叭哒漫画

In the garden of Zuixian Residence.

Fan Chengxu was lying on a reclining chair, his posture seemingly relaxed, but his expression was not as casual as usual.

He was also aware of the disappearance of the seventh prince, having been informed by his uncle.

Whether it was the government city’s office or the Anti-Japanese Army, they were all sending men to search for the prince in the past few days.

However, seven to eight days had passed, and there was still no news.

The longer the time, the lower the chance of finding the seventh prince alive.

While basking in the sun, Fan Chengxu said, “If there’s no news from the seventh prince, people within Taizhou prefecture will start to suffer.”

“Sir, don’t worry. The seventh prince is favoured by fortunes, he will turn ill luck into good,” the shopkeeper named Shen comforted him.

Fan Chengxu said, “He can’t die in the city. If he’s really dead within Taizhou, and not in the battlefield against the Japanese pirates, a lot of people will be implicated. Under the power of the emperor, piles of bones.”

“Sir, you are kind-hearted. You think for others and for the people,” said Shopkeeper Shen.

“You’re wrong, I’m not kind-hearted. If there’s chaos in Taizhou, I can’t do my business. As a merchant, I naturally hope for profitable ventures everywhere,” Fan Chengxu said.

At this moment, a servant came to deliver a message, saying that Xu Heyou had sent a letter, which was sent by an old acquaintance of Boss Fan.

“Bring it here.”

Fan Chengxu extended his hand, and the servant cautiously handed the letter to him.

After seeing the characters on the envelope, Fan Chengxu’s eyebrows furrowed.

Then he opened the letter, and instantaneously sat up straight.

“What’s wrong, sir? Is there anything wrong with the content of the letter?” Seeing their master behaving so surprisingly, Shopkeeper Shen couldn’t help but feel worried.

Fan Chengxu did not reply. He stared at the letter in his hand for a while, then lay back down.

“Old Shen, go to the storehouse and take out eight hundred taels of silver notes. Accompany the messenger and ask Xu Heyou what medicinal herbs he wants. Report back to me once you’re done,” Fan Chengxu instructed.

Hearing that, Shopkeeper Shen couldn’t believe it, eight hundred taels of silver? That was too much!

Their business with Xu Heyou only involved a few taels of silver a month, or a few dozens a year. The eight hundred taels, would take Xu Heyou one or two decades of business to earn!

Even for their Zuixian Residence, they couldn’t make eight hundred taels of silver in a year!

“Is eight hundred taels too much, sir?” After much hesitation, Shopkeeper Shen voiced his question.

“You just do as I say, send the amount I told you,” Fan Chengxu stated firmly.

“Okay, I’ll go do it immediately!” Seeing the serious look on his master’s face, Shopkeeper Shen didn’t dare to question him anymore.

He quickly did as his master ordered, took out the silver notes, and left along with the messenger sent by Xu Heyou for the suburban villa.

While a note was being delivered to the Zuixian Residence, Wei Ruo took Zhu Zongyu for a stroll in the yard of the small hut where he resided.

“Your condition has improved a bit. If the weather is fine, you could come out and walk in the yard. Moderate exercise will aid your recovery,” Wei Ruo told Zhu Zongyu.

“Okay,” Zhu Zongyu replied.

“Though it’s cold today, the sunlight is nice. You can bask in the sun in the yard when you get tired. As long as the movements aren’t too big and won’t pull your wound, it’s beneficial for your body at the moment,” Wei Ruo added.

“Alright.”

Then, Wei Ruo moved a wicker chair in the yard to a suitable location and sat down himself, but let Zhu Zongyu stand: “If you still feel like walking, then walk around some more, just avoid pulling your wound.”

Next, he signalled to Xiumei to sit next to him.

“Sir, with such nice weather, why don’t we make some tea?” Xiumei suggested.

“Let’s make winter gourd tea,” Wei Ruo said.

“How do you make winter gourd tea?” Xiumei asked.

“You need to get some winter gourds from the cellar of the villa, clean them, remove the skin but keep the seeds, cut them into little pieces and put them in a pot, add some red sugar and stir them until they mix well, let it sit for about fifteen minutes, when the red sugar melts, and the winter gourd releases its juices, then add rock sugar and simmer it over low heat until the soup gets as sticky as honey and as deep as amber in color. Then, filter out the winter gourd seeds, store the brewed winter gourd tea in a jar and drink it by mixing it with warm water whenever you want,” he instructed.

“That sounds simple. I will try to make it right away!” Xiumei hurriedly got up to run to the cellar.

“Slow down! Don’t trip!” Wei Ruo reminded her.

“I got it!”

By the time Xiumei’s voice reached Wei Ruo’s ears, she was already out of sight.

Zhu Zongyu was watching them talk and laugh from the side, feeling the contagious ease and cheerfulness they exhibited.

After going through an ordeal between life and death, experiencing a lot of hardship and injuries all over his body, he felt a tranquillity and peace that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

In the last few days in this poor and shabby hut, he felt warmth and relaxation.

This young master surnamed Xu was wary of him, but he didn’t hesitate to save and help him.

He knew that Xu’s wariness was justifiable. He was kind but not foolish. It was a wise choice.

“What are you thinking about?” Wei Ruo noticed Zhu Zongyu deep in thought.

“I’m thinking about what really matters in life that one cannot let go of,” Zhu Zongyu answered.

“Why are you suddenly asking such a profound question?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Probably because I’ve just experienced a life and death situation,” Zhu Zongyu answered.

Zhu Zongyu glanced at Wei Ruo, and continued, “I never had such thoughts, and I never contemplated whether what I was doing was right or wrong. Whether it was the people around me, or the circumstances, they all made me focus solely on what I was doing, and doing it well.

“But when I was being hunted down, lying in the wild grass, with the last person stepping away to save me, and the pain was numb on on my body, I could feel the blood flowing out of my body and feel my life slipping away.”

“At that moment, all was quiet in the world, except for the gurgling sound of water in the background, which was even fainter and barely audible. At that moment, I realized that my mind was completely blank, and there was no person or thing that I absolutely couldn’t let go of. There was only a feeling of reluctance, but I didn’t know what exactly I was reluctant about.”

Wei Ruo responded, “I don’t think that much. I just simply do what I want to do, love who I want to love, and protect those I want to protect. Zhu, you were born to a wealthy family. You may not understand that for a lot of people in this world, simply living, making sure they and their families have enough to eat, can take all their strength..”