Chapter 142: Affection Fades When People Leave

142. Chapter 142: Affection Fades When People Leave

"Have the men form up and wait for me outside first," Zhao Jin instructed, then walked to his own front door and knocked.

Before his palm could strike the door panel, the courtyard gate swung open from within. He Cuihua stood there, a cleaver in one hand, patting her chest with the other as she panted, "You nearly scared your mother to death! If you'd been hurt out there, I would've gone out and fought them to the end."

During the chaotic brawl outside just now, He Cuihua had been pressed against the crack in the gate watching the fight, terrified she might see her son come to harm. Only now did she breathe a sigh of relief.

As a parent, her first thought was not for herself but for her child — this tender, loving concern revealed in such a small moment was something Zhao Jin took note of. But this was no time for sentiment. Zhao Jin quickly asked, "Mother, are you alright?"

He Cuihua tossed the cleaver aside with a clatter and said with a smile, "What could be wrong? If anyone dared enter our home, this old lady would've hacked him down."

The daughter of a butcher, after all — others would have been scared out of their wits facing such a scene, yet He Cuihua still had the blood of a fighter in her. Zhao Jin was about to ask more when He Cuihua pushed past him and stepped outside the courtyard gate to look around. She surveyed the household guards standing in neat, solemn ranks outside, then turned back to Zhao Jin with a smile and said, "These are all men you've trained? Little Jin, you've really made something of yourself!"

Her words were full of gratified pride. Xuzhou was indeed different from other places. The heroic, martial spirit Zhao Jin displayed would, in most other parts of the Great Ming, be seen in all likelihood as a source of trouble. Here in Xuzhou, it was taken as a mark of promise.

The moment He Cuihua showed her face, Wang Zhaojing, Chen Sheng, and the others all hurriedly paid their respects. Seeing their leaders offer greetings, the household guards promptly followed their daily training and bowed in unison.

This perfectly synchronized motion startled He Cuihua. Just as she was about to speak, two thuds rang out — Zhao San and his wife had dropped straight to their knees off to the side.

The couple kowtowed, their foreheads thumping loudly against the ground, and said over and over, "It was all our doing, the trouble we caused. Whatever punishment the mistress sees fit, we deserve it."

In the past, Zhao San and his wife had never been this terrified. Being driven out, miserable as it was, was not a dead end. But today they had witnessed Zhao Jin's might with their own eyes — so many men under his command, all with such imposing presence, and fierce in a fight. A man like this must never be offended, and today's incident had been stirred up by the two of them. They were truly petrified.

Before Zhao Jin could speak, He Cuihua said, "What are you kowtowing for? Hurry inside and boil water. These children rushed over here to help — they must be thirsty. What are you standing there dumbstruck for? Go on, quickly!"

At her urging, Zhao San and his wife realized they had been forgiven. Weeping with gratitude, they kowtowed once more, then scrambled up and hurried off to busy themselves.

"This bunch of incense-burners is back to their old ways. Only when Xiaolan's father came did we have a few years of peace," He Cuihua muttered, then stepped outside to invite Zhao Jin's companions into the courtyard to rest.

Over a hundred men standing in orderly ranks along both sides of the street after a brawl was far too conspicuous in broad daylight. Even though this place was usually deserted, people had already followed from a distance to watch.

"Mother, it's not convenient right now. I'll leave ten men to stand guard and take the rest back first," Zhao Jin said hurriedly.

Ten men were chosen from the household guards, led by the relatively sharp-witted Li Wu, to stand sentry at the front gate and the back courtyard. Zhao Jin's orders were crystal clear: if anything happened, they were not to fight but to escort He Cuihua away, then send word to the freight yard.

Once all this was settled, Zhao Jin prepared to lead his men back to the freight yard. His companions still had little idea what had happened and simply followed along in silence. The group had just reached the intersection when Zhao Jin stopped, smacked his forehead, and said, "You all head back on your own. Chen Sheng will lead the training. I need to stay and keep watch at home."

"If Brother Zhao isn't going, then this junior won't go either. I'll impose on Brother Zhao's hospitality this afternoon," Wang Zhaojing said with a smile.

Zhao Jin nodded. When he had left, he had only said "Be careful" to his mother before rushing back. Only halfway did he realize he had mistaken his priorities. At a time like this, his family's safety was paramount. His absence would not delay the household guards' training.

Lately, he had been busy with the trading company and the distillery, dealing with all sorts of people in the city, and spending far less time at home than before. Without realizing it, Zhao Jin had once again become like his former self, absorbed and preoccupied with his own affairs.

What he had never possessed before, he possessed in this life. Zhao Jin did not want to grow indifferent. He only wanted to cherish it well.

He returned home and knocked. The one who answered the door was He Cuihua. Seeing her son back, a flash of delight crossed He Cuihua's face, but her words were reproachful: "What are you running back and forth for? Aren't you busy with your trading company and distillery?"

"I was uneasy. Better to come back and stay. If anything happens, we'll be prepared," Zhao Jin said earnestly.

"You don't trust your mother? Your mother is no stranger to the world — I'm not afraid," He Cuihua said with feigned disdain.

But for all her words, He Cuihua could not hide the smile on her face. Zhao Jin recalled even more clearly that when he had taken his leave earlier, a faint shadow of dejection had crossed his mother's expression.

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing did not go inside the house but sat directly in the courtyard. He Cuihua promptly brought out tea and snacks, looking thoroughly delighted.

They had not been home long when Zhao Zhentang came rushing back with a dozen or so men. Seeing Zhao Jin in the courtyard, he said darkly, clenching his teeth, "This bunch of incense-burning scum — such nerve! I'll make sure to give them something to remember."

Only after venting his fury did he say to Zhao Jin, "Take your men and go back. Attend to whatever you need to attend to. Putting on such a big show only makes others look down on our Zhao family."

"Father, is everything alright here at home?" Zhao Jin asked worriedly.

"If anything else happens, I'll skin them alive. Take your men and go back first. I'll arrange people to guard the house," Zhao Zhentang said impatiently.

Since someone would be standing guard, Zhao Jin did not want to make his father lose face. He went inside to say a word to He Cuihua, then left home together with Wang Zhaojing.

Outside the courtyard, he saw the ten household guards standing watch with some tension. Zhao Jin thought it over and decided to leave Li Wu and two others behind, instructing them to keep a sharp eye out and to run back for reinforcements the moment anything happened.

Yet after returning to the freight yard, there was no news of any kind all the way until nightfall. It seemed all was quiet at home.

When Zhao Jin returned to the street in front of his house, he saw Li Wu leading two household guards on a constant patrol. Zhao Jin told Li Wu to take his men back for dinner, then have Lu Da bring ten more men over — someone needed to stand night watch.

Reaching the front door, he saw four black-uniformed bailiffs sitting there chatting idly. When they saw Zhao Jin approach, all four rose to greet him. Zhao Jin responded politely, but inwardly he sighed. These bailiffs were not even as attentive as the household guards under his command. If someone really slipped in through the back courtyard, they would never notice.

By dinnertime, Zhao Zhentang returned home. He was carrying a small bundle in his hand, and his expression was grim.

The bundle was opened on the table. Inside were several ingots of silver, but Zhao Zhentang showed no sign of pleasure. His face dark, he said, "This afternoon I went to see their Grand Incense Master. That fellow apologized and offered silver, but he also told us to be careful."

In the Smelling Incense Sect, spreading the faith was called transmitting incense. Minor leaders were called Lesser Incense Masters; the rank above was Grand Incense Master. The one presiding over a locality was called an Assembly Master. To put it bluntly, they were no different from men of the jianghu. These Lesser and Grand Incense Masters were figures on the same level as Butcher Li and Black-Face Yan.

Characters like that usually acted like mice spotting a cat when they saw government bailiffs. For one to dare speak so brazenly shocked Zhao Jin.

"... He said things aren't like before. A lot of new people have come from Shandong — men who fear nothing in heaven or on earth. He simply can't control them..."

Only upon hearing this did Zhao Jin understand. It turned out the Incense Master was offering a well-meaning warning.

"Does the Mu family name carry no weight anymore?" He Cuihua asked, worry written all over her face.

Zhao Zhentang shook his head, his face clouded, and said in a heavy voice, "That incense-burning, sect-believing lot has grown so huge — even the Mu family can't control everything. I reckon now that their family has returned to Shandong, the locals here no longer remember whatever goodwill we had."

Silence fell over the dinner table. After a gloomy pause, He Cuihua spoke up: "Why not just wash our hands of Zhao San and the others? Whether they believe or not is no business of ours..."

Righteousness was one thing, but when it involved one's own family, the calculations were bound to be different.

"Nonsense! You've dealt with those incense-burners before — you know what they're like. The matter's already come to this. If we show weakness now, they'll surely push for more. When that happens, it won't just be Zhao San and his wife — our whole family will suffer a great loss!" Zhao Zhentang frowned and rebuked her.

He Cuihua sighed and said nothing. Zhao Zhentang ate a few more hasty bites, then said to Zhao Jin, "You've got plenty of men at your disposal. Arrange for them to come stand guard."

"Your son has already assigned ten men to come. They'll patrol outside at night," Zhao Jin answered promptly.

Zhao Zhentang nodded, then said, "Have them come inside the courtyard. That way they can react faster, and if trouble breaks out, they'll be able to support each other."

Zhao Jin set down his rice bowl and went outside. Lu Da and the others had already arrived to take over the shift. Zhao Jin called them into the courtyard. At that moment, Zhao Zhentang also came out of the house and directly assigned Lu Da and the other nine their night-watch positions. Listening from the side, Zhao Jin felt he had learned a great deal. The ten men should not be spread too thin, nor did they need to cover every corner. They had to be positioned to support one another when trouble arose. Zhao Zhentang had thought it through very thoroughly.

Before going to bed that night, Zhao Jin folded up the bedding that had already been laid out. He slept with only his outer robe removed, his short blade tucked at his waist and his spear placed beside the kang.

The night passed. They remained vigilant and on guard the entire night, but nothing happened.

He sent Lu Da and his men back for breakfast and had Li Wu bring his squad to relieve them. Zhao Jin went out for his morning run as usual.

After his run and breakfast, Zhao Zhentang said he would also arrange for a few unofficial bailiffs to come stand guard. Zhao Jin, however, suggested that He Cuihua take Zhao San and his wife to the freight yard. There were plenty of vacant residences there, and since Zhao Jin trained with his household guards on the premises, looking after them would be more convenient.

He Cuihua hesitated for a moment, but in the end said nothing. She simply sent Zhao San out to hire a cart — it was not proper for the womenfolk to show themselves in public.

They went together to the freight yard and settled into the private courtyard where the gold and silver were stored. That place had already been repaired to the highest standard and had become the exclusive quarters for Zhao Jin and his companions.