A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 119: Settlement of Accounts after Autumn

Mu Liang and Feng the shopkeeper came in a hurry, which aroused the curiosity of the innkeeper and the waiters. Seeing that the young master's condition had improved, Feng the shopkeeper suggested leaving Xiyue country and settling the young master in Mocheng for recuperation. As Li Yunye had just arrived here and experienced the wickedness of human nature, he naturally had no good impression of Mucheng and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Seeing that Mu Liang had no objection, he naturally agreed.

During his illness, Li Yunye loved to stick to his closest brother. The two of them rode in the same carriage. An Yun was responsible for driving, while Lao Zhou was still avoiding Mu Liang, so he ran to another carriage and rode with Manager Feng.

In the quiet carriage, the still weak Li Yunye held Mu Liang's arm like a child, leaning on his shoulder, his eyelids drooping but his mind heavy, and he had no desire to sleep at all.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Hearing Li Yunye sigh, Mu Liang hurriedly asked with concern. He put his hand on the other's forehead again, and was relieved when he saw that he had no fever anymore.

"I just feel that I am useless. I came out with nothing and even got sick, making everyone worry about me." Li Yunye shook his head, frowned, and muttered weakly.

"Don't belittle yourself like this. When the famous Li family from Jiangnan was in danger, you were able to step forward and take the initiative to shoulder the burden of the young master's family. You risked your life to travel thousands of miles to come here, which has made me admire you very much. Those who set great ambitions in ancient times not only had extraordinary talents, but also had perseverance. Although you failed to find the dye in the end, I believe you must have gained something from this journey." Seeing the frustration and self-blame on his brother's face, Mu Liang smiled gently, gathered the cloak on Li Yunye, and then comforted him.

"Don't flatter me. I don't have any big ambitions. I took the risk because I was forced by the situation. I had no choice." Li Yunye couldn't help laughing at his sworn brother Mu Liang's high-sounding words. Fortunately, he had self-knowledge and knew his own strengths and weaknesses, otherwise he would have been carried away by these compliments.

Mu Liang did not answer again, but just lowered his head and showed a gentle and doting smile, like the warm sunshine in March shining into the heart.

"But you are right about one thing. This trip makes me feel that I am no longer as cowardly as before. This is probably the subtle gain." After a moment of silence, Li Yunye continued to murmur and sigh, then suddenly raised his head and looked at Mu Liang curiously and continued to ask: "By the way, why are you here? What will happen to the shop in Liangdu after you leave? Has the crisis of Jiangnan Mingli been resolved?"

"My foster father bought a new batch of dyes in Liunan Country, which temporarily solved the urgent problem. I just heard from Manager Feng that he received a letter from Manager Yuan last night, saying that Butler Fang also bought a large number of dyes in southern Xinjiang. In this way, the crisis of the famous Li family in Jiangnan is completely resolved." Li Yun asked three questions in a row at night, and Mu Liang picked up the most important answer first.

"Huh, the crisis is resolved." Li Yunye was finally relieved, and leaned his head back on Mu Liang's shoulder and continued to sigh: "I wish I had half of Uncle Fang's ability."

"Don't think too much. You still have a long way to go. Take a break. Once you recover in Mocheng, I'll let Lao Zhou take you back to Liangdu."

"Hmm, hm? You won't go back to Liangdu with me?" Li Yunye raised his head belatedly and asked Xiang Muliang curiously.

"I have something to do and need to go back to Qile City." Mu Liang lowered his eyes and smiled at Li Yunye. Now that the turmoil of the famous Jiangnan Li had completely subsided, it was time for him to apologize to his adoptive father and mother. Although his brother-in-law had not been in any danger, he always felt guilty for having put his brother-in-law in danger without telling his adoptive father and mother.

"Oh, you are going back with Manager Feng?" Li Yunye didn't think much about it. He just thought it was a summary meeting after the company had overcome difficulties. Although he also wondered why he didn't have to go back to participate as the young master, he thought that this time he not only did not help but also caused trouble. If his father knew about it, he would inevitably be punished again. It was better not to go back.

"You have to visit someone when you return to Liangdu this time." Mu Liang seemed not to hear Li Yunye's question and turned to give instructions.

"Liangdu? Who are you visiting?" Li Yunye became nervous when he heard this, thinking that Brother Mu Liang was going to start arranging for him to attend social events. Although he had just said that he was no longer as cowardly and timid as before, it did not mean that he could really take on things independently.

"My stepmother's aunt, your maternal grandmother, Old Madam Zhuo."

"Grandma?" Mu Liang's words once again made Jiang Siyao panic. She had been in the Li residence for so long, not to mention others, even Ange and Madam Li had never mentioned Madam Zhuo to her. If she was a relative who didn't visit often, why would she suddenly visit? It was over. If this grandma had met Li Yunye, she would definitely be exposed...

Seeing the uneasiness on Li Yunye's face, Mu Liang told him about Madam Li's letter asking him to find Old Madam Zhuo and mentioned the relationship between the two families. Li Yunye felt relieved after hearing this. It turned out that the two families were relatives on the surface, but the cousin of the Zhuo family had never interacted with the Li family. Privately, Madam Li and Old Madam Zhuo had a deep relationship and corresponded with each other. Therefore, even Li Yunye had only heard his mother mention the Zhuo family and had never seen the Zhuo family in person.

"Why doesn't my cousin like to associate with merchants? I remember my mother's family was also a merchant family."

"Lord Zhuo is the Imperial Censor, and he has the duty of supervising all officials. He has a heavy responsibility and it is very easy to offend people in this position. He may not associate with merchants because he is afraid of being used against him."

Mu Liang's explanation made Li Yunye nod in agreement. This statement was reasonable.

After arriving in Mo City, the group stayed in an inn arranged by Shopkeeper Feng. After Li Yunye drank the medicine and went to sleep, Mu Liang went to Lao Zhou with a contract, demanding to settle the score later.

What was coming finally came. Lao Zhou knew that there was no way that a shrewd man like Shopkeeper Mu would let him go easily. He only prayed that he would not be skinned alive.

"Boss Zhou..."

"No, no, no, just call me Lao Zhou. It's friendly, friendly, hehe."

When Old Zhou heard the words "Boss Zhou" from Mu Liang's mouth, he felt a chill on his back. The two of them had known each other for many years, so he naturally knew that Mu Liang would only call him like that in a serious tone when he was angry.

"I won't say anything else. In short, you have breached the contract in this transaction. But considering that my brother and An Yun pleaded for you, you should just follow the light penalty in the contract." Mu Liang ignored Lao Zhou's playful smile and spread the contract in front of him with an expressionless face.

"Isn't this light punishment too harsh? How can it be called a light punishment? It's simply an unfair contract!" Old Zhou couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart when he saw the light punishment clearly written in black and white on the contract. This was more than just skinning him, it was simply a contract to sell his body.

"This is signed with your own handwriting. Even if I take it to the government, I will have a valid reason." In order to prevent Lao Zhou from cheating, Mu Liang took the open contract back into his own hands and said seriously.

"Ahem, why would friends go to the government?" Upon hearing the word "government", Lao Zhou immediately put away his discontented doubts and said with a helpless smile: "It is indeed my fault that Master Li got sick. I will accept the punishment that Shopkeeper Mu wants to impose on me. It's just a deduction of money and the addition of being at your beck and call for three years."

"Okay." Mu Liang's expression finally eased. He stood up, looked down at Lao Zhou who was sitting in front of him and continued, "I won't deduct the two wages you have earned. I just hope that you can send my brother back to Liangdu safely and protect him well." After saying that, he turned and left the room.

Only then did Old Zhou show a desperate expression and fall down on the table.