Volume 1 Chapter 111: Brilliant Ancestral Heritage (Three)

  Chapter 111: Brilliant Ancestral Heritage (Three)

  "What's the use of calling it Hong Yu? Clearly, there isn't even a single red sprout, but wildflowers are all over the place." Qiu San Niang stood tall, looking far away without any surprise. "Let's go back. It's so barren like this, and the land can't be fertile no matter what. I don't have the extra energy to deal with a piece of abandoned land that has been neglected for nearly a hundred years now."

  "This young master, it's quite a big deal. The person I asked said that from the stone tablet to the edge of the Yajiang River, all the land belongs to Hongxu Valley. It's at least half as large as the fields in that small village up ahead. Having a river means relying on water. On the other side of the river are mountains, which means facing the mountain. Relying on water and facing the mountain, the feng shui is good."

  "The land must have output to be considered good Feng Shui. Look at the cracks in the ground beneath your feet, you can see the hard and sturdy stone. This is called a stone bed, the soil is thin and shallow, it's impossible to grow crops, what's the use of relying on the water surface mountain?"

  The cart driver trampled the ground under his feet, and saw that the top layer of soil was separated from the bottom, which was actually stone. The tone of the conversation shifted, "No wonder this big place doesn't even have a ghostly shadow."

  "He's gone." Qiu Sanniang was in a bad mood, hoping for an even greater disappointment and a worse outcome.

  "Since you've all come, why not let me take a look?" Mozi was someone who preferred to stay close to water. Whether the land was barren or fertile, to be honest, she couldn't tell the difference between grains of rice and wheat, and couldn't even hold a hoe to cultivate the land, so naturally she wasn't particularly concerned.

  "What else is there to see?" Qiu Sanniang lifted the door curtain, about to bend down and enter the carriage, when she heard Mozi say that he wanted to take a look, and turned her head to ask.

  "The land can't be planted, and it's uncertain whether fishing is possible. Isn't there a river? It's possible to take the road to prosperity through aquatic products."

  "To be able to catch fish, someone must have lived by the river long ago, but I haven't even seen a thatched roof." The place where Qiu San Niang was standing couldn't see the whole valley, because the valley was surrounded by high mountains and formed a shape. But her first impression of Hong Yu Valley was completely disappointing, so she didn't want to stay any longer.

  "Master, I'll just go down and take a look at the river water, and come back right away." Qiu San Niang was insistent, and Mo Zi wasn't about to give in either. "You rest your eyes in the carriage for a bit, I guarantee you won't even have time to fall asleep before I'm back on board."

  "Alright, I won't let you go. You might not give up. Go ahead and take a closer look. There's a treasure hidden by my ancestors, hurry up and bring it back to me, or else I'll end up selling this land at a low price." Jiǔ Sān Niáng couldn't argue anymore and had no choice but to agree.

  Mei Zi said yes and turned her head to look for the path leading into the valley.

  Xiao Yi wanted to follow, but because Qiu San Niang got into the carriage, she couldn't stay with her and the coachman alone, so she reluctantly walked back to the side of the horse-drawn carriage, narrowing her eyes, looking at the tree that had been struck by lightning on one hand, and measuring its climbability in her heart, while gazing at Mozi's retreating figure on the other. The tree, of course, didn't move a single thread, but the old green shirt quickly disappeared into the grass.

  Originally, there was a path of red sprouts, although it was almost obscured by the tall weeds and could have been easily missed. However, Meizhi's sharp eyes spotted it. The path was very narrow, only allowing one person to pass through at a time, with various obstacles appearing from time to time, such as a shallow ditch, a sudden patch of grass, or a strange rock stuck in the ground. But overall, it was better than forging a new path blindly. After walking for a while, Meizhi noticed that this winding path seemed natural but was actually man-made. Some cut-off reed leaves had very neat cutting marks, clearly caused by sharp tools. Moreover, as they ventured deeper into the wilderness, the path became increasingly clean.

  As Mozi walked out of the end of the small path, her line of sight suddenly opened up. She reached out to pick off the grass leaves on her head and patted the dust off her body, and as she had wished, she saw flowing water.

  But not a river, but a stream. A fairly wide stream. The upper reaches of the north hundred meters are narrow and can't pass through a boat, but at Hongyu Gou, it is wide and goes south.

  She walked to the riverbank and looked towards the direction of the river's flow. The river mouth was less than two miles away, and once out of the river mouth, it was a vast expanse of water. That must be the Ya River, where white sails and large boats could be seen, accompanied by towering high mountains as they sailed. Standing still for a while, she understood why there were no boats on this section of the river. Firstly, the north side was too narrow, and large ships entering from the sea could only reach Hongxue Gorge before having nowhere to go. Secondly, the river flowed into the south mouth of the sea, rushing and unrestrained, like thousands of horses and soldiers charging forward, with the sound of waves and wind following the ripples, the water flowing strongly and rapidly, making it difficult for ordinary medium and small fishing boats to navigate steadily, and if not careful, they might be swept away to the river mouth.

  Look carefully at this point, the small treasure hunt game is over, but she has to go back empty-handed. However, she still has several questions in her mind. Why did Hong Yu Valley become the ancestral business that made the Qiu family rich? What kind of business did Qiu San Niang's ancestors do to earn their first pot of gold in this place that seems unsuitable for farming or fishing? And why was this lucrative business abandoned by later generations?

  Thinking that she couldn't stay for long, her feet which were supposed to head back changed direction and moved forward. After circling around the weeds half a circle, she surprisingly found a small path, with the same width as before, and the grass had been cut off by some sharp tool. She hesitated for a moment, following the motto of treasure hunting "how can you get the tiger cubs if you don't enter the tiger's den", finally stepped into that road which led to who-knows-where.

  With a fully prepared mind, this road was unexpectedly short. Having only walked ten or so meters, the sky suddenly appeared before her eyes. However, although the road was short, the scene she saw still left her stunned.

  A stone house with a door and windows. In front of the house, a low wall was built with stones and dry grass, enclosing a chicken coop and a duck pen, with about ten chickens and one or two ducks. Not far away, there is a vegetable garden about an acre in size, green and red. Next to the vegetable garden, there is even a small pond, where more than twenty ducks are playing in the water, contrary to the initial impression of only one or two ducks.

  As if it were one's own fantasy, blinking eyes, this simple yet warm rural cottage scene still stands quietly in front.

  Mei Zi walked over and gently pushed open the wooden gate of Chai Mu's courtyard, calling out loudly, "Is anyone home?"

  According to her, there were only clucking hens and quacking ducks.

  Looking at this situation, the small house must be inhabited by someone, but it is unknown who. She leaned in and asked again, "Is anyone there?"

  Still no one answered.

  Mozi thought someone had left, and Jiutou said it would be good to come back in a while, so she couldn't delay any longer. As she turned around to leave, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a pair of braids emerging from behind the stone house.

  That was a chubby little girl, with small eyes that were very lively, hiding behind the house and staring at her brightly. She was probably still very young, about three or four years old.

  "Little girl?" Mozi said, feeling a bit like an ill-intentioned human trafficker himself, and hurriedly revealed a friendly smile, his tone becoming even more gentle, "Are your parents at home?"

  The little girl shook her head, and the braids hit her small face. She stretched out her small hand to grab them again, then ran sideways from behind the stone house, calling out in a milky voice, "Grandpa, grandpa."

  Mozhu looked in the direction and saw an old man with a sickle in one hand and a vegetable basket in the other, wearing a short shirt and black pants that were full of patches. His skin was dark, but he had a white beard. He first glanced at Mozhu, then smiled and put the knife into the basket, using one hand to pick up the little girl.

  "Nini is so well-behaved. Wait for Grandpa to wash his hands, and we'll have dinner, okay?" The old man's voice was loud and clear, full of energy.

  "Niang niang wants to eat green vegetables and doesn't want to eat eggs, this way Niang niang can grow as tall as Grandpa." Wa wa said seriously.

  "Besides, these eggs are not for us to eat, they need to be taken to the town to sell. When Grandpa has saved up enough money this month and has some extra copper coins, I'll buy you eggs to eat." The old man affectionately patted the child's forehead.

  There's egg at home, why still buy some to eat? Strange logic.

  Mei Zi spoke again, "Old man, may I ask if this is Hong Yu Valley?" Although it was clearly written on the stone tablet, since there were people living here, it's better to ask again.

  The old man put the basket in a corner of the low wall and let the doll sit on a low stool, then turned around, "This is Hong Yu Valley, but only I and my granddaughter live here. You've come to the wrong place, haven't you?"

  "Since it's Hong Yu Valley, I haven't mistaken the place." This old man must have thought this place was abandoned and ownerless, that's why he settled down. If Qiu San Niang knew about it, she would chase him away. After all, not being able to make money is one thing, but letting someone occupy the land is another matter. Mo Zi wanted to ask clearly about this.

  "What kind of person are you? What brings you to Hongyugou? Let me tell you, this land is not for sale." The old man's demeanor turned unfriendly upon hearing that they had come specifically looking for him.

  The local tyrant said that the land is not for sale? Mozi was taken aback, and blurted out, "I'm not here to buy land. Hongyugou is my master's home, and I came with my master today to take a look. What kind of person are you——"

  "You said Hong Yu Valley is your hometown?" The old man's face was suddenly filled with excitement, his hands were a bit at a loss as to where to put them, and finally he rubbed his palms together and stepped forward. "May I ask what is your honorable surname?"

  "His surname is Qiu, and he currently resides in Luocheng." Doesn't seem like a tyrant.

  "Right, right!" The old man nodded with a big mouth, "Hong Yu Valley is indeed the surname Qiu, and now there are only a few people who know. Did you just say that you came with the master?"

  "It's really like that." Mu Zi looked at the old man with a seemingly genuine excitement, and he had a few points of understanding in his heart.

  "My ancestors were once with the Master's family, but later the Master's family moved south and left him to guard Redbud Gorge. My name is Qiu Daidong, and I beg of you, young master, to grant me an audience with the current Master, so that I may see his face and report back to my ancestors in the underworld that the Master's family is still prosperous." The old man pleaded with Mozi.

  A servant who can bear the master's surname may be a helper that the master likes. A servant who can guard the master's ancestral property and has not left for generations, this loyalty and righteousness is simply a treasure of the ages.

  "Alright, old man, come with me then. The master is waiting by the stone tablet." Mozi would of course bring someone to meet Qiu San Niang, because just like himself, Qiu San Niang must also be curious about what had happened on this land of Hong Yu Valley.

  Qiu Da Dong didn't even have time to eat, and before leaving, he handed a large pancake to Niu Niu who was in his arms, then followed Mo Zi into the small path amidst the weeds.

  Lost to powder 210 by one vote.

  It's not that I'm cruel, it's just that the next chapter isn't ready yet and I need to sleep on time.

  If I arrive at 210 tomorrow, I will update twice.

  Dear friends, goodnight.

  Chapter 111: Brilliant Ancestral Business (Three)

  Chapter 111 Brilliant Ancestral Business (Three)