Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Xiao Jingmo, Xiao Che, and Xiao Jinghao were sharing one room. When Xiao Jingmo opened the door and saw his mother and little sister outside, he quickly ushered them in.

“Mother, did something happen?”

Pei Wanqing shook her head. “I don’t know either. Your sister wanted to find you, so I brought her over. Send her back to me later.”

Xiao Jingmo took the sweet-smelling Jin Bao into his arms and nodded calmly.

Pei Wanqing turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Xiao Jingmo carried Jin Bao over and sat down on the edge of the heated brick bed. Xiao Che and Xiao Jinghao both leaned in as well.

“Second Brother, the bad people are going to poison everyone.”

At her words, Xiao Jingmo’s fingers tightened slightly, but his expression did not change.

He carefully asked Jin Bao for a few details. Only then did he let out a breath of relief.

It seemed the other side had not succeeded yet.

“Father, these past few days, they’ve been very quiet. I thought they had given up after we left the pass, but it looks like I was wrong.

“There aren’t only people from the Xiao Family staying at this relay inn. There are also quite a few officials’ family members passing through. If Cui Jin poisons the water, he means to wipe out everyone in the whole inn.”

Xiao Jingmo knew Cui Jin was ruthless, but this was Suizhong. Big or small, it was still a city. If something happened to every person in the relay inn, did Cui Jin really think he could get away?

Xiao Che’s face darkened as well. Zhu Laosan’s earlier words echoed in his ears again. The man had told Xiao Che to get rid of Cui Jin and Zou Yong.

But Zhu Laosan was also an escort officer. Perhaps he had been testing them.

Xiao Che could not kill Cui Jin and Zou Yong right under Zhu Laosan’s nose. If he did, Zhu Laosan would have leverage over him.

Now, though, it seemed Cui Jin and Zou Yong could not be allowed to live. Once they left Suizhong, he would have to find a way to get rid of the two of them.

If not for Jin Bao, they would have had no way to guard against this. Those two men were utterly deranged, daring to throw poison into the well.

“Father, while we can’t kill them right now, we can still teach them a little lesson, enough to make sure they can’t do anything wicked tonight.”

The corners of Xiao Jingmo’s lips curved slightly, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

Xiao Che knew his second son had thought of a good plan. He said nothing more, only reminding him, “Be careful in all things. This is not a place where we can afford to cause deaths.”

“Don’t worry, Father. I understand.”

“Second Brother, I’m going too.”

Xiao Jinghao was eager to try. He had already climbed off the heated brick bed and put on his shoes.

When the three siblings came out of the room, there were already very few people moving around the inn.

Xiao Jingmo went to find Lu Shuangshuang.

“Auntie, do you have any way to get hold of a laxative?”

Lu Shuangshuang was surprised, but she did not ask any questions. Throughout the journey, she had played the role of a healer: speaking little, watching little, and using her medical skills to protect the whole extended household.

She was very glad she had made the choice she had back then. Otherwise, their family of three would have long since become a pile of dry bones. How could they possibly have had the chance to be exiled while riding in a mule cart?

Lu Shuangshuang nodded. “I’ll go get it for you.”

When they had been inside the pass, she would gather herbs every time they stopped to rest, and the Xiao Family had helped her gather them as well. Preparing a laxative was not difficult.

Before long, Lu Shuangshuang handed Xiao Jingmo a small paper packet.

“Second Young Master, this powder is strong enough to make an ox collapse from diarrhea. Use it at your own discretion.”

Xiao Jingmo nodded. “Thank you, Auntie. You should rest early.”

Everyone from the Xiao Family was staying in shared rooms on the first floor.

The first floor was the cheapest. Xiao Jingmo felt they could eat a little better, but with lodging, a slightly worse room was fine. The money they saved could be used to buy more dry rations.

“Second Brother, are you planning to drug them?”

Xiao Jinghao was quite interested. Aunt Lu had just said this medicine could make an ox collapse from diarrhea. If it was used on those two men, they probably would not even be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

“This is called giving them a taste of their own medicine. But we’re kindhearted, so teaching them a lesson will be enough.”

Xiao Jinghao volunteered to go drug them, but Xiao Jingmo held him back.

“Third Brother, let me ask you a question. If you can answer it, I’ll leave this task to you.”

Xiao Jinghao lifted his chin. “Ask away, Second Brother.”

“Tell me, after we left the pass, why didn’t the two of them make a move along the way? Why choose now, of all times?”

Xiao Jinghao frowned. “They didn’t have the chance on the road?”

Xiao Jingmo shook his head. “Of course not. We stayed at relay stations along the way too. If they wanted to act, they had plenty of chances, yet we traveled peacefully all the way here.”

Xiao Jinghao thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “They didn’t have poison. That means they only got the poison today. They have someone here. Second Brother, am I right?”

Xiao Jingmo nodded approvingly. “Not bad. You’ve made progress, Third Brother. In that case, I’ll leave this matter to you.”

Xiao Jinghao could not help looking a little pleased as he took the packet of medicine.

He had observed that ever since they checked in, the only person who had interacted with Cui Jin was one of the young attendants at the inn. The attendant had brought Cui Jin water. As long as Xiao Jinghao avoided that man, it would be fine.
“Second Brother, Little Sister, just you wait and see.”

“We’ll keep watch for you.”

Xiao Jingmo watched as Xiao Jinghao headed to the back kitchen.

Before long, a young waiter carried a plate of pastries up to the second floor.

The three siblings hurried back into their room. About thirty minutes later, hurried footsteps sounded from upstairs.

Just from the sound, they knew it was Cui Jin. Zou Yong had lost the use of one leg; there was no way he could run that fast.

The relay station’s privy was in the rear courtyard. Cui Jin had only just gone downstairs when Zou Yong’s shout rang out from above.

“Waiter! Hurry and bring me a chamber pot…”

Zou Yong’s voice sounded extremely urgent.

Jin Bao was being held in Xiao Jingmo’s arms and had no idea what was happening outside. She only saw her two brothers on the verge of bursting with laughter, which made her even more curious. She wanted to go out and take a look.

The three of them had just opened the door when they heard the waiter’s disgusted voice. “Guest, how did you soil your pants? And you’ve dirtied all our bedding too. You’ll have to pay for this.”

Zou Yong was both ashamed and furious, but his stomach kept rumbling nonstop. In a rage, he drove the waiter out of the room, yanked down his pants, and took out all his anger on the chamber pot. He did not get up for a full hour.

As for Cui Jin, ever since he ran to the rear courtyard, he never appeared again.

After they made a fuss for more than half the night, the waiter invited a physician over for the two of them. Once they drank the medicine, the two finally managed to settle down.

But because they had caused such a commotion in the first half of the night, their bodies were completely drained. Their legs were as limp as noodles, and they floated when they walked. They had no mind left to go poison anything.

Still, Xiao Jingmo remained cautious. He and Xiao Jinghao took turns keeping watch, afraid that those two might go to the rear courtyard to add poison.

Only when the sky was bright and everyone in the Xiao Family had gotten up did Cui Jin still not take a single step out of his room.

After Pei Wanqing finished tidying Jin Bao up, Jin Bao ran around the main hall playing. By chance, she bumped into a boy of about thirteen or fourteen who came in holding two sets of clothes.

Seeing that he was heading straight for the second floor, Jin Bao’s eyes shifted slightly, as if she had thought of something. She quickly ran over and stopped the young waiter.

“Big Brother, are you taking clothes to my two uncles?”

“Little girl, how did you know?”

“My uncles had upset stomachs last night and dirtied their clothes. They’re still sleeping now. Give them to me. When they wake up, I’ll take the clothes in.”

The young waiter looked a little troubled. The innkeeper had specifically told him to deliver them into the guests’ hands.

“Big Brother, those two uncles of mine have awful tempers. If they don’t rest well, they kill people. They have waking-up grumpies.”

When the young waiter heard that, he hurriedly handed the clothes to Jin Bao.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, little girl.”

Holding the clothes, Jin Bao did not go upstairs. Instead, she went straight back to the room.

She put the clothes on the bed, then turned and ran to the kitchen. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she hugged a jar of chili powder and ran back.

She poured all the chili powder from the jar onto the pants of both outfits. Then she carried the clothes upstairs, placed them on the floor, and lifted her little foot to bang on the door with a series of thuds.

“Clothes delivery!”

Jin Bao pinched her nose, shouted once, then turned and ran downstairs.

Cui Jin was woken by the noise. He barely managed to get out of bed and open the door, only to find two sets of clothes tossed messily on the floor. Thinking they must have been arranged by that person from yesterday, he bent down and carried them inside.

Jin Bao returned to the doorway, stuck out her little bottom, clung to the crack in the door, and pressed her ear against it. Her big eyes blinked as she listened carefully to the movements inside.

Only after two screams rang out from within did she cover her little mouth and skip down the stairs.

The idea of putting chili powder in pants was something she had heard from the village women back in Sanjiacun.

Cui Jin and Zou Yong had spent half the night with diarrhea, and their hemorrhoids had flared up. Now, stimulated by chili powder, it was as if an erupting volcano had been placed right beneath their backsides.

When Jin Bao went downstairs, she was so happy that she failed to step properly. Her foot landed on empty air, and she nearly tumbled down. A fair, clean hand grabbed the back of her collar in one swift motion and lifted her straight up.

Jin Bao’s feet dangled in the air. She was so frightened that she kicked wildly, her two little hands clawing at the air as well.

She looked just like a little turtle that had been flipped over.

“Little sister, are you all right?”

Hearing that, Jin Bao raised her head and saw a very handsome young boy.

“Wow, Big Brother is so pretty! Beauty can be eaten!”

Jin Bao had followed Xiao Jingmo all this way and learned quite a few phrases, and she loved showing them off.

When Xie Yanzhi heard her, the corners of his lips lifted. He gently set Jin Bao down and corrected her with patient warmth. “It’s ‘a beauty is a feast for the eyes.'”

Jin Bao blinked. A suspicious silver thread slid from the corner of her mouth as she nodded dazedly. “Mm, yes. Big Brother is a feast.”

Xie Yanzhi was amused by Jin Bao’s adorably blank expression. So there was such a beautiful little girl in this world, and more importantly, she was very interesting.