Chapter 27

Zeng Zhilin absentmindedly accompanied Fan Wucheng and You Yuan to finish their shopping. After sending the two back to the inn, he saw that Wang Xiaojun had not returned yet, so he hurriedly ran to Huichun Hall to look for Wang Xiaojun. As soon as he entered the back courtyard of Huichun Hall, he saw Wang Xiaojun and Qian Yuanshan sitting on stone stools under a big tree in the yard, drinking tea and chatting. Since Qian Yuanshan was right there, he couldn't directly talk to Wang Xiaojun about what he had seen earlier. So he inquired about Liu Wendong's condition, and upon learning that he had eaten breakfast and fallen asleep again, he also sat down to drink tea with Wang and Qian.

After chatting for a while, Zeng Zhilin looked at the sky and took out his watch from his pocket—afraid of arousing others' curiosity, the穿越者 (time travelers) usually kept their watches in their pockets when they needed to use them—checked it, and saw that the hands were pointing to 10:00 AM. He put the watch away and said to Wang Xiaojun, "Old Wang, Old You and Old Fan have bought almost everything they need. The people sent by the temple to bring back the news from Qingchen should be here by now. Although Doctor Lin said that Old Liu won't have any major issues as long as he doesn't get infected, it's really hot, and if we make him follow us back to Yuxu Palace in this condition, there might be problems. If he can't move for a while, how do you plan to arrange the next steps?"

Wang Xiaojun pondered for a moment and said, "I've thought about this. Even according to Doctor Lin, Old Liu still needs to be observed for two more days to confirm his condition. But today is already the 13th of August, and in two days it will be the 15th. We came to Liangxiang County to buy things for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even if we don't care about the festival, the other Taoists in Yuxu Palace do, and we can't let the things needed for the 15th of August be delivered on the 16th. So I think we should split up. Old Liu can't move, and Hong Yan probably doesn't want to leave his side. Doctor Lin also needs to stay to observe his condition. In addition to these three, we'll leave one member of the security team with a gun to protect their safety. Of course, it's not appropriate for these four to stay at Huichun Hall, so they'll stay at the inn. The rest will return to the temple, and we'll come back to pick up Old Liu after a few days when his condition is stable."

"I'll stay then," Qian Yuanshan chimed in. To him, this was a great opportunity to be alone with Lin Xiaoyu, so he was eager to volunteer.

Wang Xiaojun didn't know about Qian Yuanshan's ulterior motives. To him, it didn't matter who stayed; he believed that any member of the security team could complete the task well. He was about to agree when Zeng Zhilin interrupted and suggested waiting for Xu Shaowan to return and discuss it. Wang Xiaojun was about to say that such a small matter didn't need to be discussed by the committee, but he saw Zeng Zhilin giving him a subtle hint. Although he didn't understand the meaning, he didn't show it and agreed with Zeng Zhilin's suggestion. Qian Yuanshan also found Zeng Zhilin's suggestion strange but couldn't show it, as he had his own private reasons for wanting to stay.

The three of them drank tea in silence for a while. Then they heard footsteps from the moon gate leading to the front yard. Looking up, they saw Fan Wucheng leading Qingchen, Zhang Weixin, Yang Xin, and Wang Feng walk in. Wang Xiaojun, fearing they would wake up the sleeping Liu Wendong, quickly called the five over. Since there were limited stone stools under the tree, Zeng Zhilin and Wang Feng went to borrow a few more chairs from Doctor Xue, and everyone finally sat down.

At this moment, Hong Yan, hearing the noise outside, came out of the room and told everyone that Liu Wendong had woken up. Zhang Weixin and the others hurried into the room to check on his condition, and upon learning that everything was fine, they were relieved. To avoid disturbing Liu Wendong's rest, everyone except Hong Yan left the room and gathered in the yard, chatting in small groups while waiting for Xu Shaowan to return to make further plans. Zeng Zhilin took this opportunity to call Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin aside and told them about what he had seen in the morning.

Hearing this, Wang and Zhang were also at a loss. As the saying goes, even a fair judge finds it hard to resolve family matters, and the team only had a committee with limited power. From the committee's functions established at the initial general meeting, there was no applicable rule for this situation. After all, personal emotional issues are not something outsiders can mediate, let alone force. However, Xu Shaowan, one of the parties involved, was a committee member. Once this matter became public, it would definitely affect his authority and, in turn, the committee's authority. This would be disastrous for the team. So, they were in a dilemma: whether to intervene or not. Finally, Wang Xiaojun made up his mind to intervene to a limited extent and said, "I think the one who tied the knot should be the one to untie it. This matter should be handled by Doctor Lin. Xiao Zeng, you and I will go to the inn to talk to Doctor Lin and see what she thinks. If she has someone in mind, we'll encourage her to confirm the relationship and announce it appropriately. If she hasn't decided yet, we'll suggest she speed up the process to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." He sighed, "I never thought that I, Wang Xiaojun, who is still single, would have to care about others' emotional issues." Zhang and Zeng could only smile helplessly. After some thought, Zhang Weixin suggested, "I think you should call Hong Yan. Explain the situation to her and have her talk to Doctor Lin. It would be more convenient."

Since the decision was made, Wang Xiaojun took action immediately. He found an excuse to call out Hong Yan and explained the situation to her. After much persuasion, Hong Yan finally agreed to help. Then, he took Hong Yan and Zeng Zhilin and left Huichun Hall for the inn. On the way, they met Xu Shaowan, who was heading to Huichun Hall, and Wang Xiaojun casually made up an excuse to get past him.

Upon entering the inn and reaching Lin Xiaoyu's room, Wang Xiaojun asked Hong Yan to find Lin Xiaoyu while he and Zeng Zhilin waited in another room. After a long while, Hong Yan came to find them. Wang Xiaojun quickly invited her to sit down, poured her a cup of tea, and waited for her to speak. Hong Yan deliberately teased him, slowly sipping her tea and boasting about how much effort she had put in to get accurate information from Xiaoyu. Wang Xiaojun couldn't get angry or impatient, so he patiently listened to her without urging her. After two cups of tea, Hong Yan felt she had teased the committee member enough and slowly recounted her conversation with Lin Xiaoyu. The most useful part for Wang Xiaojun was her last few sentences: "Xiaoyu said she is not a fickle person and would never date two people at the same time. She never agreed to Qian Yuanshan's proposal; she only said she would consider it. Now she has made up her mind and found her ideal partner, but it's not Qian Yuanshan; it's Xu Shaowan. She said to avoid misunderstandings, she will talk to Qian Yuanshan this afternoon to resolve the issue."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaojun finally felt relieved. He stood up and bowed to Hong Yan, saying, "Thank you, Hong Yan, for helping me with this. I will definitely repay you in the future."

Hong Yan smiled and avoided his bow, saying, "Brother Wang, you're too polite. You're doing this for the team, and I should help. There's no need to talk about repayment. Now that this is settled, I need to go back. Wen Dong can't move easily, and I need to take care of him." She hurriedly left. Wang Xiaojun, knowing she was worried about Liu Wendong, asked Zeng Zhilin to go back to Huichun Hall with her and to inform Zhang Weixin about the situation, then notify the others to come to the inn to discuss the next steps.

By noon, everyone except Liu Wendong and Hong Yan had returned to the inn, and about ten people gathered in a courtyard that Wang Xiaojun had reserved. As everyone was finding places to sit, Lin Xiaoyu quietly called Qian Yuanshan to her room. Xu Shaowan was initially surprised but then showed a look of relief. Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin, who were watching, nodded at each other. Zhang Weixin came to Zeng Zhilin and whispered to him to closely monitor the situation in Lin Xiaoyu's room to prevent Qian Yuanshan from doing anything irrational. Then, Wang Xiaojun went to Xu Shaowan and discussed the subsequent arrangements with him. Xu Shaowan had no objections but suggested that he stay to handle security duties, which Wang Xiaojun agreed to.

After a while, Lin Xiaoyu and Qian Yuanshan came out of the room. It was clear that Qian Yuanshan's face was not good. However, apart from a glance at Xu Shaowan, he didn't do anything out of line and just sat down in a corner, head down. Lin Xiaoyu, seeing his reaction, shook her head helplessly and then walked over to sit next to Xu Shaowan, the two of them looking at each other and smiling faintly. This simple action clearly indicated their relationship to everyone. Except for a few insiders, the others were somewhat surprised. Lin Xiaoyu had many admirers—Hong Yan was in a similar situation but handled it more skillfully, leaving fewer entanglements. After Liu Wendong's heroic rescue, it was unlikely anyone could compete with her. However, her public declaration of her choice was still unexpected. After a brief silence, the courtyard returned to its lively atmosphere, and Wang Xiaojun had to gesture for everyone to quiet down.

Wang Xiaojun cleared his throat and said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. Although Old Liu had an accident, he doesn't want to delay everyone's celebration. According to Doctor Lin and Doctor Xue's diagnosis, Old Liu is out of danger, but for his wound to heal better, he shouldn't move around. After discussing with Old Xu and Old Zhang, we decided that Old Liu will stay at the inn temporarily, and Hong Yan will stay to take care of him. Doctor Lin will also stay to continue observing Old Liu's condition. For their safety, Old Xu will stay to handle security. Additionally, Qingchen will go to the county office after lunch to inform Captain Zheng about Old Liu's condition to help with the case."

He turned to Qingchen and continued, "I don't know how quickly the case will be resolved, but we should have someone present at the verdict, right?"

Qingchen respectfully replied, "In principle, we should have someone present at the verdict. However, this case is simple and should be resolved quickly, perhaps in just a few words. I'll ask Captain Zheng. If it's quick, I'll wait for the verdict at the county office and then return. If it takes longer, I'll come back and inform Uncle."

Wang Xiaojun nodded and said, "If necessary, you can spend some money to expedite the process. The faster it's resolved, the better." Seeing that it was nearly noon, he asked Zeng Zhilin, Xu Shaowan, and Lin Xiaoyu to go to Huichun Hall to bring Liu Wendong and Hong Yan to the inn. He also asked Fan Wucheng to arrange lunch. The others drank tea while waiting.

Soon, Fan Wucheng had the inn's waiters prepare a table of food, and everyone took their seats, waiting for Liu Wendong to arrive. After waiting until everyone's stomachs were growling, Liu Wendong finally came in, supported by Hong Yan. Seeing everyone waiting for him, Liu Wendong hurriedly bowed and apologized, "I'm late, please forgive me. But it's all Hong Yan's fault. She said I couldn't handle the jostling and insisted I take a sedan chair. Hiring the chair took some time, and the slow ride wasted a lot of time, so I'm late."

Hong Yan, hearing him blame her, angrily let go of his arm and pouted, "Humph, you're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a good deed. I did it for your own good, and you blame me. I won't take care of you anymore. Stay in the city by yourself; I'm going back to Yuxu Palace."

Perhaps because she pushed him too hard, after her outburst, Liu Wendong swayed and almost fell, scaring Hong Yan into quickly reaching out to support him. Everyone was also startled, thinking something was wrong with Liu Wendong. Lin Xiaoyu, who had just sat down, was about to go to his aid, but Xu Shaowan quietly stopped her and whispered something in her ear. Lin Xiaoyu glanced at Liu Wendong and saw him winking and making faces at everyone while being supported by Hong Yan. Realizing he was pretending to faint to tease Hong Yan, Lin Xiaoyu relaxed and whispered to Xu Shaowan, "You men are really too bad." Xu Shaowan chuckled and whispered back, "Bad men are loved by women." Lin Xiaoyu rolled her eyes and turned away.

After pretending to be dizzy for about half a minute, Liu Wendong finally "recovered" and, supported by Hong Yan, took his seat. The others, who had been waiting, mentally scorned Liu Wendong for deceiving Hong Yan and then began to enjoy the delicious food on the table.

After lunch, Qingchen rested for a while and then went to the county office. The others rested a bit more, then started to pack the purchased items onto the carts, preparing to return to Yuxu Palace. With many hands, the task was completed in less than an hour. Just as everyone was sitting down to catch their breath, Qingchen returned from the county office. Wang Xiaojun, seeing him back so quickly, asked, "How did it go? When will the case be resolved?"

Qingchen, upon being asked, quickly took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, "Magistrate Hu has made the judgment. The young man who injured Uncle Liu was sentenced to eighty strokes on the back, a month in the stocks, and a fine of twenty guan. His master, Ding Yuchang, was sentenced to forty strokes on the back and a fine of ten guan. Here is the judgment." He handed the judgment to Wang Xiaojun and then opened a bundle from his back, saying, "This is the compensation paid by Ding Yuchang and his apprentice, probably all their savings. I planned to use this money to thank Captain Zheng and the other officers for their help, but Captain Zheng refused to accept it, saying that we are all good friends of Mr. Zhong, and it was his duty to help. I didn't insist when he refused."

Wang Xiaojun nodded and said, "He has his reasons for not accepting it. But we'll remember his kindness and repay him when we have the chance." He then called out to everyone, "The case is settled, and we can now return home. Everyone, let's get moving." Everyone cheered, and except for those who were staying behind, the rest left the inn, mounting horses and getting into carts, heading back to Yuxu Palace in a noisy procession.