https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-106-The-Yellow-Immortals-Stride-Sideways/12898538/
Chapter 107: Returning Home to Visit the Village
Chapter 107: Returning Home to Visit the Village
On the third morning, Hu Ma and the others boarded the hired carriage. The cart driver was an experienced old hand who had traveled far and wide. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to take on a job like this, entering the Old Yin Mountain.
Even so, this old hand had already made it clear to Hu Ma, who looked young but was quite generous, that they would only travel during the day. They would have to stop and rest during rainy weather and at night.
This was something Hu Ma didn’t need to be reminded about. When he first went out with Second Uncle, he had learned the rules. While he knew less about the Old Yin Mountain than Second Uncle, and even less than this old hand, being cautious was never wrong.
To avoid any trouble on the way, he didn’t even bring the Green Taisui, fearing it might attract evil spirits.
Thus, they traveled by day and rested at night, gradually delving deeper into the Old Yin Mountain. The young people could already feel the familiar scent of home.
Unexpectedly, after passing through a forest, they encountered someone they knew.
“Passing travelers, please show some kindness. The village has suffered a disaster, and we can’t even afford to celebrate the New Year…”
“...”
Seeing the group of villagers armed with hoes, manure forks, sticks, and stones, the children on the carriage exchanged glances. The old cart driver quickly reined in the old horse and turned to look at Hu Ma.
This was something they had agreed upon in advance. If they encountered bandits or roaming people who tried to rob them, the young master would handle it, and he would only drive the carriage. He wouldn’t get involved in any trouble.
“Second Uncle cried as soon as he got off the carriage back then?”
Hu Ma thought about what Second Uncle did and felt a bit awkward, as he couldn’t cry. So, as soon as he got off the carriage, he immediately smiled and greeted the people blocking the road with a bow: “Wishing all the villagers a prosperous New Year filled with wealth!”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but a few months ago, we passed through here with our elders, and we were grateful for your guidance, which helped us avoid evil spirits. We thought we might run into you again and prepared some New Year’s goods. Could you help us unload them?”
“...”
He then had Zhou Datong take down a bag of coarse rice and a piece of pork weighing about seven or eight pounds.
Seeing Hu Ma’s youthful face and his confident demeanor, the group of people exchanged glances. Hu Ma, noticing this, picked up the bag of coarse rice with one hand and used his pinky to hook the piece of pork, holding both out in front of him with a smile, indicating they should take them.
The leader, seeing this, his face changed slightly, hurriedly dropped his hoe, and bowed: “Great, great, thank you, villagers, for remembering us...”
“...”
He was about to have someone take the items when someone glanced at the carriage, noticing the many bolts of cloth and bags of grain, and became a bit tempted. They quietly came over and whispered in his ear.
But the leader immediately slapped them: “What are you saying? These are our neighbors with whom we have a good relationship!”
“Are we going to celebrate the New Year, but they aren’t?”
“...”
As he spoke, he gratefully took the items, promising to remember Hu Ma and not take anything if they came again.
They passed this checkpoint smoothly, and even the old cart driver was somewhat impressed by Hu Ma. The group entered the forest without any further trouble, the surroundings becoming increasingly quiet and deserted.
To be honest, even bandits and roving people only appeared near the edge of the Old Yin Mountain. Once inside, the forest’s true masters were not human, and everyone lived cautiously, filled with reverence.
Compared to other places, the Old Yin Mountain had more evil spirits but fewer human troubles.
Of course, the Old Yin Mountain was too mysterious and had a bad reputation outside. If outsiders came in for the first time, they would be suspicious and uneasy.
But for the young people from Big Sheep Village, this was home, and they felt increasingly excited as they got closer.
After two more days of travel, they reached the outskirts of Big Sheep Village. The overgrown path split into two: one led directly to the village, and the other to Second Uncle’s place. Hu Ma unhesitatingly chose the latter.
It had been a long time since they returned, and of course, they wanted to see their loved ones first.
The other young people had no objections. They all smiled, looking forward to seeing Second Uncle.
With a creak, around noon, they could see Second Uncle’s small manor on a hill from a distance. The carriage stopped at the foot of the hill, and Hu Ma, along with Zhou Datong and others, got off and walked towards the manor.
From a distance, they could hear Second Uncle shouting inside the manor: “Be diligent! Do you understand what being diligent means? If you don’t work hard now, how will you earn money in the spring?”
“Don’t you know about Hu Ma from the village? Don’t you know about Zhou Datong?”
“Do you think they made it into the Lady Society and earned food and grain by being lazy? When they learned from me, they were the most diligent!”
“...”
“Ouch?”
Hu Ma and Zhou Datong were both taken aback by this unexpected praise, feeling a bit guilty...
“Second Uncle, are you busy?”
Despite feeling guilty, they still pushed open the slightly ajar door and stood outside, smiling at Second Uncle.
“Eh?”
Second Uncle turned around, paused, rubbed his eyes, and slowly put down his smoking pipe. When he recognized them, along with Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and Li Wa Zi peeking out, his eyes widened:
“My goodness, how many days has it been, and you’ve all been sent back already?”
"……"
"？"
Elder Brother Hu Ma and the others were momentarily stunned, seeing Second Uncle charge forward like an enraged lion, ready to strike.
They hurriedly took a step back, letting Zhou Datong step in front to block him, and laughed, "We weren’t chased back; we’re here for the New Year."
"Right…."
Zhou Datong couldn't avoid the slap and quickly jumped around, shouting, "Yes, we’re here for the New Year…."
"And we even brought you the best tobacco shreds…."
"……"
"What New Year?"
Second Uncle's temper didn't subside as he cursed, "That Lady Society isn’t a charitable institution. How could they let you back after just a few days? You must have been up to no good…."
"It’s true…."
They all hurriedly tried to persuade him, offering the tobacco shreds and pointing to the large cart below.
Only then did Second Uncle start to believe them, but he still looked at Hu Ma with suspicion, "Little Hu Ma, you boys aren’t fooling me, are you?"
"Of course not."
Hu Ma laughed, "We have to go back after the New Year; the shop is waiting for us!"
"Oh, the people of the Lady Society are really nice…."
Second Uncle finally turned from anger to joy, looking at them. He felt they were more robust than when he had sent them there, patting one, then another. Indeed, Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu seemed quite sturdy, shrugging off his punches as if nothing had happened.
When it was Li Wa Zi's turn, he was slightly more forceful, and Li Wa Zi let out a yelp, flying far away.
"How is this kid even softer than before?"
Second Uncle was taken aback, and Hu Ma hurriedly stopped him, explaining that they had come to see him first before returning to the village.
"Back, we're going back, I’ll go with you."
Second Uncle, overjoyed, climbed onto the cart, smoking the tobacco shreds offered to him, feeling as if he were in a dream.
They quickly arrived at the village entrance, which looked the same but seemed more distant. The Old Clan Leader was leading his stubborn donkey, having dug two bags of sweet potatoes.
Seeing Second Uncle and Hu Ma on the cart, along with a few familiar faces from the village, he was momentarily stunned, blinking a few times before crying out, "It’s bad…."
"It’s only been a few days, and the little rascals are all chased back…."
"I lost my bag of Green Food…."
"……"
"？"
Not just Hu Ma, but Zhou Datong and the others were speechless. The village seemed to have no trust in them at all.
They hurriedly drove the cart up, jumped down, and Second Uncle explained to the Old Clan Leader, who finally stopped crying.
"We weren’t chased back; we’re here for the New Year."
"Not only that, Grandpa, you don’t know, Elder Brother Hu Ma is now a manager at the shop…."
The Old Clan Leader believed they weren’t chased back but still didn’t believe the part about Hu Ma being a manager.
"Blowing smoke, are you?"
"The foxes from the neighboring village have been in the Lady Society for five or six years and haven’t even become managers…."
"……"
"Do you still not believe it?"
Zhou Datong shouted, "Elder Brother Hu Ma, show Grandpa your manager’s clothes…."
As they chattered at the village gate, the villagers were already stirred, gathering around from a distance. Especially the parents of Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and others rushed out.
Seeing their children suddenly appear before them, looking healthier, they were overjoyed, not caring about the things on the cart.
Only Li Wa Zi's family rushed over and saw Li Wa Zi, weak and frail, and couldn’t help but shed tears. Li Wa Zi, seeing his parents, also burst into tears, "Father, Mother, I almost died…."
Their crying drew concerned looks from the neighbors, the Clan Leader, and Second Uncle.
Li Wa Zi cried bitterly, releasing all the tears he had held back in the village.
"I was bullied, fell into a well, and even encountered a Yin Ghost…."
He cried, "Elder Brother Hu Ma came down the well at night, took off his clothes, and rescued me from the evil spirit."
"Father, Mother, the fire in my furnace wasn’t strong enough…."
"If it weren’t for Elder Brother Hu Ma, who became a manager and arranged easier work for me and spoke to the shop for me, I would have been chased back by the innkeeper…."
"……"
He cried his heart out, his words broken and incoherent, but the villagers gradually understood, and the commotion died down.
Their gazes, filled with a mix of relief and gratitude, turned to Hu Ma.
"Ah…."
A sigh came from behind, and a strong hand patted Hu Ma’s shoulder, "You did well."
It was Second Uncle.
(End of Chapter)
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