“It seems neither of these two is simple. What are we going to do now?” Magistrate Liu paced back and forth in anxiety, then suddenly stopped and stared at the advisor with glowing eyes. “Advisor, is the case of that death-row inmate still in the retrial period?”
“Indeed it is, sir. But I wonder what you mean by this?” The advisor was completely baffled.
“How about we overturn the verdict during the retrial?” Magistrate Liu thought of a wild idea, clutching at straws like a sick man seeing any doctor.
“You cannot do that, sir! That wealthy patron Niu’s daughter is the beloved concubine of the prefect, and the prefect has influential backing at court. We must proceed with caution.” The advisor panicked upon hearing this; the magistrate must have lost his mind.
“Advisor, let us go to Wealthy Patron Niu’s house.” Remembering this connection, Magistrate Liu hurriedly dragged the advisor along and rushed toward Wealthy Patron Niu’s estate.
Upon arriving at Wealthy Patron Niu’s house, the two explained the situation, leaving Wealthy Patron Niu utterly shocked. He had originally thought that a carpenter’s apprentice with no family and few social ties would not stir up any ripples upon his death. He never expected this person to have such hidden depths. Panicked as well, Wealthy Patron Niu offered Magistrate Liu another thousand taels of silver and promised that all evidence had been thoroughly destroyed, assuring him he would also send someone to instruct his daughter to put in a good word with the prefect.
Looking at the gleaming silver taels, Magistrate Liu felt fully satisfied. Nothing else mattered anymore; with the prefect backing him from above and Wealthy Patron Niu cushioning him from below, surely nothing would happen to him.
As soon as he returned to the county yamen, Magistrate Liu issued arrest warrants for the two escaped felons.
After finishing breakfast, Cao Xiaohan lay in bed to rest and drifted off to sleep without realizing it. In his dream, he felt as though he were being roasted over an open fire, feeling extremely uncomfortable and wanting to wake up, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead and refused to lift, while his consciousness gradually began to blur. After dozing for who knows how long, he woke up in a haze and noticed a child around ten years old standing by the bedside, staring at him with wide, dark, curious eyes.
“You are awake! I am going to call my dad.” Seeing that the older brother who had been sleeping continuously had woken up, Huzi turned and ran outside. Before long, Danu walked in, evidently having just finished farm work since his clothes were still dusted with a bit of dirt.
“Little Brother Liu, you must be hungry, right? Just wait a bit longer and dinner will be ready. Your older brother went into the county town to get your medicine.”
Hearing this, Cao Xiaohan’s heart skipped a beat and flew straight up to his throat. What should they do? They were wanted criminals who had broken out of prison; could Brother Liu be in any danger?
“Big Brother Danu, how long has my brother been gone?” Cao Xiaohan anxiously pursued the question.
“Figuring it out, probably close to six hours by now, so he should be back soon.” Danu chuckled good-naturedly at the adolescent boy, completely misinterpreting the anxious expression on Cao Xiaohan’s face. He thought to himself that children really were attached, unable to be apart from their family for even a single moment.
Cao Xiaohan grew even more anxious inside. Six hours? Would something actually happen to him? But then he figured that with Brother Liu’s formidable martial arts, nothing should go wrong. Immediately afterward, he overthrew that thought, reminding himself that even the heavens occasionally nodded off. Just as he was consumed by worry and anxiety, that weathered wooden door that looked ready to collapse at any moment was pushed open. Bai Yiyan walked in carrying a large bundle on his back.
“You are finally back! Look at how attached your younger brother is to you; he was practically frantic the moment he heard you were gone.” Seeing the person they had just been discussing walk in, Danu teased. Seeing him return safely, Cao Xiaohan finally let his heart drop back down to its proper place, and then his face flushed with sheepish embarrassment.
“Sorry to trouble you with taking care of my younger brother, Big Brother Danu. He is not in a condition to travel much these days, so I wonder if we might impose on your hospitality for a few more days.” Bai Yiyan set down his bundle and offered a sincere, grateful bow to Danu.
“No trouble at all, though our rustic place has nothing nice to offer in terms of hospitality.”
“During my trip to the county town today to fetch the medicine, I also brought back some rice and white flour.” With that, Bai Yiyan brought out a grain sack and handed it over to Danu.
“Little Brother Liu, are you looking down on Big Brother Danu’s home cooking? There is no reason guests should bring their own food.” Danu’s face dropped, and he refused to take the sack.
“Big Brother Danu, I have no such intention at all. You let us stay here temporarily, and the two of us are already immensely grateful. How could we let you spend more money on us? Besides, my younger brother is in poor health, and I want him to eat better so he can recover sooner.”
Thinking it over, Danu realized it made sense. He truly lacked the means to provide sick guests with high-grade rice and flour, so he could just use those specifically to cook meals for the two brothers while his own family ate their usual fare. With this thought, the honest and kind-hearted countryman accepted the grain.
“I will accept these then, to prepare some food for your brother. Dinner will be ready shortly, so you two chat first and I will call you when it is done.” With that, Danu turned and walked out.
“Big Brother Liu, I have a small favor to ask.” Flushing bright red, Cao Xiaohan lowered his head and spoke in a voice no louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
Bai Yiyan only felt that the flush blooming across the fair cheeks of the youth looked exceptionally adorable, and the slightly rounded face of the teenager made someone want to torment and tease him thoroughly. Yet, he was suddenly startled by his own thoughts. What was wrong with him? How could he stand there dazing over another boy? Still, maintaining an unruffled exterior, he asked, “What is it?”
“Um, well, I need to use the chamber pot.” Cao Xiaohan stammered out, his face turning so red it seemed on the verge of dripping blood. Earlier, he had been entirely consumed by worry, but now that the object of his worry was safe, the urge to urinate that he had been ignoring surged forward overwhelmingly. However, since his legs were still uncooperative, he had no idea what to do and could only turn to Bai Yiyan for help.
Bai Yiyan felt torn. Should he help or not? He had never waited on anyone else for bathroom visits before. Was he really going to break his rule for this silly rabbit?
“Big Brother Liu.” Seeing that Bai Yiyan remained unresponsive while he was on the verge of wetting himself, Cao Xiaohan grew so anxious he looked like he was about to cry.
“Wait here, I will go borrow a chamber pot.” Seeing the pitiful, teary-eyed expression of the silly rabbit, Young Master Bai compromised, lowering his proud self to go borrow a chamber pot for the boy.
Before long, Bai Yiyan returned holding a chamber pot with an expression of utter disgust, placed it beside the bed, and then lifted Cao Xiaohan to set him onto it. Just when he thought his mission was accomplished, the tearful voice of the silly rabbit sounded once again.
“What do I do, I cannot untie it.” Cao Xiaohan’s large eyes were already brimming with mist, purely out of sheer embarrassment.
Looking down at the knotted waistband, then glancing at the boy’s paws swollen like steamed buns, Bai Yiyan felt a deep sense of helplessness. In a past life, he must have owed this fellow a massive debt, which was why this silly rabbit had come to collect it. With dark lines tracing his forehead, Bai Yiyan pulled him up, let him lean on him balancing on one foot like a golden rooster, and then unknotted the waistband and pulled down his undergarments.
The moment the trousers slipped down, a plump, tender little rabbit was revealed right before his eyes. Bai Yiyan froze; this was his first time seeing another person’s equipment up close. It felt smaller than his own, lighter in color, and the little fellow was currently eager and spirited, trying to find its release. Unable to hold it any longer, Cao Xiaohan shifted uncomfortably in distress. Bai Yiyan snapped back to his senses, wanting nothing more than to slap himself. What was wrong with him that he actually stared blankly at another person’s lower half?