Chapter 5 "Were you taken advantage of?"...
The room was dimly lit, making embroidery work difficult. Wen Yu picked up a stick leaning against the wall to prop open the window. Cold wind immediately poured in, and the snow covering the window frame rustled as it fell.
Some accumulated snow landed on her hand. Her slender fingers with faint red rash marks resembled orchid leaves unfolding, their color as smooth as porcelain. The snowflakes half-covered the rash marks, truly deserving the description of "red plum blossoms blanketed by snow."
Though the back of her hand felt chilled, Wen Yu didn't brush away the icy sensation. Instead, she gazed at the vast snowy sky beyond the courtyard wall.
She had found temporary shelter and a way to contact her close attendants.
She could only hope her trusted followers would quickly come looking for her after seeing the token. She had already been delayed too long on the journey. With the critical situation in Fengyang, she needed to hurry to Nan Chen to borrow troops.
Just then, knocking came from outside the door. Wen Yu turned her head, momentarily unsure who might be knocking. After a brief hesitation, she spoke: "Please come in."
It was the Rogue who pushed the door open and lifted the curtain to enter.
Backlit, his tall frame nearly blocked all the light from the doorway. His raised eyes watching her were black like obsidian.
Wen Yu instinctively tensed every nerve in her body. Her hand resting on the windowsill tightened slightly. Though she appeared delicate, every bone and sinew in her body was held in guarded readiness.
The atmosphere between them alone in the room was like two solitary beasts who each ruled their own mountain being forcibly placed together.
Except one was feigning weakness while the other was pressing forward step by step to investigate.
Wen Yu tried to make her expression appear sufficiently timid and harmless, softly asking: "Is there anything you require?"
After speaking, she covered her mouth and coughed.
Meanwhile, she wondered inwardly: Could it be that he's going to scold her for not clearing the dishes after the meal?
She had intended to do so then, but after the Rogue finished eating, he himself had gathered all the bowls and chopsticks from the table and taken them away, so she hadn't felt it appropriate to chase after him and fight to do the work.
Xiao Li noticed the person standing by the window was completely tense, though he didn't know whether it stemmed from fear or something else.
The thin snow on the back of her hand resting on the windowsill had melted into cold wet marks, dripping down between her knuckles. The fingertips pressed against the window frame were reddened from the cold, inexplicably eye-catching.
Xiao Li frowned slightly. Without lingering his gaze on her, he walked toward the chest in the corner of the room, saying: "I'm getting a change of clothes."
Wen Yu's tensed nerves suddenly went numb, even her eyes revealing some bewilderment.
She watched as the Rogue walked to the corner, lifted the chest lid, and took out a set of clothing clearly belonging to a man, then turned to leave.
Reaching the doorway, for some reason he paused, glanced back at her, and rather coldly said: "My mother is kind-hearted. If she finds out you caught cold doing embroidery work in the chilly wind, she'll blame herself. Our household isn't short on charcoal."
With that, he let the curtain fall and left.
Wen Yu remained in a daze, her gaze slowly falling on the modest wooden bed.
Was this room actually the Rogue's bedroom?
This realization was so shocking that Wen Yu's mind felt somewhat stunned.
She heard the Rogue call out to Xiao Huiniang outside: "Mother, I won't be back tonight."
Xiao Huiniang's reply came from the inner room, telling him to be careful on the slippery snowy roads.Soon after, the rogue's footsteps faded into the distance. The courtyard gate opened and closed—clearly, he had left.
Wen Yu stood frozen in place for a long moment before lifting the door curtain as if to verify something. Xiao Huiniang was resting in the inner chamber, leaving the main room empty. Wen Yu pushed the door open and stepped into the yard. Snow fell thick as goose feathers, weaving a net that blanketed the ground. What had been a thin dusting that morning now crunched underfoot. The rim of the water vat was piled so high with snow it resembled a white fox fur collar.
Wen Yu scanned the courtyard through the flurry but saw only a makeshift kitchen shed. It seemed there truly were no extra rooms in this house.
She turned back to gaze at the recliner by the fire pit. So... had the rogue been sleeping there these past two nights?
Xiao Li arrived at the gambling house near mid-afternoon. Though wearing a bamboo hat, snow still dusted his neck. A man idling outside, cracking sunflower seeds while chatting and keeping watch, spotted him and immediately tossed the seeds back into his dish. "Brother Xiao, you're here!"
Xiao Li handed him the hat, brushed snow from his nape, and strode inside. "How's things in there?"
The man shook his head, glancing around before lowering his voice. "Not good. That bastard Wang Qing's been poisoning the proprietor's ear, saying you took Chen Lai Zi's bribe to let him escape. Everyone knows what he's really after—now that Brother Song stepped down from the position of authority, he's using the Chen Lai Zi incident to challenge you for it!"
Xiao Li scoffed. "Trivial ambitions."
But the man remained grim. "The proprietor didn't look pleased either. Just summoned the accountant upstairs."
Xiao Li's brow furrowed slightly. As the man started to speak again, Xiao Li raised a hand to silence him.
They now stood at the entrance to the main hall, where a group of men drinking and playing finger-guessing games had turned to stare in unison. A short-bearded man kicked his stool aside and stood with crossed arms, eyes gleaming with provocation. His lackeys rose behind him in imitation.
It was none other than Wang Qing.
The watchman glanced worriedly at Xiao Li. "The proprietor's still upstairs. What's he planning?"
Xiao Li remained silent, his face breaking into that characteristic cavalier smirk only when he met their gaze. "Heavy snow today. I've been running around half the day collecting debts for the proprietor. Quite envious of you and your men here—warm inside with wine and dice, untouched by wind or frost."
Wang Qing's face twitched, but he swallowed his anger to sneer, "We all know you've got a silver tongue, Xiao. But taking bribes to release Chen Lai Zi is indisputable. Save your smooth talk for the proprietor!"
Xiao Li grinned lazily. "I'll certainly explain to the proprietor. Saves him from hearing twisted versions behind his back."
"You!" Wang Qing uncrossed his arms, eyes blazing. His followers glowered in unison.The man following Xiao Li quickly shouted, "What's this? Taking advantage of my other brothers being out collecting debts to gang up on us?"
Xiao Li picked up a candied kumquat from the nut tray, lightly tossing it in his hand twice as he lazily glanced across the room and said with a laugh, "Couldn't it be that with the New Year approaching, they just want to kowtow to their Lord Xiao?"
In the blink of an eye, just as anger surfaced on Wang Qing's face, the candied kumquat in Xiao Li's hand flew straight toward his forehead. Wang Qing dodged sideways, and Xiao Li, pushing off the wooden railing, leaped into the main hall. A reckless underling lunged at him, only to have Xiao Li grab the back of his head and slam it downward. The underling's head hit the table with a loud "bang," and when Xiao Li released him, the man collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his forehead.
Xiao Li tilted his head to avoid a stool swung by another underling, elbowed the attacker so hard he staggered backward, and then kicked away yet another who tried to draw a blade. All the while, he advanced toward Wang Qing as calmly as if strolling through a garden, his tone still amiable: "No rush. If you want to kowtow to your Lord Xiao, take turns—there's enough to go around."
The underlings were now hesitant to approach, shrinking back step by step as Xiao Li drew nearer. Wang Qing, humiliated and seething with rage, slammed the table and roared, "Charge at him together!"
A group of underlings brandishing blades and clubs rushed at Xiao Li again. He kicked a bench sideways, striking the knees of those at the front and instantly toppling several. The commotion grew too loud, finally alerting those upstairs.
The manager appeared at the wooden railing on the second floor and shouted, "What's all this racket? The Proprietor is reviewing the accounts!"
The underlings holding blades and clubs immediately froze, glancing at Wang Qing for direction. Wang Qing gestured for them to stand down, and they reluctantly retreated.
Xiao Li lifted his strikingly handsome yet roguish face, grinning at the manager as he said, "Boss, you can't blame me for this. I came back to report to the Proprietor, but Brother Qing here was so formal—insisting his men kowtow to me for the New Year."
The manager, with his thin mustache, ignored the remark and simply said, "The Proprietor is waiting for you in his room. Come upstairs."
Xiao Li cheerfully agreed and headed upstairs, his expression darkening only when he stepped into the shadows.
With such a commotion downstairs, it was impossible the Proprietor had only just heard it.
He hadn't intervened earlier, nor later—only when Xiao Li was on the verge of beating Wang Qing's underlings to a pulp. This was to save face for Wang Qing; otherwise, how could Wang Qing continue to command respect in the gambling house? By tacitly allowing Wang Qing to set this scene, the Proprietor had intended to use him to take Xiao Li down a peg.
By the time Xiao Li reached the second floor, all traces of gloom had vanished from his eyes. He wore his usual roguish grin, flashing a smile at everyone he passed.
The mustached manager led him to a private room, knocked twice on the door, and said respectfully, "Proprietor, he's here."
A cultured voice replied from inside, "Come in."
The manager pushed the door open and motioned for Xiao Li to enter.
Xiao Li stepped inside, his face betraying a hint of barely suppressed anger, and spoke bluntly, "Proprietor, you saw it today—Wang Qing and his men deliberately provoked me."
He showed no intention of swallowing the humiliation quietly.The proprietor of the gambling house, surnamed Han, was a lean, middle-aged man in his early forties. Hearing Xiao Li's complaint, he didn't even lift his head from the ledger as he asked, "Did you suffer any losses?"
Xiao Li chuckled, "How could that be?"
Only then did the proprietor look up, pointing to a round-backed chair opposite the desk and saying, "Sit."
Xiao Li didn't hesitate, walking over and plopping down boldly.
The proprietor said, "You started working at my gambling house under Song Qin when you were fifteen. It's been six years now. You were trained by Song Qin himself, and when it comes to fighting, no one in the entire gambling house is better than you. You've handled things well over the years. Logically, after Song Qin stepped down, I should give you the vacant position of authority."
He paused here, staring at Xiao Li for a moment before continuing, "But Wang Qing is also a veteran of the gambling house. Song Qin used to outrank him, and now that Song Qin has stepped down, if I let a junior like you, who's a full cycle younger than him, outrank him again, he might feel resentful."
Xiao Li sneered, "In our line of work, doesn't everything come down to fists?The proprietor replied, "That may be true, but if you constantly outshine him, it's one thing if he's just unwilling to accept it. However, at this critical moment, he caught you making a mistake. Now everyone in the gambling house knows you let Chen Lai Zi off the hook after taking his bribes. If I still give you the position of authority, what kind of precedent would that set for the future?"
Xiao Li said, "Proprietor, there's no need to explain so much. The matter with Chen Lai Zi was my fault. Just give the position of authority to Wang Qing."
But the proprietor looked at him and said, "Who said I was going to give it to him?"
He leaned back and added, "You're the one I've always had my eye on."
Xiao Li raised his eyes to meet his gaze.
The proprietor smiled, "I have a job for you. If you handle it, the issue with Chen Lai Zi won't matter anymore, and it'll also give me a chance to see your loyalty."
Author's note:
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