Chapter 1: The Wedding Night (New Book...)

  The time is approaching dusk, a strip of sunset has not yet dispersed on the horizon, but pedestrians on the street have already returned home in succession like birds returning to their nests.

  When Guo Ye and Cheng Er Niu arrived at the Zui Xian Lou on the east street of the city, Zhu Peng Chun was already waiting early at the door. Seeing the two arrive, he didn't exchange pleasantries, but directly led them into a large private room on the second floor of the Zui Xian Lou.

  As soon as he entered the private room, Zhu Pengchun quickly found his seat and started eating with a "slurp", like a starving ghost reborn. While chewing on meat and drinking wine, he muttered: "Boss, they've arrived... it's delicious, but I'm starving to death, luckily you guys didn't finish everything."

  Pang Feihu glared at Zhu Pengchun, who had a greasy mouth like a glutton, and hurriedly invited Guo Ye and Cheng Erniu to sit down and prepare for dinner.

  After Guo Ye sat down, he swept his eyes over the people in the private room and saw that apart from Ban Tou Pang Fei Hu, Zhu Peng Chun and Gan Zhu Shou, there were two unfamiliar faces. One was slightly older, about forty years old, and the other was also in his twenties. They looked like yamen attendants, but Guo Ye had never seen them before.

  Under Pong Fei Hu's brief introduction, Guo Ye only knew that these two were also yamen runners of the constabulary, one named Zhang Xiao Qi and the other named Ruan Lao San, who were recently in charge of collecting taxes and grains from Dong Liu Township and Li Zhuang Township under the jurisdiction of Long Xi County.

  The two men returned to the county government office ahead of schedule to report on their duties because they had completed the task of collecting taxes and grain from the two towns the day before.

  For years, the task of collecting taxes and grain in the countryside has been the most troublesome thing for the village head. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaoqi and Ruan Laosan were able to complete their tasks ahead of time, so Pang Feihu's mood was very good. That's why there is this dinner gathering at Drunken Immortal Building today.

  One is to celebrate the completion of their mission, and the other is also to introduce Guo Ye and Zhang Xiaoqi to each other.

  As for the third reason, it's because he had other plans in his heart, but after all, it was also for the sake of Guo Ye, this young man who had only been working at the soap factory for a few days, but handled things with great experience and dedication, which really delighted Pang Feihu.

  Guo Ye took advantage of Pang Feihu's dinner party to reintroduce himself and reacquaint with Zhang Xiaoxi and Ruan Laosan.

  Next, everyone raised their cups and chopsticks in a flurry of eating and drinking. If they didn't eat or drink anymore, it was likely that the full table of wine and dishes would be completely devoured by Zhu Pengchun, this starving ghost.

  In short, although the yamen runners in charge of collecting taxes and grain seem to have a lot of opportunities for graft, they actually can't get much extra income. They can't compare with the runners in the judicial yamen. The yamen runners' incomes are not high, and they only receive a fixed amount of silver each month, sometimes one or two taels, sometimes less than one tael.

  So, Pang Fei Hu can spend money at Zui Xian Lou to treat everyone to a meal, which is also considered as giving his brothers a treat and adding some food to their meals. At this time, if they don't eat more, that would be stupid.

  Before long, the wind rolled up the remaining clouds, and the entire table was already piled up with empty plates. All that could be seen were a plate of scattered peanuts and a table full of chicken bones.

  In Guo's words, this is not a civil servant at all. This is simply the ghost of a starving man reincarnated as a devil entering the village.

  He spared some for Pong Fei Hu, but in the end they only ate until they were half full.

  Hiccup...

  Zhu Pengchun let out a satisfied belch, picked up his chopsticks to pick at his teeth, and couldn't help but praise: "This meal is really comfortable, our class head is truly great. We brothers in the Zhu class are lucky to have such a superior like Pang as our leader, this is the good fortune we accumulated from our past lives."

  Everyone looked at Zhu Pengchun with contemptuous eyes, but his words were neither affirmed nor denied.

  Pang Feihu is indeed speechless as the class leader.

  Guo Ye sat beside Pang Feihu, raised his cup and said to him: "Boss, thank you for taking care of me these days. I'd like to offer you a humble cup of wine as a token of my gratitude for your kindness."

  Pang Fei Hu laughed and clinked his cup against Guo Ye's, downing the drink in one gulp before saying: "No need to say more. Guo Ye, you're a good kid, go for it."

  Guo Ye listened to Pang Feihu's words, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He was just about to say a few more sentimental words to Pang Feihu when suddenly—

  Next door came a burst of clinking and shouting, disturbing Guo Ye and the others, making their ears buzz and scalp tingle.

  "Haha, in the whole Longxi County, only Zhuixian Building's roast chicken is authentic. Mmm, delicious!"

  "You think Drunken Immortal Pavilion is some rundown old shop on the street? This meal won't come cheap, at least half a tael of silver."

  "Liu Er is right, but I think it's a blessing to be able to work under Qin's leadership, don't you all agree?"

  "Yes, yes..."

  At one time, flattering words of fawning and sycophancy filled the air, causing a commotion that could be heard throughout the entire second floor of the Drunken Immortal Building.

  The faces of the people in Guo Ye's private room suddenly fell, because from the noise and conversation coming from next door, even a fool would know what those people were doing.

  Qin capture head?

  Isn't it just Qin Wei, the leader of the Capture Squad, and his trusted subordinates?

  Guo Ye secretly cursed his bad luck, running into that bastard Qin Wei at a meal, and to make matters worse, they were seated across from each other.

  However, Pang Feihu did not think so, but instead a hint of a smile appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice: "As expected, every month at this time, Qin Wei will definitely be here having dinner with his subordinates."

  Huh? Guo Ye was taken aback when he heard Pang Feihu muttering to himself, could it be that the class leader came to Cuixian Building today just to wait for Qin Wei?

  Before he could think it through, Pang Feihu had already pulled Guo Ye up and said: "Let's go, while Qin Wei is having dinner at the Drunken Immortal Building, I'll put aside my old face for you to make amends. From now on, we'll be working in the same government office, seeing each other often, as they say 'it's better to resolve grievances than to harbor them'."

  Not only Guo Ye, but also Zhu Pengchun, Cheng Er Niu, Zhang Xiao Qi and others suddenly lost their color, it turned out that Pang Ban Tou still had this mind.

  Everyone looked at Guo Ye with a hint of envy in their eyes, it seemed that Pang Ban Tou held Guo Ye in high esteem.

  Only Zhu Pengchun secretly rejoiced in his heart, and couldn't help but exclaim, "I know the inside story, I know that Guo Xiaoge is not simple, heh heh, there's still County Magistrate behind him..."

  Kuo Ye's lips moved, his heart was excited and he didn't know what to say.

  Pang Feihu actually cared about him so much, and it was indeed the case that Qin Wei's axe was always hanging over his head, making him feel uneasy in his heart, unable to exert himself.

  Under Pong Fei Hu's pull, he left the box and walked towards Qin Wei's box next door.

  Ouch...

  Pang Fei Hu entered Qin Wei's private room and saw that Qin Wei was lounging in a chair, drinking wine and eating chicken legs with his three or five trusted subordinates.

  As soon as the door opened, Qin Wei also found that Pang Feihu and Guo Ye had arrived unexpectedly.

  Two men suddenly rushed in, which really surprised Qin Wei and several of his henchmen.

  The Catchmen and the Runners had never gotten along, which was not a particularly impressive secret in the county yamen. Qin Wei, the head of the Catchmen, relied on County Magistrate Gu's favoritism and was arrogant and overbearing, looking down on everyone. He had long had a grudge against Pang Fei, the head of the Runners, which was also common knowledge.

  Today, Pang Fei Hu came uninvited, and Qin Wei and his men were somewhat bewildered.

  Especially with Guo Ye following behind him, this small official Qin Wei couldn't bear to see.

  Qin Wei suddenly threw the half-eaten chicken leg on the table and hummed sarcastically: "Wow, Pang Ban is really a rare guest, actually able to see Pang Ban in a place like Drunken Immortal Building. Tsk tsk, when did your police department become so wealthy that you can stay in hotels all the time? You've gained experience, haha, you've gained experience."

  As soon as these words came out, Pang Feihu's expression suddenly stagnated, and his face, which had some smile, suddenly changed to a mixture of blue and red, really embarrassing.

  Qin Wei's blatant ridicule of the poverty and difficulties of the soap-making class, as the leader of the class, Pang Feihu could not be happy about it.

  However, he knew that he had come for Guo Ye's sake today and couldn't easily get angry, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and forced a smile: "Let Qin Huai see the joke, my brothers and I were eating in the next room and heard the commotion over here, it turns out to be so coincidental that Qin Huai is also having dinner here."

  Qin Wei saw Pang Fei Hu being so humiliated by himself yet still having an unchanged expression, and couldn't help but feel strange.

  He casually laughed and shifted his gaze to Guo Ye who was following behind Pang Fei Hu.

  Her eyes are as sharp as a vulture searching for food, her gaze is steady and sinister.

  The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became awkward.

  Pang Feihu saw the situation and smiled lightly, saying: "Brother, you came over today for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to invite Captain Qin and a few brothers from the capture team to have a meal together. Secondly, hehe, I want to make things right with my subordinate who is not doing well, hoping that Captain Qin will see it in his heart to forgive this small mistake, and let bygones be bygones, don't bother with that kid Guo Ye anymore."

  Huh?

  It's Qin Wei's turn to be stunned, didn't expect that the usually unassuming Pang Feihu would help a small official plead his case, quite interesting.

  Unfortunately, just relying on a meal and a few words, he could let go of this rascal Guo Ye? It's simply absurd.

  Bang!

  Qin Wei slammed the wine bowl on the table, dug his right ear with his hand, and asked a nearby catcher: "Liu Er, did I hear it wrong? Pang Ban Tou wants to invite our catching class to dinner, haha, and he wants to invite our catching class to dinner at Zui Xian Lou. Haha... You, go call the boss of Zui Xian Lou."

  Several of the bailiffs present saw Qin Lang laughing and also followed suit, occasionally casting disdainful glances at Pang Feihu and Guo Ye.

  Liu Er heard Qin Wei's order and immediately left the private room to go call the shopkeeper of Zui Xian Lou.

  Listening to Qin Wei's words that were neither humble nor arrogant, but hurtful and merciless, Pang Feihu's face turned so ugly that it was hard to look at, and Guo Ye felt like crying blood in his heart.

  Guo Ye clenched his fists tightly, his whole body trembling with rage. Qin Wei was really going too far, as a fellow class leader, he actually dared to humiliate his superior like this.

  But he didn't get angry immediately, because he knew that Pang Feihu was so humiliated and tolerant just to help him make peace, if he got impulsive now, then Pang's efforts would be in vain.

  Now he has nothing but endurance and hatred, hating his own weakness for being unable to resist, and hating Qin Wei's extreme deception and contempt.

  Before long, the shopkeeper of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was summoned by Liu Er and followed him into the private room.

  Kuai Ye glanced sideways and saw a frail old man in his late fifties. If he remembered correctly, the owner of Zui Xian Lou was surnamed Xue.

  Xue Zhanggui nodded to Guo Ye and Pang Feihu, then walked up to Qin Wei and asked: "Captain Qin has summoned me, I wonder what instructions do you have?"

  Qin Wei glanced at Xue Zhanggui, not looking him straight in the eye, but instead grabbed a handful of peanuts and threw them one by one into his mouth. Then he hummed and asked: "Xue Zhanggui, tell Pang Bantou that our brothers from the Capture Battalion are eating at your Drunken Immortal Pavilion, how much does it cost for one meal?"