Xu Zhuohua smiled gently, "With this jade pendant on my person, who would dare to bully me?"
Xu Jixin's slender fingers deftly unfastened the silver buttons of his cloak, the dragon patterns embroidered on the dark brocade swirling with his movements. He casually tossed the cloak to the person behind him, a cool fragrance wafting from his sleeve.
Before Xu Zhuohua could react, his warm palm had already wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her into the blue brick courtyard with an irresistible force, the sound of his boot heels striking the bluestone slabs crisp and rhythmic.
Xu Jixin lowered his voice, with a hint of teasing at the end: "When you left, you told Young Marshal Cheng that you would only be in Dongzhou for a month. Now the phoenix trees have already shed two leaves, almost two months have passed."
He paused deliberately, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the fabric of the other person's shoulder. "If you don't leave now, that cold-faced Yama might come all the way to Dongzhou to find you."
The two turned into the house. Xu Jixin sat lazily in the armchair with his eyes half-closed, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table.
"I've heard there are some unfamiliar faces at headquarters lately?" He suddenly leaned closer. "What? Are you keeping your own people in this mixed-race area because you plan to stay in Dongzhou and don't want to go back to that gilded cage in Xinhai City?"
Xu Zhuohua smiled slightly, her voice hoarse as if it had been sanded: "I want to go back to Xinhai City more than anyone else right now."
“Heh,” Xu Jixin chuckled softly, “Of course I know that the letters you sent to Xinhai City, which used to be sent every seven days, are now sent every day. If you were given a pair of wings, you would definitely choose to fly back.”
Xu Zhuohua smiled and shook her head, saying leisurely, "No, flying back is too slow. I want to teleport back."
The carved lattice doors were half-open, and sunlight filtering through the eaves slanted across the sandalwood octagonal table, casting dappled gold spots on Xu Jixin.
He leaned casually against the armchair, his fingers lightly tapping the table, the rhythm sometimes slow and sometimes fast, as if he were tapping on Xu Zhuohua's taut nerves.
"If you want to go back, why go to such lengths to recruit strong workers?" Xu Jixin asked casually, his gaze fixed on Xu Zhuohua.
"They didn't explain it clearly in the telegram, insisting on talking to me in person. What exactly is it about?"
Xu Zhuohua lowered his eyes and pushed the celadon teacup forward, the rising steam blurring the outline of his eyelashes.
Two Biluochun tea leaves float in the tea soup, casting a dark green shadow at the bottom of the cup.
"Second brother, you must be exhausted from the journey. Have some hot tea first."
Xu Jixin looked at the other party's deliberately humble posture and suddenly chuckled.
He tapped the table with his finger, the gilded table resonating crisply: "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. Speak, what is it you want?"
His long, slender fingers hooked around the teacup but didn't lift it; the tea reflected his slightly raised eyebrows. "Let me hear you finish speaking before I consider whether I'll drink this tea."
Xu Zhuohua smiled and sat down next to Xu Jixin.
In fact, the idea of separating the arms trade is beneficial to both the Eastern and Southern routes and the Xu family.
Xu Zhuohua felt there was no harm in it, but she still wanted to have a serious talk with Xu Jixin.
Xu Zhuohua lowered her eyes and stroked the rim of the cup, the icy coolness of the celadon sending a chill up her spine from her fingertips: "Actually, it's nothing."
She deliberately slowed her tone, as if carefully considering the weight of each word, "I just want to replace the people transporting the weapons with a fixed team, so they don't get mixed up with the eastbound and southbound routes. That way, when the truth comes out, the Xu family's merchant fleet won't be wiped out in one fell swoop."
Xu Jixin's fingertips hovered over the teacup. He stared at the tea leaves floating in the tea soup, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he picked up the teacup.
The amber tea reflected the other person's lowered eyes, and the rising steam blurred the sharpness in the boy's eyes: "Sure, transporting weapons is indeed quite dangerous, and that's exactly what I was thinking."
"Mmm, it's great, isn't it!" Xu Zhuohua looked up with a smile, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"My idea is to replace all the people in the transport team with my own people and let Xinghua take the lead."
Before the words were even finished, a large patch of tea stains suddenly appeared on the sandalwood octagonal table.
Xu Jixin coughed violently, dark water stains spreading across his front. His knuckles were white as he gripped the teacup, tea dripping down the edge of the table onto the blue bricks, making scattered sounds in the quiet hall.
Xu Jixin coughed violently, clutching his chest, "What...your people...leaders of Xinghua?"
Xu Zhuohua thought that Xu Jixin lacked confidence in Xinghua's leadership.
He then explained, "Xinghua is different now. She has learned a lot under Chen Hede, knows how to use a gun, is quick-witted, and is someone I trust."
Xu Jixin bent over and coughed, then raised his right hand and shook it. "I didn't mean... apricot blossoms."
Xu Zhuohua asked in confusion, "Then what are you talking about?"
Xu Jixin sat up straight, adjusted his breathing, and looked at Xu Zhuohua.
"What I want to ask is, what do you mean by 'your people'? What if it's discovered that you're a descendant of a ghost? That's too dangerous. I don't agree!"
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