Chapter Sixteen: Fish Soup

“Brother Wang, thank you so much!” Zhao Mu looked at Wang Wu and solemnly clasped his fists in gratitude. If Wang Wu hadn’t appeared just in time, it would have been difficult for him to escape with his life today.

Wang Wu returned the gesture politely. “Young master, there’s no need for thanks. Even if we were strangers passing by, I would still draw my sword to help.”

For a moment, Zhao Mu felt even more ashamed. Although his reaction that day wasn’t entirely excessive, Wang Wu’s actions today made him realize how cold-hearted he must have seemed in comparison.

“Brother Wang, what brings you here today? Could it be that you’re also heading to Taiping County?”

Thinking of their two chance encounters, Zhao Mu casually asked.

Wang Wu nodded. “I have an old friend who’s currently in Taiping County.”

Zhao Mu continued, “I see. May I ask where your wife and children are now? I just finished cooking a pot of fish soup—why don’t we share it together?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Wu hesitated.

He licked his dry lips and asked with difficulty, “Is that alright?”

Zhao Mu smiled. “Brother Wang, you’ve done me such a great favor today. If I don’t offer you any hospitality, wouldn’t that be rude?”

Huang Wan stepped forward and bowed slightly. “If it weren’t for Brother Wang today, I’m afraid I’d have been dragged back into the bandits’ den. I can never repay this lifesaving kindness; a simple meal is nothing to mention.”

Wang Wu opened his mouth but hesitated deeply.

As he had said before, not to mention that Zhao Mu once gave him a few small fish that saved his daughter, he would help even a stranger surrounded by bandits.

And upon realizing the people he saved were Zhao Mu and Huang Wan, he treated this act as a repayment of a kindness, never expecting anything in return.

But thinking of his little daughter, who had just been rescued yet had gone hungry for days, he wavered.

He could starve himself, but seeing his daughter suffer hunger felt like a dull blade cutting through his heart again and again.

The reason he had stumbled upon Zhao Mu being harassed by bandits was because he saw the smoke from cooking fires and hoped to get some food for his daughter.

Zhao Mu noticed his hesitation and quickly urged, “Brother Wang, even if the adults don’t eat, the children must not be hungry. Hurry and bring your daughter inside to have some warm food.”

Those words struck a chord deep within Wang Wu’s heart. He gritted his teeth and said, “Alright! I’ll go bring Xing’er over now.”

Zhao Mu smiled knowingly. “Brother Wang, hurry back. I’ll tidy up these bodies first.”

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After a brief pause, Wang Wu said, “I’ll handle it. I’ve dug graves and buried bodies too many times to count.”

Zhao Mu was momentarily taken aback, not quite understanding the meaning behind those words.

But he waved his hand. “Brother Wang, bring your daughter inside first. I’ll move these bodies outside the yard. Once we’ve eaten and have strength, we can bury them.”

Digging graves wasn’t about giving these bandits a proper burial but about preventing disease from piling up corpses.

Wang Wu nodded and hurried outside.

Huang Wan came over and helped Zhao Mu lift the bodies.

“Actually, there’s no need to trouble ourselves so much,” Huang Wan said softly. “These bodies can be tossed anywhere. Before long, wild dogs and vultures will have consumed them.”

Zhao Mu was momentarily stunned, suddenly recalling the many corpses they had encountered along the way.

Indeed, most of those corpses had been fed to wild dogs and vultures.

The two of them silently carried the four bodies out of the yard and set them aside before returning to prepare the fish soup.

At the same time, Wang Wu entered, carrying his little daughter.

Zhao Mu was about to greet them but paused in surprise.

He glanced behind Wang Wu and asked, “Brother Wang, why is it just the two of you? Where are your wife and Huzi?”

Though several days had passed, Zhao Mu still vividly remembered the young boy Huzi, who had once threatened to make Wang Wu eat his own rescued sister.

Thus, he still recalled his name.

Wang Wu forced a faint smile. “I’m just grateful that Xing’er can have a bowl of fish soup today. I didn’t dare bring the others along.”

Only then did Zhao Mu realize that Wang Wu’s agreement to stay and eat was only for the sake of his little daughter, not the whole family.

“Brother Wang, if you keep this up, I’m going to get angry,” Zhao Mu said sternly. “You saved both our lives today, and yet you refuse even a bowl of fish soup? Are you looking down on us? Do you think our fish soup is charity?”

Wang Wu was momentarily speechless.

Zhao Mu gave him a sharp look, then turned to Huang Wan. “Miss Huang, please go see if you can bring Brother Wang’s wife and son to join us.”

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Huang Wan nodded and quickly went on her way.

Zhao Mu looked back at Wang Wu, unsure how to judge him.

He could vaguely understand Wang Wu’s mindset—it wasn’t about repaying a lifesaving debt or wanting to impose on others.

Now that he thought about it, if Wang Wu’s daughter hadn’t been on the verge of starvation that night, he might never have begged for some fish.

Wang Wu was a stubborn man to the bone.

But if you called him foolish, he was equally so.

Though Wang Wu appeared untroubled now and had effortlessly slain two bandits, Zhao Mu guessed that among the family of four, Wang Wu likely ate the least on this journey.

His endurance was all that kept him going.

But did Wang Wu ever consider that if he died of hunger, what would become of his family?

Without their pillar of strength, how could his wife and two children make it to Taiping County?

Zhao Mu silently scooped a large bowl of fish soup, adding plenty of fish meat.

“Brother Wang, eat!”

He stared fiercely at Wang Wu, anger evident in his voice. “If you don’t finish this bowl today, even if the Heavenly King himself comes, I won’t let your family have a single bite of this fish soup!”

Wang Wu was stunned, unsure how to respond.

Zhao Mu pressed on, “Why won’t you eat? Do you want your daughter and son to be fatherless, to grow up as children without a father? Or do you want your wife to be widowed, left alone to suffer in this cruel world?”

“Oh, I get it! If you die, they won’t be orphans and widows! Because without you, the pillar of the family, they won’t survive this chaotic world either. It won’t be long before they join you!”

“If that’s truly how you think, then keep holding back. Don’t touch a single mouthful of this fish soup.”

“But if you don’t think that way, then finish this bowl right now!”