"All right," Zhou Na snapped back from her red wine glass. "That's it. Have Ding Xiang come over later to apologize to Boss Liu, and we'll consider this matter settled."
Ma Shan knew all too well what Sister Na meant by an "apology."
Suppressing his pain, he climbed up from the floor, walked over to Zhou Na, picked up a wine bottle from the table, and smashed it fiercely against his own head.
The bottle shattered, and wine mixed with blood streamed down his face.
"Sister Na, I'll do whatever you want, but Ding Xiang is my sister. Please let her go." Ma Shan's gaze was resolute.
Zhou Na looked at Ma Shan with a hint of surprise, then suddenly chuckled. "Good, very good! Loyal and gutsy! I appreciate you, so Sister Na will take the heat for this. Go on, get your head bandaged; it looks terrifying."
"Thank you, Sister Na!" Ma Shan turned and took his leave.
"Sister Na, we're just letting it go like this?" Leopard asked.
"The kid has a one-track mind and can't be reasoned with. Even if you beat him to death, it wouldn't do any good—it would only chill the hearts of the brothers underneath us, and then no one would ever work for you sincerely again."
"Right, Sister Na is brilliant. What about Boss Liu...?"
"Liu Hongyu, that old pervert," Zhou Na said, her face filled with utter contempt. "Go find a pretty one among our princesses and send her over to him later. Also, keep an eye on Ma Shan's punk so he doesn't stir up any more trouble."
Ma Shan left the bar and went to a nearby clinic to get his wounds treated, wrapping his head in several layers of gauze. As soon as he stepped out of the clinic, he received a call from Ding Xiang:
"Brother Ma Shan, guess who I ran into? Brother Muchen... Li Muchen! Yes, he's back in Hecheng. Tonight I'm bringing him to your bar to hang out."
Ma Shan sounded a bit troubled. "Well, sis, you..."
Before Ma Shan could finish, Ding Xiang interrupted from the other end: "Brother Muchen doesn't have a job. Brother Ma Shan, do you think you could find something for him to do at the bar?"
Ma Shan opened his mouth, swallowed the words he wanted to say, took a deep breath, and said, "Fine, leave it to me."
"Ah, that's great! I knew Brother Ma Shan was the best!" Ding Xiang cheered happily on the other end of the line.
Ma Shan figured it should be fine to let Li Muchen work at the bar. As for Ding Xiang, since Sister Na had given her guarantee, nothing should happen to her.
If by some bad luck she really did run into that old bastard Boss Liu again, Ma Shan decided he would rather lose his job at the bar, and even risk his life, than let Ding Xiang be bullied.
***
After hanging up with Ma Shan, Ding Xiang told Li Muchen very happily:
"Brother Muchen, Brother Ma Shan agreed to find you a job."
"Oh." Li Muchen nodded indifferently; he simply didn't want to dampen Ding Xiang's enthusiasm.
Ding Xiang kept staring at Li Muchen.
Li Muchen asked, "What are you looking at? Is there a flower on my face?"
Ding Xiang burst out laughing. "Brother Muchen, you can't go to work looking like this—you look like a Taoist priest. Let me take you for a haircut."
Without taking no for an answer, she dragged Li Muchen to a hair salon, where she let a stylist work his magic, cutting Li Muchen's long hair, which he had grown for over a dozen years, into a sharp, energetic short cut.
Then Ding Xiang dragged him to a shopping mall to buy a few outfits.
With his new clothes and hairstyle, Li Muchen was instantly transformed from an impoverished mountain Taoist into a sharp city youth.
Seeing the brand-new Li Muchen, Ding Xiang's pretty face flushed slightly as she whispered praise: "Brother Muchen is so handsome!"
Then, her brow suddenly knitted in a worried frown, and she sighed regretfully.
Li Muchen asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Ding Xiang said, "It's just a shame the material of these clothes is too cheap. It doesn't match Brother Muchen. Ah, it's all my fault for not earning enough money."
Li Muchen laughed heartily, gently pinching Ding Xiang's cheek just like he used to when they were kids, and said, "Silly girl, you're still a student. Your job is to study hard, not worry about making money. Don't worry, making money is Brother's job."
"Mm." Ding Xiang nodded vigorously.
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable trust in this Brother Muchen, whom she hadn't seen in over a dozen years and who had suddenly appeared today.
Next, Li Muchen was dragged along by Ding Xiang to stroll around the streets all afternoon.
Ding Xiang skipped along the way, chattering excitedly as she introduced him to the changes in Hecheng over the past dozen years.
"Look over there, Brother Muchen! That used to be the garbage dump where we always used to pick through the trash, and now it's turned into a CBD," Ding Xiang said, pointing to the cluster of high-rises ahead.
"That shopping mall over there used to be the paper mill. Do you remember, Brother Muchen? Once when we were little, I was being bullied in the alley behind the mill, and you and Brother Ma Shan helped me fight. The two of you fought four or five of them—you looked so majestic!"
Li Muchen certainly remembered, but the fighting that time had been mostly done by Ma Shan. They were both still young then, but Ma Shan was two years older than him and much bigger. He remembered Ma Shan getting beaten black and blue, yet refusing to give an inch, stubbornly forcing that gang of wild kids to back down.
Thinking of this, Li Muchen couldn't help smiling, a sense of indescribable joy filling his heart.
"Ding Xiang, your memory is really good. You must have been only four years old back then, yet you still remember all this. No wonder you managed to get into such a good university."
Li Muchen already knew that Ding Xiang had been admitted to the best school in Nanjiang Province, Nanjiang University.
"I don't know why, but anything that had to do with being together with you guys, I remember all of it," Ding Xiang said happily.
They strolled all the way until dusk. Before heading to the bar, Ding Xiang took him to a food court for a big meal.
Li Muchen felt bad about the money Ding Xiang had earned from working part-time, but she insisted on going, saying that since Brother Muchen had come, she wouldn't mind even if she spent every last cent.
Li Muchen had no choice but to indulge her, secretly vowing in his heart that he would protect this girl well from now on, repaying her a thousand and ten-thousand-fold so she could be happy for the rest of her life.
***
Old Master Lin of the Lin Family had been feeling restless lately. His appetite was poor, and he couldn't sleep soundly.
He had always led a disciplined life. In his early years, he had studied a bit of internal martial arts, persistently practicing Tai Chi and Baduanjin year round. Although he was over eighty, his health had always been excellent, and his personal doctor said his heart was healthier than that of an average young person.
Yet for some reason, during this period he clearly felt his body deteriorating. He felt qi-deficient and weak, losing all his strength at the slightest movement.
Believing his time was running out, he intended to arrange his posthumous affairs properly while he still had breath left in him. Among the most important tasks was his granddaughter's marriage.
*That boy from the Li Family left for so many years—I wonder how he's doing now?*
Whenever dusk fell, Lin Shangyi was accustomed to going out for a walk. Today, however, he hadn't walked very far before he couldn't go any further.
"Master, let's head back," said Lin Chanming, the steward walking beside him.
The Lin Estate had several stewards, and Lin Chanming was the head steward, though he didn't manage specific affairs and was responsible solely for Lin Shangyi's daily life and diet. With Lin Chanming by his side, Lin Shangyi felt at ease, and everyone up and down the Lin Estate felt secure as well.
"Chanming, you've been with me for over a dozen years now, haven't you?"
Lin Chanming was startled, not expecting Lin Shangyi to bring this up out of the blue. "Yes, sixteen years."
"Sixteen years... you've grown old, too," Lin Shangyi sighed. "One cannot help yielding to old age!"
"What is on your mind, Master?"
"You've worked hard following me all these years. Have you ever thought about setting up some business of your own?"
Lin Chanming shook his head. "Master has treated me well. Chanming wishes only to follow by your side with absolute loyalty!"
"Haha, you're overthinking it." Lin Shangyi laughed heartily. "At my age, I'll be leaving sooner or later. Once I'm gone, what use is there in following me?"
"Master..."
Lin Shangyi waved a hand, stopping Lin Chanming from continuing. "You and I are no outsiders, so let's skip the conventional platitudes. Everyone must die eventually; what is there to be superstitious about? A few years ago, I bought a small island in the East China Sea, and the development should be mostly finished by now. I know you dislike mingling with vulgar people, so how about going to the East China Sea and becoming the lord of Peach Blossom Island?"
Lin Chanming hastily said, "Thank you, Master."
"Don't thank me just yet," Lin Shangyi said. "I still want to ask you for a favor."
"Please speak, Master."
"That great disaster the Lin Family suffered over twenty years ago still fills me with lingering fear whenever I think of it. Today, the Lin Family may seem to be thriving, but internal troubles and external threats are in no short supply. Once I die, I'm afraid they will all erupt at once. I want to ask for your help: after I die, you must protect the safety of the Lin Family's descendants for three years."
"Rest assured, Master. This is something I ought to do anyway."
"There is one more thing. Someone named Li Muchen..." Lin Shangyi paused, turned around, and said, "Let's go. I'll discuss this matter with you in detail back home."
As the two walked back and reached the entrance of the villa area, the security guard spotted the old master returning, saluted, and bowed. "The Old Master is back so early today?"
Lin Shangyi had always been easygoing with the people under him, and he smiled. "I'm old; I can't walk much."
The security guard said, "Old Master Lin, you're always so good to us hired help and to poor relatives from the countryside—you're a truly great person. My mom told me since I was a child that good people live to be a hundred."
Lin Shangyi laughed heartily. "There's no such thing as living to be a hundred. No matter how loudly you flatter me, it won't change the fate of this old horse."
Suddenly thinking of something, he turned his head and looked at the guard. "What did you say just now about poor relatives?"
The guard said, "Don't poor people often come here trying to claim kinship with you? You even instructed us to treat them politely—have you forgotten? There was even a little Taoist priest who came today."
Lin Shangyi was very pleased and patted the guard's shoulder. "You did the right thing. Poverty should not crush one's ambition, and wealth should not make one forget one's roots. Keep accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, and after three generations, your descendants will also be a wealthy family."
The guard smiled honestly. "I wouldn't dare dream of great wealth; a little wealth will do, hehe."
Just as Lin Shangyi was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, paused, turned back, and asked, "What did you say just now? A little Taoist priest?"
The guard said, "There was a young man today dressed like a Taoist priest who came specifically looking for you, claiming to be your relative. His name seemed to be Li something-chen."
"What did you say his name was?" Lin Shangyi dropped his smile and asked sternly.
The security guard, startled and unaware of why Old Master Lin had suddenly grown displeased, stammered, "His name was, was Li... Mu... Cheng—right, Li Mucheng. Steward Luo received him."
"Where is he?"
"He left."
Lin Shangyi was furious and roared, "Call Luo Mingsha here right now!"
The security guard's heart pounded wildly. The Old Master of the Lin Family was usually kind and amiable, but when he threw his weight around, no one dared not to be afraid.
Could this fellow surnamed Li be a fraud?
*Ah, by angering the Old Master, it looks like I'm going to suffer, and I've even dragged Steward Luo down with me.*
***
Lin Qiusheng had no idea what had happened at home; the Old Master had summoned him back in a raging fury.
Business troubles had been piling up constantly lately, leaving him at his wit's end, and he truly couldn't spare any attention for family matters.
When he arrived at the Old Master's residence, his wife Yan Huimin, son Lin Yun, cousin Lin Laifeng, and nephew Lin Shaoxiang were already there. Except for his daughter Lin Manqing, who was studying in university in Qianjiang, and his younger nephew Lin Shaoping, who was studying abroad, the main figures of the Lin Family were all present.
Lin Qiusheng felt the atmosphere was somewhat wrong. After entering the door, not a single person greeted him, not even his wife made a sound, and everyone sat in dead silence.
And the Old Master sitting on the sofa, though looking calm, wore a trace of anger on his face—evidently having just lost his temper.
Could it be that the Old Master had found out about his recent business setbacks?
"Dad, what happened?" Lin Qiusheng asked with some trepidation.
"You'll have to ask your wife," the Old Master suddenly erupted, his voice like thunder. "Go ahead and ask her what good deed she's done!"
Mrs. Lin shrank in fright, lowered her head, and began to sob.
Not understanding why his father was flying into such a rage, Lin Qiusheng had no choice but to walk over and question his wife.
Weeping, Mrs. Lin recounted the events of the day, though she concealed a few details.
"I just thought... giving him two million was treating him fairly enough. He and our Manqing had never met, and if he just showed up like that, Manqing wouldn't be able to accept it. Besides, how could a daughter of our Lin Family marry some poor kid from the mountains? If word got out..."
Lin Qiusheng understood now. Of course he knew about his daughter's childhood engagement, but he had never taken it seriously, thinking of it as a joke.
He hadn't expected that after so many years, the person would actually come looking for them.
"You too—why didn't you tell Dad before acting on your own authority?"
"Well, Dad's health hasn't been good lately, and I thought I shouldn't trouble Dad with such a small matter. Besides, the engagement was made by Dad back then, and Dad cares about saving face. Some things are just up to us children to shoulder for Dad's peace of mind."
Everything Mrs. Lin said made sense and was airtight; coupled with her sobbing, it won the sympathy of everyone present.
In his heart, Lin Qiusheng also felt his wife had done nothing wrong; his father must have grown somewhat senile.
Yet he didn't dare talk back to his father, so he looked pleadingly toward his cousin Lin Laifeng.
Lin Laifeng was his eldest uncle's son. Because his eldest uncle had died young, the Old Master felt a lingering guilt, which meant Lin Laifeng's words in front of the Old Master sometimes carried even more weight than Lin Qiusheng's.
Lin Laifeng gave a light cough.
"That's right, Uncle. Huimin makes sense. Setting aside whether our social statuses match, just the fact that the two of them have never met—how could Manqing accept it? You know what Manqing's temper is like."
Lin Qiusheng looked gratefully at his cousin. Believing that with his cousin helping to speak up, things should be fine, he took a step forward and said, "Dad..."
Before he could finish, however, Lin Shangyi suddenly stood up, grabbed the teapot from the table, and hurled it down with force.
With a crisp crack, the purple clay teapot shattered into tiny pieces.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
The purple clay pot had been crafted by a master artisan, carried a hefty price tag, and was one of the Old Master's favorite possessions. For even the teapot to be smashed showed just how angry the Old Master was.
Now, no one dared to speak.
"A poor kid?" Lin Shangyi sneered. "What's wrong with being poor? Go back three generations in the family genealogy—which family hasn't been poor? Did your Yan Family never face poverty?"
"I, Lin Shangyi, was poor once too! Back when I fell on hard times, I couldn't even afford a proper meal. If everyone were like you people, would I have ever been able to marry your mother?"
"Master, don't get worked up; it's not worth it," Lin Chanming, standing behind Lin Shangyi, advised softly.
"It's not that I'm getting worked up; it's that this bunch of unfilial descendants are too hopeless!" Lin Shangyi pointed a trembling finger at the people in the living room. "My days are numbered. If I go, who among you can hold together such a huge family business? You will regret chasing Li Muchen away!"
"Dad..." Lin Qiusheng couldn't see what holding the family business together had to do with Li Muchen, wondering if the Old Master had lost his mind, but he didn't dare voice such thoughts. He only asked, "Just tell us what we must do to make you calm down."
"Find him! Go look for him! Mobilize everyone! If you don't find the person," the Old Master stared at Lin Qiusheng, "I'll have your wife crawl back to Meicheng."
That final sentence nearly caused Yan Huimin to collapse weakly to the ground.
***
The entrance of Blue Bridge Bar was packed with luxury cars, their flashing neon lights casting a psychedelic glow against the city's night sky.
As he walked past those luxury cars, Li Muchen felt not a ripple in his heart, simply because he didn't recognize a single one of them.
Ma Shan had been waiting outside the bar's entrance for quite a while; he was also eager to see this brother he hadn't seen in over a dozen years.
"Brother Ma Shan, what happened to your head?" Ding Xiang asked with concern when she saw the gauze wrapped around Ma Shan's head.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just took an accidental tumble," Ma Shan said casually.
Ding Xiang was reassured, but Li Muchen could see that this injury was definitely not from a fall. Fall injuries usually occurred on the forehead or temple, whereas this wound was positioned somewhat higher.
Furthermore, there was a slight subcutaneous bruise on Ma Shan's face, and the qi flow through his body's meridians was slightly sluggish.
None of this escaped Li Muchen's eyes, though he said nothing. He could tell that Ma Shan simply didn't want Ding Xiang to worry.
"Brother Ma Shan," Li Muchen greeted him proactively.
Ma Shan extended both hands, resting them firmly on Li Muchen's shoulders, looking him up and down. "Good lad, you've grown up, grown taller, and you're even quite handsome! Where on earth have you been all these years?"
"I took on a master and learned my craft in the mountains," Li Muchen said.
Ma Shan didn't ask what kind of craft he had learned, either. He patted his own chest and said, "Now that you're here, you're not leaving. Don't worry, Brother Mountain will watch your back from now on. As long as I have a bite to eat, I'll never let you go hungry."
Li Muchen smiled. "Thank you, Brother Ma Shan."
"What are you thanking me for? We're brothers! Come, let me show you around inside."
Ma Shan led Li Muchen and Ding Xiang into the bar, introducing the layout of the place as they walked.
"Brother Ma Shan, you promised to find Brother Muchen a job," Ding Xiang reminded him.
"I know, I know. When has Ma Shan ever gone back on his word?" Ma Shan said. "At least let Muchen get familiar with the environment first."
Ding Xiang giggled.
As the three of them headed upstairs, Leopard was just coming down.
Leopard usually stayed close to Zhou Na or went to the casino to gamble. Ma Shan hadn't expected him to still be here tonight, and since it was too late to avoid him, he had no choice but to greet him first: "Brother Leopard."
Leopard grunted in acknowledgment, then suddenly caught sight of Ding Xiang. His eyes lit up. "Ma Shan, you finally came to your senses and brought your little sister along?"
Ma Shan looked a bit awkward and said, "My brother just arrived in Hecheng, and I'm having him lend a hand here at the bar."
Leopard glanced at Li Muchen and said nothing more; Ma Shan had the authority to handle entry-level personnel arrangements at the bar.
Watching Leopard walk away, Ma Shan breathed a sigh of relief, yet the way Leopard had looked at Ding Xiang just now felt like a thorn in his heart, leaving him uneasy.
"Ding Xiang, why don't you head back first? I'll take good care of Brother Muchen," Ma Shan said.
Ding Xiang, however, was thoroughly displeased. "Why should I? I have nothing to do tonight. Brother Muchen just got here, and you two are already thick as thieves—trying to ditch me so you can go get up to no good? No way!"
Thinking she had uncovered Ma Shan's scheme, Ding Xiang laughed happily.
Ma Shan felt rather helpless; this girl was simply too naive.
Li Muchen, however, could tell that things weren't quite right and asked, "Brother Ma Shan, aren't you the manager of the bar? Who was that just now?"
Ma Shan said, "A bar this big has several managers, and there's a general manager above them. That guy's nickname is Leopard, and he's hired by the general manager to keep order."
Li Muchen nodded and didn't press further.
Leopard had originally intended to leave, but upon reaching the entrance of the bar, he suddenly stopped.
In front of Sister Na, Ma Shan hadn't been beaten into submission, which had deeply irritated him.
The crux of the matter was that Ma Shan smashing himself with a wine bottle counted as loyalty in Sister Na's eyes, but to Leopard, it felt somewhat like a provocation.
Leopard pulled out his phone and made a call. "Hello, Boss Liu? That girl you like has arrived... Right, I'll be waiting for you."