Chapter 131: Intimate Enemies

  After the lawsuit, Xia's family continued to build and renovate their home. The Yang family calmed down and ignored Xia's family, treating them as if they were air. Both sides coexisted peacefully. Xia paid his workers well and hired two teams of craftsmen, who worked day and night. Fortunately, there was no issue with nighttime construction disturbing the peace, and Xia's lawsuit had intimidated the Yang family's elder, so the townspeople also showed some respect for him. As a result, the project progressed rapidly.

  Xia Liu and Xiao Guan found the hotel where Yang Dingkun had entertained Old Master Xie more than a decade ago at San Shan Kou. The hotel was still there, and the owner was still the same person. After Xiao Guan explained their purpose, the old owner thought for half a day before remembering who they were talking about. In fact, Old Master Xie had only been a regular customer of this wine house back then, so he was relatively familiar with the owner, but there wasn't any special relationship between them.

  According to him, Old Master Xie fell ill and died a few years after the engagement banquet. This was something he had heard from other wine guests, and afterwards, there was no more news about the Xie family. The trail went cold, so Xia Yu could only use Xiao's method, taking out some money to hire a few idle rascals in Nanjing City to help him gather information.

  These idle rascals had no other skills, but they were good at wandering around the streets and alleys every day, stealing chickens and dogs, and gathering information was their specialty. They took the money and really did their job with diligence. Four days later, when Xia Jiu's main house was being built, one of the rascals came to deliver a message. He handed Xiao Guanshi a note with an address and a name: Xiaoxunmen, East Street Fourth Alley, Xie Luchan.

  Xie Lüchán is Xie Lütí's older brother. When Xiao Guan accompanied the old master to the Xie family, he had seen him before. At that time, Xie Lüchán was only about eleven years old and looked like a handsome young boy. He was a well-known young talent in the Jībǎo Gate area, with mature speech and demeanor, and his responses were quite grown-up. Even on the way back home, the old master couldn't stop praising him, saying that this child from the Xie family had great potential and would surely achieve great things in the future.

  This finally found the relatives, Xiao Guanshi was overjoyed and immediately told Xia Yu to ask Young Master to go with him to Xiao Xiangmen to find someone.

  Xiaoxun Elephant Lake is to the west of Mouxu Lake, and the road is not close. Both of them rode horses and prepared gifts before leaving Muling Town. As they left the town, they saw Yang Wenwu and Yang Yu standing under an old locust tree at the town entrance, with a notice posted on the tree. Yang Wenwu was loudly beating a gong to gather the townspeople, while Yang Yu was covering his mouth and shouting something.

  Xia Liu and Xiao Jing Tang deliberately slowed down, pricked up their ears to listen, Yang Yu was telling the Yang family members about something like ancestor worship and righteous fields. Since it had nothing to do with them, Xia Liu lazily didn't bother to pay attention anymore, whipped his horse and rode out of the village with Xiao Jing Tang. Wherever they passed by, those Yang family members looked at them with a mixture of respect and fear, although they hadn't blocked their way, they still subconsciously gave way.

  Yang Yu watched as the two walked away, gazing at their backs with a faint smile, and continued to loudly proclaim to the crowd...

  They bypassed Mosou Lake, entered the Xiaoxunmen Gate, and arrived near the fourth alley of Dong Street. The two dismounted their horses and inquired about the way to the Xie residence. Two green-clad girls had just come out of a small courtyard when they caught sight of Xiafu and Xiao Guanshi leading their horses and asking for directions. One of the girls, who was slightly taller, was startled and hastily pulled the other girl before quickly darting back inside.

  "Hey, what's with all these sudden movements...hmm?"

  The girl had just asked half a sentence when her mouth was tightly covered, and she quietly looked out from the door crack. The short girl also sensed something unusual and didn't make another sound, but instead used force to pry open her hand, poking her head out from under her armpit, and staring out with wide eyes.

  "Oh dear, your husband has really found his way here, what a big deal."

  "Who says he's my boyfriend? Shut up and stop gossiping or I'll hit you."

  The tall girl saw Xia Jiu and asked the way, then rushed into the alley and went away. She hastily closed the door of her house and hurried to the courtyard. In the courtyard, there was a flower arbor with a ladder on the ground. The top of the arbor was also covered with flowers and grasses. Next to it stood a jujube tree with dense branches and leaves, its horizontal branch stretching over the arbor.

  She lifted her skirt and climbed up the flower arbor, holding onto the branches to gaze into the distance, her expression inexplicably tense. She was indeed Xie Yufei, the Miss Xie that Xia Jiu had met in Beiping, and now it seemed she was also Xia Jiu's fiancée, Xie Luti, Miss Xie.

  Right behind her, another little girl climbed up, she gathered her skirt, sat on the jujube tree trunk with one leg tilted, swung her two small legs, and looked at Xie Yu through the gap between the branches and leaves. She said to Xie Yu: "Hey, I've arrived at your home, you have to see me whether you want to or not, an ugly daughter-in-law can't avoid meeting her parents-in-law after all, why don't you hurry back? What's the use of hiding?"

  Xie Yufei bit her lip and asked: "What ugly daughter-in-law?"

  "Of course it's the identity of a small swindler in Jianghu."

  Xie Yu's face suddenly turned pale, without a hint of blood color. This was the greatest pain in her heart. In front of others, she could not care less, but in front of Lang Jun, who would accompany her for the rest of her life, how could she show her face if he knew about her shameful behavior? He was a scholar from a respectable family, would he want to marry a female thief? She feared that once he found out the truth, he would immediately divorce her. At that time, her brother would also find out about the ugly things she had done outside, and her brother couldn't handle stimulation, what if he fell into madness again...

  Nan Fei saw that she wasn't making a sound, turned her head to look at her, and only saw that she was tightly biting her lower lip, biting it so hard that her lips were white. She couldn't help but be surprised: "Luti, you usually call yourself a swindler with pride, boasting about how clever your swindling skills are. I...I just casually mentioned it, how did you...You actually care about him, don't you?"

  "Why should I care about him?"

  Xie Yu Fei sneered, putting on a disdainful expression and said: "I'm just worried... worried that he'll see me, recognize my identity, and tell my brother..."

  Nan Fei flew over and sneered at her: "Luti sister, speaking with a forked tongue isn't being a good kid."

  Xie Yu Fei gave her a white eye and said: "This is what your mother taught you, thank you."

  "Thanks, isn't that your nickname?"

  She jumped down from the tree trunk and said seriously to Xie Yu Fei: "Luti, all these years, as a girl, you have been risking your life and doing so many dangerous things. What is it for? Is it for yourself? No matter how much you feel indebted to your brother, you have already repaid him enough. You are now at the age of marriage, and with a suitor coming to your door, shouldn't you think about yourself?"

  Besides, Yang Xu has wealth, power and a good reputation. It's hard to find someone like him even with a lantern in hand. You are his legitimate wife, certified by the three matches and six evidences. If you don't marry him, who else would you want to marry? I think he seems like an understanding person. Otherwise, I'll go talk to him first and tell him all your difficulties. I believe that as long as he has a bit of conscience, he will forgive you...

  "Don't go"

  As soon as Nán Fēi saw that Xiè Yǔfēi was about to leave, she panicked and quickly grabbed onto her. Nán Fēi stomped her foot and said: "When did your courage become so small?"

  "I... I..."

  "Nan Fei Fei said with a grin: 'Hey, take a look at you, just your pretty and lovely appearance, if he knew you were his little wife, I'm afraid he'd laugh out loud even in his dreams. And he'd still care about what you used to do... Luti, I think you two actually have a great fate together! Think about it, we went to Beiping and coincidentally ran into him - such a coincidence shows that the two of you are destined by heaven!'"

  Xie Yu Fei let out a bitter laugh and said in a low, mournful tone: "In this world, every day there are countless people who travel by the same vehicle or boat. Among them, it's not uncommon for some to have known each other before or had dealings with one another. It's just a coincidence, don't talk about fate being predetermined."

  "Coincidence? Alright, even if it was a coincidence, once we all went our separate ways in Beiping Prefecture, shouldn't that have been the end of it? But...you just so happened to go to Xie Chuanzhong's house, and he also went, and you even helped him out of a big jam. If you hadn't helped him figure out those Mongols' plan, once they really did blow up the Yanwang Fu, when the investigation came around, wouldn't his whole family have been executed? You're basically his lifesaver."

  Let me say it again, if it weren't for you secretly warning him in Fengyang, Wansongling might have succeeded on his own, and then all of his family's wealth would have been swindled away. Look at you, how lucky you are! He was fortunate to find you. The ancients said that people with a destined connection will meet from thousands of miles away. This series of coincidences is just your fate. As for whether or not you believe it, I already do."

  "Th...that I..."

  "Let's go take a look first, observe the situation and react accordingly, that should be fine."

  Nan Fei Fei pulled Xie Yu Fen and left, chuckling to say: "Your skills are so great, why are you afraid of others this time? If it were me, humph, I'd be lucky to meet such a delicious fat sheep. Even if there's no prior engagement, I'd still want to deceive him into my hands. What's the big deal about deceiving people for money? Deceiving a husband who'll support you for life, that's what I call skills."

  At the end of the winding and secluded stone slab alley was Xie Lüchán's home.

  The old stone steps were covered with green moss, and a large flower cat was sleeping under the bamboo fence, staring at these two uninvited guests with a pair of green eyes. Xia Zhen and Xiao Guanshi stopped in their tracks, looking into the courtyard, where the stone gate with its dougong brackets was majestic and ancient, with the couplet "Lan Ting's leaves are luxuriant, new branches in the pagoda" carved on either side, the brushwork powerful and piercing through the stone wall. In the courtyard, a large pomegranate tree had lush branches and leaves, and a small two-story building was partially hidden from view.

  Two men stood still, and then a burst of laughter and chatter came from the courtyard. Xiao Guanshi looked at Xia Xun, took a step forward onto the stone steps covered in green moss, and loudly asked: "Excuse me, is this the Xie family's residence? Is Mr. Xie Lüchen or Young Master Xie here?"

  This shout outside, Xia Chuan's heart also jumped up: "Heaven bless me, this is my wife for life. I don't ask you to give birth to a supreme leopard, as long as she doesn't look like Feng Jie and doesn't have the temper of Xiao Yuemei, I'll be content. Hmm, if she can grow up to be as beautiful as Sakura Princess, Xia Chuan will definitely burn incense and make a wish..."

  Man's true nature

  PS: Alas, yesterday there was one gun behind me, today there are two guns chasing after me. Please give me a guaranteed monthly pass to protect my chrysanthemum!