The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 113 The lingering ghost
Ah Ku gives the beggars good food and drink? Wu Chengyu didn't care. After all, she was a little beggar herself back then. Plus, she's kind-hearted by nature. Now that she has the means, it's normal for her to want to help those poor people. Wu Chengyu can afford it.

He didn't go to find A-Ku immediately. Instead, he went upstairs to his reserved seat and sat down. He had no interest in pretending to read the Taoist scriptures anymore. Even the girls on the bridge outside the window seemed to have lost their color. He was preoccupied with his thoughts.

In terms of merit, Shi Miyuan was not much worse than Qin Hui. What would a modern person think if they traveled to ancient times and suddenly discovered that they were a potential member of Qin Hui's faction?

Kill Shi Miyuan? To solve everything at its source, Wu Chengyu suddenly felt a surge of impulse.

Wu Jinshui walked over with a few snacks to go with the drinks. He knew that Wu Chengyu rarely drank, but judging from his current appearance, he probably wanted a drink.

"You're putting it on my tab again?"

"Of course, you're from the direct line, and I'm from a collateral branch. Our monthly allowances are vastly different. I'm keeping an eye on Ah Ku for you today, so you have to treat me to a meal."

Yes, Wu Chengyu remembered that he was a direct descendant of the Wu family.

A plate of stir-fried snails with perilla leaves, a plate of salted duck, a plate of roasted bamboo shoots with dried tofu and red toon sprouts, a small plate of drunken shrimp, and a pot of Shaoxing wine—typical Jiangnan specialties.

However, Wu Chengyu was looking forward to some Northern-style snacks to accompany his drinks: luncheon meat, fried peanuts, smashed cucumber, and a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). Compared to the South, the more straightforward and hearty Northern way of eating made him feel more relaxed.

There was no luncheon meat, the peanuts were still in America, and there was no high-distilled liquor in this era. All that was left was a smashed cucumber, which didn't really impress anyone.

Wu Chengyu felt lost again. Five years of time travel had indeed helped him adapt to this era, but some things could never be found again.

The two chatted casually, with Wu Jinshui doing most of the talking, while Wu Chengyu, not very interested, barely kept up the conversation.

"Speaking of which, your little wife is really something. Just now, a few pigs were brought over from the village, but they couldn't get into the back alley. Your Ah Ku carried one pig in each hand, as easily as I carry a pot of wine. From the back alley to the restaurant's kitchen, a full thirty feet, she carried them over in one go without even breaking a sweat."

You know, that pig weighed nearly 300 jin (150 kg). I'm from the Wu family, and I'd heard that A-Ku was born with superhuman strength, so I could accept it to some extent. The kitchen helpers hired from Suzhou were all dumbfounded.

Our restaurant's chef, Chef He, immediately asked Ah Ku if she was engaged. A capable girl like her should of course be engaged to his son as soon as possible.

Then Ah Ku said, "She's your childhood sweetheart," and Master He realized that she was actually the boss's wife. Hahaha.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chengyu smiled naturally. For the past six months, everyone had been talking about A-Ku in front of him, and he was now completely desensitized to the term "child bride" and was no longer so resistant to it.

So the power of habit is terrifying. Just like how he used to only regard Wujiapo as a place to stay before he came of age, but now he has a stronger sense of belonging to the family and has long considered himself a member of the Wu family.

However, when it came to A-Ku, Wu Chengyu suddenly realized that almost half an hour had passed since he returned, and A-Ku had not appeared at all. What kind of beggar eats himself to death?

He subconsciously extended his senses and found Ah Ku still in the back alley.

Indeed, the back alley was packed with beggars, each holding a broken bowl and queuing up. They bowed and flattered Ah Ku with auspicious words that said "it's free," while taking a large spoonful of braised pork and a large spoonful of minced meat and tofu from Ah Ku's spoon, along with two steamed buns each.

Good heavens, no wonder Wu Jinshui said he would put it on his tab. A-Ku is really generous. Back when Wu Chengyu was begging for food, there wasn't a single shred of meat in the swill of those restaurants. These beggars are eating a lot of greasy food. I wonder if they'll have diarrhea tomorrow.

As for A-Ku, what to do? Of course, forgive her. Wu Chengyu has always doted on A-Ku, and A-Ku doesn't come to Wuweilou every day. It's still the same old saying: money talks. At this moment, the three large basins in front of A-Ku were all empty. A-Ku tapped the basins in front of her with a large spoon and said in a coquettish voice.

"All the good food for today has been distributed. If I come to Wuweilou again in the future, I will give everyone more good food. Now you can all leave."

The group of beggars then bowed again to thank Ah Ku, and some even wanted to kneel down and kowtow to him, but Ah Ku quickly stopped them.

As the beggars turned and left one by one, Wu Chengyu was about to withdraw his senses when he suddenly heard A-Ku say, "Uncle Qi, Uncle Qi, is the roast chicken delicious?"

Wu Chengyu almost choked on the wine in his mouth. He had noticed that there were quite a few beggars, but his attention was on A-Ku. He didn't notice that an old beggar was squatting in the corner of the back alley, holding a roast chicken and eating it with relish.

Why is it Hong Qigong again? Since Wu Chengyu transmigrated here, he has only encountered a few characters from the original work: Hong Qigong, Lu Youjiao, the Black Wind Duo, Qu Lingfeng, and Lu Chengfeng.

The others didn't have much screen time, but this Hong Qigong was the only one who wouldn't leave. The key point is that just three days ago, he impersonated someone else and fought with Hong Qigong, and even threw some aphrodisiac at him. How come Hong Qigong came knocking on his door so quickly?

Had he given himself away? Wu Chengyu carefully considered all the details of that night. It was unlikely. His figure and appearance were completely different from the Wu Chengyu that Hong Qigong had seen five years ago. Hong Qigong would never have imagined that Wu Chengyu could now possess such martial arts skills.

He probably didn't have such a wild imagination to connect the burly man from that night with the boy Wu Chengyu who had broken his leg.

So it's just a coincidence? How can there be so many coincidences in the world? I'm in charge of Wuweilou, and Hong Qigong just happens to appear there.

Wu Chengyu's mind was in turmoil, but one thing was certain: since Hong Qigong had appeared in the back alley of Wuweilou and found Aku, no matter the reason, he couldn't escape him.

He gestured for Wu Jinshui to do as he pleased, then got up and went downstairs to the kitchen.

As soon as I reached the back kitchen, I heard Ah Ku's voice coming from the back door of the kitchen again.

“One roast chicken isn’t enough, that’s right. Even one roast chicken isn’t enough for Ah Ku. With Seven’s martial arts skills, he can definitely eat more. You wait here, let me see if that pork hock is cooked yet.”

Wu Chengyu smiled bitterly. A-Ku's standard for judging the level of martial arts was whether one could eat. He hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and went out.

"It turns out to be Master Qi. It's been many years since we last met. Master Qi is still as dashing as ever. I was rescued by Master Qi back then, and I still remember it vividly."

Wu Chengyu looked at Hong Qigong, who was still squatting in the corner, gnawing on a chicken's rear end, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke with utmost politeness.

"Where did you get that sour talk? You weren't this polite back in the day. You were the kind of guy who would directly share the spoils with me. It's been years, and you've become less and less lovable."

"You poor girl, didn't you say there was pork hock? Hurry up and get it. Your brother is rich now; he can afford it."

"Alright, Seventh Master, you wait here," Ah Ku said, not even bothering with Wu Chengyu, and rushed back to the kitchen like a gust of wind.

Wu Chengyu and Hong Qigong were left staring at each other.

(End of this chapter)