Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 134

Chapter 134: Oneday

The young man surnamed Zhao continued, “My name is Zhao Kuangyin.”

Jiang Mi greeted him honestly, “So it’s Brother Zhao.” She blew on the medicine bowl a few more times and said, “Brother Zhao, drink your medicine.”

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin look at the medicine bowl, Jiang Mi quickly reassured him, “I just tasted a sip; it’s not very bitter.”

Zhao Kuangyin smiled upon hearing this. He reached out and took the medicine bowl, saying, “Thank you, little brother. By the way, what’s your surname, little brother?”

“My surname is Xu, and my name is Xu Er.” After he finished drinking the medicine, Jiang Mi took the bowl and went to the bow of the boat to wash it.

After washing the medicine bowl, Jiang Mi added two more pieces of firewood to the stove. She stared intently at the flames, saying, “Brother Zhao, are you hungry? It will be another half hour before we have porridge.”

Zhao Kuangyin, extremely weak, struggled to shift into a more comfortable position. He heard Jiang Mi mutter crisply, “I wonder what’s happening in Hangzhou. So many people are stuck here, unable to get in or out. My precious bracelet can only buy us a place to shelter from the wind and rain, enough to keep us from starving. It’s not worth it.”

Zhao Kuangyin turned his head and saw Jiang Mi muttering to herself, wiping her face with the back of her hand, leaving a black soot stain.

Zhao Kuangyin’s gaze shifted downwards, settling on Jiang Mi’s long, slender nails framing her rounded fingers, her delicate wrists, and the pale, glistening ears peeking out from her hair.

After observing her for a while, Zhao Kuangyin closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A moment later, he heard Jiang Mi’s soft voice, “Brother Zhao, the porridge is ready.”

Zhao Kuangyin opened his eyes. At the cabin door, Jiang Mi was carrying a bowl of porridge, blowing on it as she approached. After handing it to Zhao Kuangyin, she noticed him looking at her. She said apologetically, “There’s only porridge. Brother Zhao, please make do with this.”

Zhao Kuangyin said in a hoarse voice, “Thank you, Little Brother.”

Jiang Mi quickly shook her head and said, “If I had not bumped into you like that, Brother Zhao would not be so badly injured.”

Zhao Kuangyin took the bowl of porridge, thinking to himself, “I was seriously injured. If I had not happened to meet this little brother, I probably would not have lasted long. This little guy seems so pampered, yet he is a responsible and loyal person.”

This was a chaotic world. Human life was as cheap as grass. If it were anyone else, it would be considered kind not to trample on them a few times. Only a pampered child like Little Brother Xu would go to such lengths to take care of him after just bumping into him.

The porridge had cooled a bit by then, and Zhao Kuangyin downed the bowl in a few gulps. He handed the bowl to Jiang Mi and said, “Thank you.”

Jiang Mi quickly replied, “You are welcome.” She bent down again and went to the bow to continue her work.

After finishing the porridge, Zhao Kuangyin felt he had regained some strength. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, “Little Brother Xu, you should rest too.” The boat was only so big, yet Jiang Mi had been busy until now. Zhao Kuangyin noticed that after finishing with the dishes and pots, she was actually bending over and scrubbing the dilapidated boat with great effort… Despite being a delicate, pampered young master, she seemed tireless in doing such servant’s work.

Jiang Mi, kneeling at the bow, wiped the grease from between the pieces of wood. Hearing Zhao Kuangyin’s words of advice, she replied, “I’m not tired.” Then she added, “I quite enjoy working. After I’ve worked, I can get a good night’s sleep.”

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Jiang Mi for a while, then fell silent, offering no further advice.

Soon, evening arrived. Jiang Mi cooked porridge again, and after sharing a bowl with Zhao Kuangyin, she prepared another dose of his medicine.

Zhao Kuangyin, young and robust, felt more energetic after drinking half a dose. Therefore, as soon as Jiang Mi handed him the medicine, he immediately downed it in one gulp.

As dusk arrived, Jiang Mi continued working until it was too dark to see clearly. Only then did she return to her cabin and curl up in a corner to rest.

The young man surnamed Zhao was too badly injured; after taking his medicine, he fell into a deep sleep. Now, in the pitch-black cabin, Jiang Mi tried to stay as far away from him as possible. She was utterly exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep herself.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Kuangyin was awakened by a sobbing sound.

He quickly opened his eyes and sat up, but before he could even register what was happening, he realized that the sobbing person was Xu Er, sleeping in the corner.

Xu Er’s eyes were still closed; he was clearly still asleep, but tears streamed down his face like beads, and he occasionally let out a low sob, as if even in his sleep, he was heartbroken.

By the dim light of the fire outside, Zhao Kuangyin looked at Xu Er’s youthful face, sighed softly, and ultimately said nothing.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

When Zhao Kuangyin opened his eyes, there was a bustling noise outside. He looked for Xu Er and saw the boy leap onto the deck. Meeting Zhao Kuangyin’s gaze, Xu Er called out, “Brother Zhao, you’re awake? The clouds are heavy; it looks like it will rain. The cabin roof is worn out; I will go see if I can retrieve a piece of cloth.” After a quick instruction, he ran off again.

Jiang Mi returned around noon.

Naturally, she returned empty-handed.

Jiang Mi had just emerged from the crowd when she spotted three or four burly men hunched over around Zhao Kuangyin inside the old boat she was staying in. One of them, a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, stood close to Zhao Kuangyinn. He had high-set eyebrows and deep-set eyes with piercing gazes. This young man bore a three- or four-point resemblance to Zhao Kuangyin but was far more handsome. Combined with his tall stature, he was quite a strikingly handsome man. At that moment, the young man was examining Zhao Kuangyin’s wound closely, his expression one of intense agitation.

While Jiang Mi was still in a daze, the burly men in the cabin had already noticed her. Zhao Kuangyin coughed and said, “This young brother is Xu Er. We were fortunate to have him save us this time.”

Before Jiang Mi could react, several burly men emerged from the cabin, bowing deeply to her. The handsome man bowed even more deeply, saying gratefully, “Thank you so much, Young Brother Xu Er, for saving my brother. I’m Zhao Kuangyi. From now on, Young Brother is my own brother. Please do not hesitate to ask if you need anything!”

Jiang Mi blushed and quickly waved her hands, explaining the situation repeatedly. However, the men insisted that it was Jiang Mi who had saved their brother’s life.

After a long exchange of pleasantries, Jiang Mi returned to the deck. She saw oil and rice by the stove and even a large piece of raw meat. Jiang Mi, who had been eating dry rations and porridge for days, became excited. She rolled up her sleeves and began washing rice and pots to prepare a meal.

Zhao Kuangyin glanced at Jiang Mi, then turned to his Elder Brother and smiled, “This little guy’s quite diligent.”

Jiang Mi busied herself for a while, then turned to see several burly men surrounding Elder Brother Zhao, who was discussing something. Their expressions were quite serious, but she did not pay much attention. She turned back to washing vegetables and cooking meat.

Just as Jiang Mi was busy with her tasks, suddenly, a familiar, joyful voice came from not far away, “Xu Er!”

Jiang Mi quickly turned to look.

It was Shao Xiaozi, jumping and shouting excitedly on the bank like a monkey. Beside Shao Xiaozi stood three men, one of whom was thin and refined, bearing a resemblance to him; he was probably his elder brother. The other two were a burly, honest-looking man and a thin, pale man.

Shao Xiaozi rushed to Jiang Mi, grabbed her hand, and shook it vigorously. He shouted, “Xu Er, Xu Er, do you know? I’ve found my elder brother! Look, that’s my elder brother!” He pointed at the thin, scholarly man.

After Jiang Mi greeted the scholar, Shao Xiaozi pointed to the burly, honest-looking boy of about fifteen or sixteen and the thin, pale boy of similar age. He chattered on, “These two are my newly sworn brothers. They used to work for the Wang family’s caravan. Come, come, Brother Chen San. Brother Zeng Lao Si, let me introduce you. This young brother is Xu Er. He’s a very nice guy. Do not let his frail appearance fool you; he’s very hardworking. He just gets tired easily, hahaha.”

Jiang Mi then greeted the burly young man surnamed Zeng and the pale boy surnamed Chen.

Unlike Shao Xiaozi’s elder brother, these two boys from the Wang family’s caravan were very enthusiastic towards Jiang Mi. With the talkative Shao Xiaozi in between, the four of them quickly became as familiar as longtime friends.

The scholar surnamed Shao had already entered the cabin. He immediately knelt down to apologize, and Zhao Kuangyi quickly helped him up. The group then huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

While the men inside the cabin spoke in hushed tones, outside, a group of young men led by Shao Xiaozi engaged in lively conversation. For a moment, the small corner was quite noisy.

After a while, the scholar surnamed Shao said, “Judging by the time, the message by carrier pigeon should have reached Cui Zi Xuan. Now that we’ve found our Great Brother, we should reveal our identities and have Cui Zi Xuan come to meet us.”

Almost as soon as the scholar surnamed Shao finished speaking, the sound of horses’ hooves approached from outside.

On this crowded riverbank, the sight of ten soldiers in tight-fitting armor riding in was quite eye-catching.

As soon as the soldiers arrived at the old ship, they dismounted simultaneously. One of them, a handsome young man in his early twenties, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the cabin and said in a clear voice, “Is that Master Zhao? My master is Lady Zheng of the Zheng Clan of Xingyang. Hearing that you were here, she specially sent me to invite you!”

The burly men in the cabin were taken aback.

The handsome soldier leaped onto the ship. Meeting the ragged, burly men in the cabin, a flash of disdain crossed his face.

Then, remembering his purpose, he clasped his hands again towards the bewildered commoners and said politely, “My master invites you to meet her.”

The Zhao Brothers were still confused.

However, having weathered countless storms over the years, they would not be intimidated by an invitation from some woman. Zhao Kuangyi stepped forward on behalf of the seriously injured Elder Brother, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, “Where is this gentleman’s mistress? Why does she want to see us?”

The handsome soldier arrogantly replied, “You will find out when you arrive.” He then gestured, “Please, everyone!”

Zhao Kuangyi nodded and said, “My Elder Brother is seriously injured; I can go alone.”

The handsome soldier, however, blocked his way, refusing to budge. He said with a forced smile, “In my opinion, apart from this injured brother, it would be best if the other brothers also went to see my mistress.”

These words were already somewhat unfriendly.

The men exchanged glances, and finally, Zhao Kuangyi spoke up, “Alright, let’s go together.” He jumped ashore and waved to Jiang Mi and the others, calling out mockingly, “Come on over, the more the merrier!”

Jiang Mi and the others were confused but did not dare say anything, obediently following Zhao Kuangyi and the soldier forward.

Soon, they arrived at a moored passenger ship.

The passenger ship was extremely luxuriously decorated, with silk brocade laid on the deck. Zhao Kuangyi’s eyebrows twitched upon seeing this, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared on his lips.

A short while later, the handsome soldier led the group to a cabin. After saying a few words inside, the soldier came out and said to the group, “My master’s inside. Please go in.”

So, Zhao Kuangyi led the group inside.

The cabin was large and luxuriously furnished, with a faint, pleasant fragrance wafting through the air. Upon entering, the group saw eight beautiful maids standing neatly on either side. These maids were elegant and refined, and upon seeing the burly men enter, they simultaneously furrowed their delicate brows; one even discreetly covered her nose.

Behind the maids was a screen, and behind it, a beautiful woman sat gracefully.

After Zhao Kuangyi and his group entered, the beautiful woman gently and dignifiedly greeted them, “Please, have a seat.”

Zhao Kuangyi led the way, and the burly men sat down with a swagger.

At this moment, the beautiful woman behind the screen spoke again, “May I ask if you gentlemen are soldiers from Later Zhou?”

Zhao Kuangyi had already vaguely guessed what was going on. He nodded and said, “My surname is Zhao. We are all under the command of Later Zhou’s Chai Rong.”

From behind the screen came a sigh of relief from the beautiful woman. She said lightly, “Then I have not come to the wrong place. I’m a lady from the Zheng Clan of Xingyang, and I will soon marry the Cui Clan of Boling’s Cui Zi Xuan. I learned that several generals from Later Zhou were going to meet with Brother Cui, so I took the liberty of coming to invite you back to Mingzhou City…”

Inside the cabin, the men then learned the reason why they had been forcibly invited. Zhao Kuangyi, though hesitant, could not resist a sarcastic remark: “The Cui Clan of Boling’s Cui Zi Xuan? He’s really something!”

Without waiting for the beauty’s reply, Zhao Kuangyi stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the screen, and said politely, “Since we are all on the same side, I will go back and prepare. We will set off together when Madam gives the order.”

Almost as soon as they disembarked, the scholar surnamed Shao could not hold back any longer. He frowned and said, “Is this all Cui Zi Xuan is capable of?”

Zhao Kuangyi, clearly well versed in dealing with these scions of noble families, replied mockingly, “Did you not hear what she said? She said it was her own initiative. This woman came without Cui Zi Xuan’s knowledge; she wants to take us with her to curry favor with him!”

Beside him, a dark-skinned, thin man surnamed Niu said in a sinister tone, “I’ve been on the battlefield for years; I’ve seen blood on my hands, if not eight hundred, then a thousand. I hate these aristocratic families the most! They have absolutely no skills; all they do is put on airs and treat us like pigs and oxen! Bah! If I’m not in power, fine, but if I ever gain power, this whole Zheng Clan of Xingyang and Cui Clan of Boling thing, I will tear it all down!”

To the side, Zhao Kuangyi sneered in a low voice, “We’ve seen plenty of aristocratic scions over the years, and are they not all the same? If you ask me, tearing them down would be too lenient. There’s a saying, ‘Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river,’ one day… hehe, one day…”