Chapter 136: You Like Her Too

On the way to Fuxu Port, Li Shan revealed a great deal of news to Ding Li. Although this shipment of cargo had encountered mishaps halfway, resulting in considerable casualties, the majority of the compensation was covered by the Zhang Family Guild and the local garrison. Furthermore, as Miao Cuihua had previously mentioned, this armed escort trip was indeed quite lucrative. Even after distributing the severance and compensation funds for the fallen guards, the remaining share for each surviving person was enough to cover a common person's living expenses for a whole month.

This was Ding Li's first time experiencing such an affair, and while he was surprised, he could understand it to some extent. Although escorts earned handsomely, such opportunities did not happen every day, and furthermore, one could lose their life at any moment. Putting one's head on the line was not something everyone was willing to do, after all.

The morning sun rose, and the early morning light spilled over Fuxu Port. The entire wharf was shrouded in a thin, pale golden haze, while thick water vapor steamed across the surface of the South China Sea. Fuxu Port was already overflowing with people; various merchants brought their crews here to load and unload cargo, yet they maintained an orderly atmosphere among themselves.

It was not until the Zhang Family Guild's convoy passed through the massive gate of the wharf that the surrounding order seemed to change in an instant. Everyone consciously or unconsciously cleared a sufficiently wide path for the convoy. Especially near the coastline, the awe in the eyes of the laborers working hard at the docks not only made the members of the Zhang Family Guild accompanying the convoy feel immensely pleased, but also deeply shocked Qin Mo, who had recently sworn allegiance to Ding Li. The look in Qin Mo's eyes as he turned back to glance at Ding Li once again grew somewhat more complex.

"Brother Li?! Brother Li!"

A hearty shout suddenly rang out from not far away. Ding Li turned his head to look and discovered that it was actually Aguda. Beside the visibly excited Aguda was Zhang Wu, wearing a meaningful smile. Upon confirming that it was indeed Ding Li, the former immediately broke into a run and charged forward, while the latter followed leisurely, sizing Ding Li up with a thoughtful gaze, as if this were their first meeting.

"Aguda! Long time no see, what brings you to the docks?" Ding Li strode up to him, slapped Aguda's solid shoulder heavily, and asked with a smile.

"Came to help out! Second Brother and Brother Wu sent me here!" Aguda gave an honest, foolish smile. After responding, he suddenly leaned forward, lowered his voice with a mysterious expression, and smilingly added, "Brother Li, our South China Sea Gang has really made a huge name for ourselves in Fuxu Port recently! But Second Brother said that's all the more reason to act carefully! That's why Ludachi was temporarily left in charge of Lesser South China Sea, and Second Brother transferred me over here! After all, there are too many people in Fuxu Port now. In case anything happens, with all us brothers around, we don't need to worry too much about any major chaos breaking out!"

"Mm, how are your injuries from last time?" Ding Li nodded understandingly, looking the other man over with a smile. As far as Ding Li was concerned, he really liked the bold, straightforward, and honest Aguda.

"I'm fine, just minor injuries! Second Brother's residence has no shortage of precious herbs, I was better in a few days!" Aguda immediately raised a hand to pat his solid chest, lifting his chin and laughing heartily.

While they were talking, Zhang Wu arrived before them. He cupped his fists slightly toward Ding Li, though his tone was somewhat peculiar and the smile on his face carried deep meaning: "Brother Li, trust you have been well since we last met!"

"It's been many days, Brother Wu, all is well here!" Ding Li smiled and returned the cupped-fist salute. He could guess that Zhang Wu was deliberately acting this way because he had left previously without saying goodbye, but rather than bickering with him, Ding Li prepared to change the subject, only to be interrupted by a cold huff from Zhang Wu.

"Hmph! Dare not, dare not! How could I dare accept such a greeting!" Zhang Wu was indeed still holding a grudge over the previous incident. What was supposed to have been a wonderful celebration banquet had been completely thrown into disarray by Ding Li's sudden departure. Not only that, but in the days that followed, not only did Zhang Yurou fail to give Zhang Wu a single pleasant look, but even Zhang Mingzhi wore a gloomy face all day long. Things had only improved a few days prior when Uncle Xiang arrived.

"Brother Wu is joking, just joking!" Knowing that his previous actions lacked consideration, Ding Li quickly forced a laugh to gloss over the matter. Then, taking a step forward, he lowered his voice to remind the other man: "Brother Wu, if there was anything lacking in what your brother did last time, I will personally host a banquet to apologize to you later! But with so many people here right now, Brother Wu surely won't hold onto such a small matter and refuse to let your brother off, right?"

"Hmph! A small matter? Only someone as fearless as you, Brother Li, would call that a small matter!" Zhang Wu let out another cold snort, though the second half turned into a low mumble. At the same time, he shook his head with a complaining expression and rolled his eyes at Ding Li twice. However, since Ding Li had already taken the initiative to yield, Zhang Wu found it hard to press the issue further. He turned his body aside to clear the way, muttered a few more dissatisfied grunts, and finally turned to look at Ding Li in confusion, asking, "Brother Li, what brings you suddenly to Fuxu? If I hadn't run into Fan Ying earlier today when passing the military camp, I would have thought you were still lost in the tender trap of Guangzhou City."

"Don't even mention it! Tender trap, my foot—going back there almost broke these old bones of mine!" Hearing Zhang Wu's malicious teasing, Ding Li put on a bitter expression, shaking his head and sighing helplessly. "If I had known, I wouldn't have gone back so early. Such a huge mess would have been much better left for you to clean up, Brother Wu! Now look at me, all my hard work goes unappreciated, and I've even earned a bad reputation in your eyes for lingering in a tender trap!"

"Alright, alright, I won't make fun of you anymore!" Seeing this, Zhang Wu felt it inappropriate to tease him further. He had already learned much from Uncle Xiang about what had happened to Ding Li in Guangzhou City, and Ding Li's life had indeed not been easy for a time after his return there. Zhang Wu let out a long sigh, turned to glance at the convoy that had already begun to busy itself, reached out to pull Ding Li closer, leaned in, and said with a mysterious air: "Brother Li, how on earth did you manage to strike up a conversation with Uncle Xiang? And with Uncle Fu as well! Besides, from what I gather of Uncle Xiang's intentions, he seems quite interested in you!"

"What's so strange about that? Isn't the South China Sea Gang supported by the Zhang Family Guild? I work for the Zhang Family Guild, is Uncle Xiang's reaction really that strange?" Ding Li glanced sideways at Zhang Wu and replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Yet in his heart, he also felt quite perplexed. Ever since Uncle Xiang had sent Heizi to test him last time and then taken him to Mingxiang Teahouse to introduce Uncle Fu, Ding Li had felt that Uncle Xiang's attitude toward him was very strange. Lacking the reason behind it, Ding Li could only rely on his intuition to be certain that Uncle Xiang harbored no malicious intent toward him, and he didn't sense any motive of surveillance from Heizi, who had been assigned to his side.

Hearing Ding Li's explanation, Zhang Wu curled his lips in disdain, muttered a few more words under his breath, and then pressed on: "Brother Li, did you come to Fuxu this time because of the Cao Family Guild's cargo?"

"Of course! Why else would I run all the way out here? You and Second Brother are both here; surely you wouldn't think I'd miss out!" Ding Li gave Zhang Wu a sidelong glance, frowned, and retorted, "Brother Wu, why is it that after not seeing you for a while, your mind seems a bit slow?"

"Ah! Don't remind me!" Hearing this, Zhang Wu's face instantly turned as bitter as a gourd. Waving his hands at Ding Li, he sighed with aggrieved sorrow: "Ever since you left overnight last time until Uncle Xiang arrived a couple of days ago, Second Brother hasn't paid attention to a single thing. He locked himself in his room every day and would occasionally get dead drunk! Even Sister Rou rarely showed her face. For such a long time, I've only eaten two meals with the two of them, and the words spoken during those meals totaled less than ten sentences, lasting barely a quarter of an hour each time! Because of this, Second Brother even cast aside the guild's affairs, leaving me to handle everything. Coupled with the sealing of Guangzhou Port, Fuxu Port has been bustling like a boiling pot every single day—I haven't had more than three hours of rest a day!"

Saying this, Zhang Wu turned and pointed to his swollen eye sockets, continuing his complaints to Ding Li: "See this? I got back at the fourth watch last night, and before the fifth watch, I was back out again! Except for being able to rest for a little while in the carriage on the way here, my total sleeping time a day is barely two hours!"

"Ah, you've really had a tough time!" Ding Li looked at him sympathetically, smiled, and gestured with his chin toward Aguda, who was busy directing operations among the crowd not far away, teasingly asking: "I see Brother Aguda is quite capable of keeping busy; can't he help you out here at all? For this whole while, Brother Aguda has been doing all the work while you've just been standing here talking to me!"

"Oh, Brother Li, it's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!" Zhang Wu bumped his shoulder against Ding Li in dissatisfaction, scratched his slightly disheveled hair in annoyance, and then let a trace of relief show on his face. "Sigh! He only just learned how. A while ago, when Brother Aguda first arrived here, he was just standing guard and keeping watch! He didn't understand a thing, wasn't even familiar with the docks of Fuxu Port, and could practically get lost just walking around!"

"Hahaha, you really know how to talk!" Listening to Zhang Wu's exaggerated complaints, Ding Li patted him on the shoulder, inwardly able to appreciate some of Zhang Wu's difficulties. After all, the Zhang Family Guild's business in Fuxu Port had suddenly surged, and on top of that, they had to constantly guard against the Cao Family Guild, which was also docking and unloading cargo here. For such a massive operation, managing it all with just Zhang Wu's capabilities was indeed somewhat straining.

"Hey! Brother Li, let me tell you something!" Zhang Wu looked at the bustling crowd before him with utter annoyance, shook his head distractedly, and quickly shifted his thoughts elsewhere. He suddenly nudged Ding Li with his shoulder again as Ding Li was looking around with great interest, then grabbed Ding Li's arm and dragged him without further ado into a relatively quiet corner. Staring at Ding Li with a mysterious and meaningful smile, he spoke up: "During this time, Sister Rou's two maids have frequently and seemingly unintentionally gone around the estate asking about how you're doing. I even caught them at it once!"

Hearing this, Ding Li felt his heart skip a beat, and the look he cast at Zhang Wu in that instant carried a hint of panic. He swallowed slightly, forced a calm expression, rolled his eyes at Ding Li, and replied nonchalantly: "So what? I thought it was some major matter!"

"Brother Li, did you really think you and Second Brother could keep it from me? To tell you the truth, I just haven't said anything about what's going on between the three of you, but I see it all crystal clear!" Zhang Wu gave Ding Li a shove, clearly dissatisfied with his forced composure. Then, the smile on his face instantly vanished as he stared fixedly at Ding Li with a serious expression and burning gaze. What he said next was undoubtedly like dropping a heavy bomb right onto Ding Li's fragile heart: "Sister Rou likes you, and you like her!"

Almost instantly, the heavy bomb detonated. With a deafening roar, the explosion left Ding Li feeling dizzy and disoriented, clueless about how to face it. Yet the sunlight overhead seemed exceptionally brilliant, shining down so fiercely that Ding Li found it impossible to open his eyes and look straight ahead.