Before Liu Yu even reached the entrance of the village, he saw Liu Wenyu and his brother standing under a large tree in the distance, waving at him.
“I almost overslept by accident. Sorry to keep you waiting so long,” Liu Yu said apologetically.
Liu Wenyu smiled and said, “Not at all, we only just arrived a moment ago. Let us get going. If we head to town now, we should be able to get back before sunset. Have you figured out everything you want to buy?”
Liu Yu scratched his head. “I have thought about it, but I am not sure if I can buy everything at once.”
Liu Wensheng chimed in, “Don’t worry about it. The three of us will just look around and ask more questions, and we will definitely find everything. If we miss anything, it is fine too. I will just ask my dad to help you look for it the next time he goes to town for a meeting.”
September had arrived, bringing with it a fierce, scorching sun. Visible heat waves shimmered in the air. After walking for about half an hour, Liu Yu felt as though he was about to collapse from the heat.
“I cannot take this anymore, it is too hot. Let me rest for a few minutes, okay?” He genuinely could not handle it anymore. Continuing to walk would leave him breathless with exhaustion. The body was the capital of revolution, so Liu Yu always cherished his physical well-being and never did anything counterproductive.
The two brothers walking ahead quickly turned back to help him to the shade under a tree. They handed him half a bottle of cool water and looked at him with worry in their eyes.
“I am fine. Just let me catch my breath for a moment,” Liu Yu said, picking up a tung tree leaf to fan himself. The two brothers were also sweating profusely from the heat, but their condition was much better than his. To be honest, Liu Yu felt a little envious.
After resting for a few minutes, he stood up shakily to resume the journey. After walking for another twenty minutes or so, they finally entered the town.
Without a second word, Liu Yu dragged the two brothers into a herbal tea shop and ordered three bowls of herbal tea. The herbal tea tasted ordinary, but it relieved the heat immensely. After finishing a bowl, his protesting physical organs finally began to calm down.
Once he recovered, he finally had the energy to look around the street. Nearly two years had passed, yet this place remained unchanged, looking almost identical to the memories in the original owner’s mind.
Following his memories, he led the two brothers into the largest grocery store on the street. The variety of items inside was dazzling, leaving Liu Wensheng wide-eyed with wonder.
“Brother, come over and look at this! There are so many candies here, and they are so brightly colored and pretty!” Liu Wensheng shouted loudly.
Liu Wenyu scolded him in a low voice, “Be more cultured outside. Do not yell and scream all the time, it is impolite.”
Liu Wensheng pouted upon hearing this.
Liu Yu also walked over to take a look. A wide array of colorful candies sat displayed on the shelves, including orange, green, and purple ones. They gleamed brightly and looked quite attractive, which explained why a child would get so excited.
He checked the price and found that they were sold individually at one cent per piece. Strictly speaking, the price was not expensive, and children could occasionally buy one to sweeten their mouths, but the cost-performance ratio was relatively low.
“You guys look around, I am going over there,” Liu Yu said, turning to walk toward the front counter. A moment later, he returned with a bag containing a selection of various candies.
“You bought so many candies? That must have cost quite a bit!” Liu Wenyu looked at him in surprise.
Liu Yu explained, “I just asked the clerk. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. If you buy two taels or more, it is weighed at ninety cents per pound. They will not go bad immediately anyway, so we might as well buy more.” He shook the bag in his hand and took it to the front counter to be weighed. It came out to exactly four taels, costing thirty-six cents.
After that, Liu Yu called out to Liu Wenyu and Liu Wensheng to help him find candles, matches, bowls, chopsticks, a rolling pin, rice, flour, cooking oil, and salt. Once he gathered everything, he paid for the items all at once.
Next, they went to the soy sauce shop, where an elderly master filled a large bucket of soy sauce and two catties of vinegar for him. Finally, they visited an agricultural produce store to buy rapeseed seeds and farming tools.
Midday had arrived, and the street gradually grew quiet as people headed home for lunch.
“Let us go to the fabric shop. I want to buy a set of bedsheets and quilt covers for changing and washing,” Liu Yu said. He only had one set of bedsheets in use, and sleeping in them while sweating every day meant they would practically be pickled if he did not take them down to wash soon.
Liu Wenyu said, “I know a fabric shop that offers very fair prices. My family buys all our things there. However, it is not on this street, we have to walk further south for a bit.”
Thus, the three of them walked south for another ten-odd minutes, sweating profusely all over again before finally locating the shop. Seeing customers arrive, the auntie inside the shop greeted them warmly and poured each of them a bowl of cool water.
Fanning herself with a cattail leaf, she asked with a smile, “I have all kinds of fabrics here, and the current popular patterns are complete. What are you looking for?”
Liu Yu downed a bowl of cool water, and his body felt comfortable again. “Auntie, I want to make a set of summer bedsheets and quilt covers. Ordinary pure cotton coarse cloth will do.” As for the patterns, Liu Yu looked through them all without finding a single one matching his aesthetic, so he reluctantly settled on one printed with small blue floral patterns.
Making quilt covers took time, and Liu Yu did not want to wait idly. He took the two brothers to a nearby noodle shop and ordered three bowls of egg noodles, planning to solve lunch first.
Liu Wenyu remained composed, but Liu Wensheng felt a bit restrained sitting at the dining table at first. He tugged at the corner of Liu Yu’s shirt and asked, “Brother, are we really eating here at noon? Would it be too expensive? I just checked the price, a bowl of noodles costs fifteen cents!”
Liu Yu patted the back of his head. “Eat without worry, Brother has money. Besides, we do not run to town every single day. Even if you want to spend money staying at home, you cannot find a place to spend it!”
The kitchen moved quickly, and the noodles were served shortly. Just as Liu Yu expected, the noodles looked rather plain. A few pieces of stir-fried egg floated on top of coarse noodles, and not a single speck of oil was visible. After eating only a few bites, Liu Yu could not swallow anymore. Once he returned, he was determined to make a large jar of chili oil to comfort his bland palate.
Liu Yu looked up at Liu Wenyu and Liu Wensheng. The two of them were eating with exceptional relish, completely forgetting to wipe the sweat off their foreheads.
“I cannot finish these noodles. If you guys do not mind, help me share them!”
The two finally looked up, staring at him in surprise. “Why are you not eating? Although it is far worse than your cooking, this has both noodles and eggs. We usually do not get to eat anything this good.”
Liu Yu said helplessly, “I lose my appetite whenever the weather gets hot. I get full after a few bites, and any more will make me nauseous.” He dared not say the noodles tasted too terrible to eat, lest others heard and scolded him for being overly delicate.
Seeing that he genuinely could not eat anymore, the two did not mind. They finished off the remaining noodles along with the soup, and even dropped the flatbreads Aunt Guifang had prepared for them in the morning into the bowls.
Seeing this, Liu Yu stood up. “I have already paid for the food. Take your time and do not rush. I will go check the surroundings to see if there is anything else we need to buy. You can come wait for me at the fabric shop after you finish.”
He walked slowly down the street, glancing into the shops on both sides as he went. Past noon, only a handful of people still walked the street, likely because people in town were accustomed to taking a nap at home during this hour, he figured.
The street was not long. Liu Yu reached the end after walking for three to five minutes. A giant tung tree stood at the tail end of the street. Not paying attention earlier, Liu Yu only noticed upon walking closer that a man was sitting and lying under the tree. Covered in dirt to the point where his facial features were obscured, the man could only be seen opening his mouth slightly toward him. Seeming to realize Liu Yu did not react, the man lowered his head heavily once more.
Liu Yu was speechless.
He had become a beggar, yet he still possessed such pride and shame. Was he truly not afraid of starving to death?
Liu Yu walked over, squatted down, and met the man’s gaze. “Did you run into some trouble? You look so tall and sturdy, why not find a job in town? Anything is better than suffering outside in the midsummer heat.”
The man lowered his head in silence. After a long while, an extremely hoarse voice reached Liu Yu’s ears. “Hello, could you please give me a sip of water?”
Liu Yu was startled, then realized the man had not intentionally ignored him, but rather was too thirsty to speak.
“Wait here.” Dropping those words, he turned around and walked briskly toward the fabric shop. Inside the shop, the auntie from the morning was still sewing his quilt cover. Seeing him return, she hurriedly told him to wait another half a quarter of an hour. Liu Yu had no intention of rushing her. He simply asked her for a ladle of cool water and hurried back to the end of the street.
He bent down, gesturing to hand the water to the man. The next second, the man proactively reached out a pair of distinct, bony hands, took the water, and drank it eagerly with his head tilted back.
Liu Yu squatted quietly beside him, listening to the gurgling sound the man made while drinking, feeling a mix of things left unsaid.
He did not even know how to be a proper beggar. In this day and age, ordinary families were not wealthy. Asking for food might not always yield results, but if you asked for a bowl of water, most people would not refuse.
Liu Yu was utterly baffled. He had only ever heard of beggars screaming with hunger, but never of anyone screaming with thirst. This person was even more absurd. If he had not run into him, he probably would not even have had the strength to scream.
“Thank you.” The man handed the crystal-clear water ladle back to Liu Yu. Hearing that the man’s voice was no longer as harsh and gravelly as before, Liu Yu felt relieved.
He felt around his back basket, found the flatbread Liu Wenyu had brought him in the morning, and gently placed it on the man’s lap. After a moment of thought, he pulled two fruit candies from his bag and stuffed them into the other’s hand.
“If you have the capability, go find some work to do. Wandering outside begging is no solution in this scorching weather, and people around here are not wealthy either, so you will not manage to beg much food. I must go meet up with my companions now. May we meet again if fate allows!” With that, Liu Yu waved at him and hurried back.
“May we meet again if fate allows.” Zhou Yu murmured in a low voice, but because his voice was barely audible, the boy had not heard it.
He rubbed the small hard fruit candy with his thumb and smiled self-deprecatingly. He was no street beggar. On the contrary, not long ago, he was still the high and mighty Second Young Master Zhou of the Zhou family in City J.
Half a month ago, he received news abroad that the old master was critically ill and was urged to return immediately. After confirming the news with a trusted confidant remaining in the domestic branch, he booked a boat ticket and returned overnight. When the ferry passed the port of City Z, several suspicious-looking individuals boarded, seemingly inquiring about someone at the front desk.
Zhou Yu had fought with the eldest branch’s family for so many years, and at a glance, he recognized they were searching for him. With the old master on the verge of death, nobody remained to keep them in check, causing their actions to grow increasingly frantic. They even dared to send assassins to kill in broad daylight.
For this trip back to China, Zhou Yu had even purchased his ticket himself, and he had notified no one of his itinerary, instructing only Xu Shaobo, the trusted aide left behind by the old master, to meet him at the port in advance according to an agreed time.
If Xu Shaobo had not betrayed him, then barring any miscalculation, the eldest branch had no idea which specific ferry he was on, forcing them to station assassins on every ferry passing through City Z over these past few days.
Ferries would not easily disclose passenger information, so assassins could only strike up conversations with passengers on board to search for people. This provided Zhou Yu a brief breathing window. Four days ago, when the ferry docked at Port W, he reached a working agreement with a galley steward, trading all the cash he had on hand. Two hours later, he was smuggled off the ship hidden inside a scrap iron drum that was not completely sealed.
Things had reached this point, and Zhou Yu no longer wished to revisit the hardships and humiliation. He only wanted to survive now. Only by returning alive would he have a chance at revenge.
Zhou Yu picked out a hard fruit candy, peeled it, popped it into his mouth, and savored the brief pleasure the melting candy brought him.