Chapter 73: Chengdu Luomashi

Old Man Jiang was undoubtedly a man of action. As soon as he said at lunch that we were going to Chengdu, after lunch he and I simply packed a few things and prepared to set off.

“Master, now that we are leaving, what about the things in the small room?” I asked a little worried.

“This you do not need to worry. Who could even find this place? Even if they did find it, they would not be able to wander out of the bamboo forest! Besides, the local customs are simple and honest, I am not worried. Even if we take ten thousand steps back and someone really stole something, I have my own way to get it back.” Old Man Jiang said without the slightest concern.

Since he said he had a way, then he had a way. I did not ask further. There was not much for either of us to pack. We took a set of spare clothes and left very simply.

We first went to my home. When we arrived, only my father was at home.

“Master Jiang, you brought San Wa Er here? His mother went to the Zhou family to help take a look. You know Widow Zhou has been gone for three years. She left behind an orphan, though the uncles and aunts are taking care of him... how about I call her back and we have a good meal tonight?” my father said rambling as soon as we entered.

Since Widow Zhou had left three years ago, my mother often went to help out. After all, in Zhou Er’s household the old were very old and the young were very young. Because of past matters, my mother always kept them in her heart.

“Xiuyun is a good person, do not call her. We are leaving soon. I came down this trip to tell you that the money might be delayed a few days. I am taking San Wa Er to Chengdu. I will give it to you when we come back.” Old Man Jiang waved his hand, stopping my father from fussing.

My father was holding a water ladle at the time. Hearing this, he was so shocked that the ladle almost fell to the ground, and quickly asked, “Everything is fine, what are you going to Chengdu for?”

“Something to do.” Old Man Jiang simply replied. I did not dare speak beside him. He had already warned me on the way down the mountain that if my father asked, I was not to say anything.

“I see, I see...” Old Man Jiang clearly did not want to explain the reason. My father did not know what else to ask. In any case, he always felt reassured leaving me with Old Man Jiang. He could only stand there blankly and respond twice. He had never been to a provincial capital in his life and could not offer any advice.

“Then we are leaving. Remember to tell Xiuyun.” After saying that, Old Man Jiang took my hand and left.

When we got off the long-distance coach, I was already so nauseated that I felt almost dazed all the way. Who would have thought that a trip to Chengdu would require more than a full day on the bus?

Speaking of it, we had set out the day before yesterday, but we reached the county town that night. It was only the next morning that we boarded the coach to Chengdu. There were no trains in our area.

“You useless brat, bumpkin, just sitting in a bus and you end up like this. At a glance I can tell you have never taken a proper ride before.” As soon as we got off, Old Man Jiang raised his voice, drawing looks from everyone around.

I held onto the large coach, wanting to retort that with the way he dressed, who exactly was the bumpkin, but the sour water in my stomach kept rising and I could not speak at all.

We lingered at the station for about ten minutes until Old Man Jiang somehow got me a cup of hot water. Only then did I feel a little better. Once I recovered, I complained, “You first said we were going to the town, then suddenly said there was nothing there. Others offered to drive us but you refused. Who would not vomit on their first long trip like that? You were messing with me. Before getting on the bus you kept telling me to eat more, otherwise I would not have eaten so much...”

“Go, go, go. Stop embarrassing yourself here.” Old Man Jiang saw people looking over again and hurriedly dragged me away.

As soon as we left the station, my head started spinning. It was not that I had not recovered from the bus ride, but rather I was overwhelmed by the bustling prosperity outside. The Chengdu accent was soft and gentle. We had just stood there for a moment when a woman selling boiled corn walked over.

“Buy some corn, uncle. Freshly boiled, very fresh.”

The voice made my whole body feel weak. Coupled with such a huge city, I felt an inexplicable sense of timidity and immediately hid behind Old Man Jiang. Old Man Jiang, however, smiled and handled it easily. He bought two ears of corn and asked for directions before leading me away.

“Master, where are we going next?” The corn was fresh and tasty. My stomach had just been emptied from vomiting, so I was eating happily, but in such a huge city, with cars running on the roads and tall buildings on both sides that I had never seen before, and crowds flowing like water, I felt very uncomfortable and clung tightly to Old Man Jiang, afraid of getting lost.

“You still do not admit you are a bumpkin? If you were in Beijing, would you be crying at the train station? This is nothing. Chunxi Road is even more lively. If I did not have business, I would have taken you there. Chengdu has so much food. No, after this matter is done, I must take you to eat properly.” Old Man Jiang kept talking but still did not say where we were going.

I was a foodie, and as soon as I heard food, my eyes lit up. I quickly asked, “What kinds of food are there? Is it good?”

“There are too many. Zhong Shui Jiao, Lai Tangyuan, Dan Dan Noodles, Egg Pancakes, Long Chaoshou... too many, all delicious.” Old Man Jiang said as he swallowed his saliva and took another big bite of corn.

I also kept gnawing on the corn to satisfy my craving. After a while, I finally asked, “Master, where exactly are we going?”

“Luomashi.” Old Man Jiang said simply.

Luomashi [NOTE: A historic commercial district in Chengdu whose name originally refers to a mule and horse market, later developing into a busy trading area with shops and informal markets.]

Luomashi was a place name in Chengdu. I did not know why my master brought me here. After changing several buses, I was already dizzy from the sheer scale of Chengdu.

We checked into a small guesthouse. After washing up briefly, I felt hungry and asked about eating.

Old Man Jiang, however, said, “No rush to eat. We are going to a teahouse first.”

“Master, is this the refined life of a big city? Drink tea first, then eat? Or eat while drinking tea in a teahouse?” I was thinking about the food he had mentioned on the way, and my heart itched with curiosity. I had never even heard of those dishes, let alone eaten them.

“You only know how to eat. I am taking you to handle proper business. Originally I planned to go to the town, contact someone, and have him help me find a buyer in Hong Kong. But goods from Hong Kong circulate too quickly. I cannot be sure what he would use them for. If it ended up in the hands of knowledgeable foreigners, I would not feel at ease. If I am going to sell it, I would rather sell it to a Chinese person I approve of.” Old Man Jiang said.

I responded with an “oh,” thinking no wonder he first said there was business in the town and then said there was none. “Then why not take their vehicle?” I still felt bitter about the bus ride.

“I do not want to be too high profile. Remember this. You will have to walk your own path in the future. Do not be ostentatious in everything you do.” Old Man Jiang said very seriously.

Whenever he used this expression, it meant I was not allowed to ask why and must simply follow orders. I nodded to show I remembered.

“Let’s go to the teahouse.” Old Man Jiang changed into clean clothes and took me out.

Luomashi had many teahouses. As soon as we stepped out, he held my hand and walked very familiarly, but he did not stop at any of the tea shops along the roadside.

“Master, are these not all teahouses?” I asked curiously.

“You understand nothing. There are two kinds of people with the sharpest eyes for jade. One is high level experts from the state, the other is families who have passed down jade trading for generations. Only they can recognize true spiritual jade. Luomashi just happens to have such family descendants. Do you understand?”

He still did not directly answer my question, but I was used to it and simply shook my head.

“On the surface, Luomashi looks like this. But in reality, what is it? It is an underground market for gold, silver, and jade. Some unseemly goods also circulate through here. Even these teahouses and stalls have people watching over them, but they are not at the right level. They would not recognize my item.” Old Man Jiang said casually.

“What are unseemly goods?” I asked curiously.