The White Plague God is coming.
Jingle bells, jingle bells!
Who is it?
Shen, who was on the phone, shouted impatiently. Outside, in the pitch black, there was only the sound of rain, and no one answered.
Ding ding ding dong, ding ding ding dong! After a few seconds of silence, the doorbell rang stubbornly.
"I'll come back later! I'm busy! It's okay, please continue." Brother Shen said with a smile on the other end of the phone.
He didn't want to answer, but the emotionless doorbell was driving him crazy. Xu Xi, who was on the sofa, held down his irritable manager and, ignoring his obstruction, slowly moved to the door with his cane.
Pushing open the door, a strange man appeared before him. He was in his thirties, carrying a small wooden box on his back. His appearance was as ordinary as a drop of water blending into the sea, without any distinguishing features. Xu Xi searched his memory carefully, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find such a person.
"Xisheng, Leihao, we're from... well, we're here because Miss introduced us to this nursing service. Miss told us to... to arrive here on time." The man's face turned red as he tried to straighten his tongue, whether it was a natural stutter or stage fright was hard to tell.
Xu Xi's lips twitched. He hadn't heard such authentic Cantonese in a long time. He hoped that the man wouldn't pronounce his name in dialect.
At this moment, two women holding paper umbrellas also approached the gate. The woman in her forties patiently waited for the man to finish speaking, and then added that they were also invited by Miss He for the interview. The young girl next to her nodded frequently without saying a word.
"Oh, I know, please come in." Xu Xi smiled and invited the three inside. A few white lights flashed behind them from time to time, probably because there were still some reporters who hadn't left.
After finishing the call, Brother Shen rushed over nervously to close the door, reminding everyone that Mr. Xu was a nationally renowned public figure, and that no matter who was elected in the future, they had to be careful to protect Mr. Xu's privacy.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Brother Shen helped Xu Xi sit back on the sofa and briefly introduced Xu Xi's personal situation. The three of them then introduced themselves.
Following the principle of ladies first, the older woman introduced herself first. You can call her Aunt Chun. She is a caregiver at Guangci Hospital. Recently, the number of patients at the hospital has decreased, so she wanted to take on some side jobs to supplement her family's income.
When it was the young woman's turn, she gestured and made noises to indicate that she couldn't speak; she was mute. Shen Ge's eyes lit up, and he gave Xu Xi a wink.
Aunt Chun, who was standing nearby, gestured to her and spoke up for the mute girl. This girl was her neighbor, and everyone called her Wa Mei. She usually worked as a temporary caregiver in several hospitals. She was young and strong, and could carry a big man weighing 100 or 200 pounds. Last time, there was a patient weighing 300 pounds who was cared for by Wa Mei.
The two people on the sofa nodded frequently, and the man was the last to introduce himself.
"I teach Lou Fei, Lou as in 'Dao' and Fei as in 'flying locust.' I run a clinic, specializing in treating sprains and bruises, and I can easily take care of Mr. Xu's fractures." The man spoke with great enthusiasm and fluent speech, suggesting he was just shy around strangers.
Shen Ge squinted, his nose wrinkling several times, as if he only half understood. He whispered to Xu Xi, "This Mr. Lou runs a clinic, and he seems to have a lot of professional knowledge."
"You've got the wrong name. His surname is Liu, and his name is Liu Hui," Xu Xi kindly reminded him. The man's name, like his appearance, was quite ordinary.
Shen Ge was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth, then praised him with delight, "As expected of our Xu Xi, he can understand even this."
What's this? Some bad memories started to haunt Xu Xi, so he quickly changed the subject and asked the three of them about accommodation and salary.
After the interview, Brother Shen asked the three of them to sit at the table for a while, as he needed to discuss things with Mr. Xu. They had only exchanged a few words when, bang, a car door slammed shut outside, followed by a few muffled words of conversation amidst the chaotic footsteps.
Both of them turned their gazes toward the door. There shouldn't be any guests coming tonight. After a few seconds of thinking, the sound of dragging things, wet with water stains, grew closer and closer. It sounded like there were at least ten people.
The keyhole slowly turned in the shadows, click—the door opened!
At a glance, you can spot the plague-ridden figure at the door—Xu Qiao, dressed in a white suit, with a string of gold keys in his hand.
With a deafening roar in his mind, Xu Xi nearly jumped off the sofa and screamed like a volcano erupting, "How did you get the key to my house?"
In response to Xu Xi's questioning, Xu Qiao adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and calmly replied, "It's normal for an older brother to have a key to his younger brother's house."
"Normal my foot! You dog spy! He's changed the locks on this house eight hundred times already, but unfortunately he'll have to change them again tomorrow." Xu Xi felt deeply offended and, without thinking, told him to leave. He was too busy to entertain idlers.
This wasn't the first time the two brothers had clashed, and Xu Qiao, unfazed, sat down: "You're busy, so why give the butler a day off? That's why I called him back for you. Come in and pour the young master a glass of water; he's probably parched."
Upon seeing the housekeeper, Xu Xi felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if he had fallen into a pool of icy water. They had arrived so quickly. Qingcheng was right; the secret upstairs had already caught Xu Qiao's attention. He had brought so many people today; they had probably already surrounded his house.
The housekeeper bowed and brought over a water glass, politely calling out to Xu Xi. Xu Xi turned his face away, deliberately ignoring her, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive, making everyone sweat profusely.
Xu Qiao, who was sitting with his legs crossed, didn't have a temper at all. He took the water cup himself, pried open his younger brother's fingers, and stuffed the water into his hand even though half of it had spilled.
As if deliberately adding fuel to the fire, Xu Qiao, acting like the master of the house, demanded that the housekeeper immediately go upstairs to clean the guest room, as he would be staying at his brother's house that night.
Facing her true master, the housekeeper obediently fetched a broom. She had just stepped onto the stairs… *crash!* A glass shattered at her feet. Xu Xi gripped his wooden cane tightly, his face as stern as if plastered with cement: “Come down! Did I tell you to come upstairs?”
"It's not easy for people to earn your salary. They get yelled at for doing chores. It's not like there's anything new or unusual they can't see." Xu Qiao casually tossed out a sentence, which was full of hidden meaning.
"Mind your own business. I'm disciplining my servants." Xu Xi gritted his teeth and turned to the housekeeper. "I haven't even had dinner yet. You're going upstairs to clean. By the time you're done, I'll be starving. Go buy me and Brother Shen two meals!"
"Oh, you should have said so earlier. What do you want to eat? I'll have my men buy it for you. It won't interfere with either of you." Xu Qiao's eyes were slightly lowered, and his deep, sinister tone sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
Too lazy to bother with this plague, Xu Xi curled a cold smile and continued to threaten the housekeeper. If he couldn't get her to come, then sorry, his temple was too small to accommodate such a big shot as her, and she didn't need to come tomorrow.
For a moment, the housekeeper's back tensed up, holding the broom, unsure whether to go up or down. She looked at Xu Qiao for help, and in the end, Xu Qiao lowered his head first, winked at the housekeeper, and agreed to let her go buy dinner first.
"Young master, what would you like to eat?" the housekeeper asked respectfully, taking off her apron.
Xu Xi didn't hesitate to order food in response to her temporary docility. He first went to Xin Ya Hotel to buy a soy sauce chicken, half a catty of char siu (half lean and half fat), and some crispy char siu. Then he went to Hua Mao Hotel to buy two medium chef's steaks and two cream soups without onions.
Finally, he went to the cigar bar on the rooftop of the hotel to pick up two cigars. No payment was needed; just mention his name and it would be on the tab. Their manager knew his tastes. After giving these instructions, Xu Xi tossed out several large bills, telling the housekeeper to buy them immediately, and that the extra was a tip.
No sooner had the housekeeper left than Xu Qiao's sinister voice rang out: "Little brother, I haven't finished eating either. Why didn't you order a meal for your older brother?"
His tone was clearly blaming his younger brother for being irresponsible, but his cold eyes were fixed on his manager, Brother Shen, as if to say, "There are only two portions of food; you'd better figure it out yourself."
The eerie atmosphere sent chills down everyone's spines. Shen Ge, a seasoned veteran, exchanged a glance with Xu Xi, immediately stood up to say goodbye, and waved to the three people at the table, smiling as he said he would take the workers out for a quick bite, while the two brothers could catch up.
Now that the enemy outnumbers us and the situation is unfavorable, Xu Xi decisively chose to retreat in order to minimize the losses.
"Wait a moment--"
Xu Qiao suddenly reached out and stopped Shen Ge, glancing disdainfully at the three people at the dining table. With a wave of his hand, four more agents rushed into the room and blocked the door.
"Xu Qiao, don't go too far. This is my house. Tell your dog to poop somewhere else, or I'll invite all the reporters outside in and take pictures of their dogs." Xu Xi suddenly stood up, pounding the ground with his wooden cane in agitation.
“He doesn’t even call me ‘brother,’ he has no manners at all. Let the reporters come, it won’t make the paper anyway.” Xu Qiao wasn’t intimidated at all, and pointed to Liu Hui’s small wooden box with interest, “What kind of worker are you, a plumber or a furniture repairman?”
The Plague God's domineering control was like a pair of giant hands, tightly gripping Xu Xi's throat, suffocating him. His teeth were already grinding together, and a surge of killing intent was about to burst from his chest.
Seemingly sensing Xu Xi's resentment, Brother Shen stepped in front of the three caregivers, stating that there were only three candidates and the choice had not yet been made.
Xu Qiao laughed: "Hey, why hide this from your brother? You're injured, and I wanted to take care of you myself. It would be even better if there were professional caregivers. Xiao Shen, could you briefly introduce the caregivers and I'll give you some advice?"
Under immense pressure, Brother Shen swallowed hard, forced a bitter smile, and began to introduce the characteristics of the three women. Aunt Chun was a senior nurse with extensive nursing knowledge and could stay at his home to provide care at night. However, she would have to go back to the hospital to handle matters and could not provide 24-hour care every day.
Wa Mei is young and strong, and she's mute, so the secrecy is definitely the best. But she's a virgin, and Xu Xi is also unmarried. It's inconvenient for a man and a woman to be alone together. For the sake of both of their reputations, she can't stay at home with him at night.
Liu Hui, the last one, is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. He is skilled in both nursing and medicine. He has only recently arrived in Shanghai and has little contact with the outside world. He is also a man, so he can live at home and won't cause gossip. However, he charges the same fees as a doctor's house call, which is a bit expensive.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Qiao grabbed Wa Mei's hair and slammed her head against a pillar with a thud. Instantly, a line of blood appeared on Wa Mei's forehead, and she bit her lip tightly, remaining silent.
Xu Qiao moved too fast. No one expected him to go crazy and hit an unarmed girl. Liu Hui was the first to react. He immediately grabbed Xu Qiao's raised hand and, with a deft touch, moved Wa Mei behind him in an instant.
"Oh, he's got some skills, but his gun is fast within seven steps." As Xu Qiao spoke, four gun barrels were already pointed at Liu Hui's head.
Knowing he was no match for Liu Hui, he silently released his grip and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Martial arts practitioners despise those who bully the weak."
"Heh, although I don't understand, you're certainly tough enough to make a move. Come back with me later, and let's see if you're still so tough." Xu Qiao revealed a sinister smile, kicked Wa Mei hard, and she shrank back, silently enduring the kick. Then he raised his foot again...
state--
The deafening gunshot was deafening. Xu Qiao touched his face in disbelief, his fingertips stained with crimson blood. The bullet had just grazed his cheek.
In an instant, all the gun barrels turned towards Xu Xi. Xu Xi, holding a smoking gun, remained expressionless and said coldly, "Get out of my house with your dog right now, or next time it won't just be a scratch."
"Put down your guns, all of you! Who gave you permission to point them at my brother?" Xu Qiao shouted at his men. "Don't be angry, little brother. I was just testing her for you. I've tested her, and she really is mute. We've chosen her as the caregiver. Starting tonight, she'll stay with you. It's a blessing she earned in her past life to be able to keep my brother company. If you feel embarrassed, you can take her as a concubine. It'll be more reassuring for me to have someone to serve you."
Xu Xi was disgusted by the plague god's frivolous attitude. How could he be related to such a person? He almost squeezed out the word "get lost" through gritted teeth.
“That won’t do. During the New Year, Mother cried and told me to take good care of you. I have to take on the responsibility of being your older brother.” Xu Qiao pouted noncommittally. “My brother and I are Mother’s biggest support in the inner quarters. We absolutely cannot let her shed tears again.”
His most tender spot was struck. He truly wanted to kill the Plague God, but he also truly didn't want his mother to be sad. The intense emotions tore at him. The First Madam was tyrannical. If it weren't for the Plague God's influence in the court, his mother would have no good life in the inner quarters. Perhaps he should just endure it... No!
In a flash, a clear plan flashed through his mind. Xu Xi steadied his breathing and lowered his gun, but there seemed to be an invisible wall between him and the plague god, and he felt no sense of kinship.
“That’s right, come on, sit next to your brother.” Xu Qiao waved to his younger brother triumphantly.
Suppressing his anger, Xu Xi ignored him and said to Liu Hui, "Mr. Liu, I would like to hire you as my rehabilitation caregiver. Please go back and pack some personal belongings and come back tomorrow morning. I'll be troubling you in the meantime."
"No problem," Liu Hui assured him, patting his chest.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Xi supported himself with his cane, bowed to Wa Mei, and sincerely apologized: "Miss, I'm sorry. I'll have my agent take you to the hospital right away. We'll cover the medical expenses and follow-up supplements. Brother Shen, please take Aunt Chun home as well; it's hard to get a rickshaw in the rain."
Shen Ge, with his keen eye, went to open the door, but was stopped by several agents. However, Xu Xi glared at him, and they all obediently made way for him. Shen Ge led the group out in single file.
"Alright, alright, you've got a big idea. You can choose him if you want. We can even save on bodyguard fees. Anyway, when have I ever competed with you for what you want?" Xu Qiao clapped his hands with a smile and said indulgently.
Glancing sideways, Xu Xi sneered, "Hmph, you have time to clap your hands, why don't you go and urge the housekeeper to come back quickly, I'm starving."
"Yeah, it's a bit slow." Xu Qiao said, dialing a number. "My brother is starving to death. Why aren't you going to find someone and tell her to come back right now?"
Xu Xi didn't know who was on the other end of the phone, but he vaguely heard things like "Huamao Hotel, explosion," and "building and road closures." Haha, that sounds so nice. The housekeeper isn't coming back.
"I don't care where she sealed it off, bring the vegetables back to me right now." Xu Qiao's tone left no room for argument, then he turned fiercely to another subordinate and ordered, "Don't just stand there, go upstairs and make the bed for me, I'm a little tired."
"No way! Your dog smells too strong. They've been up there. How am I supposed to sleep?" Xu Xi leaned on his cane and slowly sat down on the stairs.
"Okay, whatever you say." Xu Qiao leaned back on the sofa and said with a smile, "Go and intercept that Cantonese guy for me, have him start providing care today, and while he's at it, tidy up the guest rooms."
Ignoring Xu Xi's dark expression, the agents soon brought Liu Hui back and forcibly removed his small wooden box.
Now that he had no excuse, Xu Xi pressed his temples and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Liu, I'll have to work an extra half-day. But my master bedroom is a bit messy, so please don't go in."
Liu Hui didn't say anything, just nodded. Xu Qiao, with the air of a victor, walked past his younger brother and followed Liu Hui upstairs.
"What are you looking at? Get out and guard the door." Xu Xi was still uneasy after chasing away the spies, so he limped up to the second floor with his cane.
His gaze swept quickly over the familiar furniture. He didn't see the plague god in the living room or guest room on the second floor. Xu Xi's scalp tightened. He grabbed the decorative fireplace and quickly jumped to his bedroom. The moment he opened the door, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, also settled down. Nothing had changed in the dimly lit room.
Turning around, he saw the plague god standing silently behind him, holding a comic book in his hand, his eyes dark and unfathomable. Xu Xi immediately closed the door, cutting off the person's probing gaze.
Perhaps to break the awkward silence, Xu Qiao waved the book in his hand, remarking that his younger brother, just like when he was a child, still enjoyed reading these kinds of miscellaneous books. However, he wouldn't confiscate them anymore; his brother had grown up and could read them if he wanted.
Turning his face away, Xu Xi secretly exhaled a breath of stale air. Luckily, he listened to his senior brother and moved all the red books in advance. If the plague god had seen them, they would definitely have been ruined.
The Plague God flipped through his book and said indifferently, "But I didn't expect you to be so slow. You still haven't won over that woman. You're writing love letters even though you can't sleep with her. It's a waste of time. If her father and brother were still alive, she would be a suitable wife. It's a pity that she's unlucky. She's the daughter of a poor family. She definitely can't enter the main gate of my Xu family. She can barely be a concubine."
"You bastard, you've been going through my drawers!" Xu Xi grabbed the plague god by the collar.
Seeing his younger brother's suspicious look, the "plague god" acted as if it were none of his business: "Hey, don't wrong me. I didn't go through your drawer. You put the love letter in your book yourself, and it just happened to fall out. I put it on the table for you..."
Bang! The study door slammed shut. Xu Xi's suppressed emotions were on the verge of collapse. His dignity had been trampled on, his privacy had been invaded, and his lover had been slandered. He leaned against the door, scratching at the wooden door with his nails, as if struggling before death.
Perhaps only time is the best painkiller.
A sudden, violent knocking startled Xu Xi awake from his slumber. He was heartbroken that his ornate door had been treated so badly by a brute.
"Little brother, I've brought your dinner up for you," the Plague God's voice rang out.
"I'm not hungry!" Xu Xi slumped weakly in the chair.
"Stop it. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You can't go without food. I'll have someone make you a big bone and fish maw soup tomorrow. Just make do with this for today. It's already heated up for you," Xu Qiao advised earnestly.
Inside the room, Xu Xi closed his eyes and resolved to resist to the very end.
The study door creaked open, and Xu Xi was about to get angry when he saw Liu Hui carrying a tray, walking shakily into the study.
"Oh no!" Xu Xi slapped himself, cursing his own willfulness. In desperation, he grabbed his crutch and limped out.
The plague god didn't come downstairs. Instead, he meticulously tied a white napkin around his neck and sat in the living room cutting a steak. On the coffee table, there was a small half-glass of blood-red wine and a gun. He slightly raised his eyes and asked Xu Xi if he wanted to dine with his brother.
"Pah!" Xu Xi spat to show his refusal, but his eyes darted back and forth between the wine glass and the gun. Suddenly, he snatched the wine glass from the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Xu Qiao awkwardly withdrew his hand from the gun, saying, "You kid, you can't drink alcohol lately. You can't have another drink."
"Why should I? You took the wine from my room." Xu Xi argued.
“Who would dare take your things, Mr. Xu? This is wine that I left at the Huamao Hotel. I had them retrieve it along with the wine. It tastes pretty good, doesn’t it?” Xu Qiao explained patiently, his eyes filled with affection.
"It's alright. But where are my soy sauce chicken and char siu?" Xu Xi asked impatiently.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my brother's men are clumsy and accidentally spilled it. I've already told them to buy a new one, but... the freshly baked one will have to wait another hour." Xu Qiao looked a little uncomfortable. Even though he had immense influence in Shanghai, he couldn't just conjure up half a pound of crispy and delicious char siu out of thin air.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Xi acted shamelessly: "You guys... how can I be full with just one steak? Are you trying to starve me to death?"
"I'm so sorry, please eat your brother's too, while it's hot." Xu Qiao took off his white napkin and pushed the plate in front of his younger brother.
Xu Xi didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down, forked his steak, and started eating. He also asked for another glass of wine. The doctor had said that wine could improve blood circulation, so he could drink it since he had a fracture. It might even be more effective than medicine.
The Plague God was somewhat skeptical of Xu Xi's words, but he couldn't resist his younger brother's tantrums. Just as he reached for the bottle, Xu Xi snatched it, pulled out the cork with his bare hands, and poured the wine himself. Xu Qiao sighed and helped his brother tie a white napkin around his neck, just like the first time the two of them went out for Western food.
After a hearty meal, Xu Xi gently patted his belly, his face full of contentment.
At this moment, the fireplace in front of him was doubled. Xu Xi rubbed his eyes, but the blurriness did not improve. A bone-chilling cold instantly spread from his stomach to his limbs. He clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the sofa, uncontrollably spitting out white foam.
"Little brother, what's wrong? Little brother—wake up!" Xu Qiao cupped his brother's face, his anxious tone trying to rouse him from his daze.
Hearing the shouts, Liu Hui was the first to run over, grabbing Xu Xi's already blackened fingernails: "Hey~ Xu Sheng is poisoned, quickly find some salty water... that salty water to induce vomiting."
"I don't understand what you're saying. Someone, call an ambulance!" Xu Qiao called out urgently, but no one responded; the sound of the rain probably drowned out his voice.
In this race against time, Liu Hui had already retrieved salt water from the kitchen and poured it down Xu Xi's throat, muttering, "Hurry up or we'll be late."
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