“My uncle told me.” Jinxia replied quickly, “But don’t blame him, he didn’t mean to say it until I asked.”
“I’ve asked him to not say anything; I didn’t expect him to be so unreliable.” Mrs. Shen’s face was calm, but her tone was angry, “He knows very well that my family matters are private, but it turns out that he talks about it so easily, then he isn’t someone I can rely on.”
“Aunt, aunt…”
When Jinxia saw that Mrs. Shen was really angry, she panicked.
“A person like him, who treats my family affairs as a casual topic after a meal, how could I possibly bring him in front of my parents’ grave….”
“Aunt, I was wrong, I was wrong. It wasn’t my uncle who said it, really not, don’t blame him.” Jinxia hurriedly explained, “Regarding aunt’s family, my uncle didn’t say anything at all, his lips were tightly shut.”
“If it wasn’t him, then who?”
Under her steely gaze, Jinxia swallowed hard before saying: “Aunt knows that I am a constable…. Since the incident in the peach blossom forest, I secretly had people investigate you. I’m sorry, aunt. I was just curious and didn’t have any other intention.”
Mrs. Shen didn’t let the matter go. She continued to ask: “I know you are a government official. I also know that you are only an insignificant constable in LiuShanmen. At most, the only person who can help you investigate this matter is Yang Yue. My family record, you have absolutely no authority to see it. Tell me, how did you manage to read it?”
“That…. Money can always be helpful in these situations.”
Jinxia laughed, but secretly insisted in her heart: I will not sell out Lu Daren.
“From top to bottom, you don’t seem to be living luxuriously, as well as a small constable in LiuShanmen, you earned less than two taels, what are you trying to hide?” Mrs. Shen tilted her head looking at her.
“…. It can be paid in installments, this is the rule in LiuShanmen, you won’t understand.” Jinxia answered her with difficulty, afraid she might spill if Mrs. Shen continued to ask, “That’s right, YangYue told me to take a look over the porridge he’s cooking, it must have overflowed, I almost forgot, let me go take a look first…”
Right when she finished her words, she was already out the door.
Mrs. Shen watched her run away, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself: This kid, still protecting Lu Daren, won’t say it no matter how much I asked.
In fact, how could she not know, this matter had been covered up for years and was carefully concealed, if not for a high-ranking officer like JinYiwei, how could an ordinary person be able to access this information. Judging from everyone’s status within the group, only Lu Yi has the ability to investigate her background. It was good that he had no ill intentions, I wonder if he did it because he sympathized with her background or because he felt indebted, either way, he never brought up any of her past. In this case, Mrs. Shen really appreciates it.
***
The next day, when the fog was still visible, Xie Xiao put on the shoes and socks that Jinxia prepared. He was ready to go to the big Sophora Japonica tree in the Qingpo river. As soon as he arrived at the front door of the residence, he saw an old woman, bent over walking back and forth in front of the door.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
Xie Xiao was confused for a moment as to whether these were Chun Yumin’s relatives.
“My son, you’re going fishing today? It’s because of worried about you, so I want to go with you.” The old lady shakingly walked toward him, she reached out to touch his face, startling Xie Xiao and forcing him to take a few steps back.
Seeing how scared he was, the old lady straightened her waist, and let out a loud laugh, then a familiar voice was heard: “Brother, what do you think of my disguise? Pretty good right? To the end that it scared you?”
Xie Xiao recognized Jinxia’s voice, as he furrowed his brows, he looked up and down at her: “Why are you dressing like this?”
“So I can come with you, and no one would recognize me.” Jinxia was very satisfied with her disguise, “Let’s go!”
Xie Xiao also enjoys pranking people, therefore, he didn’t stop her from joining him. To avoid having eyes on them, the two of them walked far apart from each other. One person standing next to the Sophora Japonica tree, and one person stand in the back….
In front of their eyes, it’s very crowded. The Qingpo river has turned into the only fish market in Xinhe city. Every day, there are only ten fishing boats that collect fish, the number of fish is also limited, and big fish must be set aside for the noble family and the restaurant, the rest of the fish are put on display on the boat for sale.
The fish market has its own rules, once the owner of the fish arrived and they can start selling, if the owner of the fish has not arrived, no fish is allowed to be sold. If you violate the rules, you will be prohibited from buying at the fish market.
On the boat, there are a lot of fish jumping up and down. On the stepping stones of the stairs under a big Sophora Japonica tree, lines of people are waiting to buy fish. Jinxia, who disguised herself as an old lady, naturally couldn’t join in the crowd, and could only stand waiting in the back.
After waiting for a long time, suddenly a person wearing luxurious silk clothing, from top to bottom can only be described as a fat middle-aged man with a melancholic face, he let out a yawn as he walked toward the market. The people immediately shift aside, creating an aisle for him to walk down. The man squinted his eyes at the fish in each boat, his short fat hands pointing as some sort of movement as if he was calculating about the profits he could get. After that, he just pulled up his sleeves, waved his fat white arms, while yelling loudly: “Market — opened —”
The fish market instantly turned into an explosion of commotion.
People quickly choose their fish, examining fish scales, and their fat puts, avoiding the skinny one. Then, they started to bargains…. Jinxia searched for a gap and crept forward, deliberately going to the small boats.
“Do you have 2kg Pomadasys hasta?” She used a low voice like an old man’s voice to ask.
“No….” The little boatman impatiently waved his hand, he threw it on the land, shouting, “6kg black carp, anyone wants it?”
Jinxia glanced inside the boat a few times, there weren’t many fish in it, far less than the other boats. It seemed that he caught fish here as a way to blend in with the crowd, which means he’s not here for the fish.
On the other hand, Xie Xiao managed to find the owner of the fish market, explaining to him that he wanted to go fishing. The owner of the market was sitting on a rattan chair under the tree, while sucking on his tea and shaking his legs, he squinted at Xie Xiao.
“Where did you come from?”
“Yangzhou.”
“Oh, what a great place. Can you swim?”
Even though Xie Xiao can confidently boost his skill, but he knew he had to pretend to look pathetic, so he nodded his head.
“Can you fish?”
Xie Xiao nodded his head again.
The owner of the market continued to drink his tea, then said slowly: “I’m not sure what are the regulations are in Yangzhou, but here, the rule I take approximately 30% of the profit, understand?”
In Wu’An Gang, we only take 20% of the profit, this bastard actually more than 30%, how cruel! Xie Xiao silently cursed him in his heart, but his face still looked submissive and respectful: “Yes, I will follow your rules.”
“Nice! Follow me.”
The owner of the market rose to his feet, directed Xie Xiao down the stairs, and continued until he stood in front of a small boat. Xie Xiao had signalled Jinxia, who were busy buying fish on the other side, they both knew that the owner of these boats must be a pirate in disguise, since the owner brought him to this specific boat, have he discovered him and Jinxia’s identity?
Jinxia was holding a Pomadasys hasta in her hand, seeing Xie Xiao, in her heart, she was very nervous.
“Dong San, how many fish did you catch today?” The owner knitted his brows looking into the boat, “Everyone is selling hundreds of kilograms of fish, you don’t even have about four or five in your boat. If everyone was like you, I would go bankrupt.”
Dong San, the little boatman, not sure if that’s even his real name or just a disguise, it seems like he’s used to being scolded by the market owner, he lazily answering: “Tomorrow I’ll just catch more.”
“Tomorrow? You say the same thing every day…. I don’t want to wait anymore, starting tomorrow, you and this young brother will go fishing together, I don’t care how you both divide your own profit, just give me 30% of the profit and we’re all good.” The owner pushed Xie Xiao into the boat.
“…. Hey! Aye!” Dong San panicked, “No way, I don’t even know who he is, why do I have to work with him”
“Because I said so!” The owner said in annoyance, “Every day, you give me very little money, not even enough for me to shove it in my mouth. If you don’t want to, then leave!”
Perhaps because of the need for this disguise, Dong San stop arguing with the owner, while glaring at Xie Xiao, he said displeasedly: “Three to four o’clock in the morning, be here and ready to go fish, can you do it?”
“Yes!” Xie Xiao answered quickly, making Dong San’s face even darker.
***
Right now the situation was going smoothly beyond expectations. Dong San was not only a pirate, but he was just a small pirate, but letting Xie Xiao alone with him, what if he get angry at Xie Xiao…
Jinxia didn’t dare to think further, but Shangguan Xi immediately understood her thoughts as soon as she heard the story.
“Fourth Brother, you can’t go!” She says.
Xie Xiao said immediately: “I’m not afraid of him, especially if we’re on the boat, what can he do to me, I’ll jump in the water if anything happens.”
“Fourth Brother, he is no ordinary criminal, he is a pirate!” Shangguan Xi was very worried, “No matter how great your swimming skills are, if he plot against you, you can’t avoid it at all, until then, he’ll throw you into the river, you…” She didn’t continue, her face displayed the meaning of her words.
“Sister, believe in me a little.” Xie Xiao was a little upset hearing her words, “You’re thinking about he’ll throw my dead body in the river, right?”
Shangguan Xi tried her best to move her body, the injury to her leg was painful, so she furrowed her brows trying to endure the pain: “Fourth Brother, that’s not what I meant, I was just worried that he might trap you.”
“I know you care about me, you always want the best for me,” Xie Xiao irritatedly shook his head, “But I am not a child anymore, I have been travelling for two, three years alone…. Yes, I was hit, I was injured, went to prison, but I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
“Fourth Brother….”
Shang Guanxi was still about to speak, but Xie Xiao interrupted her: “Sister, if I don’t go, Jinxia and the other will find a way to get inside either way. My life is valuable, what about their lives?”
“That’s not what I mean, you have to think about old master if anything happens to you…” Shangguan Xi said frantically.
“Today I will finish my word here, even if the old man knew this, he certainly would not say a single word, believe it or not?” Xie Xiao said while raising his chin.
“Fourth Brother, you must return home safely, that is the most important thing.”
“Sister, agreeing to help out with the pirates, you’re doing it because of me right?” Xie Xiao was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, and turned to look at Shangguan Xi in disbelief, “There are words that I have wanted to ask you for a long time. Have you been looking down on me in your heart all this time? Thinking I’m a perfunctory, reckless, can’t do anything on my own?”
“.. No….” Shangguan Xi tried to defend herself, but Xie Xiao did not want to listen to her at all.
“I travelled by myself for three years, maybe nothing beneficial to myself! But travelling through this big world, makes me feel so alive! As soon as I went back to the gang, you said for the sake of the old man, I should try to act like the Young Master of Wu’An gang. I’ve done what you said, but what’s the point of having this Young Master, if everyone in the gang follows your orders, I’m just like a painting on the wall. This time, I wanted to come here to assist with the pirates fighting, you didn’t even want to come, but for the sake of keeping an eye on you, you must come. Whenever we’re with the monastery classmates, you always tried to control me, telling me what to do, I don’t bother to say a word. It’s because I’m also your brother, so it only makes sense for me to listen to you. Right now, I want to help Jinxia with her matter, you’re once again stopping me…That’s right, you’ve done so much more than me, it’s because you’re mature and more capable than me! But you are not my mother, you’re trying to arrange and control every move I make, it makes me feel as if my hands and feet are tied! How much do I have to do to reach your expectations?”
“I….” Before she could speak, her tears were already welling up, she hastily wiped them away, with all her might trying to calm her voice, “Alright, I get it. Next time I won’t stop you anymore. Go out, I want to calm down first.”
Xie Xiao was also emotional, immediately turned around and left the room.
Inside the silent room, Shangguan Xi covered her face with a blanket, trying to block out the tears that could no longer be suppressed: She had no idea that, Xie Xiao despised her attention so much.
This fish was fried at the perfect temperature, golden yellow, crispy outside and soft inside. Once it was placed on the table, the fragrance of the fried fish spread to every corner of the room, making Jinxia feel very hungry. She quickly bring the bowl of white rice to the table, and then yelled loudly: “Uncle, quickly call aunt to eat, don’t let the food gets too cold…”
Chun Yumin set down bowls and chopsticks, then looked up, to noticed Jinxia trying to steal a piece of the fish, she quickly said: “Don’t rush, Brother Yang is preparing the sauce, she said it will taste even better with the sauce poured on top.”
“Da Yang is truly the perfect husband type!” Jinxia chuckled, “Whoever marries him will be very lucky.”
Coincidentally Jinxia saw Xie Xiao, she hurriedly called out to him: “You’re here, let’s eat!”
Xie Xiao agreed, just as he was about to step into the room, behind him, someone suddenly rushed forward, then a fist struck directly at Xie Xiao’s face, causing him to take a few steps back and fell down next to a chair.
Because of the sudden attack, Xie Xiao’s eyes couldn’t locate the attacker, but before he could find the person, another fist came forward again. As the fist moved forward, a hurtful kick was made, forcing Xie Xiao to fly further from his current spot, violently crashing into the floor.
“A…. A Jin, are you crazy?”
Jinxia was afraid that they would smash down the table, so she quickly lift the fried fish off the table.
Xie Xiao stood up, he looked straight at A’Rui, who was still wearing his black veil hat. Xie Xiao angrily said: “You’re insane!”
Although A’Rui’s strength has come back, he’s still certainly not a match for Xie Xiao, but because he attacked Xie Xiao suddenly, therefore, he wasn’t able to block it. As Xie Xiao was trying to get up, another attack plunged toward him, but this time, Xie Xiao was aware, but instead of fighting back, he decided to tilt his body to the side and avoided A’Rui’s fist. Since he didn’t expect Xie Xiao to do that, A’Rui’s body hit the table and fell down on the ground.
Chun Yumin was very surprised at the sudden fight, she quickly picked up the bowl of rice and hid it. Jinxia looked at her with a look of praise.
“She was so good to you, how could you hurt her?!” A’Rui loudly yelled at him, he angrily glared at Xie Xiao.
“Who?” Xie Xiao was stunned for a moment, but in an instant, he immediately understood, “My problem with my friends, you won’t understand at all! There’s no room for you to interfere. ”
“You’re not allowed to hurt her! Don’t you feel guilty about it at all?!” A’Rui said angrily.
These words sounded familiar, it seems like he have heard it somewhere before. Xie Xiao fell silent, he carefully observed A’Rui, after a while, he finally said: “You’re A’Rui.”
A’Rui was dumbfounded for a moment, then hurriedly searched for his veil, and said: “No, no, no, you have the wrong person.”
Taking a step forward, Xie Xiao kicked the hat away, then grabbed his throat, making it hard for A’Rui to breathe and move. Xie Xiao’s hand slowly move towards his bruised scar….
“Brother, don’t!” Jinxia hastily said, she put down her plate, then pulled Xie Xiao’s hand away.
“You know him?”
Jinxia sighed and said: “He was seriously injured and was helped by Lu Daren.…. His face, he doesn’t want you to see it, so he hid it from you and Sister Shangguan Xi.”
It was only then that Xie Xiao let go of his throat, unhappily said: “Every time I noticed you observing us secretly, I already knew something was wrong.”
“His wounds will heal soon. I will tell you everything in a few days.” Jinxia added her words again.
“Do not…. Don’t tell her about me.” A’Rui picked up his veil and put it back on, his voice slightly trembling.
“Why not? I’ll tell you this, my sister doesn’t like people lying to her.” Xie Xiao saw that A’Rui’s scar was so vicious, thinking he must have suffered a lot, so he didn’t really mind what happened earlier, he patted his shoulder saying, “It’s alright, if she knew you were A’Rui, she would be very happy. When you went missing in Yangzhou, a few days later, she sent many people looking for you, even to the point of being indebted to the people. Tell me, don’t you feel guilty hiding from her?”
“I do….”
A’Rui said in a low voice, not wanting to speak anymore, he pulled down his veil, then hurriedly walked away.
Xie Xiao looked at him in surprise, then turned to face Jinxia: “What does he mean by that? Has he done something wrong towards my sister?”
If she decides to explain now, she might not be able to eat anymore, Jinxia sighed: “Brother, let’s just eat first, then can we talk about other things later?”
“No way!” Xie Xiao wouldn’t let it go, “If this problem is not well explained, who would be able to eat.”
“I would.”
Jinxia said with a serious face.
Xie Xiao has never dealt with someone without violence, he could only say: “We’ll talk while eating.”
A moment later, YangYue brought the fish sauce out, Cen Shou helped carry the fish ball soup, Chun Yumin put up all the fallen chairs, and Jinxia scooped rice for everyone. Finally, Mrs. Shen and the beggar uncle arrived at the dining room.
“They’re finally tearing up the room? That’s an improvement.” Uncle beggar looked at the half-hanging door, he chuckled. The door was hit by A’Rui when he was kicked by Xie Xiao and fell.
Jinxia kept nodding: “Our heroes were full of energy…Aunt, this fish is very fresh, I bought it from the market today. Da Yang’s cooking is very good, try some.”
Mrs. Shen smiled slightly.
“I’ll just reinstall the door later, no big deal.” Xie Xiao continued to chase after Jinxia, “Tell me about it right now.”
After taking a bite of rice, then picking up some vegetables, Jinxia chewed while speaking incoherently: “It’s…. that…. this…. peach blossom forest…. this fish soup is very fresh…. then he…”
Among the ‘fish meatballs, fish soup, fried fish’, Xie Xiao managed to hear something very important from her mumbling: “You said that Zhai Lanye was killed by him?”
YangYue, who was about to use a spoon to scoop up the fish sauce, as soon as he heard these words, his hand suddenly stopped, the spoon fell down on the plate, and the sauce splashed onto his hand. All of these fell into Chun Yumin’s eyes.
“It’s not just him…. in the peach blossom forest there were…. three female corpses, all of them were nearly eaten by the snakes.” Jinxia shrugged her shoulders, “Looks like everything was his doing…. Thinking back on the days he has been suffering, death is better than living, this is definitely the law of retribution.”
Xie Xiao was silent for a while, only then knitted his brows and said: “This kid, regularly, he doesn’t talk much, he’s like an invisible wall. I didn’t think that he could be this cruel, he can go as low as killing a woman. I can’t let him by my sister’s side, too dangerous.”
After YangYue finished eating, he silently leave the room.
“What’s wrong with Brother Yang?” Chun Yumin asked Jinxia in a low voice, “Did something happen?”
Jinxia saw YangYue’s reflection from the room’s glass door, irritatedly hitting her forehead: “I shouldn’t have brought this up…. It’s because of you, forcing me to say it!” Her last sentence was addressed to Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao looked at her strangely: “What’s wrong with him? Does this matter have anything to do with it?”
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore…”
Jinxia lost her appetite, she hurriedly went to check on YangYue.
“My uncle told me.” Jinxia replied quickly, “But don’t blame him, he didn’t mean to say it until I asked.”
“I’ve asked him to not say anything; I didn’t expect him to be so unreliable.” Mrs. Shen’s face was calm, but her tone was angry, “He knows very well that my family matters are private, but it turns out that he talks about it so easily, then he isn’t someone I can rely on.”
“Aunt, aunt…”
When Jinxia saw that Mrs. Shen was really angry, she panicked.
“A person like him, who treats my family affairs as a casual topic after a meal, how could I possibly bring him in front of my parents’ grave….”
“Aunt, I was wrong, I was wrong. It wasn’t my uncle who said it, really not, don’t blame him.” Jinxia hurriedly explained, “Regarding aunt’s family, my uncle didn’t say anything at all, his lips were tightly shut.”
“If it wasn’t him, then who?”
Under her steely gaze, Jinxia swallowed hard before saying: “Aunt knows that I am a constable…. Since the incident in the peach blossom forest, I secretly had people investigate you. I’m sorry, aunt. I was just curious and didn’t have any other intention.”
Mrs. Shen didn’t let the matter go. She continued to ask: “I know you are a government official. I also know that you are only an insignificant constable in LiuShanmen. At most, the only person who can help you investigate this matter is Yang Yue. My family record, you have absolutely no authority to see it. Tell me, how did you manage to read it?”
“That…. Money can always be helpful in these situations.”
Jinxia laughed, but secretly insisted in her heart: I will not sell out Lu Daren.
“From top to bottom, you don’t seem to be living luxuriously, as well as a small constable in LiuShanmen, you earned less than two taels, what are you trying to hide?” Mrs. Shen tilted her head looking at her.
“…. It can be paid in installments, this is the rule in LiuShanmen, you won’t understand.” Jinxia answered her with difficulty, afraid she might spill if Mrs. Shen continued to ask, “That’s right, YangYue told me to take a look over the porridge he’s cooking, it must have overflowed, I almost forgot, let me go take a look first…”
Right when she finished her words, she was already out the door.
Mrs. Shen watched her run away, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself: This kid, still protecting Lu Daren, won’t say it no matter how much I asked.
In fact, how could she not know, this matter had been covered up for years and was carefully concealed, if not for a high-ranking officer like JinYiwei, how could an ordinary person be able to access this information. Judging from everyone’s status within the group, only Lu Yi has the ability to investigate her background. It was good that he had no ill intentions, I wonder if he did it because he sympathized with her background or because he felt indebted, either way, he never brought up any of her past. In this case, Mrs. Shen really appreciates it.
***
The next day, when the fog was still visible, Xie Xiao put on the shoes and socks that Jinxia prepared. He was ready to go to the big Sophora Japonica tree in the Qingpo river. As soon as he arrived at the front door of the residence, he saw an old woman, bent over walking back and forth in front of the door.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
Xie Xiao was confused for a moment as to whether these were Chun Yumin’s relatives.
“My son, you’re going fishing today? It’s because of worried about you, so I want to go with you.” The old lady shakingly walked toward him, she reached out to touch his face, startling Xie Xiao and forcing him to take a few steps back.
Seeing how scared he was, the old lady straightened her waist, and let out a loud laugh, then a familiar voice was heard: “Brother, what do you think of my disguise? Pretty good right? To the end that it scared you?”
Xie Xiao recognized Jinxia’s voice, as he furrowed his brows, he looked up and down at her: “Why are you dressing like this?”
“So I can come with you, and no one would recognize me.” Jinxia was very satisfied with her disguise, “Let’s go!”
Xie Xiao also enjoys pranking people, therefore, he didn’t stop her from joining him. To avoid having eyes on them, the two of them walked far apart from each other. One person standing next to the Sophora Japonica tree, and one person stand in the back….
In front of their eyes, it’s very crowded. The Qingpo river has turned into the only fish market in Xinhe city. Every day, there are only ten fishing boats that collect fish, the number of fish is also limited, and big fish must be set aside for the noble family and the restaurant, the rest of the fish are put on display on the boat for sale.
The fish market has its own rules, once the owner of the fish arrived and they can start selling, if the owner of the fish has not arrived, no fish is allowed to be sold. If you violate the rules, you will be prohibited from buying at the fish market.
On the boat, there are a lot of fish jumping up and down. On the stepping stones of the stairs under a big Sophora Japonica tree, lines of people are waiting to buy fish. Jinxia, who disguised herself as an old lady, naturally couldn’t join in the crowd, and could only stand waiting in the back.
After waiting for a long time, suddenly a person wearing luxurious silk clothing, from top to bottom can only be described as a fat middle-aged man with a melancholic face, he let out a yawn as he walked toward the market. The people immediately shift aside, creating an aisle for him to walk down. The man squinted his eyes at the fish in each boat, his short fat hands pointing as some sort of movement as if he was calculating about the profits he could get. After that, he just pulled up his sleeves, waved his fat white arms, while yelling loudly: “Market — opened —”
The fish market instantly turned into an explosion of commotion.
People quickly choose their fish, examining fish scales, and their fat puts, avoiding the skinny one. Then, they started to bargains…. Jinxia searched for a gap and crept forward, deliberately going to the small boats.
“Do you have 2kg Pomadasys hasta?” She used a low voice like an old man’s voice to ask.
“No….” The little boatman impatiently waved his hand, he threw it on the land, shouting, “6kg black carp, anyone wants it?”
Jinxia glanced inside the boat a few times, there weren’t many fish in it, far less than the other boats. It seemed that he caught fish here as a way to blend in with the crowd, which means he’s not here for the fish.
On the other hand, Xie Xiao managed to find the owner of the fish market, explaining to him that he wanted to go fishing. The owner of the market was sitting on a rattan chair under the tree, while sucking on his tea and shaking his legs, he squinted at Xie Xiao.
“Where did you come from?”
“Yangzhou.”
“Oh, what a great place. Can you swim?”
Even though Xie Xiao can confidently boost his skill, but he knew he had to pretend to look pathetic, so he nodded his head.
“Can you fish?”
Xie Xiao nodded his head again.
The owner of the market continued to drink his tea, then said slowly: “I’m not sure what are the regulations are in Yangzhou, but here, the rule I take approximately 30% of the profit, understand?”
In Wu’An Gang, we only take 20% of the profit, this bastard actually more than 30%, how cruel! Xie Xiao silently cursed him in his heart, but his face still looked submissive and respectful: “Yes, I will follow your rules.”
“Nice! Follow me.”
The owner of the market rose to his feet, directed Xie Xiao down the stairs, and continued until he stood in front of a small boat. Xie Xiao had signalled Jinxia, who were busy buying fish on the other side, they both knew that the owner of these boats must be a pirate in disguise, since the owner brought him to this specific boat, have he discovered him and Jinxia’s identity?
Jinxia was holding a Pomadasys hasta in her hand, seeing Xie Xiao, in her heart, she was very nervous.
“Dong San, how many fish did you catch today?” The owner knitted his brows looking into the boat, “Everyone is selling hundreds of kilograms of fish, you don’t even have about four or five in your boat. If everyone was like you, I would go bankrupt.”
Dong San, the little boatman, not sure if that’s even his real name or just a disguise, it seems like he’s used to being scolded by the market owner, he lazily answering: “Tomorrow I’ll just catch more.”
“Tomorrow? You say the same thing every day…. I don’t want to wait anymore, starting tomorrow, you and this young brother will go fishing together, I don’t care how you both divide your own profit, just give me 30% of the profit and we’re all good.” The owner pushed Xie Xiao into the boat.
“…. Hey! Aye!” Dong San panicked, “No way, I don’t even know who he is, why do I have to work with him”
“Because I said so!” The owner said in annoyance, “Every day, you give me very little money, not even enough for me to shove it in my mouth. If you don’t want to, then leave!”
Perhaps because of the need for this disguise, Dong San stop arguing with the owner, while glaring at Xie Xiao, he said displeasedly: “Three to four o’clock in the morning, be here and ready to go fish, can you do it?”
“Yes!” Xie Xiao answered quickly, making Dong San’s face even darker.
***
Right now the situation was going smoothly beyond expectations. Dong San was not only a pirate, but he was just a small pirate, but letting Xie Xiao alone with him, what if he get angry at Xie Xiao…
Jinxia didn’t dare to think further, but Shangguan Xi immediately understood her thoughts as soon as she heard the story.
“Fourth Brother, you can’t go!” She says.
Xie Xiao said immediately: “I’m not afraid of him, especially if we’re on the boat, what can he do to me, I’ll jump in the water if anything happens.”
“Fourth Brother, he is no ordinary criminal, he is a pirate!” Shangguan Xi was very worried, “No matter how great your swimming skills are, if he plot against you, you can’t avoid it at all, until then, he’ll throw you into the river, you…” She didn’t continue, her face displayed the meaning of her words.
“Sister, believe in me a little.” Xie Xiao was a little upset hearing her words, “You’re thinking about he’ll throw my dead body in the river, right?”
Shangguan Xi tried her best to move her body, the injury to her leg was painful, so she furrowed her brows trying to endure the pain: “Fourth Brother, that’s not what I meant, I was just worried that he might trap you.”
“I know you care about me, you always want the best for me,” Xie Xiao irritatedly shook his head, “But I am not a child anymore, I have been travelling for two, three years alone…. Yes, I was hit, I was injured, went to prison, but I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
“Fourth Brother….”
Shang Guanxi was still about to speak, but Xie Xiao interrupted her: “Sister, if I don’t go, Jinxia and the other will find a way to get inside either way. My life is valuable, what about their lives?”
“That’s not what I mean, you have to think about old master if anything happens to you…” Shangguan Xi said frantically.
“Today I will finish my word here, even if the old man knew this, he certainly would not say a single word, believe it or not?” Xie Xiao said while raising his chin.
“Fourth Brother, you must return home safely, that is the most important thing.”
“Sister, agreeing to help out with the pirates, you’re doing it because of me right?” Xie Xiao was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, and turned to look at Shangguan Xi in disbelief, “There are words that I have wanted to ask you for a long time. Have you been looking down on me in your heart all this time? Thinking I’m a perfunctory, reckless, can’t do anything on my own?”
“.. No….” Shangguan Xi tried to defend herself, but Xie Xiao did not want to listen to her at all.
“I travelled by myself for three years, maybe nothing beneficial to myself! But travelling through this big world, makes me feel so alive! As soon as I went back to the gang, you said for the sake of the old man, I should try to act like the Young Master of Wu’An gang. I’ve done what you said, but what’s the point of having this Young Master, if everyone in the gang follows your orders, I’m just like a painting on the wall. This time, I wanted to come here to assist with the pirates fighting, you didn’t even want to come, but for the sake of keeping an eye on you, you must come. Whenever we’re with the monastery classmates, you always tried to control me, telling me what to do, I don’t bother to say a word. It’s because I’m also your brother, so it only makes sense for me to listen to you. Right now, I want to help Jinxia with her matter, you’re once again stopping me…That’s right, you’ve done so much more than me, it’s because you’re mature and more capable than me! But you are not my mother, you’re trying to arrange and control every move I make, it makes me feel as if my hands and feet are tied! How much do I have to do to reach your expectations?”
“I….” Before she could speak, her tears were already welling up, she hastily wiped them away, with all her might trying to calm her voice, “Alright, I get it. Next time I won’t stop you anymore. Go out, I want to calm down first.”
Xie Xiao was also emotional, immediately turned around and left the room.
Inside the silent room, Shangguan Xi covered her face with a blanket, trying to block out the tears that could no longer be suppressed: She had no idea that, Xie Xiao despised her attention so much.
This fish was fried at the perfect temperature, golden yellow, crispy outside and soft inside. Once it was placed on the table, the fragrance of the fried fish spread to every corner of the room, making Jinxia feel very hungry. She quickly bring the bowl of white rice to the table, and then yelled loudly: “Uncle, quickly call aunt to eat, don’t let the food gets too cold…”
Chun Yumin set down bowls and chopsticks, then looked up, to noticed Jinxia trying to steal a piece of the fish, she quickly said: “Don’t rush, Brother Yang is preparing the sauce, she said it will taste even better with the sauce poured on top.”
“Da Yang is truly the perfect husband type!” Jinxia chuckled, “Whoever marries him will be very lucky.”
Coincidentally Jinxia saw Xie Xiao, she hurriedly called out to him: “You’re here, let’s eat!”
Xie Xiao agreed, just as he was about to step into the room, behind him, someone suddenly rushed forward, then a fist struck directly at Xie Xiao’s face, causing him to take a few steps back and fell down next to a chair.
Because of the sudden attack, Xie Xiao’s eyes couldn’t locate the attacker, but before he could find the person, another fist came forward again. As the fist moved forward, a hurtful kick was made, forcing Xie Xiao to fly further from his current spot, violently crashing into the floor.
“A…. A Jin, are you crazy?”
Jinxia was afraid that they would smash down the table, so she quickly lift the fried fish off the table.
Xie Xiao stood up, he looked straight at A’Rui, who was still wearing his black veil hat. Xie Xiao angrily said: “You’re insane!”
Although A’Rui’s strength has come back, he’s still certainly not a match for Xie Xiao, but because he attacked Xie Xiao suddenly, therefore, he wasn’t able to block it. As Xie Xiao was trying to get up, another attack plunged toward him, but this time, Xie Xiao was aware, but instead of fighting back, he decided to tilt his body to the side and avoided A’Rui’s fist. Since he didn’t expect Xie Xiao to do that, A’Rui’s body hit the table and fell down on the ground.
Chun Yumin was very surprised at the sudden fight, she quickly picked up the bowl of rice and hid it. Jinxia looked at her with a look of praise.
“She was so good to you, how could you hurt her?!” A’Rui loudly yelled at him, he angrily glared at Xie Xiao.
“Who?” Xie Xiao was stunned for a moment, but in an instant, he immediately understood, “My problem with my friends, you won’t understand at all! There’s no room for you to interfere. ”
“You’re not allowed to hurt her! Don’t you feel guilty about it at all?!” A’Rui said angrily.
These words sounded familiar, it seems like he have heard it somewhere before. Xie Xiao fell silent, he carefully observed A’Rui, after a while, he finally said: “You’re A’Rui.”
A’Rui was dumbfounded for a moment, then hurriedly searched for his veil, and said: “No, no, no, you have the wrong person.”
Taking a step forward, Xie Xiao kicked the hat away, then grabbed his throat, making it hard for A’Rui to breathe and move. Xie Xiao’s hand slowly move towards his bruised scar….
“Brother, don’t!” Jinxia hastily said, she put down her plate, then pulled Xie Xiao’s hand away.
“You know him?”
Jinxia sighed and said: “He was seriously injured and was helped by Lu Daren.…. His face, he doesn’t want you to see it, so he hid it from you and Sister Shangguan Xi.”
It was only then that Xie Xiao let go of his throat, unhappily said: “Every time I noticed you observing us secretly, I already knew something was wrong.”
“His wounds will heal soon. I will tell you everything in a few days.” Jinxia added her words again.
“Do not…. Don’t tell her about me.” A’Rui picked up his veil and put it back on, his voice slightly trembling.
“Why not? I’ll tell you this, my sister doesn’t like people lying to her.” Xie Xiao saw that A’Rui’s scar was so vicious, thinking he must have suffered a lot, so he didn’t really mind what happened earlier, he patted his shoulder saying, “It’s alright, if she knew you were A’Rui, she would be very happy. When you went missing in Yangzhou, a few days later, she sent many people looking for you, even to the point of being indebted to the people. Tell me, don’t you feel guilty hiding from her?”
“I do….”
A’Rui said in a low voice, not wanting to speak anymore, he pulled down his veil, then hurriedly walked away.
Xie Xiao looked at him in surprise, then turned to face Jinxia: “What does he mean by that? Has he done something wrong towards my sister?”
If she decides to explain now, she might not be able to eat anymore, Jinxia sighed: “Brother, let’s just eat first, then can we talk about other things later?”
“No way!” Xie Xiao wouldn’t let it go, “If this problem is not well explained, who would be able to eat.”
“I would.”
Jinxia said with a serious face.
Xie Xiao has never dealt with someone without violence, he could only say: “We’ll talk while eating.”
A moment later, YangYue brought the fish sauce out, Cen Shou helped carry the fish ball soup, Chun Yumin put up all the fallen chairs, and Jinxia scooped rice for everyone. Finally, Mrs. Shen and the beggar uncle arrived at the dining room.
“They’re finally tearing up the room? That’s an improvement.” Uncle beggar looked at the half-hanging door, he chuckled. The door was hit by A’Rui when he was kicked by Xie Xiao and fell.
Jinxia kept nodding: “Our heroes were full of energy…Aunt, this fish is very fresh, I bought it from the market today. Da Yang’s cooking is very good, try some.”
Mrs. Shen smiled slightly.
“I’ll just reinstall the door later, no big deal.” Xie Xiao continued to chase after Jinxia, “Tell me about it right now.”
After taking a bite of rice, then picking up some vegetables, Jinxia chewed while speaking incoherently: “It’s…. that…. this…. peach blossom forest…. this fish soup is very fresh…. then he…”
Among the ‘fish meatballs, fish soup, fried fish’, Xie Xiao managed to hear something very important from her mumbling: “You said that Zhai Lanye was killed by him?”
YangYue, who was about to use a spoon to scoop up the fish sauce, as soon as he heard these words, his hand suddenly stopped, the spoon fell down on the plate, and the sauce splashed onto his hand. All of these fell into Chun Yumin’s eyes.
“It’s not just him…. in the peach blossom forest there were…. three female corpses, all of them were nearly eaten by the snakes.” Jinxia shrugged her shoulders, “Looks like everything was his doing…. Thinking back on the days he has been suffering, death is better than living, this is definitely the law of retribution.”
Xie Xiao was silent for a while, only then knitted his brows and said: “This kid, regularly, he doesn’t talk much, he’s like an invisible wall. I didn’t think that he could be this cruel, he can go as low as killing a woman. I can’t let him by my sister’s side, too dangerous.”
After YangYue finished eating, he silently leave the room.
“What’s wrong with Brother Yang?” Chun Yumin asked Jinxia in a low voice, “Did something happen?”
Jinxia saw YangYue’s reflection from the room’s glass door, irritatedly hitting her forehead: “I shouldn’t have brought this up…. It’s because of you, forcing me to say it!” Her last sentence was addressed to Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao looked at her strangely: “What’s wrong with him? Does this matter have anything to do with it?”
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore…”
Jinxia lost her appetite, she hurriedly went to check on YangYue.
