There must be a guest.
The three members of the Dong family froze for a moment, and then the same thought flashed through their minds—so much so that they didn’t even register what they’d just heard.
But Lady Dong had an extra thought beyond the others.
“It’s that young lady,” she said in a low voice.
“Who?” Xiang Qi didn’t understand.
“The young lady who was with Brother Xu that day—the one he escorted out,” Lady Dong explained.
It might be a trait of women, but she had a particularly vivid impression of someone of the same sex—especially if the other was younger and prettier.
Xiang Qi glanced over again but had no recollection. That day, he’d been too startled by the sudden encounter with Xu Maoxiu, too unsettled to notice anyone else.
By now, Manager Wu had already gone over to welcome her.
“Who are they?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Did Miss forget?
Ban Qin quickly stepped forward.
“They’re an old acquaintance of Third Young Master—from the day at the restaurant,” she reminded her in a low voice.
Cheng Jiao-niang let out an “oh” and walked over.
“What do you want to say to me?” she asked, looking at Lady Dong.
Lady Dong was momentarily stunned.
“I didn’t say I was looking for you—I said I was looking for the owner of this place,” she replied.
“I’m the owner of this place,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Lady Dong was taken aback. Master Dong and Xiang Qi also looked over in surprise.
This young lady is the owner?
Maybe it’s her family—her household that owns the place?
“Who are you people? What business do you have with me?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
“Can you even make decisions?” Lady Dong asked, setting aside her surprise.
Master Dong stopped her with a stern word and stood up to bow politely to Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Miss, we are old acquaintances from the same hometown as Fan Jianglin and Xu Maoxiu,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang returned the bow.
“We heard they’ve gotten into trouble and have been very worried, so we took the liberty of coming to ask what might happen to them,” Master Dong continued.
“Then you’ll have to ask the authorities. I don’t know what the punishment for desertion is,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
What did that mean?
Master Dong’s expression changed slightly, and Lady Dong could no longer hold her temper.
“It was your enemies who caused this—why should Brother Xu and the others take the fall for you?” she shouted.
“This matter… perhaps those enemies weren’t actually mine,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Master Dong and his daughter said nothing, but Xiang Qi couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat at Cheng Jiao-niang’s words.
“What a joke! Brother Xu has no family or ties in the capital—if he didn’t take the fall for you, then who else would it be for?” he said, stepping forward.
That remark pleased Lady Dong greatly.
“Now that’s something a man should say and do. You used to always shrink to the back—anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought I was the man,” she said, then looked toward Cheng Jiao-niang. “Exactly. You know why Brother Xu was arrested!”
The young lady standing before them was quite pretty, but no matter how one looked at her, she seemed a little dull.
Especially after hearing those words—her gaze just froze, staring straight at Lady Dong without moving.
What was so strange about praising one’s own man?
Lady Dong started to feel slightly uncomfortable under that blank stare. Back when she first met Brother Xu, she too had been a young girl of fourteen or fifteen. Now, ten years had passed—her beauty had faded, her youth was gone…
“Oh, you’re that couple,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Could it be that she was only just recognizing them now?
Truly, there’s no one in the eyes of a noble…
Just as Lady Dong was about to speak, Cheng Jiao-niang already nodded.
“You’ve known each other for a long time?” she asked. “Fellow villagers? Old friends? Relatives?”
Lady Dong was called back by Master Dong.
“The old man and his eight brothers are fellow villagers,” Master Dong explained. “And Xu Maoxiu once saved my family’s life. Six years ago, I moved my family from Maoyuan Mountain to settle in the capital.”
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded and turned to Lady Dong.
“You admire Xu Maoxiu—why haven’t you married into his family?” she suddenly asked.
This question left everyone dumbfounded.
Lady Dong’s face flushed bright red.
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Xiang Qi said.
“I’m not making things up. Everything she says and does shows it,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, looking at Lady Dong.
Has her feelings for him become so obvious that no one can hide it anymore?
Then why can’t he see it?
No, it’s not that he can’t see it—it’s that he doesn’t fancy her…
“Yeah, so what? It’s not something to be ashamed of. I admire Brother Xu—so what if he doesn’t fancy me?” Lady Dong said, her face slightly pale, biting her lower lip and speaking sharply.
“Eight brothers? Where is the other one?” Cheng Jiao-niang ignored her and turned to Master Dong to ask.
Lady Dong was left standing there, her chest feeling as if a heavy cloth was pressing against it, almost suffocating her.
This girl!
Meanwhile, Xiang Qi’s heart raced.
Why did she suddenly ask that? Had she guessed something?
For some reason, this young lady before him seemed dazed and wooden, speaking slowly and evenly—but he felt as if a pair of hands were slowly tightening around his neck, strangling him more and more…
“It’s me,” he said, stepping forward. “Although we brothers haven’t seen each other for a long time, our bond remains. Now that they’ve gotten into this trouble, I won’t stand idly by.”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him.
“You, huh.” she said.
Those two light words sounded in his ear, but Xiang Qi felt as if a thousand-pound stone had suddenly pressed down on him, making him almost lose his footing for a moment.
What was there to fear? What was there to fear?
There was no evidence, and besides, the authorities had already convicted those seven men—there was no way the blame could fall on him.
Xiang Qi straightened up again, meeting Cheng Jiao-niang’s gaze without backing down.
But at that moment, Cheng Jiao-niang turned away and stopped looking at him.
“What do you want with me?” she asked, looking at Master Dong.
Is this girl crazy?
Jumping from one thing to another all over the place!
Scared me to death!
Xiang Qi breathed a sigh of relief.
“I have no other intention in coming this time,” Master Dong said. “I just want to say that we hope to save the lives of Fan Jianglin and the others. We don’t have much power beyond that, but if money is needed, we are willing to provide it.”
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him and nodded.
“Alright,” she said.
Although she agreed, there was not a trace of joy on Master Dong’s face. This girl’s easy and straightforward acceptance showed no sincerity at all!
In their eyes, Xu Maoxiu, Fan Jianglin, and the others were truly insignificant.
They could only think of other ways. Anyway, just by coming here and letting the people at Tai Ping Residence know that Xu Maoxiu and the others are not isolated and helpless—that someone cares about their lives—would already achieve their goal.
Master Dong stood up to take his leave, but after walking a few steps, he was suddenly called back.
“I haven’t asked your name yet,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
This girl was really crazy! Why so jumpy and sudden?
Xiang Qi pressed his chest—his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through his ribs.
Master Dong gave his name, bowed again, and then took his leave.
Not long after they left, Cheng Jiao-niang also returned to Yudai Bridge.
The carriage stopped at the gate, and Zhou Liu-lang flicked the whip in his hand and walked over from the wall.
The two exchanged a glance.
“Ban Qin, bring some snacks…” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Zhou Liu-lang glared angrily.
“Cheng Jiao-niang, know your limits!” he shouted.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and smiled slightly.
Zhou Liu-lang’s anger instantly vanished as he recalled the last time.
“…It was you who drank the tea.”
This girl!
“If you don’t want to say, I won’t ask. I’m just here to ask if you need help,” he said with a stern face.
“I do,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Zhou Liu-lang turned and started to walk away.
Ban Qin and Jin Ge’er stood dumbfounded, watching the young man take a few steps before stopping, then turning around somewhat stiffly.
“…Speak plainly. I’m still busy here,” he said, his face slightly flushed.
…
After Zhou Liu-lang left, the maid came out from inside the house, her expression somewhat anxious.
“Old Master Zhang isn’t home,” she said. “No one knows when he’ll be back. Should I send him a message?”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“Not for now,” she said.
“But the master is here, and he asked me what it was about,” the maid added with a hint of happiness. “The master never used to get involved in others’ matters before. It seems the Old Master must have instructed him before leaving. Although the master has a strict temperament, I believe he will definitely help with the Old Master’s orders.”
“I understand,” Cheng Jiao-niang nodded, took the water handed by Ban Qin, but instead of drinking it as usual, she stared off quietly, lost in thought.
The maid and Ban Qin exchanged a glance.
“Miss, is the matter really that difficult?” the maid asked.
Although Ban Qin said nothing, her expression didn’t lie—it showed more fear and helplessness than before she went out this morning.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at her and smiled faintly.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I’ve been walking too long on dark roads and happened to have bad luck running into ghosts,” she said. “The sky will always brighten. No matter how difficult things are, they can be resolved.”
With that, she picked up her cup and slowly drank it all.
The night passed without a word.
As dawn broke, Xiang Qi stood in front of the city gate, feeling somewhat unsettled.
Was it because the gatekeeper had just called him over to write a document?
Normally, these tasks weren’t his responsibility—so why suddenly today was he asked to do it?
And the way the gatekeeper looked him over made him especially uncomfortable.
Hadn’t his guilt already been established? Or did they still want to investigate the matter of the secret tip-off?
Xiang Qi couldn’t help but picture the young lady he had seen yesterday.
She was beautiful, yes, but like a clay statue displayed in a temple fair—cold, lifeless, staring at him in a way that sent chills down his spine.
Could it be that she really guessed it was him?
Even if she did guess, so what?
Without evidence, what could she do?
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xiang Qi’s mouth as he looked down at his hands.
Many people knew he was educated, but few knew that he was equally skilled in both literary and martial arts.
Yes, he was exactly that kind of smart person—his knowledge was no worse than Xu Maoxiu’s, his skills no less, his looks no less either. The only difference was timing. Clearly, it should have been him who single-handedly saved the Dong family back then—but he foolishly followed along!
If he had been the one to rescue Lady Dong from the startled carriage, Xu Maoxiu wouldn’t have been involved at all.
It was just that one critical glance that fell from the sky at the crucial moment.
Among the eight brothers, everyone saw Xu Maoxiu, but none saw Xiang Wencai.
In battles with blades and guns against thieves, everyone saw Xu Maoxiu, but none saw Xiang Wencai.
After leaving Maoyuan Mountain and going their separate ways, although he lived in front of the Dong family for five years, they still didn’t see him. But he believed time could change everything.
Unexpectedly, this Xu Maoxiu appeared before him again.
He remembered the brotherly loyalty that had stopped him from exposing them, instead giving them money to save their lives—but he never expected human hearts to be so ungrateful.
Xu Maoxiu said he was going to build achievements and strive for a bright future, refusing to marry into the family. Now that his future was gone, he had turned back to reclaim what was his.
Not all the good things in the world can be taken by him!
Now it’s settled—finally, heaven is going to take him.
Only in death can one be truly forgotten forever.
Xiang Qi clenched his fists tightly.
“Xiang Qi!”
A sudden shout by his ear made him shudder in fright. He looked up and saw a companion.
“What are you doing? You’re about to scrape off the ground’s surface,” the companion said with a laugh.
Xiang Qi forced out a couple of nervous laughs, stopped sweeping, and headed toward the thatched hut. He sat down to drink a bowl of tea, chatting and laughing with his comrades while keeping an eye on the people coming in and out of the city gate.
“Gentlemen, may I ask for directions?”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
