Grandma Jin pointed at me again: "You little bastard, you've made me lose a grandson. From now on, you'll have to do his chores!"
I swear to God and the heavens: "I guarantee I will complete the mission!"
We joked around, but everyone knew how much this wise old lady had paid for those few words; it was something that most elderly people couldn't do.
After letting Grandma Jin in, I calmed my racing emotions and was about to step inside when I heard someone cautiously call out from behind, "Xiao Qiang?"
I turned around and saw that the person who called me was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a calm expression and well-dressed. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before. I scratched my head vigorously and said, "You are...?"
The middle-aged man smiled slightly: "It's normal for you to forget me, but I can't forget you—you saved my life."
I suddenly realized, "Oh, you're the one upstairs." This guy was about to jump off the building back then, but I tricked him into coming down. He even gave me a wedding gift when Baozi and I got married. But this is the first time we've seen each other since that incident.
The middle-aged man said, "Hehe, you remembered?"
I said with shame, "I haven't reached the point where I've saved countless people."
The man who jumped from the building reached out and shook my hand, saying, "My surname is Lü. You can call me Lao Lü from now on. I've come here today to formally thank you."
I waved my hand dismissively: "It's nothing, it's only right."
Old Lu sighed, "The fact that you forgot about me shows that you are a gentleman. Most people would remember even the smallest favor, let alone saving someone's life."
I quickly said, "Don't even think about fixing the corner with a brick! I'm not a good person. If my wife hadn't washed your phone number while doing laundry, I would have tried to extort you already!"
Old Lu smiled and handed me a business card: "Don't lose it this time. Feel free to come and extort money from me anytime."
As we were chatting and laughing, Song Jiang came out of the hall to use the restroom. Upon seeing Old Lü, he exclaimed in surprise, "Chao Tianwang?"
I asked, puzzled, "What Chao Tianwang?"
Song Jiang pointed at Old Lü and stammered, "Isn't he... isn't he Brother Chao Gai?"
I was both surprised and amused, and then it dawned on me: the man who jumped off the building looked like Chao Gai. As for whether he was Chao Gai in his past life, there was no need to verify that. He had a family and a business; I'm not Song Jiang, who would just "lure" whoever looked like a hero to the mountain. Besides, even Song Jiang was probably unsure about Chao Gai's identity. If Chao Gai joined the mountain, who would be the leader between the two of them?
Sure enough, seeing Old Lü's bewildered expression, Song Jiang whispered to me, "He hasn't taken your medicine yet."
I nodded.
When do you plan to feed him?
I laughed and said, "I'll find Brother Song Jiang to replace you whenever he accepts the amnesty and quits."
Song Jiang shuddered and said, "Only a bastard would want to be granted amnesty!" He glanced at Old Lü and muttered to me, "You can't let him go in and see those brothers."
Old Lü also felt uncomfortable under Song Jiang's gaze. He said to me, "Xiao Qiang, you go back and get busy. I have to go. The stocks I have are just starting to look up, so I have to keep an eye on them."
I put my hand on his shoulder and walked him a short distance, comforting him, "Go for it. Even if you lose money again, don't be too upset. Your family's wealth is definitely not as meager as it seems now. You have at least a large estate spanning 800 li."
Song Jiang didn't even bother to use the toilet; he dashed into the old banquet hall, grabbed a jar of wine, and drank heartily with anyone from Liangshan, regardless of their rank. The heroes, seeing Song Jiang like this for the first time, all asked, "Brother, is there some good news?"
With his face flushed red, Song Jiang raised his wine bowl and said, "Brothers, I won't say anything more. May we be bandits for generations to come!"
The heroes looked at each other in surprise, then burst into cheers, all saying, "Brother has finally seen the light!"
In their excitement, Zhang Qingdong and the others suddenly said, "It would be even more lively if those brats from Yue Family Army were here too."
I slapped my forehead and said, "I was wondering why I felt something was missing – the group element was missing. Those greenhorns didn't come – didn't anyone notify them?"
Lin Chong said, "We've sent people over. I suppose it's because the Yue Family Army has strict discipline. Without Marshal Yue's permission, these guys wouldn't be able to come, right?"
I said, "Then what should we do?" I also have a deep bond with these guys, and I always feel it's a pity that they can't come.
Wu Yong analyzed, "Marshal Yue should be at the front line now, and he certainly won't abandon his post. If we want him to come, it would only be if Emperor Gaozong himself gave the order."
I said, "Then let Emperor Huizong of Song go?"
Wu Yong shook his head and said, "That would only make things worse. The best thing to do now is to find someone who doesn't violate any taboos and can speak with Emperor Gaozong to persuade this kid to issue an official document to send Yue Family Army here."
I asked in surprise, "You mean Qin Hui?"
Wu Yong laughed and said, "That's right. To make Qin Hui submit, we need someone he'll be afraid of."
I turned to the hall and shouted, "Who among you will go and set that brat Qin Hui up?"
One of them said in a deep voice, "I'll go!" We turned around and saw that this person was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and holding a large stick in his arms. No one dared to stay within 5 meters of him. It was none other than the stale Lord Su.
I couldn't contain my joy and said, "Yes, you're the most suitable person to go. If that old traitor dares to say a word, just beat him with a big stick!" At this point, I asked curiously, "By the way, Lord Marquis, I heard that you were initially unwilling to leave your godforsaken place, so why did you come here?"
Su Wu pointed his stick at a spot, his voice filled with indignation, "Ask him!" We looked where he was pointing and saw Liu Bang and Fengfeng hiding at a secluded table, talking about something, their faces beaming. When they saw us looking at him, he first cautiously glanced at Empress Lü, then impatiently said to Su Wu, "What are you glaring at me for? So what if we ate a few of your sheep? Would you come with us obediently otherwise?"
Su Wu said in grief and indignation, "What do you mean 'a few'? You ate all my sheep! It's a pity that my lifelong reputation has been ruined in my later years. If I hadn't been unable to explain myself to the Xiongnu Chanyu, I would never have left." After all, Liu Bang was the ancestor he led, so Su Wu dared not be too disrespectful. He was filled with resentment and could not dispel it, making him appear particularly melancholy and conflicted.
Qin Shi Huang said to Liu Bang, "You have quite the appetite, kid. You can eat a lot of sheep by yourself?"
Liu Bang chuckled and said, "That's right, it wasn't easy for me. Luckily, there are many Han people in Bingdao, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to finish it. I still feel like throwing up when I see mutton now." He then comforted Su Wu, "Don't be sad. Those sheep weren't yours. That bastard Chanyu made you herd sheep for 19 years; it's time to settle your wages. Eating a few of his sheep is a bargain. Besides, they weren't Tibetan antelopes. Don't worry, if he dares to challenge me, I'll take care of him!"
After we finally understood the situation, we were all overjoyed: it turned out that Liu Bang couldn't persuade Su Wu when he got there, so in the end, that bastard led a bunch of Han Dynasty taxi drivers to eat all the sheep that Su Wu had herded!
I casually found a few people to protect Su Wu as he went to find Qin Hui, but over there, Liu Bang and Fengfeng's affair was exposed. We all held our wine cups, smiling and waiting to see the show. Empress Lü walked expressionlessly towards their table. Baozi asked worriedly, "Won't someone get killed?"
I said dismissively, "Do you think all women in the world are as petty as you?"
Empress Lü approached Liu Bang, glanced at Fengfeng, and said calmly, "This must be Fengfeng, right?" After all, this woman was the Empress of the Han Dynasty, the mother of the nation, and her simple words contained an indescribable power and pressure.
Fengfeng, however, was completely unaware of all this and asked in surprise, "You know me?"
Liu Bang said awkwardly, "Ahem... Let me introduce you, this is my wife."