Chapter 005: A Body Full of Feathers

Outside the window, Lu Liangsheng looked for a moment, then turned and left, returning to the room. He felt a bit dizzy and did not think much of it, covering his head and falling into a deep sleep.

Feeling somewhat envious, he then shook his head and said, "I will still buy the old donkey; how much is this one?"

Save me ... ... is there anyone who can save me ... ... it itches so much ... ... it itches a lot ... ...

Old Lu Shishi hesitated for a moment, feeling the cloth pocket sewn into his inner garment. He looked at the livestock extending beyond the railing; the old donkey's fur was loose and dull, with several whip scars on its back and right rib, presenting a skeletal appearance as if it could collapse at any moment. Its murky eyes gazed at Lu Shishi, who was bargaining with the merchant, as it extended its tongue to lick his sleeve

Old Master Lu ultimately felt a pang of reluctance. Gritting his teeth, he took out his purse and counted the copper coins for a while before paying the merchant. He patted the donkey's head, led it out, and looked at Lu Liangsheng with a wry smile, saying, "Our family is completely empty now. When we go back, make sure not to tell your mother that we spent so much money on such an old donkey."

It has nothing to do with us; the government has not increased our taxes, which is already a blessing from heaven

After entering the village, the group split up. Old Lu led the old donkey, while Liang Sheng carried the writing brush and ink. Before they reached the gate of their own yard, they heard the sound of Li Jinhua arguing with someone.

Lu Liangsheng listened to these gentlemen talking nonsense all the way. He sat on the donkey cart, and from a distance, he saw the outline of the village, with sparse wisps of smoke rising.

Old Man Lu looked at the fence pointed out by the vendor, where there were strong, agile animals with robust bodies, clearly suitable for working in the fields and pulling carts

Old Man Lu raised the stick and pointed it at him: "Get lost!"

"If you don't get lost, I'll kill you!" Old Lu also rushed over.

When I left the city, I inquired about the one who performed for Master Chen. She is a famous huadan from the He Valley County, the leading actress of the Li family troupe. I heard she is only sixteen years old, and her voice can captivate a person's soul. It seems that this time she is performing a new play, specially prepared for Master Chen, called... what was it again? "Wenshou".

You dare to be arrogant, I will let the whole village hear it, you slander others, dare to hit me, then I will report to the authorities

But soon, the plucked feathers grew back again

With a sudden thud, the lazy man felt a sharp pain in his side, causing him to stumble and fall to the side.

Ah, not to mention the opera singers, today when I went to the city to buy fabric for my wife, I heard that the northwest is not peaceful, could it be that a war is about to break out

He pulled desperately, kneeling on the ground and continuously looking around at the villagers watching the scene, pleading for help, but no one paid him any attention

"The Southern Water Remnants" and "The Dream of Qinghuai" were placed on the bed, and Lu Liangsheng flipped through the pages one by one. The soft sound of the paper turning paused after a moment, and a somewhat blurred inscription was reflected in the depths of the young man's eyes.

As he was speaking, he felt someone rushing towards him. He turned his head to the side and saw Lu Liangsheng already lifting his foot, ready to kick.

Outside the window, a dark figure approached, bowed to the bright moon, murmuring incantations, and then placed a chicken feather by the window, gently blowing on it.

The only regret is that I did not get to see the opera troupe invited by Mr. Chen. Along the way, I heard my father and a few villagers discussing how beautiful the opera was and how lovely the female performers were.

Lu Erlai is probably not back; there is no one in the house. Lu Liangsheng walked in, and there was not much inside: a stove, a wooden bed, and a wooden table missing a leg.

At this point, she couldn't help but laugh first, and Li Jinhua, who was busy in the kitchen, came out and said: "What are you laughing about? Hurry up and speak."

On the wooden bed next to the window, a lazy man was sound asleep, rubbing his legs slightly. A feather fell silently onto his face, perhaps causing a bit of itchiness. He scratched a few times, murmuring in his dreams as he turned over, sleeping soundly.

Even though Old Man Lu was usually slow to anger, his face now displayed a look of fury. Over at the entrance of the courtyard, Lu Erlai noticed someone approaching from behind and quickly stepped aside. Old Man Lu walked straight in, snatching a stick from his wife's hand, which caused Lu Erlai to flinch in fear.

Old Man Lu! What do you want to do?! I haven't stolen your chickens. It was your wife who, seeing you leave, felt lonely and went outside to find a man. We are still cousins, and I am helping you keep watch...

It really works

As he surveyed the surroundings and approached the stove, Liang Sheng suddenly expressed a puzzled "hmm," crouched down, and picked up a few feathers and two bones from the ashes at the mouth of the stove

He ... ... He ... ...

The following day

Stealing the chickens from our home, and you still want to steal the last one. Do you believe that I will beat you to death with a stick right now!

As they thought about it, the father and son returned to the market area, only to find that the market had already dispersed. The ground was in disarray, and with the rain that had fallen the day before, the roads were muddy and difficult to traverse. Most of the villagers had finished selling their goods and had procured the necessary firewood, rice, oil, and salt for their homes. They gathered together, waiting for the return of the father and son, so they could set off back to the village.

Lu Liangsheng wiped his face, feeling much more awake. "What the master taught is indeed quite good... What should I reply to him?"

The matter has temporarily been set aside, but a chicken has been lost for no reason, causing Li Jinhua to sit under the eaves, choking back tears. Old Lu Shishi came over and sat down beside her, gently patting her back to soothe her: "If it's gone, it's gone. We can buy another one next time. Look, our donkey has come back..."

Feathers tremble and float upwards, gliding through the window on a gentle breeze

In the room

Holding a few chicken feathers, he got up and left. Not far from there, he saw Lu Erlai humming a tune as he swayed back along the path in the fields. He whistled at a few women washing clothes by the river, provoking someone to curse at him.

Li Jinhua cursed softly, wiped the water stains off her hands, and hurriedly followed her daughter outside; she had to see what that guy looked like in his misfortune

Standing at the gate of the fenced yard, the person arguing with Li Jinhua was known to both father and son. Lu Erlai, whose full name is no longer remembered, shares the same surname and village, making them somewhat related. However, he is notorious in the village as a layabout, accustomed to idleness. He often loiters outside other people's homes, occasionally teasing women. A few years ago, he had a wife, but she could no longer tolerate him and ran off with someone else. Since then, he has become even more lazy, sometimes behaving inappropriately when encountering women alone, for which he has been beaten up numerous times.

The "Nanshui Shiyi" contains many peculiar and punitive techniques, among which are methods that can be deadly. Although the two scoundrels are detestable, they are not to the extent of killing someone... Let's go with this.

Outside the city, Lu Liangsheng followed his father as they navigated through the livestock market. Lu Laoshi turned to his son and approached to feel the mouth of a donkey poking through the fence, checking its teeth. This was the mule and horse market on the outskirts of Fushui County, where most of the trade involved inferior horses and donkeys, while cattle were rarely seen. The government had explicit regulations prohibiting the private sale of draft oxen.

Then Er Lai, frightened, got up from the ground, his face covered in dust, pointed at the father and son at the entrance of the courtyard, uttered a couple of harsh words, and ran away in a panic.

Your mother said to buy an old donkey... let's make do with it

Hmm?

Lu Liangsheng had just woken up, feeling as if he had caught a cold, his body weak and his head somewhat heavy. As he got up to wash up, he suddenly stirred up a commotion.

In Huai River, several sparrows were roasted. The next day, the entire body was covered in hair and it was extremely itchy, and when pulled, it grew back. After several days, it finally subsided. This is called the "hair-pulling technique," performed at the hour of Hai while facing the moon, towards the south

Ah ah ah ah

The young boy nodded slightly, glancing at the old donkey following behind his father, and furrowed his delicate brows: "In Qinghuai's dream, it seems there was a piece, still about spring techniques. I wonder if it would be of any use to the livestock. I will look it up when we return."

I was just standing at your doorstep for a while, how can you accuse me of stealing? If you dare to hit me, I will dare to lie down, you lazy people!

Well, I understand

Beside her, Li Jinhua was equally fierce; she picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. The two rascals dodged and stepped back: "Haha... with such abilities, you must have eaten your own chickens and are now blaming me, hoping to get one for free..."

Then... then it is decided

Three hundred and forty wen

In the window frame covered with cobwebs, the snoring of Lu Erlai can be heard clearly

Father, you bought me ink and brushes, but what about our donkey?

Having made up his mind, he noted down the aforementioned method. After dinner, once his parents and younger sister had gone to bed, Lu Liangsheng looked at the moon and then took the chicken feather to push the door open and stepped outside

Over there, a vendor who had just finished haggling with someone turned around and smiled at Old Lu Shi: "This old brother, the donkey you are touching is a bit old; it can still grind grain, but it can't pull a cart for more than twenty miles. Why not take a look at these over here? They are all two years old."

Still claiming not to have stolen

As the sun sets in the west, the clouds are ablaze with a fiery red, and the foothills are draped in a layer of rosy attire

In the midst of the gathered crowd, Lu Erlai rolled on the ground in terror, letting out heart-wrenching screams. Light yellow chicken feathers sprouted from his skin, covering his entire body. He scratched and tugged at them in unbearable itchiness, forcibly pulling out several tufts, tearing the skin in the process, leaving a trail of blood.

Lu Liangsheng looked at his parents for a moment, greeted his sister, and asked her to go over and help comfort them. He then turned and left the house. The home of Lu Erlai was located in the northern part of the village, consisting of two thatched cottages. The mud-plastered walls had several holes, allowing a view inside. The door was also loose, leaning askew to one side.

Hmph. Lu Liangsheng glanced over, then lowered his head to look at the chicken feather in his hand. He made his way home, where his mother had already calmed down, her eyes still slightly red. She and Lu Laoshi were clearing the area to stack firewood to build a shed, while Xiao Qian was assisting nearby, her little face covered in sweat. When she looked up and saw her brother heading straight to his room, she tilted her head in confusion.

In the past two days, Lu Liangsheng has experienced a significant and refreshing difference in the outside world. For a young man who has never been exposed to the outside, the impact is considerable. At the same time, what this brings to the youth is a certain level of experience gained from having seen a bit of the world.

Three hundred and forty wen, you take it away, I cannot give it, I will slaughter it tonight to sell the meat

Leaving the small courtyard, I followed my mother and younger sister to the center of the village, where the sounds of people became loud, noisy, and filled with laughter

Xiao Xian quickly ran back from outside, her face flushed and panting as she pointed outside: "Brother... you should go take a look, that Lu Erlai who caused a ruckus with our family yesterday... hee hee... ha ha ha"

Are you bullying my man while he's out? Alright, let me see if you can lie down

The cold wind of midnight swept through the barren mountain village, and a few barks of dogs echoed from a certain courtyard, accompanied by the sound of a person's cough. Most of the laborers who had toiled throughout the day had already fallen asleep. A figure passed through the darkness, glanced at the sky, estimated the time, and arrived outside the thatched cottage where they had been before

The axle creaked and groaned as the villagers returned, boasting all the while about the sights and sounds they had experienced in the city. Once home, they would regale their wives and children with tales, showcasing their newfound knowledge.

The little girl stifled her laughter with great effort and composed herself: "He has grown a lot of feathers all over his body!"