Chapter 30: The Motive

Yesterday he had already realized that staying at Aunt Jiu's house would only increase the risk of exposure. He needed to leave Aunt Jiu's house temporarily. However, to leave, he had to come up with a reasonable excuse. Aunt Jiu treated him very well, almost like a son, and he couldn't simply disappear; otherwise, it would surely worry her and arouse Uncle Jiu's suspicions. Fortunately, he had thought of an excuse last night. Taking a deep breath, he managed to stand up, dragging his somewhat weak legs back to his room.

He struggled to pull out the small wooden box where he kept his earnings from under the bed. Inside was more than one hundred and thirty taels of silver. However, since most of it was in copper coins, the box was heavy, weighing over twenty pounds. Usually, he could drag it out easily, but his arms ached terribly, and just getting the box to the door required several breaks. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he gasped for breath.

In the end, he went to the yard and let out the big blue bull from the barn, guiding it to lie down at the door. He then placed a basket on the bull's back and carefully transferred the money from the box into the basket. On the bull's back were two bamboo baskets, connected by cloth, forming a load to carry. He had put his hoof-trimming tools and herbal medicine from Grandpa San inside. After covering the box with a layer of herbs and ensuring nothing would be noticeable, he returned to his room to pack Grandpa San's ointment.

After thinking for a moment, he went to the kitchen and took two dried fish from the stove. Confirming there was nothing else, he went back to the yard, took a deep breath, and climbed onto the still lying bull. He urged the blue bull to rise. Sitting on the bull felt a bit precarious, so he steadied himself and looked up at the sky. At this time, Aunt Jiu should either be washing clothes or gathering pig fodder, with the latter being more likely. However, she could return at any moment, and he needed to avoid her.

With that thought in mind, he took a deep breath, nudged the bull's belly, and the blue bull slowly carried him out the door. But after leaving, it stopped at the entrance of the neighbor's house, where Grandma San lived.

“Grandma San, Grandma San... are you home?” he called out, forcing himself to sound spirited.

Soon, a voice came from inside, “Who is it?”

“It's me.”

Grandma San opened the door, and upon seeing him, she paused for a moment before smiling, “Oh, it's you, Mu Ge'er.”

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he managed a strained smile. “Grandma San, I have a few dried fish at home, and I brought you two to try.” He handed her the dried fish he had taken from the kitchen.

Grandma San was initially taken aback but then broke into a wide grin, saying, “Oh, no need, no need, we have enough to eat at home...”

“Please take them. I was working at Aunt Jiu's house recently and I’ve troubled your family a bit. I don’t have anything else, just a little food, it’s nothing.”

Grandma San laughed and declined several times, but seeing that he was insistent, she eventually accepted them, her smile growing even brighter. In those times, village life was quite sparse, and for her, a couple of dried fish was still precious, even if it was nothing for him. “Good child, good child…” Grandma San praised repeatedly.

Seeing that Grandma San had accepted the gift, he finally spoke up, “Grandma San, I need to ask you for a favor.”

“Oh? What is it? If there's anything I can help with, just tell me!” Grandma San replied, a little surprised but still nodding.

“It’s not a big deal… I need to head out now, but Aunt Jiu isn’t home, so I need to trouble you to tell her when she gets back that I might not be returning for the next few days.”

“Ah? What do you need to go do?” Grandma San asked, surprised. It was quite rare for villagers to stay out overnight. Moreover, in her eyes, he was still a child. The thought of a child not returning home at night was even more unusual.

“I’m going out to trim hooves for a couple of days, and the folks from Zhangjia Village know about it and want me to come over. But you know, Grandma San, Zhangjia Village is too far from here; it takes a day or two to go back and forth, so I don’t want to go.”

“But it’s also troublesome to have them come to our village... So instead, the people from Zhangjia Village rented a small courtyard for me in the county town. They’ll find a way to bring the livestock over so I can trim their hooves there.”

“The county town is quite far from the village, and it’s a hassle to go back and forth every day, plus the livestock would suffer. Since they rented a place, I plan to stay there for the next few days.”

“I came back too late yesterday and didn’t have time to tell Aunt Jiu, but I need to go to the county town now. They are already waiting for me there; we made an appointment, and I can't keep them waiting. I think Aunt Jiu went to gather pig fodder, so please let her know when she returns to avoid worrying her.”

After hearing all this, Grandma San immediately understood and patted her chest with a smile, saying, “Is that all? Oh, that’s nothing, leave it to me.”

Then she added with a sigh of admiration, “Good, good! Mu Ge'er is really becoming more successful, with people from the county coming to ask for your help. You’re doing great!”

Li Mu smiled and exchanged a few more casual words with Grandma San. However, feeling a bit dizzy and fearing she would see through him, he took his leave, nudging the bull to move on.

Grandma San watched his figure from afar, then happily went back inside with the dried fish.

Riding on the bull, Li Mu walked to the edge of the village, feeling waves of dizziness in his head. Cold sweat poured down his body, and under the scorching sun, he even felt a chill in his bones. His arms throbbed painfully as if they might break. It was clear just how dire his situation was. But no matter what, he had to keep going.

When he arrived at the place where Aunt Jiu often washed clothes, he made sure she was not there before he sighed in relief and rode the bull out of the village. Along the way, he encountered some villagers, and he forced himself to smile and chat with them. His face was pale, and beads of cold sweat covered his forehead. However, it was the hottest time of the year, and everyone was sweating. Plus, his skin was already quite dark, so no one noticed anything unusual about him. After all, country boys were tanned from the sun and wind; there was hardly anyone pale.

He had smeared mud on his face yesterday just in case. He hadn’t spread his story about leaving for the county town too widely, since quite a few villagers went there every day. If someone were to ask, it would be troublesome. He really was going to the county town, and only there could he somewhat conceal his current condition. But he hadn’t had the chance to go before, and if someone asked where he was staying in the county town, how could he answer? So he decided not to say anything. He would explain when he got there.

Now that he had money, renting a small courtyard wouldn’t be a problem. “Whether Uncle Jiu is willing to teach me martial arts is still uncertain. This trip to the county town is also a good opportunity to inquire about the martial arts school,” Li Mu thought to himself. The original owner seldom went to the county town and had only been there a few times with his father. After all, the county town was quite far, and the original owner was young, so it was natural that he wouldn’t be allowed to go alone.

Most of what he knew about the martial arts schools came from hearing adults talk, and even then, it was vague. He was now preparing to learn martial arts, and it would be best if Uncle Jiu was willing to teach him. But if Uncle Jiu wasn’t willing, he needed to have an alternative. Thus, going to the county town was essential. After all, he had asked Uncle Jiu to teach him martial arts before, but Uncle Jiu had outright refused. So naturally, he needed a plan B.

With that thought, he steeled himself and lightly nudged the bull's belly, urging the blue bull to quicken its pace.