Chapter 266
Chapter 266
After the laughter died down, Wang San’s Wife and the others filled the table with steaming dishes.
Hua Jiunan and his two companions were ravenous. As soon as an elder took the first bite, they began devouring the meal.
Deaf Granny watched the three children with a kindly expression. She gently patted the choking Zhao Fei on the back and said, “Elder Sister, Xiao Jiu’s mother needs Soul Nurturing. We must choose an auspicious day.”
Hemp-clad Grandmother took a satisfied pull from her pipe and blew the smoke into Chen Daji’s face. Since the boy smoked himself, he did not choke. Instead, he grinned, took the pipe, and secretly puffed it.
Hemp-clad Grandmother laughingly scolded him, then said, “Little Sister, I calculated it just now. The day after tomorrow bears profound yin but governs good fortune. It is suitable for rites.”
Deaf Granny nodded repeatedly. “Then the day after tomorrow it is. We can spend these two days preparing everything. Xiao Jiu’s mother has suffered all her life. Now that she finally has a chance for release, nothing can go wrong.”
“You’re right,” Hemp-clad Grandmother agreed. “We’ll all go and keep watch.”
She turned to Zhao Fei. “Child, when you attend the teacher’s lesson tomorrow, ask for leave for Xiao Jiu and Daji. I only worry that missing so many lessons will keep them from passing the scholar examination someday.”
Hua Jiunan set down his bowl and chopsticks. “Don’t worry, Grandmother. Even if I missed half a year of school, my grades wouldn’t change.”
Chen Daji looked up from wolfing down his food and grinned foolishly. “Mine wouldn’t change either!”
The sight made Chen Fu furious. “You little bastard, you’ve always been dead last. How could your grades possibly change? The only way you’d fall any lower is if a new student joined the class!”
Seeing that Chen Daji was in danger of a beating, Deaf Granny quickly intervened with a smile.
“Enough. Don’t be so hard on the child. Daji has improved a great deal. Didn’t he say he learned how to use a dictionary and recite multiplication formulas?”
The Guoyin journey had changed Deaf Granny deeply. After days and nights of longing, anxiety, and torment, grades no longer seemed so important. As long as the children were decent and safe, that was enough.
Zhao Fei burst out laughing. “Little Rooster, are you stupid? You’re in your first year of high school and just learned to use a dictionary and recite the multiplication table? Fat Lord already knew that in his third year of middle school!”
Zhao Aiguo shook his head helplessly and patted his “foolish son.”
“Fei, don’t interrupt while Grandma is speaking. Eat your food.”
The meal passed amid laughter, and everyone drank a fair amount, including Hua Jiunan, his companions, and Eighth Master Chang.
Before the drunken Chen Daji returned to his room, he insisted on challenging Zhao Fei and Eighth Master Chang to see who could urinate farthest.
Eighth Master flew into a rage.
“You truly are wicked, little bastard! You want to compete with a snake at pissing distance? Why not compete at crawling speed instead?”
The night passed quietly. Early the next morning, everyone split up to work.
Chen Fu went to purchase the necessary supplies. Eighth Master Chang carried Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji to the General’s Temple, where they would keep watch and clean the place.
Zhao Aiguo held a special position and could not participate directly. Deaf Granny therefore borrowed the authority of his office as the official who governed the region to gather the people’s collective wishes. She wrote a poem on yellow paper to guide the soul:
I halt the carriage and gaze on the boundless road,
Trapped like a captive of Chu.
Grief rises from within,
Sorrowful tears choke my throat.
My loving mother lies gravely ill,
And I would seek a famed physician.
The carriage rushes to take me there,
Yet Heaven shows no mercy!
How can a mother’s love ever be repaid?
What more could one ask of life?
The sky was unusually clear and cloudless. Warm sunlight fell over them.
Eighth Master Chang, who had hoped to run fast enough for Chen Daji to freeze to death, was bitterly disappointed. Next time, he would choose a bitterly cold day. If he failed to freeze this little bastard, the menace would harm him sooner or later.
The journey grew dull, and Hua Jiunan’s curiosity got the better of him.
“Daji, I drank too much yesterday and fell asleep as soon as I entered my room. Did you compete with Eighth Master after all? Who won?”
Eighth Master Chang grinned wickedly. Chen Daji looked disgusted, as if he had suffered a terrible humiliation.
“Boss, can we not talk about this? It’s too embarrassing…”
His reluctance only made Hua Jiunan more curious. Could a man truly fail to urinate farther than a snake?
Unable to escape, Chen Daji confessed dejectedly.
“The three of us competed last night. I thought I’d win for sure, but then… Eighth Master suddenly reared up. Damn, the taller you stand, the farther you piss! And the wind was strong. It blew everything back into Fatty Zhao’s face and mine. It stank! We used a whole bag of detergent and still couldn’t wash it off. Boss, smell me if you don’t believe it…”
As Chen Daji leaned close, Hua Jiunan dodged while suppressing his laughter.
“Stay away. I believe you. I really do.”