Chapter 62: 61, One Cave of Ghosts

61、One Cave of Ghosts

“Get out! Get out! Get out!”

Zhou Sanji cursed out yet another “kind neighbor” who came asking about Zhou Chang’s whereabouts, then sat on a small stool at the back of the corridor, catching his breath.

Shi Danshi trudged out of the house, face gloomy, and bowed to Zhou Sanji: “Uncle, I’m off to work.”

Since he started working as a water watcher at Jade Maiden Pond, he’d grown sullen.

Every day he left for work with that same mournful, funeral-like expression.

Yang Rui had wanted to get him out of that water-watching job, but the Yongsheng Distillery kept sending people to pressure him, even hinting at threats.

Zhou Sanji lived in Qingyi Village and couldn’t afford to break ties with the powerful Yongsheng Distillery, so Shi Danshi was stuck with the job—caught between a rock and a hard place.

Fortunately, though Shi Danshi hated the work, it wasn’t life-threatening, so Zhou and Yang, as elders, could only tolerate it for now and bide their time.

“Did anyone from the distillery come today?” Zhou Sanji studied Shi Danshi’s expression, sighed, and turned to look toward the gate at the end of the corridor.

Shi Danshi also craned his neck toward the gate, saw no distillery enforcers coming, and shook his head: “Not yet… but I’m going anyway. Better go now than make you and my master unhappy when they show up.”

“Ah… alright.”

Zhou Sanji nodded helplessly, pushed himself up slowly using his knees, and glanced at the door of Yang Rui’s house: “What’s your master doing inside?”

“He’s… he’s looking in the mirror.” Shi Danshi replied, voice tense.

“Looking in the mirror?” Zhou Sanji frowned, his expression irritated. “Everyone’s gone mad!”

The old man strode over to Yang Rui’s door and pounded on it with his hand: “Brother! Brother! What are you doing in there?!

Come out—weren’t we supposed to go out today and search again for Ah Chang?”

“Ah, ah!” came Yang Rui’s artificially high-pitched voice from inside. Hearing that strange, foreign-sounding tone, both Zhou Sanji and Shi Danshi flinched.

Fortunately, Yang Rui’s voice returned to normal a moment later: “Coming, coming! Let’s go!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth.

With a creak, the door swung open from within.

Yang Rui stood at the threshold, expression calm, facing Zhou Sanji’s irritated face: “Let’s go, brother.”

“You…” Zhou Sanji tightened his brow, hesitated, then finally couldn’t hold back: “You’re not studying any more scriptures, are you?”

“You burned them all. What’s left to study?

Nothing. Don’t worry.” Yang Rui shook his head, answering calmly.

Zhou Sanji stared at his face for several seconds, then lowered his eyes: “Don’t look in mirrors inside the house anymore… You’re an old man. Why do you keep staring at yourself? And besides, it’s taboo to do so here…”

Zhou Sanji stared at his face for several seconds before lowering his eyes: “Don’t look in mirrors inside the house anymore… You’re an old man—why do you keep staring at yourself? Besides, it’s taboo to do so here…”

Yang Rui half-lidded his eyes, brushing off Zhou Sanji’s nagging.

Suddenly, he glanced toward the courtyard gate, and his face lit up with joy: “Ah Chang! Brother, your grandson’s back!”

He suddenly glanced toward the courtyard gate at the end of the corridor, and his face lit up with joy: “A Chang! Younger brother, your grandson’s back!”

“Where?”

Hearing Yang Rui’s words, Zhou Sanji and Shi Danshi assumed he was joking—but still couldn’t help turning toward the gate—

And when Zhou Sanji spun around and looked up, he truly saw, at the courtyard gate, the figure he’d dreamed of day and night!

The tall young man, pale-faced, carried a small bundle, lowered his head, slipped through the gate, crossed the corridor, and walked toward Zhou Sanji.

His face wore an expression of casual indifference: “Grandpa, I’m back.”

Behind him, Bai Xiue, like a newlywed bride, carried a small bundle and followed closely, leading an elderly man with tiny, quick steps.

Behind him, Bai Xiue walked like a newlywed bride, carrying a small bundle and leading an elderly man, stepping daintily in his wake.

Zhou Sanji emitted a few muffled sounds from his throat.

Suddenly, his face flushed red, he clenched his teeth, scanned the yard, and locked onto a broom nearby—he lunged toward it. But before he could reach it, Zhou Chang was already standing beside the broom.

His pale face still wore that same smile as he picked up the broom, held it with both hands, and offered it to Zhou Sanji: “Go ahead. Hit me a few times—it’ll help you vent.”

His pale face still wore a smile as he picked up the broom, held it with both hands, and offered it to Zhou Sanji: “Go ahead—hit me a couple times, it’ll help you feel better.”

Zhou Sanji’s lips trembled with rage. He cursed Zhou Chang fiercely, snatched the broom he offered—but ultimately didn’t strike him: “Do you even know?

Do you even know how dangerous it is out there?

You’re not fully recovered yet, and you just ran off—do you really not care if you die?

Do you really not care?!”

Unable to contain his fury, Zhou Sanji finally swung the broom and struck Zhou Chang several hard blows.

Zhou Chang stood still, didn’t dodge, and smiled as he took the blows, looking at the old man: “Want to hit me a few more times? Once you’re calmer, you’ll feel better.”

Zhou Chang stood his ground without dodging, smiling as he took the blows, then looked at the old man: “Want another few hits? Once you’ve calmed down, you’ll be fine.”

I’ll beat you to death, you damn brat!”

Behind them, Bai Xiue watched Zhou Chang, still smiling despite being beaten, and unconsciously smiled too.

At this moment, Young Master Zhou seemed far less eerie.

At this moment, the young man Zhou seemed far less sinister.

“Where did you go these past two days?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Since you wouldn’t tell me where Miss Bai lived, I went looking myself—and brought her back along the way.”

“You damn brat… broom! Shi Danshi, give me the broom!”

“You damn bastard… broom! Stone Ball, give me the broom!”

“Now that you’ve brought her back, what are you going to do?

This is her father? Oh my—why didn’t you bring the whole family?”

“Mainly because her mother didn’t want to come…”

“Mainly because her mother didn’t come along…”

After a long while, the chaos in the Zhou household finally settled.

Zhou Sanji had, in the end, arranged lodging for Bai’s father and Bai Xiue.

Though he kept a cold face and clearly resented it, his grandson had returned—so the old man was inwardly delighted. And because he was happy, he let go of his grudges—since the boy had brought them back, how could he now throw them out?

Besides, even if he did drive them away, Zhou Chang would just go fetch them again… what was the point of all that trouble?

“Our place…” Zhou Sanji looked at Zhou Chang, Yang Rui, and Bai Xiue in the courtyard, then suddenly laughed, “Now this courtyard is truly ‘one cave of ghosts’…

Lice don’t bite when there are too many; debts don’t worry you when they pile up.

Since it’s already like this, let it stay like this!”

He turned to Zhou Chang and tossed him a round iron plaque: “Take this!

Luckily you got back just in time—the Iron Threshold Assembly starts tomorrow. I paid your entrance fee. With this plaque, you can enter the compound and talk to all the travelers coming from north and south!”

After instructing Zhou Chang, Zhou Sanji turned to Bai Xiue: “That iron plaque… was bought with the silver dollar you gave me.

Girl, if you ever feel cheated, go ask him for your money back—don’t come bothering me, old man that I am…”

Bai Xiue quickly shook her head: “I won’t, Grandpa Zhou.”

Zhou Sanji nodded, about to say more—

When a whiff of wine drifted in from outside.

A few distillery workers arrived at the Zhou household gate.

Several tavern attendants arrived at the Zhou family’s courtyard gate.