Upon hearing this, Wei Caiwei was first ecstatic—could such good fortune truly exist? Then doubt crept in; it felt like a pie falling from the sky. Was Luo Longwen testing her?
Yet, regardless of whether Luo Longwen’s intentions were sincere or feigned, Wei Caiwei’s only option for now was to express gratitude. "Thank you, Boss Zhang, for making this possible! We’re strangers here and unfamiliar with everything, so we’ll follow your arrangements."
Luo Longwen waved his hand dismissively. "In the past, I couldn’t fulfill my own wishes. Now, being able to help others realize theirs is a beautiful thing."
Thus, Wei Caiwei devoted herself even more diligently to Luo Longwen’s treatment.
When Wang Daxia returned to the cabin, Ding Wu and Lu Ying were huddled together over a map under dim lamplight, their heads nearly touching. The door creaked open, and though they hadn’t crossed any lines, they instinctively pulled apart.
Ding Wu pretended to stroke his chin, while Lu Ying took a sip of cold tea.
As soon as Wang Daxia entered, he reached into his robe, rummaged around, and pulled out a small cotton-stuffed pillow. He tossed the still-warm pillow toward Lu Ying. "Catch! This is your Ximen family’s son."
Lu Ying, gauging its trajectory by sound, caught the "son" without turning around and placed it on Wang Daxia’s bed.
Ding Wu made to leave. "Dawn is approaching. Let’s rest for a while; we’ll have a busy day ahead."
Since Lu Ying and Wang Daxia were posing as a "married couple," they shared a cabin—Lu Ying on the upper bunk, Wang Daxia on the lower. Their relationship now resembled that of close siblings from different parents, separated only by bunk beds.
Wang Daxia sat on the lower bunk to remove his boots, then stretched out a bare foot to block Ding Wu’s path. "Don’t go."
Ding Wu felt inexplicably guilty. "What is it?"
Wang Daxia lay down on the lower bunk, picking up the little pillow "son." "I announce that from tonight onward, this child will take the surname He..."
He recounted his encounter with Cuiqiao on the deck to both of them, fabricating a tale: "...Just then, the ship lurched, the deck was wet and slippery, and Doctor Wei was about to fall. I rushed over and caught her. Coincidentally, Luo Longwen found my Cuiqiao and came to return it, saw us embracing, and assumed we were having an affair."
"In the heat of the moment, Doctor Wei invented a story, claiming the child in my belly was actually hers."
"You—" Both Ding Wu and Lu Ying were speechless. What incredible luck! How could it be such a coincidence?
Ding Wu asked, "Did he believe it?"
Wang Daxia replied, "Of course he did. I said I couldn’t bear the loneliness, actively seduced Doctor Wei, and ended up pregnant with a bastard. When I could no longer hide it, I used the excuse of traveling with my husband for business, but actually planned to elope with my lover. I’m telling you both in advance so we don’t contradict each other."
Lu Ying pondered this. "This excuse isn’t bad—it won’t affect our overall plan. It even gives Doctor Wei a legitimate reason to ask Luo Longwen about fleeing overseas. A fortunate coincidence."
On its return journey, the merchant ship Favorable Wind encountered several other vessels also traveling by night. The shipmaster shouted warnings: "Japanese Pirates are lying in ambush ahead! We fought a fierce battle and turned back! Don’t proceed further!"
Thus, all merchant ships began turning back mid-route, docking at the previous port—Xinghua County in Yangzhou Prefecture.
The shipmasters gathered overnight to discuss, tallying weapons and personnel from each ship. Confident they could withstand the Japanese Pirates, they decided to form a convoy at dawn to travel the canal together for mutual protection.The sun climbed high as the merchant ship Shunfeng and a dozen other cargo vessels set sail once more from Xinghua Port.
The rain had ceased, and under the brilliant sunshine, the deck offered a view of golden rapeseed flowers stretching as far as the eye could see. While the residents of the capital still hadn't stored away their heavy winter garments, the Jiangnan region was already brimming with spring vitality, and those sensitive to heat had switched to light clothing.
After breakfast, the affectionate couple Lu Ying and Wang Daxia strolled hand in hand on the deck to aid digestion. Wang Daxia whispered, "It's getting hot. I have three cotton pads stuffed on my chest and stomach, and I'm about to develop heat rash. What should I do?"
Lu Ying, who was surveying the surrounding ships through a telescope, didn't pay close attention to his words and blurted out, "Drink more hot water."
"What?" Wang Daxia patted his abdomen. "Is this how you treat your own flesh and blood?"
"It's not mine," Lu Ying murmured. "You didn't follow mine and Doctor Wei's advice and insisted on stuffing too much cotton into the fake breasts, making them as large as those Shandong steamed buns last time. Back then, when it was cold, you said having two large breasts kept you warm. You didn't listen to the women's advice, and now you regret it. The warmth you enjoyed then has turned into unbearable heat now—it's all your own doing."
Wang Daxia replied, "I didn't know it would be so troublesome. I'll go back and remove some cotton from the breasts to shrink them to Doctor Wei's size. That should be more comfortable."
Caiwei's were just right, like two apples dangling from a branch, swaying gently in the breeze, swaying into his heart and dreams.
"What did you say? Like Doctor Wei?" Lu Ying lowered the telescope. "That's a dangerous thought. Why are you using Wei Caiwei as a standard for comparison?"
Back at the Xie Family Restaurant in Linqing County, when Wei Caiwei pressed him, Wang Daxia repeatedly denied any involvement with San Niangzi, and Lu Ying had sensed something amiss between them. The dynamic felt somewhat similar to the bickering between her sisters and their husbands.
Lu Ying's three sisters had all married well—whether to sons of nobles, treacherous officials, or loyal ministers, all three brothers-in-law were upright men devoted to their wives, without concubines or affairs, remaining faithful. Her sisters lived contentedly after marriage, so they took turns persuading her to marry.
Moreover, upon reflection, Lu Ying found Wang Daxia's story from last night suspicious—about the slippery deck, Wei Caiwei nearly falling, him catching her, and Luo Longwen misunderstanding. Firstly, Doctor Wei was a cautious person unlikely to stumble easily. Secondly, with the light rain making the deck slick, they could have honestly explained the embrace as due to the slippery conditions. Fabricating such an elaborate tale of "adultery" for an accidental hug and enlisting others to cover it up seemed unnecessary.
Thus, Lu Ying's doubts grew stronger. Now, hearing Wang Daxia want to shrink his breasts to "Doctor Wei's size," she detected a whiff of ambiguity—something was going on!
"I..." Wang Daxia's eyes darted away. "I was just saying that. Don't overthink it."
Lu Ying, being meticulous, wouldn't let it slide and pressed further, "Why must you use Doctor Wei for comparison? Why not use me?"Wang Daxia took a step sideways, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hey, how can you say such things? I'm a decent man. I treat you like a sworn brother sleeping in the bunk below me—what kind of person do you take me for? I don't have the slightest improper thought about you."
"Who isn't a decent person?" Lu Ying seized the loophole in Wang Daxia's words—he was always as leaky as a sieve when it came to keeping secrets. "I believe you have no improper thoughts about me. We've slept in upper and lower bunks for a month, growing more like brothers with each passing day. But you absolutely have improper thoughts about Doctor Wei."
Wang Daxia flatly denied it. "I don't! You're talking nonsense. Don't make wild assumptions."
Lu Ying pressed him step by step. "If you don't have improper thoughts about her, how do you know what her chest looks like? You must have been secretly observing her for a long time."
Wang Daxia: "I didn't peek." It was her who took the initiative! That day, to lure me into revealing Ding Wu's whereabouts, she came downstairs without wearing her undergarment. Two apples were swaying beneath her inner robe—their shape clearly visible—and she even asked me to taste the rouge on her lips...
Lu Ying asked, "Do you dare swear to heaven that you don't like her? That you have no improper thoughts about her?"
"Why would I swear such a solemn oath for no reason?" Wang Daxia retorted. "Even when the magistrate convicts someone, they must present evidence to prove the crime. You can't just claim it's true and force me to swear an oath. Show me the evidence first."
Lu Ying grew even more certain. "Although I haven't been with the Embroidered Uniform Guard for long, I've interrogated plenty of prisoners. Those who demand evidence are usually the ones who did it."
Wang Daxia stubbornly refused to admit it. "Think whatever you want. Just don't spread it around—it could damage Doctor Wei's reputation."
Lu Ying said, "Don't worry, I'm not a gossip, and I don't intend to use this to blackmail you. I just think: you're unmarried, she's unmarried, and you've faced life-and-death situations together multiple times. When we destroyed the White Lotus Sect lair at the Pool of Accumulated Water, she thought you had fallen into the water and tried to save you despite not knowing how to swim. That goes far beyond mere neighborly kindness."
"If you truly have feelings for her, I wouldn't be surprised. Although you're young, plagued by troublesome admirers, rather flirtatious, hold a low-ranking official position, and earn very little—you're still a good man. You barely qualify as a match for Doctor Wei."
After Lu Ying's speech, Wang Daxia couldn't tell whether he was being insulted or praised, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Lu Ying added, "But you need to know your boundaries. Let your feelings arise naturally, but restrain them with propriety. Don't always stare at her chest—it's too creepy."
Wang Daxia felt like he could jump into the Grand Canal and still not wash himself clean of these accusations. "I really didn't peep—"
Before he could finish, gunshots and the roar of cannons erupted in the distance!
Lu Ying quickly raised his telescope and saw numerous ships of all sizes approaching along the river ahead, along with riders on shore—all flying the flags of Japanese Pirates!
Judging by the number of ships and troops, the Japanese Pirates numbered at least ten thousand!
The ship's captain also saw them and urgently commanded the sailors, "Quick! Turn the ship around! We're not returning to the port—we'll sail directly to Xinghua County Town! There are city walls and stationed troops there!"
Other ships also turned around one after another, seeking refuge in the county town, not daring to engage the large force of Japanese Pirates.
Lu Ying continued observing the Japanese Pirates through his telescope and noticed they weren't attacking the merchant convoy because they too were scattering in panic, fleeing like stray dogs.It was clear that this disorganized band of Japanese Pirates was not the same tightly-knit, strategically coordinated force from the previous night.
Which faction of Japanese Pirates did this group belong to?
Upon closer observation, Lu Ying discovered the reason for their frantic retreat: she spotted the banners of the "Qi Family Army." It turned out the renowned anti-pirate general Qi Jiguang was annihilating the Japanese Pirates elsewhere. The pirates had been utterly defeated and were scattering in panic.
The merchant ship Favorable Wind sailed from the canal into the moat before entering the county town, where the waterways were immediately sealed to prevent Japanese Pirate vessels from breaking through.
The pirates first attempted to attack Xinghua County Town to secure a foothold. Those aboard the merchant ship skilled in using firearms—Lu Ying, Wang Daxia, Ding Wu, Luo Longwen, and the guards from Three Links Escort Agency—promptly deployed their firearms, ascending the city walls to repel the pirates and protect the gates.
Forces that had previously harbored ulterior motives temporarily united against the Japanese Pirates, for otherwise, everyone would face disaster.
Author's Note: The mystery will be unraveled in the next chapter.
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