Chapter 26: Gathering together for joy

Chapter 26: A Joyful Gathering

"Madam An."

Zhou Xianming saw Zhao Qingmei and quickly stopped crying. He cupped his hands at Zhao Qingmei, saying, "I am Zhou Xianming; please excuse my rudeness."

"Ah!"

Zhao Qingmei looked at the man whose face was as swollen as a pig's head and said in surprise, "You are Mr. Zhou? How did this happen? What kind of hatred, what kind of grievance, would lead to such a vicious attack?"

"Alas!"

Zhou Xianming sighed, feeling even more heartbroken. "It must be that I was careless in my daily affairs and attracted the jealousy of a petty person."

"How pitiful."

Zhao Qingmei said sympathetically, "Just looking at it makes one feel unbearable pain. They must have hit you very 'hard,' right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xianming felt as if salt had been rubbed into his wounds, making them hurt even more.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Zhou?"

Tan Yun also came out from behind, looking concerned as she said, "Who was so cruel as to beat you like this? Quickly apply some medicine."

As she spoke, she even reached out and touched Zhou Xianming's pig-like face.

"Ouch!" Zhou Xianming couldn't help but let out a pained shriek.

Zhao Qingmei instructed, "Tan Yun, Mr. Zhou is not moving easily. Help him apply some bruise medicine."

"I understand, Young Miss. I will make sure to apply the medicine carefully to Mr. Zhou."

"Oh, and Mr. Zhou, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I've prepared some food; let's eat together later."

"That's right, the food my Young Miss makes is delicious."

"You… you are truly good people."

Zhou Xianming had never felt such warmth before, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

There is great warmth in the world!

Even if this world is dark, there will always be a ray of light shining into your dead life.

"How pitiful."

An Jing sighed.

For some reason, he just felt that Zhou Xianming was very pitiful.

"An Jing! Get out here!"

Just as Tan Yun was applying medicine to Zhou Xianming, a loud roar came from outside the door.

Han Wenxin walked in, his hands tightly covering his buttocks, his steps awkward, and a visible anger burning in his eyes.

"Brother Han, why are you so angry?"

An Jing looked at Han Wenxin's appearance and had a bad premonition.

"Clang!"

Han Wenxin took a step forward and slammed his long saber onto the table, "Brother An, I treated you as a close friend, yet you framed me like this."

Thinking about what happened last night, Han Wenxin felt utterly mortified, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

What a great humiliation!

How could he continue to mix with the yamen runners and courtesans like this!?

His Han Wenxin's lifelong reputation was completely ruined here!

"Brother Han, let's talk this over calmly, calmly."

An Jing saw this and had an Epiphany; it must be that the croton powder Tan Yun put in had a great effect.

This matter was indeed not right!

"What do you mean, 'talk it over calmly'!?"

Han Wenxin plopped down onto a chair, "If you don't give me an explanation today, I'm not leaving."

"Young Master, what exactly did you do to make Officer Han so angry?"

Tan Yun looked very curious, like an innocent, pure white rabbit.

An Jing looked at Tan Yun's innocent eyes and inwardly complained, 'Isn't it because of you?'

And Tan Yun's words were like a fuse, making Han Wenxin even angrier. If looks could kill, An Jing might not have been a match for Han Wenxin at that moment.

"It's almost dinner time, Brother Han. Would you like to eat first? You'll have more energy to solve the problem after you've eaten."

Zhao Qingmei said with a smile from the side.

Seeing Zhao Qingmei speak, Han Wenxin's tone immediately softened. "Since my sister-in-law has said so, then I, Han, will not decline."

"Alright, I'll go prepare the meal now. Tan Yun, let's go."

Zhao Qingmei smiled, pulling the seemingly reluctant Tan Yun towards the kitchen.

As soon as Zhao Qingmei and Tan Yun left, Han Wenxin's face immediately fell.

"Brother Han…"

"Don't call me Brother Han!"

"Officer Han, what exactly happened?" Zhou Xianming, seeing such an angry Han Wenxin, couldn't help but ask.

Han Wenxin was seething with anger and turned to look at the person who spoke.

When he saw that face, he immediately stood up as if he had seen a ghost.

"Damn it! You… are you a human or a ghost!?"

"Brother Han, don't be impulsive!"

"Officer Han… don't… don't…"

At the dinner table.

An Jing, Han Wenxin, Zhou Xianming, and others sat on different sides, and the table was filled with steaming dishes.

Steamed perch, green beans mixed with corn, crystal pork skin jelly, loach fried with sour beans, tofu and spinach soup… The fragrant aroma wafted out, making one's appetite greatly increase.

"My sister-in-law truly has excellent cooking skills." Han Wenxin looked at the dishes on the table, drooling as he spoke.

"Brother Han, you flatter me."

Zhao Qingmei chuckled.

Both of them looked enviously at An Jing, wondering how many lifetimes of good fortune An Jing had accumulated to have such a virtuous wife.

"Clang clang clang!"

Just then, Tan Yun came up with a large plate of crabs. "These are the crabs I specially made."

"There are crabs too?"

A gleam of light appeared in Zhou Xianming's eyes. "This is good stuff, nourishing yin and strengthening yang; it's a great tonic."

Han Wenxin also perked up, then glared fiercely at An Jing next to him. "Brother An doesn't like this, so these crabs can just be placed in front of you and me."

"Yes, yes, yes, just put them in front of the two of you." An Jing nodded repeatedly.

Ever since he ate the crabs cooked by Tan Yun, it cured his bad habit of liking crabs.

"Mr. Zhou, what happened to you? You really startled me just now."

Han Wenxin picked up a piece of loach and took a bite.

"Alas, I don't know who hit me either."

Zhou Xianming said with a bitter face, "Unlucky things have been happening more and more recently."

"That's truly ruthless. There aren't many people so vicious."

Han Wenxin took a small sip of sake and said, "It's not someone from an ordinary Gang, then it must be someone from the Jianghu. You might have offended someone."

Zhou Xianming's hand trembled, and his chopsticks almost fell. He stammered, "Officer Han, what should I do?"

"Don't scare Brother Zhou." An Jing poured himself a glass of wine.

Zhou Xianming is timid; what if you scare him into having a heart attack?

Han Wenxin snatched An Jing's cup. "Nonsense, I'm not scaring him. The world isn't safe lately. Have you forgotten about Wang Zhiping and his nephew? And the mysterious Swordsman appearing recently? These are all warnings."

"You are all common folk, powerless people. You don't understand the dangers of the perilous Jianghu and the unfathomable Imperial Court. Do you know the saying, 'one hair moves, and the whole body is affected'?"

With that, Han Wenxin drank the wine in the cup clean.

"Officer Han is truly capable." Tan Yun obediently poured Han Wenxin a glass of wine.

"Thank you, Miss Tan Yun."

Han Wenxin chuckled, immediately feeling much lighter, and continued to boast:

"Didn't you see the Cao Gang's experts searching everywhere for the Peerless Swordsman's whereabouts recently? If that Peerless Swordsman wasn't afraid, how could he not show himself? He must be afraid."

"What does this show? That Peerless Swordsman is wary of the Cao Gang, which means the power behind the Peerless Swordsman fears the Cao Gang."

Warnings!?

Warnings, my foot!

An Jing inwardly grumbled, 'You're just an unknown minor officer.'