Mo Sang – CH 253

Chapter 253. The Letter Carrier

“Hey! There really is!” Hei Ma lunged forward, seemingly talking to Xiao Lu on Li Sangrou’s side, but his eyes were fixed on Li Sangrou.

“Of course! Look at this shopkeeper; he seems like a genuinely honest man!” Xiao Lu chimed in, already quite adept at this.

Seeing Li Sangrou’s eyelids droop slightly, Hei Ma immediately slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed. “Then we should go and get acquainted, right? Let’s go!”

“Thank you!” Hei Ma stood up, patted the shopkeeper’s shoulder twice, picked up the small dish of peanuts offered free of charge from the table, and strode over to the table of letter carriers the shopkeeper had pointed to.

“Greetings, gentlemen!” Hei Ma plopped down on one side of the empty eight-immortal table, all smiles and overly familiar. “The shopkeeper said you are all letter carriers?”

“Oh, what a coincidence! My uncle is a letter carrier from Xiuning County. Where are you all from?” Hei Ma said, placing the dish of peanuts in the center of the empty table.

“He’s from Xiuning,” a middle-aged letter carrier next to Hei Ma pointed across the table.

“What a coincidence! Which part of Xiuning are you from? Are you heading north or south? The shopkeeper said that Xiuning has had unpredictable weather this year, with a sudden cold snap. Is that true?” Hei Ma seemed to have more cunning than shrewdness.

“From Baiyue Mountain. This year has not been good; the spring tea harvest was poor.” The letter carrier from Xiuning County, a man in his forties with a weathered face, sighed as he spoke of the poor spring tea harvest.

“Where are you three heading? Over there, or over there? Or perhaps over there and over there?” Hei Ma raised a hand above his head, gesturing in a circle.

The first letter carrier glanced at Hei Ma but did not answer.

“We are all heading back, but it is uncertain; it is not decided yet,” the messenger from Xiuning County gave a vague reply.

“Oh!” Hei Ma slammed his hand on the table, letting out a long “oh” to indicate he understood. “So you are going to Xiuning? And him?” Hei Ma pointed to the messenger opposite him.

The messenger opposite him was in his thirties. Since Hei Ma sat down, he had not paid much attention to him, focusing only on eating his bowl of shredded pork noodles.

“He’s going to Qingxi County.”

The messenger opposite him continued eating in silence, so the messenger from Xiuning answered for him.

“Oh!” Hei Ma let out another long “oh.”

“Second Brother, the food’s here!” Xiao Lu called out loudly.

“Bring it over, bring it over! This is our eldest uncle’s fellow townsman, meeting an old friend in a foreign land!” Hei Ma waved his hand and called out.

Xiao Lu immediately obeyed and told the waiter to bring the dishes over.

The waiter, of course, did as he was told. First, he brought over braised mutton, then pulled up an octagonal table and pushed it together with the one for the three letter carriers, placing all the dishes Li Sangrou and the others had ordered on it.

“Come, come! Eat this! Do not just eat noodles; noodles must have vegetables. Come, come, eat quickly! Freshly served hot dishes should be eaten while they are hot!” Hei Ma enthusiastically brought over the braised mutton, then placed the braised pork belly and wild duck soup on top.

“No, no, no! You all eat! The three of us will finish quickly!” The letter carrier from Xiuning hurriedly stood up and declined.

“You and my uncle are from the same hometown, and we are all letter carriers, so we are family! Family does not need to be so formal!

Try it! The waiter said his chef’s skills are excellent. We will only know if it is good or not after we try it! Come on, come on! Do not be shy!”

Hei Ma was incredibly hospitable. He stood up and served each person a large piece of mutton and then ladled each person a bowl of wild duck soup piled high with duck meat.

“You are too kind,” the three men said, rising to thank him.

“How can we be so polite? We are all family! We cannot be so formal. Come on! Eat, eat, eat!

Shall we have some wine?” Hei Ma asked warmly and generously.

“No wine, please. It is our custom as a messenger; we cannot drink when we are traveling. Thank you so much.” The messenger from Xiuning picked up a piece of mutton and, before taking a bite, thanked him again.

“You see, I get so excited that I forget our rules. Of course, with a letter on my mind, I cannot drink.

My uncle always says that.

Sigh, to be honest, I am not cut out to be a letter carrier. I like to have a couple of drinks, but I cannot hold my liquor. And that’s not all; I do not know the way. Take my uncle’s house, for example. I’ve walked there countless times since I was a child, but even now, if I were to go there by myself, I’d definitely get lost once or twice! Tell me!

That’s why I did not become a letter carrier!” Hei Ma sighed.

“What’s so good about being a letter carrier? We were poor before; now we barely make ends meet.” The letter carrier next to Xiao Lu looked Hei Ma up and down, then at Xiao Lu.

These three siblings, a man and a woman, were clearly much wealthier than they were.

“I really wanted to be a letter carrier. My uncle always says that being a letter carrier is a virtuous profession; everyone says so, right?” Hei Ma asked the letter carrier from Xiuning.

“That’s true,” the messenger from Xiuning laughed. “I have a cousin who was a scoundrel in his youth, did some bad things, and even committed a murder. Later, he became a messenger, often delivering letters and goods for free. Even when he did charge, it was only for food and lodging.

Everyone said he would not die a good death, but he lived past sixty. One day, after delivering a letter, he returned home, slept in the middle of the night, and died peacefully without illness!”

“That’s it! Doing good deeds and accumulating merit!” Hei Ma slapped the table in agreement.

Hei Ma ate while talking to the messenger from Xiuning. The messenger opposite Hei Ma occasionally chimed in, while the messenger opposite Hei Ma remained silent, eating and drinking in silence.

Xiao Lu occasionally chimed in, while Li Sangrou shrugged and lowered her head, focusing only on eating.

The group ate and talked until the meal was finished, leaving only their table in the main hall.

“Farewell! When my brother and I reach Xiuning County, we will come find you again for drinks and a chat. Goodbye, farewell!”

Hei Ma, with an air of authority, bid farewell to the three messengers, then, leading Xiao Lu and Li Sangrou, strode out of the inn, humming a tune, and headed towards Tongling County. After leaving the town, they stopped to rest in a grove of trees.

“Boss, what do we do?” Hei Ma asked Li Sangrou.

Throughout the meal, the Boss had not said a word, implying that he should just chat and not get down to business. They’d eaten and chatted, but the important matter remained unresolved.

“Find a place to keep an eye on them,” Li Sangrou said, tiptoeing and glancing towards the town.

“Which one to watch? There are three of them, at least two directions, maybe even three. The one next to Xiao Lu looks like he’s heading towards Tongling.”

“So what if he’s heading towards Tongling? Look at him, that face of something you cannot say or mention, a bit strange, right? Should we watch that one?” Hei Ma looked at Li Sangrou.

“They stayed at the inn yesterday, and even now, after eating, they’ve gone back to their rooms to rest.

Yesterday was a bright sunny day, and today it is drizzling; it will not delay their journey. What are they doing huddled here?” Li Sangrou said slowly as she gazed at the inn.

“Yeah! What are they doing huddled here? What are they planning?” Hei Ma blinked, his face close to Xiao Lu’s as he asked.

“Boss is asking you! Not me!” Xiao Lu turned his head away from Hei Ma’s face, pushing Hei Ma’s shoulder and shoving him towards Li Sangrou.

“Boss, what are they planning?” Hei Ma turned to ask Li Sangrou.

“We will find out soon enough,” Li Sangrou smiled.

“I was just about to say that! Yeah, we will find out soon enough!” Hei Ma chimed in quickly. “So, how do we find out?”

“Xiao Lu, go back and have Old Meng bring everyone over here. Get them around here, drink well, and hide well. Nothing should happen tonight; get a good night’s sleep.

Pass on the message: follow the markers to find us,” Li Sangrou instructed Xiao Lu first.

Xiao Lu nodded and turned to run back. “We will keep an eye on them.” Li Sangrou gestured to Hei Ma.

……………………

This small town must have been bustling and prosperous in the past. On a slightly higher plot of land on the east side of town stood a fire watchtower, now abandoned, like the inns and shops further out.

The watchtower was designed for fire and earthquake resistance, built of stone. Its abandonment simply meant it was unguarded; the watchtower itself remained intact.

Li Sangrou and Hei Ma ascended the watchtower, taking turns watching the only street in town still with some activity and the inn-restaurant in the center of that street.

Around midday, six or seven more people who appeared to be messengers entered the inn.

The sun set, the rain stopped, and the evening glow was brilliant and dazzling.

Less than a quarter of an hour before complete darkness fell. Inside the inn, the three messengers who had dined with Li Sangrou and her companions—the messenger from Xiuning leading the way, followed by the other two—left the inn and headed out of town.

“Follow them.”

Li Sangrou gestured to Hei Ma and Xiao Lu, who had already returned.

The three of them spread out in a fan shape, following behind the three messengers.

The three messengers walked towards Tongling County for a while, and soon it was completely dark. The messenger from Xiuning, who was walking in the lead, walked at a leisurely pace for a while longer, then stopped, leaned against a tree, took off one shoe, and patted it, then took off the other shoe and patted it again.

After patting it for about fifteen minutes, making sure it was safe, the messenger from Xiuning put his shoes back on, turned around, and headed straight southwest from the northeast.

The two messengers behind him quickened their pace and caught up with the messenger from Xiuning. The three of them walked in a tight group, their steps extremely fast.

They walked for almost half an hour straight, and the sound of the rushing river could already be heard ahead.

The three letter carriers seemed to know the way well, their steps quickening as they turned left and right, navigating six or seven bends before plunging into an abandoned fishing pier. They crouched behind a large rock, and after a few moments, a tinderbox, ignited by blowing, was raised and lowered three times, then again a few moments later, three more times.

Not far away, a large patch of lush reeds near the shore swayed, and a small boat emerged, slowly approaching.

The three letter carriers approached the bank, made of several blue stone slabs. One pulled the boat, while the other two spoke quietly to the boatman, unloading three mailbags, each about half a person’s height, from the boat.

The small boat set off, heading back across the river. Each of the three letter carriers carried a mailbag, heads bowed, hurrying back to the town.

Li Sangrou watched the three mailbags and the three letter carriers carrying them from afar, a smile on her face.

These were their mailbags, Shunfeng’s; they were definitely soaked in tung oil, the waterproof kind.

Following them back to the inn in town, Li Sangrou climbed the watchtower again, looking down over the entire town.

“Boss, what’s that? That bag…it looks familiar,” Hei Ma murmured, sidling up to Li Sangrou.

“Yeah, our Shunfeng mailbag,” Li Sangrou replied softly, a hint of pleasure in her voice.

“I knew it!” Hei Ma exclaimed, slapping the air. “Are these our people?”

“Not really; let’s take another look.” Li Sangrou turned to Xiao Lu. “Tell everyone to be ready to set off at any time.”

Xiao Lu nodded, quickly descended the watchtower, and headed to the agreed-upon location to deliver the message.

As dawn broke, a dozen or so messengers emerged from the inn, striding briskly in three directions.

Li Sangrou watched the messengers from Xiuning and, together with Hei Ma, followed them at a respectful distance.

Behind Li Sangrou and Hei Ma, Da Chang, Meng Yanqing, and others, in a long procession, quietly followed.

The messengers from Xiuning carried large bundles on their backs and wielded bamboo poles taller than a person, reinforced with iron at both ends, moving with remarkable speed.

Around noon, the messenger from Xiuning arrived at a small town. Li Sangrou and Hei Ma whispered, “Call Xiao Lu up. We will go into the town, strike up a conversation with him, and go with him!”

“Alright!” Hei Ma blew a few bird calls, following closely behind the fast-running Li Sangrou, circling a large area before entering the town from one end.

The Xiuning letter carrier sat down at a small eatery and had just ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles when he heard Hei Ma exclaim, “Oh my! It is you! What a coincidence! We really do meet all the time in life!”

Hei Ma’s tone was filled with delight, and its expression even more so. He rushed into the eatery, plopped down opposite the Xiuning letter carrier, and excitedly slapped the table.

“Tell me, are we not destined to meet every day? Let me tell you, my uncle and I are especially destined to meet!”

“Indeed,” the letter carrier from Xiuning could not help but laugh.

This silly boy’s sudden burst of surprise was impossible not to laugh at.

Behind Hei Ma, Xiao Lu grinned from ear to ear, while Li Sangrou, eyes lowered, sat down between Hei Ma and the letter carrier from Xiuning on either side.

“What good food does this shop have? You ordered shredded pork noodles, so we will have noodles too, three bowls of shredded pork noodles. What else? Then tear up a braised chicken and slice a plate of pig’s head meat!” Hei Ma called out, ordering his food.

“Did you not say yesterday you were going to Tongling?” the letter carrier from Xiuning asked, smiling at Hei Ma after he had ordered.

“I was going to Tongling yesterday, but I had not gone far when I heard something and turned back this way.”

“Are you going back?” Hei Ma leaned forward slightly, craning his neck to look at the large bundle at the Xiuning’s letter carrier’s feet.

“Yes,” the letter carrier from Xiuning subconsciously pulled the bundle behind him.

“Then let’s travel together. I am really worried about this. You know I do not know the way. We are also going to Xiuning, so you can show us around,” Hei Ma said directly.

“Were you not going to Tongling to do business? Why are you going to Xiuning?” The Xiuning letter carrier asked in surprise.

“Not to do business, sigh!” Hei Ma sighed deeply, stood up, grabbed Xiao Lu, and switched seats with him. He leaned closer to the Xiuning letter carrier. “We are not strangers, so I will be frank. These days, business is all about heading north. What business could we possibly be doing in Tongling?

We, my cousin and I, are accompanying my sister to find someone. We first heard she was in Tongling, but yesterday, halfway there, we heard she was heading towards Xiuning. My uncle lives in Xiuning.”

“With all this chaos and war, finding someone is not easy.” The Xiuning letter carrier sighed deeply.

“Exactly! You know, things are not like they are on the other side of the river, where you can just send a letter home from anywhere with Shunfeng.

Sigh, it is not just finding people that’s difficult; you do not even know if they are alive or dead! That’s the most heart-wrenching part!

Imagine someone who’s sick or in some kind of predicament right now, with no one by their side, helpless and alone, their family unaware of their plight—can you imagine how agonizing that would be? Sigh!” Hei Ma slammed his hand on the table, sighing deeply.

“Sigh, that’s exactly it. Having some news, knowing they are safe, puts my mind at ease, especially in this chaotic world of war.” The messenger from Xiuning sighed along. “Alright, if you do not mind, you can come with me. But I travel fast; after one more town, I will have to take a longer route to deliver the message, so you…”

“It’s alright, it is alright! We are looking for someone; we are in a hurry, so it is best to get there quickly.

Taking a detour is not a problem; we can ask around, right? Think about it: first, they said they were in Tongling, then they said they went to Xiuning. Maybe they took this route, so we will have to keep searching along the way, will we not?

Perfect!

Thank you so much; all the letter carriers are good people! My uncle is one! Everyone within dozens or even hundreds of li gives him a thumbs up!

By the way, what’s your surname?” Hei Ma’s face beamed.

“My surname is Ye, Ye Chaotian. You can just call me Old Ye; that’s what everyone calls me,” Old Ye, the letter carrier from Xiuning, laughed.

“What a nice name! Grand! Come, come, let’s eat quickly. Uncle Ye, you eat first, Uncle Ye, do not be shy. Looking at you, it really feels like seeing my uncle!”

Two kinds of braised dishes were served, and Hei Ma enthusiastically offered them to Old Ye first.