MLH | Chapter 29

On the way, Zhao ge’er secretly glanced at the person beside him a few times.

The warm light of the early sun fell on Fang Zichen’s tall outline, and the whole person seemed to be glowing, his face white and handsome, his brows sharp and spirited, truly a standout figure seldom seen within a hundred li.

Zhao ge’er suddenly asked, “Did you also often fight before?”

“How could that be,” Fang Zichen naturally could not tell the truth, and said with a half-true, half-false smile, “I only started fighting after I came here. I used to be very kind.”

Zhao ge’er did not quite believe it. “Really? You look very skilled and very厉害.”

“Before, nobody dared to provoke me,” Fang Zichen said a little nostalgically, “Outside, my dad and mom had money, my uncle was an important official. At school, my big brother was a top student, my second brother was the school tyrant, and even more nobody dared to mess with me. I could strut everywhere I went, I was awesome as hell.”

But a true hero never boasted of his past glory, he sighed lightly. “Not like now, where all sorts of blind fools come looking for trouble with me.”

They walked side by side, talking and laughing. Ma Wen came out from the crowd and stood still, looking in the direction they left.

Fang Zichen did not know what he had said, but Zhao ge’er seemed a little angry, and slapped him on the back. Fang Zichen was not angry either, bowing and smiling apologetically at Zhao ge’er again and again. Zhao ge’er turned his head aside, and there was all laughter in his brows and eyes.

Ma Dazhuang tugged at him. “See that? You keep thinking about him, but look at Zhao ge’er, does he think about you?”

“Dad, stop talking.” Ma Wen did not know what he was feeling. As soon as he heard Fang Zichen had come to settle accounts with Liu Laizi, he threw down the work in his hands and ran over, as if to verify something.

Ma Dazhuang felt quite resentful toward Zhao ge’er. “I just want to let you see Zhao ge’er’s character clearly. It’s only been one month! Look at how he acts toward Fang Zichen, does he still remember who you are? I think he doesn’t have the slightest bit of feeling for you at all,” Ma Wen’s face was ugly, but he seemed not to see it, and said to himself, “Just forget him! Dad and Mom will find you someone better.”

Ma Wen did not speak. Only when Zhao ge’er and Fang Zichen’s backs disappeared around the corner did he finally withdraw his gaze.

“Dad, let’s go back.”

After breakfast, Fang Zichen had nothing much to do.

Yesterday the goods at the dock had already been unloaded, and the ship manager would not take him to Zuixiao Tower for the ‘interview’ until noon tomorrow, so today was free.

He had heard that the official ship would arrive at noon today, and after thinking it over, Fang Zichen asked Zhao ge’er whether he wanted to go take a look together.

The ground by the fence had not yet been turned over, and Zhao ge’er shook his head. “You go, I won’t.”

Before noon had yet arrived, Fang Zichen had not even gotten near the dock when he vaguely heard waves of crying coming from that direction.

It was as if a funeral procession had just passed by, and there was still some white paper left along both sides of the street.

The dock was packed shoulder to shoulder, crowded beyond measure. Fang Zichen swept his eyes over it, and every face was solemn.

Some were crying, some were uneasy, and he even saw a few women wearing sackcloth and white cloth on their heads.

“My son is really coming back this time? He’s been gone for several years now.”

Discussion drifted into his ears, and Fang Zichen looked over. It was a few old men.

“Who knows. Hey, right, did Old Wang come?”

“He didn’t. I heard he can’t even get out of bed now.”

“Hey! Old Wang is pitiful too, only one son, and at such a young age he died at the border. How could he not be upset?”

“I heard the young man from the Jiang family is bringing his son’s ashes back this time, returning to his hometown and entering the earth, fallen leaves returning to their roots, that can count as some comfort.”

……

Three large ships came sailing from afar with their sails raised, slowly entering the harbor. On both sides of the ships stood ship-guard soldiers holding long spears and wearing swords.

The gangplanks were slowly lowered.

The crowd surged. Fang Zichen could not squeeze in, so he could only rely on his height to look from afar.

Someone came down from the ship.

It was a soldier leaning on a crutch, lame in one leg, followed by several injured soldiers supporting one another, the white bandages on their bodies covered in blood and filth.

One after another.

Some were carried down, some were carried on the backs of fellow townsmen.

Out of an entire ship, there were hardly any who were intact.

The crowd rushed up, and Fang Zichen heard some people holding each other and crying, some laughing, a chaotic uproar.

“My son, you’re finally back.”

“Big brother, your… your hand?”

“Why can’t I see my little tiger? Xiao Li, where is my little tiger? …Why didn’t he come back?”

“Mother, where is Father? Where is Father～”

“He said once he came back he’d come marry me. I waited three years, everyone else came back, why did he… not come back?”

“Brother Qian, look, that person only has one leg, hopping around, doesn’t he look like a broken-legged □□, so funny! Hahaha～”

Fang Zichen had been born in prosperous times, and this was the first time he had seen such a scene.

He did not know any of the people on that ship, yet his mood grew heavy as he watched.

People who grew up in peaceful times and lived under the sun could never understand the darkness and cruelty brought by war.

He saw a soldier take an old cloth bundle, still stained with blood, and pull out a piece of old cloth wrapped around something from inside.

He said something to the elderly woman in front of him, then slowly opened the old cloth.

That was… ashes.

The old woman took them with trembling hands. She did not howl in tears, only gently stroked the thing in her arms. After saying thank you to that soldier, she shuffled away.

This scene was somewhat shocking.

Death was too distant a thing for someone his age, and Fang Zichen had no concept of that word at all.

But at this moment, facing such a scene, it suddenly became real in his mind.

Compared with a soldier who died far from home, unable to return to his native soil, lying on the battlefield to be pecked at by vultures and gnawed by mosquitoes and ants, and in the end turning to white bones and ash scattered by the wind, he was fortunate. But for the people like them, hiding in the rear, untouched by the flames of war and living steadily, he was unfortunate.

Fang Zichen could not help but think, how old had that person been?

Had he been thirty? Or had he perhaps even been about the same age as himself? He had been so young, yet died early in a foreign land. What would his parents, wife, and children do afterward? At the last second before he died, had he also been reluctant to let go?

No one was willing to die.

Everyone wanted to live well.

But in this era, human lives were as cheap as grass, trampled underfoot like ants.

Their Fuan Town was only a thousand li or so from the border, but in this era, even to people from Xiahe Village who had never left Fuan Town, it was a distant, unreachable distance. Yet to Fang Zichen, who had come from the future, it felt as if it were right next door.

At such a close distance, no one remembered that group of people who had sacrificed themselves. No one thought that this kind of steady life now had been held up by their flesh and blood, by force.

In the eyes of the common people, the only things related to them, worthy of care and remembrance, were nothing more than the taxes had risen this year, or that there was another conscription.

They never thought of thanking anyone. The only ones they could feel gratitude toward were some certain grand general.

Those nameless little soldiers who died without leaving even a trace, aside from the relatives at home, who else remembered them?

In this poor era with an imperfect system, how would these injured soldiers who had returned live in the future? Would their families dislike them because they could not work? Would people point at them behind their backs? Would they also be unable to bear their own incomplete bodies and feel pain?

They might have been forced by helplessness, or perhaps they had gone of their own will. No matter the reason, they all deserved respect.

……

Though they knew death, they were still willing to go to death.

Fang Zichen exhaled hard and walked toward a few youths standing outside the crowd watching the commotion.

His bearing was upright, and his looks were extremely outstanding. The other three noticed him almost the moment he turned and walked over.

As Fang Zichen approached, a young man in green was the first to ask, “Who are you, what’s the…” matter?

Fang Zichen swung a punch.

Sun Shangcheng was hit in the face and fell to the ground. Before the other two could react, Fang Zichen straddled Sun Shangcheng’s stomach, grabbed his hair, and slammed his head into the ground, asking in a cold voice,

“Funny?”

His back of the head struck the ground hard. Sun Shangcheng was in so much pain that his head swam. He grabbed Fang Zichen’s hand. “Fuck, who are you? Are you fucking sick?”

“Sir, what are you doing, please stop.” Qian Haoyu reacted and reached out, wanting to pull Fang Zichen off Sun Shangcheng.

Fang Zichen was strong and immediately shook off his hand. The arm movement dragged along the frail body, and Qian Haoyu staggered too. Fang Zichen ignored Sun Shangcheng’s struggle and pressed his head down into the ground again. “Funny?”

He smashed it down once more. “Funny?”

Sun Shangcheng’s head ached so badly that his ears rang, and warm liquid flowed from the back of his head. “You fucking, I, I’m going to kill you.”

“Sir, stop quickly, if you keep hitting him, he’s going to die.” Li Jing said anxiously.

He and Qian Haoyu pulled, but could not pull him away. They pushed, but could not push him off.

Fang Zichen was like a mountain, impossible to shake.

No one was paying attention to this side. The other party was three weak scholars, and Fang Zichen was not the least bit afraid.

He ignored the attempts to stop him, looking at Sun Shangcheng with a half-smile. When he smiled, he was extremely handsome and sunny, but right now he was full of hostility, his gaze cold enough to chill people to the bone, truly making everyone present afraid.

“Still think it’s funny?” His voice was icy to the extreme. “Tell me, who is the one-legged □□?”

Li Jing and Qian Haoyu understood.

They had originally thought the other party’s sudden attack was because he had too much free time on his hands, or perhaps Sun Shangcheng had accidentally offended him before. It turned out that he had heard what Sun Shangcheng had just said and, unable to stand it, had come over to teach Sun Shangcheng a lesson.

Earlier, not knowing the situation, they had rather resented Fang Zichen for hitting people for no reason. Right now, both of them only felt that Fang Zichen hit well.

Hit brilliantly.

Hit Sun Shangcheng until he cried out wailing.

Qian Haoyu let go and no longer tried to stop Fang Zichen.

Li Jing frowned. “Sir, a lesson is enough, don’t beat him to death! The three of us came together. If something really happens to him, it’ll be hard for us to explain when we go back.”

Fang Zichen had only wanted to teach him a lesson, he really had not intended to beat anyone to death, so after a few more blows he stopped.

After that he strolled around town for a while, and only after returning home did he discover that his son had been beaten.