Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

They avoided trouble and stayed quietly within the Great River Gang; no one had investigated their backgrounds in recent years. With the old gang leader gone, was Liu Lin trying to see if their new son-in-law was reliable?

Nanfei threw down the book in his hand, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and read: "Nanfei, aged fifteen, to repay the life-saving grace, is sold to Luo An as a medical apprentice. Fearing that there will be no proof later, I write this down as a record."

Liu Lin suddenly realized: "So, young master is Nan Fei's savior."

A drop of water in need deserves a spring in return, let alone a life-saving favor.

Nanfei pounded the ground: "Uncle Liu, it's not about saving me, it's about saving my sister. Uncle Liu, you be the judge, he's saving my sister, so why should I have to sell myself? Why doesn't my sister sell herself? Why is she selling me?"

"She sold me out and now she wants me to be her bride? Dream on!" Nanfei said indignantly.

Luo An silently turned his head and saw Qin Jiu standing outside the tea room.

Liu Lin guessed, "Perhaps it's inconvenient for a young lady to travel around practicing medicine."

Nanfei said, "If my sister were to marry him, he would be my son-in-law. Can't my family even support a son-in-law? Why bother traveling around practicing medicine? Why stay on this desolate island with nothing to do for three years? Three years! There isn't even a girl on the island. If it weren't for going to the free clinic every month to see the world, I would have jumped into the river and committed suicide long ago."

Nan Fei, caught up in the conversation, pointed at Luo An and said, "Why did you save my sister? You might as well not have. Good people don't live long, but scoundrels live a thousand years. Someone like her could have survived even if you hadn't saved her; she wouldn't have died."

A medical apprentice is always a child, no matter how old they are. That's what my younger brother said.

Nanfei covered his face with the book and began to wail, "My life is so bitter, so bitter! I, a handsome, dashing, and charming young man, have been tormented and hurt like this. Why is my life so bitter..."

Several brothers in the square all looked towards the teahouse, exchanging bewildered glances. Luo An and Nan Fei were well-paid, had little to do, and were respected—something many envied. A grown man howling in the middle of the night, wasn't he ashamed?

There aren't even any girls on the island? Isn't Nanfei one? What man is like him?

It's truly unbelievable; once you tell, tears well up in your eyes. Nanfei was almost in tears. Liulin felt guilty; why bring this up of all? She had hurt the young man's fragile heart!

Luo An couldn't stand it any longer and stood up to leave. Qin Jiu said gently from outside, "Nanfei, a few boxes of things were sent over from the Haidong County dock. They've been placed in the small hall of the South Garden."

Nan Fei immediately fell silent and followed Luo An to the backyard. The speed at which he changed his expression was something the brothers on Chongming Island hadn't gotten used to after all these years.

The backyard, like a small town, has four gates, serving both as accommodation and defense. The individual courtyards inside can be named as you wish.

Nianyao and the old gang leader's courtyard is called Yaochi, Ji Kongming's courtyard is called Mingtang, Xu Lai's courtyard is called Laizhai, Liu Lin's courtyard is called Liulin, Qin Jiu's courtyard is called Peach Blossom Spring, and Nanfei and Luo An's courtyard is called Nanyuan...

The name was chosen by Nanfei, which Qin Jiu disdained, saying that Nanfei was overstepping his bounds. Nanfei looked at Qin Jiu's bearded face and was even more disdainful: "How about we change it? Someone like me deserves to be called Peach Blossom Spring, and someone like you is more suitable for Difficult Garden."

Nanfei was a man who spoke two different languages, so Qin Jiu immediately fell silent.

Luo An has a regular schedule; unless there are special circumstances, he goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at dawn, taking a half-hour nap at noon. It's actually not time for him to go to sleep yet.

Luo An hesitated before Yaochi. Seeing this, Nan Fei rushed into the South Garden and closed the gate. He pressed himself against the door and said arrogantly, "This courtyard is mine now. Don't even think about coming in."

There was no sound outside. Nanfei opened the door a crack and saw Luo An turn and walk away. Was he going back to the tea room?

Nanfei thought to himself, "So what if she's drunk? Do you think she'll do something inappropriate while drunk? A grown man like me won't suffer any loss; sleeping on the bed is more comfortable than sleeping on the floor. You don't like refined ladies, you don't like boorish shrews, and you don't even like my sister who's both refined and boorish. Don't you like women at all?"

Nan Fei shivered. He touched himself up and down, clasped his hands together, and said in his heart, "Sister, your brother is a pure and innocent young man. Although I am not the only son in the family and the Nan family does not expect me to carry on the family line, the Yuan family is still counting on me! Please bless me. When I return, I will take good care of you."

Nan Hua, far away in Bianjing, sneezed inexplicably.

"Young Master." Luo An hadn't taken two steps when Liu Lin called out to him.

Nanfei quickly peeked through the crack in the door, thinking to himself, "Look at you, acting all dramatic. You've been caught red-handed."

Liu Lin walked over and said, "Young Master, although the Great River Gang doesn't have many formalities, all eighty-eight boat captains attended your wedding, making it the biggest event in the history of the Great River Gang. In the eyes of everyone in the Great River Gang, you are the son-in-law of the Great River Gang."

Each ship arrived on a secret mission, their hearts filled with trepidation, none knowing what was to come. The last time they had taken such a solemn matter was nine years ago, when members of the gang colluded with people from Dongyang to sacrifice all of them to the river god, the greatest punishment in the history of the Great River Gang.

The ship captains were both overjoyed and shocked. The young gang leader's marriage was a great joy, but his marriage to Luo An was a great shock.

While others bow three times upon marriage, Luo An and Yao Chi bowed four times, adding a bow to the boat captains. The boat captains returned the greeting, recognizing Luo An as the son-in-law of the Great River Gang, a gesture that was both inexplicable and unbelievable.

Luo An looked at Liu Lin quietly, as if he were listening very attentively.

Liu Lin added, “Regardless of why you agreed to the marriage, once you’re married, you have to act like one. Even if it’s a charade, you have to make it look real. The nights on the island are still a bit chilly, so make sure you’re warm enough to avoid catching a cold.”

Behind him, Xuesong held a bright red wedding quilt, and Liulin opened the gate to Yaochi for him. Luo An readily complied and went inside with the quilt.

Liu Lin closed the gate to Yaochi and looked towards Nanyuan. Nan Fei slammed the gate shut, thinking to himself, "Is Uncle Liu trying to force me to do something I don't understand?"

There were three boxes in the small hall of Nanyuan. One box contained melon seeds and tea for Luo An; another box contained clothes in various colors—white, blue, navy, and black—clearly for Luo An; and the third box contained clothes in beige, apricot, and yellowish-brown—undoubtedly for him. Nan Fei casually picked up a piece of clothing; the cuffs were still embroidered with phoenixes as always.

Nan Fei wanted to tear his clothes apart and said angrily, "You surnamed Yuan, if you have the guts, tie me up and take me back. I am young and beautiful in the prime of my life. What do you mean by dressing me up like this every day?"

Nanfei threw off his clothes and reached into the box, but there was nothing there. Nanfei sprawled out on the bed and muttered, "You should at least give me some spare change. Young Master Qinggao voluntarily reduced my monthly allowance by half, and I'm almost starving."

Luo An carried the blanket inside and saw Nian Yao sleeping peacefully, without nightmares or frowning, looking incredibly well-behaved. She's certainly not very pleasing to the eye when awake, but she's quite charming when asleep.

Luo An suddenly doubted himself. Why had he been so impulsive in agreeing to the old gang leader's request? What did the fate of the Great River Gang, or the state of the world, have to do with him? He couldn't leave now, and staying would only cause trouble. He was a doctor; he only cared about practicing medicine and treating patients, and he disliked trouble.

When Ji Kongming came to find Nianyao the next day, he happened to see Luo An coming out of the room.

Ji Kongming exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing in Yao's room?"