Chapter 233 Do you want a wife?

A fireball is burning on the riverbank.

Chen Mo stood at a distance, watching the flames engulf the two corpses.

One was a withered old woman, and the other was a cat curled up in a ball.

The flames were small, but intense, sizzling as they burned the grease from the corpse.

He put his hands in his pockets and watched as the fire slowly burned the cat-faced witch and her natal cat demon to ashes.

The wind blew from the river, carrying a damp, fishy vapor that swept up the ashes and scattered them into the river.

The Gu technique he had cultivated over sixty years, the people he had harmed, the sins he had accumulated, along with his broken body, all turned into a wisp of smoke on the river.

The fire went out.

All that remained on the riverbank was a charred scar and a few cracked pebbles.

Chen Mo raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread, and gently waved it towards the river.

A stream split off from the river, carrying the charred fragments, which were then swirled up and mixed with mud and pebbles, tumbling and being pushed back into the river.

Even the last trace has vanished without a trace.

The water receded back into the river, and the riverbank returned to its original state.

The red moonlight shone on it, making it clean and clear, as if nothing had ever happened.

Half a lifetime spent cultivating the Tao, like a wild goose flying by, leaving no trace or shadow on the riverbank...

The sound was very soft, and most of it was dispersed by the river breeze.

There were no jokes, no wine, and not even an audience.

Only the river water gurgled and lapped against the shore, as if in agreement.

Chen Mo took out a pocket watch from his sleeve and glanced at it in the red moonlight.

It was exactly three in the morning.

"I can get some sleep when I get back."

.......

the next day.

The sun was high in the sky, and the surface of the Gan River shimmered with a dazzling white light, a world apart from the crimson moon of the previous night.

A river breeze blew in through the porthole, causing a slight ripple in the corner of the yellowed map of Ganzhou on the table. .

Chen Mo sat on a wooden chair in the cabin, one hand on the map and the other holding a half-pencil, sketching on the map.

Several locations have been marked on the map.

Footsteps came from outside the porthole, the wooden planks creaking underfoot.

Master Long's voice came in from outside the door first: "Master Chen, are you up yet?"

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Master Long bent down and crawled in, followed by Li Jinrong.

Li Jinrong carried two bowls of hot tea, the tea still steaming. He handed one bowl to Chen Mo as he entered, and drank the other himself.

Chen Mo took the tea but didn't drink it; he simply placed it on the table.

Master Long stood by the table, his face grim. "Something's happened."

Chen Mo looked down at the map and traced the three characters "Coffin Ridge" with a pencil.

"What is it?"

"All the shops at the dock are closed today."

Old Man Long wiped his mouth. "There isn't a single coal depot or grain shop open. We have nowhere to replenish our coal supply."

"The coal on the ship won't last long. Without coal, the boiler won't burn, and we'll be stuck on this dock, unable to leave."

Chen Mo raised her head and glanced at him.

If you can't buy it, borrow it.

Master Long was taken aback: "Borrow? Borrow from whom? The shops aren't open, who can I borrow from?"

Chen Mo raised his chin and gestured towards the porthole.

Outside the window, more than a dozen boats of various sizes were moored at Wangjia Wharf.

"There should still be coal on those ships."

Following his gaze, Master Long's lips twitched.

He certainly knew those ships carried coal.

"Does Master Chen mean to move it from those ships?"

Chen Mo glanced at him but did not answer.

Master Long swallowed hard: "But that's someone else's boat."

"Anyway, everyone on their boat is gone, so they can't leave anytime soon."

"The ship is docked there, and the coal is just sitting there anyway. Let's borrow a few bags to use first."

Master Long opened his mouth, wanting to say that this wasn't a loan, but rather taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

But after glancing at Chen Mo's expressionless face, he swallowed his words.

Li Jinrong held the teacup, took a slow sip, and then took out a silver coin from inside with his right hand and placed it on the table.

"Master Long, remember to leave this when you borrow coal."

Master Long looked down at the silver dollar, then at Li Jinrong.

"What do you mean?"

"You took coal from their ship, how much? Converted to silver dollars at market price, and left it on the ship."

"We don't need those few dollars."

Master Long stared at the silver coin for two seconds, then reached out, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand.

"Mr. Li is right." He looked at Chen Mo. "Mr. Chen, what do you think?"

Chen Mo picked up his teacup and took a sip. "You can handle it as you see fit."

After a moment of silence, Master Long pushed open the door and went out.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the wooden stairs creaked underfoot.

Li Jinrong stood to the side, watching with great interest as he drew lines on the map.

"Uncle Chen, what are you drawing?"

"road."

"The road?" Li Jinrong leaned closer, squinting at the pencil line on the map. "Coffin Ridge?"

"Once your goods arrive, I might have to leave first."

Li Jinrong was stunned for a moment, his hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air.

"Leaving first? What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning."

Chen Mo put the teacup back on the table and pointed to the circle on Coffin Ridge with his finger. "When the time comes, you go back to Jinshi yourself, and I'll come over here."

"Remember."

"Do you know what good news I'm talking about?"

"How am I supposed to know if you haven't told me?"

"My third uncle's family has a daughter, about your age, twenty-one, born in the Year of the Tiger."

The fat man counted on his fingers, "She's not bad looking. I've seen her before. She's fair-skinned and not short either. She's a perfect match for you."

"Moreover, my third uncle's family is very wealthy. They own three silk shops, two grain shops, and two hundred acres of paddy fields outside the city..."

"Get lost... Do I need you to introduce me to a wife?"

Chen Mo glanced at him speechlessly, not expecting it to be such a good thing.

Li Jinrong choked for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh.

"Mr. Chen, don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

"Let me tell you, my third uncle is a very easy-going person. He's very negotiable about things like the bride price. And I've met his daughter; she's really not ugly, and she has a good personality. She's not the kind of spoiled rich girl..."

"I said get lost."

Chen Mo reached for the teacup on the table, only to find it empty. He put the teacup aside, picked up the pencil again, and looked down at the map.

Li Jinrong was not giving up. He shifted his position on the chair and moved even closer.

"I've already spoken to my third uncle about this. If you won't even meet with him, I won't be able to explain it to him when I get back."

Chen Mo paused for a moment.

"When did you tell him?"

"On the day of departure," Li Jinrong chuckled twice, "I sent a telegram to my third uncle as soon as I boarded the ship, saying that I was taking you back this time and that he should make sure you were ready."

Chen Mo put down his pencil, looked up, and stared at Li Jinrong.

Those eyes were expressionless, but the fat man felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by something.

"Mr. Chen, please don't look at me like that. I'm only doing this for your own good, aren't I?"

"My third uncle's family is very wealthy and powerful, so you won't be at a disadvantage. Let me tell you, my cousin is famous for miles around..."

"If you mention it again, I'll throw you into the river right now."

Li Jinrong glanced at Chen Mo's expressionless face, then at the surging river outside the porthole, and wisely shut his mouth.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and his eyes darted around, seemingly lost in thought.

The cabin fell silent.

The only sounds were the scratching of a pencil on paper and the gurgling of the river water lapping against the side of the boat outside the porthole.

After a while, Li Jinrong spoke again.

"Master Chen."

"Um."

"Aren't you really going to reconsider? My third uncle's family..."

The pencil tapped on the table, making a crisp sound.

Li Jinrong immediately shut up.

He picked up the teacup and finished the last sip of cold tea.

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. I'm going to check on how things are going with Master Long's move."

He turned and walked towards the door, but after taking two steps, he stopped.

"Master Chen..."

"Get lost..."

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