“Fifth Brother! No!”
Zhang Dasha’s nightmare startled Zhang Ershao and the others awake.
“Brother is having a nightmare!”
“Elder brother! Wake up!”
“What if he can’t wake up?”
“Slapping him doesn’t help! Should we throw water on him to wake him up?”
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
Zhang Sishao hurriedly went outside barefoot to fetch water. After he bumped into the wall while carrying a basin of water back inside, he endured the pain and moved towards the sound.
“Everyone, step aside, the water’s here!”
“Hey! Fourth Brother, you spilled water all over me and Third Brother!” Zhang Ershao exclaimed as he wiped the water off his face.
Zhang Sanshao, also drenched, quickly fumbled in the dark, trying to light a fire. Once the room was illuminated, Zhang Sishao went back outside to fetch another basin of water.
By then, Zhang Ershao and Zhang Sanshao had already helped Zhang Dasha sit down in a chair. Zhang Dasha’s face was streaked with tears and twisted with fear.
Zhang Sishao directly splashed water onto Zhang Dasha.
With a basin of cold water poured over him, Zhang Dasha’s emotions gradually calmed down.
Slowly opening his eyes, he stared at them with a dazed expression.
“Brother, you had a nightmare.”
“Elder brother, it’s all okay now.”
“Elder brother, you looked terrifying just now. Luckily, you woke up!”
Zhang Dasha stared blankly at them for a while before he regained his senses. Covering his unsettled heart with his hand, he choked out, “I had a terrifying dream. I dreamed that Fifth Brother was on a big ship, and that ship caught fire while on the sea. I tried my best to swim over, but I couldn’t make it. In the end, I could only watch helplessly as the ship was reduced to ashes, and Fifth Brother’s body was lost, sinking into the deep sea…”
As he recounted the dream, Zhang Dasha broke down in tears. The dream felt too real, as if he had experienced it himself.
After hearing this, Zhang Ershao and the others had stiff expressions on their faces, clearly uneasy. Yet they comforted Zhang Dasha, saying, “Brother, dreams are all fake. Fifth Brother has always been lucky. What could happen to him? Maybe he’s out there enjoying himself right now!”
“Perhaps he’s with beautiful ladies, drinking fine wine and dining on delicacies, playing dice!”
“Yes! After leaving, Fifth Brother must be living it up. He has probably forgotten that we are here, enduring hardship at the temple. But why has he changed so much so suddenly?” Zhang Sishao was speaking when he suddenly stopped, feeling unable to continue.
Zhang Dasha was harsh with them, but even harsher with himself. Remembering the way Zhang Fang had disciplined himself, Zhang Sishao became anxious and fearful.
When a debauched scion begins to change and seeks to reform, it is not a good sign. It means something grave has occurred to provoke such a transformation, compelling the prodigal to make a firm resolution to work harder.
Zhang Ershao and Zhang Sanshao clearly thought of this too, and the brothers looked worried.
Wiping the tears from his face, Zhang Dasha said to them, “I need to go home and see Fifth Brother. I need to find out what he’s really planning.”
Zhang Sishao recalled what Zhang Fang had said on the day he left and replied awkwardly, “Didn’t Fifth Brother say he was going to help Father…”
“Father encountered a rebellion in the western frontier not long ago and almost got into trouble. If Fifth Brother is going to help Father manage the business, could he run into danger?” Zhang Dasha tightly grasped Zhang Sishao’s arm.
Zhang Sishao winced at Zhang Dasha’s grip and breathed in sharply, speaking softly, “There’s definitely nothing wrong. Fifth Brother just started learning to manage the business, and Father wouldn’t let him travel far.”
“Still, I can’t feel at ease! No! I must go home and take a look!” Zhang Dasha insisted, needing to see Zhang Fang safe and sound before he could relax.
That night, the four brothers secretly climbed over the wall and left the temple.
After walking for a while, Zhang Sishao began to regret it. Looking at the tall mountains on either side, and hearing the eerie sounds of wild beasts and insects in the night, he felt uneasy.
Zhang Sishao hesitated and tugged at Zhang Sanshao’s hand, timidly saying, “Why don’t we head back to the temple first? Even if we’re going home, we should wait until dawn! It’s so dark at night that we can’t even see the road; what if we take a wrong turn and end up trapped in the mountains?”
Zhang Ershao and Zhang Sanshao thought the same. After all, traveling at night was too dangerous, especially with wild animals lurking in the deep mountains. They had been staying here for a while and had sometimes heard wolves howling at night! What if they encountered wolves on the road later?
“Elder Brother, Fourth Brother is right. There are wild beasts in these mountains; what if we run into one? We can’t take them on. We can’t have Fifth Brother getting into trouble while something happens to us first…” Zhang Ershao also advised Zhang Dasha to turn back.
In fact, Zhang Dasha was also somewhat scared. However, his worry for Zhang Fang outweighed his fear. Compared to the danger he might face, he was more afraid of Zhang Fang really getting into trouble.
“If you’re scared, then go back to the temple. I’ll go home by myself.” When he said this, Zhang Dasha’s heart raced. The thought of walking alone in the dark mountains made his steps feel heavy.
“Elder Brother, what kind of talk is that? How could we leave you to walk back alone at night? Fine, if we’re going, let’s go together!” Zhang Ershao sighed, and when he couldn’t convince Zhang Dasha to turn back, he decided to accompany him on the dark road.
Seeing how resolute Zhang Dasha was, Zhang Sishao felt he could not speak up any longer. He could only follow them silently along the night road.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any dangers on the way, and by dawn, they entered the city.
Heaven knows, upon seeing the familiar sights, they all felt as if they had been away for decades!
As they passed the gambling den, Zhang Ershao swallowed hard. His feet involuntarily moved to the entrance of the casino.
“Where did this beggar come from? Get lost! Don’t disrupt my luck!”
A man with a disgusted expression shoved Zhang Ershao aside.
Zhang Ershao: ???
He dared to call me a beggar!
“Go to hell, you beggar! My family’s wealth is so vast you couldn’t count it in several lifetimes!”
After kicking the man hard, Zhang Ershao spat and turned to leave angrily.
Zhang Sanshao caught a whiff of delicious steamed buns, his mouth watering as he walked up to the vendor and shouted, “I want all the buns!”