Chapter 8: The Fuse

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Yu Chengfeng saw this and, holding An Ning’s hand, said to her, “It’s alright. From now on, we’ll eat rice and meat at every meal. You’ll get stronger and plumper, and then the bracelet won’t slip off so easily.”

An Ning lowered her head to look at the bracelet on her wrist, then glanced at the steaming, fragrant meat porridge on the table. She wanted to respond to Yu Chengfeng but didn’t know what to say, so she simply gave a soft hum.

Yu Chengfeng didn’t expect An Ning to immediately accept the changes; as long as she wasn’t afraid of him now, that was enough.

When he withdrew his hand from her wrist and saw An Ning secretly turning her wrist to admire the bracelet, he felt a hint of relief.

At the very least, An Ning was no longer afraid of him and could accept his care willingly—that was a step forward.

The two sat at the table and began eating the meat porridge. Yu Chengfeng didn’t enjoy it much because the meat hadn’t been treated to remove the gamey smell, nor was it blanched or seasoned; the strong gamey taste was somewhat difficult for him to accept.

An Ning, on the other hand, ate with great relish. This was the most delicious bowl of porridge she had ever tasted.

Even when Yu Chengfeng’s parents were alive, their family was extremely poor. They only dared buy a small piece of meat during the New Year, and each person got only a bite. At that time, An Ning often gave her share of meat to Yu Chengfeng.

Now, there was an abundance of fine rice and meat, more than she could eat, and this made An Ning begin to believe Yu Chengfeng’s words and kindle hope for the future.

She ate heartily and quickly; in just a few minutes, she finished the entire bowl of hot porridge, even picking out the grains stuck to the bowl with her fingers.

After finishing, she held the empty bowl and looked at Yu Chengfeng. At first, he was puzzled but soon understood her meaning and smiled, saying, “If you want more, just help yourself to another bowl. From now on, you don’t have to watch me; you can eat whatever you want in our home, just don’t upset your stomach.”

Encouraged by Yu Chengfeng’s words, An Ning immediately got up and ladled another bowl of porridge from the pot. Perhaps with something in her stomach already, she ate more gracefully this time.

Just as Yu Chengfeng felt a warm sense of peace, a sudden, forceful pounding on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Open the door! Yu Chengfeng! Open up!” The wooden door shook violently from outside. Judging by the tone of the shouting, the visitor was no friend.

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Squinting slightly, Yu Chengfeng told An Ning to return to the bedroom, then went alone to open the door in the courtyard.

As soon as he opened it, he saw Hou Quan standing outside, holding a dead fox. It must have been him pounding on the door earlier.

Behind Hou Quan stood Li Zhen, along with three or four soldiers armed with spears and long knives.

“What’s the matter?” Yu Chengfeng knew the situation was extremely unfavorable for him; staying calm was the only way to find a solution.

“That’s enough, Yu Chengfeng!” Hou Quan yanked the door wide open, stepped forward, and pointed at him. “How dare you steal my brother-in-law’s prey?”

Behind Hou Quan, Li Zhen crossed his arms and strolled in slowly. The soldiers pressed in behind him, weapons raised, trapping Yu Chengfeng in the center.

“Do you know that the pelts you sold all came from traps I set?” Li Zhen said triumphantly, a smug look on his face. To him, Yu Chengfeng was already firmly in his grasp. “I won’t argue with you. Just hand over all the money and goods from selling the pelts, and I’ll let you go this time.”

“The traps that caught the prey were set by me personally. That fox you’re holding was caught in my trap. So if anyone’s stealing, it’s probably you,” Yu Chengfeng replied calmly, his face unchanged.

“How dare you! You’re just a soldier household! You have the nerve to talk to a district commander like that?” Hou Quan immediately stepped forward and punched Yu Chengfeng, knocking him to the ground.

“He is a district commander, but not my direct superior. Besides, you stole my prey—why should I be polite?” Yu Chengfeng suddenly raised his voice. “According to imperial regulations, you can only manage the soldiers under you. If you want to manage me, you need my district commander’s approval!”

After shouting, Yu Chengfeng caught sight of a small figure darting past a gap between the men. He pinned his hopes on that figure.

“Yu Chengfeng, you’ve changed,” Li Zhen said hypocritically as he stepped forward, pulling Yu Chengfeng up and brushing the dust off his clothes. “But no matter how much you’ve changed, you’re still just a soldier household. You can’t possibly stand against me.”

“I advise you to hand over your trap-making method and all the money you have. This time, I’ll let you off. Otherwise, I’ll find an excuse to hang you and that straw wife of yours at the city gate,” Li Zhen threatened in a low voice right next to Yu Chengfeng’s ear.

Yu Chengfeng knew he needed to buy time. Pretending to be afraid, he said, “District Commander… please don’t do this. I’ll tell you the method right away.”

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Seeing Yu Chengfeng still acting cowardly, Li Zhen and Hou Quan broke into delighted grins, already planning how to spend the money once they had it.

Yu Chengfeng knew they didn’t know he had used lye, so he rambled on, talking about everything under the sun—sky, earth, water—without completing the explanation of how to make the traps.

Li Zhen and the others were not fools. Seeing through the delay, Li Zhen suddenly drew his sword with a clang and pressed the blade to Yu Chengfeng’s neck, gritting his teeth as he threatened, “If you don’t explain everything clearly in three to five sentences, I’ll cut off your dog’s head!”

Unexpectedly, Yu Chengfeng suddenly looked extremely aggrieved and shouted, “Even if you kill me, I will never frame our district commander!”

While Li Zhen was still puzzled, a strong, cold male voice rang out outside the courtyard gate: “Li Zhen! You’re quite the bully!”

Li Zhen and the others turned to see the district commander of the left district, clad in light armor and flanked by a dozen soldiers, standing outside with eyes full of anger.

Li Zhen had no authority over Yu Chengfeng, who was one of his soldiers. After following Gou Dan here, he overheard Yu Chengfeng’s words at the gate and naturally began to suspect Li Zhen’s motives.

There is a saying: once suspicion arises, guilt is presumed.

Though both were district commanders and rivals, this doubt, along with Li Zhen’s actions, was nearly the spark that would ignite open conflict between them.

“Who are you, daring to speak to a district commander like that?” Hou Quan, emboldened beyond reason, stepped forward and shouted at the left district commander.