Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 117 Wrestling

Her stomach hurt from hitting the sharp edge of the steps. Sitting on the steps, Nianyao had a sudden thought: Thank goodness she wasn't pregnant, otherwise…

Luo An and Zhou Yan walked over from the corner and happened to see Nian Yao rubbing her stomach with considerable force.

Luo An asked, "What's wrong? Is your stomach upset?"

Tiger helped Eighth Sister to the side, and said guiltily, "Young Master, I caused Madam to fall..."

Zhou Yan said sternly, "Tiger, the gang leader has been married before, and his health is precious. You can't act recklessly like before..."

Nianyao looked up, about to say that Zhou Yan was like an old woman, when she glanced at Yan Zeyu next to her, his hands clenched into fists and tucked into his sleeves, a sinister look flashing in his lowered eyes.

Nianyao felt a slight chill. In that instant, Yan Zeyu's face was completely open: "Brother Zhou, it has nothing to do with Hu Zi, it's me..."

Zhou Yan interrupted him: "None of you should take the blame. Luckily, the gang leader wasn't pregnant and is fine this time, otherwise none of you would have escaped. The gang leader and Doctor Luo let you off the hook, but I can't let them... Gang leader, you need to be careful. If something really happens, you'll be the one who regrets it the most..."

Nianyao stood up and hugged Zhou Yan's arm: "Uncle Zhou... don't worry... I'm a lucky person, I'll definitely be safe and sound..."

Zhou Yan quickly pulled his arm away, his words tumbling out: "Boss...you...you...why are you acting all cute..."

Tiger quickly complained, "Uncle Zhou, you don't know, the gang leader is in Bianjing..."

Nianyao glanced at him coldly, and Hu Zi immediately covered his mouth tightly. Everyone laughed.

Nianyao said, "Uncle Zhou, Hu Zi is now a medical apprentice in Luo'an. I happen to be short of a guard, so why don't you trouble Captain Yan?"

Zhou Yan nodded: "I think Zeyu is suitable. He's meticulous, steady, and highly skilled, much better than someone as dim-witted as Huzi. What do you think, Zeyu?"

Yan Zeyu bowed deeply, saying, "I am deeply honored."

Tiger muttered, "I'm not stupid..."

Nianyao was eager to return home and set off immediately after breakfast. Zhou Yan personally inspected the boat: "Don't worry, Chief, unless I die, Xiling will not be able to cross Jiangxin Island."

Nianyao looked up towards the Xiang River: "Uncle Zhou, why hasn't the Jinhe Gang made a move?"

Luo An glanced at Nian Yao.

Zhou Yan laughed, "He wouldn't dare. If he dares to go down to Jingjiang, I'll chop him down... Don't worry, Chief, even if Brother Liu isn't here, I'll still be here..."

Nianyao nodded, then suddenly asked, "Uncle Zhou, were you and Magistrate Jiang of Wudong County both subordinates of General Xue before?"

Zhou Yan hadn't expected Nian Yao to change the subject so quickly: "Wh...what's wrong?"

Nianyao said, "Uncle Zhou, my mother is the eldest son, and I'm quite a competent uncle, aren't I?"

After Nianyao finished speaking, she boarded the ship with a smile, leaving Zhou Yan standing on the dock in a daze.

With the battle raging between Xiling and Nanyue, the Dahe Gang members all retreated. Their business was affected, but their safety was not a concern. Xue Yunting and Xu Sheng were left behind, and Nianyao was in a good mood.

Sailing downstream from Jiangxin Island, Nianyao sat at the bow, bored. "Luo An, your old flame, Sister Su, is up ahead. Do you want to go visit her?"

"So this is your old flame?" Luo An glanced at her disdainfully, accepting the provocation: "Go ahead, you can't be heartless, you can't be fickle."

Nianyao snorted coldly: "You want to go? I'm not going."

Fate had other plans. Suhexiang stood at the bow of the boat and stopped them, inviting them to visit Baguazhou.

Nianyao hated herself for her jinxed mouth; she wanted to slap herself. Luo An, on the other hand, was completely relaxed. When Su Hexiang greeted him, he casually replied, "Ship Manager Su, how have you been?"

Nianyao helped Luo An up: "Sister Su, it's only natural for a man to marry and a woman to be married. You're twenty-one this year, fair-skinned and beautiful, while Captain Yan is twenty-eight, dashing and extraordinary. I think you two are a perfect match. If you have no objections, why don't I act as matchmaker and arrange this marriage?"

Everyone was stunned. Was Nianyao just making things up on a whim? But after Nianyao's words, everyone felt that Yan Zeyu and Su Hexiang were indeed a good match, both in terms of strength and looks.

Nianyao turned her head and asked, "Luo An, what do you think?"

Luo An was fair after all: "It depends on what the two ship owners think."

Yan Zeyu interjected, “Chief, Chief Su is a woman of great talent and ability, and she should be matched with someone like Doctor Luo… Since Doctor Luo is already married, I think Young Master Xu is quite good, and their ages are similar.”

Su Hexiang, proud and arrogant, wouldn't allow Yan Zeyu to refuse first, and immediately said, "Last year in the ship selection competition, Brother Yan won first place. How could I possibly be worthy of such a position? Marriage is a private matter. The gang leader should focus more on the Great River Gang."

This year, the gang's income has plummeted. While the brothers don't say it openly, they're quite resentful behind the scenes. It's likely that many will leave the gang and go offshore after the year-end bonuses are distributed.

Nianyao said, "The Great River Gang has no people and no food, and it guards the river alone. It has no reason to exist."

Su Hexiang frowned: "What does the gang leader mean?"

Nian Yao said calmly, "Making money in the river and settling down on land, the Great River Gang is just a transitional and expedient thing for all the brothers. As long as the brothers are safe and happy, what does it matter whether they leave the gang or not?"

Su Hexiang said, "If the old master knew that you had this idea..."

Nianyao's expression turned slightly cold: "If my father truly wanted to expand and strengthen the Great River Gang, he wouldn't have chosen me as its leader. He only hoped for the Great River Gang to be safe, for the brothers to be safe, and for there to be no infighting or killing each other..."

Mentioning her father, Nianyao became somewhat sentimental. Luo An said, "Chief Su only needs to ensure the safety of the Baili River section; the gang leader can take care of everything else."

Does that mean she's meddling? Su Hexiang asked, "I have a question, could you please enlighten me, Doctor Luo? What exactly is the difference between me and Chief Xue?"

In terms of looks, intelligence, and martial arts... in what way is Su Hexiang inferior to Xue Nianyao?

Luo An replied calmly and respectfully, "President Su and Nian Yao are like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums; it's not a matter of who is better or worse."

Su Hexiang pressed further, "So, do you prefer spring orchids or autumn chrysanthemums?"

Nianyao didn't consider herself to have a particularly good temper, but she was upright and had a broad perspective. Logically, after returning to Bianjing to meet her relatives and elders and pay respects to her parents, she should have felt settled. Unexpectedly, after returning to the Dahe Gang, she felt restless and uneasy, with a feeling that something was about to happen.

Su Hexiang was being unreasonable, so Nianyao didn't hold back at all: "Sister Su, if you want to be a concubine, just say so. How can I, the leader of a gang, not have the demeanor of a principal wife?"

Su Hexiang asked, "Chief Xue, are you really pregnant?"

Nian Yao steeled her heart and said arrogantly, "Want to come see me tonight?"

The entire room fell silent. This guy's shamelessness was thicker than the walls of Nanxun Gate. Luo An's handsome face flushed slightly, a rare occurrence: "Ship Manager Su, we've been away from Chongming Island for a long time and are eager to get back. Perhaps we should reschedule for another day?"

Su Hexiang smiled and said, "Dr. Luo, I have no problem making an appointment another day. I'm just worried that if the leader can't conceive, he'll blame me for not being there to help. I can't bear that blame."

She is, after all, a woman of the martial world, competitive and unconcerned with trivial matters.

Eighth Sister tugged at Tiger's sleeve and whispered, "So it's not that eating is shameless, it's that women who know kung fu are all shameless..."

Eighth Sister thought only Tiger could hear her, but then she saw everyone turn to look at her. Eighth Sister was startled and hid behind Tiger, not daring to show her face.

Tiger stood up for justice: "If the gang leader can't conceive, there must be something wrong with the young master. How can we let Captain Su take the blame for nothing?"