Valle del Hombre Salvaje de Qingshan

Capítulo 80

Now, Tongxian County, though situated near Zilang Mountain and the Yangtze River, has historically suffered from poor transportation. The people there have always lived a difficult life. Clams, a type of shellfish abundant in the sandy beaches at the mouth of the Yangtze River, have been a favorite pastime of the people of Tongxian since ancient times, used in cooking or pickled into clam sauce.

Clams have an exceptionally delicious flavor, but due to the difficulty of transporting seafood, even though they were once a tribute item during the Tang Dynasty, nowadays, this delicacy can only be transported to nearby Suzhou in small quantities for sale, and the price is not ideal. It's a lot of work and effort, but only a small profit is made.

However, this year's situation is different. When the rapeseed flowers bloom, people of all ages and genders in Tongxian County go to collect clams with baskets in hand. While they are still fresh, they rush to the shore where clams are being bought at high prices. The owner of the row of small houses that produce various clam products is from out of town. The people of Tongxian County can't say where she moved here from. They only remember that one day last autumn, she suddenly appeared and bought a large house in the county. Soon after, she started buying clam sauce that families had made in the autumn to prepare for winter.

Although clam sauce is delicious, the people of Tongxian have been eating it since childhood and are long tired of it. The purchase price of two taels of silver for ten catties is an irresistible temptation. With the silver, they can buy ham and pork, which, although not as delicious as clams, are much harder to come by. So, despite not understanding why anyone would buy so much clam sauce, the people of Tongxian still generously brought out their own clam sauce.

"Buying ten catties for two taels of silver, then selling them in tiny bottles weighing less than three taels for five taels of silver, Boss Mo, you're quite the shrewd merchant." Inside a grand mansion in Tongxian, a young man in coarse clothes but with an air of refinement fiddled with an abacus at a table. This business of buying in large barrels and selling in small bottles, after deducting costs and transportation fees, had actually netted someone tens of thousands of taels of silver in just a few months. Truly…

"I never imagined that Mr. Xiuwen's hands, which he uses to calculate instead of play the zither, would still be so nimble and capable of multitasking." Mo Xibei, who had just returned from outside, snorted when he heard Xiuwen's words.

“Actually, I just don’t understand. You’re ignoring places like Jiangnan Fourth Floor and Beijing’s Chunfeng Ruyi Tower, where you make a fortune every day. I thought you were going to treat money like dirt from now on. But less than a month later, you’re back to scheming over these small sums of money. Women’s thoughts are really hard to fathom.” Xiu Wen sighed, his brows furrowed, looking quite distressed.

"Alright, Mr. Xiuwen, don't give me that crap. I'm a money-grubber to the core. If I can't enjoy the pleasure of making money, it's like life without delicious food—it's painful." Mo Xibei shrugged, not even looking at the ledger Xiuwen handed him, just waving his hand and saying, "As long as you see it's correct, that's fine. I wonder what delicious food your Miss Mei'er has prepared today."

This time, Xiu Wen was utterly speechless. Mo Xibei is Mo Xibei; his three sentences, from money to food, never change.

"Your favorite dishes will always be there." A gentle voice came from outside the door, and the fragrance of plum blossoms had already arrived before the person even appeared.

Mei'er was the illegitimate daughter of the Liu family, the richest family in the capital. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was famous throughout the capital for her beauty and skill from a young age. In addition, her father, Master Liu, was greedy for money and set an exorbitant dowry early on. As for Xiu Wen, he had been a wanderer since childhood and had nothing but a zither.

Two people from completely different backgrounds fell in love while enjoying a spring outing in the outskirts of Beijing.

Like all tales of talented men and beautiful women, the marriage proposal failed, and the woman was instead humiliated. Master Liu declared that if she could come up with a thousand taels of gold as a betrothal gift within three months, he would marry Mei'er to him.

Only one month into the three-month period, Xiu Wen encountered Mo Xibei, who gave him a thousand taels of gold without hesitation.

At that time, however, the Liu family had already received the betrothal gifts from the Minister of Rites' family. He thought their fate was sealed, but unexpectedly, someone found him, promising him that if he approached Mo Xibei, kept a close eye on everything about him, and then returned Mei'er to him. Definitely…heh, it's just not time yet. Bad guys…too much success and peace wouldn't make sense…

Volume 3, Chapter 3: Searching

His only wish in this life was to live in seclusion in the mountains with his zither and Mei'er. No one knew, but he had known all along that he was willing to do anything and betray anyone for Mei'er.

Staying by Mo Xibei's side was not as complicated as he had imagined; in fact, it was quite simple. Mo Xibei was a very simple person. He didn't talk about his background, so she didn't ask. She only liked listening to him play the piano, and as long as he controlled his mind while playing, everything would be fine.

Like all taverns and brothels, Chunfeng Ruyi Tower was bustling with customers every day. With so many patrons, all sorts of people came and went. On several occasions, Xiuwen even saw the second son of the Minister of Rites, a man who always wore a robe embroidered with large, flamboyant flowers, and wore heavy incense. He loved to come to Chunfeng Ruyi Tower late at night, where he would be surrounded by women, and then drool over the alluring dancers on stage – utterly vulgar. Perhaps only his appearance was somewhat presentable; his face was as white as powder, but with a hint of yellowish-green, and his eyes were dull and lifeless, clearly drained by wine and women. Xiuwen couldn't imagine what it would be like for a quiet and beautiful woman like Mei'er to marry such a man.

Every time he saw this second young master, he told himself again and again that he was not wrong. Mei'er could not fall into the hands of such a man. Mo Xibei had been kind to him, not only for recognizing his talent, but also for much more. He might not be able to repay him in this life, so he would repay him in the next. He would be willing to be a slave or a servant to repay him. In this life, right now, he could only do as that man said.

Time and again, whenever someone appeared near Mo Xibei, he would secretly pass on the news, and then, seeing the trust in Mo Xibei's eyes, he couldn't help but feel filled with guilt. This contradiction, growing stronger day by day, was driving him almost insane.

However, everything settled so abruptly that it caught him off guard.

Mo Xibei was actually a princess.

Mo Xibei actually knew about Mei'er's affairs.

Mo Xibei actually prepared money and even land for him, so that he could take Mei'er and elope far away.

It wasn't until he arrived in Tongxian that he heard Mei'er tell him the story. It turned out that months earlier, Mo Xibei had begun suppressing the Liu family's business, employing various tricks to force Master Liu to close several shops. Then, through some unknown means, he leaked news of Master Liu's business failures to the Minister of Rites' family. Although the Liu family was wealthy, they were merchants by origin, of low social standing. This marriage was already a step up for them; ultimately, the Minister of Rites' family had only valued the Liu family's money. Now that their only asset was gone, breaking off the engagement was understandable. Then one night, Mo Xibei scaled the wall and broke into Liu Mei'er's room, swiftly stealing her away and hiding her in the outskirts of the capital. Until things calmed down.

"We owe everything we have today to Boss Mo. Even death wouldn't be enough to repay him," Mei said to Xiuwen as she spoke of this.

Xiu Wen listened and then fell into a long silence. He didn't think for long before finding Mo Xibei, who was researching how to cook clams. But before he could even begin to speak, Mo Xibei waved his hand repeatedly and threw out only one sentence, "The first time I saw you, I felt that you had a lot on your mind. Don't blame me for being nosy. Of course, stories of talented men and beautiful women are widely circulated, and I just happened to hear them. If you feel that I'm inquiring about your affairs and violating your privacy, you can leave. If you feel that I've helped you a little and want to repay me, then help me manage my business. You know, I'm very lazy."

Don't ask how she felt at the time; she was both amused and exasperated. The saying "giving without expecting anything in return" was definitely something that only existed in plays. Fortunately, Mo Xibei stopped her from getting excited. Otherwise, if she had accidentally said something about repaying her kindness by sacrificing herself, Mo Xibei probably wouldn't have been so polite.

Therefore, Xiuwen abandoned her ever-present guqin and picked up an abacus to become an accountant, while Mei'er also shed her hair ornaments and became a housekeeper.

At work, or more precisely, when making money, Mo Xibei was always radiant. However, Xiu Wen knew that she was never truly happy. Although she smiled every day, the sadness that followed her quiet moments would inadvertently show through her.

He heard that a family of villagers in Tongxian County found Mo Xibei covered in blood at the foot of Zilang Mountain that day. She must have been seriously injured, because even after so long, with the slightest change in the weather, she still complained of back pain.

He also knew that the reason she secretly summoned him to Tongxian was partly because she was worried that he would have nowhere to stay if he eloped with Mei'er, and partly because Mo Xibei herself had no time to take care of the business, as she would go up and down the Yangtze River to search for something almost every few days. She never said what she was looking for, but he could guess roughly what it was.

She was looking for someone, most likely the stunningly handsome Young Master Mu.

But how did they get separated, and why did she always search along the river? He didn't know, she didn't say, and he didn't ask. "If you and Mei'er accidentally got separated, where would you look for her?" After the food was served, Mo Xibei, who had been complaining of being hungry, suddenly became more refined in her eating manners, barely touching any of the dishes. This prompted Mei'er to keep putting food on her plate, but she suddenly asked this question.

“If we get separated, I will walk all the way to where we got separated, calling her name loudly while keeping an eye on the crowd. If a lot of people are crowding together and heading in one direction, I will also walk over there, calling her name loudly, because she will always hear me.”

"But what if you can't find the place where you got separated, and all the people on the street disappear in an instant? What will you do then?" Mo Xibei gently poked the yolk of the steamed egg in the bowl and asked thoughtfully.

"Then I'll just stand here and wait for her to come to me." After thinking for a long time, Xiu Wen felt that this was probably the best thing he could do.

"But I don't know when he'll be able to return to where he started. How long will this wait last before we see any hope?" Mo Xibei didn't say anything more, just sighed softly, put down his chopsticks, and walked away.

"I don't really know what kind of person he is. I only know that he is stunningly beautiful." Xiu Wen patted his wife. He had seen Mu Feinan quite a few times, but he really couldn't describe how he felt.

"Is it only a man like this who is worthy of Boss Mo?" Mei asked, tilting her head to think for a moment.

This is a transitional chapter, similar to the previous chapter, to provide a smooth transition...

Volume 3, Chapter 4: Longing

Parting has always been painful, especially on a desolate autumn day.

Mo Xibei returned to his room, and these words almost uncontrollably floated into his mind. When he first read Liu Yong's poems, he loved the unwavering devotion of "I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets." However, he never expected that what would truly touch his heart now would be this most heartbreaking farewell in history.

She didn't know what kind of scars parting would leave on a person's heart. She only felt pain, great pain. As long as the surroundings were quiet, even the gentlest breathing would hurt as it passed through her chest. The pain was dull, lingering, and inextricably intertwined.

To this day, she still can't explain how she managed to emerge from the treasure cave, whose passage had been blocked by collapsed rocks.

Completely cut off from the outside world, she had long lost track of day and night. She frantically shouted Mu Feinan's name through the blocked passage, but only faint echoes reverberated in the empty cave. Eventually, her voice grew hoarse, and she couldn't help but laugh at her own foolishness. She wondered how many stones were piled outside; how could her shouts possibly carry? Perhaps Mu Feinan had already escaped. Yes, he must have escaped. Only by thinking this could she persevere in the dark, silent cave.

By this time, the bleeding from the wound on her back had stopped, but the stinging pain persisted, so Mo Xibei simply sat listlessly in the now-empty treasure cave. Huang Jin's corpse was not far away, but she didn't move it. Only when she was extremely bored at the end did she open the old wooden box that she had been holding in her arms.

The wooden box contained an old book without a cover. The pages were moldy and quite incomplete, with a musty, old green tinged with yellow.