53 At the Spring Breeze Pavilion, Stood Good Old Chao Xiaoshu (2/2)
Ning Que shook his head and said, ”That's not how I do things. It might be stupid to say something like loyalty is gold, but since we're doing business, we must at least stick to the most fundamental professional ethics.”
The man smiled and extended his hand. ”Deal.”
Ning Que shook his hand briefly and said, ”My surname is Ning, as in peacefulness. Ning Que.”
”My surname is Chao, as in Tang Chao (Dynasty), and my name is Xiaoshu (Small tree).”
”Such an arrogant surname, and such a gentle name.”
”People in Chang'an often call me Good Old Chao from the Spring Breeze Pavilion, but you may call me brother Chao.”
”Chao Xiaoshu sounds nicer... so, Xiaoshu, do you happen to be the leader of the Fish-dragon Gang?”
”You may call me Good Old Chao then... and be fair, I have never acknowledged the title of the gang leader. All that I did was to gather a group of brothers to do the stuff that the Imperial Court isn't at liberty to do.”
As Ning Que finally ascertained his identity, he smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, ”How can the leader of the largest gang in Chang'an be so humble? Xiaoshu, now you're just being fake.”
…
…
He drew out the ordinary looking knife from the pile of firewood, took out the boxwood bow and quiver from the case, and picked up the big black umbrella that was wrapped in old clothes from the cheap ceramic vat, and he went on to tie them all onto his back. Then he searched through the bottom of the case for a while, finally finding a black mask that probably hadn't been washed for a long time.
He carefully put on the soft armor and wore a pretty old short-sleeved archery robe on the outside. Then he let his hair down to comb it back together in a style that was typical of someone from the Yuelun Kingdom. He proceeded to cover much of face with the black mask and checked his look carefully in the bronze mirror, making sure that nothing was wrong. Finally, he walked to the kitchen and looked inside, saying, ”I'm leaving.”
Sangsang is cleaning the kitchen stove, washing dishes as well as the writing set. Her little face was expressionless, and her willow-leaf shaped eyes looked slightly upset in a childish way. For some reason, the little handmaiden was particularly clumsy today, making all kinds of smashing noises, and she rubbed the pot with so much force that her wipe almost went through the bottom of the pot.
Ning Que was perplexed at first, but he soon understood her and explained nicely, ”It's always good to earn some money, and I think that guy has quite a strong background, and if I help him, he maybe help back in the future.”
”Bang!” Sangsang dumped the wipe brusquely on the edge of the stove, and went on to pour the dirty water from the heavy iron pot. The young girl turned around abruptly as if he was invisible, simply refusing to listen to him.
Ning Que rubbed his forehead, after a brief silence, he went on to explain, ”The poor little Blackie died after asking me this favor, and I didn't even get a chance to refuse before he ran away to the bloody Underworld... so tonight I'm just paying his debt for him.”
Upon saying that, he neglected Sangsang's bad mood, and went straight back to the shopfront.
As the leader of the Fish-dragon Gang in Chang'an, Old Chao wandered the Jianghu world for many years, meeting all kinds of extraordinary and strange characters. He knew the young owner of Old Brush Pen Shop must be one of those extraordinary people, and he was mentally prepared for it. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel slightly baffled seeing Ning Que in his gear. Looking at the mysterious item Ning Que carried on his back, in the shape of a stick wrapped in ragged cloth, he said, ”You don't look like you're about to go kill someone, but more like a vagabond running away from huge debt. Are you carrying all of your belongings on your back now?”
”Stop whining, I'm only carrying a knife!”
Ning Que walked to his side and glanced at the raining street, noticing that there was no one at both ends of the street. He frowned and said, ”I really hope there isn't any inside man among your brothers, and I really hope your brothers can watch over this street carefully. I certainly wouldn't like our killing spree to become the big news tomorrow at the Chang'an Local Government.”
The Good Old Chao looked down at the black mask covering much of the face of the young lad, and he couldn't help but smile. ”You really don't need to be that careful. If we can stay alive after tonight, as long as you don't break the law and commit crimes, no one in the Chang'an city and even in the entire Tang Empire will dare bother you in any sense.”
Hearing this, Ning Que thought to himself, who said the greatest gang in Chang'an didn't have a strong background? Nevertheless, he refused to go on with the killer mission unmasked. His clear and tender voice seeped from the mask. ”I'm used to staying low.”
Old Chao smiled and said no more.
The sound of raindrops already disrupted the quietness of the spring night, and now the footsteps added to it. Ning Que walked out the door, and Chao Xiaoshu opened the seemingly fragile oilpaper umbrella as they both walked into the rainy night.
Sangsang rushed out holding the heavy and massive iron pot as she saw the unfinished noodles on the table, and she called out anxiously from the doorstep, ”Young master! You haven't finished your noodles yet!”
Looking back at her, Ning Que smiled and said, ”You may leave it there for when I get back.”
Holding the massive iron pot, Sangsang stood by the entrance under the rain and yelled, ”But it won't taste nice when it gets cold!”
Waving his hand, Ning Que laughed and replied, ”Then you can make a new pot and I'll have it when I get back.”
Pressing her lips tightly, Sangsang stared at him as he left, and finally called out again, ”I'll season it with more shredded spring onion, don't you forget to come back to eat it, young master!”
Ning Que didn't answer, but the smile in his eyes intensified. Glaring at the darkening street and the pouring rain, he suddenly asked, ”So where are we heading now, Xiaoshu?”
”Spring Breeze Pavilion.”
Good Old Chao calmly replied, ”My home is there, so is my enemy. By the way, I suggest that you call me Good Old Chao, because you are the small tree here.”
As it kept raining in this lane, one would wonder how things were going at the Spring Breeze Pavilion.
…