Chapter 21
Part 1
When Wen Heng arrived at North Lane, Old Zhang was already sitting on a chair by the doorway, puffing on his pipe. A cart stood on the road in front of the coffin shop. Though simple, it was a significant upgrade from yesterday’s battered, practically scrap cart—this one looked high-end, stylish, and classy.
“You’re here.” Old Zhang tapped his pipe twice on the chair before putting it back in his mouth. His eyes narrowed slightly, and beneath his bark-like skin, a pair of sharp eyes scanned Wen Heng.
“Good morning, sir,” Wen Heng greeted politely, bowing his hands. Old Zhang didn’t bother with formalities. He pointed his pipe at the cart. Here. This is your cart.” He pulled a black stone from his robe. “This is what I want you to deliver for me.”
As the old saying goes, a thousand-mile gift of goose feathers shows deep affection despite its light weight. Was Old Zhang preparing Wen Heng for a thousand-mile delivery of this stone, or was it just some roadside rock? Wen Heng’s expression remained calm as he took the stone from Old Zhang’s hand. The stone was only half the size of a palm. Wen Heng carefully placed it into the cloth begging sack.
“May I ask your relative’s full name and whereabouts in Jinling City?” Delivering something required an address. If Jinling was small, it wouldn’t matter, but if the city was vast, finding someone without an address would be difficult.
“Number eight Feilong Road. Deliver this stone to a man named Zhang Xiu Ning. Remember this: if you choose not to deliver it, that’s one thing. But if you do deliver it, it must be handed directly to Zhang Xiu Ning.” Old Zhang stared intently at Wen Heng. “No one else. Not a single soul.”
Wen Heng hesitated. “May I ask what Zhang Xiu Ning looks like? What if someone impersonates him?” He didn’t know Zhang Xiu Ning personally. What if someone else claimed the delivery? Though he doubted anyone would bother with this worthless stone.
Old Zhang paused at this question. He puffed on his pipe several times, then exhaled a long smoke ring. ” You’ll see when you get there.” All this mystery talk about “you’ll see when you get there”—Wen Heng figured he’d know jack all.
“Thanks for helping build the cart, old man. It’s been really handy.” Wen Heng tried to make polite small talk, but Old Zhang waved him off. He sat back in his wooden chair, leisurely puffing on his pipe, squinting his eyes as he basked in the warm autumn sun. Compared to Old Wen, Old Zhang clearly had it easier in his old age.
Old Zhang had tied a sturdy rope to the front of the cart, reinforced with a secure cloth strap around the middle. Wen Heng gave him a respectful bow before slowly pulling the cart forward.
The newly made cart worked wonderfully, requiring little effort to push. Its specially reinforced wheels rolled over the road with a distinctive squeak, and Wen Heng felt this cart would last a long time. It was wide, even wider than the straw mats they slept on. Wen Heng thought he could add a canopy to the cart, offering some protection against wind and rain.
Old Zhang opened his eyes, watching Wen Heng’s receding figure. He let out a long sigh: “Don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame your own bad luck.”
Wen Heng hadn’t heard Old Zhang’s words at all. He dragged the cart back to the temple entrance and called out several times, expecting Gouzi to happily dash out to see the new cart. But no one was there.
Wen Heng sat on a stone in front of the dilapidated temple to rest for a moment. Somehow, he felt Gouzi must have gone to see Old Wen. He glanced at the cart. Leaving it in front of the ruined temple probably wouldn’t attract thieves, but after a moment’s thought, he still carried out the straw mats they slept on and placed them on the cart to cover it.
Gouzi had indeed come to visit Old Wen. He carried a wooden shovel and taro roots, planting them in the soil before Old Wen’s grave. As he buried them, he spoke to Lian Wushang. Lian Wushang stood elegantly on the hillside, gazing at the drifting, scattering reed flowers. Leopard lay half-dead beside Gouzi, occasionally twitching his ears to show he was still alive.
“Old Wen loved taro so much. If he were still alive and saw all this taro, he’d be overjoyed.” Gouzi carefully placed the taro into the hole.
“After death, souls reincarnate. Unless bound by unresolved attachments, they linger not in this world,” Lian Wushang remarked in a detached tone. “The taro you plant—he likely won’t taste it.” Gouzi blinked. Why did Master Lian seem as much of a jinx as Ah Heng?
“We know he won’t get to eat them. This is just our way of showing respect. Truthfully, what we’re planting here is merely our own attachment.” Wen Heng swayed up the path, waving cheerfully at Lian Wushang. “Feeling any better?”
Lian Wushang offered a faint smile. “Much better. I’ve finished what I needed to do and returned.”
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
