One might ask: couldn’t Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady just have been open with each other and come out together?
Of course they could.
It was just that Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had guessed that Fang Rui and Third Lady would want to be affectionate with each other, so she didn’t want to get in their way.
As for anything more... inappropriate for younger audiences?
She truly hadn’t considered it—after all, their quarters were quite small, with only two rooms. Even if someone wanted to get some "exercise," there didn’t seem to be a place for it.
Third Lady added the washed and chopped Old Medicine to the porridge, placed it in the pot to cook, and covered it with the lid.
"Third Sister, come and sit down!"
Fang Rui stood up, pulled Third Lady over to the stove, and they sat down together on the narrow bench. Third Lady obediently snuggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
They just sat there, nestled together, speaking in hushed tones.
The flames in the stove would occasionally CRACKLE, sending out sparks. The dim yellow light danced, illuminating their faces.
GURGLE!
The medicinal porridge bubbled away in the pot. White steam pushed up the lid with a PUFF PUFF sound as a rich aroma began to spread through the air.
Once the porridge was ready, the two affectionately fed each other, one bite at a time. Of course, because its medicinal properties were so potent, Third Lady didn’t eat very much, and Fang Rui didn’t press her.
After they finished the porridge, Fang Rui suddenly frowned. "Oh no!"
"Brother Rui, what’s wrong?" Third Lady asked with concern.
"This medicinal porridge... I ate too much, and now I’m feeling a bit hot. I need my Third Sister to help me..."
Fang Rui swept Third Lady into his arms, carried her to a window in the main hall, far from the inner room, and embraced her from behind. Nuzzling against her, he whispered, "Third Sister..."
In the end, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had still underestimated him.
...
...
The next day, just as Fang Rui had predicted, news that Chong Jihu, the Gang Leader of the Tiger Gang, and Duan Lang, the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, had both had their entire families wiped out spread like wildfire, causing a massive uproar.
...
The families in Willow Alley received a notice: the decree stating that "households with no one serving in the army will have their relief grain rations cut in half" had been rescinded.
After learning the full story, the people all cheered.
"So it wasn’t an order from the Rebel Army! It was the Tiger Gang acting on its own!" someone said angrily.
"The Rebel Army isn’t like the old Government Office. How could they issue an order like that? Just as I thought, it’s the subordinates who are rotten. The Tiger Gang is the rotten one!"
"You’re telling me! I heard that after the Tiger Gang’s Leader, Chong Jihu, died, the Rebel Army launched an investigation, and that’s when this all came to light... Otherwise, we’d still be in the dark right now!" This came from someone who was well-informed.
"If you ask me, it’s a good thing that Tiger Gang Leader Chong Jihu is dead. A damn good thing..."
"Yeah, he deserved it! Thanks to him being dead, this whole thing was exposed, and now my family can get our full rations again."
"Things will be a little easier for my family now too!" That was the voice of Uncle Zao Hua.
...
"Chong Jihu..."
An old man murmured, reminiscing, "Now there was a true menace! In his early years, who knows how many innocent young women he abducted... In recent years, he stopped doing the dirty work himself..."
"Now that you mention it, Elder Qin, I remember. Last year, wasn’t the prettiest girl in our Willow Alley, Cui Ying, abducted by Zhang Heihu? He said he was presenting her to some Gang Leader. That must have been Chong Jihu!"
"Cui Ying... I remember her. Such a good kid!"
A white-haired old woman sighed. "Ai, I heard she was tortured to death... When they brought her body back, there wasn’t a single inch of her that was whole..."
"My family had even gone to Cui Ying’s house to propose marriage..."
The man who said this had bloodshot eyes. He ground his teeth and spat, "It’s a good thing that Chong Jihu is dead! I heard that his entire family was wiped out, leaving no descendants... It’s retribution! If I knew which hero did this deed, I’d kowtow to him and burn incense in his name!"
"I’ve heard that many of the victims’ families have already set up memorial tablets for that hero in their homes..."
"It’s true. I’ve heard the same."
Someone lamented, "They’re all poor souls. They were helpless against Chong Jihu and could only curse him in secret... Now that a hero has finally killed him, how could they not be filled with gratitude?"
"From Zhang Bao to Zhang Heihu, and now to Chong Jihu... all these sinners are getting what they deserve. What goes around comes around. The heavens are watching, after all!"
"Hey, do you think the person who killed all three of them could be the same hero? Someone who has a grudge against the Tiger Gang?" someone mused.
"Who knows? It doesn’t seem likely, though. If it really was the same hero, wouldn’t he have killed Chong Jihu a long time ago? Why would he wait until now?"
"That’s true. Still, I’m grateful to all those heroes who deliver justice for the heavens! They’re the ones who make me believe that ’the wheel of justice turns’ and in ’karmic retribution.’ Those words are true, they’re really true!"
"And there’s more good news! With the Tiger Gang Leader Chong Jihu dead, those gang members can’t strut around all high and mighty anymore... I heard that just this morning, someone showed up at a Tiger Gang member’s house looking for revenge..."
"The Tiger Gang is finished!"
...
’That decree was something the Tiger Gang cooked up?’
Fang Rui stood by the window, listening to the voices from outside. ’I knew it. The Rebel Army has capable people in its ranks. This didn’t seem like their usual M.O....’
’The Tiger Gang’s move was probably to impress the Rebel Army and curry favor with them? Or perhaps they intended to line their own pockets in the process,’ he mused.
’But hadn’t the Tiger Gang already made a fortune raiding the homes of the wealthy?’
’So what?’
’One should never underestimate human greed.’
’Some villains will squeeze the common folk for every last large coin in their pockets.’
’Fortunately, with Chong Jihu dead, the Tiger Gang is shattered. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. All that’s left is a vast, clean slate...’
Fang Rui had anticipated this outcome.
Considering everything the Tiger Gang had done, they didn’t deserve an ounce of sympathy for their fate.