Chapter 38 Trouble Arises

“Auntie, I’m really fine…”
At Aunt Ninth’s house, Li Mu looked helplessly at Aunt Ninth, who was fussing over him, checking to see if he’d lost any limbs. He felt both moved and a little resigned. At the same time, he was secretly relieved—the ointment from Granduncle Third worked wonders. Now, there was no trace of bruising on his arms. Otherwise, everything would have been exposed.

After a thorough examination, Aunt Ninth finally confirmed that her Mu’er had returned in one piece. Only then did she glare at him and scold, “You child, you really don’t know how to behave. How old are you? Just leaving a note and running off like that? Don’t you know how worried your family would be?”

Sixth Aunt nodded in agreement. “Mu’er, this time you were wrong. Even if you had business outside, you should’ve sent word home now and then. Your aunt hasn’t eaten or slept well these past few days because of you.”

Li Mu felt a surge of warmth in his heart at their words. But what else could he do in this moment? All he could do was continuously apologize, promising that from now on, no matter what, he would always find a way to inform the family if he had to leave, so they wouldn’t worry.

Even though… in truth, his real family was long gone. But of course, he could never say that aloud—it would only break Aunt Ninth’s heart even more. He could truly feel that Aunt Ninth treated him no differently than her own son.

After much reassurance, and nearly swearing oaths, Li Mu finally managed to calm Aunt Ninth down. He quickly changed the subject, taking the basket off the back of the big blue ox. Inside were some bolts of cloth and various foods.

Li Mu smiled sheepishly, saying that a trip to town always called for bringing back some things. Aunt Ninth didn’t care much about these items—Uncle Ninth often brought things home, so she was used to it. But gifts from Li Mu were different, and they made her beam with joy.

Sixth Aunt, Aunt Shi, and the others who had accompanied him also each received a share—not cloth, but some of the food. Finally, Li Mu took out two jugs of wine and told Aunt Ninth that he was heading to Granduncle Third’s house. He hadn’t prepared anything special for him, just the wine, since he’d heard Granduncle Third was fond of it.

Aunt Ninth grinned broadly, nodding as Li Mu dashed out the door, finally able to breathe easy.

“Well, Mu’er is back now. You can set your heart at ease,” Sixth Aunt said to Aunt Ninth with a smile. Mu’er was still the same—thoughtful, well-mannered, and grateful.

Aunt Ninth let out a long sigh of relief, watching Li Mu’s retreating figure, but then she gave a bitter smile and sighed, “His house is almost finished now. Maybe… he’ll be moving back soon.”

Li Mu’s new house was coming along quickly—it would likely be done in a couple of days. Li Mu was attentive to detail, and so were the villagers. Since Li Mu had helped the whole village by trimming hooves for free, everyone had put in real effort building his house.

It might not be anything grand, but it was more than suitable to live in.

“What’s the fuss?” Sixth Aunt said heartily. “If he moves back, he moves back. You know what kind of person Mu’er is—no matter where he lives, you’ll always be his aunt. He wouldn’t dare forget you.”

Aunt Ninth paused, then shook her head with a wry smile and said no more.

…

When Li Mu arrived at Granduncle Third’s house with the two jugs of wine, the old man was leisurely fanning himself under a tree in the yard, enjoying the breeze. Seeing Li Mu arrive with wine, Granduncle Third was surprised at first, but then delighted, accepting the wine without a hint of formality.

He immediately declared he would prepare some snacks and have Li Mu drink a couple of cups with him. Li Mu agreed with a smile.

Granduncle Third lived quite comfortably. As the village’s sole doctor, anyone with an ailment came to him. He didn’t charge much, and with no one else in his family, most of his money was spent on good food.

He, too, had led a hard life. In his youth, he’d married and had two children. But one year, a terrible drought brought famine to the county. His family ran out of food. Back then, he was just an apprentice at the county clinic and finally managed to get some money and grain to bring home.

But he returned to a tragedy—starving wolves had come down from the mountains. His wife and children, too weak from hunger to run, had been killed by the wolves. His youngest daughter was only three months old at the time…

He had cradled the remains of his family, wailing in utter despair. The blow left him broken for years. He never remarried, and after returning from the county clinic, he became the village’s barefoot doctor. Like Li Mu, he now lived alone.

Seeing Granduncle Third in such good spirits, Li Mu happily joined him. He even helped prepare a few dishes, and the two drank together in the courtyard until the sun began to sink in the west.

“You’re a better drinker than I expected,” Granduncle Third said, his face flushed with wine, marveling at how Li Mu remained unaffected.

Li Mu thought to himself, what’s this? The wine of this era was all low-alcohol, fermented stuff—barely ten percent at best. In his previous life as a business professional, he could handle strong liquor—fifty or sixty proof—and drink a whole jin or two. Even though his soul had crossed over, this rice wine was hardly a challenge.

He replied modestly, chatting away with the old man until late afternoon before taking his leave.

As he was leaving, Granduncle Third was already tipsy. Li Mu helped him into the house and saw him settled in bed before departing.

Glancing at the westering sun, Li Mu exhaled softly. If Uncle Ninth was coming back to Lijia Village, it would be around this time.

Now, he thought, it was time to see what Uncle Ninth had to say.

With that in mind, he quickened his steps and headed back to Aunt Ninth’s house.

…

But as soon as he arrived, Li Mu saw a crowd gathered at the door, all talking at once. In the middle of the throng was Aunt Ninth, looking lost and helpless. Sixth Aunt, Aunt Shi, and the others were speaking to her in hushed tones, but she seemed dazed.

Li Mu was taken aback, then hurried over.

“Auntie…”

As he drew closer, he saw the traces of tears on Aunt Ninth’s face—she’d clearly been crying. Seeing Li Mu, Aunt Ninth clung to his hand as if grasping a lifeline.

“Mu’er…”

Li Mu, startled, felt her hand trembling violently.

“Auntie, what’s happened?” he asked instinctively.

Aunt Ninth finally spoke, her voice trembling with tears and panic.

“Mu’er, your Uncle Ninth… something’s happened to him.”

That one sentence made all the color drain from Li Mu’s face.

“What? Something happened to Uncle Ninth? What on earth happened?”