TNIBFT -Chapter 187 A Letter from Xiao Jiang

Ye Tian’s face was expressionless, and he didn’t speak, his gaze scrutinizing Old Yang.

Old Yang’s heart raced with panic.

He hurriedly said, “Master, I really lost track of her. This woman is uncanny. I was clearly following right behind her, yet she managed to slip away…”

Fearing that Ye Tian wouldn’t believe him, Old Yang worried that all the trust he had painstakingly built up would vanish just like that.

“Aren’t you an assassin?” Ye Tian suddenly asked.

Old Yang froze. His dark, slightly flushed face looked a bit dazed—he hadn’t yet understood what Ye Tian meant. Ye Tian continued, “With tracking skills like yours, it’s no wonder you didn’t want to be an assassin. You got tricked by me on the road the first time, and now you fail at tailing again. It really makes me question your professional competence.”

“I… I…”

Old Yang panicked, flailing his hands, trying to explain himself.

Ye Tian said calmly, “Changing careers was a wise choice.”

With that, he got up and walked behind the counter. Old Yang followed a few steps, and seeing that Ye Tian didn’t want to say more, he could only sigh helplessly, “Alright then!”

“I’ll keep a closer eye these days.”

Ye Tian nodded. Old Yang, looking thoroughly dejected, walked outside to help Yuan Heipang and the others organize the new workers.

Organizing the workers went smoothly. The city residents fawned over Old Yang and praised him. The previous unpleasantness vanished in an instant. He became even more convinced that he wasn’t cut out to be an assassin—he couldn’t even compete with a woman. Thinking it over, he decided it was better to leave it at that.

…

The next two days passed without incident.

The pharmaceutical factory was also located in the city. The building had previously belonged to a wealthy family: a four-section courtyard with front and back gardens, covering a very large area.

Tao Lichun, who had lent supplies, knew Ye Tian intended to run a pharmaceutical factory. Although he didn’t know exactly what it was, anything Ye Tian decided to do, he would fully support. Plus, since Ye Tian was hiring quite a few workers, it would help alleviate the employment problem in Sifang City—a win-win situation, which made him even more invested.

Yuan Heipang managed the factory, while Old Yang followed Ye Tian.

The hotpot restaurant still hadn’t reopened, but Ye Tian wasn’t in the least worried. Reclining in his rocking chair with a wool blanket over his legs, he poured tea from a purple clay teapot while reading a book, looking perfectly at ease.

Old Yang glanced over helplessly and sighed.

He quietly walked to the shop’s entrance. People came and went on the street, as if life had returned to normal.

He wondered how Yuan Heipang was managing things. It must be quite impressive, right?

Old Yang looked envious. Unlike him, he could only stick with Ye Tian. Two grown men, and not a word exchanged all day.

“Pour some hot water.”

Ye Tian’s voice broke Old Yang’s thoughts, and he hurried over.

“How long has that little rascal Xiao Jiang been gone?” Ye Tian asked.

“Don’t know if he’s been crying,” Ye Tian said, closing his book, lost in thought.

Old Yang poured water while replying, “Six days already. The Physician said he’d be back in about half a month. Probably six more days until he returns.”

Ye Tian nodded.

Having a child suddenly absent made the place feel cold and quiet, and he missed Xiao Jiang a lot.

When Ye Tian mentioned Xiao Jiang, Duan Qingshan and Xiao Wang from the kitchen, along with a few other workers, craned their necks to eavesdrop.

Duan Qingshan even walked over and asked, “So he’ll be back in six days?”

“Xiao Jiang likes carrot fried rice. I wonder if there’s any carrot fried rice in Medicine King Valley.”

Old Yang carried a cup of tea, a look of disdain on his face. “Carrots?”

“Could there be no carrots in Medicine King Valley?”

“As long as Xiao Jiang wants to eat, don’t even talk about carrot fried rice—ginseng fried rice would fill him up too. You’re just patting yourself on the back.”

Duan Qingshan’s face turned red with anger. Seeing Old Yang acting so nonchalant, he snapped, “If he wants to eat carrots at lunch, you don’t have to!”

The two of them bickered.

Ye Tian rubbed his forehead in silence. How could they even argue about this?

“Brother Ye Tian.”

“Brother Ye Tian!”

Tao Ling’er’s voice came from outside. The two inside immediately looked toward the door. Tao Ling’er had folded her oiled-paper umbrella and stepped into the hotpot restaurant. Her delicate oval face was full of delight, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ye Tian. “Are you missing Xiao Jiang?” she asked.

Ye Tian adjusted his posture and sat properly in his chair.

Tao Ling’er pressed her small hands together, exhaling warm air, smiling as she walked toward Ye Tian. She nodded politely to everyone in the shop as a greeting, then took a brown kraft envelope from her arms and handed it to him. “Guess what this is?”

Ye Tian was surprised and reached for it.

On the envelope, written in crooked handwriting, were the four big characters: “To Ye Tian, personally.”

“This is from Xiao Jiang!” Seeing the handwriting on the envelope, Ye Tian’s mouth curved into an excited smile. He quickly opened the envelope and found several thick pages of rice paper inside, covered in crooked brush strokes. Many characters were written incorrectly; some were drawn as pictures, others were misspelled.

Seeing Ye Tian’s delighted expression, Tao Ling’er said, “I hadn’t even stepped inside before I overheard you talking about Xiao Jiang.”

“There was a letter at the post station early this morning. When I saw one addressed to you, I guessed it must be from Xiao Jiang—and I was right.”

Ye Tian nodded. “Yes, it’s from Xiao Jiang.”

“Boss, read it to everyone quickly!” Duan Qingshan’s face lit up. Among the three children, he liked Xiao Jiang the most. Every meal, he would secretly add extra meat for him. Xiao Jiang’s sudden absence for a few days made life seem rather dull.

Ye Tian nodded.

Old Yang, Xiao Wang, and the four other employees looked on eagerly, waiting for Ye Tian to read the letter.

“I heard that Medicine King Valley is full of gold. I wonder if that’s true.”

“Yeah, they say there are immortals residing there…”

“Does that mean it’s where immortals live?”

Everyone looked excited.

Ye Tian held the rice paper in his hands and read aloud: “Father, big brother, sister, Xiao Jiang misses you all.”

“And Grandpa Sun at home, Uncle Duan, Uncle Old Yang, Uncle Yuan, and Uncle Xiao Wang… and my little bunny…” Xiao Jiang politely greeted everyone. When they heard their names, smiles spread across their faces. Duan Qingshan’s eyes reddened, and he turned his head awkwardly.

Ye Tian turned a page and continued:

“Father, Xiao Jiang has already arrived at Medicine King Valley. As soon as I got here, I wrote you a letter. Father, did you miss Xiao Jiang? My master says I’ll be able to return home after some time, as he has important matters to attend to. You don’t need to worry—I’m doing very well here. Senior brothers and sisters all like me. Every time we meet, they bow to me. A few older gentlemen bow too. I feel a bit embarrassed. Every day, when I eat, I think of everyone.”

At this, Duan Qingshan beamed with pride. “See? I told you Xiao Jiang wanted carrot fried rice!”

Old Yang pretended not to hear. Let this kid get all smug.

Ye Tian turned another page and continued:

“Here with my master, eating is called ‘having a meal.’ Each meal has more than thirty dishes, a whole table full—you can’t possibly finish it all. If everyone were here, we’d surely be able to finish…”

Before Ye Tian finished the page, Old Yang’s voice rang out, infectious and loud: “Hahaha!” He clutched his stomach, laughing heartily.