Chapter 55: Testing the Waters, Tailing!

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The sun poured over the earth.

On the ox cart, the burly man pleaded softly for mercy while Li Feng tilted his head, lost in thought.

Although the woman wore coarse hemp clothing, it had no patches, and her skin was fair and delicate—nothing like that of a common farmhand. Then there was her accent.

Her pronunciation was unlike that of Li Family Village. How to put it? She enunciated every word clearly, as though she had come from some prosperous place.

How had a woman who appeared to come from a wealthy family ended up marrying Li D ameng?

“We’ve reached the town!”

As Li Feng pondered this, Li Dafa’s voice rang out.

Li Feng looked up. It was called a town, but in truth it was merely a market street. Tile-roofed houses stood on both sides of the road, built along the water. The place was not large; one could see from one end to the other.

Yet this little town supported a great many people.

There was a wharf, and Li Feng looked toward it. The wharf was crowded with working men.

Several men from Li Family Village had come as well.

The moment they climbed down from the ox cart, they headed straight for the wharf.

After taking a glance, Li Feng withdrew his gaze and looked over the cart again.

Most of those who had come to the town had gotten off—nearly seven or eight out of ten. Only Li Feng’s family and Li D ameng remained.

“All right, I need to hurry up. Sit tight. We have to reach the county town before noon!”

After collecting the fares and seeing off the passengers, Li Dafa finally breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to his seat and continued driving.

Li D ameng stared at Li Feng with curiosity.

He had actually returned this time for a particular matter.

And that matter had something to do with the man before him.

The village head had told him that the house at the edge of the village was now occupied by Li Feng’s family.

There was nothing he could do. He could only return to Huaiyang County first and look for the elder members of the Li family, to see whether they might be persuaded to give Li Feng a little more silver and have a vacant plot assigned to him in the village so that he could build a new house.

In truth, he could have approached the village head and the local registrar directly. But Li Feng’s circumstances were unusual, and he had only moved into the house a few days ago.

To force him to leave so abruptly would indeed be somewhat improper. That was why Li D ameng had intended to take a more roundabout approach.

He had not expected to encounter Li Feng on the road back to the county town.

Besides, Li Feng was somewhat different from the person in his memories. Li D ameng was five or six years younger than him, and in his recollection, Li Feng had been practically invisible in the village.

He did nothing but lower his head and work, like an old yellow ox.

Even when someone approached him, he would barely respond. He was the taciturn sort, and Li D ameng was not good at dealing with people like that.

Li D ameng had noticed Li Feng when he came out of Li Family Village, but he had not spoken to him.

What drew his attention afterward was the bundle in Li Dagou’s arms.

The family had been living in the house at the village’s edge, and now they had changed into clean clothes. Li Feng in particular caught his eye. Others might not recognize the fabric of his clothes, but Li D ameng knew it at a glance.

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They were made of linen.

In Huaiyang County, such clothing cost at least ten taels of silver. The colors were uneven and the stitches crude—clearly inferior goods.

But Li Feng’s clothes were evenly dyed, and the stitches were close and neat. They had obviously been made with great care. In Huaiyang County, they would cost at least seven mace of silver.

Hadn’t he only just separated from the family?

Where had he gotten the money to buy clothes?

Aside from Li Feng, even the hemp tunics worn by Li Dagou and Li Erniu were exceptionally fine. Li D ameng had dealt with cloth for many years; he could tell good from bad at a glance.

“Uncle D ameng, what are you looking at?”

Erniu had been watching the people on the cart. Everyone else had been making idle conversation, but this man was different.

He had seen that sort of gaze on his eldest uncle’s face before—

fierce, greedy, and carrying a hint of scrutiny.

This man was up to something.

“Hm?”

Li D ameng came back to himself and looked steadily at Li Dagou.

Had this little fellow seen through him?

But when he turned to Li Erniu, the boy’s clear gaze startled him.

In that instant, he put the suspicion from his mind. Someone who had stayed in a village could not possibly possess such keen powers of observation. He must have been overthinking things.

A coincidence.

It had to be a coincidence.

“I haven’t returned to Li Family Village in a long time. After coming back this time, I found that many people had changed so much that I couldn’t help taking a second look. Brother Li, you don’t mind, do you?”

“You’re the village registrar’s nephew?” Li Feng asked.

Li D ameng gave a slight nod. “Brother Li, you have an excellent memory. I’ve been traveling outside for seven or eight years, and most people can hardly recognize me anymore. Yet you recognized me at a glance.”

“After traveling for so many years, I grew tired. I decided to come back and take a look.”

“I had originally planned to inspect the area and build a house, but my uncle told me there was an empty residence in the village. Apparently, its feng shui was poor, so he wrote to me and asked me to come back and have a look.”

“I didn’t expect that, as soon as I returned, I would hear about your separation from the family…”

Li Feng fell silent.

That quickly?

Had he come for the house?

No, it had been vacant for decades. Why had someone suddenly remembered it now, neither earlier nor later?

Had someone concealed something back then?

Or was there some other reason?

“But it doesn’t matter. You’ve merely separated from the family.”

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“It’s a fresh start. We’re all grown men—surely we can’t let ourselves starve to death, can we?”

Li D ameng was exceedingly friendly, chattering away with Li Feng. “For the time being, I’ll be traveling back and forth between the county town and the village. If you need anything, Brother Li, come to the Mighty Escort Agency and ask for me. Just give them my name.”

Li Feng nodded in response.

He made no further comment.

Yet in Li D ameng’s eyes, his attitude suggested something entirely different.

A new house. New clothes.

Eight or nine times out of ten, it was connected to that matter.

This return had not been entirely fruitless.

At least he could give those above him an answer. As for Li Qingbao, Li D ameng decided to wait a little longer.

Li Feng had money.

First, he needed to find out where that money had come from. Then he would discuss the house.

When they reached the county town, Li Feng paid Li Dafa fifteen copper coins, then entered the city with Dagou and Erniu.

Within the same jurisdiction, one generally did not need a travel permit as long as one did not leave the prefectural territory. The city guards were familiar with the ox-cart drivers from all the villages.

After a brief questioning, the three of them were allowed through.

“Wow!”

It was Li Dagou’s first time in the county town. His eyes went wide at the flagstone road beneath his feet and the shops lining both sides of the street.

“Grrrrr…”

All kinds of enticing aromas kept drifting into his nose, and Li Dagou’s stomach rumbled helplessly.

Li Feng glanced at him and was just about to speak when Li D ameng came over.

“Brother Li, you’re unfamiliar with Huaiyang County. Why don’t you come to my Mighty Escort Agency first?”

“It’s not often that I run into someone from my own village. I’d like to have a proper talk with you and tell you what’s on my mind.”

“No need.”

Li Feng rejected him without hesitation. “We have matters to attend to in the county town, so we won’t trouble you.”

With that, he led Dagou and Erniu away.

Li D ameng watched Li Feng’s retreating figure. The smile vanished from his face at once, and he turned toward the city gate.

A beggar hurried over.

“My lord, do you have an order?”

Li D ameng indicated something with his mouth.

“Understood.” The beggar watched Li Feng’s back. “Rest assured, my lord. As long as that man remains in Huaiyang County, he won’t be able to hide.”

“As usual, I’ll come back here at dusk and report his movements for the entire day.”

Li D ameng nodded, took out ten copper coins, and tossed them to the beggar.

“Thank you for your generosity!”

The beggar accepted the coins with a broad grin and disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

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