Chapter 109 - Seduction

“Not necessarily. There’s also—” Xin Nachun’s eyes darted around. “There’s a man in the work team, Liu Si, I believe his name is. He’s grown rather close to the widow Zhou. We could work on him.”

Zhao Haixie shook his head again. “And you think he’ll listen to us? What’s the great matter in a man dallying with a widow no one wants? It’s not as if she’s a young virgin.”

A cunning smile played on Zhao Dachong’s lips. “We have a young virgin,” he said, his gaze falling on Xin Nachun.

Her face hardened. “You shameless, stinking men,” she spat. “Ptooey, I’m not going!”

Zhao Dachong’s eyebrows shot up, and he struck her across the face. “Fucking hell, you’re not going? Then get the hell out of my sight!”

Xin Nachun, her face buried in her hands, ran wailing into the inner room.

Zhao Haixie shifted uncomfortably. “Nephew,” he said in a low voice, “we need her now, and her brother too…”

“Don’t worry, she’s a cheap piece of work. She’s not happy unless she’s beaten,” Zhao Dachong said with a pout. “A worn-out shoe, and she’s still putting on airs with me.”

“That may be, but Xin Nari is still her brother. You must be careful.”

“It’s fine. A few more fucks and she’ll be docile,” Zhao Dachong said contemptuously. “Fourth Xin himself looks down on this sister of his. You can’t give this slut an inch.”

“Well, just be careful. Even a cornered rabbit will bite,” Zhao Haixie said, knowing his nephew’s arrogance. He offered a word of caution and said no more.

He asked, “Do we have any weapons?”

“Some,” Zhao Dachong told him. The families had hidden their weapons, but they were few. “Only about ten swords and three spears. And a few bows—but they’re useless.”

“It’s not much, but it will have to do. If worse comes to worst, we’ll arm everyone with firewood knives and hoes!” Zhao Haixie knew that times had changed. The bandit gangs had lost everything. Lin’gao was short of iron, and even farm tools were hard to come by, let alone swords and spears. Even Xin Nari’s men were not all armed with swords or spears.

“Don’t worry, Third Uncle.”

…

After a while, Zhao Haixie stood up. “This is not a place to stay for long,” he said. “You act according to the plan. I’ll leave first while it’s raining and dark.”

The rain was still pouring down, and the night was very deep.

The next day, the rain continued. Du Wen took some people for a walk around the village. Many peasants were in the fields. They smiled when they saw her, and some even greeted her. Du Wen felt that although the progress was slow, at least she had become a familiar face.

“Perhaps the work will be easier from now on.”

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Liu Si working diligently in a vegetable garden not far away.

“Little Liu is truly sparing no effort to befriend the poor and lower-middle peasants. A good comrade,” Du Wen thought, pleased that she had not misjudged him. He was indeed a top student from the training institute.

“I’d like to see which is more powerful, the feudal superstition of the church, or my mass work,” Du Wen had unconsciously come to regard the mass work as “her own.”

Liu Si helped the widow Zhou with the weeding and drank some water. The widow’s son came to find him, saying that his mother wanted him to go home. Liu Si hurried back to the widow Zhou’s house. But he saw that besides the widow, there was also a middle-aged man in the room, neatly dressed but thin as a monkey. When he saw him coming, he quickly bowed.

“Is this Captain Liu?” The villagers all knew that among the Australians who had come, the captain was the highest-ranking official.

“I am Liu Si, and you are?” Liu Si found it strange. No one ever visited the widow Zhou. He was not from Lin’gao and had no relatives or friends. Who would be looking for him?

The monkey-like middle-aged man bowed again. “My name is Zhao Haiji. I’d like to invite Captain Liu to my home for a simple meal.”

Seeing the look of terror on the widow Zhou’s face, Liu Si knew that this Zhao Haiji was definitely not a good person. He remembered that at the meeting, Captain Du had given them a basic rundown of the situation. Zhao Haiqing was a native of this village, and this Zhao Haiji also had the character “Hai” in his name, so he was probably from the same clan.

Why would this bandit’s family suddenly invite him to dinner for no reason? Was it a trap? He immediately became vigilant. But if he didn’t go, he was itching with curiosity—after all, this was a good opportunity to get in touch with the bandit’s family and get first-hand information. He thought about it for a long time, unable to make up his mind. Zhao Haiji said:

“I know the captain is busy. Today, we’ll have the banquet at the Guan Di Temple, which is not far away.”

He knew the Guan Di Temple. It was at the entrance of the village, just a single courtyard. It was surrounded by gardens, so there probably wouldn’t be any ambushes or anything like that. He nodded in agreement and followed Zhao Haiji into the Guan Di Temple.

He was surprised when he went in. The temple, which had been somewhat old and dilapidated, was now clean and tidy. A canopy had been set up on the stone floor under the temple’s platform, decorated with lanterns. Underneath, a mahogany table was set with twelve small dishes of appetizers: four dried fruits, four candied fruits, and four fresh fruits. Although Liu Si was from a humble background, he had been a servant in a rich man’s house before. Even if he had never eaten at a banquet, he had seen them—this was the scale of a reception for a distinguished guest. He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Zhao Haiji invited him to sit in the seat of honor and poured him a glass of wine. “Captain Liu, there’s not much to eat in the countryside.”

Liu Si quickly said, “I’m not a captain, I dare not break the rules! Just call me Liu Si.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Then I’ll call you Fourth Master,” Zhao Haiji first poured him a bowl of rice soup. At this point, he stopped and shouted to the temporary kitchen on the other side of the temple platform, “Are the dishes ready?”

The cook came over and brought eight more cold dishes on porcelain plates.

“Please, there are no good dishes. You must drink more wine. Please.”

The two of them sat at the table, drinking and chatting casually about farming matters. The cook brought the dishes one by one and cleared the empty bowls and plates. After a while, he brought a large plate of crispy roasted suckling pig and four side dishes.

“Try this suckling pig,” Zhao Haiji said solicitously, serving him a piece. “This is a specialty of Lin’gao. It’s fragrant, crispy, and tender. Even the big households in Guangzhou love it!”

Although Liu Si ate well at the training institute, he rarely had the opportunity to eat large mouthfuls of meat. The fragrant, sizzling suckling pig made his mouth water, and he couldn’t stop eating after the first bite.

Zhao Haiji enthusiastically urged him to drink, making a lot of noise. After three or two cups of liquor, Liu Si felt light-headed, and his vigilance had diminished considerably.

“For us families who are on the list, we’ll have to ask you to put in a good word for us in front of the two female officials in the future.”

At this point, Liu Si’s courage was boosted by the wine. He felt hot all over. He tilted his head back and drank another cup before saying, “This matter still depends on you.” He picked up a large piece of suckling pig with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to chew. “Captain Du still hopes that you will be more proactive and honestly explain what happened in the past. As long as there is no blood debt, everyone will be treated equally.”

“Yes, yes, this is the generosity of the Australian masters,” Zhao Haiji flattered him and said no more, just urging him to drink and eat.

Seeing that Liu Si was getting more and more drunk, Zhao Haiji slowly stood up and said in a low voice, “Fourth Master Liu! Why don’t you go to the side room to lie down and rest for a while. It’s convenient, the room is tidy and clean.”

Liu Si was already a little confused and let him do as he pleased. Zhao Haiji and a half-grown boy helped him into the east wing of the courtyard. The side rooms on both sides of the courtyard were originally used for the bandit leaders to rest when they were performing operas or holding ceremonies in the temple. The furnishings were very valuable. Although not necessarily tasteful, they were all filled with good things that had been looted.

The windows were newly pasted with paper, and the light was dim. Liu Si was half-lying on the mottled bamboo couch. Zhao Haiji said loudly, “Little Chun! Come out and serve Fourth Master Liu!”

The curtain of the inner room was lifted, and Xin Nachun walked out. She was still dressed in the attire of a traveling performer, but she was made up to be even more flirtatious, with a large part of her chest exposed. She was holding a bowl of hot tea and carefully brought it to Liu Si.

“Fourth Master, have some tea to sober up.”

A scent of perfume wafted past his nose, making the slightly drunk Liu Si’s heart itch. He had long forgotten all the prohibitions he had learned at the training institute. He just stared blankly at the girl—she was much better looking than the withered widow Zhou. Just the sight of her white flesh made Liu Si’s mouth water.

Xin Nachun sat on the edge of the couch, supported his head with her hand, and then picked up the bowl and blew on it gently before bringing it to his lips.

“Fourth Master Liu, drink up.”

Liu Si had never enjoyed such treatment in his life. He only felt something plump and full pressing against his head, and his lust was aroused. He saw that the wrist feeding him water was round and the skin was white and smooth, and he couldn’t help but squeeze it.

“Aiya—” Xin Nachun cried out coquettishly, and a lot of tea spilled on her. Liu Si quickly tried to wipe it for her.

“I wouldn’t dare to trouble you, Fourth Master Liu,” Xin Nachun took out a snow-white handkerchief and wiped the water stains on her chest and thighs in a seductive manner.

“Let me wipe it!” Liu Si, under the dual influence of wine and perfume, could no longer restrain himself. He sat up straight and pounced on her with a rough, violent movement, grabbing her shoulders.

“Fourth Master, you can’t do this…” she pretended to push him.

At this point, Liu Si had lost all ability to distinguish. He grabbed her hand and fumbled for the buttons under her armpit. Before he could find them, he suddenly heard the woman scream, “Help, someone!”

Liu Si was startled. Before he could react, the tight-fitting jacket on the woman’s body ripped with a “hiss” and was torn open.

At this moment, with a crash, the door was kicked open. The first to rush in was Zhao Haiji, followed by a strong man, who was none other than Zhao Dachong.

Zhao Dachong ran in and slapped Liu Si across the face, making him see stars and fall to the ground. In his hand, he was still holding a piece of torn floral cloth. He was stunned, not knowing when he had torn it.

Xin Nachun covered her face with her hands and sobbed by the bed. The jacket on her body was torn open, revealing the red dudou underneath. The sash around her waist had also fallen to the ground at some point.