Openly and Aboveboard

Openly and Aboveboard

The courtyard fell silent again, everyone looking at Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao continued, "Later, I took out both of Bald Sanpao's men. Bald Sanpao was wounded too, hiding in a ditch and not daring to show his face. That bastard wanted to live, so he offered me three thousand Silver Dollars to spare him. Heh, I came to save Jiu'er. How could I agree to that?"

"Of course not! Absolutely not!" someone couldn't help chiming in.

Jiang Hao smiled lightly. "Definitely not. But then I had an idea and decided to beat him at his own game. I pretended to agree, and Bald Sanpao really fell for it. He came out of hiding, and that was when he completely fell into my hands."

Hearing this, everyone was thrilled. Brave and clever—this was more exciting than any opera story.

"I forced Bald Sanpao to the Butcher Shop, but when I got inside, I found Jiu'er locked in a cage. I was furious on the spot." Anger appeared on Jiang Hao's face.

The others started cursing too when they heard that.

"Those bandits are fucking inhuman," Er Ga said.

"Right, inhuman. Brother Zhan'ao, what did you do when you got mad?" Dazhuang asked.

"I pulled out my gun and, bang bang, shot the two bandit lackeys guarding the Butcher Shop," Jiang Hao said.

"Good, good! They deserved it."

"Treating people like that, they should've been shot."

Everyone shouted excitedly.

"What about Bald Sanpao? You didn't kill him?" Da Leng asked.

Jiang Hao said, "Heh, how could I let him go? I wanted to throw him into a pot and boil him alive to vent my hatred. But I was afraid of frightening Jiu'er, so in the end I shot Bald Sanpao too. After rescuing Jiu'er, I set the Butcher Shop on fire."

Although Jiang Hao was somewhat drunk, he still knew to keep certain things hidden. Nine parts truth, one part lie—he had concealed matters like the Silver Dollars and the gun.

"Good! Brother Zhan'ao, well done! We admire you. Everyone, let's toast Brother Zhan'ao with another bowl." As he spoke, everyone at the table raised their bowls.

The people from the Distillery drank by the bowlful. Jiang Hao's drinking capacity had not been bad before—nearly a pound of liquor or half a case of beer—but he was no match for this crowd. They practically soaked in alcohol. When thirsty, they drank liquor to quench it, and putting away two or three pounds each was nothing to them.

By the end, Jiang Hao saw figures swaying before his eyes. Drunkenly, he said, "No, no more. I can't, can't drink another drop. What happened today, just listen to it, but don't talk about it. Nobody can let it get out."

After saying that, Jiang Hao collapsed onto the table.

"Brother Zhan'ao, Brother Zhan'ao." Er Lengzi poked Jiang Hao, but Jiang Hao did not react.

Dazhuang said, "Brother Zhan'ao is a great hero, a real man. But he needs to work on his drinking. Passing out after two bowls won't do."

"What do we do now?" Er Guzi asked.

Luohan said, "It's late. Carry Brother Zhan'ao to our room to sleep. Everyone else should tidy up and turn in early too."

"Got it," everyone answered.

Jiang Hao was tall and sturdy. Dazhuang, Er Zhuang, Er Ga, and Da Leng carried him inside together. Just then, a woman's voice came from the side. "Take him to my room."

Everyone froze and turned toward the boss's wife standing at the courtyard gate. Jiu'er had already bathed and combed her hair. Though her complexion was still somewhat poor, she had recovered quite a bit.

Hearing the boss's wife say this, everyone was utterly astonished. The boss's wife wants this man carried into her room? Is she...

But this was not something servants like them could interfere with. They carried Jiang Hao to the Upstairs Boss's Room and placed him on the kang. After they went outside, Er Zhuang seemed about to say something, but Dazhuang grabbed him and pulled him away, closing the door behind them.

Back in the courtyard, Er Zhuang said, "Is it really appropriate to put Brother Zhan'ao in the boss's wife's room?"

Dazhuang gave Er Zhuang a hard slap on the head and cursed, "Why the fuck are you worrying about that? Is it any of your business?"

Er Dan's Father said, "The boss's wife has had it hard. The old boss is dead, and she ought to have a man to rely on. Brother Zhan'ao is a good man, and he saved the boss's wife too. If he's willing to stay, that wouldn't be bad."

"How do you know the old boss is dead? They never found his body," Er Dan's Mother said.

Er Dan's Father glared. "What the fuck do you know, woman? Talk less."

Luohan looked over the group, tapped out his pipe, and said softly, "All right, go to sleep. What happened today stays among us. Nobody goes around talking about it, unless you want to bring disaster down on yourselves."

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they silently returned to their rooms.

Jiu'er brought over a basin of warm water. After testing it and finding the temperature just right, she placed the Copper Basin on the small table atop the kang. She climbed over and undid Jiang Hao's clothes. Seeing the gun tucked at his waist, she carefully removed it and set it aside.

She soaked a towel in the warm water and gently wiped Jiang Hao's face and body. Finally, she even washed his feet, tending to him with the utmost care.

After pouring out the water and returning to the room, she shut the door. She climbed onto the kang and picked up the quilt to cover Jiang Hao when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Their eyes met, and both could feel the other's breath.

"You're awake?" Jiu'er asked, slightly startled.

Jiang Hao smiled, still carrying a trace of drunkenness. "I woke up when you were wiping me down."

As he spoke, he gave a slight tug and pulled Jiu'er toward him.

Inside the room, the oil lamp glowed like a bean. It was dim, yet incomparably warm.

"I'll clean your ears," Jiu'er said.

"No need."

"Don't move. I'm really good at cleaning ears. I've cleaned my grandpa's, my grandma's, and my mother's. They all loved it."

She found a small pick in the sewing basket, leaned beside his ear, and gently cleaned it for Jiang Hao.

"Ahhh, I have to say, your hands really do feel good."

"See? This is my special skill."