He closed his eyes and lay quietly on the couch, as if in a deep sleep. He didn't know how long it had passed, but when the first faint and unclear rumbling sound came from the dark blue night sky far outside the wall, he suddenly opened his eyes and rolled off the couch lightly.
When the gate of the block opened, he was the first to spur his horse out and head west.
He entered the West Market. It was still dim outside and the doors of all the shops crisscrossing the street were closed, including the water shop. The street was deserted. Only a mule cart carrying goods in the morning came onto the nearby bridge. Its wooden wheels creaked over the stone slabs of the bridge, and the cart went down the bridge and passed by him slowly.
He was awake last night until dawn, never knowing that waiting would be so long. If it weren't for the inconvenience, he would have wanted to break into the West Market and knock on the door of the water shop to ask for clarification. But at this moment, he became patient.
He has always been a patient man.
He stood on the bank beside the bridge, facing the river with dark green waves, and waited until the dawn, the sun rose higher, and the number of carriages and horses increased behind him. Finally, the doors of the shops opened one by one.
The owner of the water shop had just removed the door panel when he looked up and saw a young Jinwu military officer standing outside the door. He was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had done something wrong. When he heard the other party speak, he turned out to be just asking questions, so he hurriedly said, "The old man has been delivering water every three or two days for several years, but he has not been seen for many days recently. He came again yesterday with his grandson, saying that he had an accident and rested at home for a few days. As for the person who talked to him outside my door yesterday, I really don't know and didn't pay attention. The next time he comes back should be in two or three days. If the general has anything to do, just tell me, and I will pass on the general's message when he comes."
Pei Xiaoyuan asked the old man where he lived. The owner of the water store didn't know the exact location, but he knew that his surname was Wang and he lived in the West Mountain area. His grandson was named Chou'er, and the two depended on each other for survival. There were many people in that area who made a living by fetching water. If he asked around, he should be able to find him.
Pei Xiaoyuan led a few people out of Kaiyuan Gate and headed for Xishan that day. That place was more than a hundred miles away from Chang'an, and a fast horse could reach it in an hour, so the journey was not very far. What really took time was finding someone.
The foothills in that area stretched out, the villages were scattered, and the roads between the hilltops were even more tortuous. Looking from one place to another, it seemed not far away, but in fact it might take half a day to get there. It was not until dark that Pei Xiaoyuan received news from his men. He found out that there was a family living next to a valley more than ten miles away. It was a grandparent and grandchildren, and it sounded a bit like the description of the owner of the water shop.
That night, when Pei Xiaoyuan found the mountain dwelling, it was already midnight.
The people who lived here were the old man who delivered water and his grandson, Chou'er. After dinner, they turned off the lights and went to bed early. In the middle of the night, they heard someone knocking on the wooden door and the black dog barking wildly in the yard, which woke up the grandfather and grandson. Chou'er got up and saw through the crack in the door that there were shadows of people outside the fence and the light of the fire stick flickering. He was very scared. The old man was also uneasy. He asked his grandson to hide in the house. He plucked up his courage and went out. He opened the wooden door and found that there were several people who looked like government soldiers. The leader was very young and quite friendly. He said that they came to inquire about people and told him not to be afraid.
The old man was relieved, bowed, and nodded when he heard the other party ask him if he had taken his grandson to deliver water to the West Market yesterday. The man then signaled his followers to wait outside the door and walked in.