Wei Caiwei shoved Wang Daxia aside.
Wang Daxia only felt a soft little fist pounding against his chest—it didn’t hurt at all.
This wasn’t their first physical contact.
Last night, when he slipped from the ladder, Wei Caiwei had grabbed his head and waist to prevent him from falling and breaking his face. A widow, disregarding her reputation to save him.
From this, Wang Daxia concluded: The little widow still sees me as a substitute for her dead husband Wang Erlang on the spirit tablet. Last night, when her offer to share my bed was rejected, she heard I was going to visit Miss Yingying, got jealous, and pushed me.
But since I’m Wang Erlang’s substitute, the little widow loves the crow for the rook’s sake, so she couldn’t bring herself to push hard—her soft hand felt like a tickle.
Just as well.
Let the little widow face the reality that I won’t be her dead husband’s stand-in and give up sooner.
So, Wang Daxia pretended to be knocked down by Wei Caiwei, lying on the ground clutching his chest in a dramatic pose: "Doctor Wei, if you won’t sell, fine—but why hit me?"
"Stop pretending. In the capital, this is called a ‘crash-for-cash’ scam." Wei Caiwei said, "You city folk always bully us country bumpkins who’ve just arrived. Your face right now is exactly like the manager of the Si Family Inn who overcharged me for two nights’ stay. I don’t have time to deal with you. I’m leaving."
Wang Daxia continued his antics, seizing the chance to break with Wei Caiwei and play the medical troublemaker, shouting loudly: "Come and see! A doctor shoves a patient and doesn’t even apologize—where’s the medical ethics!"
Wei Caiwei grew increasingly irritated and hurried away from the Imperial Guard Office—one more moment, and she might not have been able to stop herself from murdering her "husband."
The commotion was soon reported to Lu Ying by the watchers: "...I was afraid of blowing my cover, so I didn’t dare get too close. It seemed Wang Daxia chased after Wei Caiwei to harass her, said something, and she got angry, shoving him to the ground."
"Oh?" Lu Ying hadn’t expected the surveillance to yield results so quickly. "Wang Daxia is tall and sturdy—even a group of you couldn’t gain the upper hand chasing and beating him. I might not be able to pin him down with both hands, yet Doctor Wei pushed him over effortlessly with one? It seems this Doctor Wei isn’t simple—she might have martial arts training. Increase the surveillance team, switch personnel, and don’t let her notice."
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate left to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, Wang Daxia’s medical troublemaking fell on deaf ears—this was the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s turf, and no one paid him any mind. They knew he exaggerated; the guards had only kicked his door, yet he kept claiming they’d tried to kill him.
Wang Daxia had zero credibility. Seeing him pushed down by the little widow, the guards not only ignored him but relished his misfortune.
Lu Ying, curious about how capable Wei Caiwei truly was, summoned Wang Daxia.
As soon as Wang Daxia entered the room, he felt a chill. The windows and doors were shut tight, and a large blue-and-white water vat was piled high with ice cubes. Lu Ying had changed into fresh clothes but still wore that stifling high-collared robe, the honey-chrysanthemum button at his neck fastened neatly.
"Using ice already at the start of summer—how extravagant." Wang Daxia wrapped a piece of ice in a handkerchief and rolled it over his face to cool down. "What did you call me for, Commander Lu?"
Lu Ying said, "I heard Doctor Wei knocked you down. Let me see your injuries."
"You want me to take off my clothes?" Wang Daxia crossed his arms over his chest. "We’re both men—what I have, you have too. It’s not like I can’t show you... but I’m hungry. Get me a meal first."It was already noon, and the tofu pudding and three fried dough sticks from the morning had long vanished. Wang Daxia, still in his growing years, felt his stomach burning with hunger. However, if he left the Imperial Guard Office to eat, he would be seized by Officer Mu and others waiting outside and confined at home.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, Wang Daxia decided to linger in the Imperial Guard Office and devise a way to slip through.
Lu Ying’s understanding of Wang Daxia’s shamelessness reached new heights. "Bring a guest meal," he ordered.
Once Wang Daxia had eaten and drunk his fill, he finally kept his word for once. He began undressing on the spot. Summer clothing was thin; he untied the sash under his arm, pulled open the front of his robe, and revealed his pale upper body, stripping down to his navel.
"Commander Lu, feel free to look," Wang Daxia said, rising from the dining table and approaching Lu Ying.
Lu Ying felt as if chili peppers had gotten into his eyes. Covering his face and turning away, he snapped, "Get back and sit down! I haven’t summoned the coroner yet!"
Wang Daxia clicked his tongue. "Commander Lu, you’re making a fuss over nothing. There’s not even a scratch on me. Why would we need a coroner to examine injuries?"
Lu Ying still refused to look at him. "Disheveled and improperly dressed—what kind of behavior is this! Put your clothes on! Otherwise, I’ll throw you out!"
Wang Daxia put his clothes back on.
Lu Ying turned around and asked, "If you’re not injured, why were you screaming so loudly?"
Wang Daxia was candid. "I was faking it. Doctor Wei and I had a misunderstanding. She pushed me, and as a man, I couldn’t push her back, so I just fell to the ground and pretended to be dead. Once she saw me on the ground, she couldn’t very well keep hitting me."
Lu Ying sneered, "You’re quite experienced, aren’t you?"
Wang Daxia took it not as shame but as pride. "Of course. I, Wang Daxia, have my own way of dealing with women."
Lu Ying felt deep contempt for Wang Daxia but pressed on, "What misunderstanding did you have with her? Doctor Wei is such a gentle widow, yet you managed to provoke her."
Wang Daxia naturally couldn’t mention that he had spent the night with the young widow or that she had attempted to take advantage of his handsome physique. A lie rolled effortlessly off his tongue: "I complimented Doctor Wei on her beauty, saying she was no less stunning than Miss Yingying. She immediately turned hostile, called me a lecher, and that’s how the misunderstanding happened."
Lu Ying retorted, "You deserved it. Comparing a young widow to a courtesan—anyone would hit you for that."
Wang Daxia argued, "Miss Yingying has redeemed herself. She’s no longer a courtesan but an ordinary commoner."
Having clarified everything, Lu Ying saw no further use for Wang Daxia and waved him away as if shooing a fly. "Get out. The Imperial Guard Office is no place for you."
Wang Daxia replied, "I can’t leave now. The moment I step outside, I’ll be captured and taken home."
Lu Ying said, "That’s none of my concern."
"Of course it’s your concern," Wang Daxia leaned in and said, "Aren’t you Embroidered Uniform Guards busy solving the double homicide of Thousand Household Chen and his son? I can provide a clue. In exchange, lend me your carriage and have your coachman take me out of here."
Lu Ying didn’t believe him. "You just swindled a meal out of me, and now you’re trying to trick me into helping you slip away? Guards! Throw him out!"
Seeing the situation turn sour, Wang Daxia realized the same trick couldn’t work twice. He dashed to the window, leaped out, and fled!
No one knew where he hid within the office, but he vanished without a trace. Lu Ying’s subordinates searched all afternoon but found nothing.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Wei Caiwei set out from the southern part of the city, shaking her Tiger Crutch as she traveled to practice medicine. She moved slowly, stopping here and there, completing a few transactions, and by dusk, she had arrived home at Sweetwater Lane.Chen Jingji had spent the entire day showing various clients around properties. Upon hearing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had taken his regular customer Wei Caiwei away for questioning, he hurried over to check on her, bringing a large watermelon as a gift to help settle her nerves.
Wei Caiwei expressed her gratitude, "I'm fine. It was just routine questioning by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They released me after asking their questions. Thank you for your concern, Agent Chen. Let me treat you to a meal." Since Chen Jingji had brought the watermelon, she didn't want to owe him a favor.
Chen Jingji clasped his hands and said, "I'm deeply grateful for your generous offer, but my grandmother is waiting for me to have dinner at home. May I take you up on your kind invitation another day?"
Hearing this, Wei Caiwei surmised that Chen Jingji had likely lost both parents and was raised by his grandmother. She made a mental note to be mindful of this in future conversations.
Recently, Chen Jingji had earned five taels in commission fees thanks to Wei Caiwei, so his finances had eased somewhat. Humming a northern tune, he stopped by a prepared food shop and bought a fermented pig's face as large as a palm-leaf fan to bring home.
The Chen family lived in Machang Hutong on West Drum Tower Street, where all the residents were commoners from modest households. As the weather was hot, every family had set up their dinner tables out in the alleyway to enjoy the cooler air and brighter space.
Sure enough, just as Wei Caiwei had guessed, Chen Jingji had lost both parents, and the family had fallen on hard times. The grandmother and grandson relied on each other for survival. Old Madam Chen had also set the table in the alley, covering the food with a bamboo food cover to keep flies and mosquitoes away while waiting for her grandson to come home for dinner.
When Chen Jingji arrived home carrying the fermented pig's face, Old Madam Chen was making shoes by the dinner table.
Seeing her grandson carrying such a large pig's face, Old Madam Chen said, "There are only two mouths to feed in our household. We can't possibly eat all this, and the weather is too hot to keep it overnight. Divide it up and share portions with the neighbors." In these humble neighborhoods, eating alone behind closed doors would draw criticism from others.
Chen Jingji kept a small portion for themselves and divided the rest into seven bowls, which he delivered to the neighbors on both sides.
While slicing the pig's face, he was careful to press one portion down tightly with a spoon. Though all five bowls appeared to have similarly heaping portions, one bowl contained at least half again as much meat as the others.
As Chen Jingji went door to door delivering the pig's face, he received plenty of praise:
"Oh, Agent Chen must have closed a big deal! Congratulations on your prosperity!"
"Reviving the Chen family fortunes is just around the corner!When delivering to the neighboring home of Li the Roofer, Chen Jingji deliberately straightened his clothes and hat first. Carrying the bowl with the most meat, he knocked on the doorframe and said, "I've come to add a dish to your meal."
With the hot weather, doors and windows were left open, the main entrance covered with a bamboo curtain to keep insects out. A fair hand pushed aside the bamboo curtain, revealing a lotus-like face—none other than Li the Roofer's daughter, Li Jiubao.
Li Jiubao was considered the flower of Machang Hutong. But in Chen Jingji's eyes, she was the most beautiful girl among all the lanes and alleys around West Drum Tower Street.
Her father, Li the Roofer, had a gambling habit. When his daughter was born, he was at the gambling table playing dominoes and happened to draw the highest combination—the Supreme Pair, a three-spot matched with a two-four, totaling nine points.
Li the Roofer already had a son. Having won the entire round with the Supreme Pair, a neighbor came to the gambling den to inform him that he had just had a daughter, completing his set of children. With this double happiness, Li the Roofer felt his daughter had brought him the luck of the Supreme Pair's nine points, so he named her Li Jiubao.
Not only was Li Jiubao beautiful, but she also possessed the straightforward charm of a Beijing girl—unreserved and confident. She openly invited Chen Jingji inside.
Chen Jingji placed the tightly pressed bowl of pig's face meat on the dinner table, which already held a bowl of millet porridge, two multigrain pancakes, and a small dish of pickled cucumbers.This was Li Jiubao's dinner, truly rather meager—not a single drop of oil in sight, which was why she hadn't set it out to eat in the alleyway.
Chen Jingji pretended not to notice and made small talk: "Li the Roofer and Elder Brother Li haven't returned home yet?"
Li Jiubao replied, "They've taken on a new job in Sanlitun outside the city and will be busy for several months. They can only come home during breaks."
Sanlitun again? What a coincidence. Young Master Wang had gone to Sanlitun to sell his mother's dowry estate to rescue the courtesan.
Chen Jingji awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Having work is good. Well... you should eat first. I'll be going."
"Thank you, Elder Brother Chen." Li Jiubao saw Chen Jingji to the door.
Chen Jingji returned home to eat with his grandmother. The dinner table had suddenly gained several extra dishes—dumplings from the eastern neighbor, flatbreads from the western neighbor, and homemade rice wine from Wang the Pockmarked's family. All were reciprocation for the braised pig face he had gifted earlier.
As Chen Jingji enjoyed the abundant meal, he thought about how with both Li the Roofer and his son working away from home, Li Jiubao could now enjoy that portion of meat all by herself, not wasting his thoughtful gesture—he had specifically bought the braised pig face because it was her favorite.
Having money is truly wonderful. When would he encounter another deal that could earn him five taels of silver so effortlessly?
Braised pig face is easy to buy, but savings for a wife are hard to come by.
To marry Li Jiubao, the betrothal gifts couldn't be meager.
Tomorrow would be another day of working hard to earn money to marry the belle of Machang Hutong.
Author's note: Another CP makes their appearance. Early readers get red envelopes—100 red envelopes for this chapter.
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