Chapter 121, Returning Home

Translator: StarReader

 

Outside Gusu City, at the west gate pier, he let the river take his raft, drifting along with the rippling waters of the Su River. Both banks were lined with verdant mountains and picturesque scenery, the fields desolate. After traveling approximately thirty miles, he arrived at Zhou Village.

 

On the raft, there were several new bolts of cloth he’d cut from a shop in Gusu City, along with some shoes.

 

Having just passed the Laba Festival, the new year would soon arrive, affording him the chance to provide his parents and younger siblings with new clothes. Moreover, there was also flour and minced pork, along with seasonings such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and sesame, to be used for dumplings and Lantern Festival sweet rice balls.

 

The raft drifted for a long time.

 

A hazy mist hung in the air, a chilly wind blew, and in the distance, one could faintly discern the blurred outline of a village.

 

Yet, deep within the riverbed, a faint glimmer of silver light flickered, like a shimmering silver thread, dazzling and captivating.

 

Any ordinary fisherman passing through the river would likely overlook it. Even if someone did notice, they could only lament, unable to retrieve it.

 

Su Chen was surprised, raising a brow.

 

He reached out, gently slapping the water’s surface.

 

The water’s surface rippled slightly, creating a wave, and a shockwave spread to the riverbed ten meters below.

 

The Silverback Swordfish, weighing a quarter of a kilogram, was abruptly stunned and flipped over, its belly rising to the surface.

 

A faint smile touched Su Chen’s face as he scooped up the Silverback Swordfish, securing it with a blade of grass threaded through its gills and tied at its tail. He carried the prized fish onto the raft.

 

It wasn’t long before he reached the waterways of Zhou Village.

 

…

 

Zhou Village lay far from the bustling Gusu County City and the Grand Canal, nestled in a remote area. The village was populated mainly by fishermen, with charming bridges, flowing waters, and a generally peaceful atmosphere.

 

At dawn, wisps of smoke curled into the sky.

 

Every household in Zhou Village was lighting fires to cook, preparing to work in the fields, or setting out to fish in the lake.

 

Near an old crow tree, a frayed rope secured an aging fishing boat.

 

The Su family had generations of fishermen, owning neither land nor houses on dry ground, with only a dilapidated fishing boat to live by the river.

 

Inside an old clay jar on the fishing boat’s stove, Mother Su was blowing on the kindling, coaxing a small pot of thin gruel to a boil. The gruel was meager, enough for a few bites, providing the strength needed to fish in the lake.

 

Father Su’s face was etched with wrinkles as he squatted by the stove, lighting his cold smoke pipe in the stove’s embers, drawing a slow, muffled, and silent puff. The wild-picked cold-smoked leaves were harsh and dry.

 

“Father, will Brother come home this year?”

 

A child held a bowl, licking his chapped lips, eagerly awaiting porridge along with his sister.

 

Young and innocent, he vaguely remembered having a brother. He had often heard his parents speak of his brother going to Gusu and joining the Medicine King Group many years ago.

 

Father Su and Mother Su exchanged silent glances.

 

Years ago, they had conspired to sell their eldest to a wealthy household in the city, which wounded his heart.

 

He had never voiced complaints, but over the years, he had steadfastly refused to return home and see them again.

 

“Oh, perhaps! After you finish the porridge, take your sister to play by the river!”

 

…

 

Su Chen drifted along the river on a bamboo raft, spotting the familiar old fishing boat.

 

And there were seven or eight young children, their features somewhat familiar, yet their faces strangely unfamiliar, playing on the riverbank near the old fishing boat.

 

[Brother, sister?]

 

A pang of emotion tightened Su Chen’s heart. He hesitated for a moment outside the fishing boat, then boarded, lifting the tattered curtain to see his Father Su and Mother Su, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

 

His parents still lived on this bamboo-framed, mud-and-clay fishing boat, with a few patched cotton mats on the bed, barely enough to fend off the biting wind.

 

A pair of shoes, heavily patched and caked with thick mud, lay beside the bed.

 

Father Su and Mother Su were tending the fire and drinking porridge at the stove, discussing where they would go fishing later. Suddenly, they saw a young man in homespun clothes lift the tattered curtain and stand outside the fishing boat.

 

“Father, Mother, I’m back!”

 

Su Chen, laden with several large packages and dressed in homespun clothes, stood at the entrance to the fishing boat, smiling at them.

 

“S-son!”

 

Father Su was taken aback, momentarily unsure of what to do, his old pipe trembling as he didn’t know where to put it. He quickly brought out an old stool from the boat, brushed off the dust, and had Su Chen sit.

 

“Dad, don’t go fishing today.”

 

Su Chen smiled. “I managed to get some cloth in the city, along with a few kilograms of flour and pork filling. Let’s make dumplings tonight. And this fish, I pulled it out on the way back. We’ll make a soup later, so brother and sister can have some too.”

 

“I’m so glad you’re back. I will make you a feast of dumplings! Father, what are you standing there for? Aren’t you going to get the fish?”

 

Mother Su’s eyes welled up with joy, bustling about, drawing water and cooking rice, making fish soup for Su Chen.

 

Father Su remained frozen, silently looking at the fish—a Silverback Swordfish, one of the three treasures of Vastest Lake! At its weight, it would fetch a good price at the county inn, easily worth five or six hundred copper coins.

 

He had been fishing his whole life and had never tasted what this fish tasted like. Such a valuable thing—how could he bear to eat it! Truly extravagant!

 

Unable to argue, he ultimately went to prepare it.

 

Su Chen, while they were stoking the fire and making the fish soup, added a few precious herbs to the earthenware pot to nourish the body.

 

Su Chen sat down again beside the bed.

 

Soon, the brother and sister came in, staring blankly at Su Chen.

 

Five years had passed, and they had grown to be eight or nine years old. They hid by the stove, dared not approach, and their glances at him were timid and distant, as if they barely knew him.

 

Mother Su finished the soup, carefully blowing on the scalding fish soup to cool it down a bit before handing it to Su Chen. “Son, come taste the fish soup!”

 

“Let’s all eat. Let brother and sister have a few bowls as well.”

 

Su Chen felt a pang of sadness and took a small bowl of the warm fish soup.

 

Inside were top-grade nourishing herbs, excellent for replenishing the body. There were also seasonings, and the taste was quite good.

 

The younger siblings had never tasted such delicious fish soup before and drank several bowls, smacking their lips and gazing longingly at the pot.

 

Su Chen set down a bowl and then, rather casually, asked, “Dad, Mom. I’ve been sending back quite a bit of silver home over the years through Uncle Zhang, every four or five years. Close to a hundred silver. What’s the matter? Uncle Zhang didn’t have time to send it to you?”

 

Initially, he’d only had Butcher Zhang bring back a few silver coins. Later, when he became a mid-level executive in the Medicine King Group Errand Hall, it increased to one or two silver coins.

 

The world wasn’t peaceful, and his parents were getting on in years, while his brother and sister were still young. Without a strong person at home to guard the place, it wouldn’t be safe to have much wealth.

 

He worried about attracting unwanted attention and didn’t dare let Butcher Zhang send much silver home, fearing it would cause trouble.

 

The fishermen of Zhou Village rarely had any expenses. Besides the substantial taxes every month and year and the Whale Gang weighing fees, their daily food expenses were actually quite small.

 

The close to a hundred silver coins he sent back these years, for the fishermen of Zhou Village, wasn’t a small amount of money.

 

Adding to Father Su’s yearly fishing income, it was more than enough to pay taxes, and even exchange for a new fishing boat, and build a new house on land. It wouldn’t be like it was back then, with poverty.

 

“Uncle Zhang sent it. Every month, one or two silver coins, never lacking!”

 

Father Su shook his head, sighing.

 

“Back in December, we couldn’t catch many fish… The family was really struggling, couldn’t pay the Whale Gang weighing fees, and couldn’t hold on.

 

“That night, Master Zhou from the estate, leaning on his cane, brought me some wine, drank wine with me, and when Master Zhou spoke, he said, ‘I know your family doesn’t have silver coins to pay the weighing fees. Come to my house tomorrow to take some silver, and bring some rough rice back with you; can’t let the children starve.’

 

“I didn’t want to borrow interest-bearing silver from Master Zhou. But without borrowing, there was no way to pay taxes and survive.

 

“Borrowing it, I managed to survive the year and hope for a good harvest next year.

 

“But the silver had high interest, calculated every month, and it doubles within a few months. These years, the interest has compounded, and it’s always a struggle to pay it off.

 

“Luckily, you earned silver in the county, and Uncle Zhang occasionally brought it back. The family scraped together from every possible source, barely managing to make ends meet. Life has always been tight.”

 

Mother Su stooped, her shoulders bent, and shakily pulled out the ten silver taels she had been carefully hiding from beneath the stove, brushing off the dust.

 

“I managed to save a little silver these years and haven’t dared spend it. Your brother will be nine soon, and in a few years he’s going to marry. Where will he find ten silver taels to marry a wife? Your sister is soon to be married and needs money for her dowry so she won’t suffer hardship in her husband’s home.

 

“Everything needs money. It’s been difficult to save ten silver taels, but it can handle these two major events. In a few years, life will be a little easier.

 

“Those pirates were rampant a few years ago, often robbing everywhere. We didn’t dare spend our savings, afraid of showing our wealth and being targeted and robbed by those strongmen.

 

“Every day, a few bowls of vegetable congee were enough to get by, and we’ve been getting by like this for years.”

 

“I see…”

 

Su Chen sighed quietly, now understanding the situation.

 

No wonder the last five years passed and the family was still as he left it. However, now that he was back, these things weren’t a big deal. As long as the family was safe, that was all that mattered.

 

“Brother’s and sister’s weddings—I’ll figure out how to handle them myself. You don’t have to worry about them. The pirates have been wiped out by the authorities. I’ve earned some silver in the Medicine King Group these years, and I’m looking for land to build a new house!”

 

They were talking when…

 

“Aunt Su hasn’t gone to the lake to fish yet!”

 

It was seen that a village woman shouted, lifting the curtain and entering the old cabin.

 

“Aunt Li!”

 

Su Chen recognized the village woman instantly.

 

He quickly rose to his feet, clearing a space for her to sit with the only stool available, and said with a smile, “Please sit. This boat is too small, so we’re just making do for now.”

 

The village woman looked at the young man in his plain clothes, a respectable-looking fellow from the county, and he didn’t seem like someone from Zhou Village’s water town. She looked puzzled. “Aunt Su, a distant relative?”

 

She found him vaguely familiar.

 

Suddenly, she clapped her thigh in surprise. “Isn’t this the Su family’s eldest son? I watched you grow up. Good heavens, my memory’s gone! I’ve always heard your parents say you’ve been learning your craft in Gusu’s Medicine King Group.”

 

“That’s right, I’ve been learning some skills at the Medicine King Group these past few years. Auntie Li is looking for my mother?”

 

Su Chen smiled and nodded.

 

“Nothing much, just that some old leaves of greens grew in the field; it’s a shame to throw them away. I was passing by, so I wanted to ask your mother if she’s short on greens these days.”

 

Auntie Li’s face lit up. “You’ve been to the Medicine King Group, so you can treat illnesses, can’t you? Can you look at this back of mine? It’s been aching lately.”

 

“Of course, I have a little knowledge.”

 

Su Chen smiled, felt Auntie Li’s pulse, and quickly said, “It’s a strain in your lower back; your vitality and blood aren’t flowing properly, not a major illness. I’ll write you a prescription; you can get the medicine at the pharmacy in the county. They’re all common and inexpensive herbs; you can get a prescription for a few dozen copper coins. Don’t change the prescription; take it a few times a day, and it will be fine in a month.”

 

“Thank you so much. How many copper coins do I need to give you?”

 

“It’s fine; we’re all neighbors. Besides, these years I’ve also benefited from Auntie Li’s occasional help; otherwise my family wouldn’t have had any greens to eat. I’m idle these days, so I’m going to check the folks in the village for free. But you have to get the medicine yourselves at the pharmacy in the county.”

 

Su Chen said with a smile.

 

The townspeople of Zhou Village didn’t have any spare money, and they didn’t want to go to the city to see a healer even when they were sick. He returned home with nothing to do, spending some time to serve his parents.

 

He had once been a Medicine King Group disciple and could be considered a healer. He set up a stool before the old fishing boat and offered free medical checkups to the nearby villagers, a way to repay the kindness and care shown by the neighbors towards the Su family.

 

“Just some greens growing in the fields, not worth much. The skill you learned at the Medicine King Group, though, that’s worth a fortune, more respectable than fishing. Father Su, Auntie Su, you’re lucky to have such a capable son, finally making a name for yourselves!”

 

Auntie Li said with delight.

 

…

 

Around midday, the front of the Su family’s old fishing boat became lively. Some villagers had heard that the Su family’s eldest had returned from Gusu County City’s Medicine King Group, learned a healing art, and was offering free medical consultations to the villagers, so they all hurried to take a look.

 

In just a couple of hours, dozens of fishermen and village women gathered near the old fishing boat, the atmosphere quite festive.

 

Then, Mother Su, visibly anxious, had brought back a matchmaker from Zhou Village, bustling to arrange a marriage for Su Chen.

 

Two young women followed her, one a farm girl, strong and capable, with a straightforward personality. The other was slightly more delicate, a young widow, her face flushed with shyness.

 

Su Chen was stunned, completely unprepared for this development, finding the situation both amusing and frustrating, and repeatedly declining. “Mother, you don’t need to worry about me; I’m capable of making my own decisions.”

 

The matchmaker urged, “Su family’s eldest, you’re seventeen or eighteen years old, don’t be too picky! Look at the young men of your age in Zhou Village; most of them are married at fifteen or sixteen! You’re already this old, and if you wait any longer, no one will want to marry you.”

 

“Yes! Su’s eldest, you really need to get married quickly. If you don’t get married at this age, you’ll be considered old. Filial piety has three wrongs; not having descendants is the greatest of them!

 

“Look at this girl, strong arms and legs, a great help in the fields! You’ve spent too long in the county if you look down on working-class people. There’s also this pretty widow, very delicate.

 

“Su’s eldest, this matter can’t be delayed. Just pick one, go ahead and have the wedding today, and enter the bridal chamber tonight! Have a wedding tonight and a chubby baby next year.”

 

The neighbors, the old aunts and uncles, and even the fishermen all started urging him.

 

“No, no, everyone listen to me… I just came home to visit my parents, to help all of you uncles and aunts see a doctor… I truly don’t need to rush into marriage!”

 

Su Chen heard the clamor of the townsfolk and quickly tried to explain, but his words were drowned out by the cacophony of dozens of voices, completely unable to withstand their enthusiasm.

 

This… he had merely returned from the county town to visit his parents and brother and sister, settling their affairs before he could safely seek immortality. This wasn’t supposed to be about settling himself in!

 

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