Author: 打字机N号
Chapter 45: The search for one’s mom second spring 13/For the sake of my mother’s remarriage 13
T /N: This is MTL work. I tried to edit as best as I could, any mistake plz do put your comment and I will edit it ASAP. This is my first attempt on Chinese novel so please cheer me up! I hope you will find this novel as interesting as I do.
T/N I am not sure why this chapter went missing. There is also nothing in the trash. So I reposted it back.
Hu Guirong’s mother’s health had always been bad. Her life was prolonged all these years due to the medicine that she had been consuming all year round. This is the reason why, even though Hu Guirong had earned a lot of money from hunting, yet he still could not save any.
When the best medicine could no longer work, his mother was unable to hold on and died in the spring.
Hu family only has few relatives, but Hu Guirong had always maintained a good relationship with his neighbours. With their help, his mother’s funeral arrangement could also be considered to be bustling with noise.
“Now there is nothing that going to hold you back. You also had been caring for your mother all these years. It’s better for you to find someone to spend your life with. Or maybe you can use this opportunity to rekindle your relationship with Yun-niangzi.”
At the funeral, Hu Guirong’s good buddies were trying to give him a bit of advice.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Her son is currently aiming for something bigger. At the age of seven, he already managed to become a scholar. Do you think that he will allow her mother to remarry? That move will not help his future prospect, but instead harming him.”
“Stop mentioning it anymore. Everyone, drink!”
Everyone else was having a lively discussion with everybody talking at once.
However, seeing Hu Guirong’s ugly expression, they quickly changed the topic. Since Yun-niangzi got married, Hu Guirong no longer let any of them mentioning the name of the other party to him. He kept reminding them that he did not want their past affair to become a stain to her reputation. He was afraid that her husband’s family will hear the gossip and end up treating her badly because of it.
Even after her husband had passed away for so many years, Hu Guirong still refused to mention her name. After all, for a widow, their reputation was even more important than before.
Today, it was also because of his mother’s funeral that his friend decided to talk to him. When they thought of Hu Guirong who are going to be alone and living in solitude, everyone could only brace themselves against his displeasure by mentioning Meng Yun-niang’s name once again.
“After a few days, I am heading to the mountains. This time I will go deeper. I have to ask you to look after this house.”
Hu Guirong was currently in the hot period of filial piety, therefore, it was prohibited for him to drink any wine. Thus, he used a bowl of hot tea in front of him to respect these friends of his in place of the wine.
“There is a big and ferocious animal deep in the mountain. What are you plan to do going so deep?”
A few friends of his friend were shocked when they heard his words.
“I just think that it was too dangerous to continue hunting for survival. You know it too. Apart from me, both my father and my grandfather already dead in the mountains. Now that my mother was no longer here, I am no longer wish to continue hunting for life. Therefore, I would like to take a big risk once and hunted a big animal. The money that I can get from selling that should be able to let me open a small shop and live a stable life.”
Hu Guirong did not tell anyone that he wanted to settle down so that he could continue to guard Meng Yun-niang from far away.
“Why should you take such a big risk? The money you earned from hunting on a normal day was enough to support your life. It was due to aunt’s illness that you ended up spending so much money leaving nothing behind. Now that aunt already gone, if you were to live frugally, you could save three to five taels each time. After you accumulated enough money then you can marry a wife and give birth to many fat boys. Isn’t that all good?”
If it was so easy to capture those beasts, then the hunters all over the world will go into the mountains to fight for them. It is because it was so powerful, that a lot of hunters died for it making it fetched a high price.
Now that Hu Guirong wanted to fight for it, in fact, it was almost going to be a fight to the death.
“I have a safe business here, and it will be very suitable for you.”
One of Hu Guirong’s friend was working as an escort. After contemplating it a bit, he decided to tell him about this job.
“There is a pair of mother and son who are going to travel to the capital the day after tomorrow. Because they are worried that there might be some robbers along the way, they want to hire a high-powered young man with martial art’s skills to protect them. Since it will a long time to travel to the capital and back, many of the escorts who already married with wives and children are not willing to take this job. Since you need money now, and there is also no family to dragged you down, why don’t you try it?”
“It will take more than two months to go back and forth to the capital. The other side is willing to pay eight taels of silver for the escort service. Since you are already at the capital, maybe you can take this opportunity to buy something there and bring it back to sell here. Even though being a bodyguard could not help you earn much money compared to hunting a tiger, but at least it will be a much secure and safer job.”
His remark moved Hu Guirong’s heart. In actual, he did not have a hundred per cent of certainty that he could manage to hunt the tiger. If he really died in the mountains, when that person being bullied by others, he will no longer be able to protect her from behind.
“But I am still in my mourning period.”
Hu Guirong still hesitated, he was afraid that the employer would dislike him.
“No worries, that young master said that he was okay with it since he also was just out of filial piety. Therefore, he did not feel any kind of taboo.” [ Filial Piety/ Mourning Period = Usually took about 3 years for each parent]
Hu Guirong’s friend who worked as an escort comforted him. In any case, if the employer had not spoken first, he would not have taken the initiatives to mention this business to Hu Guirong.
“Okay. Exactly what time will it be? I will over this job.”
Hu Guirong nodded in acceptance. However, listening to the description of his friend just now, he always felt it was little too coincidental, but he decided not to think much about it.
*****
On the third day, Hu Guirong waited for his employer to arrive at the agreed dock, but when he saw the pair of mother and son, he realized that his instincts were not wrong.
“How is it you?!”
Meng Yu Niang’s voice was awkward. She did not expect that the person who was going to escort them to capital was actually Hu Guirong.
“I will go to the Escort’s hall and asked them to change to another bodyguard for you.”
Hu Guirong felt that Meng Yun-niang should be reluctant to see him. If he had not refused to run away with her, she would not have married Jiang Dachun and become a widow so young.
“No need, the boat is about to sail off.”
How could Jiang Liu let Hu Guirong leave? He had already thought about it and decided to use this method to bring this person to the capital with him.
“Your strength is great, help me carry these two boxes.”
Jiang Liu pointed at the two big wooden boxes and commanded Hu Guirong to take it.
“Okay.”
Hu Guirong felt somewhat stupid, but subconsciously he started to take the pole pointed by Jiang Liu as he picked up the two big boxes and brought it inside the boat. He already forgot the initial matter of wanting to change to another escort.
“Is this your trick?”
Meng Yu Niang twisted her son’s ear and guessed that this was this kid’s ghost idea. Originally, she thought that her son had already discarded those issues from his mind. Now it seemed that he had never forgotten this matter from beginning to end.
“Mother, you are accusing me wrongly, I didn’t do anything.”
Jiang Liu innocently spread out his hand.
“Maybe this is fate.”
“You see; the boat is about to sail. Even if we wanted to change Uncle Hu with another, they will not be able to make it. Even if you really can’t get along with Uncle Hu, you still have to endure it for the next two months.”
Jiang Liu had really chosen a good time. Once they arrived at the dock, it will not take a long time before the boat ready to sail. As soon as he reached the dock, he quickly directed Hu Guirong to send their stuff up to the cabin. Once all luggage was stored away, the boat already started sailing. Therefore, it prevented these two people from making any troubles.
“Nobody knows us on the way to capital anyway. Besides, we are also well-informed about uncle Hu capabilities. He is more reliable than any other bodyguard. Uncle Hu is also physically tall. There will be no one dare to bother us so it will be much safer.”
Jiang Liu told the beautiful woman his reasoning. Meng Yun-niang could only listened to him silently. In the end, she did not refute and seemed to accept it by default.
******
That evening, Hu Guirong was taking a break on the ship’s board, and unknowingly Jiang Liu had come out from the cabin and sat next to him.
“You like my mother!”
That was a statement without any hesitation.
“It’s too cold. Go inside lest you will catch cold.”
Hu Guirong decided not to answer the question. Yet he still contemplated the reason why Jiang Liu asked him this question. He did not know whether it was out of malicious or goodwill. Although this child is still small, but he was a child prodigy with a good brain. He did not dare to look down on this child’s brain and did not think about fooling him.
“No, I won’t. My mother gave me this thick cotton jacket.”
The night on the river was always very cold, so Jiang Liu had been wearing a small cotton jacket usually worn in winter. Therefore, he didn’t feel cold at all.
“You haven’t answered me yet. Do you like my mother?”
Jiang Liu asked once again. He felt that the adults in this era were too emotional repressed. Even after being twisted and pinched, they still did not want to open at all.
“I have some business. After we arrived at the capital, I still lacked a trustworthy person to help me deal with it. If you are willing, stay in the capital.”
Jiang Liu who saw Hu Guirong continued to keep in silence decided to simply shift the topic.
“Right, if you wanted to marry my mother, wait at least for a few years.”
Not waiting for Hu Guirong to answer, Jiang Liu stood up and patted the sitting down Hu Guirong’s shoulder.
“Why do I have to wait for a few years?” Hu Guirong’s could not help but blurt out this question.
Such a small guy; still doesn’t want to admit that he likes my mother!
Jiang Liu smiled and said.
“Naturally, to obtain what I want, I have to raise in rank by becoming the top scorer [Zhuangyuan] in the palace examination. At that time, if she is willing to marry you, I will send her out with ten miles of red makeup.” [T/N: Rich dowry]
Being a mere scholar is not enough. One has to obtain a high position. With greater talent, then will you be able to fight against the secular ethics.
Jiang Liu pointed out to the distant sky, and he felt that he was very eloquent when he said that.
The author has something to say: There is one more at 9 o’clock in the evening. Today is really cold. All my fingers became numb. The heater was not very strong. But I felt like the house was leaking around and not to mentioned that the heater had been open for a long time. So far only my head felt hot. My lower body was totally frozen. Very unconvinced. Why there are differences in temperature when I was using the same heater?
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