Chapter 103: Leaving Without a Word

“What’s going on with Brother Wei?” Li Xunshan asked, bewildered.

“Go to the bridal chamber.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll handle things here.”

Gu Ning’an and Wen Songmo urged him one after the other. After a moment of thought, Li Xunshan nodded and headed alone toward the bridal chamber in the backyard.

Now, only Gu Ning’an and Wen Songmo remained in the main hall.

The two exchanged glances for a while before Gu Ning’an smiled and asked, “Master Wen, are you heading back to the yamen or staying the night here?”

Wen Songmo sighed, “I’ll return to the yamen. There’s a mountain of work waiting for me. If it weren’t for Xunshan’s wedding, I wouldn’t have stepped away even for a moment.”

Gu Ning’an cupped his hands and smiled. “With you as the Magistrate, the people of Jiangling live well. Just don’t forget about the folks in the subordinate counties.”

“Please, just call me Old Wen or Songmo. Hearing you call me ‘Master Wen’ feels a bit awkward,” Wen Songmo replied, bowing slightly. Then, with a serious expression, he added, “I never had the chance to say this before, but today I must thank you properly.”

“Thank you for saving Yuanqiu, for helping me reclaim my position as Magistrate, and for allowing me to personally avenge my blood feud!”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an gently raised his hand to lift Wen Songmo from his bow and smiled. “We’re friends. Why keep saying thanks all the time?”

“Ah, friends or not, gratitude must be expressed,” Wen Songmo replied, then changed the subject. “But that day, if only we could’ve saved that miraculous golden mandarin fruit for Wei Hai’s son…”

At these words, Gu Ning’an chuckled. “If we’d done that, your Yuanqiu would’ve been gone.”

“This…” Wen Songmo hesitated before continuing, “I shouldn’t say this, but for Wei Hai’s sake, even if it risks displeasing you, I must speak.”

“If you have a way to cure Wei Hai’s son, I beg you to help…”

After a long pause, Gu Ning’an raised his hand to stop Wen Songmo, who had bowed again, and said calmly, “What makes you think I’m so petty that I’d dislike you for saying this?”

Wen Songmo straightened, momentarily speechless. “No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Enough. Don’t you have a pile of work waiting at the yamen?”

“Hurry back. Leave things here to me.”

With that, Gu Ning’an waved him off, signaling for him to leave.

Wen Songmo sighed twice but, in the end, said nothing more. He turned and left.

Inside a side room, reeking of alcohol, Wei Hai sat under the dim candlelight, stuffing letters into yellow envelopes.

There were three letters in total, each addressed:

[To Mr. Gu]

[To Li Xunshan]

[To Wen Songmo]

As soon as he had returned to his room, Wei Hai hurriedly wrote these letters.

Holding the three letters in hand, Wei Hai let out a long breath, blew out the candle, and carefully opened the door.

He walked straight to the door of Gu Ning’an’s room and slid all three letters through the gap before quickly heading toward the courtyard gate.

Whoosh!

Just a few steps away, the three letters were silently pulled through the door gap into the room.

Moments later, Wei Hai quietly opened the courtyard gate. After softly closing it behind him, he disappeared into the night.

The night was as dark as ink. In the silent Jiangling Prefecture, aside from the chirping of insects and the howling of the wind, there was no other sound.

In a shop along the street, faint candlelight spilled through the window cracks. The shop had no signboard and wasn’t used for business like the others nearby.

Its arrangement resembled more of a living space.

Two beds were separated by a wall, placed against it. Wooden basins, tables, chairs, and stools for daily use were neatly organized within the modestly sized shop.

With a soft click, a middle-aged woman unsealed a jar of wedding wine.

Carefully, she poured the clear liquor into a clay bowl on the table.

The translucent liquid rippled as the rich aroma of the wine filled the room.

“Weddings in wealthy families are really different. Even the wine served at the banquet is top-notch.” Holding the bowl, the woman cautiously carried it to the bedside.

On the bed lay a pale and thin young man, reclining weakly against the headboard. He sniffed the air and smiled. “Mom, this wedding wine is really something. If sold on the market, it’d probably fetch twenty taels of silver a jar!”

“You and your nose—can it even sniff out a price?” The woman sat by the bed and brought the bowl to his lips. “Drink slowly.”

The young man smiled faintly, took a small sip, swirled the wine in his mouth, and swallowed. “Not bad, it’s great wine, though still not as good as the wine Dad used to make.”

Hearing this, the woman’s hand trembled slightly, nearly spilling the wine onto the bed.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” The young man paused before continuing, “You’re still holding a grudge against Dad, aren’t you?”

Shaking her head with a forced smile, the woman pushed aside the familiar figure she had glimpsed earlier at the Ren family. “I’ve never really held a grudge against him. I bear some responsibility for how you ended up like this…”

The young man stretched his neck to take another big gulp of wine before saying, “This has nothing to do with you or Dad. It’s all my own fault. I didn’t know my limits and got carried away with my drinking during a wine tasting.”

“My current condition is my own doing… I’ve only brought trouble to you both…”

The woman choked up slightly and replied, “Silly child, you’re the treasure of your parents’ hearts. How can you call it a burden?”

The young man forced a smile. “Mom, Dad’s been gone for so long. He can’t take care of himself out there. Maybe you should try finding him.”

“If you still don’t want to see him, then just treat him like a servant taking care of me… You can’t be the only one shouldering all the burden while he enjoys himself out there.”

“If he wants to come back, he will. If he doesn’t, I won’t go looking for him. I can take care of you by myself.” Just as the woman finished speaking, a faint knock came from the door.

Setting down the wine bowl, the woman walked to the door and asked, “Who is it?”

“Madam Wei, there’s a bundle left at your door. You’d best bring it inside,” came the steady voice of the night watchman.

“A bundle?”

Madam Wei thought for a moment before replying, “Thank you, Old Geng. I’ll get it shortly.”

“Alright, don’t forget. I’ll be on my way then.”

Clang!

“The weather is dry, be careful of fire!”

Clang!

The night watchman glanced toward the corner where Wei Hai stood, sighing deeply. “So, you really plan to spend the rest of your life like this?”

Wei Hai didn’t respond, simply clasping his hands together with a smile. “Thank you for your help, Old Geng.”

Watching Wei Hai’s figure disappear into the night, the watchman let out another sigh before striking his bronze gong forcefully.

“The weather is dry, be careful of fire!”