Volume 1 Chapter 17: Lying on a Warm Quilt
Lin Jianlan shook his head, knowing that they were just doing errands for others and he was helpless. Thinking of their awkward appearance last time, he couldn't help but smile. He patted their shoulders and said, "Two big brothers, can you help me get a basin of water?"
The two were chatting among themselves, and were startled by his surprise. They jumped up with a bang. Cao Quan turned around and said hurriedly, "Young Master, wait a moment!" Then he left in a hurry, almost falling down. Cao Zhong nodded and said, "Young Master, what do you want to do with the water? Just let us do it if you have any work."
Lin Jianlan tried hard to hold back his laughter and said, "No, no, I'll do it myself. Just fetch some water and bring it in." After that, he turned around and went into the house, leaned against the door and laughed until his whole body was shaking. He thought to himself, "These two big brothers are so funny. I must tease them more often in the future." As he was laughing, he felt the door arched. Thinking that the water had been fetched, Lin Jianlan turned around to open the door. Cao Quan was holding the water and saw that Lin Jianlan's face was red. He said anxiously, "Young master, are you having a fever? Why is your face so red? Are you sick? Then we will be in trouble." Lin Jianlan could no longer hold back, squatted down and laughed, "I'm not sick, you guys can get out." The two looked at each other, not knowing what was wrong with Lin Jianlan, but they still put down the water, bowed and retreated.
Lin Jianlan slowly calmed down, stood up, looked around, rolled up his sleeves, found a towel, wet it in the water, and began to wipe everywhere. He grew up in a farm family, not a pampered young master. He usually did some housework at home within his ability. Since he moved in, cleaning the house was the first thing he had to do.
There were not many things in the place where Lin Longqing lived, so it didn't take long for Lin Jianlan to finish cleaning the inner room. When he came to the outer room, he saw that the desk was covered with dust. Lin Jianlan wiped it carefully, but he exclaimed "Ah" while wiping, and realized in his heart: "I was wondering why I felt something was wrong when I was cleaning the inner room just now! It turned out that when I wiped the desk, I realized that there was only a thin layer of dust here, and the same was true for the inner room. It didn't look like a house that had been idle for more than three years. It seemed that it had not been cleaned for some time." The bookshelf was also covered with a thin layer of dust. The various books inside were neatly arranged, as if someone often sorted them out, but some of the pages seemed to be tattered, and some were wrinkled.
After finishing the cleaning, Lin Jianlan looked around with satisfaction, breathed a sigh of relief, came to the window, and pushed it open again. A smell of lake water blew towards him, and it was a bit cold on his body. The air in the room suddenly became much fresher. Looking out the window, he could see the winding floating bridge on the water. On the left side of the water pavilion were several weeping willows with lush branches and leaves, which hung down above the water. At first glance, the shadows and reflections of the trees were overlapping and indistinguishable. Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "It seems that this water pavilion is located at the front of the headquarters. If there is an invasion by foreign enemies, it seems to be the easiest to be attacked first, but in fact there is no place to stay. There are many traps on the bridge, hidden guards under the water, and there may be ambushes even on the willow branches. Uncle Qing is really amazing. He chose such a place as a place to rest on weekdays."
Looking to the side, the densely packed houses and trees were so densely covered that there was no end in sight. He sighed in his heart, "No wonder Uncle Qing was unwilling to hand over the token to his sister. This must have been accumulated by Uncle Qing's ancestors for generations, and they worked hard to build it to this scale. It's like a city outside the city. But if Uncle Qing had been away for more than three years, there should be a dense layer of dust and cobwebs, why is there only a thin layer?"
Lin Jianlan understood immediately, but felt a little bitter: "In the past three years, who else would miss Uncle Qing so much and come to clean up his house every time? Alas, although Uncle Qin and the others miss their leader, it is different. They will not do such trivial things. Only Auntie...she misses Uncle Qing so much."
Normally, when Lin Jianlan was talking to other people or thinking of Lin Hongfeng in his heart, he would call her Uncle Qing's sister, and he was very reluctant to call her "Aunt" in person. Only now that he understood the deep brotherly love between Lin Hongfeng and Lin Longqing, he secretly changed the way he addressed her.
Although he only had a partial understanding of the grudge between Lin Longqing and Lin Hongfeng, he also understood that the relationship between Lin Longqing and Lin Hongfeng was so strong that Lin Hongfeng hated Cao Shujian so much for being killed. "Alas, those books were probably wrinkled and torn because my aunt missed Uncle Qing and was cleaning. But she straightened them out and put them on the shelf. That day in the yard, she changed Uncle Qing's clothes. I thought she was just acting, but in fact, she really loved Uncle Qing at that time. Her feelings and hatred for Uncle Qing were really indescribable." Thinking of this, Lin Jianlan felt sad for the two of them and thought to himself, "This is what Uncle Qing usually said, love is deep, blame is sharp. Maybe Uncle Qing wanted to replace the word 'blame' with the word 'hate'. Fate has made this pair of brothers and sisters become deep enemies, but I firmly believe that Uncle Qing will not lie. There must be some reason for his mistake."
At this time, the dusk gradually deepened, the room became darker and colder, but Cao Zhong was heard outside calling the door softly: "Young Master, please go to the dining room for dinner." Lin Jianlan closed the window, walked quickly to the door and opened it, saying: "My two brothers have been waiting for a long time. Please lead the way." The three of them walked slowly, and Cao Zhong said: "Young Master, please don't call us big brother or something like that. We can't bear it." Lin Jianlan smiled and said: "You are older than me, so you should call me big brother. You don't have to call me young master. I feel uncomfortable when I hear that. If it weren't for Uncle Qing, I would just be a country boy. What's the difference between me and you?"
After walking for a while, I saw a moon-shaped archway on the side of the road. Inside, there were branches and flowers. The houses inside were also very exquisite. In front of the archway sat an old man with a very old face. He dozed off beside the archway, with a little saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth without noticing it. He turned around and asked, "Where is this?"
Cao Quan rushed to say, "This is where the gang leader's family and Mr. Cao's family lived before, but since the gang leader's wife passed away, he no longer lives here. Mr. Cao also passed away, and now only Mrs. Cao and Miss Cao live in this huge house." Seeing Lin Jianlan staring at the old man, he said, "This is Old Man Lin. I heard he is an old servant of the Lin family. He is old and confused now. They said they asked him to watch the door, but they just gave him food. He used to have a son, and I don't know where he has been in the past few years."
Cao Zhong said, "Where did he go? Not everyone is willing to be a servant for life. Maybe he went out to make a living. It would be nice to marry a wife and live on his own."
Seeing that it was getting late and a little cold, Lin Jianlan walked over to the old man and woke him up, saying, "Old man, it's getting late now. You will catch a cold if you sleep here any longer. You should go into the house." The old man rubbed his eyes, looked up at Cao Zhong and Cao Quan behind Lin Jianlan, muttered something in a low voice, then slowly stood up with the help of the wall, hunched over, and walked into the inner courtyard.
Cao Quan said: "I don't know what this old man is mumbling about. He seems to be unhappy!"
The three of them came to the dining room, but Lin Hongfeng and Yin Yin were not there. Lin Jianlan asked curiously, "Why didn't aunt and Yin Yin come to eat?" Doctor Cheng said, "We rarely get together in the past. We usually eat alone in our rooms. If the young master doesn't want to come, he can ask Cao Zhong and Cao Quan to send the food to the waterside pavilion. It's the same for eating there." Lin Jianlan nodded, sat down next to Doctor Cheng, ate while looking around, and said, "This place is very big." Doctor Cheng said, "If it's a festival, or if there's something big to celebrate in the gang, everyone can come here. The gang leaders would gather here. Alas, the most recent gathering was for Cao Zongguan’s funeral. After the gang leader fled, everyone gathered here and swore in front of Cao Zongguan’s spirit to avenge him… Three years passed in a flash. The past was like before her eyes. Hong Feng fainted several times from crying. No wonder her own brother had beaten her husband so badly and poisoned him…” Lin Jianlan looked up and asked, “Does everyone think that Uncle Qing poisoned Aunt’s husband?” Doctor Cheng shook his head and sighed, “If not him, who else could it be?”
Lin Jianlan was about to ask again when he heard someone beside him shout, "I heard that we will discuss teaching martial arts to the young master tomorrow. Everyone, do you think I, Old Chen, am qualified to be his master?" The voice was the Chief Chen who had instructed Cao Zhong and Cao Quan that day. Everyone laughed and said, "Forget it, you're not good enough. People call you the 'Eight-Direction Divine Spear', but your spear becomes a thin straw stick in front of Zhang Hufa and the others!" Chief Chen was not angry, but just laughed. Zhang Hufa waved his hand hurriedly and said, "I can't do that. I almost lost my life when I practiced Tiejia Gong before. I dare not teach the young master!"
Everyone said again: "Protector Qin, then you must take the lead!" Qin Tianxiong was excited and was about to reply, but Doctor Cheng stood up and pressed his hand down. He was a veteran in the gang, so everyone naturally quieted down and listened to him say in a deep voice: "I am really grateful for everyone's enthusiasm. This martial arts training cannot be rushed. It depends on the young master's own conditions." Leader Chen said embarrassedly: "It's really me, old Chen, who is anxious. We have nothing to worry about if we leave it to Doctor Cheng. If it weren't for Doctor Cheng's argument that convinced the lady..." Doctor Cheng said humbly: "Everyone, we can't let Madam Cao down, nor can we let the gang leader down. What I said today is also the truth. The young master must at least have the ability to protect himself. I will do my best to help."
Everyone was very enthusiastic. After dinner, they made a lot of noise for a while before they dispersed. Lin Jianlan returned to the waterside pavilion and saw new candlesticks and lampshades on the desk. He walked into the inner room and found that the bedding on the bed was brand new, but he didn't know who changed it. He touched it with his hand and it was soft and silky. It should be the best silk, the best quilt he had ever used in his hometown. Thinking of everyone's care for him at dinner, Lin Jianlan felt warm in his heart. He lay in the quilt and thought to himself, "They all respect Uncle Qing and take such care of me. Maybe it's just like what Uncle Qin said. At that time, they only wanted to ask Uncle Qing about the whole story and didn't want to hurt Uncle Qing. I don't know why Uncle Qing said that they were cruel and forced him to flee. Although I don't want to argue with my aunt, I can't refuse their kindness. Everything should be decided when Uncle Qing comes. Before that, I have to try my best."
It was exceptionally quiet after nightfall, with the occasional sound of frogs croaking from the lake. On this first night in the headquarters of the Kuangyi Gang, Lin Jianlan thought he would have a sleepless night, but unexpectedly he slept very soundly. When he opened his eyes again, a few rays of sunlight were already shining through the window, and the sound of birds chirping in the early morning was incessant.
After washing up, Cao Zhong came in with his head down, holding a tray with a basket of steaming buns on it and a bowl of hot porridge next to it. He said, "Young Master, eat quickly. Doctor Cheng is waiting outside the door." Lin Jianlan hurriedly ate two buns in two or three bites, then lowered his head and scooped a spoonful of porridge with a spoon and drank it quickly. It was so hot that he stuck out his tongue and said, "Brother Cao, I don't want to eat anymore. You can take it away." After saying that, he ran out of the door and saw Doctor Cheng looking over here not far away. His face flushed and he ran over and said, "Grandpa Cheng, I got up late." Doctor Cheng nodded and smiled, "Did you sleep well last night? You seem to be in good spirits."
Lin Jianlan said, "Someone brought me a new quilt, which is soft and warm. I thought I would not be able to sleep, but I slept until dawn. If I were in my hometown, my grandmother would spank me." As he spoke, his expression changed from excitement to sadness. Doctor Cheng knew that he missed his grandmother and comforted him, "The leader will definitely take care of your grandmother before coming to find you, you don't have to worry. I will take you to the martial arts arena. Master Fang and the two protectors Zhang and Qin are waiting for us there."
Lin Jianlan shook his head and said, "Since I'm officially learning martial arts, I have to go visit my aunt first." Doctor Cheng said, "Why do you have to go and make yourself unhappy?" Lan'er said seriously, "Even so, I have to do my duty as a junior. After all, she is Uncle Qing's sister. She allowed me to learn martial arts from you, so I naturally have to thank her." Doctor Cheng nodded and said, "In that case, follow me."
The two of them came to Kuang Yi Hall again. The second floor was where Lin Longqing usually handled gang affairs. They saw several people standing there with their hands down. Lin Hongfeng was whispering something. Behind him was a drawn map with the locations and spheres of influence of various martial arts sects. Lin Jianlan secretly admired in his heart, but heard Lin Hongfeng say coldly: "Don't you see I'm so busy here? Why did you bring him here?"
Doctor Cheng said, "This child insisted on coming to thank you, so I brought him here."
Lin Hongfeng said nothing, but stared at Lin Jianlan. Lin Jianlan straightened his clothes, knelt down and said seriously: "Aunt, Lan'er has been taken care of by you along the way. Now you have allowed me to learn martial arts. Lan'er is very grateful. Please accept my greeting." After that, he bowed down.
