I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Zhou Kang covered his face and turned around. He saw Xiao Mingyuan standing in front of him, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Xiao Mingyuan clapped his hands.

"Others might not dare to hit you, but do you think I would?"

Zhou Kang covered his face, wanting to speak, but Xiao Mingyuan raised his hand and patted him on the back of the head again.

"What do you mean, 'you'? You think you can get away with this?"

After being slapped twice, Zhou Kang finally reacted, took a half step back, and glanced at Xiao Mingyuan with a pale face.

He glanced at Xu Qing standing behind him, but ultimately didn't say anything back. He turned around, squeezed into the crowd, and ran away without even looking back.

Xiao Mingyuan watched his back disappear into the alleyway, snorted irritably, and then looked at the brother and sister, his tone softening a bit.

"Are you alright? Come on, let's get something to eat first."

Xu Qing nodded and led Zhou Xing and Zhou Nan into a noodle shop next door.

Xiao Mingyuan ordered four bowls of hot soup noodles, plus two plates of braised beef and several sesame seed cakes.

Zhou Nan lowered her head and ate several bites before raising her head. Her eyes were still red, but her hands were no longer trembling.

While eating, Xu Qing asked about Zhou Xing and Zhou Nan's situation.

Zhou Xing originally worked as a laborer at the docks, and Zhou Kang had often coaxed him into doing corvée labor.

Later, he was told there was an opportunity to join the army and get a good job, which tempted Zhou Xing.

After he left, Zhou Kang tricked his parents into transferring ownership of the family's farmland under the pretense of taking care of it for him.

Actually, it had already been sold at that time.

The money from selling the land passed through Zhou Kang's hands and never returned.

At that time, those so-called "custodial care" arrangements were actually just registering the property under the name of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, which could avoid agricultural taxes. Many people did this, but usually they registered it under the name of a scholar from their own clan.

In cases like Zhou Kang's, at least a written agreement would be drawn up, but neither party did.

It's clear that Zhou Kang's scheme to seize Zhou Xing's land holdings was premeditated.

By the time Zhou's parents realized something was wrong, it was too late. Overwhelmed with anger and grief, they fell ill one after another and passed away within a few months.

Zhou Nan had been struggling alone at home for half a year, but she simply couldn't take it anymore.

He then wrote a letter to the military camp explaining the situation.

When Zhou Xing returned and heard what had happened, he immediately sought out Zhou Kang for an explanation.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing asked in confusion.

"Didn't you tell your brother when your parents passed away?"

Zhou Nan was about to cry again...

Zhou Xing explained on his behalf: "At that time, Zhou Kang hadn't yet shown his true colors. He lied to my sister, saying that I was at a crucial moment, and if I came back, I would miss my chance for promotion..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingyuan slammed his fist on the table in anger, "Damn it, Zhou Kang is a real scoundrel!"

Xu Qing put down her chopsticks and glanced at Zhou Xing.

This man didn't talk much, but his eyes were incredibly resolute.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans next?"

Zhou Xing shook his head with a wry smile.

"We don't know what to do either. We sold our old house a long time ago to pay off debts, and now we're homeless."

Xiao Mingyuan patted the table again.

"Zhou Kang, you bastard, forced you into a dead end. Well then, stay here with me for now. The Xiao residence is spacious enough that we don't need more than two rooms. Settle down first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Before Zhou Xing could speak, Zhou Nan couldn't help but glance at Xiao Mingyuan, then at Xu Qing. "Is it really possible?"

Xiao Mingyuan grinned. "Of course!"

Xu Qing nodded and added a sentence.

"Yes, settle in first, we'll talk about the rest once things have settled down. I just bought a house, and we're short-handed at home, so you can come and help out then."

……

After settling the brother and sister in, it was completely dark.

Xu Qing and Xiao Mingyuan came out of the Xiao residence with two guards.

Each person carried a food box containing osmanthus cake, hawthorn balls, braised chicken, and several pieces of braised pork.

The two walked through the night and arrived at the gate of the house.

Su Man was already waiting there with two attendants.

She changed into a light green short-sleeved top that was easy to move in, with a narrow belt tied around her waist, making her look much more agile.

She saw the food box the two men were carrying and nodded.

"I've brought everything. The rope, tinder, and candles are all in the attendant's backpack. I don't know if I'll have a chance to use them today."

Xu Qing laughed and said, "Don't worry, if there's no chance today, there will be another day."

After the group went inside, several attendants waited at the back gate.

The three of them walked to the well in the backyard.

The wellhead was still covered by half a bluestone slab, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the locust tree leaves.

Xu Qing placed two pieces of osmanthus cake and a piece of braised pork on the edge of the well, then bent down and shouted into the well.

"Hey, are you there? It's us."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft gurgling sound came from the wellhead, as if in response.

Immediately afterwards, a claw stretched out from under the stone slab and grabbed the edge of the well, and a hairy head poked out.

After confirming it was Xu Qing, its eyes lit up in the night, and it leaped up.

The monkey landed on the well platform, glanced at the two pieces of osmanthus cake, but did not rush to eat them. Instead, it tilted its head to look at Xu Qing, and then at Xiao Mingyuan and Su Man behind him.

Only after confirming that everyone was a familiar face did it land and then take another half step away.

Xu Qing didn't rush forward. She opened the food box, placed it on the ground, and took a step back.

"This is all for you, eat slowly. Besides the osmanthus cake, there's also some meat today."

The monkey then bent down, picked up the osmanthus cake, took a bite, chewed it twice, and let out a satisfied hum.

Xiao Mingyuan squatted down next to Xu Qing, took out a tinderbox, and blew on it to light an orange flame, illuminating a small patch of ground around the well and also the monkey's face.

He held up the tinderbox and waved it at the monkey. "Brother Monkey, look at this, do you recognize it?"

Before he could finish speaking, the monkey's reaction surprised everyone.

The moment it saw the firelight, it abruptly dropped the osmanthus cake in its hand, covered its eyes with its two front paws, and shrank back sharply.

It let out a series of rapid, sharp cries.

Seeing this, Xu Qing reached out and snatched the tinder from Xiao Mingyuan's hand, then blew it out.

As soon as the fire went out, the monkeys' cries immediately stopped.

It slowly lowered its paws, cautiously poked its head out to check, and only relaxed again after confirming that the fire was gone.

Xu Qing pressed his hands down and leaned forward to explain.

"Sorry, we didn't know you didn't like this."

Su Man watched this scene from the side, her eyes flickered, and she whispered something.

"It seems to be afraid of firelight."

Xu Qing nodded, put the tinder into his sleeve, picked up the fallen osmanthus cake from the ground, wiped off the ash, and put it back next to the food box.

"There's no light anymore, let's eat now."

The monkey stared at him for a while before picking up the osmanthus cake again and stuffing it into its mouth. After chewing a few times, it resumed its previous contented expression.

Then it picked up the braised pork and roast chicken and tasted a piece of each.

After finishing the food, the monkey was even happier, giving a thumbs-up and making a joyful sound.

Xu Qing watched it finish eating, and then ate the hawthorn pill before she felt relieved.

He stood up and spoke to Xiao Mingyuan and Su Man.

"When we come back tomorrow, we need to prepare something for him. That way, he won't have to only come out at night anymore."