Xu Hang rolled his eyes and said indifferently, “It’s normal for a rich girl to have this kind of temper. It’s not the first time I’ve treated a delicate lady. It’s nothing.”
Later, Zhang Xiuming wanted to take him back, but he refused again and again. So Zhang Xiuming just took him to the door and told the driver to drive him to Heming Medical Hall.
Watching the wheels rolling away, Zhang Xiuming put one hand in his pocket and loosened his tie with the other.
It was incredibly hot today, and he wiped his face with a handkerchief. The ash was stubborn and hard to remove, only seeming to spread further. He clicked his tongue in frustration and frowned.
“Are you tired from pretending?” Zhang Yinxi said with a smile as she walked out from behind Zhang Xiuming, fanning herself. “I noticed that guy didn’t seem too happy with you when he left.” She didn’t look the least bit upset.
Zhang Xiuming turned around and smiled wickedly.
The argument earlier was all just an act. He and Zhang Yinxi had already planned it together, with Xu Hang as the only audience.
“With his personality, he will only have an icy face, nothing more.”
Zhang Yinxi covered her mouth with her fan and said, “So what do you like about him? Do you want to pull out his bones and put them on your collection shelf? Then just send someone to catch him.”
“The more aggressive a person’s temper is, the more he will respond to soft tactics rather than hard ones. Since he doesn’t have a good first impression of me, I’ll play a few more tricks on him. Are you still afraid that I won’t be able to impress him?” Zhang Xiuming likes to play the long game to catch the big fish.
Catch. That’s such a rude word.
At least now he felt that the Xu Hang, who was breathing, was more interesting than the Xu Hang, who was not breathing. If he could get the beauty’s bones, what would it matter if he had to go through some trouble?
However, Zhang Yinxi is different from Zhang Xiuming. She cannot understand Zhang Xiuming’s slow and steady approach. If it were her, she would definitely act quickly and in a big way to fulfill her wishes and would not be able to wait for a moment.
Thinking of Xu Hang’s defiant expression, she felt a discomfort wash over her and fanned herself even harder.
“Little sister,” Zhang Xiuming rubbed his nose, “You’re even talking about me and still have the time to stay at home? Don’t you know that Ghost Master has already arrived in Hezhou City?”
“What?!” Zhang Yinxi almost dropped her fan. She was both surprised and delighted. A blush appeared on her cheeks. She jumped out of joy like a lark. “He’s here?! Why didn’t he tell us ah… No, no, I have to go get someone to pick up my custom-made clothes!”
There was only this person in the world who could make this young lady with her eyes higher than the sky show a little shyness.
Before the two of them could return to the house, they heard a car horn. It turned out that the car that had just sent Xu Hang away had returned.
The driver stopped the car and got out of his seat with something in his hand.
It takes about fifteen minutes to travel from the consulate to Heming Medical Hall and back. With so many people on the road, it should have taken even longer. Zhang Xiuming frowned when he saw that no one else was in the car. “Why are you so fast?”
The driver bowed and handed over the item wrapped in oil paper. “Mr. Xu insisted on getting out of the car when we reached the market up ahead, saying he wanted to return on his own. I had no choice but to let him off. He bought this from a stall in the market—said he picked it out especially for you and the young miss.”
“There’s actually one for me?” Zhang Yinxi’s eyebrows almost raised to the sky in disbelief.
Zhang Xiuming looked puzzled as he tore open the oil paper, revealing two masks resembling Peking Opera masks—one with a white face, the other with a red face.
Two masks with distinct expressions—one depicting the composed and calculating Cao Cao, the other the fierce and intimidating Guan Gong—both seemed to carry an air of mockery.
As he stared at the masks, he suddenly burst into laughter, his body swaying slightly back and forth. He kept repeating, “Interesting! Interesting! I’m really starting to like him more and more!”
Zhang Yinxi frowned, not understanding what was going on: “What does he mean…”
Zhang Xiuming picked up the red-faced mask, put it on his own face, and approached Zhang Yinxi to tease her. His voice was like a fox: “Can’t you tell? I’m playing the red-faced role, and you’re playing the white-faced role. He’s mocking us.”
What he meant was that he had seen through this poorly staged act long ago, but chose to stay silent and let the two clowns carry on with their performance.
Zhang Yinxi hated these masks that were painted like ghosts the most. She snatched the red-faced mask away, threw it on the ground, and crushed it, then turned back to the house, ignoring Zhang Xiuming, who was immersed in it.
Zhang Xiuming rubbed the white mask in his hands over and over again, he really couldn’t let it go.
What should he do? He was becoming more and more attracted to this surprising person.
Since teasing doesn’t get to him and acting doesn’t amuse him, he might as well keep playing the game.
————
Three days later.
The sun was getting hotter and hotter. At noon in Hezhou City, the heat was so intense that the flowers and plants were bent.
When Qiao Song walked into Jinyan Tang from outside, he tripped and almost fell. Looking back, he saw many gift boxes placed at the door of Jinyan Tang.
He stepped inside and said to Xu Hang, “Young Master Xu, what are you doing? Leaving something so valuable at the door—aren’t you afraid of thieves?”
Chan Yi brought over the tea and said, “How could this be ours? This is what the Young Master of the Zhang family sends every day, saying it’s some kind of apology. Our Head of the Household doesn’t want to accept it, so he just leaves it at the door. He comes every single day—it’s piled up so much that it’s even hard for people to walk by.”
“This rich man has a really weird temper.” Qiao Song took a big sip of tea.
Xu Hang was studying the prescription and suddenly thought of something: “By the way, I remember hearing a couple of days ago that you, Qiao Song, are getting married soon, aren’t you?”
Qiao Song scratched his head, a little embarrassed: “Did you hear it from the Commander?”
“Is it that girl who passed by the gate of Xiaotong Guan the other day, begging for help to save her father? I caught a glimpse of her—she’s very pretty. You’re a lucky man.”
Chan Yi teased Qiao Song: “Aiyo, you’re capable, young man. You helped someone and even brought back a wife!”
Qiao Song’s face turned redder, and he stammered, “She, she was afraid that her father is not well… that’s why, why she’s in a hurry to get married…”
Xu Hang put down his brush and said, “You’re in a hurry, and I don’t have any gifts prepared. Since the girl’s family is poor, she probably doesn’t have much of a dowry—and if she went back to her hometown to get married, she’d likely be mocked. There are a bunch of big and small boxes piled up at my door anyway. I don’t need them. Take them and let the girl have something to show off with.”
“How can this be so appropriate…”
“Just keep it!” Chan Yi, knowing what Xu Hang was thinking, spoke on his behalf. “If you don’t take it, it’ll just end up being thrown out anyway—what a waste. Besides, if we don’t handle it this way and your Commander shows up and sees all this, won’t he be furious again? If you don’t want them to get into trouble, just accept the favor!”
With that said, he really had no choice but to accept it. Qiao Song smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Young Master Xu. Oh, by the way, you mentioned yesterday that you wanted the Commander to seize all the fishing boats in Hezhou. He didn’t ask many questions, but still carried out your request. I’m just curious—what’s it for?”
Xu Hang tapped the table with his fingers. “Well… lately, a lot of people have been coming to the medical hall with stomach issues after eating seafood. I’m worried there might be something wrong with the fish being brought into the city. Until I can confirm whether that’s the cause, I’m having them all confiscated.”
Qiao Song let out an ‘oh’ and said, “How long will it take? It’s impossible for everyone in the city to stop eating fish.”
“Then let’s allow a few scaleless fish to be sold in the market. I’ll write you a list later. Don’t bring other fish into Hezhou for now. As I recall, the Japanese Consulate seems to have a special fishing boat supplying them?”
“Yes, there is a ship that will be chosen for them first.”
Xu Hang’s eyes flickered: “For theirs, we should choose the best ones to save them from talking too much.”
“Alright.” Qiao Song went out to move the boxes.
Xu Hang thought about it, then turned over the prescription, wrote a few words on the back, folded it, and called Chan Yi in.
“When you go to Changlong Hotel to deliver the medicine today, hand this prescription to that Ghost Master in person.”
Chan Yi stuffed the prescription into her sleeve and nodded.
This midsummer is so hot and dry. With such scorching weather and some scorching people, Xu Hang feels that he needs to do something to clear away heat and detoxify.
