill in the distance. The carriage made its way over and stopped at the foot of the hill to wait. Hu Ma, along with Zhou Datong and a few others, jumped down and walked towards the manor together. Even from afar, they could hear the Second Master shouting at the top of his lungs, berating someone inside the manor, "Diligence! Do you understand diligence? If you don’t work hard now, how will you earn money come spring?" "Don’t you know Hu Ma from our village? Don’t you know Zhou Datong?" "How do you think those two got into the Lady’s Association to earn food and money? When they were learning from me, they were the most diligent ones!" Hearing this, Hu Ma and Zhou Datong were both rather stunned. "Well, now!" Faced with this sudden praise, both of them actually felt a little sheepish. "Second Master, still busy?" Sheepish as he felt, Hu Ma stepped forward, pushed open the unlatched door, and stood in the doorway, smiling at the Second Master. The Second Master turned his head. "Eh?" He looked startled, rubbed his eyes, and slowly lowered the smoking pipe in his hand. When he clearly recognized the two of them, and saw Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and a curious Li Wazi peeking from behind them, his eyes widened. "Good heavens! It’s only been a few days, and you’ve all been kicked out already?" Hu Ma and the others were dumbfounded by this. What? Hu Ma and the others were momentarily baffled. Seeing the Second Master charging at them like an enraged lion, ready to strike, Hu Ma quickly stepped back, pushing Zhou Datong in front to shield him, and said with a smile, "We weren’t kicked out, Second Master. We’re back for the New Year." "That’s right!" Zhou Datong, failing to dodge in time, got slapped first. He yelped while hopping away, "Yes, back for the New Year! We even bought you some excellent tobacco..." "New Year, what New Year?" The Second Master’s temper hadn’t cooled in the slightest as he cursed, "That Lady’s Association isn’t running a charity! Letting you back for New Year after just a few days? You rascals must have been up to no good!" "It’s true, really!" The youths all hurried to pacify him, offering the tobacco to the Second Master and pointing to the large cart down the hill for him to see. Only then did the Second Master become half-convinced. He glanced at Hu Ma again. "Little Huma, you rascals aren’t trying to fool me, are you?" "Of course not," Hu Ma replied with a smile. "We have to go back right after the New Year. The shop is expecting us!" "Well, well, the people at the Lady’s Association are really decent!" The Second Master’s anger finally turned to joy. Looking at the boys, he thought they seemed more robust than when he had sent them off. He thumped one, then another. Indeed, Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu were quite sturdy; they took his punches as if they were nothing. So, when it came to Li Wazi, he used a little more force. Li Wazi let out a yelp and was sent flying. "How is this lad even softer than before?" The Second Master looked rather dumbfounded. Hu Ma quickly pacified him, explaining that they had come to see him first and hadn’t yet returned to the village. "Let’s go, let’s go right now! I’ll go back with you." Overjoyed, the Second Master got onto the carriage with them. Smoking the tobacco they had respectfully offered him, he felt as if he were in a dream. Soon, they reached the entrance to Dayang Village. It looked the same as ever, yet to Hu Ma, it somehow felt more distant. The Old Clan Chief was leading his stubborn mule, returning with two sacks of yams he had dug up. From a distance, the Old Clan Chief spotted the Second Master on the carriage, along with Hu Ma, Zhou Datong, and several other young faces from the village. He froze on the spot, blinked a few times, then let out a wail and burst into tears. "This is terrible!" "It’s only been a few days, and the little rascals have all been kicked out already!" "What a waste of that bag of green food I gave them!" Hu Ma wasn’t the only one; Zhou Datong and the others were also left speechless. Seriously? Did the village have so little faith in them? They hurriedly drove the carriage up, and the boys jumped down. The Second Master helped explain things to the Old Clan Chief for a while before the old man finally stopped crying. "What do you mean, ’kicked out’?" Zhou Datong exclaimed. "We’re back for the New Year!" "Not only were we not kicked out, Grandpa, but you’ll never guess! My Brother Ma Zi is now a manager at the shop!" The Old Clan Chief believed they hadn’t been kicked out, but he still didn’t believe this last part. "What are you blustering about?" "Folks from the neighboring Lizi Village have worked at the Lady’s Association for five or six years and none of them have managed to become a manager..." "You still don’t believe it?" Zhou Datong shouted, "Brother Ma Zi, take out your manager’s attire and show my Grandpa!" As they chattered excitedly at the village entrance, the people in the village had already been alerted. They gathered around from a distance to watch, especially the parents of Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and the others, who hurried out of the village. Seeing their children suddenly appear before them, looking even more robust than before, they were overcome with joy and paid little mind to the goods laden on the cart. Only Li Wazi’s family swarmed over. Seeing Li Wazi looking so frail and weak, as if a gust of wind could blow him over, they couldn’t help but burst into tears. Li Wazi, upon seeing his own father and mother, also began to cry, "Dad! Mom! I nearly died!" Their wailing drew concerned looks from the surrounding neighbors, as well as the Old Clan Chief and the Second Master. Li Wazi sobbed out all his grievances, tears that he hadn’t shed earlier at the manor now flowing freely. "I was bullied and fell into a well! I even encountered a Yin Ghost!" he cried. "It was Brother Ma Zi! Late at night, he stripped off his clothes and went down the well to pull me out from right beside that evil spirit!" "Dad, Mom, the fire in my censer is burning low..." "If Brother Ma Zi hadn’t become a manager and arranged lighter work for me, and spoken to the shop on my behalf, I’m afraid the Shopkeeper would have sent me back!" He cried so heartbrokenly, his words choked with sobs and lacking coherence, but the villagers gradually understood. The noisy commotion began to die down. One by one, their gazes, some overt and some subtle, turned towards Hu Ma, filled with a mixture of relief, appreciation, and other complex emotions. A heavy sigh came from behind him. A pair of strong hands clapped Hu Ma’s shoulder. "Well done." It was the Second Master.