Love is More than a Word, Chapter 72: New enemy, Old Regret (9)...

Love is More than a Word《识汝不识丁》Shi Nu Bu Shi Ding
Love is More than a Word, Chapter 72: New enemy, Old Regret (9)...

March, the weather was getting warmer.

Tao Mo had finally taken off his heavy jacket. Whenever there was a storm, his clothes were always a few layers thicker, so much so that everywhere he went, he looked like a pile of cotton balls rolling around.

He spent 5 or 6 days in bed and was detained at the magistrate's office, before Lao Tao let him out on the streets.

Hao Guozi didn't wait for his instructions but smartly prepared the carriage.

Tao Mo went to the carriage but not to the Gu Residence but to the market.


Hao Guozi thought, when Young Master was sick, Gu-She came twice with medicine, so it wasn't a rare item but it wasn't a small sum of money. Young Master must have wanted to return the favor but he didn't know if the money Lao Tao gave him on his way out was enough.

At the place, Tao Mo lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.

After a while, Tao Mo came out of there, carrying a small paper bag in his hand.

Hao Guozi muttered, “Wouldn't it be too shabby to only give Young Master Gu this much?”

“Young Master Gu?" froze Tao Mo, “When did I say I'd give it to him?”

Now it was Hao Guozi's turn to be stunned, “Who else is there if not Young Master Gu?”

“Ever since Yiyu's last visit, Tao Mo has been holding on to something in his heart and he's been feeling suffocated, wanting to see it for himself, to make sure he's not worried.

Hao Guozi disagreed. But since Tao Mo has been sick for so long, he didn't want to spoil his fun by coming out, so he said, “Young Master Gu and Yiyu came to visit, so why is Young Master being so mean to them? Why don't we go to the Gu Residence and ask Young Master Gu to go with us?” As long as Gu-She is there, he believes that Yiyu can't pull off any scheme or trick even if he wanted to.

Tao Mo said, “Why bother? I'll go see Yiyu first, then I'll go to the Gu Residence later.”

Hao Guozi looked at the sky, “It can't be too late, or it'll look like we're in a hurry to get up there and eat.”

Tao Mo responded, remembering the two visits from Gu-She when she was sick, her words were gentle and occasionally she would tell funny little stories.

At Yiyu's door, Hao Guozi dismounted and knocked.

He doesn't like Yiyu, so he won't be gentle when he knocks on the door. It's almost like he's a debt collector.

The door's been rattling all day and there's no answer inside.

Hao Guozi frowned and said, “You're not at home?” His face was unhappy but his heart was so happy that he wished the people inside were never at home, so that the Young Master wouldn't have to worry.

Tao Mo stood behind him for a while and couldn't help but head over to the neighborhood.

Hao Guozi shouted after him, “Young Master, the man is not here!”

Tao Mo was looking for someone to ask and his excellency of the Pro House came out, “Who are you looking for?”

Tao Mo said, “Young Master in the next room, does this gentleman know where they've gone?”

The man sighed and said, “I am his excellency of this house. That Young Master was very ill and at last he did not survive but died a few days ago and the boy who was with him hastily took care of his funeral and after that he was nowhere to be found.”

Tao Mo's head feels like it's been stirred up by a stick.” How many, how many days?”

The man thought, “Ten days or so?”

Ten days or so?

Tao Mo was stunned how did Yiyu die right after meeting him?

Suddenly a young woman rushed out from inside, standing on the threshold and spitting on the ground, saying, “What bad luck! I thought I'd rented it to a Young Master but who knows he's short-lived. This is great, it will be difficult to rent it again!”

The owner of the house frowned, “He died of disease and not of his own free will.”

The young woman, blocked by him, snorted, glared at Tao Mo, turned around and walked away.

The owner of the house smiled awkwardly, “The little woman is uneducated and blabbering.”

Tao Mo looked at him in stunned silence and it took him a long time to get out the words, “Where is he buried?”

“I don't know about that. But since he's in such a hurry, I'm sure he's not looking for a good place to go. Probably the Thousand Ghosts Mountain.”

Tao Mo: “The Thousand Ghosts Mountain?"

“It's the Yunlin Mountain.” The owner pointed to the road before the gate, gesturing back and forth, “It's not far. Out of town, it's only five or six miles. You've got the carriage and it won't take you long to get there and back.”

Tao Mo was a bit dumb.

The owner of the house got impatient, “Is there anything else you want?”

Tao Mo: “Did he die in pain?”




The owner of the house, puzzled, threw up his sleeves and said, “How was I to know that? I'm not his filial son. I'm not the son of a filial father and you think I have to wait at the bedside.”

It was only when the door was slammed shut from the inside, that Tao Mo came to his senses.

Hao Guozi, who had been watching for half a day, couldn't help but come up, calling out, “Young Master."

Tao Mo's head is down and squeezing the bag.

It was wrapped flat but now it's squashed.

“Young Master?" called Hao Guozi worriedly again.

The Tao Mo group looked up and said, “Let's go to the Yunlin Mountain, shall we?”

Hao Guozi opened his mouth, nodded silently.

Even now, he doesn't want to forgive Yiyu, Master Tao is such a good man, if it wasn't for him, Master Tao wouldn't be dead. If he doesn't want to hate Tao Mo, he has to hate Yiyu. Even if he dies, Hao Guozi will feel no sympathy but rather relief. The dark clouds over Young Master's head have finally dissipated and the sun is now shining brightly.

It was just that he would never dare to reveal such a dark thought at this time.

Especially when the Young Master is sad.

Arriving at the Yunlin Mountain, it was already dark.

Seeing the mountains darker than the sky, Hao Guozi flinched, shouting to the carriage, “Young Master, it's too dark to see the road. Can we come back tomorrow?”

Tao Mo looked out the window, silent for a long time and said, “Okay.”

So, the horse the carriage made a loop at the foot of the Yunlin Mountain and then looped back.

According to Tao Mo's original schedule, he should have gone to the Gu Residence. But seeing Tao Mo like this, how can he still have the heart to eat and play chess with Gu-She and talk about affairs? Hao Guozi took it upon himself to take the carriage back to the magistrate's office.

Tao Mo got off the carriage but didn't say anything and floated into the house like a cloud.

Hao Guozi stopped his horse carriage and was about to go to console him, when Lao Tao caught him in an ambush outside the house.

“What's going on?” Lao Tao has no patience, so let's get to the point.

Hao Guozi sighed, “Yiyu died, I heard it was from an illness.”

Lao Tao was startled. He'd been so focused on the Prince of Lingyang and Huang Guangde, he hadn't sent anyone to keep an eye on Yiyu and then something happened.” Did he really die of illness?”

Hao Guozi said, “Well, I didn't see it myself. Probably? What else could it be...” With a twinkle of his eye, a more logical guess appeared to him, “Peng Xiang murdered him for money?”

Lao Tao gave him a sidelong glance and said, “How can you tell?”

Hao Guozi thought his guess was very plausible, so he said, “The owner of the house said he buried Yiyu in a hurry and then disappeared. Isn't that a guilty conscience?”

Lao Tao looked at him without saying a word.

Hao Guozi took a half step back, “What did I say wrong?”

“No, that's right.” Lao Tao suddenly smiled a smile that looked very strange to Hao Guozi, “It's absolutely right.”

...

Hao Guozi felt his back chill with cold.

Tao Mo had been depressed all night but he finally woke up in the morning and felt better. This was a relief to Lao Tao and Hao Guozi who had been worried about his depression.

Lao Tao took the opportunity to bring up something he'd been mulling over all night.” Doesn't the Young Master think that Yiyu died in a very strange way?”

Tao Mo: “What does this mean?”

Lao Tao said, “I see that day Yiyu came to visit Young Master, his behavior was very natural and he looked quite well, so why did he go so suddenly?”

Tao Mo recalled the day Yiyu came to visit, his cheeks were rosy but it was the effect of rouge, his face was hidden behind a thick layer of powder and I didn't know if it was good or bad. I don't know if it's good or bad but the way he spoke that day was very meaningful and when I looked at it, I could tell there was something of a farewell about it. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have taken it to heart afterward.

Only, it's all speculation on his part and the truth is, with the exception of the two parties involved, nobody knows.

Lao Tao said, “We are acquainted with Yiyu after all and the Young Master is the County Magistrate of this county, how can we let his injustice go unpunished?”

Tao Mo was touched by his words and doesn't realize that Lao Tao, who normally hates Yiyu as much as Hao Guozi does, is suddenly speaking out for Yiyu.

Besides, Yiyu took something from Huang Guangde and Huang Guangde could have killed Wan Feng. In that case, Yiyu would have died of murder just because.

“Good! I'll send someone to the mountains tomorrow to find Yiyu's body and have the coroner do an autopsy!” Tao Mo's voice is loud and clear.

Lao Tao's mouth was agape.

Finding Yiyu's body was not so easy.

The Yunlin Mountain may not be a big mountain but it's home to a lot of ghosts (unclaimed dead bodies) and finding one of them is not an easy task. Besides, Cui Jiong doesn't want to work hard and the constables are not interested in finding out what's going on.




They have been looking for three days for a dead body.

Tao Mo and Lao Tao knew that the longer the body was hidden, the fewer clues there would be. So, Lao Tao sent out the Demon Sect men and within an hour, the corpse was dumped in the courtyard of the Yamen.

The stench was rising.

Tao Mo quickly asked the coroner to take the body to be examined.

It came and went quickly but the stench was gone and nothing could be done about it.

Just as Gu-She came to the door, frowning slightly at the smell, he hooked his finger at Tao Mo, who was standing awkwardly to one side, “Come stay at my place.”

Lao Tao didn't want to go but then he thought, if he was close, he could still do something but if he was somewhere else, he would be out of sight, out of mind. After weighing the pros and cons, Lao Tao went with Hao Guozi.

Gu-She still has the yard she gave Tao Mo and everything is ready to go, so it's easy to move in.

Tao Mo was in a trance and feels like it's back to the old days.

But something's different.

...

Lao Tao is back.

Mu Chun is gone.

Yiyu is dead.

Knowing that the magistrate was anxious to know the results, the coroner didn't sleep a wink all night and examined Yiyu's body twice, up and down, before finally declaring, “He died of an illness.”

Tao Mo sighed when he found out, not sure if he was sad or relieved.

A man is dead and the past is just a cloud.

Tao Mo asked Lao Tao for some money to pay for his funeral. While he was alive, he never lived in peace and Tao Mo wanted him to have a peaceful place of his own when he died.

Lao Tao was quick to take care of the matter this time and in one day he had the coffin chosen and the tombstone carved and they chose an auspicious day and time for the burial.

It was still drizzling.

Tao Mo squatted in front of the tombstone and placed six large plates of dates.

Hao Guozi was behind him with an umbrella.

Tao Mo hasn't spoken. He didn't know the words on the tombstone but he knew the tombstone. Looking at the gray stone, his heart finally sank.

Yiyu is really not here.

Don't know how long it took but the umbrella shook and then it stopped.

The umbrella was much higher than before.

The wind blew, the rain tilts.

Tao Mo's face is soaked to the skin. Up close, it looks like a million tiny tears.

The umbrella suddenly lowered, closer.

Gu-She's muffled voice came from behind him: “People always die.”

Tao Mo goofed off, “Why do I always die ahead of them?”

Gu-She didn't answer immediately.

The wind blows, the rain continues. The wind and the rain, the colder the day. What little warmth there was in the last few days has been washed away by this storm.

“You will live a long life.”

Gu-She blurted out.

Tao Mo's mind, which had been drifting in all directions, was violently pulled back to his thoughts, his body shaking slightly.

A firm hand on his shoulder.

Tao Mo turned his head, eyes hinting at tears, “Xianzhi, another one has died.”

Gu-She said, “People die every day in this world.”

Tao Mo: “But I know them. One is my father and the other is...” What's Yiyu to him? Tao Mo can't explain.

A sweetheart? Definitely not.

A lover? Never.

Friends? They started off on the wrong track, whether it was Yiyu at first, or him later. The word” friend" to describe them, is a bit bland and intimate.

...

“An old acquaintance.” Gu-She took over for him.

Tao Mo looked at him gratefully.

That's right. An old acquaintance. Having spoken to each other, having listened to each other, having experienced things in common, having had a common enemy...

You can't find a more appropriate word than an acquaintance, can you?




Gu-She's hand on his shoulder was suddenly strong.

Tao Mo, who was already squatting with his legs numb, fell to the side as expected.

Tao Mo's entire body went rigid. He quickly realized he was in Gu-She's arms.

Does he struggle? Or to remain powerless? Tao Mo didn't have to spend much time struggling and chose the latter.

“I won't go to court.” Gu-She's voice came down from above him.

Tao Mo moved his head very carefully, “I know.”

“It was there that my uncle's future was decided.” Gu-She is calm.

Even so, Tao Mo still heard the sadness.

Maybe it wasn't him but his own. Tao Mo looked at Yiyu's tombstone, the tension in Gu-She's arms finally subsided but his ears were still burning hot.





~ Love is More than A Word ~



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