When Feng Wu heard about this, she burst into laughter again. She was truly curious about what kind of woman her second uncle would end up with.
6 Hearts yearning for you, yet you insist on teasing me.
Long Er hid in a neighboring city for ten days.
Dealing with the current situation is like negotiating a business deal. You should strike while the iron is hot and delay when necessary. This applies to everyone and everything. Once the initial enthusiasm fades and the tenacity is gone, things will be easier to handle.
So Long Er was calculating, thinking that if those young ladies couldn't see him or pester him for a while, their tempers would cool and they wouldn't be so troublesome. If they weren't so persistent, Granny Yu wouldn't be so encouraged, and his life would be easier.
He sent someone to inquire and learned that everyone seemed to have been behaving themselves in the past few days, so Long Er packed his bags and headed back home.
As the carriage passed through the bamboo grove, Long Er pulled back the curtain of the carriage window and looked out, and was surprised to see a person sitting in the bamboo pavilion in the distance.
Long Er hurriedly told the coachman to slow down. The coachman, Niu Xia, obeyed and pulled on the reins. The carriage slowly passed in front of the bamboo pavilion. Long Er looked closely and saw that the person sitting in the pavilion was none other than Ju Mu'er.
Ju Mu'er was dressed in a light blue cloth robe, which seemed to be padded and quite thick, with a cotton collar around her neck, wrapped up tightly. It seemed that she was indeed frail; although it was late autumn and the weather had suddenly turned cold these past two days, she shouldn't be dressed like this.
Long Er scoffed inwardly. Even if she was a weak woman, he couldn't pity her. He didn't think there was anything wrong with arguing with a girl like this. You see, apart from the awkwardness between family members, he had never been so humiliated by any unrelated woman.
Ju Mu'er sat quietly alone in the bamboo pavilion. Hearing the sound of a carriage, she seemed pleased, tilting her head slightly to listen attentively before smiling. Her smile radiated a glow.
The carriage continued on its way, and Long Er watched Ju Mu'er. He saw her take a few deep breaths, a joyful expression spreading across her face, as if she had smelled something exquisite. Long Er subconsciously followed suit, taking a few deep breaths as well, but he only smelled the scent of earth and bamboo, and didn't find it particularly pleasant.
As the carriage drove further and further away, Zhu Ting and Ju Mu'er disappeared from sight.
Long Er lowered the curtain, turned around and sat down in the carriage. He felt that he should do something, but what should he do?
As the carriage sped along and approached the city gate, Long Er suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
The coachman Niu Xia and his accompanying horseman Li Ke were both startled.
Long Er jumped out of the car and said to them, "Wait for me here, I'll be back in a bit."
Just as Li Ke was about to speak, Long Er pointed at him and said, "You wait here too." Li Ke, having received the order, shut up and stood still.
Then, with a light tap of his toes, Long Er disappeared from Niu Xia and Li Ke's sight. Niu Xia then cautiously asked Li Ke, "Master Li, is Second Master going to relieve himself?"
Li Ke replied, "I don't know."
But he was incredibly curious; he desperately wanted to know what the Second Master had gone to do. He figured it wasn't just to relieve himself, but what was he really up to? As a serious and upright bodyguard, he also had a gossipy heart, but he dared not follow him.
Curiosity can be so harmful!
What did Ryuji go to do?
Long Er finally understood this problem on his way to the bamboo pavilion. He had to collect his debt! He couldn't let that woman get away with it; her relaxed and happy expression felt like a heavy punch to his heart.
He was suffocated by a bunch of annoying women, pressured to get married by his elders, and ended up unable to go home. Why? Because of her! It was all her fault!
He, Long Er, was a powerful figure who could command the winds and rains. A single cough from him could make countless business owners tremble with fear, and a mere glance from him could make even the most powerful figures in the capital try to decipher his meaning. Now, this was just a thin, blind woman who dared to trip him up and secretly sabotage him. He had lost face and fled in disgrace. If he didn't teach her a lesson, how could he sleep soundly tonight?
Ah, he finally understood why he couldn't sleep well.
Long Er quickly and quietly arrived at the bamboo pavilion.
With no one around, he stood outside the pavilion, quietly watching Ju Mu'er for a while. Ju Mu'er sat alone, seemingly quite happy.
Long Er narrowed his eyes, thinking about how to deal with her. He was a man of status, and he couldn't be like Ding Yanshan, hiring some thugs to harass a young woman. He had to do something harmless, but make her want to cry.
Long Er's gaze fell on the bamboo cane beside Ju Mu'er's hand. It was the same bamboo cane he had seen last time. She was sitting there, the cane lying to the side, not in her hand. Although the cane was very close to her hand, Long Er was confident he could take it away without her noticing.
He did it.
He stole the bamboo cane secretly, without making a sound.
Ju Mu'er remained oblivious, still sitting there blankly, inhaling the earthy and bamboo scents that Long Er disliked, and listening to the rustling of the bamboo in the wind. She could see nothing anymore; these small sounds and smells were proof that she still existed. She felt lucky that she could still hear and smell.
Long Er couldn't understand the joys of life for a blind man at all. He stood by and waited, waiting to see Ju Mu'er's expression when she discovered that her bamboo cane was missing, and to see how she would walk without it.
But Ju Mu'er remained motionless, which nearly made Long Er lose his patience. He really wanted to shout, "Miss, where's your bamboo cane?"
But he couldn't do that. He couldn't let Ju Mu'er know that he had stolen her bamboo cane. He wanted her to be completely clueless and filled with confusion and fear.
When passersby occasionally came by, Long Er would hide in the woods, concealing his tracks, and then come out to keep an eye on Ju Mu'er when no one was around.
After waiting for quite a while, Ju Mu'er finally had enough. She reached for her bamboo cane, intending to go home. But when she touched it, she found nothing. She turned her head, puzzled, and stretched her arm out a little further to continue feeling around, but found nothing. She searched everywhere within reach, but still found nothing.
Ju Mu'er's expression changed, and Long Er smiled.
Ju Mu'er stood up, somewhat panicked. She composed herself and carefully searched the entire pavilion, but there was nothing there. Her movements were slow and cautious; Long Er thought this was probably to prevent herself from falling or getting disoriented.
He was genuinely pleased to see the panic on her face. He shouldn't have invited her to dinner; seeing her anxious and hungry was far less comforting than seeing her fearful and helpless without her walking stick.
Ju Mu'er sat down again at this moment, and suddenly said, "Come out."
Long Er was taken aback and almost instinctively stepped forward, but then he realized that she couldn't possibly see him.
“I heard you.” Ju Mu’er’s face had regained its composure. “You took my bamboo staff but didn’t intend to hurt me. What is your intention? Why don’t we come out and talk? I’ve heard you. There’s no need for me to hide anymore.”
She spoke with such confidence that Long Er almost believed her. He was surprised for a moment, but then he suddenly remembered that this was how she had tricked Li Ke into showing himself. He had even analyzed that it was impossible for her to hear him, but now, in this encounter, he had almost fallen for her trick again.
He won't go out, he absolutely won't go out, let's see what she can do then.
Ju Mu'er sat for a while, but there was no movement. She sighed deeply and asked, "Is it fun to hide?"
Long Er found it quite fun, much more interesting than talking to those rich young ladies.
Moreover, he didn't believe Ju Mu'er could know someone was hiding nearby; he knew she was cunning, he'd experienced it firsthand. So he was certain she was just pretending, actually helpless, which made him even happier.
No one had ever managed to humiliate Master Long and escape unscathed; everyone knew he was ruthless and vengeful. Logically, he shouldn't be so persistent with a young woman, but no woman had ever provoked him like this before. Therefore, Master Long felt that Ju Mu'er annoyed him more than any other man who had schemed against him. So, seeing her humiliated filled him with genuine joy.
After Ju Mu'er finished speaking, she still didn't hear anything, so she stood up and said coldly, "Then you can have the bamboo cane to play with." Her face showed anger as she said this.
Long Er, watching from the side, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Oh, so he has a temper.
After Ju Mu'er finished speaking, she leaned on the railing of the bamboo pavilion and slowly walked out of the pavilion. Then, she took one step at a time and headed home. She didn't look back, nor did she stop to listen to the sounds around her. She just walked very seriously.
Long Er followed her for quite a while, watching her walk cautiously yet still stumble and nearly fall a few times, but she never actually fell, which made him somewhat regretful. Later, an elderly man came and called her, and when Long Er heard her call him "Father," he knew that this man was Ju Sheng.
Ju Mu'er told Ju Sheng that she had lost her bamboo walking stick and was therefore late returning home. Ju Sheng, in a loud voice, scolded her for being so careless and said he would make her a new one next time. The father and daughter then went home together.
Long Er followed them there, and seeing that Ju Mu'er was no longer in a sorry state, he ran back to the carriage. He finally felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face. This greatly surprised Niu Xia and Li Ke.
Back at the Long residence, Niu Xia pulled Li Ke aside and whispered, "Master Li, Second Master was gone for quite a while, but when he came back, his gloom had vanished, and his complexion was much better. Could it be that he has constipation?"
Li Ke was extremely embarrassed, so he didn't answer and turned away.
After taking a couple of steps, he turned back, patted Niu Xia on the shoulder, and said, "Da Niu, you have to suppress your curiosity. Look at me, learn from me."
Niu Xia scratched his head. Just by looking at his face, he couldn't tell that Master Li had suppressed his curiosity. What was the reason behind this?
Li Ke patted him on the shoulder again and said earnestly, "Curiosity can cause trouble."
Niu Xia scratched his head again, is that right?
As soon as Long Er returned to the manor, he heard from Granny Yu that during the few days he was away, several pharmacy owners had sent gifts, all of them highly nourishing medicinal herbs. Granny Yu inquired and learned that it was secretly entrusted by several young ladies from wealthy families. Those ladies were very thoughtful, seeing that Long Er was working day and night and had endless business, so they sent gifts to express their concern.
Long Er frowned, then turned and ordered Li Ke to go to the streets and inquire about what was being said about him, and to report back to him whatever was being told.
Li Ke knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he went out to inquire and reported back. It was said that the rumors circulating in the streets said that Master Long was greedy for money, stingy, vengeful, and had a bad temper. Also, the reason he rarely got close to women and was still unmarried was either because he actually preferred men, or because he must have a hidden illness.
Long Er's face contorted upon hearing this. So, those women didn't care whether he was attracted to men or not, and could only try to cure his hidden ailments by giving him some nourishment?
Utterly absurd! What an ignorant and brainless woman.
He'd never marry them! Bringing them home and having them constantly cramming him with supplements based on rumors would shorten his lifespan by several years.
But Long Er didn't expect that this matter was not over yet. A few days later, another pharmacy owner sent a gift, this time a good medicine to relieve intestinal discomfort.
As soon as the medicine was delivered, Long Er's face darkened. His expression really did resemble that of someone suffering from constipation.
It's one thing to have a hidden illness, but what's the point of cursing him to be unable to defecate?
Master Long is furious!
7. Constant fuss only causes trouble.
Those packets of medicine were beautifully packaged, yet they stung Long Er's eyes like needles. He was seething with anger, wanting to vent but unsure where to direct it.
For two days, Master Long, with a dark expression, felt depressed and uncomfortable all over.
On the other hand, in the few days since Long Er returned, not only have people brought him tonics, but also money. It seems that everyone has figured out the benefits of renovating East Street and is starting to curry favor with Master Long Er, hoping to get this lucrative job.
Long Er was extremely clear-headed when it came to these kinds of matters. He knew exactly which family had what interests to pursue, whose money he could accept, whose benefits he couldn't take, which family he should help, and which family he should show his power to. He had it all planned out.
As previously agreed, Long Er took into account the wishes of both families, divided the work of repairing the street and building the eaves, and ensured that both families received their share of the benefits and left satisfied.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, business was booming for all the shops on East Street. To avoid disrupting everyone's business, Long Er scheduled the street repairs for after the Lunar New Year and into the spring. He also asked the two shops to settle their accounts for the repairs before the New Year and to start preparing for the necessary materials, manpower, and other aspects. The two shops, of course, agreed earnestly.
After arranging the street repairs and eaves construction, Long Er thought of Ju Mu'er again.
He decided to steal another bamboo cane from her, because he believed that the terrible reputation he was being spread in the market was also thanks to her.
Long Er knew that such petty behavior was not respectable. Stealing a blind girl's bamboo cane was not honorable either, so he didn't intend to let anyone know.
Long Er rode out of the south gate of the city without any attendants or guards, heading straight for the bamboo forest. When he arrived at the bamboo pavilion, he saw a farmer couple resting there, but Ju Mu'er was not there.
Long Er patted his horse and continued onward, eventually arriving at the Jujia Wine Shop.
Home-style liquor store is located five miles south of the capital. You can find it by turning from the main road leading into the city onto the only side road, a tree-lined path.
The home-style liquor store wasn't big; it had four tables, two employees, and Old Man Ju—that was all the staff. The store mainly sold liquor, but also offered some snacks to go with it, roasted meat, steamed buns, noodles, and other staple foods.
Ju Jia's liquor shop is quite famous. Restaurants in several neighboring cities buy liquor from Ju Jia, so the shop mainly makes a living by supplying liquor to various restaurants. There are not many customers who come to dine in.
Behind the family-run liquor shop was their residence. The courtyard consisted of three rooms. The first room, connected to the liquor shop, was where the two shop assistants lived—one to watch the shop, and the other to store miscellaneous items. The second room was Old Master Ju's living quarters, which also served as a brewing warehouse. The third small courtyard was where Ju Mu'er lived.
Long Er already knew all this from the information Li Ke had gathered, so he rode his horse directly into the woods, found a secluded corner to tie the horse up, and then quietly sneaked into the backyard of the Jujia Wine Shop and jumped into the small courtyard where Ju Mu'er lived.
Ju Mu'er's courtyard was very quiet, surrounded by a tall, thick wooden fence. There were no other houses in front or behind, and only after passing through a tree-lined path could one find other neighbors.
Long Er looked around, then, like a thief, observed Ju Mu'er's room. There were three rooms in the small courtyard. One was a bedroom, simply furnished with a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, nothing else.
The other room is a study, with large bookshelves on three walls filled with books. There is a desk in front of the window with the Four Treasures of the Study on it. There are no extra fancy decorations in the whole room.
Seeing the room full of books, Long Er was stunned. He suddenly thought of how much this blind girl must have loved reading before she went blind. For no reason, he felt even more choked up.
There was another room with an open window. Long Er looked out and saw a zither table with a zither on it. On the wall next to it hung three more zithers, as well as a pipa and a zheng. On the other wall was a small bookcase filled with books. Both the music room and the study were spotless and impeccably clean.
Long Er looked around but didn't see Ju Mu'er, which disappointed him. He had come all this way specifically to bully her, have some fun, and vent his anger, but she wasn't there.
Long Er was about to leave in a huff when he suddenly noticed a thick rope nailed to the wall of the courtyard. Long Er didn't know what it was for, so he followed the rope around and walked to the back door, where he found another thick hemp rope tied there.
Long Er became curious and went over to take a look. He found that the thick rope was tied around the fence along the back gate and led all the way into the woods. The rope was pulled from tree to tree, and he didn't know what it was for.
Long Er followed the thick rope, and as he walked, he noticed something strange. The rope wasn't meant to be used to encircle the woods, but rather as a guide, a guide for the blind.
Long Er was certain of this because he followed the thick rope until he reached a small river in the forest, where he saw Ju Mu'er sitting on a wooden stake by the river.