Chapter 88: A Clever Plan to Resolve the Predicament
There was the sound of a sword being unsheathed outside the horse carriage.
Feng Gao, who was following behind, thought I was in danger and revealed himself.
The curtain of the carriage was parted by the tip of the sword.
Feng Gao saw the little girl inside the carriage, his brow furrowed slightly. He exerted force on his wrist, retracting the sword sharply.
The little girl turned her head and looked at Feng Gao, her eyes, with faint tears, smiling purely.
“You’ve come?”
Feng Gao let out a “Mm” from his nose.
The little girl extended her chubby little hand and touched Feng Gao’s face: “You must have been very worried about me, and came to pick me up, right? It’s okay. I’m not afraid of pain. Tell Uncle, this girl has grown up, and you can’t make Uncle difficult.”
Feng Gao had always disliked physical contact with people. He always felt the world was dirty. People’s hearts were dirty, and their bodies were also dirty. But at this moment, he did not push away the little girl’s hand.
He pointed at me and said softly to the little girl, “She’s a good person, don’t be afraid.”
I asked, “Dou Ya, do you know her?”
“Mm. She’s a child from the mountain stronghold, named Cherry. It was she who captured Zheng Tai and his group,” Feng Gao replied.
Cherry. What an interesting name.
Peas sprout new green, cherries ripen red. Half the spring’s beauty passes, mostly amidst the sound of rain. Peas. Cherries. This child seems to have a fated connection with me.
Her hand remained on Feng Gao’s face.
Seeing that Feng Gao and I knew each other, her guard towards me lessened considerably.
“You want to see Uncle? I’ll take you!”
“Okay,” I said with a smile.
The horse carriage moved forward.
It reached halfway up the mountain.
A faint mountain gate appeared.
“All outsiders must have their eyes covered when entering the mountain stronghold.”
Cherry, adhering strictly to the rules, took out a cloth strip from her embrace and blindfolded both my and Feng Gao’s eyes.
A thick wooden board was suspended by iron chains and lowered.
We got onto the wooden board. After many twists and turns, and the time it took to brew three cups of tea, Cherry finally stopped.
“Wu Tong, where is Uncle?” Cherry asked.
A man’s voice replied, “The Great Chieftain has just returned to Wuling Pavilion to rest. Shall I go and summon him to the assembly hall?”
Cherry said, “No need, I’ll go find him at Wuling Pavilion.”
“Girl, you go alone. The Great Chieftain dislikes outsiders disturbing him,” the man specifically cautioned.
Clearly, he harbored deep suspicion towards me and Feng Gao, who were behind Cherry.
Cherry said to us, “You wait here, I’ll go talk to Uncle.”
I thought for a moment and said, “Cherry, tell the Great Chieftain that Zhu Sangyu from the Zhu Family Wine Shop is here to see him.”
“Alright—” Cherry agreed and left.
After a while, Cherry returned, holding my hand: “Uncle said to have me bring you to Wuling Pavilion.”
Feng Gao was taken to the assembly hall by Wu Tong.
I, on the other hand, followed Cherry, walking east.
After climbing several hillsides and crossing a shallow stream, Cherry removed the cloth from my eyes.
I opened my eyes and looked around, stunned by the strange and beautiful scenery before me.
In late August, the autumn outside the mountains was growing stronger, yet here, peach blossoms were in full bloom all over the hillside. Pink peach blossoms, one after another, crowded the branches, like rouge, or like clouds and mist, full of vitality, reflecting in the exceptionally secluded mountain valley, swaying gracefully without wind.
The peach blossoms here had no trace of coquettishness; instead, they were clear and resolute, with an indescribable stubbornness.
Deep within the peach blossoms, there was a wooden pavilion.
The One-Eyed Dragon heard footsteps and came out to greet me. He stood under the peach trees and nodded at me, “Greetings, Boss Zhu.”
Cherry hopped and skipped, throwing herself into his arms.
I smiled and said, “Greetings, Great Chieftain. No wonder this place is called Wuling Pavilion; it’s planted with Wuling Flowers. Being amidst these peach blossoms feels like spring.”
“In the Taiyuan era of Jin, a man from Wuling made his living by fishing. Following the stream, he lost track of the distance. He unexpectedly came upon a peach blossom forest, hundreds of paces along the bank. There were no other trees, the grass was fresh and beautiful, and fallen blossoms were scattered everywhere.”
He smiled and said, “Boss Zhu, like me, calls peach blossoms Wuling Flowers. Many years ago, I brought a few brothers to Shenju Mountain to set up camp. We accidentally discovered this hillside. It had long sunlight and abundant rainfall, and the Wuling Flowers bloomed year-round. So, we built a pavilion here as a study.”
“Please—” he said.
I followed him up to the pavilion.
The room was filled with books.
Among them were many precious ancient texts and paintings by famous artists.
On the desk, there was a piece of Huizhou paper, with fresh ink not yet dry. It bore a line of poetry: “A few small peach blossoms have just opened. Scattered remnants of the evening glow. The East Wind also understands human feelings, and arrives at the mountain home in sequence.”
Who would have thought that the master of this room, filled with scholarly air, was a bandit leader?
He could wield a sword and fight.
He could hold a brush and paint.
Such a person was willing to be a bandit in the mountains.
I stood before the desk, pondered for a moment, and got straight to the point: “Great Chieftain, I have a reason for coming up the mountain. I heard that Maternal Uncle Zheng has been kidnapped, and I imagine you are in a difficult position now. I have a suggestion, please consider it.”
Upon hearing this, he said to Cherry in his arms, “Girl, go to the stream and fetch me a jar of water. I’ll make tea.”
“Okay.”
After Cherry left, the One-Eyed Dragon clasped his hands and said, “In front of Boss Zhu, I will not speak falsely. We did not intend to kidnap Maternal Uncle Zheng; it was a misunderstanding. He is now frightened and speaking incoherently in the cellar, filled with resentment. As the saying goes, it’s easier to invite a god than to send one away. I don’t know how to let go of this hot potato. At this juncture, I wouldn’t believe anyone else, but I trust Boss Zhu. Since Boss Zhu has a brilliant plan, I beg you to enlighten me.”
I explained the words I had mulled over for half a day, in detail.
He pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands and said, “Good. We will do as Boss Zhu says.”
“We act tonight.”
“Mm.”
A few wisps of wind blew in from the pavilion’s windowsill, and the calligraphy on the desk fell to the ground.
He bent down to pick it up and said, “Boss Zhu, I… have a humble request.”
“Please speak freely, Great Chieftain.”
“The Imperial Court’s recruitment and pacification plan has an uncertain future. Director Feng has been sent by imperial decree, and soon all those in the mountain stronghold will be registered. I stirred up this trouble, so I can’t say anything. Whether it’s wind or rain, I won’t complain. But I cannot stop worrying about Cherry.”
He slowly raised his head and looked at me, saying, “Her parents followed me for eight years and both died fighting the Tartars at Xipo Ridge. I owe her a great deal. I cannot bear for her to suffer any more hardship. I wish to ask Boss Zhu to adopt her and give her a good citizen’s registration. Let her stay away from fighting and bloodshed, and live a normal person’s life.”
I was silent for a moment.
He said, “Does Boss Zhu find this request too abrupt?”
“I promise you,” I said solemnly.
I knew he had made the worst possible preparations.
That was to die in this recruitment and pacification.
In the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, the grand novel “Water Margin” had already written the ending of recruitment and pacification.
He suddenly knelt on both knees: “Thank you, Boss Zhu. Girl, I entrust her to you.”
I quickly helped him up.
At this moment, he believed that Cherry following me was the best outcome. In reality, in the end, what difference was there between civilians and bandits? In times of chaos, peace was impossible.
Cherry came in carrying a jar of water.
The One-Eyed Dragon beckoned to her: “Girl, come here and kowtow to Boss Zhu. From now on, she is your mother.”
Cherry’s little face turned pale: “Uncle, you don’t want me anymore?”
The One-Eyed Dragon said in a commanding tone, “You’ve caused trouble, and it’s not suitable for you to stay in Shenju Mountain any longer. Go with Boss Zhu.”
“I won’t,” she gritted her teeth and ran out.
The One-Eyed Dragon watched her retreating figure, with both affection and reluctance.
Late at night.
Several “Tartars” were drunk and heading towards the cellar.
Feng Gao and the One-Eyed Dragon, masked, led a few people in a staged fight with the “Tartars” in the cellar.
Zheng Tai, locked in the cellar, was overjoyed to see someone coming to rescue him.
He shouted, “Quick! Capture the bandits!”
Suddenly, a “Tartar” pulled out a smoke bomb from his embrace and lit it. The cellar was immediately filled with thick fog, very choking. As the “Tartars” fled, they left behind important items: a barbarian helmet, a waist token from the Tartar army, and a wolf-tooth club.
The One-Eyed Dragon quickly stepped forward and untied the ropes binding Zheng Tai.
“This humble subject arrived late, causing Maternal Uncle to be startled!”
After speaking, he picked up Zheng Tai and ran.
Feng Gao and others followed closely.
In the darkness, they ran for more than twenty li.
Winding through the deep mountains, Zheng Tai’s eyes became dizzy, and he repeatedly asked, “What kind of ghost place is this?”
After about another quarter of an hour, the One-Eyed Dragon finally put Zheng Tai down.
In the assembly hall, there were many bandits holding torches.
“Maternal Uncle, we are safe now,” the One-Eyed Dragon said.
He ordered his subordinates, “Quick! Slaughter chickens and sheep, prepare fine wine, to calm Maternal Uncle’s nerves!”
“This… this…” Zheng Tai was bewildered: “The one who tied up this Lord… wasn’t a bandit?”
Feng Gao quickly said, “How could that be? This servant was watching in the mountain stronghold, waiting for Maternal Uncle to arrive. If I hadn’t gone down the mountain in the evening and learned that Maternal Uncle was not in his manor, this servant would never have imagined that Maternal Uncle would also be in Shenju Mountain.”
Someone presented the barbarian helmet and other items.
Zheng Tai pondered, “If it wasn’t bandits, then it must have been Tartars… Could there be any remaining Tartar remnants in Yangzhou?”
Feng Gao said, “Maternal Uncle is extremely intelligent. But, this servant cannot understand why the Tartars would go after Maternal Uncle? Could it be that the incident in the warehouse on the third day of the eighth month had some trickery involved? Were the Tartars being manipulated, wanting to… take revenge?”
One sentence struck Zheng Tai’s sore spot.
He certainly didn’t want others to know the hidden truth of the third day of the eighth month, the Zheng family’s self-inflicted predicament.
“Director Feng is truly too suspicious! Too suspicious!” Zheng Tai said with a laugh, “The Tartars are cunning and treacherous; do they need any reason to harm this Lord?”
The One-Eyed Dragon chimed in, “Maternal Uncle is absolutely right.”
The food was served.
Zheng Tai tore off a large piece of meat and gnawed on it: “Forget it, forget it. If His Majesty learns that this Lord was captured by Tartars, there will inevitably be more accusations. My elder sister will also lose face. Let’s just pretend this never happened! Let’s talk about recruitment and pacification, talk about recruitment and pacification…”
Feng Gao put on a very troubled expression, and after a long while, he reluctantly said, “Then, this servant will obey Maternal Uncle’s command.”
The One-Eyed Dragon added, “We will obey Maternal Uncle’s command.”
Zheng Tai drew a circle in the air with his greasy hand and said, “You are all sensible.”
The matter was thus glossed over.
Fortunately, none of the bandits showed their faces when Zheng Tai was kidnapped.
Fortunately, Shenju Mountain’s terrain was complex, like a maze.
Fortunately, the Zheng family had already done something wrong and dared not investigate further.
Fortunately, the bandits had kept a few trophies from their battles with the Tartars.
At the third watch of the night, the mountain stronghold was silent. I bid farewell to the One-Eyed Dragon.
He escorted me to the mountain gate and watched me board the horse carriage.
From behind a large tree, a small figure darted out.
Cherry had arrived.
She knelt before me, kowtowed, and called me, “Yu Niang.”
She had indeed taken her uncle’s words to heart.
She was a child so obedient it made one’s heart ache.
“Uncle, I’ll listen to you. I’ll go with Yu Niang,” she said very seriously to the One-Eyed Dragon.
The One-Eyed Dragon nodded, saying nothing.
“Uncle, you know, this girl is the most obedient. Wherever you tell me to go, I will go. You must be happy. Don’t drink cold wine; I’ll have Uncle Wu Tong watch you. I picked many mushrooms you like on the mountain at noon to make a side dish for you. Uncle, when you fight, if you can’t win, run away. Do you hear me? If you can’t win, run away.” She spoke as she thought.
So, when she ran out of Wuling Pavilion then, it wasn’t out of petulance, but to pick mushrooms for the One-Eyed Dragon.
She didn’t truly intend to disobey his command.
She just wanted to do one last thing for him.
The One-Eyed Dragon smiled: “I hear you.”
Cherry walked closer to me step by step.
I extended my hand and pulled her into the horse carriage.
The horse carriage sped away.
I pulled back the curtain, looked back, and the One-Eyed Dragon stood in his place.
Behind the seven-foot-tall man, tears flowed.
