"Because of that incident, I was promoted to a thousand-household commander of the imperial guards."
"On the way, didn’t three major grain merchants hire people from Changfeng Gang to kill me? After I became a commander, I went to Jiangnan to trouble Changfeng Gang, and along the way, I rooted out and killed a batch of corrupt officials in Jiangzhe."
"Because of this, I also lost my position as a commander, and the Emperor demoted me to be a kitchen hand in the imperial guard."
"As for my martial arts, when I first snatched the grain merchants’ goods, I was hardly stronger than you are now."
"By the time I went to Jiangnan, I had refined my energy from essence. Because I was investigating a case, I owed Lianhuan Fort a favor. Duan Yu tried to cause trouble for Lianhuan Fort, so I killed Duan Yu and repaid that favor to Lianhuan Fort."
"Then, this year I made it onto the list of martial heroes..."
Liu Mang rubbed his head, shouting loudly in his heart, "That’s right, all of it matches."
He remembered that initially when Zhang Mazi unleashed a massacre at Lu Ting, devastating the Changfeng Gang, Yang Ge fell ill mysteriously the next day, barely able to stand.
And when Zhang Mazi and Yang Erlang were making a name for themselves in Jiangzhe, it just so happened to be during the time Yang Ge had requested leave to go out on business...
Yang Ge scooped up boiling rice grains from a large iron pot, cleaned the pot, and then steamed some rice in a bamboo steamer.
He then filled two small bowls with rice soup and handed one to Liu Mang, "As for why I kept it from you, it’s just like why I opposed your opening of a martial arts school at first. Each of these things I’ve done could bring disaster upon your family if any fell upon you!"
"More recently, my old man passed away... I couldn’t bear to let him depart this world so bleakly, and in my grief I stirred up trouble. Now, anyone with a bit of sense knows that I, Yang Ge, am Yang Erlang and Zhang Mazi."
Holding the steaming bowl of rice soup, Liu Mang felt that Yang Ge’s last sentence indirectly berated him.
But he also felt it wasn’t so, after all, he too had realized that Yang Ge was indeed Yang Erlang and Zhang Mazi.
The two carried their rice soup back under the grape arbor to sit down, and Liu Mang opened several packets of prepared food he’d brought.
Liu Mang drank half a bowl of rice soup, then set down his bowl and asked, "So what are you planning to do now?"
Yang Ge shook his head, "I don’t know what I should do…"
Liu Mang said, "You don’t know?"
Yang Ge replied, "I’m not a deity. I don’t possess the ability to predict everything. Recently I could only manage my old man’s funeral; how can I fuss over the living, much less the dead?"
Liu Mang felt that his words were faultless, and after thinking, he asked, "You haven’t returned to the inn these past few days because of this?"
Yang Ge countered, "Do you think I can still return to that inn?"
Liu Mang slapped the table, "Why can’t you return? The rules of the rivers and lakes are to spare one’s family. You’ve done the right thing, the good thing, what is there to fear!"
Yang Ge shook his head and said slowly, "That’s true, but we can’t base the safety of our family on whether outsiders have a conscience or abide by the rules... What if there is one without a conscience who doesn’t follow the norms and, unable to get at me, extends his claws towards the Shopkeeper or my sister-in-law? What then?"
"If something really happens, even if we grind the assailants into mince, what can we reclaim?"
"Besides life and death, everything else is trivial..."
Liu Mang stroked his temples, also feeling a headache coming on, and asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Yang Ge pondered for a long time while eating pork head meat, then asked, "Are you interested in seeking opportunities in the capital?"
Liu Mang, understanding his intent, responded, "For me and my wife, it doesn’t matter where we go, but the old man will likely not be willing to leave anywhere."
Yang Ge, recalling the elderly Shopkeeper’s frail appearance, uncorked a jug on the table and poured two cups of wine, gesturing with his cup, "I’ve indeed dragged you all into this..."
Liu Mang, holding his cup in one hand and gently patting Yang Ge’s shoulder with the other, said, "If we’re really tallying accounts, it’s the Liu family that has dragged you in. Had you not taken the disaster upon yourself for us back then, none of these troubles would have followed."
Yang Ge shook his head, "If you put it that way, had the Shopkeeper not given me a bowl of rice and a place to stay two years ago, I would have frozen to death on the streets, and none of today would have been possible."
While he reminisced, Liu Mang remembered the conflicting image of Yang Ge, who had just been slashing officials in Jiangzhe like slaughtering dogs, returning to the inn and bowing politely with a smile to everyone; he couldn’t help but laugh, "Maybe this is just what they mean by ’good deeds are rewarded’!"
Yang Ge refilled his wine, pondered for a moment, and then said, "If the Shopkeeper is unwilling to move to the capital, it’s fine. I’ll buy the inn at a high price, continue to run it as usual, and our families can interact privately... If you don’t believe that I had other intentions in staying at the inn, naturally nobody else will either."
"As time passes, people will just assume that I was an imperial guard planted undercover at the inn, they will not think of linking our two families as relatives."
"I will also discreetly arrange for two small banners of imperial guards to protect the Shopkeeper and my sister-in-law nearby, which should prevent any major problems."
Liu Mang suddenly captured the flaw in his words, slapped the table and exclaimed, "And you still say you’re not a commander of the imperial guards!"
Yang Ge: "As the head chef of the upper right bureau, being able to mobilize a few small standard-guards is pretty normal, right?"
Liu Mang: "Is that normal?"
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Yang Ge: "Isn’t it normal?"
Liu Mang: "That’s not normal!"
Yang Ge: "If I say it’s normal, then it’s normal!"
Liu Mang, too lazy to argue, had a couple of drinks and suddenly laughed, "The inn is a minor issue... You’re so influential now, can our gym get a little light from you?"
Yang Ge nearly rolled his eyes at him, "Even at this point, you’re still worrying about your lousy gym?"
Just then, Huang stood at the doorstep of the kitchen, barking loudly.
Yang Ge quickly got up and hastened to the kitchen... the rice was about to burn!
Liu Mang followed his steps: "Why call it a lousy gym? This year, Brother has already trained two disciples who have achieved a small mastery in strength. Placed in the martial world, they are quite capable, right?"
Yang Ge entered the kitchen, first topped up the nearly dry large iron pot with some water, then pulled the firewood out of the stove: "Just say what you want to do!"
Liu Mang, rubbing his hands: "The disciples have learned their martial arts, they need a way to make a living, right? They can’t all go out robbing, can they? That would be throwing Yang Erlang’s face away..."
Yang Ge dished up a big bowl of rice, handing it to him: "Speak plainly, what’s the matter?"
Liu Mang took the bowl, all smiles: "You have good relations with Lianhuan Fort, right? Can our gym get some odd jobs from Lianhuan Fort to make ends meet?"
Yang Ge, serving rice to Huang, answered listlessly: "There’s a manager at the dock named Wu Eryong; go treat him to a meal, just say you’re my elder brother. He will definitely show you some face as long as your requests are reasonable... Just don’t take just anyone over there; if I hear about anyone misbehaving and bullying under our brothers’ name, if you don’t handle it, I will!"
Liu Mang nodded repeatedly: "Brother, be assured... Eh, we’re eating already? I’ve only had a few sips of the drink!"
Yang Ge: "Between brothers, who needs drinks? Let’s eat."
Liu Mang: "You glutton!"
Yang Ge: "Give me back my bowl!"
Liu Mang: "I’m not giving it back!"
The two playfully came out of the kitchen, holding bowls as big as their faces, voraciously digging into the meal.
"About the inn, I’ll go back and discuss it with the old man today, no big problem."
Liu Mang, mumbling, said: "The old man is almost unable to keep up, and I’m not interested in the inn, handing it over to you, both of us will feel assured..."
Yang Ge replied: "Talk to the old Shopkeeper about what you can say, and don’t say a word about what you can’t. I am just watching over the inn for the Liu family for a while. Later, I will return it to the Liu family intact."
"What ’return’!"
Liu Mang waved his chopsticks, boldly proclaiming, "I don’t want my children running an inn in the future; if they manage anything, it should be a lesser gym, so much more impressive!"
"Tsk."
Yang Ge picked up a piece of pig’s head meat with his chopsticks, murmuring sarcastically: "The spoilt brat!"
Before Liu Mang could retort, he continued: "I won’t be going back to the inn for now; I will head to Jiangnan in a few days. Once I’m away, no one will keep an eye on you anymore. Help me handle the procedures for the inn business; once it’s not under your family’s name anymore, our families’ overt connections will also be cleanly severed..."
Liu Mang looked up at him blankly: "To Jiangnan? What are you going to do in Jiangnan again?"
Yang Ge, speaking nonchalantly: "Some Dongying little devils are causing trouble along the coast; I’m going to send them back home..."
"Awesome!"
Liu Mang’s eyes sparkled, and he slammed down his chopsticks, grabbing Yang Ge’s arm excitedly, "This is the life; take me with you, take your brother along!"
Yang Ge’s chopsticks flicked lightly, a three-inch blade shooting out from the tip: "Catch this chopstick, and I’ll take you with me."
Liu Mang: (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻