Chapter 40 [VIP]
Yesterday, Xiao Chuan went to the Wu family. Before he could even begin to interrogate Dong Jia, Wu Liping called his wife, Zeng Shi, to Xiao Chuan and gave her a mock scolding.
He knew that Wu Liping harbored resentment towards him, but he was unwilling to completely break ties with him.
Considering that both of them were adopted sons of the same father, and that now was not the right time to teach Wu Liping a lesson, Xiao Chuan put away the murderous look he had when he entered and did not pursue the matter further.
Wu Liping backed down, and the Dong Jia couple became useless.
Xiao Chuan didn't even glance at the two of them before leaving the Wu residence.
If he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night, and if Mi Yao hadn't said those few words implying his indecisiveness, he probably would never have stepped into the Dong family's courtyard in his entire life.
Xiao Chua attracted a lot of attention when he rode his horse into the alley where Dong Jia lived.
"Dong Jia claims every day that he is Commander Xiao's brother-in-law and that Commander Xiao will help the Dong family become rich and powerful sooner or later. I thought he was just daydreaming, but now it seems he won't actually get his way and has summoned Commander Xiao here, will he?"
"That's not necessarily true. Have you forgotten that yesterday Dong Jia was tied up by the town magistrate's wife and thrown at the Wu family's door? I think Town Magistrate Xiao came here to avenge his wife, not to support the Dong family."
If Xiao Chuan came to support the Dong family, they would be furious.
In the past, the Dong family was already arrogant enough by using Xiao Chuan's name. If they had truly gained Xiao Chuan's favor, the entire alley would have belonged to the Dong family.
As they discussed in hushed tones, they all moved further away from the Dong family's house.
The last time a few burly men came to the Dong family and smashed their belongings, they openly gathered at the Dong family's door to watch the commotion. But this time, the person who came was Xiao Chuan. It can only be said that some people are born with a fearsome aura.
Xiao Chuan sat high on his horse, his gaze not even sweeping over them, yet he somehow made them dare not look directly at him.
The Dong family, who were using Xiao Chuan's name to intimidate others, were much the same as these people. They spoke of Xiao Chuan affectionately in daily life, but when they actually saw him, Old Madam Dong was dumbfounded. Looking at the coldness on Xiao Chuan's face, she felt that he was there to kill someone.
She took a few steps back before stammering, "Rou Niang is inside. I'll go and fetch her for you right away."
Xiao Rou was washing dishes in the kitchen when she heard that Xiao Chuan had arrived. Her first reaction was disbelief.
But seeing Old Lady Dong's panicked state, she felt a glimmer of hope.
“Speak nicely to your brother when you see him. Look at what a state Dalang has become! If you were strong, Dalang wouldn’t have been bullied yesterday. Now he’s so scared he can’t even get out of bed.”
After regaining her composure, Old Lady Dong immediately instructed Xiao Rou to seize the opportunity, "Look how pathetic it is for our whole family to be crammed into this small courtyard. You must ask your younger brother to promote Dalang, Yilang, Sanlang, and Silang. Don't just think about yourself. Only when your husband's family prospers can you prosper."
Xiao Rou was eager to see Xiao Chuan, and she nodded to everything Old Lady Dong said. Old Lady Dong noticed that she was distracted and, thinking that with Xiao Chuan, the family would have to pamper her again, she angrily pulled off Xiao Rou's apron: "Think more carefully, and don't anger your brother and make us suffer."
"I know."
Xiao Rou nodded vigorously and was finally let out of the kitchen by Old Lady Dong.
The Dong family home wasn't large. As Xiao Rou came out of the kitchen, she saw Xiao Chuan's figure in the courtyard. Her steps slowed, and she stopped in front of him, murmuring, "A-Chuan..."
Before Xiao Rou arrived, Xiao Chuan was looking around the Dong family's residence.
He hadn't really looked at this place properly when he came to capture Xiao Rou before, but now it seems that this place is dilapidated and old, and not much better than the Xiao family's old house.
Looking at Xiao Rou's old padded jacket, he remembered that his older sister loved to dress up. Although she wasn't as extravagant as Mi Yao, she would still make a new set of clothes for every festival, and she had all kinds of cheap silk flowers.
She was now devoid of any vibrant colors, and her hair was completely covered by a brown cotton cloth.
Do you like this kind of life?
Xiao Chuan looked at her for a moment, then asked in a calm voice.
Although his tone lacked emotional fluctuation, it subtly conveyed a condescending attitude. Because of his words, Xiao Rou's words of inviting him to sit inside got stuck in her throat.
Xiao Rou pursed her lips: "You came here just to ask this? Did your wife send you?"
Over the years, Xiao Xu had never spoken a word to her, and when he saw her, he would pretend not to see her.
Old Lady Dong thought he had come to help her, but considering Mi Yao's methods, she only felt that he had come to stand up for Mi Yao.
Xiao Chuan neither denied nor admitted it, but simply said, "I asked her what she would do if she were in your shoes, and she said she would never end up like you."
Xiao Rou's face flushed red. She never expected that Xiao Chuan and Mi Yao would mention her in private, and even speak so ill of her.
She also told me that if she were me, she wouldn't be as indecisive as I am.
Xiao Chuan continued, "So Xiao Rou, I gave you one path before, now I'm giving you two paths."
"First, you and the Dong family leave Yizhou together. As long as I live, you will not be allowed to set foot in Yizhou. Second, I will give you one person. Don't live such a pathetic life."
As soon as Xiao Chua finished speaking, he pointed to the woman standing next to him.
If Xiao Chuan didn't point it out, then Xiao Ren...
The woman in the corner looked to be in her teens, tall, with skin even darker than a man's; she was clearly no ordinary woman.
If you command her, she will obey you. If you tell her to kill a member of the Dong family, she won't hold back in the slightest. But if you don't have the guts to give the order, she'll be a VIP guest of the Dong family, and you...
After he finished speaking, there was silence, like a gasp coming from an empty room.
Xiao Rou was stunned. She had thought Xiao Chuan would offer to take her away as before, but unexpectedly, he gave her two...
She had been thinking about how she would explain her grievances and situation to Xiao Chuan if he asked her to leave the Dong family again. Now that he didn't mention it at all, she didn't feel relieved. Instead, she felt a sense of loss or something else lingering in her heart.
"You people, what right do you have to drive us away from Yizhou!"
Old Lady Dong was dissatisfied with both of Xiao Chua's choices. Seeing her sons cowering in anger but not daring to speak out, she rushed out the door and roared.
"Because I am an official, I can kill you right now."
Compared to Old Lady Dong's fury, Xiao Chuan remained calm in his tone, but the menacing aura in his voice caused Old Lady Dong to fall to the ground with a thud.
“Killing one of you will probably result in three days of confinement, but if I kill your whole family, I will have to be demoted by two ranks. If you stay in Yizhou, I will kill you sooner or later if I am in a bad mood. The extermination of your Dong family is a small matter, but my official position is not something to be joked about.”
Seeing Old Lady Dong trembling, Xiao Chuan twitched his lips. He really couldn't understand how this cowardly woman, who could be frightened by a single sentence, and the others in the room who were even worse than her, could have bullied Xiao Rou to this extent.
Xiao Cui glanced at Xiao Rou's hands, which were white and chapped from touching the water, and said, "Xiao Rou, is this the life you wanted? Serving a family with a different surname from yours?"
Xiao Rou burst into tears because of Xiao Chuan's sarcasm.
When she first got together with Dong Jia, he bought her everything and said many sweet words to her. In addition, the Dong family was from the city, and she was bewitched by him, so she really eloped with him.
"I thought back then that the Dong family was richer than ours. If I married Dong Jia, I could help my mother out in the future."
Who knew that although the Dong family were city dwellers, they had many siblings and the whole family made a living by running a small soy sauce shop.
Old Lady Dong was not easy to get along with. She entered the Dong family without any official status, and as the eldest daughter-in-law, she had to take care of the entire Dong family's daily needs.
At first, her mother came to find her, but because she was deeply in love with Dong Jia at the time, and because Dong's mother was afraid that she would change her attitude if she left, she refused to return to the Xiao family.
She went further and further astray after that, and she herself didn't know how she ended up like this.
"When you first became a general, they treated me well, pampering me. But when they saw that you ignored me, they changed back to their old ways, making me do all the housework and even cursing me for not being able to have children..."
Xiao Rou cried as she recounted the grievances she had suffered over the years. She had not been able to conceive since her miscarriage a few years ago, and the doctor said that she might not be able to have children in the future.
A woman who cannot have children, she doesn't know where else she can go if she doesn't stay in the Dong family.
"Are you telling me all this because you resent me for ignoring you, causing the Dong family to stop putting on an act for you?"
"I'm not..."
Xiao Chuan interrupted her, "Two paths: stay or leave."
“Madam, although this place is dilapidated, I want to enjoy the feeling of being a master. You should stay. This family is no match for me. From now on, we will be the masters and let them serve us.”
Standing in the corner of the courtyard, Qi Niang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said to Xiao Rou with a smile, "There are so many people in their family, and they only keep this old woman to take care of our daily needs. They send everyone else out to work so that they can earn money for us to spend."
Xiao Rou had never thought about what Qi Niang was talking about. If she really acted like that as a daughter-in-law, wouldn't others point fingers at her and scold her if they knew?
But seeing that Old Lady Dong was still so frightened by Xiao Chua that she sat on the ground and dared not stand up, and that no one in the room dared to utter a sound after hearing Qi Niang's words, she couldn't help but start to fantasize about the life Qi Niang had described.
"If I had to choose, I wouldn't want to leave Yizhou."
After saying that, Xiao Rou saw that Xiao Chuan was about to leave, and asked while clenching her fists, "...Can I visit Liang'er and Shan'er at the Xiao residence in the future?"
Since Xiao Chuan left someone at the Dong family's house, does that mean he has calmed down and is treating her like family again?
We still don't need to meet in the future.
Seeing the hope fade from Xiao Rou's face, Xiao Chuan didn't realize that she truly missed Xiao Liang and Xiao Shan. Rather, he thought that rather than giving her power to act arrogantly in the Dong family, she wanted him to be her support so that the Dong family would automatically pamper her.
Unfortunately, she was willing to be a weak and foolish person, but he was unwilling to be attached to the bedbugs.
"It's because the Yu family looks down on me and won't let you..."
Xiao Rou looked embarrassed and aggrieved. If Xiao Chuan hadn't never heard Mi Yao mention Xiao Rou before, just looking at her, he would have really mistakenly thought that Mi Yao had done something to her.
"What does this have to do with her? Have you forgotten that before she was around, I made it clear that I had nothing to do with you anymore?"
Xiao Chuan originally didn't want to say more, but he knew that if he didn't make things clear, Xiao Rou would always think that others were wrong.
He said, “When Mother was still alive, you resented her for being too fierce and harsh on you, so you had no choice but to elope with Dong Jia. When you arrived at the Dong family, you resented the domineering nature of the old lady of the Dong family, which caused you to suffer. Now you hate Madam Yu and think that I am bewitched by her and that I am harsh on you.”
"Xiao Rou, you're mistaken. I hate you because you're blind and brainless. First, you fell for Dong Jia, and then, for the sake of your worthless pride, you clung to the Dong family, adding another layer of worry to Mother's already ailing body. I don't care if you think you can't turn back after making the wrong choice once, or if you're just being self-righteous and think staying in the Dong family is making things easier for me. I won't take back what I said. Since you've accepted that you're married to Dong Jia and will live and die for the Dong family, you have nothing to do with the Xiao family or me anymore."
Xiao Chuan left immediately after speaking, without looking at Xiao Rou's tear-streaked face.
Seeing her master leave, Qi Niang flung her arm, grabbed her knife, and kicked open the door to the Dong family's room: "Let me see which room is the best, so I can be a master from now on!"
Qi Niang chose Dong Silang's house.
This family only supported Dong Silang, a scholar. The house was clean and tidy, and it even had a desk, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
However, she doesn't know many words and doesn't need these things.
She would lift up any extra things and throw them outside.
The Dong family's house was vandalized recently, and these items were all replaced with money from Madam Wu.
Seeing that Qi Niang had smashed things, Dong Silang cried out in distress, "Mother, stop her! She's taken over my room. Where am I supposed to sleep? How am I supposed to study and take the imperial examinations?"
When Old Lady Dong saw the things she had spent money on thrown on the ground and broken into pieces, she was so angry that she vomited blood. But then she remembered Xiao Chuan saying that killing her would be as easy as crushing an ant.
Adding to the fact that Qi Niang had a sword at her waist, no matter how much she hated her, she didn't dare to step forward to stop her. She could only push Xiao Rou and ask Xiao Rou to stop her.
"You jinx, what kind of mess are you going to make of the Dong family! Go and stop her! She's your brother's servant, she listens to you!"
"Sister-in-law, stop her! She's ruining my future. Do you think you can give me an official position?"
The Dong family members were all urging Xiao Rou, so she had no choice but to step forward and block Qi Niang's way.
“Go back. You’ve heard from my brother that he hates me and doesn’t acknowledge me as his sister.”
Xiao Rou choked up again as she spoke, feeling that it would have been better if Xiao Chuan hadn't come at all. Hearing her own brother speak so ill of her made her feel like she would rather be dead.
Qi Niang looked at Xiao Rou's tears, curiously reached out and wiped them away, putting a tear on her fingertip and into her mouth.
"So this is what tears taste like. Madam Xiao, please stop crying. When you run out of money to buy salt in the future, go and shed a few tears in front of the pot."
Xiao Rou was stunned by Qi Niang's actions, and then she heard her laughing.
"you--"
Seeing Qi Niang's attitude, Xiao Rou knew that the Dong family's idea was going to fail. Sure enough, Qi Niang said next, "Madam Xiao, you probably didn't hear what the master said. The master said that if you have the courage to use me, we will become the masters of the Dong family together. If you don't have the courage, then you will serve my food and daily life with the Dong family."
After saying that, Qi Niang kicked Dong Silang, who was looking indignant: "You filthy thing, there's a row of snot stuck on the bedside. Go and lick it clean for me, one snot at a time!"
Xiao Rou thought that Dong Silang, who was usually hot-tempered, would rise up in resistance upon hearing this, but before Qi Niang could even touch the hilt of the knife, he obediently went into the house.
"And what are you doing instead of cooking? I don't care what you eat, but I'll be angry if I don't get to eat meat."
Qi Niang drew her sword and slashed at the Dong family's gate. "When there was no food on the battlefield, I did eat human flesh."
The Dong family members, trembling with fear, had no choice but to comply and immediately bought meat and cooked for her.
The Dong family, who usually relied on Xiao Rou for service, all sprang into action. Even Dong Jia, who had suffered at the Wu residence and was bedridden and needed Xiao Rou to take care of his bodily functions, was kicked off the bed by Qi Niang because Dong Silang had told Qi Niang that Dong Jia was good at serving people and had washed Xiao Rou's feet several times.
After a few quick gestures, Dong Jia readily agreed and went to fetch hot water to massage Qi Niang's feet.
*
After leaving the Dong family, Xiao Chuan went straight to the training ground. Only after his body was soaked in sweat did he feel that the pent-up frustration in his heart had been swept away. He changed his clothes and returned to the city.
It was late when he returned to the Xiao residence. The rest of the family had already eaten dinner. After a quick meal, he remembered what Xiao Liang had said at noon and went to Tingsong Courtyard.
When he arrived at Tingsong Courtyard, he discovered that the place had changed quite a bit.
The courtyard was planted with many new flowers and trees that hadn't been there before. The most festive paper-cut window decorations were pasted up here, and colorful ribbons were hung everywhere.
It's obvious that this is Xiao Shan's preference.
Approaching the house where the noise was coming from, one could see Yu Shaoyang and his wife, along with their three children, inside.
Yu Shaoyang was holding Xiao Shan in his arms, playing chess with Xiao Yi, while Zhen Jing was reading a story to Xiao Liang.
Looking around, Xiao Chuan was relieved to not see Mi Yao.
Fortunately, she's lazy; once someone is there to take care of the child, she runs off. If she were here, the whole family would be happy and harmonious, and he would become superfluous and shouldn't disturb their peace.
"Father!"
Xiao Liang called out to Xiao Chuan. Xiao Yi, who was engrossed in the game of chess, immediately got up to greet Xiao Chuan. Xiao Shan, who was feeling sleepy, glanced at him lazily and didn't even bother to call out.
"Brother, sister-in-law."
Xiao Chuan greeted them, "I'll trouble you to take the time to entertain them."
"It's alright. Dalang is very intelligent. Our school tested his essay, and he didn't seem like a child who had only been learning chess for a year. His chess skills are the same; he plays like Xiao Xie. He's already starting to develop his own chess strategy at such a young age..."
"Me! Me!"
Hearing Yu Shaoyang hug her but keep praising his brother, Xiao Shan reminded him unhappily.
Looking at Xiao Shan's pouting lips, Yu Shaoyang laughed heartily: "Shan'er is also very clever. She will definitely be a very capable young lady when she grows up."
"Like a mother."
"Of course."
Seeing that Yu Shaoyang was more comfortable with the children than he was with them, Xiao Chuan didn't say anything more, but simply called Xiao Liang out of the house.
"Father, have I done something wrong?"
Xiao Liang had no memory of his father ever speaking to him alone. He walked along the road feeling uneasy, afraid that he would make a mistake and be abandoned by his father.
"It's nothing, come with me to the outhouse."
"Did Dad eat too much and need to poop for a long time? Is he afraid of being alone and smelling the poop, so he wants me to keep him company?"
Xiao Liang blinked, his face showing complete innocence.
Fortunately, his eyes were clear and innocent enough, otherwise Xiao Chuan would have really felt that he was being sarcastic and mocking to his elder.
Xiao Chuan didn't explain, but simply went to the urinal where he could urinate, and opened his pants...
Xiao Liang's trip was sudden, and he returned quickly, his face flushed as he went back to the house in no time.
Yu Shaoyang noticed the barely concealed excitement on his face: "What's wrong? Did your father get something good and secretly give it only to you?"
"no."
Xiao Liang leaned close to his uncle's ear and shared what he had just seen, "Dad's bird is incredibly big! So big, so big!"
He started gesturing as he spoke.
"puff."
Yu Shaoyang laughed so hard he almost fell over. At noon, he saw that Xiao Chuan hadn't said a word and thought he hadn't taken Xiao Liang's words seriously. It turned out that he was calm on the surface but actually cared about it. He remembered it and specially showed it to his son so that his son wouldn't spread the wrong words and ruin his reputation.
Yu Shaoyang was laughing, while Zhen Jing was pondering Xiao Liang's gestures. She glanced at her husband's trousers and suspected that his previous words on the bed were all lies to her.
He clearly stated that his bravery was unparalleled among men.
*
Xiao Chuan was unaware that his private clarification had been completely betrayed by Xiao Liang.
When he returned to the main courtyard and saw that there were no candles lit in the main room, he knocked directly on Mi Yao's old house.
A moment later, the maid opened the door, and Xiao Chuan entered. He saw that Mi Yao was not lounging on the couch, but sitting at the table. There were many booklets and papers on the table. Xiao Chuan did not peek at them, but stood not far away and said, "It's rare to see you so busy."
“My lord, you’re not with me all the time, so of course you don’t see when I’m busy. Actually, I’m very busy on weekdays, but every time I see you, I put aside my work and consider spending time with you my most important thing. That’s why you feel that this moment is a rare treat.”
While tidying up the things on the table, Mi Yao blatantly lied.
After finishing what she was doing, Mi Yao noticed that Xiao Chua's expression relaxed. Her gaze, which had been on Mi Yao's hands, met her eyes only when she saw her stop.
He seems to be in a good mood.
Thinking about what she planned to bring up with him, Mi Yao seized the opportunity to sit down on the chair next to him.
Seeing Mi Yao walk towards him, but instead of sitting on his lap as usual, he couldn't help but think that Mi Yao was timid.
Then she became afraid of him and dared not tease him anymore.
"Has the young master resolved my sister's matter?"
“Someone was sent to her.”
"What kind of person?"
"A person who could crush the entire Dong family with one hand."
If Xiao Rou has any intention of resisting, Qi Niang is the knife in her hand to deal with the Dong family. If she is still out of her mind, it is no big deal to have another Qi Niang to bully her.
"Are there any other gentlemen like this? I want one too."
Upon hearing that a single hand could crush an entire family, Mi Yao was not afraid at all; instead, her eyes lit up, and she cupped the contents in her hands and placed them in front of Xiao Chuan.
"I can kill someone with a single finger."
Xiao Chuan placed his finger in her palm, and Mi Yao's gaze moved to the rough finger with distinct knuckles, suspecting that Xiao Chuan was implying something.
But he clearly used three fingers last night.
So, wouldn't you say she was extremely difficult to kill? Xiao Chuo could kill with just one finger, but it would take three fingers to kill her. And she didn't die; she just fainted slightly.
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