Liu Bang already knew about Zhang Bing's situation, and seeing her reaction, he quickly hid behind Ersha. Xiang Yu smiled slightly and said to Zhang Bing, "My grudges with him are settled, call me elder brother."
Zhang Bing then called out softly, "Brother Liu."
Liu Bang slowly moved aside, saying awkwardly, "No, no, just call me Liu Ji."
"Is Sister Hua here?" a clear voice asked from downstairs. A pretty young woman carrying a large box struggled to climb the stairs; it was Ni Siyu.
My head spun; this was really messed up.
Hua Mulan publicly identifies herself as Hua Muli. Since Ni Siyu met this older sister, she often comes to my place to play. It's clear the little girl genuinely admires Hua Mulan's calm and resolute demeanor. Sometimes Xiang Yu is also there; the two don't talk much, but the little girl seems content just to steal a few glances at her older brother.
As soon as Ni Siyu went upstairs, she saw Xiang Yu and smiled, "Big brother is here too."
Zhang Bing was originally four or five steps away from Xiang Yu, but suddenly she appeared close to him without him noticing. She put one arm around Xiang Yu's arm and greeted him with a smile, "Xiao Yu is here?"
Although her action was inconspicuous, who were all those people present? Emperors, warlords, traitors, and bootleggers—who couldn't see through her intentions? Even Baozi could probably tell that Zhang Bing was using a little trick. No matter how deeply Xiang Yu loved Yu Ji, he felt something was amiss and subconsciously moved to the side, but Zhang Bing's hand was still on his arm.
Ni Siyu only noticed Zhang Bing then and was momentarily stunned.
Zhang Bing smiled casually and said, "Xiaoyu, your older brother often talks about you to me." None of us expected her to say that, and we all secretly wondered: Did Xiang Yu want to take more than he could possibly want?
Zhang Bing continued, "Your older brother often scolds me, telling me to find you a good boyfriend, or he'll refuse to listen to me." After saying that, she leaned against Xiang Yu and giggled.
Everyone in the room looked at her charmingly naive appearance, but no one found her cute. On the contrary, they all felt a chill run down their spines. Even the old traitor Wu Sangui couldn't stand it anymore and tapped the table lightly twice with his hand.
"Oh, really?" Ni Siyu said calmly. After saying this, she suddenly turned to me, still with a bright smile, and said, "Hehe, Xiaoqiang, I heard you're getting married, so I came to give you a gift."
My mind went blank for a moment before I snatched the box from her hand and said, "You're so disrespectful, I'll spank you!" As we always do, she pretended to spank me twice, and I noticed that she took the opportunity to lean against my shoulder for a little while, then smiled and said, "I wish you and Sister Baozi a long and happy life together."
As she straightened up, I felt a few damp spots on my shoulder.
After the young girl finished giving me the gift, she smiled at everyone and said, "I still have training and need to get back. Goodbye, everyone." With that, she turned and went downstairs. Her leg injury was particularly noticeable when going up and down the stairs, and everyone watched as she limped down. Hua Mulan was the first to react and hurried a few steps, saying, "I'll see her off."
After Hua Mulan left, we all turned our attention to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu's face was ashen, whether from anger or disappointment, it was hard to tell. He shrugged Zhang Bing aside and said in a deep voice, "Ayu, I'm telling you this now, Xiaoyu is a pitiful child. I hope you can treat her like your own sister." It was clear that the King of Chu was trying his best to restrain himself; if it weren't for the presence of so many people, who knows what even harsher words he might have said. Xiang Yu was large, but not stupid; he naturally saw through Zhang Bing's intentions long ago.
Zhang Bing forced a smile and said, "Am I not good to her?"
At the same time, Baozi asked in confusion, "Who is A Yu?"
Li Shishi covered her mouth and laughed, "Ayu is probably an old friend of Brother Xiang, and she accidentally called out his name. Zhang Bing, don't be jealous." Everyone shuddered again; she was clearly using words to berate Zhang Bing and incite Xiang Yu. Who would have thought Li Shishi could be so scathing? It was clear she was truly furious with Zhang Bing. What's remarkable is that this girl doesn't show her hatred on her face; look at that smile, more innocent than a winged, naked child in a Western oil painting.
Women are absolutely not to be offended! Everyone, please remember this. People say women are tigers, but that's nonsense. Wu Song killed a tiger king with three punches and two kicks, but wasn't he always restrained by Tong Yuan? Wu Sangui was incredibly powerful when talking about charging into battle, but wouldn't he wane if you mentioned Chen Yuanyuan? Even I, Xiao Qiang, who beat up Duan Tianlang and challenged Lei Laosi at night, still had to obediently take wedding photos with Baozi, didn't I?
Zhang Bing snorted, and seeing everyone's cold gaze sweeping over her, she could only say sullenly, "I have something to do, I'll be leaving now."
As Xiang Yu watched her walk downstairs, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to us and said, "Ayu and I have been through too many ups and downs, and our temperaments have inevitably changed. Please forgive us." With that, he sighed and followed her downstairs.
Baozi looked left and right, still puzzled, and asked loudly, "What's going on?"
I pulled her close and said, "Never mind that, let's see what Xiaoyu brought us."
I opened the box and found a beautifully crafted large photo album. Giving a photo album as a wedding gift carries a profound meaning; it truly symbolizes the wish that Baozi and I could grow old together and look back on our past. However, recalling Ni Siyu's deep affection, everyone felt a pang of sadness.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Grand Wedding (Part 1)
Time flies like an arrow (this seems to be the first time this sentence has been used in the book), and before we knew it, it was October 1st, National Day. Baozi was called home early in the morning by her father. She had originally wanted to join in the fun and have some late-night drinks, but instead, her father berated her: "What kind of daughter are you, discussing with other people how to marry yourself?"
Actually, the old accountant isn't a bad person, he's just too concerned about saving face. If Baozi didn't have a long commute to work, he probably would have sent Baozi home several days ago.
The so-called "late-night feast" is basically a meal shared by people getting married the next day, a chance to discuss things. While most people start eating in the evening, we ate until late at night, all at Yucai School. After everyone arrived, the old campus cafeteria was already overflowing, so I had a dozen tables set up outside, and it truly fulfilled my dream—a veritable banquet! As the saying goes, every country has its own customs, and every school has its own traditions. Yucai is deeply rooted in this land, with a very simple and honest school spirit. When the local villagers heard I was getting married, they didn't care whether their children were at Yucai or not, and all came to congratulate me. Construction workers were also invited, along with my students. These guys didn't care about etiquette; they just sat down and started drinking. Within a 20-mile radius, adults and children alike were all flushed from drinking.
And these guys are untrustworthy! They said they wouldn't force me to drink, but I was the first one to pass out. In the end, I was so drunk I was completely out of it and didn't even know who was getting married tomorrow. The worst was Fang La, who held up a full bowl of wine and said to me earnestly, "Xiao Qiang, drink less." In my excitement, before I could even nod, he raised his bowl and said, "Come on, bottoms up!"...
Of course, at night I still resorted to my old tricks, staying by the water tank and offering cold water to anyone who offered me a drink. But I later realized I'd miscalculated—there were hundreds of people! Even if each one offered me a bowl of cold water, I couldn't handle it! I practically became a cold water filter, shuttling between the tables and the toilet; it was so incredibly cooling!
On campus, everything for tomorrow's wedding procession is ready: a bright red eight-person sedan chair, and the white rabbit horse that Erpang brought has been thoroughly cleaned. The white rabbit might not be good for fighting, but it's definitely impressive enough for show. Everyone talks about a prince on a white horse; these days, the prince might be a bit ugly, but the horse is certainly white enough.
The drinking went on until midnight, and I thought it was almost over, but then Tiger arrived with a bunch of people and over a dozen cars, intending to help me out tomorrow. I arranged for them to pick up guests from my dad's place tomorrow. The drivers, probably worried about causing trouble, didn't leave that night—they were all driven to their deaths on this deep, unforgettable land of Yucai.
The bandits, drunk and restless, started practicing their martial arts on the spot. 300 and the Four Heavenly Kings joined in the fun, and in no time, they were throwing punches and kicks with great enthusiasm. Tiger, watching with wide eyes, grabbed me tightly and said, "Brother Qiang, if I close my martial arts school, can I just work here as a janitor?"
Duan Tianlang's eldest disciple, who was also responsible for sweeping the floor in addition to teaching classes, coldly said, "Aren't you taking my job?"
Tiger was defeated by this man on the martial arts tournament stage. Upon seeing him, Tiger exclaimed, "Are you sweeping the floor here? Come work at my martial arts school as an instructor. I'll pay you 10,000 a month and provide five insurances."
The eldest disciple asked, "And what about you?"
Tiger: "I've come here to sweep the floor."
Disciple: "..."
Cheng Fengshou, already flushed from drinking, staggered over to Duan Tianlang and said, "Old Duan, we've been working together for quite a while now, but we haven't had a chance to spar. How about we have a little exercise?" Duan Tianlang, though he hadn't drunk much, wasn't a heavy drinker and was also a bit tipsy. He smiled and said, "Sure, please."
Actually, if I hadn't led my heroes to interfere, the championship would most likely have been a contest between the two of them. By a twist of fate, they never met. Having spent so much time at Yucai School, they've dedicated themselves to teaching, wholeheartedly striving to promote their art. Plus, Duan Tianlang is usually a bit unapproachable, which is why today they had the opportunity for a showdown of titans.
Duan Tianbao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shi Qian and said with a smile, "Brother Qian, I haven't been idle these past few days. How about we have another round of agility?"
Shi Qian rose abruptly from the ground and floated onto a tree branch, saying, "Please."
Wang Yin, itching to see it, shouted, "Fang Zhenjiang!"
Fang Zhenjiang popped his head out from the bushes beside him with a whoosh: "What are you yelling for!" The next moment, Tong Yuan's little head also peeked out. Wang Yin suddenly laughed: "You go ahead and do your work, I'm fine."
Tong Yuan blushed and went back inside. A moment later, Fang Zhenjiang was pushed out.
Seeing that they were all old rivals, I instinctively glanced towards Hua Rong's table. Luckily, the handsome Hua and Pang Wanchun were sitting there, sipping their drinks leisurely. They were like snipers on the battlefield, still maintaining their composure. I was afraid they'd start shooting at the flowers, grass, and children too. Xiuxiu sat next to Hua Rong, flipping through an English novel, humming softly, "One-night in Yucai, don't drink too much, whether you love it or not, it's all just dust in the past..."
I chuckled and said, "Xiuxiu, it's like 'on-night-in Yucai,' right?" Xiuxiu laughed and said, "How fitting!"