Yama Reborn-Chapter 624 - 621: Jinling

After the beginning of autumn, Jinling's weather saw another heat wave of autumn tigers.

This week, the highest temperature actually climbed up to about thirty degrees, and with such weather, Zhang Linsheng felt quite helpless.

Just past two in the afternoon, the sun was scorching, and Zhang Linsheng stood under a tree, helplessly fanning himself with his hand.

Right in front of Zhang Linsheng, Xia Xia was wearing an off-shoulder white wedding dress, trying hard to strike a pose.

It has to be said, this top-notch pixie's figure was indeed exceptional. Although it wasn't overly voluptuous, her curves were just right with excellent proportions.

Wearing a wedding dress made her figure appear even more delicate and graceful.

This was by the lakeside of Xuanwu Lake in Jinling City, on a patch of grass, the perfect season for shooting wedding photos.

On the vast expanse of grass, there were three or four other couples also taking their wedding photos.

Zhang Linsheng secretly took out a pack of cigarettes, turned his back to light one up, and took a puff, then turned to see a young man standing behind him.

He was dressed similarly, wearing what seemed a fancy Western-style suit jacket, but in truth, the fabric was quite cheap.

The shirt inside had ruffles, and he wore a bow tie around his neck.

The two exchanged a glance, immediately feeling a sense of camaraderie.

Zhang Linsheng smiled proactively and nodded, while the other guy, courteous as well, took out a cigarette and handed one over.

Zhang Linsheng and this unnamed groom stood shoulder to shoulder under the tree, taking a few drags.

Then, a chubby bride came over, discontentedly tugging at the young man beside her: "Smoking again! I've told you several times, it ruins the lipstick! Go touch up your makeup!"

She said, glaring over with irritation.

The man gave a bitter smile, obediently extinguishing the cigarette, and turned to leave.

Zhang Linsheng watched the couple walk away, feeling a bit emotional.

Over there, Xia Xia was still striking poses, while a long-haired photographer was clicking away incessantly.

The studio staff were nearby, most notably Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu, the girlfriend of my junior, Dali.

Her family owned a wedding planning company, collaborating with this studio specializing in wedding photography. Through Xiao Yu's introduction, Zhang Linsheng and Xia Xia booked this studio for their wedding photos.

Actually... the price didn't matter much, as long as it was affordable.

What's important is that the photographer and the post-production editors do their work diligently.

To be honest... if it came down to it, from the depths of his heart, Zhang Linsheng had absolutely no interest in these things.

What a novelty...

Zhang Linsheng, a straightforward man.

What straight man in the world likes taking photos?

Slicking back your hair with gel, styling it meticulously.

Then applying foundation and drawing eyebrows and lips.

Zhang Linsheng felt a hundred kinds of helplessness.

But... women love it.

Yes, my woman loves it.

My woman.

Thinking about this, Zhang Linsheng looked over at Xia Xia from afar.

Xia Xia probably held her pose for too long, looking a bit tired, hands on her hips, taking a breather.

The photographer was carefully reviewing the shots on the camera.

Xiao Yu, ever so eager to please, ran over with a thermos cup in her hand, a straw already inserted, offering it to Xia Xia for a drink.

After all, Xiao Yu's family is in this business, quite the expert!

Drinking with a straw, to avoid smudging the lipstick.

Zhang Linsheng glanced at the sun in the sky, feeling a bit thirsty himself.

But as a man, he didn't want to appear so finicky, so he looked around, spotting a small kiosk at the edge of the grass field in the park, and decided to run over.

Bought a bottle of ice-cold Coke, the first sip going down was refreshing!

The Coke wasn't particularly cold, apparently the owner saved on electricity, keeping the fridge at a low setting.

But... it was refreshing nonetheless!

Zhang Linsheng leaned against the counter, sipping the Coke mouthful by mouthful.

From afar, he saw Xia Xia standing on the field, looking around, then noticing him here.

A sweet smile immediately spread across this pixie's face, and she lifted her skirt with both hands, running over.

Must say, with her hands lifting the long wedding dress train, running over, she quite resembled a crab.

"Let me have a sip, let me have a sip!"

Xia Xia ran up to him, nearly bumping headlong into Zhang Linsheng's arms.

Zhang Linsheng quickly stepped aside, wrapping one arm around her, and said with a smile, "I'll get you another bottle."

"No! I want to drink yours!"

Xia Xia said gleefully, grabbing the Coke bottle from Zhang Linsheng's hand, ignoring the lipstick, taking a big sip.

"Aren't you worried about the lipstick being ruined?"

"Not worried!" Xia Xia took several big gulps, finishing the whole bottle, hiccuped, and coquettishly glared at Zhang Linsheng: "The outdoor shoot is done! That last pose nearly broke my waist! No more shooting today!"

Zhang Linsheng looked at his woman, puzzled: "Didn't you have one more scene to shoot? The photographer said by the lake..."

"Not going!", Xia Xia resolutely waved her hand: "It's my wedding photos, I'll decide! Besides..."

She leaned over, grinning at Zhang Linsheng: "Aren't you tired?"

"I'm fine," Zhang Linsheng immediately replied, "If you want to shoot, shoot, I'm really okay."

"No shooting!" Xia Xia decisively waved her hand, then grabbed Zhang Linsheng's hand, glancing at the watch on his wrist.

"Let's head back to the photo studio now, remove our makeup, change clothes, and then go eat some crawfish! We need to treat Xiao Yu to dinner tonight since she accompanied us all day.

Oh, and call your junior brother to join us."

Watching Xia Xia lift her dress with both hands again and run back to the grass like a crab, Zhang Linsheng's eyes were filled with laughter.

·

Back at the photo studio, they changed clothes and removed their makeup.

After a round with cleansing oil and two with facial cleanser, Zhang Linsheng finally felt a bit more relaxed.

But his hair was still full of those styling products, stiff and uncomfortable.

So, Zhang Linsheng simply took Xia Xia next door to the photo studio to get their hair washed in a salon. Only then did he feel completely refreshed and relaxed.

Xia Xia didn't fuss with her hair, she was busy with Xiao Yu looking at the menu — sent over from the wedding banquet hotel.

The two women chattered non-stop, and Zhang Linsheng went ahead and gave Dali a call.

As it turned out, Dali didn't answer, so he called Brother Lei instead.

Brother Lei was busy at the shop but answered and told Zhang Linsheng that Dali was fixing a motorcycle and didn't have his phone on him.

Linsheng remembered.

Recently, Dali had Brother Lei help him get a second-hand motorcycle.

He planned to fix it up himself and modify it.

He had heard that he spent the whole past week busy in the back courtyard of Brother Lei's shop.

He hadn't gone out much for the whole week, always in his coveralls, with oil all over his phone, fiddling with pliers and screwdrivers.

There were a lot of parts piled up in the courtyard.

Linsheng asked Brother Lei to tell Dali to come out for dinner and casually invited Brother Lei too.

Brother Lei shook his head, saying he couldn't make it; he had to go home.

Lei's wife, Zhu Xiaojuan, was pregnant. They just found out.

Right now, Lei was understandably anxious, and every day at quitting time, he wouldn't waste a single second heading straight home.

For the past week, he hadn't gone out for dinner or drinks.

Dali hadn't answered his phone, so Brother Lei passed the message along, saying Dali would change clothes and come over to meet Zhang Linsheng soon.

Once everything was arranged, Zhang Linsheng hung up the phone, turned around, and saw that Xia Xia was already paying at the salon's counter.

Such tacit understanding!

The young couple took Xiao Yu out, then hailed a taxi.

Off for some crawfish!

Actually, the crawfish this time of year aren't that great.

The meat is quite plump.

But by this month, crawfish have aged, and the shells are particularly hard, making them tough to peel.

Peel too many, and your fingers hurt.

At the restaurant, they ordered big bowls of the three-spice flavor, spicy flavor, and garlic flavor.

Linsheng casually ordered a few cold dishes, opened a few bottles of beer, and sat waiting for Dali.

Unexpectedly, after a while, a taxi pulled up by the roadside, and Dali jumped out of the car, with Brother Lei surprisingly following.

"Yo? You finally got away from your wife today? Out for some air?" Zhang Linsheng joked as he looked at Brother Lei.

Before Brother Lei could speak, Dali had already sat down: "My brother-in-law was going home, but my sister-in-law kicked him out."

The goofball directly grabbed a bottle of beer, took a sip, and then exhaled: "My sister-in-law invited two girlfriends over for dinner, saying it's inconvenient for them to chat with a big man like Brother Lei around, so they kicked him out."

Brother Lei had just lit a cigarette but suddenly remembered something, extinguished it, and looked at Dali and Zhang Linsheng: "You two better not smoke either! Wouldn't want to get all smoky and then go home to face your sister-in-law."

Zhang Linsheng laughed and picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table, tucking it back into his pocket.

Dali and Xiao Yu huddled together, whispering and snickering, with expressions suggesting they were talking about Zhang Linsheng's clumsy moments during the wedding photo shoot today.

Linsheng didn't mind being joked about, so he had a couple of beers with Brother Lei and then focused on peeling crawfish.

Peeled one, tossed the meat into Xia Xia's bowl.

Peeled one, tossed one, peeled one, tossed one.

Soon enough, the small bowl in front of Xia Xia was half-filled.

Xia Xia didn't say anything, just smiled sweetly at Zhang Linsheng.

She called for a bowl of noodles, poured some lobster sauce over, stirred it around a bit. Then she scooped most of the peeled shrimp meat from her bowl and dumped it in.

Finally, she placed it in front of Zhang Linsheng.

Linsheng was puzzled: "I peeled these for you."

"You eat it~" Xia Xia said coyly, instantly making Linsheng's heart melt, and he hungrily scooped it into his mouth.

Brother Lei asked, "Is the wedding banquet set?"

"Yes, the day before New Year's, December 31st," Xia Xia replied. "At Jinling Hotel."

Brother Lei scratched his head.

Even though Jinling Hotel is five-star, it's somewhat old.

In recent years, many new luxury hotels have opened in Jinling City, more upscale than Jinling Hotel, with more beautiful decor.

But... Zhang Linsheng's family is from old Jinling. In the eyes of the old Jinling folks, Jinling Hotel has a special charm; they consider it the best.

Zhang Linsheng took a bite of noodles and slowly said, "Everything is set, but I haven't told Chen Nuo yet."

Brother Lei thought for a moment: "Wasn't he traveling abroad with Lu Xixi? If you calculate it, he's been gone for quite a while. I'm guessing he'll be back soon."

Linsheng shook his head: "I don't know, I can't reach him, his phone doesn't go through. Maybe he's somewhere without international roaming?"

"Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi are both very capable people. Their travels are different from ours. For all we know, they're up in the sky or down in the sea. Not being able to reach them is normal," Brother Lei wasn't worried at all. "There's still some time until the end of the year. He'll definitely be back by then."

After a pause, Brother Lei curiously asked, "Why set the date at the end of the year, on December 31st, the day before New Year's? Did you check the almanac?"

"Didn't check the almanac," Zhang Linsheng shook his head. "It was Xia Xia's idea."

Brother Lei looked at Xia Xia, who smiled and said, "The end of the year is great because the next day is New Year's Day. I was just thinking, in the future, for every wedding anniversary for Lin Sheng and me, it'll be convenient. Celebrating the anniversary while welcoming a new year is so efficient!"

Zhang Linsheng took a sip of beer, suddenly remembering, "Hey? Brother Lei, did we forget to invite Luo Qing? Hasn't Young Master Luo been hanging around your shop every day recently?"

Brother Lei laughed, "I did invite Luo Qing, but he didn't want to come. Oh, Dali and I even asked him again before we left, but he refused..."

Dali, who was engrossed in demolishing a lobster, dismissed him: "It's not that Young Master Luo didn't want to come; it's that Ding Qian didn't want to."

Ding Qian is the girl for whom Young Master Luo got into a fight last time.

That was when Young Master Luo set his eyes on her. Later, he brought her to work as a sales assistant in Brother Lei's store, selling electric bikes.

These days, Young Master Luo practically grew roots in Brother Lei's store.

He'd come in for work, then leave when it ended.

He doesn't take a single cent of salary, just wandering around the shop daily.

Moreover, he'd proactively introduce his friends and relatives to Brother Lei's store, resulting in five electric bikes being sold.

Well, all the sales were credited to that girl named Ding Qian.

Dali had a somewhat dismissive tone: "Ding Qian didn't want to come, so of course, Young Master Luo would stick with Ding Qian. I just can't figure out what's so good about Ding Qian to have Young Master Luo so entranced by her."

"What's wrong with her?" Xiao Yu objected with a slightly displeased smile as she glanced at Dali.

Dali shook his head, "It's not that there's anything wrong with her, just doesn't vibe with me. She's too reserved, not saying much all day. Her personality is too introverted. They can barely hold a conversation.

You see Young Master Luo working hard to keep her around; when I observe them talking, it's truly laborious! Luo Qing speaks three sentences, and she might respond with one. Her replies always seem like a painful squeeze of words.

Luo Qing shows up every morning, leaves every night, and even walks her home after work. I've heard they've dined alone now."

Xiao Yu seemed a bit surprised, "Really? Haven't they known each other for over two months? Luo Qing's working so hard, yet they haven't had a single solo date?"

Dali chuckled, "Yeah, which is why I feel Luo Qing is just wasting his efforts; she simply doesn't fancy him."

Xiao Yu was astonished, "Luo Qing doesn't appeal to her? Luo Qing looks quite handsome, has a good family background, and seems to have a good character... yet she isn't interested? Ding Qian must have exceptionally high standards, right?"

Dali wiped his mouth, "It's not about high standards or not; she's just too introverted, hard to communicate with. Not only Luo Qing, when any of us from the store talk to her, it's always rigid, strictly business without an extra word. Such a character isn't suited for sales."

Brother Lei cast a glance at Dali, "What do you know? There's nothing wrong with such a personality.

Do you think everyone is like you, walking around with a loudspeaker for a mouth, hollering at whoever whenever?"

Pausing, Brother Lei instinctively reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, eventually resisting the urge to smoke, opting for a sip of beer instead. He then smiled at the young folks, "Actually, I think Ding Qian's personality isn't bad.

She is a bit quiet, but maybe this is the kind of character that suits Luo Qing.

This girl's been with us for nearly two months, and I've kept an eye on her. Sure, she's introverted, but she has no ulterior motives or any unnecessary schemes. She's a straightforward person.

She works really hard.

Her character might not be the best fit for sales; in her first month, she didn't sell a single bike on her own, relying solely on Luo Qing for five deals.

Though this month, she stopped relying on Luo Qing to bring in deals. I've seen her memorize all the specs and data for our bikes, inside and out, buckling down to converse with customers.

She sold a few on her own this month.

Not a lot, but she's a hardworking person.

Besides… like I said, maybe this kind of personality is just what fits Luo Qing."

Xia Xia's eyes lit up, looking at Brother Lei, nodding, "That's why you're so reliable, Brother Lei! Got it! From what you've said, Ding Qian really does seem to be a good match for Luo Qing."

Zhang Linsheng looked at Xia Xia, then at Dali sitting across from him.

The two fellows stared utterly bewildered.

Xiao Yu, too, wore a curious gaze.

With a sigh in his heart, Zhang Linsheng considered: Here at this table, only Brother Lei and Xia Xia are clever.

The rest, including himself, are fools, unable to understand the conversation or read people.

Seeing Zhang Linsheng's confusion, Xia Xia laughed: "Brother Lei means Luo Qing's personality is inherently simple.

Young Master Luo has been shielded too well by his family; though the family circumstances are good and Boss Luo is formidable, Luo Qing's personality is a bit weak.

The illustrious role and persona of a gangster's heir, yet he's managed to live as a simple, honest guy. Besides reading novels, he doesn't have many interests or hobbies. He's a simple person.

If he's looking for a girlfriend with a complex mind, full of scheming thoughts, Luo Qing might not be able to handle it.

Moreover, what was Boss Luo doing in his early years? Surely the family has some skeletons in the closet.

To be a daughter-in-law to the Luo's, the personality shouldn't be too complex, nor should she be overly shrewd.

And another important thing is discretion! Someone who's extroverted and talks indiscriminately could never walk through the doors of Luo's house."

Brother Lei nodded and smiled, "Xia Xia, you're so insightful! Lin Sheng is lucky to have you, now his home has a military advisor! Come, let me toast my sister-in-law!"

Brother Lei and Xia Xia laughed as they clinked glasses, Xia Xia downed her drink in one go, and Brother Lei was no slouch either.

Putting her glass down, Xia Xia then asked, "Personality-wise, they may be a match, but Brother Lei, you've been observing nearly two months now. Does Ding Qian actually have any interest in Young Master Luo?

If she isn't interested, being a perfect personality match won't help."

Brother Lei pondered, "I'm not entirely sure about that. But with Ding Qian's personality, she'd be the type with thick walls you'd need to chip away for a long time!

The process may take awhile.

But once she's broken, she'll stand by you through thick and thin, follow one path to the end, never looking back for a lifetime."

Xia Xia chuckled, "Seems like Young Master Luo will definitely be chiseling away for some time, huh?"

"Looks like he's making progress; it should break through soon," Brother Lei said with a grin, sharing a gossip: "Though the two haven't officially dated, just the other night after work, I saw them at the crossroads.

I saw Young Master Luo holding her hand, not letting go, and Ding Qian didn't shake him off either.

It was only after they noticed me approaching that they let go."

Xia Xia laughed, "So it's almost happening then."

Through the meal, the group chatted and laughed, eating and drinking, until around 8 PM when they finally dispersed.

Before leaving, Zhang Linsheng pulled Dali aside with a reminder: "Master said we should visit him in the next couple of days; how about we go tomorrow?"

Dali nodded, "Alright, then tomorrow morning, let's meet Master in the little forest. Oh, by the way, those folks from HK gave me a box of dried abalone days ago; I'll take it to Master tomorrow."

Zhang Linsheng nodded, "Try to cut ties with those HK guys; they're giving you stuff just to convince you to fight in rings for them. If you don't want to do those things anymore, it's best not to accept their gifts."

Dali said with a laugh, "I don't want to do boxing anymore, it's pointless. But those guys over there have done me a lot of favors before, so I've decided to help them with one last match before the end of the year.

After this fight, I'm done for good. I've made it very clear to them, so don't worry."

The group dispersed, each heading to their own home.

Xiao Yu pulled Dali away for a shopping and movie date, while Brother Lei went home to accompany his wife.

Zhang Linsheng and Xia Xia, seeing the nice weather, neither too hot nor too cold in the evening, decided to walk hand in hand down the street.

The place where they ate the crayfish was in the old town, surrounded by old buildings. Walking down the street, both sides were lined with small shops selling all sorts of snacks.

Things like stinky tofu, teppanyaki squid, roast chicken, little hot pots...

Even though they were already full, Xia Xia still stopped at a small shop to buy a skewer of teppanyaki squid. She held it in her hand, eating it as they walked, occasionally shoving it into Zhang Linsheng's mouth for a bite.

Halfway through, she couldn't eat anymore and handed the remaining half to Zhang Linsheng.

Zhang Linsheng took it and quickly stuffed it in his mouth in a couple of bites, tossing the skewer into a roadside bin.

"Hubby!"

Suddenly hearing Xia Xia call him like that, Zhang Linsheng was stunned, turning to look at her in shock.

Xia Xia laughed, "What, are you not used to me calling you that?"

"Well, a little," Zhang Linsheng chuckled awkwardly.

Xia Xia rolled her eyes, pinching Zhang Linsheng's hand, "Well, get used to it! Oh right, we've already got our marriage certificate! We're legally married, so why shouldn't I call you hubby?"

"Right, it's fine, I wasn't saying it wasn't," Zhang Linsheng blushed a bit.

"Then you, call me wife," she urged.

"Uh..."

"Come on, come on..."

"Uh..."

"Ah, call me! I'll count to three, one, two..."

"...Wife."

"Hahaha..."

·

Early the next morning.

Zhang Linsheng and Dali had agreed on a time and arrived early at the small grove where Old Jiang typically practiced.

At six in the morning, it was already light out.

The air in the grove was tinged with a bit of dampness.

The seniors doing their morning exercises were already busy there. A few elderly ladies were practicing Tai Chi sword, and a couple of old men were slapping trees.

Having often come to the grove before, the two greeted the familiar elderly folks as they passed by.

As they walked into the grove, they saw the spot where Old Jiang usually practiced. Under a big tree, there was a small folding stool.

But there was no sign of Old Jiang.

The two exchanged a glance and went over, looking around. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Where's the master?"

"Maybe he went nearby to buy breakfast, let's wait a bit."

Dali simply put down the box of dried abalone he had brought and sat there daydreaming.

Zhang Linsheng thought for a moment, then walked to the clearing and started practicing his boxing moves.

After a round of boxing, Dali watched with admiration, "Nicely done! Senior brother, you've improved a lot lately!"

Zhang Linsheng finished his routine, feeling heat surging throughout his body, with his inner breath flowing like large rivers within him...

Letting out a sigh of relief, Zhang Linsheng realized that he had slacked off a bit in recent days.

He'd been busy with work at the shop and also with wedding preparations.

Things like taking wedding photos, booking the banquet, checking venues, drafting the guest list, shopping for wedding supplies, picking out candy for the guests, and other tasks...

Too many things kept him busy, and he had indeed practiced less this past month.

He had been worried about slacking off too much and regressing in his skills, fearing he might get scolded by his master.

Fortunately, he was diligent enough before, and his foundation was solid.

At that moment, he suddenly heard Old Jiang's voice behind him, "Catch!"

Zhang Linsheng turned around to see something steaming flying toward his face.

He reached out to catch it, realizing it was a plastic bag with something like fried dough sticks inside, but immediately afterward, a gust of wind came rushing at him!

Seeing Old Jiang's palm coming at him, he knew his master was testing his skills. He quickly focused, took a step back, and supported himself with his right leg in the rear, preparing to counter the palm.

As Old Jiang leaped into the air, his palm not yet touching Zhang Linsheng, Zhang Linsheng felt a surge of inner qi directly pushing him away!

With a thump, Zhang Linsheng fell backward, rolling three to five steps before landing on his rear.

Remembering the technique to dissipate force from his practice, he didn't resist upon landing but instead rolled a few times on the ground to neutralize the energy.

As he stood up again, brushing the dust off, he looked at Old Jiang and was stunned!

It wasn't just Zhang Linsheng; even Dali stood up from his stool, mouth agape, staring at their master.

"Holy crap! Master! Have you become a god?"

Dali blurted out.

Before them, Old Jiang stood there with one hand behind his back, the other extended as if pushing forward with his palm.

His posture was upright, his expression calm.

All of that was fine.

The key thing was, Old Jiang's feet weren't touching the ground!

He was hovering about half a meter above the ground!!