Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Shortly after lunch, Xu Sheng suddenly clutched his stomach, looking extremely pained.

Nanfei came over to take his pulse again: "Uncle Liu, something bad has happened. Young Master Xu probably has an upset stomach because he ate crabs and sea snails. Young Master Xu, I told you, seafood is delicious but you can't eat too much. We have rare land-based delicacies here every day, but you just wouldn't listen... sigh..."

Xu Sheng wanted to protest his innocence, so he ate one conch, but it was too spicy, so he gave up. Nan Fei, on the other hand, ate with great relish, leaving all the shells in front of him.

Quack... Quack... Caw... Caw...

He was truly suffering in silence. Xu Sheng pushed Nan Fei aside and ran to the outhouse. Liu Lin was worried and sent Hu Zi to look after him.

He couldn't stop running around. Xu Sheng spent the whole afternoon running to the toilet, and when he finally lay exhausted on the bed, he discovered that he had developed a rash all over his body. The rash spread, and by the time Liu Lin came to see him, he was completely unrecognizable.

Liu Lin was startled and comforted him, "Young Master Xu, Nan Fei just likes to joke. Don't take it to heart, he'll be fine in a few days..."

Quack... Quack... Caw... Caw...

Liu Lin said, "Young master, don't speak. Rest well these few days. I'll go ask."

Liu Lin had just stepped outside when he ran into Nan Fei, whose gloating was quite obvious: "Uncle Liu, don't worry. Young Master Xu is just allergic to seafood. As long as he stays indoors and avoids drafts, he'll be fine in three to five days. However, some people have special constitutions and it might be contagious..."

Tiger, who was in the room giving Xu Sheng water, heard everything clearly. Instantly terrified, he jumped ten feet away, crashing into the corner of the table with a scream, spilling a cup of water everywhere.

Tiger was sitting on the ground rubbing his bottom when he saw Nanfei come in. He scrambled up to him and said, "Brother Nanfei, all the goods you brought from Haidong Wharf were moved to Nanyuan by me. I've never forgotten your share of anything good I've gotten... I'm not married yet, I haven't had a son, and of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring..."

Xu Sheng shut his mouth and eyes, wishing he could close his ears as well.

Nanfei chuckled as he helped Hu Zi up, patting him on the shoulder: "It's not necessarily contagious, just keep your distance from him normally."

Tiger scrambled to the door: "Young Master Xu, I'm sitting right outside the bedroom door. Call me if you need anything, I'll hear you."

Nan Fei slowly walked to the bedside, looking at Xu Sheng's face covered in red rashes: "Just because I haven't shown my teeth doesn't mean I'm a pushover. Young Master Xu, Chongming Island is full of traps. Don't wander around after you recover. If the dignified Prince Rui of Nan Yue were to die on Chongming Island, it would most likely trigger a war between the Dahe Gang and Nan Yue. The historians would write: Prince Rui is comparable to Daji, a femme fatale who brought about the destruction of the country..."

Xu Sheng gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, veins bulging. Nan Fei laughed heartily: "Tiger."

Tiger poked his head in: "Huh?"

Nanfei said, "Pour Young Master Xu a glass of water. He needs to drink plenty of water if he has diarrhea, or he'll turn into a dried-up corpse..."

Nanfei's voice was sinister, and Hu Zi felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He shivered as he poured a large glass of water, stretched his hand out to the bedside table, and then quickly rolled to sit outside the door, saying in a trembling voice, "Young Master Xu, get up and drink it yourself."

Creak...creak creak...

Nanfei saw Xu Sheng's eyelids twitching and his teeth chattering, and said in a cold voice, "Young Master is too lazy to deal with the internal affairs of the Dahe Gang. If you want to, we won't stop you. I'm just here to remind you that if you don't want to die before you even get started, don't even think about messing with Young Master."

Nanfei finished speaking and left. Hu Zi watched his departing figure, trembling with fear. He couldn't believe this was the same Nanfei who was usually so carefree and jovial; he was simply terrifying.

Fortunately, he had treated Nanfei quite well in the past. If he had contracted the virus, Dr. Luo would probably have saved him.

Inside the tea room, Luo An was engrossed in reading a medical book, while Liu Lin stood outside watching without disturbing him. After all, they were brothers, and there was some affection between them; he wouldn't actually resort to violence.

Xu Sheng was recuperating in his room, and Liu Lin came to check on him once a day. By the third day, the red rash on his face and body had noticeably subsided, and Liu Lin was relieved. Nan Fei said he would be able to speak again in seven days, which should be true.

Xu Lai's young brothers, selected from various ship headquarters, arrived one after another, and Chongming Island, which had been quiet for a short time, began to liven up again.

The ship owner occasionally sent messages about Ji Kongming via carrier pigeon, but Liu Lin kept them all to himself and didn't tell Nianyao. The brothers on the island tacitly agreed not to mention Ji Kongming in front of Nianyao.

Days passed like a flowing river, endlessly. On the afternoon of the eighth day, Qin Jiu reported the gang's income and expenditure distribution from the previous month to the council. Jing Song and Xue Song, as new council members of the Great River Gang, attended.

Several people came out of the east hall and were surprised to see Xu Sheng sitting by the tea room. After not seeing him for a few days, Xu Sheng seemed like a different person, listless and dispirited, completely lacking the dashing spirit he had when he first arrived.

Xu Sheng greeted Nian Yao: "Little wife..."

Nianyao stared at him intently, a smile playing on her lips, and said loudly, "Nanfei, he calls me 'little wife'."

Nanfei stood by the tea room: "Young master, her name is Chief Xue's little wife."

Xu Sheng immediately clasped his hands together and said solemnly, "Chief Xue!"

She looked like she was about to chant Amitabha Buddha. Nianyao tried to hold back, but she couldn't help but break down.

Hahaha... Hahahaha... Nianyao laughed without restraint, her whole face suddenly bursting forth with thousands of rays of light, as if the sun, which had been covered by dark clouds for a long time, had been shining brightly.

Xu Sheng stared at her, somewhat dazed, and only after she finished laughing did he say, "Chief Xue, you should smile more often, it looks good."

Nianyao said, "What? Am I not pretty normally?"

Xu Sheng said, "She looks good normally, but she looks even better when she smiles."

Nianyao said, "Where's your waist tag? Why aren't you wearing it?"

Xu Sheng said, "When traveling, one should keep a low profile."

"Keep a low profile?" Nian Yao smiled and sat down next to him. "The Dahe Gang has many boatmen and a lot of rumors. How come I've never heard of a Prince Rui in Nanyue?"

Xu Sheng said, "You still doubt me?"

Nianyao said, "I don't doubt it, I'm just curious how many spies Nan Yue has on Chongming Island, that you know so much about me and the things on the island."

Xu Sheng said, "Aren't you curious about how many spies the other three kingdoms have on Chongming Island?"

Nianyao glared at him, and Nanfei quickly moved closer and sat down next to her: "Should I call you Young Master?"

Xu Sheng said, "You really think I... Never mind, Chief Xue, I'm having a serious discussion with you now."

Nianyao said, "You and Doctor Luo are twins, so how come you're the older brother and he's the younger brother? Who can prove that you're the older one? It feels like everything you're saying is impossible to verify."

Nanfei chimed in, "Chief Xue is right."

Xu Sheng's interest waned, as if he had no interest in the topic at all: "He didn't acknowledge me before, and I don't acknowledge him now either. It doesn't matter who is the older brother and who is the younger brother."

Nanfei sensed something was wrong: "Chief Xue, it's not a matter of brothers, he's not..."

Nanfei stopped. Nianyao said, "What is it? Just say it! Why are you stammering like this, a grown man?"

Xu Sheng smiled slightly: "Well, Nanfei, go on, I'm not anything..."

Nan Fei got up to watch Qin Jiu and Luo An play chess. Xu Sheng sneered and was about to speak.

Liu Lin advised, "Young Master Xu, Young Master Luo and Nan Fei have been on Chongming Island for several years now, and they get along well with the brothers on the island. They don't provoke others, and others don't provoke them..."

It means that trouble comes from the mouth, so it's best to say less.

Liu Lin's words sounded biased no matter how you looked at them. Xu Sheng nodded, got up, and walked out of the courtyard: "I'm going to collect seashells on the beach."