Chapter 04 Mirage

After a disappointing encounter with the young man who claimed to resemble Mu Dishi, Ma Jingguo walked back to the inn. He was coming in from the front door, and a young man was pushed into Ma Jingguo. The weak body of the young man fell backward and fell to the floor. Sitting on the floor, the young man lowered his head and said softly without looking up at Ma Jingguo, he apologized for bumping into Ma Jingguo. While apologizing the young man didn't even lift his head to look at Ma Jingguo.

The acquaintance Ma Jingguo knelt on the ground and helped the young man up. He looked at the young man with beautiful long eyelashes, and for a moment, he thought he was staring at Mu Dishi. The young man rolled his beautiful phoenix eyes at Ma Jingguo. When the beautiful eyes met Ma Jingguo's eyes, his eyes quickly retracted his gazed.

Ma Jingguo asked, "What's your name?"

The young man's voice trembled, and he shyly responded, "Li…Li…Howin…Li Howin."

Ma Jingguo smiled and said, "No one has spoken to me in this tone for a long time."

In the middle of the inn, four men began beating another man. They kicked down the fallen man. Li Howin rushed towards them and pleaded, "Don't hit him anymore." He grabbed one of the man's arms.

Afterwards, the man pushed Li Howin back aggressively. He shouted, "Get lost, your loser brother owes us a lot of money."

The badly beaten Li Liwei shouted, "I have no money, I have sold everything I have." As the man continued to kick Li Liwei. Li Liwei shouted again. "Take Howin as your servant. He can do hard labor."

The lead collector said, "I don't need another mouth to feed. Your brother is too weak, he can't do anything."

Ma Jingguo said, "Sell your brother to me." The men stopped kicking Li Liwei and looked at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo smiled. "Sell your brother to me, and I will pay off your debt, and besides, I will give you these." He reached into his robe and took out two gold ingots.

Li Liwei crawled to Ma Jingguo's side. He asked hungrily for the two gold ingots, "Yes, he is yours."

Li Howin frowned sadly, "Ge…"

Li Liwei said, "Either you or the children."

Ma Jingguo took out four gold ingots and threw them to the men. He said, "For his debts, these should resolve it. From now on, if someone lets him enter your gambling house, Sunset Sector will destroy everyone in the gambling house."

The four men grabbed the gold ingots and rushed out of the inn.

Ma Jinggou and Li Howin were sitting at the dining table. Ma Jingguo looked at Li Howin. He asked, "Xiao didi, do you like tofu?"

Li Howin shook his head.

Ma Jingguo opened his eyes and stared at Li Howin who was sitting across from him in the carriage. He asked, "Why don't you like tofu?"

Li Howin, "I…" He bit his lower lip. "I…just don't like the taste."

Ma Jinggou said, "There used to be a person who liked tofu, but he didn't know how to make tofu, so I spent several months secretly learning to make tofu. I hope that one day, I can make some for him." He sighed. "But unfortunately, he will never have the chance to eat it." He chuckled lightly. "Also, I have forgotten how to make tofu already." He drank his tea.

Ma Jingguo glanced at Mu Huidai again. He asked, "What about you? Do you like tofu."

Mu Huidai shook her head.

Ma Jingguo asked, "Do you miss your parents?"

Mu Huidai turned her head to look at Ma Jingguo, her eyes full of horror. Mu Huidai's voice trembled, "I do…"

Ma Jingguo asked, "Are you going to visit your parents too?"

Mu Huidai said, "Yes." She began to cry.

Ma Jingguo asked, "Why do you feel the need to cry?"

Mu Huidai burst out in tears, "I'm afraid…"

Ma Jingguo ignored Mu Hui's cries. He leaned gracefully by the window and saw a group of villagers walking on the dirt road. He turned his head to tell Mu Huidai to stop crying, because her crying voice started to bother him. The moment he turned his head, he saw Mu Dishi walking handsomely beside the group of villagers, with his black silky hair dancing from left to right with the wind.

Ma Jingguo quickly shouted, "Stop."

The carriage stopped, Ma Jingguo rushed out of the carriage and rushed towards the group of villagers. Yuan Chaomei followed him closely.

It was not until Ma Jingguo left that Li Howin handed the young girl his handkerchief and said, "Xiao meimei, don't be afraid…" Mu Huidai took the handkerchief and wiped her tears. "I have been with the chief for a while, and he didn't abuse me."

Mu Huidai asked, "Then why does he kiss you? I'm afraid he will do to me what he did to you."

Li Howin said, "The chief will not... He kissed me because Chaomei jiejie said that I look like his lover."

When the villagers passed by Ma Jingguo, he looked carefully at each of the villagers. He did not see Mu Dishi among them.

Yuan Chaomei asked, "Chief, what's the matter?"

Ma Jingguo said, "Chaomei, I saw xiao shushu."

Yuan Chaomei asked, "Could chief saw it wrong?"

Ma Jingguo said, "No, I can't be wrong. He is standing next to these people." He yelled at his subordinates. "Stop them."

Twenty men pulled out their swords and stopped the villagers. Ma Jingguo and Yuan Chaomei walked back. Ma Jingguo checked them one by one twice, but Mu Dishi is not among them.

Ma Jingguo then asked, "Where are you from?"

An elder man said, "We are farmers and live nearby."

Ma Jingguo asked, "Is there a person with the surname Mu with you?"

The elder man replied, "I don't believe so."

Ma Jingguo asked, "Is there any handsome guy among you? He will be shy and not speak."

The elder man thought for a while, "Shy and refuses to speak, nope...but Ah Chen, his wife, and his little girl only came to Wu Village not long ago."

Ma Jingguo gritted his teeth, "Ah Chen…he have a wife and a little girl?"

The elder man said, "Yes."

Ma Jingguo clenched his fist, "You lied to people that you were dead, but you went to get married and have children."

The elder man looked back and pointed to the three people whom are trailing behind the group of villagers. He said, "That's Ah Chen and his family."

Ma Jingguo gritted his teeth with anger, "Mu…Dishi…" He rushed towards Ah Chen and his family. He grabbed Ah Chen's front collar and about to punch Ah Chen in the face. It turned out that Ah Chen was not Mu Dishi. He slowly loosened Ah Chen's collar and pushed Ah Chen back.

Yuan Chaomei said, "I do apologize." She took out a silver ingot and handed it to Ah Chen. She waved to her men to let the villagers go.

Ma Jingguo stood disappointed. He said, "Chaomei, I really saw xiao shushu walking with the villagers."

Yuan Chaomei said, "Chief, missing someone too much will create a mirage."

Ma Jingguo still stand by what he saw. He said, "I am not crazy, nor have I hallucinated."

Ma Jingguo walked back to the carriage, and the carriage slowly drove away.

Under the tree not far from the roadside, the pale and weak handsome man with long eyelashes wiped the blood from his pinkish lips with his slender fingers. He fixed the bamboo basket to his back and slowly stood up. With his black and beautiful hair dancing with the wind, he walked back to the dirt road and followed the villagers back to Wu Village.