Datou and Xiao Mi

While Fang Jibai was finishing off Ermao, Dai Chengyuan had not been idle either. He was outside Jiangjun Temple beating someone up. …… When Fang Jibai had gone to meet Ermao, he told Dai Chengyuan, "Beat him!" "How do I beat him?" "Knock him out!" "All right." Though he did not quite understand, Dai Chengyuan complied nonetheless. He turned and confronted the man tailing them. "Why are you following me?" "The road is wide enough for both of us—each walks his own side! What right do you have to... Ouch!" Charging forward with the momentum of a young bull, Dai Chengyuan landed a punch square on the man's nasal bone, and before the fellow could even react, kicked him into the roadside ditch. Immediately leaping into the ditch after him, Dai Chengyuan straddled the man and rained punches down upon him, not forgetting to shout, "You filthy scoundrel, have you ever seen a fist as big as a vinegar pot?!" Fang Jibai fished a cigarette case out of his pocket, flicked out a cigarette, struck a match to light it, and took a relaxed, comfortable puff with it between his lips. Ermao lay on the ground, completely still and peaceful, blood oozing from his neck. Straw was cushioned beneath him, already dyed red with blood. Fang Jibai shook his head. He had arranged for Xiao Mi to board the passenger boat in Zhenjiang that he himself was supposed to be on. Xiao Mi was clever and would discreetly ask around on board— asking about anything that occurred along the way on that passenger boat from Nanjing, which stopped at Zhenjiang before finally arriving in Danyang, especially fights, pickpockets, wandering hands, and other memorable incidents. He had also been tasked with eavesdropping as much as possible on passengers' loud private conversations and noting down their attire. All of this would serve as Fang Jibai's memory fragments and proof that he had taken that slow boat home. Who would have thought that despite calculating everything down to the finest detail, being overly cautious could still cause problems? After Xiao Mi got off the boat, he actually ran into Ermao at Tongfu Bridge Pier. "Xiao Mi, are you sure Ermao didn't say anything to anyone else?" Fang Jibai asked. "The moment he saw me, he asked where Fourth Brother was," Xiao Mi replied. "He said he'd been keeping his eyes peeled and hadn't seen you get off the boat with me. I could only stall him by saying his eyes must have played tricks on him—that you did get off the boat, but just left ahead of me." "Very clever," Fang Jibai said with a smile. "Stalling him was the top priority. But if I'm not mistaken, a rogue like Ermao would soon realize something was off." "Yes, Fourth Brother," Xiao Mi said. "Ermao caught on very quickly. He said you weren't on the boat at all, and pretending you were when you weren't meant you definitely had something shady to hide, and he even threatened to report it." "Fourth Brother," Xiao Mi continued, "I trailed Ermao the whole way and told him that as long as he came back with me and kept his mouth shut, you'd never treat him unfairly." "You did well." Fang Jibai ruffled Xiao Mi's hair in praise. He cast another glance at the corpse on the ground, his gaze calm. You refused the road to heaven only to barge through hell's gate. Ermao had brought this on himself. …… Footsteps approached from the temple entrance. "Fourth Brother, it's me." Dai Chengyuan glanced at Ermao's corpse on the ground without showing any surprise. Though he didn't know how Ermao had offended Fourth Brother, knowing Fourth Brother's character, Ermao had undoubtedly courted his own death. "Taken care of?" Fang Jibai asked. "Knocked out and tossed into the ditch," Dai Chengyuan nodded. "Once you get back, send a telegram to your Sixth Uncle at the Provincial Party Headquarters in Zhenjiang," Fang Jibai said. "Say someone from the Lücheng Party Affairs Investigation Department called you the nephew of a Red bandit ringleader, and you got furious and fought them." He paused, then frowned. "A telegram won't do. Arrange for someone from your family to take a letter to Zhenjiang." "Fourth Brother, will my Sixth Uncle believe it?" Dai Chengyuan mused. "The Investigation Department people have mouths too." "No, Uncle Dai will believe you, and he has to believe you." Fang Jibai handed a cigarette to Dai Chengyuan. "Kin cover for kin, don't you know?" What Fang Jibai left unsaid was that a man like Dai Tingfu actually lived in constant terror—not just of the Red Party eliminating him as a traitor, but even more so of the Nationalist Party slaughtering the donkey once it was done turning the millstone. Therefore, he could not afford to give the Nationalist Party any excuse to make a move against him. Dai Chengyuan had to be innocent, and this incident had to be framed as the Investigation Department acting out of line, slandering and bullying the Dai clan of Lücheng, Danyang. Furthermore, most importantly, the book Dai Chengyuan had found came from the Dai family library. Who was the original owner of that 'banned publication'? For Dai Tingfu to still possess such a banned book—what was he playing at? Fang Jibai could naturally guess that the traitor Dai Tingfu had simply overlooked it and forgotten to dispose of it. However, in matters like this, people only looked at the outcome; digging deep was practically impossible. Both out of public duty and personal interest, Dai Tingfu had to protect Dai Chengyuan! Not only that, he would have to bite back at the Lücheng Party Affairs Investigation Department to show his strength. "Datou, there's one more thing," Fang Jibai said to Dai Chengyuan. "When your Sixth Uncle returns in the future, you must insist that you had no idea it was a banned Red Party book, and that those people had ulterior motives and were just making a fuss over nothing to target you. Do you understand?" With a solemn expression, he told Dai Chengyuan, "Given how people perceive you, no one will doubt your word if you put it that way." "Fourth Brother, I understand." Dai Chengyuan rubbed his head, giving an honest, goofy smile. …… Those who kill frequently know that killing someone is easy, but disposing of the body can be quite troublesome. Fang Jibai did not have such worries. He had Datou and Xiao Mi. A little over a hundred paces west of Jiangjun Temple was the Grand Canal. Datou would be responsible for hauling the corpse onto an awning boat. Xiao Mi would take Ermao on a scenic tour along the Grand Canal before picking a picturesque stretch with good geomancy to dump the body into the water. Barring any accidents, the person who would fish Ermao out of the water at some point in the future would still be Xiao Mi. Xiao Mi made his living on the river and had grown up on the charity of a hundred households; dredging up floating corpses was also part of his daily routine. So Ermao would actually have to thank Xiao Mi for gathering his remains—a great favor indeed. "Fourth Brother, is everything all right?" Dai Chengyuan asked in a low voice. "Do you think anyone cares about a rogue like Ermao?" Fang Jibai flicked his ash, letting it fall onto Ermao's corpse. Dropping his gaze slightly, he remarked casually to Xiao Mi, "Once Ermao is moved, gather plenty of straw and burn it over the spot to chase away the bad luck." "Got it, Fourth Brother," Xiao Mi replied briskly. "How is it?" Fang Jibai asked with a smile, noticing Xiao Mi circling around him and inspecting him. "All clear," Xiao Mi said, smiling. "You're getting cleaner and quicker, Fourth Brother. Not a single drop of blood on you." "I should thank you for pinning Ermao down," Fang Jibai commended. "Just doing my part," Xiao Mi said, striking a heroic pose. Fang Jibai and Dai Chengyuan both burst out laughing. "Get to work, you two," Fang Jibai said. "Handle it quickly. There's still an unconscious man outside; they might come looking for him before long." "Understood." "Got it." Fang Jibai waved his hand and bid farewell to the two of them. …… In the tea fields, at the Fang residence. Double Happiness characters had already been pasted on doorways, wall tops, water vats, and the wedding trees. "Fourth Brother is back!" "Little Fourth is back!" "Fourth Brother." "Fourth Uncle." "Greetings, Fourth Grandfather." Fang Jibai exchanged greetings with relatives and friends along the way as he stepped into the courtyard. "What took you so long? What were you just doing?" Mother Fang scolded as she came out carrying a wooden basin. Her eyes, however, swept up and down him, and only after seeing her fourth son looking hale and hearty without a scratch or bruise did she finally put her heart at ease. "Where's Third Sister?" Fang Jibai asked. "In the house," Mother Fang said, pointing to the central room. "Third Sister! Third Sister!" Fang Jibai rubbed his face vigorously with both hands until his cheeks and eyes flushed red, then wailed, "Third Sister! Oh, Third Sister, I'm back! My dear Third Sister..." "This brat!" Mother Fang grabbed a broom, ready to swat him. The cloth door curtain was pushed aside, and Third Sister, clad in bright red, came storming out like a whirlwind. "Who are you wailing a funeral dirge for?! I'm getting married, not dying!" As she spoke, Third Sister delivered a clean, swift kick, knocking Fang Jibai flat on the ground.