Chapter 156: The Silent Riddle
The vegetarian meals here were quite good. Seeing that Xie Jing enjoyed them, Xie Siquan deliberately stayed a couple more days, not rushing to return.
Bai Mingyu, being restless, wanted to take Xie Jing horse riding. Xie Jing said, “This place is different from the northern lands. The terrain is steep; you can’t ride on the mountains.”
Bai Mingyu replied, “Then we can just walk around on the mountain. I saw a lot of flowers blooming. We can pick some and put them in a vase.”
Xie Jing stood still, raising his eyes to look at him.
Bai Mingyu nudged his arm, leaning close with a cheeky grin: “Pick some; I’ll give them to Aunt, and you can give some to Lord Bai Jiu. Isn’t that nice?”
Eventually, he coaxed Xie Jing along.
Hu Da and the others followed at a moderate distance. Since the incident in Shuiniu Town, Xie Siquan had instructed them to keep a closer watch.
Soon, Bai Mingyu ran over to them, full of excitement. Hu Da’s heart skipped a beat, thinking they were being scolded, but the Bai family’s second young master was actually dragging them along to help identify wildflowers by the roadside. They picked quite a few, bundling a large handful in cloth almost like carrying them on their shoulders.
Xie Jing only picked a few to hold in his hand, walking leisurely behind Bai Mingyu. By the roadside was a clump of honeysuckle he recognized from preparing herbal medicine before, but he didn’t pick any this time. Lord Bai Jiu was healthy now and no longer needed it.
Bai Mingyu, of course, didn’t actually carry all of it back. After carefully selecting the best bunch on the back mountain, he wrapped it up to bring home. When he finished, he saw Xie Jing standing on a steep slope, examining something. Calling him brought no response, so he went over, curious: “Little Xie, what are you looking at?”
Xie Jing had picked up a stick and used it to move aside some dry vines, studying the stone wall intently. Frowning, he said, “Don’t you think this looks like something?”
Bai Mingyu couldn’t tell. The mountains in Shu land were full of rocks and vines, everywhere covered in plants—hard to distinguish anything.
Xie Jing called Hu Da over and had a few people help clear the stone wall. Revealed was a half-carved stone dragon: scales jagged and imposing, body winding, claws sharp. Only the lower half of the tail protruded, while the other half had been broken off due to a wall collapse.
Xie Jing searched nearby and eventually found the other half in a gully. At the dragon’s head, there used to be a spring pool, but over time and due to landslides, the water dried up and the pool partially buried.
Looking closely, one could see the dragon’s head faced down toward the small pool, posed as if drawing water—just like the stone dragon in Shuiniu Town.
Hu Da, having experienced the treasure chamber, felt a chill run down his spine, instinctively reaching for his gun.
Xie Jing left the site and went to find Xie Siquan. Xie Siquan, who had long lived in Sichuan City, had visited with the family before but had never heard of this. He quickly came to take a look.
Xie Siquan said, “Strange. I’ve never seen this before. I asked the head monk, and a couple years ago the pool still had water and fish. This year, the dry season lasted long, so the pool is empty, only dried grass. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see this half stone dragon.”
Xie Jing said, “Uncle, the stone dragon my mother left me is the same as this one.”
Xie Siquan frowned. “Now that you mention it, I do remember. When we came here to offer incense, there was indeed a year the pool had no water.” At that time, he was young and wanted to catch fish, but his sister scolded him. He had thought she only cared about breaking the temple’s rules, but now it seemed not entirely.
Unsure, Xie Siquan consulted with Lord Bai Jiu. They agreed not to announce anything immediately, and made an excuse to bring Mr. Huang Mingyou over.
Before Huang Mingyou arrived, he was quite anxious—after all, there were still books from the treasure chamber left unorganized. But upon hearing Lord Bai Jiu’s explanation, he hurried to the back mountain to see the stone dragon.
Xie Siquan hired a stonemason under the pretense of repairing temple walls to try digging under the small pool. Initially, they unearthed some scattered copper coins and gold particles, then over a dozen small golden Buddhas, but after that, the digging was impossible.
Years ago, the mountain had a landslide, and the underground rock was extremely hard. Without explosives, there was no way to access it.
Huang Mingyou stopped the digging, crouching down to inspect carefully.
Xie Jing stepped onto the stones beside him, asking quietly, “Sir, can you discern anything?”
Huang Mingyou said, “There must have been an underground stream here a century ago, but with shifting stars and changing mountains, its original form is unclear.” He looked at Xie Jing: “Little Xie, do you want to dig it out?”
Xie Jing shook his head. “Opening the mountain would make too much noise. After pacifying the bandits in Sichuan, we finally had some peace. We can’t disturb it again.”
Huang Mingyou asked, “So what’s Master Xie’s decision?”
Xie Jing: “Uncle said I have full authority over this matter.”
Looking at the stone wall, Huang Mingyou’s tone relaxed slightly: “That’s good. Perhaps someone brought these here to hide in the mountains, or they came with the water. How many there are, no one knows, but they are well-buried.”
He felt some regret at not seeing them emerge, but was relieved that, aside from those in Shuiniu Town, the treasures in Sichuan’s mountains were only partially visible and otherwise hidden.
After getting confirmation from Xie Jing, Huang Mingyou smiled, tucking his hands into his sleeves: “Good. Now is not their time; it’s too chaotic. When there’s no war, when the country is peaceful, future generations will surely see them.” He helped Xie Jing up the slope: “I just hope someone can record it properly by then; I won’t live to see it!”
Xie Jing accompanied him, looking far and wide. The surrounding mountains stood in silent guard for hundreds of years. Behind him came the long, resonant bells of Luohan Temple.
Xie Jing had a subtle feeling. Though he had never seen his mother, at this moment he could imagine her discovering the stone dragon on the mountain.
She hadn’t taken the treasure. She chose to leave it undisturbed. Sichuan could not be thrown into chaos. The Upper City Xie family had enough pride to reclaim their salt merchant supremacy without using this wealth. She seemed to treat it as a playful silent riddle, carving stone dragons and tigers roughly, leaving a game for her unborn son to solve.
She knew Xie Jing would one day return to Sichuan and that his uncle would bring him to the places they played as children. She never doubted it.
Just as Xie Siquan would lead Xie Jing to search for the Fishbone Sword, Xie Yuan had played a small joke with her brother, a joke only to be fully understood many years later.
Xie Siquan approached from a short distance, holding a cloak, draping it over Xie Jing’s shoulders, mumbling: “Just got better and dare to catch wind here? You said the medicine was bitter before and secretly threw away half a bowl… don’t think I don’t know…”
Xie Jing looked at him, as if recognizing another family member in his eyes.
Xie Siquan asked, puzzled: “What’s wrong? Is my face dirty?”
Xie Jing laughed: “Uncle, you’ve been getting more and more talkative lately.”
Xie Siquan raised an eyebrow, tightening the cloak strap on him slightly, annoyed: “Who said that? I’m only like this with you!”
Xie Jing nodded earnestly: “Me too. I’ll always take care of you and the Second Master in the future.”
Xie Siquan almost couldn’t speak. His heart was warm and soft, yet his eyes welled up despite the joy. Blinking to control it, he rubbed Xie Jing’s head and laughed: “Silly boy, I’m capable. You don’t need to support me. I’ll protect you. You just need to enjoy life happily.”
Xie Jing leaned against his shoulder, nuzzling him.
Xie Siquan was so flustered he could hardly think, wanting to send money immediately. But after happiness came, his heart felt a bit sour.
Master Xie thought: no wonder the Bai family in the north couldn’t handle him—who could resist his nephew’s charms?
Elsewhere, Lord Bai Jiu was speaking with Cao Yunzhao.
Mr. Huang had been brought by Cao Yunzhao. Cao Yunzhao was deeply grateful that Bai Jiu saved his life during the great calamity and had brought generous gifts: ginseng, bird’s nest, and the like.
Lord Bai Jiu said, “We appreciate it, but I already have these.”
Cao Yunzhao: “All good things, shall we leave them for daily use?”
Lord Bai Jiu: “I’m not a woman; I don’t need to eat these daily.”
Cao Yunzhao: “Then let Little Xie eat them. It helps with beauty. Don’t tell me, you’d let him get hurt with that face…” He saw Bai Jiu looking displeased and quickly corrected: “I mean, he was injured before, so supplementing his health is fine. And these are gifts from my family; I don’t eat them.”
Lord Bai Jiu asked: “What did you do? Out of money again?”
Cao Yunzhao began a long story but wasn’t in a hurry. He stood chatting with his old classmate, sharing his recent frustrations. He sighed: “It’s not about money; I lack channels. Bai Jiu, help me buy some machines for a newspaper firm I plan to run, so people can access information. I’ve returned home; I want to do something practical. Even if one person benefits, it’s worth it.”
The machines for the press were hard to get. Lord Bai Jiu didn’t promise but said he would try to find them.
Cao Yuzhao, suspicious: “You still have things you can’t get done?”
Lord Bai Jiu: “Every household has its difficulties.”
They walked slowly, enjoying the scenery and discussing current affairs. Though the war hadn’t reached the rear areas of Shu, prices were beginning to fluctuate.
They also talked about Liu Ruyi.
Cao Yunzhao said: “She has avoided everyone since leaving the treasure chamber. I heard she got a scar on her face, though I don’t know how serious. Several orphanages were built in Meishan; some children are very young and caretakers are few. I arranged a job for her as a caregiver; she accepted and went there. I’ve been busy and haven’t checked further.”
In a chaotic world, such a job offering food, shelter, and safety was already valuable.
Cao Yunzhao continued: “I heard your Jiangkou gold mining company distributed a lot of money—congratulations.”
Lord Bai Jiu squinted at him.
Cao Yunzhao quickly clarified: “I’m really not asking for money. I just want the machines.”
Lord Bai Jiu replied lightly: “Shameless, aren’t you?”
Cao Yunzhao, familiar with him, answered bluntly: “Yes. I need them to print newspapers and books. The machines you promised last time never arrived. Didn’t Boss He have a batch sent from abroad to Shanghai? My students are waiting to print books and start school. You can just ask him; a new son-in-law isn’t usually refused.”
Lord Bai Jiu shook his head without a second thought: “No.”
Cao Yunzhao suspected: “Did you quarrel with your Master Tai?”
Lord Bai Jiu: “No.”
Cao Yunzhao puzzled: “Then why can’t you get such a simple task done?”
Lord Bai Jiu: “…”
Even for classmates familiar since their school days, Lord Bai Jiu realized he had never met someone so shameless, whose audacity increased year by year.
Nearby, footsteps approached. Someone ran over.
Lord Bai Jiu looked up.
Cao Yunzhao, not noticing, pleaded: “Bai Jiu, I beg you. Next time, if there’s anything, just tell me. I’ll do anything, just mention it to your Master Tai.”
Xie Jing ran over, slightly hesitant, not wanting to interrupt official matters. Lord Bai Jiu waved him over.
Xie Jing walked over, one hand behind his back.
Lord Bai Jiu asked, “What is it?”
Xie Jing looked at Cao Yunzhao but said nothing, placing the object in Lord Bai Jiu’s hand, mumbling: “Uncle said to have vegetarian stew tonight. I went to call Miss Hongqi.”
Lord Bai Jiu hid the item in his sleeve and asked, “Is this from today?”
Xie Jing nodded, quietly explaining: “We were busy today; I didn’t see anything nice on the back mountain. I’ll look tomorrow.”
Lord Bai Jiu smiled lightly and nodded.
After Xie Jing left, Cao Yunzhao still didn’t understand what silent riddle they were playing and curiously asked: “What did Little Xie give you? What did you hide in your sleeve?”
“Nothing.”
Lord Bai Jiu held the small branch of delicate peach blossoms in his sleeve, cradling it in his palm.
It was just a spring bloom.
A sincere heart.
