Chapter 88: The Hongmen Banquet

Lishun Hotel, a luxurious private room in the Western restaurant.

Under the crystal chandelier.

Red wine, various exquisite small cakes, and fruits and vegetables, accompanied by romantic music, all permeated with the luxurious scent of money.

The bejeweled ladies were chatting and gossiping together.

"Ahem, the wife of Special Commissioner Ma has arrived."

Hong Zhiyou, fearing these women would embarrass Zhou Gendi, deliberately raised his voice.

That Ma Kui was returning was no longer a secret.

The ladies were all tactful people.

Sure enough, Lu Qiaoshan's wife, Li Guifang, was the first to stand up to welcome her:

"Wow, Mrs. Ma, you look so beautiful today."

The other ladies naturally followed with their share of flattery.

Zhou Gendi blushed and gave Hong Zhiyou a grateful look.

"Sit, Mrs. Ma."

Hong Zhiyou pulled out a chair, and Zhou Gendi smoothed her skirt and sat down gracefully.

She was naturally talkative.

The reason she was nervous was the fear of being ostracized by everyone.

Now that someone was supporting her, they soon hit it off.

"Zhiyou, come over. You've been busy all day, you must be hungry. Eat a piece of cake to tide yourself over first."

"These are pastries made by the club's foreign chef."

"The taste is quite good, hurry and try some."

Mei Qiuju adjusted her shawl, picked up a piece, and handed it to Hong Zhiyou.

"Thank you, Madam." In front of outsiders, Hong Zhiyou did not dare call her sister-in-law.

"Why so formal? We are all family."

"About this afternoon, Old Wu and I haven't thanked you yet," Mei Qiuju whispered gratefully.

As she spoke, she handed him a bottle of soda.

That doting, loving look was just like looking at her own son.

"I like that kind," Hong Zhiyou said with a smile, pointing to the Napoleon cake on the side.

"Take it, take whatever you want to eat."

Mei Qiuju loved his enthusiasm and immediately got some for him.

Hong Zhiyou was indeed hungry.

Wu Jingzhong did not urge him, sitting in his chair with his arms crossed, watching them with a smile.

He truly loved this atmosphere.

Especially Hong Zhiyou; the more he looked at him, the more he liked him.

With one flip of his hand, he had secured another ten percent profit for the distillery; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the God of Wealth kept at home.

He wished he could call him his own son.

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

"I'll go say a few words to the Station Chief first."

Hong Zhiyou wiped his hands and walked slowly to the Station Chief's side.

"Teacher, Rongbin has picked the person up, by sea."

"Also, when handing the person over, this student asked him for another twenty thousand US dollars."

"It's in the trunk of your car."

He whispered into Wu Jingzhong's ear.

"Good, good, good," Wu Jingzhong nodded repeatedly.

"Has Zecheng arrived?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"He should be here soon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw Yu Zecheng leading Cuiping, who was wearing a blue-and-white patterned qipao, toward them.

Cuiping was fidgeting, one hand protecting the hem of her skirt.

"Wow, is this Mrs. Yu? She's so beautiful, this figure, these legs are so straight."

The ladies launched into another round of blind, mindless flattery.

"Beautiful my foot, it's embarrassing."

"You city women are truly shameless, wearing such trashy clothes."

Cuiping clutched both sides of her skirt and let out a lion's roar the moment she opened her mouth.

"This..." Lu Qiaoshan's wife, Li Guifang, was left stunned by the outburst.

"Everyone, please forgive her, please forgive her."

"A country woman with no experience, please don't mind her."

Yu Zecheng hurriedly apologized in embarrassment.

He pulled Cuiping to the table to be seated.

"Everyone, over the past eight years of the War of Resistance, all you ladies have suffered."

"On your medals of honor, there is a share of their credit."

"Now that we have recovered our territory, our bullets have brought us peace and money, and it is time for the ladies to enjoy some comfort."

With everyone present, Wu Jingzhong began to speak.

Everyone applauded in unison.

After some pleasantries, steaks and pasta were served.

Wu Jingzhong signaled for everyone to begin eating.

Last night, Yu Zecheng had already taken Cuiping to eat this once.

"Mrs. Yu, you use your knife and fork quite skillfully. Have you eaten Western food before?" Wu Jingzhong signaled with his eyes, and Liu Xiong began to ask questions.

"I ate it last night; the fork and knife are easy to use," Cuiping said, taking a gulp of cola while eating.

"You and Director Yu were fellow villagers before; did you know each other before you got married?" Liu Xiong asked again.

"Since we are fellow villagers, surely..."

Li Guifang was just about to interject when she was fiercely glared at by Lu Qiaoshan.

As an old hand, he immediately understood that this was a Hongmen Banquet aimed at Yu Zecheng and his wife.

Whoever interjected would be the one to suffer.

"We didn't know each other."

"I was in Wutou, he was in Heigou; we were ten miles apart."

"It's just that my aunt Wang Caiju's daughter married into their village. I heard Old Yu had been to school. My parents died of hunger during the famine that year, and my aunt made the decision, so I married him."

"My Old Yu didn't even give me a dowry; he just entrusted someone to buy a piece of good cloth and made me a dress."

"What a loss."

Cuiping said carelessly.

"Sister, it was like that in those days."

"So many people died of hunger in southern Henan, and northern Hebei wasn't much better."

Mei Qiuju echoed with deep feeling.

"I remember you saying that Director Yu's family had land, but Director Yu's file records that his brother died while fleeing the famine," Liu Xiong said, cutting straight to the point.

"Section Chief Liu, you're an amateur at this, aren't you?"

"Land depends on the harvest. If you run into a famine, the seeds are all eaten by people; where are you going to grow grain?"

Cuiping had done her homework and answered with composure.

"Hey, it's a joyous day, let's not talk about the bitter things of the past."

"Let's eat, let's eat."

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of her, Wu Jingzhong signaled for Liu Xiong to change tactics.

After everyone had toasted two rounds of drinks, Liu Xiong said:

"It's like this: the mason hired by the General Affairs Section yesterday, a man named Zhang Dazhi, came to the station today to file a complaint, saying that Mrs. Yu hit him."

"Since he made a scene at the station, there naturally has to be an explanation."

As soon as Liu Xiong finished speaking, Cuiping slammed her chopsticks on the table, stood up, and got angry:

"An explanation? What kind of explanation?"

"It's a miracle I didn't beat him to death."

Everyone was startled; no one expected Cuiping to dare act wild in front of the Station Chief.

"Cuiping, what are you doing? Sit down quickly," Yu Zecheng hurriedly pulled at her.

"Didn't he want to file a complaint?"

"Let him come and find me!" Cuiping was relentless.

Yu Zecheng pulled her several times before she sat down indignantly.

"Zecheng, what exactly is going on?" Wu Jingzhong asked with a frown.

This is just a shrew who wears her stupidity on her sleeve.

Is this what counts as a red ticket?

He suspected that Liu Xiong, that old hawk, was getting on in years and his eyes were failing him.

"Station Chief, it's not like Cuiping hasn't conceived a child."

"There's a lot of gossip in the countryside, and my old lady might have picked up some of it, so this topic is a thorn in her side; it can't be brought up."

Yu Zecheng explained with a bitter smile.

"Exactly."

"Back when I gave birth to Ruirui, my mother-in-law made me suffer through being caught in the middle every single day just because it wasn't a son..."

Mei Qiuju felt a pang of sympathy.

Just as she was about to join in the venting, Wu Jingzhong coughed twice and glared at her fiercely.

Scared, she sullenly swallowed her words back down.

"That was his own fault."

"But I'm very curious, Mrs. Yu, you're just a woman, how did you manage to floor a two-hundred-pound man?" Liu Xiong exchanged a look with the Station Chief and continued his cold interrogation.

"What's so strange about that?"

"Even if he were a tiger, I could still beat him into submission." Cuiping snorted with pride.

"Heh, you've trained?" Liu Xiong smiled.

"That's a given. In the past, the men in our village were all conscripted, so the women became the pillars of the community; all the women in our village practice martial arts."

"I learned from my great-uncle; he was a junior fellow apprentice of Sun Lutang and once held the horse and served as a bodyguard for General Zhang."

"If you don't believe me, go to Weitou and ask around; everyone knows the nickname Iron-Leg Chen."

Cuiping tilted her head up and said.

"So it's a master's lineage, no wonder."

"It just so happens I know a thing or two myself. It's been a long time since I heard that Mr. Sun Lutang was the number one expert of his day. Why not let me see and learn a thing or two?"

Liu Xiong pulled out a chair and rolled up his sleeves, ready to spar.

"Don't."

"You're getting on in years, and fists fear the young and strong. I'm afraid of hurting you and then having you try to extort my old Yu later."

"I came to the city to wash clothes and cook, not to cause trouble for my man."

Cuiping glanced at him with disdain and did not agree.

"It's fine, I won't..."

Liu Xiong insisted further.

Yu Zecheng knew Liu Xiong was capable and feared Cuiping would suffer, so he hurriedly stood up to smooth things over: "Station Chief, Cuiping and I are still planning on having children; it wouldn't be good if someone got hurt in all this fighting."

Wu Jingzhong nodded and gestured for Liu Xiong to sit down:

"That's enough, why all this fighting in such a peaceful era?"

"Section Chief Liu, don't you have important business tonight? Go handle it quickly."

"Understood, Station Chief."

"Mrs. Yu, I'll learn from you another day." Liu Xiong gave a cold, sinister smile, picked up his coat, and walked out.

After the meal.

Mei Qiuju pulled Cuiping over to chat about mahjong with the other wives.

She genuinely favored Cuiping.

First, Zecheng was a lucky charm for wealth.

Second, they both came from bitter, rural backgrounds, so she felt sympathy and resonance from the bottom of her heart.

"Station Chief."

Yu Zecheng took the opportunity to stand up and signaled for Wu Jingzhong to speak further.

The two went to the side parlor.

Yu Zecheng took a small, oval-shaped bronze pot out of his briefcase and handed it to Wu Jingzhong.

"Quite beautiful, where did this come from?" Wu Jingzhong had appraised many treasures and had long since trained a pair of sharp, discerning eyes; he knew at a glance it was no ordinary object.

"Cuiping brought it from our hometown."

"She said it was a scholar's item used by Li Yu of the Later Tang, though I can't say for sure what it is exactly."

"My uncle gave it to me when we got married."

"I don't know if it's real or fake, so I had Cuiping bring it over from home this time."

"I don't understand these things anyway, so it's just right as a gift for Cuiping to offer."

Yu Zecheng whispered flatteringly.

"This might well have been passed down from the Western Zhou; it's worth a fortune."

"I can't accept this."

Wu Jingzhong feigned modesty.

"Station Chief, please just accept it."

"If this thing stays at my place, who knows, Cuiping might just lose it by accident."

"A precious sword should be gifted to a hero; if it gets lost, wouldn't I be committing a sin by wasting it?"

Yu Zecheng pushed it toward him again.

"In that case... I will accept it." Wu Jingzhong was overjoyed and tucked it directly into his pocket.

"Station Chief, you should put it away carefully."

"Just because of this thing, my wife and Section Chief Liu almost came to blows yesterday."

Yu Zecheng explained.

"Liu Xiong is a bit crude."

"You go comfort Cuiping; I will talk to him later." Wu Jingzhong hurriedly reassured him.

"Station Chief, then I'll go back and keep an eye on her."

"With that big mouth of hers, who knows if she'll say something wrong again; if she ends up hurting a few of the wives in a disagreement, that would be a grave offense." Yu Zecheng said.

"Go on, go on." Wu Jingzhong nodded with a smile.

Once Yu Zecheng left.

He took out the object and looked at it in the light; the patina was definitely from an old piece.

It was certainly valuable.

But looking at the shape, it really did look a bit like a hand grenade.

He weighed it in his hand, and the feel was also similar.

Is this what Liu Xiong touched yesterday?

Or perhaps it really is a hand grenade.

Yu Zecheng is deliberately covering it up to deflect suspicion.

Wu Jingzhong narrowed his eyes.

The light was a bit harsh, making him feel dizzy and giving him a headache.

Now that he's older, his body really is getting worse by the day.

Sigh.

Let it be a hand grenade or not.

The thing Yu Zecheng gave as a tribute is definitely genuine, old, and valuable.

Money.

At this age, only money can soothe one's worries.

"First arrive at Xianyang to become king..."

Wu Jingzhong tucked the treasure into his pocket, walked with his hands behind his back and his shoulders swaying, and returned to the main hall feeling relaxed and content.

They chatted for a while longer.

The wives agreed to go to the Station Chief's wife's house to play mahjong tomorrow, and everyone went home.

Back at the mansion.

Mei Qiuju prepared foot-washing water for her husband.

Wu Jingzhong fiddled with the small pot while soaking his feet: "Ask your brother about a Western Zhou bronze pot—yes, one that Li Yu of the Later Tang once collected—about how much it might be worth?"

"Who gave it to you?" Mei Qiuju asked happily.

"Zecheng's wife brought it," Wu Jingzhong smiled.

"You say, this girl, she brought such a generous gift when she came," Mei Qiuju said.

"Liu Xiong says she's a Mobile Corps Commander, what do you think?" Wu Jingzhong still respected his wife's opinion.

She believed that a woman's intuition about another woman was often more accurate than a man's.

"How could that young sister possibly be a Mobile Corps Commander?"

"With that reckless energy and simple-minded look of hers, if she went to fight as a Mobile Corps Commander, she'd definitely be the type to charge forward and end up as cannon fodder; there's no way she'd have survived until today." Mei Qiuju curled her lip.

"But she can fight tigers and dared to challenge Section Chief Liu," Wu Jingzhong said.

"If I had that ability, I'd challenge him too."

"The way your parents treated me back then—if I were Cuiping, I would have torn Liu Xiong's mouth apart after those few questions he asked."

Mei Qiuju said with dissatisfaction.

"Look, why are you dragging me into this again?"

Wu Jingzhong pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

"According to you, then it isn't?" Seeing his wife was angry, he asked with a smile.

"It isn't, definitely not."

"This Liu Xiong just can't stand to see you getting rich; he acts like an ascetic monk himself, yet he wants to cut off our family's two little gods of wealth."

"What a piece of work, he's really getting more muddled the older he gets."

Mei Qiuju became annoyed at the mention of Liu Xiong.

"Fine, fine."

"I'll listen to you, so it isn't, alright?" Wu Jingzhong nodded with a smile and made the final decision.

Just as he was about to wipe his feet and stand up, Liu Xiong walked in, his face full of joy as he said:

"Station Chief."

"We've caught that carriage driver."

Dear big bosses, today's 12, 00-word update is finished. My hands hurt so much I really can't go on. I'll change tomorrow's midnight update to the morning. This model worker continues to ask for monthly tickets and tips, mwah.

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(End of chapter)