newbobooks Chapter 380: The Long Road Ahead, Brothers Reunited
Chapter 380: The Long Road Ahead, Brothers Reunited
Chaisang City, the center of Longshou Street.
Lei Mengsha was still dressed in black and red clothes. He opened his arms and was about to hug Xiao Ruofeng who was standing still in front of him.
But when he was still half an inch away, Xiao Ruofeng twisted his body and dodged to the side.
Lei Mengsha hugged nothing and turned around with an embarrassed look on his face, "Hiss... Old Seven, you're too polite. We two brothers haven't seen each other for a long time. What's wrong with a hug? You can't miss a piece of meat!"
"Second Brother has been thinking about you for a long time. Ever since I came to Chaisang City and met Jian San, I have been unable to eat or sleep for more than two months. I tossed and turned every night. The insomnia has caused dark circles under my eyes..."
Lei Mengsha was still talking nonsense as usual, but he was immediately interrupted by Gu Jianmen: "Um... Second Brother, wait a moment! You've been living a life of drunkenness and dreaming in Chaisang City for the past two months, but I didn't notice you had insomnia?"
"Ever since you arrived in Chaisang City, you've owed the young lady from Shuiyue Pavilion three to four thousand taels of silver each these past two months, all on my account. These past few days, the shopkeepers from both places have been constantly blocking the door of my Gu family to collect the debt..."
Before Gu Jianmen could finish his words, Lei Mengsha, looking embarrassed, rushed to his side and covered his mouth tightly, whispering a threat in Gu Jianmen's ear:
"Damn Jian San! Don't you have a share in these accounts? Why are all the blame put on me? Can you give Second Brother a little face in front of Junior Brother?!"
Xiao Ruofeng was still dressed in white, holding his horse with his left hand and a sword with his right hand, watching Lei Mengsha showing off in front of him.
This feeling made Xiao Ruofeng feel extremely comfortable, and even relaxed his whole body.
It seemed that only when he followed Lei Mengsha and several fellow disciples would he not think about the court, nor would he plan for the affairs of the Beili State or share the worries of his king and father.
After a moment, Lei Mengsha straightened his expression, cleared his throat, and argued for himself:
"Seventh Brother, you know me well. How could I, Lei Mengsha, do such a thing? Your second senior brother, Su Lai, is a man of few desires and strict self-discipline. What Third Brother just said is pure slander!"
After saying that, he turned his head away, winked and then pretended to be righteous:
"Third Brother, please don't slander my innocence out of thin air. When have I ever been to Shuiyue Pavilion? When have I ever owed money to that girl..."
But before Lei Mengsha could finish his argument, a thunderclap sounded from behind him:
"Lei-Meng-Kill! You damned Lei! Old! Er!!"
The sound was so penetrating that it instantly drowned out the noise of the Longshou Street morning market.
The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a plump middle-aged beautiful woman who was wearing gold and silver jewelry but could not hide her tough and flamboyant temperament. She was holding a mahogany abacus and pushed through the crowd to rush towards them with great momentum.
When Lei Mengsha saw the person coming, he felt a chill running up his back along his hair!
That person was none other than the proprietress of Shuiyue Pavilion—Hua Jinniang!
Hua Jinniang rushed forward, her chubby fingers almost poking Lei Mengsha's straight nose. She cursed him:
"You're such a jerk, Lei Lao Er! You're hiding in Longshou Street to avoid your debts, right? I thought you were dead out there!"
"Two months! Two whole months! You've owed us three thousand six hundred and forty-two taels! Plus, on the night of March twenty-sixth, you broke a high-quality white porcelain tea set in the Tianzihao guest room, worth two hundred and thirty taels!"
"And more! On the first night of April, you insisted on ordering our courtesan while we were at the brothel, saying that you, Master Lei, would pay for everything! There were nineteen guests, all mixed up, and each of them paid fifty taels of silver, for a total of nine hundred and fifty taels!"
"Including what I owed before, the total is..."
As Hua Jinniang spoke, she fiddled with the mahogany abacus in her hand, and in an instant she calculated the total debt that Lei Mengsha owed recently.
"The total is four thousand eight hundred and twenty-two taels! If you don't spit out the money today, I will strip you naked and hang you on the east corner gate of Chaisang City for public display!"
As Hua Jinniang spoke, she threw the mahogany abacus in her hand to the hunched old man behind her, then rolled up her sleeves and stood in front of Lei Mengsha with a menacing look. That aura really intimidated Lei Mengsha.
Lei Mengsha didn't dare to argue at this time and could only keep hiding behind Gu Jianmen.
Seeing Lei Mengsha's behavior, Hua Jinniang first bowed to Gu Jianmen:
"Master Gu San, I know you are a well-informed person in Chaisang City. Lei Lao Er has really gone too far. Don't try to cover up for him this time! If he doesn't pay back, you can hand him over to me for disposal. I will be grateful to you!"
Gu Jianmen opened his mouth, but it seemed wrong to agree, and it also seemed wrong not to agree.
Lei Mengsha was scolded harshly, and the little bit of "Second Brother" spirit he had just built up was instantly thrown into the sky.
Seeing that Gu Jianmen had no idea what to do and seemed unable to provide him with protection anymore, Lei Mengsha turned his eyes and aimed at Xiao Ruofeng, then slipped away.
"Swoosh" he shrank behind Xiao Ruofeng, slipping like a live loach.
Hua Jinniang was a little undecided when she saw Lei Mengsha hiding behind the noble young man in front of her.
At this time, more and more passers-by who were attracted by Hua Jinniang's debt collection and Lei Mengsha gathered, and the center of Longshou Street was immediately blocked.
Lei Mengsha's handsome face was like a burning charcoal. He hid behind Xiao Ruofeng, only half of his head exposed, and said timidly:
"Sister Hua! Boss Hua! Shopkeeper Hua! It's a misunderstanding—it's all a misunderstanding! Am I, Lei Mengsha, the kind of person who refuses to pay back my debts? It's just that I've been having a bit of a...lack of cash flow lately!"
"Gu Jianmen is my brother, the richest man in Chaisang City. What's his is mine. How can I, Lei Mengsha, escape just because of this?"
Gu Jianmen's face turned red and white after hearing what he said. He coughed awkwardly a few times and said:
"Your last name is Lei, and mine is Gu. How can we be brothers? Besides, even brothers have to settle accounts..."
Seeing that Gu Jianmen was not going to care anymore, Hua Jinniang cast her fierce gaze towards Lei Mengsha who was hiding behind Xiao Ruofeng.
Lei Mengsha didn't dare to look at Hua Jinniang who looked like she wanted to eat people. He could only hide half of his head behind Xiao Ruofeng, hoping that Xiao Ruofeng would end it for him.
Hua Jinniang had no other choice but to resort to her old tricks. Just as she was about to yell at the street, she heard the elegant young man in white cough lightly.
"cough!"
Xiao Ruofeng was still standing there. He slowly took out an exquisite purse from his sleeve. With a flick of his slender fingers, a few golden leaves sparkled with an alluring luster in the sunlight.
He didn't even look at the gold leaf, but said calmly to Hua Jinniang, "Boss Hua, calm down. The money my second brother owes you is mine."
His voice was not loud, but Hua Jinniang's anger was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, and most of it was extinguished in an instant.
Then her eyes were fixed on the golden leaf, and her expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book. She put on a brilliant smile and said:
"Oh my! This young man is truly... a god descended from heaven! Generous! Resolute! Much better than some second-rate scoundrels who only know how to get into people's crotches!"
She said compliments, but the last sentence was a veiled curse on Lei Mengsha.
Xiao Ruofeng turned around and looked at Lei Mengsha with disgust, then handed him the gold leaf between his fingers.
Hua Jinniang got the money and her face was as bright as a chrysanthemum. She said a few polite words, glared at Lei Mengsha fiercely, and then walked away with satisfaction, twisting her waist.
The center of the street temporarily returned to calm, leaving only three young men with very different styles. For a moment, the air was a little frozen.
Lei Mengsha came out from behind Xiao Ruofeng awkwardly, his face full of flattery:
"Hey, Seventh Brother! You're the most considerate! I know you care about your second brother!"
He just stretched out his hand to pat Xiao Ruofeng's shoulder to show his closeness, but Xiao Ruofeng slightly turned his body, causing Lei Mengsha's hand to miss again.
"Second Brother," Xiao Ruofeng's voice remained calm, but upon closer listening, one could taste a hint of fatigue and helplessness. "Your way of missing me is to spend all my money and then get chased down by the brothel owner in the street?"
"How can that be called a chase?"
Lei Mengsha puffed out his chest, trying to redeem himself. He pretended to be serious and said, "This is called... well, children of the underworld don't care about trivial matters!"
Before he finished speaking, Gu Jianmen on the side finally couldn't bear it anymore and slapped him on the chest. Lei Mengsha was almost killed by this sudden blow.
"Ahem, ahem, Third Brother Gu! Are you going to beat your Second Brother to death? Didn't you promise to give me some face?!"
Lei Mengsha covered his chest and cried out in grievance.
Gu Jianmen no longer paid attention to the noisy Lei Mengsha, and looked at Xiao Ruofeng calmly and said:
"Seventh Brother, you seem very tired."
Xiao Ruofeng nodded without comment, and said with a little disappointment:
"From Yunzhou to Chaisang, I've experienced so many things along the way..."
Gu Jianmen reached out and took the reins of Xiao Ruofeng's horse, smiling faintly:
"Brothers reuniting is a joyous occasion, so don't overthink it. Come on! Follow me back home, let's have a good drink tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruofeng finally had a smile on his face. He followed Gu Jianmen's footsteps and headed towards the Gu family mansion in the east of the city.
Lei Mengsha saw that he was being ignored by his two junior brothers, and hurried after them while shouting:
"You...you two guys! You didn't even invite me when you were drinking. Where's the justice?"
"I am the dignified Master Zhuo Mo, the second disciple of Mr. Li and a pillar of the Northern Li Sect, yet I have fallen to this state! I was not careful in choosing friends! I met the wrong brother!"
……