Chapter 6 (2/2)
Chen Gong took out the donkeyfrom inside his clothes and took another bite, then said in perfect contentment, ”Not bad! Did you buy this from Li's Shop in the southern city? The meat is indeed chewy, and it's still hot as well It almost burned my chest!”
For the sake of this bite of donkey ht just noas totally worth it In any case, those two had been unpleasing to his eyes for a long tireat if he could have this place all to hi this opportunity that he happened to come across today
Seeing that the grey-robedyou a question Are you dumb?”
The other person raised his head ”Since you fought thee?”
By this ti had finally realized that there seemed to be some problem with the other person's eyes There was a dull look within them, and as the man looked at him, it felt like his focus was somewhere else
After his gaze shi+fted to the bamboo stick next to the person, it suddenly became clear to him: 'So he was not dumb, but blind instead'
With a click of his tongue, he snorted, ”Afraid? I've never been afraid of anything! Just look at them! What can they be capable of?”
Chen Gong looked the grey-robedrare about theon hilance was his face
Frankly speaking, instead of a ho scholar more
”What's your name? You don't look like someone in dire straits Why did you co holes in this place!”
The grey-robed man nodded towards him with a smile, ”My name is Shen Qiao I ran out of money due to my sickness and was thus forced to come seek shelter in this place for a few days I'll head back hohaway those people for me just now May I kno I should address you?”
What Yu Shengyan said was only a half truth, therefore he could not believe all of it However, was it not for Mount Xuandu, Shen Qiao would have nowhere else to turn to Hence, after thinking over it a few times, he still decided to first head to Mount Xuandu for a look
Mount Xuandu was located at the border between Northern Zhou and Southern Chen In order to get to it fro all the way to the south and turning northeast after they entered the territory of Southern Chen, which was a very roundabout hile the other was to travel directly south, which was closer and more convenient as well
Shen Qiao chose the latter
Although the world was in chaos, since Funing District had not experienced many disasters, it remained somewhat peaceful and affluent, a Pure Land that was hard to find in such a disordered world Just like what Shen Qiao had said, he had no choice but to first straighten himself up a bit in this place due to the fact that he was now penniless
His eyesight was recovering rather slowly, but at least there was so the daytiht, he could see soue outlines In comparison to the pitch-darkness back when he had just woken up, it ay better already
Chen Gong sat down ”Whatever you like My fa You can just call ers just nohich can be considered your fee for staying here tonight Since I also helped you drive those tay, including toive ers tomorrow!”
Shen Qiao laughed, ”Sure”
Seeing how quickly he agreed, Chen Gong felt a bit suspicious, ”Didn’t you say that you were out of et the ers?”
Shen Qiao replied, ”I can always earn more!”
Chen Gong laughed at his words, ”You? I've heard that scholars can be accountants or write letters for others, but how can you write when you can’t even see? Are you going to carry rice sacks like ers, and not one short! Don't you think that you can cheat your way out of this Feel free to go and ask around, you'll find that even though I, Eldest Chen, a else, even de! If you can’t give et out and eat the wind!”
Shen Qiao's te like this, not only was he not angry, he even agreed to it with a smile
The shabby te in froood condition But fortunately, there were plenty of pillars in addition to several altars that could be used to block the wind, and so had carried and piled here himself—the former was used as a blanket to fend off the wind and the latter was burnt to ware Now, considering Shen Qiao illing to ” reluctantly spared him some of his hay and firewood
Seeing that Shen Qiao was, to his surprise, fully prepared, even bringing with hi to use as a blanket, Chen Gong could not help but to harrumph
The two beggars had not returned since, supposedly having found new places to stay already Without a trace of politeness, Chen Gong brought the clothes that they had originally used as blankets over He sniffed at theave off a sour stink so he threw them aith pursed lips, then moved his body closer to the fire
At first, he wanted to snatch Shen Qiao's clothes as well, but after giving it a second thought, he felt that it would not be too late if he waited to give hi his” tomorrow
Having this thought in his ly
Chen Gong was already awake early the nextto work at the rice shop as usual
He looked around, but Shen Qiao was already out of sight, leaving behind only the heap of straith the indent left by his bodyweight and a pile of black ashes that hat remained of the burnt wood
Chen Gong did not care about it much and went to the rice shop to work as usual He absolutely did not believe that Shen Qiao could really bring back three burgers today, since if he was to have the extra money, there was no need for hihosts were unwilling to visit Moreover, Shen Qiao was not only weak but also blind What could he do to make money?
'Don’t you come back empty-handed, otherwise I'll beat you to the point where even your nize you anymore!'
Chen Gong thought to hi
Before he stepped through the gate, he smelt a familiar scent
It seemed like the sound of his footsteps had attracted Shen Qiao's attention, as the latter raised his head and gave him a smile, ”You're back”
”Donkeywas only able to let out tords before he stopped short
Because he saw three donkey ers wrapped in paper piled neatly on the heap of strahere he slept
Translator's Notes:
[1] Tes, a religious gatherings held by fold temples around Chinese New Year or birthday of the Gods enshrined Activities usually include rituals celebrated in the te the tehout villages and cities, perfors brought to the temple by families, and various economic activities [Source: Wiki]
[2] Xianbei (鲜卑): Proto-Mongols residing in what becaolia, and Northeast China Along with the Xiongnu, they were one of thethe Han Dynasty and subsequent dynastic periods [Source: Wiki]
[3] Duke Tai, Jiang Shang (姜太公/姜尚/姜子牙): Also known as Duke Tai of Qi or Jiang Ziya A faure in Chinese history who also appears in soies For detail check the wiki page [Source: Wiki]
[4] Copper: Refers to 铜钱 (tongqian), also known as copper coins, or wen, the cheapest currency in ancient China
[5] Eldest Chen (陈大/陈大郎): Literally means Chen the Eldest Son, as he was probably the eldest son in his family