Chapter 121 - Lan Jiu
Edited by RED
In Mirrorlink’s Rivulet City, an unknown distance away from Woodblue Village, something happened which shook the entire city.
The Mosuo Auction House that stood in Rivulet City for many years had suddenly announced it was closing down. The owner, Mo Dingtian, didn’t even show himself in public. This left everyone in Rivulet City guessing whether something had happened to him.
In the Xu Clan, the Chief Housekeeper Xu Pingfan sat in the main hall with a haggard look.
“It’s been so many days since Young Master disappeared. Why isn’t there any news at all? Mo Dingtian and his daughter disappeared as well; what exactly is going on?” Xu Pingfan mumbled.
Suddenly, a small wooden sword shot towards him. Xu Pingfan quickly turned sideways to dodge it, and it stabbed into the chair. He took a closer look and saw that there was a letter attached to it.
Xu Pingfan quickly pulled the small sword out and opened the letter. He was shocked when he read the contents.
“Something probably happened to Young Master. Everyone in the villa has relocated. Please take care of yourself, Housekeeper Xu, and guard the mansion. Wait patiently for Young Master to return.”
Xu Pingfan slowly balled up the letter in his hand and actually stuffed it into his mouth. He slowly chewed it up, a mist of tears rolling in his eyes.
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In the mountains outside of Rivulet City, an institution caught a huge fire. Two unparalleled beauties stood atop another mountain not far away, one of them wearing purple clothes, while the other wore white.
“Elder Sister, isn’t it somewhat inappropriate for you to make such arrangements? After all, there isn’t any news from Young Master yet,” the white-clothed woman said.
“Sister, before Young Master went to the Capital City, he told me that he felt something might happen during this trip, and to not believe in any rumors I might hear, especially those concerning his life or death,” the purple-clothed woman replied.
“Rumors concerning his life or death?” the woman in white asked, puzzled.
“As long as we haven’t seen his corpse, don’t ever believe that something happened to him!” the purple-clothed woman answered.
“But you didn’t have to destroy the villa. This was where Young Master’s foundation lay!” the other woman continued.
“You don’t understand, Sister. Since Young Master left everything regarding the villa to me before he left, I have to act cautiously. Young Master’s foundation doesn’t lie in this villa; if it’s destroyed, we can build it again. His true foundation are the people; we can’t afford to have anything happen to them,” the purple-clothed woman explained.
“Oh,” the woman in white nodded, not really understanding her words.
“Oh, right, Elder Sister, do you think Young Master’s disappearance might be related to the Mo Clan? Otherwise, why would Mo Dingtian and Mo Ling not even return to Rivulet City?” the white-clothed woman continued.
“I’m not too sure. After all, Young Master lived in the Mo Clan for ten years. Mo Ling, especially, was treated very well by him. If she really did anything to him, I definitely won’t let her go!” the purple-clothed woman swore. As she spoke, her expression turned furious.
Seeing her elder sister’s expression, the white-clothed woman stuck out her tongue mischievously, not daring to speak anymore.
“Let’s go. We should be doing something for Young Master, or we will be letting him down. I only hope that we can get news of him soon.” The purple-clothed woman finished her piece and turned to leave, with her white-clad twin following behind.
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In Woodblue Village, the young man saved by the kind villagers finally stepped out of the crude house.
His showing up outside immediately drew the attention of the villagers. They quickly gathered around him, all asking about his wellness. This young man, however, looked at them with a confused gaze.
“Hey, you really can’t remember your name?” a voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing this familiar voice, the young man turned his head to look. The blue-clothed woman was standing with her hands behind her back, looking at him with a face full of smiles. This woman was none other than Lan Shu’er.
“Miss, many thanks for saving me and taking care of me for so many days,” the young man said sincerely as he cupped his fists.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something good?” Lan Shu’er asked.
Hearing this, the young man nodded slightly. He felt that he was indeed hungry.
“Alright. Come with me,” Lan Shu’er smiled, then turned around to lead him away.
The young man nodded at the surrounding villagers and followed along.
They didn’t walk for very long before arriving at a courtyard that wasn’t too big. Lan Shu’er pushed open the door and waved at the young man behind her, beckoning him over, and entered.
After following her in, the young man looked around the courtyard. There were many plants grown in there. It looked beautiful. There was also a tree planted on the right side, with a table and chairs underneath it.
“What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and come over here,” Lan Shu’er called, standing below the tree.
The young man let out a “Oh,” and quickly walked over.
He saw that there was a cooked chicken laid out on top of the table, and couldn’t help but swallow.
“Eat it, it’s prepared for you. Earlier I was thinking of checking on whether you were awake before sending it over. I didn’t think you would actually come out by yourself,” Lan Shu’er told him, gesturing for him to take a seat.
After sitting down, the young man looked at Lan Shu’er, then reached for the chicken and grabbed it, bringing it to his mouth and starting chewing on it.
Lan Shu’er supported her chin with both her hands and watched as this young man devoured the food, showing a brilliant smile on her face.
“Hey, since you can’t remember your name, how about I give you one?” Lan Shu’er suggested.
The young man looked at her after hearing this, and gave her a nod.
“Ah, you agree? Then what should I name you? Everyone in the village is surnamed Lan, and you were saved by us. Then shall we call you Lan Jiu? It doesn’t seem good. It’s as if we’re calling you Uncle. I got it, I’ll call you Lan Jiu from now on, how about it?” Lan Shu’er asked excitedly.¹
The young man, still eating the chicken, nodded upon hearing this.
Lan Shu’er no longer said anything when she saw him agree while still eating. She propped up her chin with both hands and continued watching him.
Soon, the matter of Lan Shu’er naming this young man Lan Jiu spread in the village.
When Lan Jiu returned to the house where the granny who saved his life lived, she stated that his body was already in a much better condition, and it wasn’t suitable to keep staying with her, so she didn’t allow him in.
The friendly villagers nearby came up to him and suggested that Lan Jiu stay in their house.
Lan JIu looked at Lan Shu’er, who stood by the side, and saw that she only bit her lips lightly, not saying anything.
“Lan Jiu, come stay at my place. I’m a single man, and my house is spacious. How about it?” the strong middle-aged man who had carried him back to the village offered.
After this period of contact, Lan Jiu had learned that this middle-aged man was called Lan Daniu. He was a very nice, warm guy. Many people in the village liked him, and there were many offers of marriage for him. However, for some unknown reasons, he was unwilling to marry.
“I’ll be troubling you then, Brother Daniu,” Lan Jiu replied, embarrassed.
Hearing this, Lan Daniu came over and patted on Lan Jiu’s shoulder, laughing, and said, “Telling me when any problem comes up isn’t troubling me. Instead, you’re looking up to me. Come, let’s go to my place. We’ll drink a cup or two.”
“Brother Daniu, his injuries aren’t fully recovered yet and he can’t drink alcohol,” Lan Shu’er, who had kept quiet all this time, said suddenly.
Lan Jiu looked at Lan Shu’er. The truth is, he was hoping in his heart that she would invite him to stay at her place. However, the usually warm Lan Shu’er didn’t say a word.
“Alright, Shu’er, I know. We’ll drink less, we’ll drink less,” Lan Daniu mumbled, then brought Lan Jiu away with his arm over Lan Jiu’s shoulder.
As Lan Jiu was being forcefully brought away by Lan Daniu, he kept turning back to look at Lan Shu’er.
After arriving at Lan Daniu’s house, Lan Daniu brought out a jug of wine and two bowls.² He filled them up with wine and said, “You little brat, you were really lucky to be discovered by Shu’er and Ah Cai by the river. When I carried you back, you weren’t even breathing. I didn’t think you would be so lively and drinking with me now, what a miracle! Come, bottoms up.”
“Brother Daniu, I don’t know how to drink,” Lan Jiu said.
“You don’t know how to drink? We’re both grown men; how could you not know how to drink? Come, I’ll down one first,” Lan Daniu said and picked up his bowl, finishing it in one go.
Lan Jiu picked up his bowl helplessly and started gulping on the wine, his brow creased.
As for Lan Daniu, who had finished his drink, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud as he watched Lan Jiu drink.
“I finished it, Brother Daniu, but I’m still not used to drinking wine. I’m not drinking anymore,” Lan Jiu said with gritted teeth, the corners of his mouth drawn back after finishing his bowl of wine.
“Haha, you’ll get used to it after drinking some more. This wine is good stuff, able to make people forget about troubling matters,” Lan Daniu chuckled.
Hearing this, Lan Jiu gently placed his bowl down and lowered his head, the gods knew what he was thinking about.
Lan Daniu immediately felt his words were slightly inappropriate at seeing Lan Jiu’s reaction and quickly added, “Oh, Brother, you don’t have to be troubled over not remembering about your past. What we humans experience in our lifetimes are all destined by the heavens. You coming to Woodblue Village and knowing me, that might just be fate at work, right?”
Lan Jiu raised his head and nodded slightly at hearing this. He picked up his bowl and raised it to Lan Daniu, saying, “Come, Brother Daniu, I’ll drink with you for a little bit more.”
Lan Daniu blanked for a moment at hearing this, then laughed out loud and quickly picked up the jug of wine to refill Lan Jiu’s bowl.
“Brother Daniu, Lan Jiu, what are you doing in the house?” Lan Shu’er voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing this, Lan Daniu hurriedly hid the jug of wine behind his back and picked up the teapot to fill water into the bowl.
Just as Lan Shu’er voice faded, she entered the house with a basket in hand.
“Shu’er, what brought you here?” Lan Daniu asked.
“I’m here to check whether you made Lan Jiu drink wine,” Lan Shu’er smiled.
“No, absolutely not. Didn’t you see? I’m pouring water for him, isn’t that right, Lan Jiu?” Lan Daniu said, twisting his brow and squinting his eyes at Lan Jiu.
“I smelled alcohol the moment I entered the house, and you’re still claiming otherwise. Look at Lan Jiu’s face; it’s all flushed red. What are you hiding behind your back?” Lan Shu’er asked.
Lan Daniu scratched his head and brought out the wine jug hidden behind his back, placing it onto the table.
Lan Shu’er smiled at seeing the wine jug. She didn’t say anything and placed the basket on the table. She took out several dishes from it, the dishes still emitting heat.
“You can’t only drink wine; you need to eat something. Otherwise, it’s bad for your health, especially Lan Jiu; his injuries aren’t fully healed,” Lan Shu’er said as she took out the dishes.
Lan Daniu said in embarrassment, “Shu’er is still the best, you knew to bring us food. Ah, it smells so good.”
Lan Shu’er smiled at seeing Lan Daniu’s expression and said, “Enjoy the food. Remember not to have Lan Jiu drink too much, I’ll be making a move first.”
“Shu’er come eat with us,” Lan Daniu said to Lan Shu’er, who had turned around to leave.
“I’ll pass, I still have some left. You enjoy.” When Lan Shu’er’s voice rang out, she already exited the house.
Lan Daniu sighed and looked at Lan Jiu, who was still looking in the door’s direction.
“Hey, Brother, what are you looking at? She’s already gone,” Lan Daniu teased.
Lan Jiu blushed at hearing this. He quickly picked up his bowl and said, “Come, Brother Daniu, let’s drink.”
“What about drinking; it’s water in your bowl. What are you thinking? Are you thinking that Shu’er is very pretty?” Lan Daniu teased.
“No, I mean, yes, no, Brother Daniu, don’t ask this,” Lan Jiu said incoherently.
Lan Daniu laughed out loud at the sight of Lan Jiu. He then poured away the water in Lan Jiu’s bowl and the two started drinking again.
TL Note:
1: Same thing with Cai Xiaoxiao’s Brother Qi. She using a familiar sounding word. The Jiu/救 she first suggested meant “Save”, since the village saved his life, and sounds exactly like Uncle for maternal side of the family. The second one was Jiu/九, which means Nine.
2: Something like this: https://imgur.com/jLzWdTi