Chapter 32 Working Together "I'm craving some sashimi."
The crabapple-shaped wooden window of the small kitchen was right on the wooden corridor they had climbed up, and Wei Jinyun and Li Shiwan were sitting there watching the rain, eating dinner, and waiting for the boat banquet to end.
"Wan Niang, did you hear that?"
Wei Jinyun clutched the bamboo chopsticks in his hand, not daring to breathe. He moved closer to Li Shiwan and said in a trembling voice, "It seems... it's a pirate."
Born in Wu, she was fully aware of the brutality and evil deeds of the pirates. The Zhenze pirates were formidable, with historical records reporting that one leader commanded over 500 warships and commanded a thousand pirates. They committed arson, murder, looting, and other atrocities, some even being hired to kill officials and lay siege to Lin'an.
Although Pingjiang Prefecture is now protected by Lord Lu and there are no more pirates, those who dare to become pirates are all desperate criminals who have their heads hanging on their necks and have taken many lives.
The two pirates were heading to the small kitchen. If they wanted to notify Lord Lu, who was having a dinner on the second floor, they would have to pass through the wooden corridor, and they would run into them head-on. They were both armed with knives, which was too dangerous.
The dishes had been served, and even the maids were allowed to sit down and rest for a while. No one came to their small kitchen.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
Li Shiwan patted Wei Jinyun on the back and whispered, "It's okay. They didn't dare to make any noise. Judging from the noise, they probably don't have much experience, otherwise they wouldn't be so impulsive... Come and help me hold the door open."
The two men tiptoed to the door of the small kitchen, fastened it with a bolt, and pushed all the remaining heavy objects inside against the inner door. Even the large steamer used in the steamer was lifted down by the two men and held tightly against it.
"Why can't this door be opened?"
Zhao Heiyu pushed the small kitchen door hard, but it didn't budge. He began to doubt, "Something's wrong. There must be no one in the kitchen. Who is going to prepare a feast for the distinguished guest if the door is closed?"
Li Niqiu also gave it a push, realizing it was movable, clearly locked from the inside. He applied a little more force, and immediately the door stopped shaking.
"Someone pushed me."
He punched it viciously, "There's someone here. I'm afraid that bitch Li Shiwan has noticed something."
"What should we do? What should we do if she calls for help?"
Zhao Heiyu froze for a moment, and lowered his voice to exclaim, "Then we've been discovered. How did she find out..."
"You're a coward!"
Li Niqiu glared, "We've robbed so many ships, and you still don't know? There are many doors in the cabin, one leading to another, but this kitchen is completely closed to the guests. They're afraid the smoke and fire will disturb the guests, so this is the only way out. Now that we've been discovered by Li Shiwan, we can only... The pipa is so loud, and she's far away, so no one can hear her shouting."
He looked ferocious and made a gesture of wiping his neck.
"Okay, it's just a door. If we can't open it, all these years of work will be in vain. Loach, you block it here, I'll go to the window at the back to see if Li Shiwan is inside and find out what's going on with this door. The number one boat girl in Pingjiang Prefecture? I'll ask her to go down and prepare a boat feast for the Dragon King."
Zhao Heiyu gripped the short knife in his hand tighter and crouched down as he walked towards the Begonia carved window.
The two of them blew out all the candles in the small kitchen. Wei Jinyun and Li Shiwan were holding the door tightly and heard the conversation between the two.
"Miss Wei, please stay here and don't come out."
Li Shiwan lowered his voice and squatted beside her. "Even two stupid pirates can easily open this door. I will attract their attention and you hide in the dark. When the door is open, you run out and call for help. This is Mr. Lu's boat party, he will definitely teach them a lesson."
"Lady..."
Wei Jinyun had never encountered such a thing before. The pirates must have knives in their hands and be extremely vicious. She wanted her to escape alone.
Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and her palms were covered in sweat. Her grandmother and sister were still waiting for her to return home, and she didn't want to die at all.
Wanniang is only in her early twenties, at most a few years older than her.
No one wants to die.
Wei Jinyun gritted his teeth, stood up, and poured all the coal slag from the clay stove toward the door. The coal slag had already gone out, leaving only the faint glow of fire. The moment the pirates rushed through the door, they probably wouldn't even look down. Whether they stepped on it or not, they would hold it off for a while.
She tied up half the can of oil with a hemp rope, moved a stool and hung it on the door frame.
After she finished doing all this, she looked at Li Shiwan who was staring at her. She had no idea whether these things could stop the pirates with knives.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I've been living on a boat for a long time, and I'm used to seeing pirates."
Li Shiwan saw her put the cinders away, held her hand, and smiled at her, "They think I'm the only one in the small kitchen. You should hide and don't come out. You must not come out."
This might be the only way. Wei Jinyun didn't argue with her, nodded, and crouched in the doorway again, holding tightly to the hemp rope hanging from the oil can. She had to stay calm and run fast enough. This was related to her life and Li Shiwan's life.
The candles in the small kitchen were out, and it was dark. Only glimpses of light could be seen through the carved wooden window.
The carved wooden window of the crabapple tree cast a dim shadow, reflecting a hunched black figure standing on tiptoe and peeking through the window crack.
For the sake of the beauty of the pleasure boat, these wooden windows are only hollowed out for ventilation, and there are not even any windows or doors that can be closed.
Li Shiwan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to steady herself, though cold sweat had already broken out on her back. She had been working as a boat hostess for two years, protected by the sailors, and had never encountered pirates before.
She was just trying to scare people to appease Wei Jinyun. There would be no fools among the pirates. They would not only rob things but also take lives.
She carried the kettle of hot water, which had just boiled, toward the wooden window, deliberately making her footsteps thudding loudly, loud enough for both those at the door and the window to hear. "Why hasn't this weather cleared up yet? The firewood is too damp to burn. It's really frustrating!"
Zhao Heiyu, who was standing by the window, was peeking inside through the wooden frame. When he heard the noise, he narrowed his eyes and stared straight at Li Shiwan who was walking towards him.
Li Shiwan seemed not to notice. When he turned around, he stumbled and the spout of the kettle hit the window sill. The boiling water splashed out through the cracks in the wood and splashed on the back of Zhao Heiyu's hand as he was holding on to the window frame.
"Mother."
Zhao Heiyu cried out in pain, then quickly covered his mouth, his eyes blazing with anger but he dared not say a word.
Li Shiwan seemed startled. She hurriedly put the kettle down and looked out the window, bewildered. "What was that noise just now? It was scary at night."
She patted her chest and turned around, deliberately raising her voice to complain, "This shabby kitchen doesn't even have a solid window. It squeaks when the wind blows. It's so annoying..."
Zhao Heiyu was impatient, and his hands were burned red. He quickly returned to the small kitchen door and cursed, "It hurts so much, did this woman do it on purpose? Li Shiwan is the only one in there, did you open the door?"
"What do you care about her? She won't be able to say a word in a moment."
As he spoke, he pried the door latch with increasing force. The latch was made of wood, and under his eager and forceful movements, it was severed.
The door was pushed open by two pirates outside, slamming the wooden door inwards with such force that the door frame trembled. Their impatience clouded their minds, not caring whether the noise would attract others, and they rushed in, sending steamers and chairs crashing to the ground.
Li Niqiu stepped in first, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he stepped on the pile of coal slag that was still glowing red.
"Oh my god!"
A short cry of pain came out of his throat. The scorching heat penetrated through the thin soles of his shoes and went straight into his flesh. He jumped up and took two steps forward, gritting his teeth in pain.
Zhao Heiyu, who followed in, was caught off guard and was pulled by Li Niqiu, and his feet stepped firmly into the coal slag pile. He gasped with a "hiss" and instantly arched his body in pain. He was so burned that he shook his feet twice on the spot.
Wei Jinyun hid in the dark and pulled the rope hard, and the oil in the oil tank poured out and splashed all over the two of them.
The two were still covering their feet, and were splashed with oil. They couldn't see clearly in front of them, and their steps became chaotic, stepping on the coal slag on the ground.
Li Shiwan suddenly screamed, "Where did you little thieves come from? Are you here to steal something?"
She picked up all the prepared rice noodles and poured them on the two of them. Then she picked up the iron pot that had been with her for several years with one hand, and picked up the iron spoon with the other hand, and banged the pot hard, making a loud bang.
Li Shiwan's shouts grew louder and louder, "You two damned little thieves! Do you have eyes on the top of your heads? You broke into my kitchen and wanted to die!"
In the shadow behind the door, Wei Jinyun held his breath the whole time, watching as the two pirates' attention was completely drawn to Li Shiwan's sudden madness. One of them was jumping up and down due to being burned by coal slag, while the other was wiping flour off his face vigorously.
Now is the time!
Wei Jinyun bent her knees hard, like a cat with its back arched, her body almost touching the ground. She used the door panel as a cover and quietly slipped out from the gap behind the two of them.
She tiptoed out of the door without making any sound. The moment she turned around, she could even hear Li Shiwan behind her shouting, "Catch the thief! Someone come and catch the thief."
Wei Jinyun didn't dare to pause for a moment, hunched over and sprinting forward, hugging the wall. After running two steps, she straightened up and ran as fast as she could along the wooden corridor, her cries for help loud and urgent, "There are pirates! Help! There are pirates breaking in! Lord Lu, Lord Lu, Lord Lu!"
Wei Jinyun used all her strength. Even to get to the second floor, there were four or five steps at a time. She tightly grasped the folded skirt that was in the way. She only knew that she had to go faster. Li Shiwan was alone in the kitchen facing two knife-wielding pirates!
She rushed into the boat banquet frantically. Lu Lan heard the cry for help and saw Wei Jinyun who was anxious and crying.
"There are pirates in Lord Lu's kitchen, and Wan Niang is alone..."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Lan had already jumped down from the balcony on the second floor.
Wei Jinyun's voice exploded in the empty wooden corridor, while in the kitchen, the two pirates were still being harassed by Li Shiwan. One was hit on the arm by an iron spoon, and the other was trying to grab her waving wrist. It was not until they heard Wei Jinyun's cry for help gradually fading away that they suddenly reacted.
There are two people in this kitchen!
"Li Shiwan, you damn bitch, how dare you play tricks on us!"
The two pirates were already furious, and now one of them ran out of the kitchen to get help, and the anger in their eyes rose.
The pleasure boat was parked so far away, how could the sailors arrive so quickly? He stabbed it first, then went to rob and run away.
"I'll send you to see the Dragon King!"
Li Niqiu finally couldn't hold back any longer, grabbed the short knife, and stabbed Li Shiwan with great force.
Li Shiwan shrank back in fear, the iron spoon in her hand dropped to the ground, and she subconsciously clenched her large iron pot. She thought to herself that her reputation would be ruined here before it even left Pingjiang Prefecture.
She was obviously a coward herself, and being stabbed by the knife must have been very painful...
After the short knife scraped past her iron pot, there was a muffled sound around her, like the sound of flesh being torn.
Li Niqiu, who was stabbing with a knife, suddenly froze. On the wrist of his right hand holding the knife, a feather arrow was piercing through the flesh. The feathers at the tail of the arrow were still trembling slightly, and blood was flowing down the arrow shaft.
"ah!"
He screamed in pain and the dagger fell to the ground.
Li Shiwan, still in shock, looked up and saw Lu Lingxiang standing at the door, dressed in a smoky-colored silk jacket. She held a drawn bow in her hand, her brows icy with cold eyes. "You stabbed Wanniang so badly, how can I ever invite her to a banquet in the future?"
She finally breathed a sigh of relief, her legs softening as she held onto the chopping board.
Zhao Heiyu was holding the knife, and a gust of wind blew behind him. Zhan Wenxing had circled around him without him noticing. With a forceful movement of his hand, he placed the long knife on Zhao Heiyu's neck, the cold blade touching his neck. "If you move again, your neck will be broken immediately."
Zhao Heiyu's knife dropped to the ground, and his body froze. His earlier ferocity was gone, leaving only a trembling tremor. Li Niqiu, whose wrist had been pierced by an arrow, was still screaming in pain, but Lu Lingxiang's cold glance frightened him so much that he swallowed the rest of his scream.
Isn't this a pleasure boat for literati? Why is Zhan Wenxing here? And who is this woman? Why is she so cruel?
"Wan Niang!"
Wei Jinyun returned to the small kitchen, ran to Li Shiwan, and hugged her. "Are you hurt? Does it hurt anywhere? Let's go see a doctor right away..."
"fine."
Li Shiwan smiled, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and pointed to the iron pot beside her. "At the critical moment, our tools are still useful."
Without the iron pot that had been with her for many years, she would have been stabbed to death by the pirate and become a dish for the Dragon King.
Zhao Heiyu, who was pressed to the ground by Zhan Wenxing, was shaking with fear. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a man in a crimson official robe with a sword hanging from his waist in the dark corner of the door.
His pupils shrank and the blood in his body instantly solidified.
ah!
Lu Lan!
Who doesn't know about this pirate from Pingjiang Prefecture? His God, his ancestors.
The fierceness that was clamoring in his heart just now was replaced by overwhelming regret. If he had known that Lu Lan was also on this pleasure boat, he would not have dared to break in even if he had ten times the courage.
This wasn't just running into the kitchen, it was clearly running into the King of Hell.
"Lu, Lord Lu!"
Zhao Heiyu's throat tightened, his voice trembling, and tears welled up without warning, mixing with the flour on his face as they flowed down his cheeks. "I'm such a jerk that I didn't recognize a great man! Yes, I was blinded by greed that I dared to come here... Lord Lu, spare my life, spare my life!"
Li Niqiu also saw Lu Lan. His face was pale with pain, but he didn't care about his wounds. He struggled to kneel, "Lord Lu, please spare my life! I'm just a little thief. I wanted to steal some food to fill my stomach... I won't dare to do it again. I beg Lord Lu for mercy!"
He cried so hard that his tears streamed down his face, and he banged his forehead against the boat, wishing he could curl himself up into a ball.
Lu Lan's eyes swept across the daggers on the two men's waists, then landed on the small bronze whistle on their collars. He sneered, "Little thief? Carrying a standard dagger and wearing the Black Wind Gang's whistle, you dare to call yourself a little thief?"
The two of them stopped crying and their faces turned from pale to blue.
Lu Lan took a step forward, his steps were slow and hurried, but the sound of his steps hitting the deck was like a hammer hitting the hearts of the two men, "Why don't you tell me where your leader is?"
He paused, and said calmly, "If you tell me, I'll keep your bodies intact. If you don't tell me..."
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes sweeping across the knife cutting vegetables on the countertop, then back to the two pale faces. His emerald eyes were cold and fierce. "Have you ever eaten sashimi?"
The two pirates trembled all over and understood what he meant almost at the same time.
"Want to be the fish sashimi in Zhenze?"
When the last word fell, Zhao Heiyu finally couldn't hold it in any longer and roared in a tearful voice, "I'm telling you, I'm telling you! The leader is here, hiding in a common pleasure boat in a reed marsh ten miles downstream from Zhenze. Please spare my life, Lord Lu!"
He really knows how to make them into sashimi!
"Everyone says Changce is a vicious person, but he was so polite to me just now, calling me Su Shibo all the time, and I still don't believe it."
Su Youren stood at the door, stroking his beard. "Old Lu, your grandson is a bit scary. He's even more scary than when you chopped off the Liao people's heads with a smile."
What Old Lu, what grandson, what Liao people...
Li Niqiu and Zhao Heiyu's bones looked as if they'd been soaked in vinegar, practically softened to a puddle of water. They were truly mad, boarding the most unacceptable pleasure boat and personally wiping out the remaining members of the Black Wind Gang while they were there.
Zhan Wenxing and Lu Lingxiang each took one of the pirates and dragged them out for questioning. Lu Heng didn't want to spoil his friend's fun, so he continued the banquet on the boat with him. Master Lu was drunk and had no idea what was going on.
Lu Lan stood there for a while, then suddenly remembered something and looked up.
Wei Jinyun was supporting Li Shiwan and staring at him intently.
What did he say in front of her?
Would she find him scary?
"Actually, I..."
Lu Lan rubbed her thumb repeatedly in her palm, glancing at the carved wooden window not far away. "I'm craving some fish sashimi."
Wei Jinyun said "hmm" and nodded.
The ruthlessness that Lu Lan had just shown had completely disappeared, leaving only gentleness between his brows, but there was still a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.
"Were you scared by those two pirates?"
He lowered his voice, and seeing Wei Jinyun nod slowly, he said nothing more.
The clay stove was lit again, and Lu Lan took a clay pot, scooped out some water, and took out some dried jujube kernels from the bag hanging from his leather belt. This was his usual supply; sailing on the water was bound to cause anxiety, and jujube kernels were the best way to calm the mind.
"Master Lu, please leave it to me."
Seeing Lu Lan ready to make soup, Li Shiwan quickly took over. She washed some rice and mixed it with jujube kernels to make jujube kernel porridge.
The casserole was placed on the clay stove and simmered slowly. Lu Lan stood by and did not leave. The candle was lit again, and the flame reflected on his profile, adding a bit of softness.
Why doesn't Lord Lu leave?
Wei Jinyun sat on the stool, holding her chin and looking up at him.
Lu Lan was still standing there while waiting for the sour jujube kernel porridge in the casserole to start simmering and smelling like rice.
Why hasn't he left yet?
Wei Jinyun remained silent. He stood there and she had no idea what he was talking about with Wanniang.
Soon, the porridge was ready. Li Shiwan filled three bowls and handed one to each of them. She didn't understand what Master Lu was doing here. He could go to the boat banquet first, and she would bring the porridge over.
Wei Jinyun took the bowl. The porridge had a slightly sour taste, with a refreshing herbal aroma and a rich rice fragrance. As he drank it slowly, a warmth spread through his stomach.
"I'll take you back."
Lu Lan took only two sips and coughed lightly.
Li Shiwan finally realized what was going on. He moved the small stool he was sitting on towards the wooden window and watched the rain while drinking porridge.
She couldn't hear anything, only the sound of rain could be heard in her mind.
"Mr. Lu called a boatman for me."
Wei Jinyun sipped his porridge and said, "I'll be back soon."
"Maybe there are still pirates."
"Thank you, Lord Lu! Sorry for bothering you!"
Mr. Lu was very satisfied with the boat banquet and snacks prepared by Wei Jinyun and Li Shiwan. He praised them personally and borrowed some money from his granddaughter, giving her a reward of one string of silver coins as a comfort fee for today.
His friend Su also laughed and praised the beautiful scenery of Pingjiang Prefecture, saying that even the ladies born there were all very heroic. He personally wrote words for them.
Wei Jinyun saw the elegant and powerful calligraphy and rolled it up carefully. Just as she was about to go downstairs, she heard Mr. Lu call out, "Zizhan, you must come to see me again next year."
She froze, took a long breath, wrapped the words in layer upon layer of cloth, placed them at the bottom of her basket, covered the basket with oilcloth, and tied it with hemp rope, more tightly than her two sisters had tied it.
In the future, this will be a family heirloom!
The rain gradually became lighter, and the wind over Zhenze was cool.
Lu Lan called a black-sailed boat and rowed it himself.
The oars sliced through the water, creating ripples and the lotus flowers rustling softly. He said nothing, simply steering steadily. Occasionally, he glanced sideways at Wei Jinyun, who was sitting under the black awning at the bow, clutching a basket tightly. Seeing her grinning with delight at the basket, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Why is she so happy?
When they arrived in front of Tianqing Temple, Lu Lan stopped the boat and watched her go ashore.
"Come in."
He stood on the boat and saw her holding an oil-paper umbrella. "Tomorrow...if you still feel uneasy, go get some medicine."
Wei Jinyun nodded, turned around and was about to step into the shop, but quickly ran back.
"Lord Lu, can you keep the incident of us encountering pirates today a secret? If others knew about it, my sister and grandmother would definitely be worried about me."
"It's kept secret."
Lu Lan looked at her with certainty. "The pirates are difficult to eradicate, and they also bear grudges. If they find out about you, they will seek revenge. However, the credit for your and Lady Li's contribution will be attributed to Lord Lu in the future."
"Let him fall. Lord Lu is the pride of the people. Catching the pirates will be easy."
Wei Jinyun laughed and said, "Thank you, Lord Lu, for sending me back. I'll go in now."
After she finished talking to him, she ran towards her two sisters who had already stuck their heads out of the shop door.
Lu Lan turned around with a gentle smile.
He is the light of the people.
"Sister, why are you back so late?"
Wei Fuqiu was the first to see Lu Lan's figure by the river, and then she saw that Wei Jinyun's eyes were a little red and swollen.
What happened? Did this light of the people bully my sister?
"Sister, why are you holding that basket? Why aren't you carrying it on your back?"
Wei Fuling brought her the ginger milk she and Wei Fuqiu had made today when she was bored at home. "There's a lot of rain on the surface, please have some, sister."
"When the shop opens, I will definitely hang it in the most conspicuous place. Sister, you made another ton of money today. Isn't that great?"
"Great, great! Put it down and eat!"
“Hot…hot!”
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The author has something to say: No one knows how to hijack a ship in front of adults [bursts into tears].
Jinyun: A family heirloom! [Rainbow fart]
Lord Lu: I sent her back, she was smiling so happily [pitiful]
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