Fortunately, Lin Jian found out about the kidnapping matter by chance, otherwise... it would end up badly.
At first, Lin Jian got a report that one of his shopkeepers was having a shady business with one of w.a.n.g Fu"s maidservant. His informant mentioned that they even spent the night together and lately it was getting bolder and bolder. He wanted to ask Yao Ying whether he knew that maidservant, but when he realized that Yao Ying didn"t even know that w.a.n.g Fu was one of the owners of this hua lou, he kept these bits of information back.
He paid close attention but didn"t interfere, after all, it was w.a.n.g Fu"s matter and it had nothing to do with him. By the time he heard that a kid was kidnapped and being kept in the hua lou, he started to realize that something bigger was going on. Lin Jian found out that Yao Ying had already made a move and he just decided to deal with the aftermath. He already killed the shopkeeper as a reminder for the others. Their hua lou wasn"t a place for them to do shady business.
The shopkeepers weren"t actually part of the organization --- only three of them were and it was because they worked long enough and could be trusted. The recently hired shopkeepers didn"t know anything about it and Lin Jian couldn"t believe that one of them was bold enough to kidnap a kid and put jeopardy to their hua lou. It seemed like he wasn"t strict enough, after all, this hua lou was mainly handled by him, so it had become his responsibility. He didn"t hesitate to kill the shopkeeper to warn the others to behave and instill fear to them.
Lin Jian was curious why Yao Ying didn"t try to ask for his help. Yao Ying already knew that he was handling this hua lou! It would be a piece of cake for him to save the kid. That was why he asked Yao Ying why didn"t he ask for his help?
"I can"t ask for your help every time I"m in trouble." Yao Ying admitted. He didn"t want to rely on other people too much and also he wanted to prove that he was capable of handling his own matter. A man"s pride, to be precise. Besides, he wanted to learn to protect his people on his own. If there was a little bit setback and he kept asking for help, it would make him get used to it and become lazy.
Lin Jian shook his head at his stubbornness. "Just find me when you need help." He offered his friends.h.i.+p to Yao Ying wholeheartedly.
"Don"t worry! I will!" Yao Ying grinned. "Thanks for the offer. I will put it to good use." Despite his pride, Yao Ying knew there would be a day he needed Lin Jian"s help and his offer was deeply appreciated.
Lin Jian suddenly had a bad premonition when Yao Ying said that he would put it to good use. He gritted his teeth and stood by what he said, and hopefully, Yao Ying wouldn"t abuse his offer too much.
"So, where"s s.h.i.+ Fu?" Yao Ying casually asked. "Oh... and also General Lin? I haven"t told him personally that I couldn"t attend the morning drill. I should pay my respect to him."
"Don"t worry! I already explained to my father that you were sick and not slacking off, so you should be fine. Coincidentally, s.h.i.+ Fu and my father are currently together. I will take you there!"
Yao Ying nodded and followed Lin Jian. However, he didn"t expect to see the scene in front of him when he saw both s.h.i.+ Fu and General Lin. His jaw practically dropped open in surprise, while Lin Jian only shook his head and sighed.
"Kneel down!" s.h.i.+ Fu said.
"But... s.h.i.+ Xiong! I am a general now!" General Lin whined. He felt like crying because of the old man in front of him. He would make him lose his dignity ah~.
"Although you are my general, you are still my s.h.i.+ Di." s.h.i.+ Fu said heartlessly and he crossed both of his arms in front of his chest, trying to intimidate General Lin.
"Errr.... Is General Lin s.h.i.+ Fu"s s.h.i.+ Di?" Yao Ling asked Lin Jian in surprise. He really didn"t see it coming!
"Yes," Lin Jian answered. He looked at the scene in front of him without a change of expression. It seemed like it was a usual occurrence and Lin Jian already got used to it.
"What did General Lin do? Why is he being punished?" Yao Ying looked around and there was no one around. "Why is there no one around?"
Lin Jian stifled his laughter. "Why are you bombarding me with so many questions? There"s an unspoken rule for everyone in this household. Whenever s.h.i.+ Fu is here, no one is allowed to stay near him. If something like this happens, there will be no witness. Otherwise, my father"s reputation will plummet."
Yao Ying: "Does this happen all the time?"
Lin Jian: "Yep..."
Yao Ying: "But... no one knows except us, right?"
Lin Jian: "Of course. Only us and Uncle w.a.n.g."
Yao Ying: "General Lin... does he always let s.h.i.+ Fu bully him like this?"
Lin Jian: "Yes..."
"Then the reason for the punishment?" Yao Ying asked again, still feeling curious.
"I"m not too sure myself. Just now, they were still perfectly fine," Lin Jian helplessly answered Yao Ying"s question. "Come on! Let"s hide and enjoy the show!" Lin Jian took Yao Ying to the nearest thick bush. They squatted down and watched the unfolding scene in front of them.
"Lin Zheng! Do you admit your wrong?" s.h.i.+ Fu asked Lin Zheng once again after General Lin kneeled down in front of him.
"s.h.i.+ Xiong, how can I admit that I"m wrong?! I really couldn"t find the wine that you wanted! It had been bought until not even one jug left. How can you blame me?" Lin Zheng looked at his s.h.i.+ Xiong indignantly. It was just a simple matter! However, he knew that wine was always s.h.i.+ Xiong"s bottom line. If he didn"t have their late s.h.i.+ Fu"s wish before he died to protect and listen to s.h.i.+ Xiong, he would already throttle the man in front of him. s.h.i.+ Xiong was already so old and yet still behaved like a little kid!
s.h.i.+ Fu squinted his eyes at Lin Zheng and slammed his hand on the table beside him, "Hmpf! You know that wine is my bottom line! Didn"t you remember what s.h.i.+ Fu had said before he pa.s.sed away?"
Lin Zheng gritted his teeth to the shameless person in front of him but still answered him nonetheless, "Remember."
"Recite it!"
"Lin Zheng, I know that you are a capable man, but I"m worried about your s.h.i.+ Xiong. Even though he"s a genius at martial arts, but his IQ is like a little kid. You have to be the magnanimous one and take care of him, okay?" Lin Zheng recited what his s.h.i.+ Fu said on his deathbed with a darkened face and to Yao Ying"s surprise, Lin Jian followed along and recited the whole things perfectly.
Yao Ying whispered softly, "How can you remember it so clearly?"
"You will if you heard these sentences almost every day for a few years," Lin Jian grinned. "Actually, Father can ignore s.h.i.+ Fu"s demand, but he respects the old man a lot. After all, s.h.i.+ Fu once saved Father when he almost died. Even though Father has to lower his dignity as a great general, but he never sees it as a silly thing to do. Yes, he sometimes is angry, but after it finishes, everything will back to normal. He really loves s.h.i.+ Fu dearly and treats him as his own brother."
Yao Ying thought to himself. "No wonder, Father said that there will be a good show when the old man is around. I bet if he"s here, he will be happy when he sees General Lin being bullied." He imagined w.a.n.g Luo Hai wicked smile and s.h.i.+vered inwardly. He couldn"t seem to fathom the love-hate relations.h.i.+p between the two of them. However, he was quite proud of General Lin, because he knew how to reciprocate and thank others for his merit toward him. An upright General!
"Don"t you want to save your father?" Yao Ying asked Lin Jian, feeling worried for General Lin.
Lin Jian also knew that this was already beyond outrageous. He scratched his chin and nodded, "Yes, I think we really have to save him from the humiliation." After that, he seemed to come up with an idea and laughed.
Lin Jian turned to Yao Ying and said, "Watch and learn! You will have to deal with this kind of scene once in a while and you have to know how to handle it. Our s.h.i.+ Fu is a bit eccentric."
Yao Ying nodded, but before he could say anything else, Lin Jian kicked Yao Ying"s b.u.t.t. Yao Ying was pushed by Lin Jian"s kick and he flew out of the bush where they hid. Yao Ying landed near where s.h.i.+ Fu and General Lin were and he could only yelp, "Ahhh..."
"d.a.m.n! Is this what Lin Jian called to watch and learn?! He just made me his sacrificial lamb!" Yao Ying thought to himself and sweated because he knew that General Lin wouldn"t want Yao Ying to see him in this state.
Yao Ying didn"t know whether he should laugh or cry at this moment.