Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Qin Jiu said, "Nanfei, you are mistaken. We have always felt that Ji Kongming is not worthy of the gang leader, and we sincerely regard the young master as our son-in-law. It is only natural for a man to marry when he comes of age and for a woman to marry when she comes of age. The gang leader and the young master had a proper wedding ceremony. Everyone in the world knows that the young master is the son-in-law of the Great River Gang, so it is only natural for them to be together."

Besides, divorce isn't something to be proud of. It's fine if we know, but the rest of the world doesn't. They'll definitely think the young master abandoned the gang leader after their affair. And storytellers, always eager to stir up trouble, will seize the opportunity to spread rumors, ruining not only the young master's reputation but also the reputation of the entire brothel.

Qin Jiu's words were reasonable, well-founded, and full of emotion, which Nan Fei found wrong but could not refute.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of Luo An leisurely peeling sunflower seeds.

Luo An held a handful of melon seeds, and Nan Fei reached out to take them. But remembering Ji Kongming's words, "Even the melon seeds have to be peeled for him," he withdrew his hand.

If Luo An hadn't reacted quickly, the melon seeds would have been scattered all over the ground. Luo An looked at Nan Fei, puzzled.

Qin Jiu extended his hand: "Young master, would Qin Jiu like to try some?"

Luo An placed the melon seeds in Qin Jiu's hand. Qin Jiu chewed slowly, savoring the delicious taste of the world.

Tiger, standing at the door, swallowed hard. "Nanfei, is there any more? I'll give you the money."

Nanfei had reached his limit with the rumors about the melon seeds. He had initially thought everyone was just joking on Chongming Island, but now it seemed the whole world knew. Damaging his reputation was one thing, but damaging the young master's reputation was something the entire Nan family couldn't afford.

He tossed a bag of sunflower seeds to Hu Zi: "Here, have them all. There are more on Chongming Island, I'll give them to you then."

Tiger was dumbfounded: "How much will that cost?"

Nanfei said, "It's free. I'm tired of it and I'm not eating anymore."

Nanfei was still indignant: "If you want to eat it later, you can ask the young master to peel it for you."

Tiger jumped in fright, dropping the sunflower seeds to the ground. He stammered, "No, no, no, no, no, no... I'll peel them myself..."

Nanfei said, "What are you afraid of? Can he eat you? He just loves peeling melon seeds. I only ate them because I didn't want to waste them."

Nan Fei raised his chin slightly, looking every bit the arrogant young master.

Qin Jiu praised, "Young Master Nan is diligent and thrifty, a role model for the world."

Nanfei choked for a moment: "Ninth Brother, could you please tell the brothers to stop the boat at Dongyang Ferry, the dock, or anywhere else? We haven't been back for years..."

Qin Jiu shook his head: "Young Master is the son-in-law of the Great River Gang and the doctor of the Boat Gang. If you want to leave, you must do so openly and honestly from Chongming Island. If you sneak around, people will think that the son-in-law is a petty thief. I can't bear the responsibility of ruining Young Master's reputation."

Tiger bent down to pick up the melon seeds, feeling a strong sense of sympathy for Luo An: he couldn't arrange his marriage but was forced to marry the gang leader, he personally peeled melon seeds for the medical boy but was not appreciated, and Qin Jiu called him a petty thief.

Tiger thought to himself, "It's so pitiful that the mute can't express their suffering."

No, Luo An can speak. He made it very clear that day in front of everyone.

Luo An remained expressionless, but he wasn't terrifying. What was there to be afraid of? What was there to fear? Qin Jiu and Nan Fei were gossiping in front of him, calling Luo An a powerless master who was easily bullied by his servants.

He who eats another's food is bound to do so, let alone one who eats another's offerings. The more Tiger thought about it, the bolder he became, and the more he felt sorry for Luo An.

Tiger spoke up in protest: "Ninth Uncle, Nanfei... the marriage between Doctor Luo and the gang leader is not up to you two. It depends on Doctor Luo's own wishes."

What do you mean? Qin Jiu and Nan Fei both looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Tiger explained, "Dr. Luo can talk, why don't you just ask him?"

Nanfei praised, "Huzi is really smart. Why don't you ask him if he's willing?"

Luo An looked at Hu Zi with a flat expression. Suddenly, Hu Zi felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on his head, and his gaze shifted uncertainly.

Nanfei snorted: "You think you're so smart? I knew he could talk eight hundred years ago, and I would have had to swallow my pride and learn sign language, wasting my precious youth..."

Tiger asked, "You've lived for eight hundred years, aren't you an old monster?"

Qin Jiu laughed exaggeratedly, and Luo An smiled as well.

Nanfei said, "Looking for trouble, huh? If you're so capable, why don't you ask? Go ahead and ask!"

Looking at Luo An's smiling face, Tiger felt all his worries vanish instantly. He boldly asked, "Young Master, what do you think of the gang leader? Would you be willing to settle for her?"

The brothers used to think Luo An and Nian Yao were not compatible. Now, seeing Ji Kongming, ugh, Luo An is almost perfect, a perfect match for the gang leader.

The only downside is Nanfei. Nanfei is already married, and he'll be back home in a few years to continue the family line, so it won't have much of an impact. If all else fails, he can just be a male concubine, which won't shake the leader's position as the main wife.

The boat, which had been sailing smoothly, began to tilt and rock, causing everyone inside and outside to sway. In that critical moment, no one cared about such things.

Luo An slowly opened his mouth, and everyone's hearts were in their throats; even Nan Fei was a little nervous.

Luo An said, "She..."

"It's leaking! The boat's broken..." A brother rushed out from the stairwell, shouting in panic, "The boat's broken! Uncle Xu and Brother Jingsong said they're going to abandon ship..."

Qin Jiu darted out of the small hall: "Tiger, go and look after the gang leader. Leopard, you protect Young Master and Nanfei, I'll go down and check..."

Not long after Qin Jiu went down, Xu Lai came back up with a wooden plank the size of a face, and methodically gave the orders: "Da Xiong, gather all the team leaders and prepare the bamboo rafts, ready to be deployed at any time. Everyone else, take your positions, and do not leave your posts without orders..."

After making the arrangements, Xu Lai turned to Nan Fei and said, "Nan Fei, if the ship sinks, get on the bamboo raft. If the raft is scattered, meet up at Nanquan Island."

Nanfei said, "Didn't they say that all the boatmen on the Xiang River have pledged allegiance to Ji Kongming? Even if they weren't sincere, they wouldn't dare to openly help us, would they?"

Xu Lai said, "Ji Kongming wouldn't dare to openly harm us, and the other ship captains probably wouldn't either. The ship captains of Nanquanzhou who want to claim credit will only target us. You are doctors and medical apprentices, so you won't be in danger. The Dahe Gang doesn't have a tradition of indiscriminate killing, and changing customs will take time."

Nan Fei thought to himself, "Ji Kongming killed two ship captains and hundreds of brothers in one fell swoop, but he didn't give them time to change their customs." But he replied aloud, "I'll leave everything to Uncle Xu."

Xu Lai said, "Every ship captain has some hidden masters under his command. We must not provoke trouble and put you in danger, young master."

Nanfei said, "Okay."

Hu Zi carried Nian Yao up on his back, and Qin Jiu followed behind with a solemn expression. It seemed that the situation was indeed not good.

Nan Fei asked curiously, "Didn't you say your ship was very advanced? Even if a few compartments are damaged, it won't affect anything."

Qin Jiu said, "All four slots are broken, there's no saving it."

Nanfei said, "Is that Ji Kongming? We've been away from Yuezhou for about a hundred miles..."

Qin Jiu said, "Each cabin bottom has a basin-sized circular hole carved out, with a gap of less than half a centimeter for adhesion. It will break down under the pressure of water for a long time."

Nanfei said, "With such a commotion, couldn't the brothers on the ship hear it?"

Qin Jiu said, "The circular saw cutting technique was exquisite... In truth, it was our dereliction of duty. I didn't expect Ji Kongming to actually dare to resort to underhanded tricks."