Tales of Mohua

Chapter 2: Before We Met

In the evening, the gray carriage stopped outside one of the inns lined up on the outskirts of the capital.

Walking down the large staircase in the center of the inn was Shen Mohua with her grandma. On the first floor, where the dining area was, there were only two other tables taken. The group of men at the nearby table glanced over. 

She counted the coins in her hands and threw them all onto the table. One must eat good to live longer! "Six pork buns, three orders of cabbage wraps, and three bowls of noodles please."

When the food came, Shen Mohua could barely contained the saliva in her mouth. Everything looked delicious! Despite her hunger, she still forced herself to slowly mixed the bowl of noodles before diving in. 

Thirty minutes later, the food on the table was gone. Most the work was done by Shen Mohua herself and Shi Yang, the young lad who drove the carriage and a close friend of the Shen family.

"Ah Mo, thank you for the food," Shi Yang said as he stood up.

Shen Mohua was beaming with a full stomach. "Wait until we get to the capital, Ah Fai will treat us to even more."

"Alright, I'll look forward to it. Rest well tonight." Shi Yang excused himself upstairs. 

Shen Mohua lazily yawned as she held Grandma Shen's arm. "Nainai, let's go sleep."

As the two women walked towards the stairs, the leader of the group next to them blocked their path.

He stood arrogantly as he pointed his sword at her neck. One glance earlier, and it was obvious the jewelry was of high value. "Hand it over."

The necklace she had on was a silver chain with an outstanding blue pendant placed inside silver intricate carvings of a flower.

Shen Mohua cursed under her breath. On her first outing away from home, she had such horrible luck. Staying as calm as possible, she still managed to shrug off his order somewhat carelessly. "Can't, it's not mine to give away."

The man laughed loudly in amusement before his eyes glared at her sharply. "Little girl, you're wearing the necklace and yet, you claim it's not yours? Do you take me for a fool?"

"It's really not mine." She really wanted to hit the annoying man. First, for trying to steal and second, for being a useless big head. The necklace really didn't belong to her.

In the corner, at the other table, two young men witnessed the scene. The man in black robes became concerned and asked his friend, "Should we interfere?"

The other man finished the bun in his hand with leisure. He even drank his cup of wine before he answered simply, "Don't be rash."

Kong Yunru immediately understood and continued eating his plate of fried noodles.

Back to where Shen Mohua stood, the man tried to snatch her necklace away. When he reached over, she promptly aimed for his thigh. Her kick caught him off guard, forcing him to fall onto his knees. The impact of his knees banging the floor brought out a hiss of pain.

From the moment the man spoke of wanting the necklace, she knew he was at most a petty thief. The reason he carried a sword was to scare people away. His skills were at most a beginner's level. He wasn't ambitious enough to be a murderer, but he wanted easy money.

"You said it's not yours, whose is it then? Did you steal it?" The man stood up, this time with more caution towards the seemingly harmless woman he misjudged earlier.

Shen Mohua glanced at the shiny blue necklace that came into her possession one year ago. "My fiancé."

Hearing her answer, one of the thief's friend came over. This man was bald and had a sticky smile on his face. Unlike the others, this man was dressed in exquisite clothes and accessories. 

Bald Man nodded to himself, feeling highly satisfied with the woman's appearance. It was rare for him to encounter such a beautiful woman from the countryside. In a taunting voice, he asked sarcastically, "This man you referred to as your fiancé must not care for you at all. How can a man casually let his beloved travel alone?"

His tasteless joke earned some snickers and laugh from their group of minions.

Her warm and easygoing demeanor all but disappeared. Her eyes turned cold. "Say that again."

Bald Man was more annoying than Thief Man. She could see the lustful glint in his eyes. The clothes she had on wasn't showing skin, but she felt uncomfortable under his shameless stares.

"How about you spend a night with me? I can give you hundreds of treasures worth countless times than that rubbish of a necklace."

"If the owner is of no value, then what worth are the possessions?" Shen Mohua spat tauntingly, "Pure trash?"

"You!" Bald Man raised his hand, preparing to hit her. "Name it, who is your fiancé?"

Shen Mohua did not waste her time on the question. There were five men in the group and two other customers. The stairs were ten steps forward and the door was about twenty steps away. 

"What, you can no longer talk? This fiancé of yours has disappeared, right?" Bald Man smirked victoriously. He knew from the beginning she was lying.

Her eyes analyzed his hand. She was sure she could deliver a heavy blow before he could graze her skin.

Bald Man mistook her silence for contemplation. He smirked victoriously, no woman would be foolish enough to turn down an offer to richness. "Serve me well and you'll wake up a wealthy woman."

Shen Mohua's fists shook. If her gaze was cold before, she was icy now. This perverted old man, how dare he looked at others so lowly?

The thought of ending him popped in her mind when Grandma Shen's shaking hand held tightly onto her arm. "Mohua, I'm scared..."

Shen Mohua calmed herself down. She couldn't afford to be violent in front of her nainai.

Bald Man saw the complex look on her face. Even if he hurt this woman today, the consequences wouldn't be high. At most, he would enjoy a blissful night with her first before dealing with anything else.

"Beauty, it's useless to wait for a fiancé that is nonexistent. Just come to me, I'll treat make sure to treat you well. Night and day, I'll treasure you more than gold..." Bald Man roared in laughter, fully satisfied with his imagination of her rolling on his sheets. 

Unexpectedly, as he was laughing his head off, a bun flew straight into his mouth and shut him up right away-- almost choking him.

The force was so strong he lost control of his footing and fell back first onto the hard floor.

Bald Man spat the bun and along with it, came out blood and two teeth...

Shen Mohua subconsciously clenched tightly onto her necklace. She was not afraid to get hurt, but she afraid to lose it. After all, this was the only thing she had from him. 

Her fiancé. 

Ouyang Jun was his name.