The Old Woman

Chapter 641 The Old Woman

Seeing the old woman, who was holding a stone as she carefully scraped the glued monkey-skin off the other, Yang Xiaohai couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed.

He had never imagined that this woman—thin as a skeleton from hunger, who seemed to have a peculiar habit of sucking on rocks—was actually a mysterious and unfathomable master!

“Husband… someone died. They really died. The brains got beaten out.”

Zhao Xiumei, standing beside him, hid behind Yang Xiaohai in fear.

Even though the red-robed Daoist had killed plenty of people along the way, no matter how many times she saw it, she still couldn’t get used to the sight of death.

“It’s fine, don’t be scared. Didn’t you see? This old grandmother is a good person who kills evildoers,” Yang Xiaohai said quietly, trying to comfort her.

The old woman’s actions put him somewhat at ease. It wasn’t likely that someone who just killed a villain would turn around and attack common folk.

Besides, the two of them had given her a bowl of red-oil wontons earlier. Even if she didn’t eat them, there was still some goodwill between them.

But while Yang Xiaohai stayed calm, everyone else was panicking. As soon as they saw the real corpse, they shrieked and scattered in all directions. The old Daoist with the immortal-like bearing was the loudest and ran the fastest.

Compared to the others, however, the three monkeys had a completely different reaction. “Nya-ji-ji, nya… mother! Mother!!”

The two monkeys that hadn’t been skinned yet raised their hands high and hopped around the old woman excitedly.

“Come on, come on, don’t move. Be good. Let me take a look.”

Yang Xiaohai watched as the old woman carefully used the stone to lift the monkey-skin off them, separating the two.

“There’s a kid inside that monkey-skin! That’s terrifying.”

“I remember Senior Sister Bai once told me that some people catch children like this and wrap them in monkey-skin to use as performing monkeys. These monkey-humans are supposedly many times better than regular ones. I thought it was just a rumor, but it turns out it’s real. Come on, we need to help.”

He might not have had the courage to step forward boldly at first, but when it came to adding a touch of kindness to an already good deed, he could still manage.

The couple scooped some hot water from the cauldron nearby, soaked a cloth, wrung it out, and after carefully shaking it cool, began wiping the blood and pus off the three monkey-children.

It looked painful, but these children hadn’t been wearing the monkey-skin for long. There was still hope for them.

They worked together, and soon the three monkey-children were wrapped in Yang Xiaohai’s oversized clothes. At last, they had turned from monkeys back into humans.

But their behavior was still very monkey-like. Clearly, they had been trained by that man for a long time. It would take a while for them to recover.

Yang Xiaohai watched as the old woman pulled out a strip of white cloth and wrapped it around the monkey-child’s head. Curious, he asked, “Old mother, what are you doing?”

“Wrapping them with this,” she said. “Their lives will become as hard as stone. After this, no one will dare bully these poor children anymore.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai nodded with understanding. He figured this must be some local custom, probably like putting a red dot on a child’s forehead to ward off evil spirits.

He used to believe in that kind of thing too. But he wasn’t a child anymore. He knew it was all lies. A red dot on the forehead couldn’t ward off evil. Only Senior Brother Li could do that.

“Hehehe, little one. You have a kind heart. Good people will be rewarded,” the old woman said, gently patting Yang Xiaohai on the head before leading the three monkey-children forward.

Watching their small figures recede into the distance, Yang Xiaohai thought for a moment, then hurried back to his cart. “Come on. Looks like they’re going the same way as us. We can give them a ride.”

“Is… is that a good idea?” Zhao Xiumei’s face showed hesitation. “That old woman seems a bit strange.”

“It’s fine. Her mind might be sick, but not everyone with a sick mind is a bad person. Besides, if we travel with a master like her, the road will be safer.”

He remembered how Lyu Zhuangyuan had come up with the same idea when he decided to follow Senior Brother Li all the way to Daliang. Today, he was just applying what he had learned.

Besides, since she had saved those three monkey-children and was trying to help them recover, she probably wasn’t a bad person.

“Old mother, take the cart. It’s not easy walking with that cane. And it looks like we’re heading the same way anyway.”

The tattered old woman didn’t want to ride the cart at first, but she couldn’t refuse Yang Xiaohai’s sincere invitation. In the end, she climbed aboard.

Even with four extra people on the cart—one light-as-a-feather old woman and three small children—they probably weighed less than the late Gao Zhijian combined.

“Hey, little one. How old are you?” The old woman leaned against the dried bread-puck as she stared at the back of Yang Xiaohai’s head.

“Me? I don’t know. No one kept track when I was little. I guess I’m around thirteen or fourteen, maybe.”

Hearing this, the old woman’s eyes flickered with memory. “Sigh. If my two grandchildren were still here, they’d probably be around your age.”

“Old mother, what happened to your grandchildren?” Yang Xiaohai asked, turning sideways as he held the horse’s reins.

“The granddaughter was sold. Traded for two steamed buns. The grandson was snatched up and boiled in a pot. Eaten. Ah… my poor children.” As she spoke, tears began to fall, and the atmosphere grew heavy with sorrow.

“Niang-niang? Niang-niang?” One of the monkey-children raised its oversized sleeve, trying to wipe her tears, but she pulled it into her arms and started crying.

“Ah, husband. This old mother has also suffered,” Zhao Xiumei whispered to Yang Xiaohai before hopping onto the cart and starting to recount her own miserable past to comfort the old woman.

With the monkey-child and Zhao Xiumei’s consoling, the old woman gradually quieted down. She wiped the corner of her eye with the thimble on her finger. “It’s alright. It’s not important. No need to worry. Now that Shidu Yeye is protecting us, he came to me in a dream. My grandson and granddaughter are both doing well with him. When I die, I’ll see them again. And in the next life, we’ll be a rich and noble family.”

Zhao Xiumei’s eyes widened. “Is this Shidu Yeye really that powerful? Which temple is it? Does it grant children? I should go pay my respects sometime.”

Hearing this, the old woman’s spirits lifted. She sat cross-legged, her face animated, and began to boast about how powerful Shidu Yeye was and how wonderful everything became once you believed in him.

Zhao Xiumei listened, half-believing and half-doubting.

After eating the wontons, no one was hungry. The cart carried them forward along the dirt road for two full shichen.

They finally found a county town before nightfall, saving themselves from having to sleep out in the open.

“Husband, how do I look?”

Hearing the voice, Yang Xiaohai turned around just in time to see his wife, Zhao Xiumei, with a strip of white cloth tied around her head.