Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 43 The One Who Tied the Bell
Tan Huaike said, "I'd like to ask my uncle to arrange for me to meet the musician who eloped with Zari but failed."

The topic changed so quickly that Shen Tu Zhuo was unable to react for a moment: "Huh? To meet that musician? Why? What does this have to do with hiring Doctor Qiu?"

"I want to persuade Uncle Zhali to get his injured leg treated properly, and take the opportunity to get close to Doctor Qiu, but unfortunately Uncle Zhali is also a stubborn person." Tan Huaike said helplessly.

She mentioned this matter to Uncle Zhali more than once, but Uncle Zhali rejected her decisively every time.

His way of saying it is, "It's fine to be lame like this."

Tan Huaike wanted to persuade him again: "After all, your muscles and bones are injured. Doesn't it hurt when you walk like this?" She knew that Uncle Zhali would never accept charity, so she just said, "Don't worry about the medical expenses. I can advance them for you. If you come to be my chef, I will gradually deduct the money from your wages. If not, just send more good firewood to my side yard in the future."

However, Zari still refused and said, "Don't worry, madam. It's good to be lame and in pain. I didn't keep my promise and failed others. I deserve this retribution. I will consider it as atonement if I feel pain every step I take."

After explaining the whole story to Shen Tu Zhuo, Tan Huaike couldn't help but sigh, "After all, Uncle Zhali still can't let go of his sweetheart. I was thinking if I could meet her, maybe I could resolve this knot in my heart. I could ask her to find a way to persuade Uncle Zhali to treat his leg, so that I could have a chance to test the waters with Doctor Qiu, and I could also have Uncle Zhali become my chef. Killing three birds with one stone."

"So that's what you mean." Shen Tu Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief, but his mood was a little complicated. "I thought..."

"Why?"

"I thought you were going to stab me, or let me stab myself, causing a wound that wouldn't heal easily, and then you'd have me accompany you to see Doctor Qiu every day. That way, you could slowly wear him down until he'd get tired of it and agree to come to your pharmacy and see patients."

"How could I do that! Why would I hurt you for no reason?!"

"Aren't you a profiteer? Who knows what you're trying to gain from me?" Shen Tu Zhuo said jokingly. "By the way, if I were to truly sacrifice myself like this, wouldn't my sister-in-law feel sorry for me? Would she change the dressing for me herself?"

"I will." Tan Huaike stood up and packed up the fumigated clothes, sarcastically saying, "My uncle is really resourceful. If Uncle Zhali's plan doesn't work, this is also a good idea. But I don't know how I will explain it to Aunt Jun when the time comes. What if my widowed sister-in-law suddenly fell ill and accidentally injured my uncle?"

"Are you afraid of rumors? Afraid that you can't explain yourself clearly?" Shentu Zhuo asked relentlessly.

"I'm afraid of being punished by the government!" Tan Huaike was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "The innocent are innocent. I married a coffin in the Shentu Mansion. Aren't there enough rumors about me? But I barely escaped death. Why would I care about this?"

"The innocent are innocent..." Shen Tu Zhuo muttered to himself, "I don't think I'm that innocent."

Tan Huaike thought it was just a joke and continued, "So, can you arrange for me to meet that musician?"

Shen Tu Zhuo said, "Given my friendship with Chi Fanyu, I think it shouldn't be difficult. However, I still want to remind you that the musician seems disheartened and may not be willing to persuade Zhali. Moreover, Zhali has delivered firewood to the music bureau so many times and has sent so many messages through others, but she has never responded."

Tan Huaike didn't mind: "It's okay, we have to try it to know." She folded his coat and handed it to him. "By the way, why do you have so many clothes to fumigate recently?"

Shentu Zhuo said calmly, "I am a dandy after all, so what's wrong with buying more clothes?"

"I see some very formal robes among them. Do they look like they're meant to be worn on important occasions, or to meet someone important?" Tan Huaike instructed. "If so, the clothes must be hung flat, otherwise they'll get wrinkled."

"...Oh, I see." Shen Tu Zhuo agreed. He had to admit that his sister-in-law was incredibly clever. Even his mother hadn't noticed, yet she had already figured out something just by looking at a few pieces of clothing. Her ability to discern the big picture from the smallest details was truly admirable.

Well, it was because of her that he decided to do that.
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In the music hall atop the Yunhe Xiang Steps, Tan Huaike once again made it clear: "I can have a few words with that musician in private. I think Chi Le is busy with official duties, so there's no need to accompany us."

Chi Fanyu simply said, "Sister-in-law, you know I'm a musician. I deal with folk songs all day long, and I love to hear stories of love and sorrow. Such touching stories are the source of street songs. Please let me sit by and listen, even through the screen. I promise not to interrupt."

Tan Huaike smiled, but his attitude was firm: "No." He looked at Shen Tuzhuo on the other side and said, "Please ask my uncle to go out and accompany Chi Leguan to do some important work."

Shen Tu Zhuo pointed at himself and said, "I want to go out too? I worked so hard to arrange this. I'm your uncle."

"What do you mean by 'young uncle'?" Tan Huaike held his forehead. "If you two were here, which young lady would dare to speak her mind? After we finish talking, I'll pick out what I can say and tell you."

"Alright, alright, let's go out." Shen Tu Zhuo hooked his arm around Chi Fanyu's shoulder and walked out of the cubicle. Chi Fanyu kept saying, "You must tell me, tell me everything."

After a while, Pei'er came with the musician named Shanyi.

Shan Yi may not be stunningly beautiful, but she possesses a simple charm. Her features are filled with a hint of sadness, and her beauty is so tender and endearing that it evokes pity. Zari, for her sake, would rather give up everything and fight to fulfill her wish.

Tan Huaike gestured to Pei'er, "Go guard the door," and then raised his voice, "Don't let those bored people eavesdrop."

The two people who were eavesdropping outside through the window cracks: "..."

Pei'er stood up, and they had to leave in disappointment.

Tan Huaike poured Shan Yi a cup of tea and said gently, "Don't be nervous. I'm just a busybody. I wanted to invite Zari to be the chef at the restaurant I opened, but he refused, so I had no choice but to resort to this. I figured the person who tied the bell should be the one to untie it, so I came to talk to you and see if there's any way I can persuade him to get his leg healed."

Shan Yi nodded and reached out to take the teacup. Tan Huaike saw that her fingertips were covered with calluses from playing the piano.

Blowing away the curling smoke, Shan Yi took a sip of tea and said, "I know you, the eldest lady of the Shentu Mansion. You became a widow right after you married into the family, but you weren't confined to the rear house. Instead, you used your own means to open a shop."

She spoke calmly and soberly, which was completely different from the love-struck, lonely and desolate young lady that Tan Huaike imagined, and it was also in stark contrast to her seemingly weak appearance.

Tan Huaike said, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to agree to see me so easily. This was a helpless move, but it was also really abrupt. They said you were discouraged and didn't want to talk about this matter anymore."

Shan Yi smiled and said, "It is precisely because someone like you invited me that I agreed."

"How to say?"

"Because no one else would believe that all this was caused by my hypocrisy."
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　Next chapter: God doesn’t fulfill my wishes, and I am not a good person.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)