Chapter 06: Unable to Find the Door

Ye Xiaotian was startled and quickly took two steps back to maintain a safe distance, forcing a friendly smile and saying, "Passerby! I am merely a passerby!"

A middle-aged man tumbled down the stone steps from the door, landing hard. He clutched his stomach, curled up on the ground like a shrimp, and took a long time to catch his breath. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he groaned and said, "I... I truly am an old acquaintance of Lord Yang. I happened to pass through this blessed land, but I have exhausted my funds and only seek a travel permit."

The man selling pears, seeing business come to him, straightened up a bit and said: "Three for one penny"

Ye Xiaotian said: "Uh... Can the old man speak Mandarin?"

Ye Xiaotian rolled his eyes, walked up to the person, squatted down, reached into the basket, took out a pear, bit into it with a crunch, and mumbled, "How much is the pear?"

The pear seller said: "I heard that the old master of the Yang family has passed away, and friends from all directions have come to pay their respects."

Ye Xiaotian, filled with enthusiasm, was just about to step forward to knock on the door when the main gate of the Yang residence suddenly swung open with a loud bang. A bird-like figure soared out from within, arms outstretched as if riding the clouds, and landed with a thud right in front of him. Startled, Ye Xiaotian quickly lifted his foot to avoid getting his shoes stained by the blood that the figure spat out.

Ye Xiaotian followed his lead and said: "Indeed, I heard that the person just now was an old acquaintance of Lord Yang, though I do not know if it is true. The Yang family is truly ruthless."

Seeing the middle-aged man in such a miserable state, Ye Xiaotian dared not visit him. He suddenly recalled what Yang Lin had said, that he and his wife had always been in the same bed but had different dreams, and when he thought of how Yang Lin's family had neglected him after he was imprisoned, Ye Xiaotian's heart immediately turned cold: "Mrs. Yang has a strained relationship with her husband and is obsessed with wealth; my letter..."

Ye Xiaotian gritted his teeth and inquired around for quite a while, finally managing to ascertain the location of the Yang residence. Gradually, he found a secluded long alley. The Yang residence covered a vast area, occupying nearly half of the alley. Upon entering the alley, there stood an archway, and as he approached the entrance of the Yang residence, he beheld a grand red-painted door, a red copper door knocker, a ground paved with blue bricks, and steps made of white stone, all of which were quite impressive

The middle-aged man could not escape, his cheeks swollen high, making it impossible to discern his original appearance, and he could only cry out for mercy. Yang San Shou chuckled gleefully and said with self-satisfaction: "One does not shed tears until one sees the coffin; people like you are simply asking for it!"

He originally did not dare to say this, but upon hearing Ye Xiaotian's accent from another region and noticing his somewhat disrespectful demeanor towards the Yang residence, he finally spoke the truth

Ye Xiaotian casually tossed aside the pear core he had just finished gnawing on, wiped his mouth, and called out loudly: "Excuse me, is anyone home?"

After enduring numerous hardships, Ye Xiaotian finally arrived in Jingzhou. The only motivation that kept him moving forward on this journey was the promise of five hundred taels of silver. Throughout the journey, he had already planned how to spend the five hundred taels and what kind of livelihood to pursue after obtaining it. How could he easily give up

Once this matter escalates to the court, Madam Yang will have no recourse, no matter how domineering she may be, for Yang Lin is the head of the family. At that time, the estate will be divided according to Yang Lin's will. After he receives his rightful share of the inheritance, he will leave Jingzhou immediately, and no matter how furious Madam Yang, the local tyrant, may be, it will not change anything.

The scholar, who had originally been smiling and returning the greeting, suddenly changed color, spat in disdain, and strode away. Ye Xiaotian shook his head and sighed: "Indeed, it is easy to be at home for a thousand days, but difficult to venture out for ten thousand matters. The elders and fellow villagers of Jingzhou are too unfriendly!"

At that moment, a flock of wild geese flew across the sky, and their honking could be heard. Yang Sanshou pointed to the sky and proudly declared: "I, Yang Sanshou, would not even pluck a feather from the geese as they pass by, yet there are still those who are blind enough to try to take advantage of the Yang family. Tell me, should we not strike back?"

The old man shook his head and gestured with his hands, clearly someone who could hear but not speak. Ye Xiaotian forced a bitter smile and retreated, then stopped another scholar, clasping his hands in greeting: "Ah! Sir, may I ask where the Yang residence in Jingzhou is located? The head of the Yang family is an official in the capital, surnamed Yang and named Lin..."

Old man: `` @ # % % & & * & & ... ... ''

The pear seller raised his chin and said: "Look, do you see that alley? That is a dead end, built from the courtyard of the Yang family. At the end, there is a small courtyard where the young lady of the Yang family currently resides. She has been driven out of the Yang residence for more than two years now, and each month the Yang residence only provides her with a little coarse rice for her expenses. Alas! The heart of a woman can be the most cruel..."

Jingzhou is a vital transportation route connecting southwestern Hunan to Guizhou and Guangxi. To the west of the city lies Feishan, renowned for its "perilous, steep, unique, and beautiful" characteristics, earning it the title of "the first peak in southern Chu." Opposite it across the city stands Wulao Peak, where five peaks stand in parallel, resembling five elders.

Ye Xiaotian felt increasingly unwilling as he walked. Suddenly, he saw a man selling pears under the archway, with a basket of bright yellow pears placed in front of him. The pear seller sat lazily on the ground, listlessly watching the people passing by on the road

The pear seller smirked and mockingly said: "I heard that Madam Yang is in no hurry to transport the coffin to the capital. A woman who is as greedy as life itself, ha! Even more avaricious than her husband! But the funeral still needs to be conducted; otherwise, how would one receive gifts?"

Ye Xiaotian, hailing from the capital, is a person of high aspirations and lofty views, as one would expect from someone under the emperor's domain. No matter how grand the cities he encounters along the way, they all appear to him as mere countryside. The inhabitants of these cities are naturally regarded as country folk in his eyes. It is likely that only places like Suzhou, Hangzhou, or Nanjing would earn his proper regard.

Due to this mindset, upon entering Jingzhou City, Ye Xiaotian faced everything with composure and without any fear. He soon encountered an elderly man with white hair, who was slowly walking while holding the hand of his little granddaughter with two pigtails. Ye Xiaotian immediately greeted him warmly and asked, "Elder, do you know where the Yang residence in Jingzhou is? Haha, the head of the Yang family, Yang Lin, is an official in the capital, so I am sure you must know his residence."

Ye Xiaotian stood before the grand and imposing gate of the Yang residence, his heart surging with emotion: after enduring countless hardships and overcoming eighty-one tribulations, he had finally arrived at the West... No, at the Yang residence.

"Tell him to get lost!" Yang Sanshou commanded, twisting his hips as he entered the gate of the Yang residence

With a loud bang, the heavy door of the Yang residence slammed shut. Ye Xiaotian shuddered at the sound of the door closing, and when he looked down at the middle-aged man on the ground, whose face was bruised and whose mouth was bleeding, he couldn't help but take a deep breath in fear, thinking to himself: "That deadbeat Yang Lin has really put me in a tough spot!"

On either side of the grand gate, there stands a pair of majestic lions guarding the entrance. Beside each stone lion, there are six hitching posts, each crafted from solid white marble. At the top of each post is a carving of a stone monkey, symbolizing the auspicious meaning of "being granted a title on horseback"

Ye Xiaotian took out a coin and tossed it to him, then picked two larger pears and tucked them into his bosom. He leaned against the stone base of the archway, tilted his chin slightly towards the direction of the Yang residence, and said: "Why are there so many carriages in front of the Yang residence?"

Yang Lin, oh Yang Lin, you have failed as an official, and even more so as a person. But please do not drag me down with your failures. I have traveled a long way to Jingzhou; it has not been easy for me. I am worse off than Tang Seng on his journey to the West. Now, I have not even received the five hundred taels of silver, and I am supposed to leave just like this

Ye Xiaotian thought to himself: "Well, my journey along this path is ultimately not as swift as that of the official post, and I suppose the news of Yang Lin being punished has already been relayed back."

Suddenly, a burly servant came rushing down the stone steps, quickly took off his shoes, grabbed the man's collar, and began to slap the man's head with the shoe sole, causing it to sway back and forth like a rattle drum, resembling a small boat in a stormy sea, leaving Ye Xiaotian utterly astonished

"Don't... don't hit me, I... I have nothing to do with Lord Yang..."

At this moment, all twelve hitching posts are tied with horses, and many vehicles are parked at the base of the wall, suggesting that many people have visited the Yang residence

When Ye Xiaotian was in the capital, he had heard a storyteller recount the tale of "Journey to the West: The Legend of the Monkey King". At this moment, his feelings were akin to those of Tang Seng, the monk who journeyed to the West to obtain the scriptures, experiencing a joy that came from finally acquiring the true teachings after enduring hardships and trials

Pah

The servant of the Yang residence, noticing that his accent was indeed not local, waved his hand and said: "Get away, be careful not to be mistaken for a thief!"

The middle-aged man got up, turned his head, and spat a mouthful of blood towards the Yang residence before staggering away. Ye Xiaotian thought for a moment and followed the man with a dejected expression, his brows tightly furrowed: "If I were to go directly to the door and ask that Madam Yang to divide the inheritance for her unworthy concubine's daughter, and then demand five hundred taels of silver as my reward, I fear I would end up in a worse situation than this man ahead of me."

Jingzhou is not only picturesque and charming, but also strategically located on a major route, bustling with merchants and extremely prosperous. The locals, due to frequent interactions with outsiders, are generally proficient in Mandarin, giving the place a distinctly urban flavor

Ye Xiaotian casually asked, "Has the Yang family already transported Old Master Yang's coffin back so soon?"

Ye Xiaotian was overjoyed, as if someone had sent him a pillow while he was dozing off; he had learned all the information he wanted to know without any effort at all. After chatting idly with the pear seller for a few more moments, Ye Xiaotian made an excuse to leave, wandered around nearby for a while, and then, seizing an unnoticed opportunity, slipped into that dead-end alley.

The middle-aged man's servant put on his shoes properly and then kicked him hard on the backside, shouting: "Why aren't you leaving yet! If we see you again, we'll beat you again!" After saying this, he glared with his bulging eyes and ferociously shouted at Ye Xiaotian, who was close by: "What are you doing?"

The steward Yang stood proudly on the stone steps and said: "Do you know what nickname the people of Jingzhou call me, Yang the steward? 'Iron Rooster!' You actually had the audacity to target me, Yang Sanshou, truly blind as a bat.

The servant in blue glared and shouted, "Bah! When did our master ever associate with such a useless old acquaintance like you, to the point of begging at our door? You, a wretched commoner, dare to argue? Come on, beat him! Beat him fiercely, until he changes his tune!"

The pear seller sighed and said, "Who can argue with that? In such a large household as the Yang family, they even treat their own young lady harshly and cruelly, let alone outsiders"

Seeing that Madam Yang was not a good person, Ye Xiaotian thought of Miss Yang. In this matter, their interests were aligned. By finding Miss Yang, he would have the most steadfast ally in the local area. At that time, he could present Yang Lin's will along with Miss Yang in court to seek a fair judgment from the magistrate.

A slender servant in a green jacket staggered out of the Yang residence, placing his hands on his thin, bean sprout-like waist, and stood still on the stone steps. Following him were four burly servants, each wielding a club.

These are Ye Xiaotian's plans; he is quick-witted and acts without hesitation. Ye Xiaotian entered a dead end and walked briskly to the end, where he saw a dilapidated courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by a wall made of stones stacked to a height of one person. Although the courtyard was tidy, it was desolate and lacked any vitality.

The emaciated servant tilted his crooked hat and scolded, "You little brat, do you think you can take advantage of us? Is the Yang family that easy to bully?"

Ye Xiaotian was just about to steer the conversation towards the young lady of the Yang family when the pear seller took the initiative to bring up the topic, immediately interjecting with the question: "What happened to the young lady of the Yang family?"