Chen Yuanyuan pointed at Lei Laosi and said, "This man's surname is Li and his given name is Zicheng. He is the master's mortal enemy. I didn't expect that he would still be alive."
I suddenly realized, and couldn't help but smile wryly, "It's true what they say, enemies are destined to meet."
Kangxi gloated from the side, saying, "Hey, these two rebels are fighting again."
I walked over and whispered in Wu Sangui's ear, "Third Brother, the man in front of you is Lei Laosi."
Wu Sangui angrily retorted, "I don't care who Lei is, I only know he's Li Zicheng... What did you say?"
I suppressed a laugh and said, "You and Brother Yu are just messing with his territory. He's no longer that rebellious peasant." At this moment, the heroes and the Eight Heavenly Kings also advised, "Forget it, forget it. If everyone here followed your example, there would be a bloodbath."
I then said to Lei Laosi, "Fourth Brother, it's a misunderstanding. You've mistaken me for someone else."
Lei Laosi said indignantly, "It's strange, but I find this person quite annoying!"
I waved and said, "Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Brother Xuan—if you have any disagreements, go to Teacher Chen for mediation."
Xuanzang came over with a plate of bean sprouts and said, "Come, come, let me tell you about this cause and effect, retribution."
After a moment of laughter, everyone sat down to watch the show. After Gu Ye and Yu Boya played another duet, a temporary awkward silence fell over the stage. Before Xiu Xiu and Mao Sui could take the lead, several figures suddenly darted in from the doorway, seizing the stage with lightning speed. Immediately, gongs and chimes sounded, and a woman with a slender waist, playing clappers, sang: "Today is a good day, Xiao Qiang's wife is called Baozi, and she gave birth to a son named Bu Gai..." Before she could finish, hundreds of people below joined in, chanting: "Qiang Di Long Dong Qi Qiang Qi!" Then burst into laughter. The heroes all shouted, "Second Sister Zhang Qing, look!"
Sun Erniang and Caiyuanzi stood up blankly, facing the couple on the stage, looking like they were carved from the same mold—four people, so they were two molds.
Chapter 216 Tibetan Antelope
After the laughter and merriment, everyone started moving around tables toasting each other. Whether they knew each other or not, whether they were close or not, whether they were my clients or not, everyone was gathered together happily. There were a few key targets here—my dad and Baozi's dad were quickly drunk and passed out. Baozi, holding onto her chastity, hid behind me with a smile, and everyone who passed by would grab me and try to get me drunk, saying, "Baozi, give us another performance of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk!"
I shooed them away like flies, saying, "Go away, if she falls, are you going to take care of the child?" At the same time, I quietly asked Baozi, "Did you ask about that matter?"
Baozi pinched me secretly, and only after making sure no one was watching did she blush and whisper, "Liu Bang's wife said that it's okay a month after giving birth..."
I chuckled mischievously and said, "Should we tell Brother Yu and the others this good news too? So they won't be like us yesterday in three months." Then I loudly asked Xiang Yu, who was chatting with Fang La and Fei Sankou, "Brother Yu, have you thought of a name for the baby? Are you going to start from scratch again?"
Xiang Yu said, "Just now, I heard Lao Fei tell us about Western military history. Napoleon really does look a bit like me. If I have a son, I'll name him Xiang Polun."
I clicked my tongue and said, "Xiang Polun, well, he's comparable to Xiao Bugai. But what if he had a daughter?"
Fei Sankou said first, "Then let's call her Xiang Lisha Bai." Yu Ji gently stroked her lower abdomen and smiled without saying a word.
I noticed a unique feature of this gathering: besides almost all of my clients, there was also a large group of people they had practically dragged along, like Du Fu, Zhong Ziqi, and Sun Quan. Fang La's nephew, Fang Jie, was accompanied by a timid girl with a long braid—his fiancée, Er Ya. Li Tianrun No. 1 brought all three of his wives. Li Tianrun No. 2's wife expressed surprise and admiration at the resemblance between the two men, and secretly grabbed Li Tianrun No. 2's ear, saying, "Aren't you quite envious of him?" Li Tianrun No. 2, with a bitter face, pledged his loyalty to his wife, "Not at all, really. Only I know how much he suffers inside."
Behind a table, I suddenly noticed a young couple whispering to each other, seemingly having a very pleasant conversation. I blurted out, "Hua Muli, picking up girls?"
Hua Muli was chatting happily with the girl when I suddenly shouted. He was startled, his face flushed red, and he stammered, glancing instinctively at his sister. Hua Mulan looked at her brother with a half-smile, but before she could say anything, Yan Jingsheng started bothering her again.
Baozi looked at the girl next to Hua Muli and asked curiously, "Isn't this Xiao Huan? Why are you two walking together?"
I secretly tugged at Baozi's sleeve and said with a grin to Hua Muli and Xiao Huan, "Love at first sight, huh?"
Both of them were shy and wished they could disappear into the ground. But Zhu Yuanzhang, that mischievous fellow, was deliberately teasing them and said seriously, "Men and women should not touch each other. What kind of manners are you to sit together like this?"
Hua Muli disregarded everything else and retorted, "My sister said I can make my own decisions about this kind of thing..."
We were all very curious and asked together, "What is it?"
Hua Muli's courage had already waned, and he lowered his head, remaining silent. Xiao Huan couldn't help but defend her ideal husband, saying, "My king also said that if I have someone I want to marry, and that person likes me, he and Sister Yu will never interfere."
We exclaimed in realization, "Oh—that's what happened!" Xiao Huan was both flustered and embarrassed, stammering, "You...you..."
I patted Hua Muli on the shoulder and said, "Enough of that, do you like Xiao Huan?"
Hua Muli, being a man after all, didn't hesitate at this moment, puffing out his chest and saying, "I like it. What's wrong?"
I said with relief, "It's good that you like it. You can't just do a quick matchmaking for Zhang Xiaohua just to make the story a complete success."
...
Amidst the commotion, no one noticed the luxury car that had just pulled up at the entrance. A handsome young man helped an elderly woman, dressed in coarse cloth but exuding an air of authority, out of the car. Li Shishi was startled upon seeing this man and rushed forward to help him, but just as she was about to grasp the old woman's hand, she seemed to shrink back in fear. Jin Shaoyan, standing to the side, gave her a warm smile but dared not say anything more.
Empress Dowager Jin had a keen eye; she could tell who this pretty girl was just by looking at the two young people's expressions. She let Jin Shaoyan support her arm and stood there, calmly observing Li Shishi. After a while, she said in a deep voice, "Little Jin has told me everything about your background, your experiences, and your relationship."
Li Shishi lowered her head in shame.
Grandma Jin stared into her eyes and said sternly, "Put all that aside for now, do you know that if I agree to what you want, it's the same as losing my only grandson?"
Li Shishi didn't dare to breathe loudly and buried her head even lower.
Seeing that things were about to go wrong if I didn't step in, I quickly chuckled and went over to her, saying, "Grandma, what kind of show are you putting on? Is it 'The Secret History of Xiaozhuang' or 'War and Beauty'?"
The old empress dowager pointed at me, her words carrying a veiled threat: "Shut up, I'll settle accounts with you later."
I quickly pretended to be aggrieved and kept quiet. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by this old lady.
Grandma Jin, still facing Li Shishi, asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
Li Shishi remained silent, kneeling before Old Lady Jin and respectfully kowtowing three times. Old Lady Jin frowned and said, "Are you begging me?"
Li Shishi resolutely raised her head and said, "No, I am thanking you and apologizing to you. I know that if you insist on opposing, Shao Yan will not be able to stay by my side for even a day. I was fortunate enough to have your tacit approval some time ago, which allowed me to spend the happiest time of my life, but it made you suffer the pain of missing your family in your old age. This is why I have these three heads. Rest assured, from now on, I will never see Shao Yan again. I understand that I am not worthy of him, let alone worthy of your acceptance, let alone causing you and your grandson to be separated again."
After saying this, Li Shishi suddenly stood up and left. Old Mrs. Jin grabbed her and said, "You're a really strange girl. I just asked you what you wanted to say, and you kowtowed and said goodbye. Are you acting out a romance novel?"
Li Shishi was stunned. Old Mrs. Jin had already pushed Jin Shaoyan next to her and said domineeringly, "Listen, I only have this one grandson. You have to treat him well and pamper him, but don't spoil him, otherwise... sigh, I won't say anything harsh. Who knows what kind of place you're going to? I can't control you."
Jin Shaoyan smiled and gave Li Shishi a push on the back: "Aren't you going to call her Grandma?"
Li Shishi stood there stunned as if she had been hit over the head, then suddenly threw herself into Grandma Jin's arms and burst into tears, seemingly pouring out all the grievances she had held in for so many years. I patted my chest and said, "Oh my, finally back to Zhang Xiaohua's style, you scared me half to death."