Chapter 112: Henpecked

"Brother, are you awake?"

Zhou Sen opened his eyes and, upon seeing that it was Wuen before him, braced his body slightly with his elbows. "Wuen, how long have I been asleep?"

"I didn't keep track, but you've been asleep since noon. It's already dark out," Wuen replied.

"Couldn't you have checked my watch for me?"

"Oh, right..." Wuen realized his mistake, lowered his head, grabbed Zhou Sen's left wrist, and took a look. "Brother, it's already seven-thirty."

Zhou Sen muttered to himself, "I actually slept for seven or eight hours."

"Brother, you must be hungry. I just roasted two steamed buns. You can have a sweet potato if you'd prefer..." Wuen said.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Boss Bai and Miss Axiang went out to take care of some business."

"What business? Why haven't they returned yet?" Zhou Sen felt a pang of worry upon hearing this and started to sit up in bed.

Although his chest still throbbed with a dull ache, it was not as painful as when he was first injured. The poultice provided by Bai Yulan was truly effective; it was worthy of being an ancestral secret recipe. He mused that he shouldn't lose this formula—it might be his ticket to making big money in the future.

"Help me up so I can relieve myself..."

Wuen hurried over, reached out to support Zhou Sen’s lower back, helped him off the bed, and draped a heavy coat over his shoulders.

Although the pain had subsided, any slight movement of his arm still hurt. The doctor’s advice to stay in bed and rest was, after all, well-founded.

After finishing, he washed his hands. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Bai Yulan and Axiang walking in from the courtyard.

"Yulan..."

"Why are you up?" Bai Yulan walked over quickly, her voice tinged with reproach.

"I’ve been sleeping all afternoon, I just got up to use the facilities," Zhou Sen explained.

"Then hurry back to bed. With an injury like yours, you need to lie down for three days to recover properly," Bai Yulan instructed, then turned to Axiang. "Axiang, go and boil the medicine."

"Did you go out to buy medicine for me, Yulan?" Zhou Sen asked, moved.

"What else? One of the ingredients was hard to find, which is why I’m only back now," Bai Yulan explained as she persuaded Zhou Sen back into the room. It was better not to let him know about the situation with Scar Liu; at the very least, now was not the right time to speak of it.

"Oh, thank you for the trouble."

"How are you feeling?" Bai Yulan asked.

"Not as painful, though my chest feels a bit swollen. It’s bearable, though," Zhou Sen said, touching the area where he had been shot.

"The swelling is caused by soft tissue contusion. That’s normal. By tomorrow morning, once the swelling goes down, you’ll be fine," Bai Yulan said.

"I’m hungry. Can you get me something to eat? Something to whet my appetite?"

"Just wait."

...

"Big Brother, Su Wenqing is sending people to inquire about the shooting case at Xiaonan Garden," Li Shaotang said as he pushed open the door and entered.

Lin Dakuan waved his hand, signaling the woman in the room to leave. She was his mistress at the Qunxian Clubhouse, and she basically lived and ate there. Naturally, he didn't have to spend a dime.

"It seems this case has something to do with Su Wenqing. Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to dig for information?" Lin Dakuan peeled a peanut and popped it into his mouth.

"Indeed. Possession of illegal firearms is a serious crime. If they catch him, it’ll be enough to cause Su Wenqing a world of trouble," Li Shaotang noted.

Lin Dakuan cast a sideways glance. "It’s useless. Behind Su Wenqing is Garrison Commander Kato, a man who dares to go head-to-head with Shibuya."

"If those people were Su Wenqing’s men, then who were the others?" Li Shaotang asked. "Could they be from Qin Laoqi’s side?"

"Any movement from Qin Laoqi’s end?"

"None. While he has people looking into the situation, it’s nothing compared to the effort Su Wenqing is putting in," Li Shaotang replied.

"Why hasn't old Zou arrived yet? He’s late for drinks every single time."

"You know what his wife is like at home. It’s a miracle he managed to get out at all," Li Shaotang chuckled, clearly having teased him about it many times before.

"Fine, let’s start drinking," Lin Dakuan said.

"Big Brother, analyzing the current situation, Su Wenqing must have come out on the losing end, otherwise he wouldn’t be so desperate," Li Shaotang said. "If he asks us about it, how should we respond?"

"The investigation is classified. How could we possibly disclose it to an outsider?"

"Understood."

"Big Brother, I’m here! Where’s Miss Xiaohong..." Zou Shuxun burst through the door, hurried and flustered. His wife at home was too difficult to deal with; if not for the special nature of his job, he would never have managed to sneak out for a night of drinking and entertainment.

...

In a private room at the Musashino.

Anna, dressed in a kimono, sat on her knees with her hands folded before Saburo Shibuya. Seeing him finish his drink, she immediately reached out to refill his cup.

"Is he still at the Ningxiang Pavilion?"

"Yes, Mr. Shibuya," Anna nodded.

"Then his life should be out of danger," Saburo Shibuya breathed a sigh of relief. "Have you found out who is pulling the strings?"

"It should be Su Wenqing. Yesterday afternoon, Su Wenqing’s daughter, Su Yun, sent him a letter. Although I don't know the contents, I suspect it was an invitation to meet in private," Anna explained.

"Su Wenqing’s daughter left Harbin by train last night!" Saburo Shibuya said slowly. He had long known that Su Yun and Zhou Sen were acquainted, but how close they were was hard to say. Still, Zhou Sen’s face certainly had the potential to be a "kept man," something that even made him feel a bit jealous.

"Oh?"

"It seems that beauty is the source of all trouble," Saburo Shibuya sighed. "Tomorrow morning, go to the Ningxiang Pavilion. Inquire about the situation, see how his injuries are, and find out when he can return to work."

"Yes, Mr. Shibuya."

"Any results on Front?"

"Mr. Front has been at the 'Sen' firm, reviewing the materials and items left behind by Shergin. So far, there have been no discoveries."

"And Zhou Sen’s belongings?"

"Zhou Sen has a great many items. Unless we add more manpower, it will be difficult to finish searching through them in a short time," Anna said.

"I will arrange for more people to go there, though not too many. He will likely spend the next few days recovering at the Ningxiang Pavilion, which is exactly the opportunity you need," Saburo Shibuya said.

"Understood. But what if he finds out?"

"It doesn’t matter. You can just tell him directly. I presume he won’t object."

Saburo Shibuya’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a flash of intense killing intent. Su Wenqing was starting to forget his place. Being so reckless—even with Kato backing him—if he violated the Empire’s greatest taboos, the consequences would be more than he could bear.

...

The fire actually didn't last long before it was extinguished. The blaze inside the room melted the snow on the roof, and the resulting water doused the flames.

The damage was confined to the room that had burned; the neighbors didn't even realize there had been a fire next door until the acrid smoke drifted over.

The fire department arrived.

After breaking down the door, they soon carried out a male corpse, charred beyond recognition. They also found a rifle that had been burned down to just its barrel.

Who in their right mind would keep a rifle at home? They certainly weren't a good person.

The cause of the fire was quickly determined: the deceased had been smoking opium inside, lost in a daze, and accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, igniting the fire that consumed him.

This is what they call "courting death."

As for why he didn't cry out for help, that was a mystery known only to the dead man himself.

It’s better to avoid trouble than to seek it out. Who wanted to go looking for problems in this freezing weather? In any case, the dead man was likely no saint; anyone keeping a standard-issue rifle in their home surely had dark secrets.

...

After dinner, Bai Yulan told Zhou Sen about Qin Lang’s visit.

"That Second Young Master Qin isn't as dull as I thought. I was going to give him a hint, but he figured it out on his own," Zhou Sen said with a laugh.

"You, you can still laugh? Others are selling you out, and you’re still counting the money for them," Bai Yulan chided.

"It’s not that bad. This was purely an accident. Didn't I take every precaution? Unless it was a headshot, I wouldn't die," Zhou Sen chuckled, hearing the concern in Bai Yulan’s voice.

"Still talking tough. You were lucky this time, but that might not be the case next time," Bai Yulan scolded.

"I know. I won't put myself in danger again next time. I truly didn't expect this. Qin Xiong is a viper hiding in the shadows, biting whenever he gets a chance. He’s impossible to guard against," Zhou Sen said with hatred.

"Just be careful from now on," Bai Yulan nodded. She wished she could kill Qin Xiong, but he was not only Qin Laoqi’s son but also the son-in-law of Jin Rongsheng, the current Police Commissioner of Manchukuo.

Killing Qin Xiong wasn't the hard part; the difficulty lay in dealing with the retaliation from Qin Laoqi and Jin Rongsheng. Although Jin Rongsheng had left Harbin, his influence over the city was far beyond what the current Chief, Bai Enming, could compare to.

"Sister Lan, Brother Sen’s medicine is ready," Axiang walked in carrying a bowl of broth that was as black as ink, steam rising from it.

"Here, drink your medicine. It’s most effective while it’s hot, and it’ll strengthen your constitution," Bai Yulan said, reaching out to take it.

"Will it boost my virility?"

"Drink it and you'll see. It contains my family’s secret recipe—this one bowl is worth ten bowls of ordinary medicine!" Bai Yulan’s face turned red, and she shot Zhou Sen a glare. This rascal was teasing her again.

"I’ll drink it. I’d drink it even if it were poison," Zhou Sen laughed.

Bai Yulan rolled her eyes helplessly and used a spoon to feed the medicine to Zhou Sen, mouthful by mouthful.

If not for the sweetness of being "fed medicine," Zhou Sen would have wanted to pinch his nose and gulp it down all at once—the broth was incredibly bitter.

"After you finish the medicine, get some rest."

"Alright. You’ve been busy all day, go rest yourself. Wuen can take care of me here," Zhou Sen said. He knew how hard Bai Yulan had worked running around to buy the medicine.

Bai Yulan nodded and instructed Wuen to stay alert during the night.

...

When he woke up, Zhou Sen felt much more comfortable in his chest. The oppressive feeling from the night before was mostly gone, and his breathing was much easier.

However, when he tried to sit up, he still felt a dull ache in his chest.

Wuen had been up for a while. Zhou Sen called out, and Wuen, who was sweeping the courtyard, dropped the broom and hurried inside.

"Get my clothes and shoes. I’m getting up."

"Brother, Sister Lan said you should stay in bed and not get up," Wuen said, walking over.

"I’m just going out for a breath of air. The room is too stifling," Zhou Sen said. "You should listen to your Sister Lan when you should, but sometimes..."

Bai Yulan walked in through the door with her eyes wide with irritation. Zhou Sen quickly offered a sheepish smile. "I was just joking with Wuen. I actually just need to use the facilities."

"You can use the facilities inside!"

"I’m going for a number two, that doesn't seem very convenient..."

Bai Yulan glared at him. "Go on, then. Remember to wash your hands and come back to eat."

"Right, got it." With Wuen’s assistance, Zhou Sen finally found an opportunity to get out and catch a breath.

"Wuen, where are my cigarettes?"

"Sister Lan confiscated them a long time ago. She’s afraid you won't be able to resist, start smoking, and end up coughing, which might reopen your barely healed wounds."

"Sigh, they say marriage is a man’s grave. I’m not even married yet, and she’s already managing me," Zhou Sen shook his head and sighed.

"I wish someone would manage me..."

The old ox was finally beginning to understand, starting to feel the stirrings of longing.