Chapter Eighty-Seven: Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf of Zhongshan
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Wu Ning followed the guard reluctantly back down the mountain pass. Before even entering the house, he saw Aunt Qi’s soup stall still set up across the mountain path, with a signboard priced one coin lower than Wu Ning’s. These past days, his eldest brother had been helping manage their own stall.
Wu Ning couldn’t help but smile bitterly—this shrew really was something... Forget it. He cupped his hands and bowed toward Aunt Qi. “Greetings, Auntie!”
Aunt Qi didn’t dare respond. Wu Jiulang was no longer the man he used to be, and she no longer had the courage to put on a show or throw tantrums in front of Wu Ning.
...
Wu Ning didn’t care whether she replied or not; he had done his due courtesy and that was enough.
Turning to enter the courtyard, he saw Princess Taiping still standing gracefully in her Taoist robes. She had witnessed the exchange between Wu Ning and Aunt Qi.
Just then, some travelers were climbing the mountain to admire the plum blossoms, and before they could reach the stall, Aunt Qi had already gone up to greet them.
“Sir, would you like some wine?”
With persistent and enthusiastic salesmanship, the travelers eventually gave in to Aunt Qi’s passion—even on such a cold day...
They ended up swallowing a bellyful of cold milk.
...
“This woman is truly interesting,” Taiping said, looking at the mountain path outside the courtyard. “She’s clearly afraid of you, yet dares to snatch your business.”
Wu Ning looked over and sighed. “In poverty, alleviating hardship is the most important thing. Everything else can be set aside.”
He turned to Taiping. “She fears me, but she fears poverty even more.”
“Oh?” Taiping arched her brow slightly, rare to see this fellow so serious.
She grew interested and retorted, “I think it’s that you’re too soft, Jiulang. If you say the word, I can help you drive that woman away. No one will steal your business again.”
“No need,” Wu Ning quickly waved his hand. “A soup stall is just a little extra pocket money for the brothers. There’s no need to take it so seriously.”
“Hah.” Taiping snorted derisively, not believing his nonsense for a moment.
“Who would have thought that the cunning Wu Jiulang could be so naively kind.”
Wu Ning was speechless. He thought, Why do you always have to mock me?
Changing the subject, he asked, “Princess, what business do you have with me?”
“Forget it.” Princess Taiping still sneered. “I did have matters to discuss, but now...”
She paused. “Someone with a woman’s compassion cannot help me.”
With a toss of her robes, she turned and left.
“Jiulang, go back to the city and keep attending to your little romances!”
Heh!
Wu Ning thought to himself, If you don’t want to say it, fine—I have no desire to be involved in your nonsense anyway!
“Will you speak or not? If you don’t, I’m leaving, you know?”
Little brat—think I can’t handle you?
“!!!!” Taiping spun around sharply, glaring at Wu Ning. Why was this boy always so irritating?
“I am a princess, and you speak to me like this?”
Wu Ning nearly cried. Damn, women are all the same—none of them give peace of mind!
“My princess, look at my pockmarked face, my sickly body. At your summons, I have come. For this, please spare this humble one, won’t you?”
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At that, he bowed deeply. “Before, I was rude and displeased Your Highness. I beg you to forgive my insolence and spare me your wrath.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Taiping laughed, like a victorious rooster, unconsciously raising her head high.
“That’s more like it! But first, you must answer one thing.”
She pointed to Aunt Qi by the mountain path. “Why do you let that shrew be?”
Taiping had been observing Wu Ning for some time and knew well how Aunt Qi behaved.
What she couldn’t understand was why Wu Jiulang, who never tolerated losses, would let the shrew be and even allow her stall right opposite his own, letting her steal business.
In Taiping’s eyes, Wu Ning was no saint; there had to be a reason.
“Sigh.”
Wu Ning sighed deeply and said plainly, “Uncle Qi was kind to me before he passed.”
“No!” Taiping shook her head. “That’s no excuse. That woman is greedy and rude, repeatedly offending you. By your nature, you wouldn’t tolerate her even if she owed you a favor.”
“Aunt Qi’s son is my brother.”
“That’s no excuse either. Brothers are brothers, Aunt Qi is Aunt Qi. You know that very well.”
Taiping looked at Wu Ning and slowly sat down in the corridor. “Tell me, why raise a tiger to bring disaster? Without that woman, the mountain pass would be better off.”
“She’s not a tiger,” Wu Ning finally stopped evading and sat beside Taiping. “At most, she’s a wolf.”
“Your Highness, have you heard of the Zhongshan wolf?”
“Zhongshan wolf?” Taiping rested her chin on her hand, looking puzzled. “No, never heard of it.”
“No way?” Wu Ning looked disdainful. “You haven’t even heard of the Zhongshan wolf? That’s rather ignorant!”
Well, Wu Ning being a country bumpkin didn’t know the story of the Zhongshan wolf and Mr. Dongguo wouldn’t exist until the Ming dynasty, so naturally the Tang princess hadn’t heard of it.
“So, in the Warring States period, a hunter from Zhongshan drove a wolf into the wild. The wolf was near death when it encountered Mr. Dongguo and begged for its life. Mr. Dongguo was kind and hid the wolf in his cloth bag to save it from death. When the hunter came, Mr. Dongguo misled him, thus sparing the wolf.”
...
Taiping leaned lazily in the corridor, listening with interest to Wu Ning’s tale.
“And then?”
“And then?” Wu Ning smiled mysteriously. “The wolf, once freed from the bag, showed no gratitude for Mr. Dongguo’s kindness. Instead, it bared its fangs and said, ‘Since you are kind, sir, I am very hungry. Why not give me your body as food?’”
“Ah?”
Taiping was engrossed but didn’t expect such an ending and gasped softly.
“That wolf is so wicked, ungrateful, utterly shameless!”
“Heh.”
Wu Ning smiled and countered, “And what about Mr. Dongguo? Was he not also blindly naive, utterly foolish, harming himself?”
“...”
After hearing this, Taiping lowered her head in contemplation. “So you mean that woman outside is the ungrateful Zhongshan wolf?”
“And you, Jiulang, are the foolish Mr. Dongguo?”
Wu Ning nodded. “More or less.”
“But... why?” Taiping was even more puzzled.
Knowing Aunt Qi is a wolf, why still play the role of Mr. Dongguo?
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll turn on you later and devour you?”
“Of course I am,” Wu Ning admitted.
“That’s why I try to become stronger than her. If Mr. Dongguo had a blade in his hand, the wolf wouldn’t dare eat him.”
“But...” Taiping still didn’t understand. Was it really necessary?
“Why not just get rid of the trouble once and for all instead of being foolish and keeping the disaster?”
“Sigh!” Wu Ning sighed again.
He thought, I was just telling Taiping a story to keep her from arguing with me, but now...
Looking at Taiping, who still didn’t grasp the reasoning, it seemed he really had to teach her properly. With such little insight, how would she survive the ruthless imperial court?
“Princess, this is just a story, or a fable, not our present reality.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the story, there’s only Mr. Dongguo and the wolf. But now, besides me and Aunt Qi, there are others—everyone in the village of Xiashan Pass with the Wu surname.”
“Likewise, one day when Your Highness returns to the capital, besides yourself and your enemies, there will be ministers, nobles, and the eyes of all Tang.”
“I only ask the princess this: the Zhongshan wolf is indeed evil, Mr. Dongguo indeed foolish, but stepping outside this story, if there were no wolf, who would remember Mr. Dongguo?”
“!!!!”
Taiping was struck by a realization. Indeed, without the wolf, who would know Mr. Dongguo?
She seemed to understand but not fully.
Wu Ning said, “Naive kindness is undesirable, but sometimes it is also a weapon.”
He looked at Aunt Qi by the mountain path. “With my current strength, I could easily crush her to satisfy my resentment. The whole village would say it’s justified.”
“But on the other hand, by keeping her and ignoring her, everyone thinks it’s foolish kindness, but this foolish kindness earns me more recognition and willingness to associate with me.”
“It also allows me to better lead the entire village forward. Why not?”
“...”
Taiping was impressed. A single Aunt Qi had brought out so many principles and insights from Wu Ning, even lessons in managing affairs.
Moreover, it wasn’t just applicable to this small mountain village of Xiashan Pass—she, a princess of the imperial family, listened and felt greatly benefited. Truly an eye-opener.
...
Straightening up, she said, “Take this as a lesson! It seems calling Jiulang back was really the right choice. Only you can solve my current difficulties.”
“Ah?” Wu Ning’s eyes popped.
Again?
Why does this spendthrift woman have so many troubles?
...
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