Chapter 163 City Streets 63

Chapter 163: City Streets 63

The medicine seller began to wail, but Chen Sanxi's gaze was fixed solely on Qin Banban.

It took Qin Banban a while to compose herself after seeing Chen Sanxi. Her breathing gradually steadied, and she calmed down, though her voice still trembled slightly.

“I met them at a pharmacy on Xinglin Street—two men, likely a father and son. They were selling fake medicine, and when I exposed them, they held a grudge and followed me. Who knows what mischief they were planning!”

Hearing this, Chen Sanxi narrowed his eyes slightly, casting a discreet glance at the cowering young man, who was still awkwardly raising his hands, repeatedly muttering, “Misunderstanding.”

Some of the escorts in the courtyard recognized Qin Banban, having often visited Huichun Clinic for injuries or medicine. They naturally trusted her more, especially since she seemed to be acquainted with their colleague.

At her words, one burly escort stepped forward and kicked the medicine seller, sending him sprawling. Wiping sweat from his face, the guard spat, “Pah! Shameless curs! Two grown men bullying a young woman! And selling fake medicine!”

This ready-made punching bag was far more satisfying than hitting wooden posts!

After he landed a kick and hurled a few insults, the other escorts joined in, raining punches and kicks upon the man until he cried out in agony. Someone also heard Qin Banban mention an old man outside whose eyes had been blinded by quicklime, so they rushed out to find him.

The beating was a brutal sight. Qin Banban watched as a fist the size of a sandbag slammed into the young man’s face, making his cheek quiver. Spittle flew, and he spat out bloody foam, coughing up two teeth.

Qin Banban: “…”

Noticing Qin Banban’s slight tremor, Chen Sanxi subtly shifted, blocking her view of the violence.

The commotion outside drew the attention of those inside.

Soon, a robust middle-aged man in a simple shirt strode out.

This was He Kuan, the head of the He Family Escort Agency.

He Kuan emerged, frowning at the chaotic courtyard. “What’s going on? All this noise! I told you to practice, not brawl!”

The escort who had struck first quickly explained, and the others stepped aside, revealing the battered father and son lying in the center.

After hearing the full story, He Kuan glanced at the two men, tut-tutted, his eyes filled with disgust and contempt.

He then looked at Qin Banban, who was hiding behind Chen Sanxi, and his stern, bearded face forced a strained smile. “You must be Miss Qin, right? Ah, I’ve heard Sanxi mention you before!”

“Hey… you brats! Can’t you see there’s a young lady here? What’s with all of you shirtless! Too much energy, going shirtless in March! Get out of here and put some clothes on!”

After his scolding, the young escorts seemed to snap out of it, rubbing their arms and scrambling to find their shirts, hastily pulling them on.

The crowd dispersed, and the exit was no longer blocked, but the medicine-selling father and son lay half-dead on the ground, too weak to flee.

Chen Sanxi was also shirtless. He belatedly blushed, his gaze quickly averting from Qin Banban’s face, too embarrassed to meet her eyes.

Just then, someone thrust a handkerchief at him, chuckling foolishly, “Here, wipe off your sweat. You reek—don’t offend Miss Qin!”

It was the same burly escort who had kicked and cursed earlier, blunt and straightforward.

But Chen Sanxi’s ears turned crimson, and he kicked the man, muttering, “Shut up!”

After cursing, he turned his back to Qin Banban and fumbled with his shirt, nervously tying the laces. The two soft ties should have been easy to knot, but his fingers felt like stiff twigs, clumsily failing to tie them even after several attempts.

Amused by his disciple’s awkwardness, He Kuan watched with a grin for a while.

Finally, he waved to Qin Banban and said, “Go have a seat in the main hall! My daughter is playing there too—you girls can chat! Don’t worry about this mess. I’ll have these two taken to the magistrate. Selling fake medicine and seeking revenge—they’ll pay for it!”

“Don’t worry! I have connections at the magistrate’s office. I guarantee these scoundrels won’t be walking out upright!”

He Kuan was an army veteran and had some connections. While he couldn’t handle major issues, he could certainly ensure ruffians like these received their due punishment.

Qin Banban initially intended to decline He Kuan’s offer, but her interest was piqued halfway through.

Escort Chief He’s daughter? Wasn’t she the junior sister Chen Sanxi had mentioned before?

Qin Banban bit her lip and smiled shyly at He Kuan. “Then I’ll trouble you, Escort Chief He.”

He Kuan waved a hand and laughed heartily. “No trouble at all! You and my disciple are from the same hometown—that makes you family! Just call me Uncle He! You’re quite capable, girl. That medicinal liquor Sanxi brought back last time worked wonders—my back stopped aching after just two applications!”

Qin Banban thanked him and stole a glance at Chen Sanxi, who was still struggling with his clothes, before turning toward the main hall.

She’d just sit for a bit—it wasn’t like she was dying to see Chen Sanxi’s junior sister!

The main hall door was open, and the room was bare except for a few essential tables and chairs. It was impeccably clean, without a speck of dust on the floor.

Qin Banban entered but saw no one, let alone any junior sister.

Since she wasn’t part of the He Family Escort Agency, she didn’t dare linger in the empty hall and felt awkward. Softly, she called out, “Is anyone here?”

No one appeared, but she heard a faint rustling sound.

Qin Banban followed the noise and looked down to see a little girl in a pale yellow dress crawling out from under a large table covered with a cloth. She looked about four or five years old, with perky little pigtails tied with red ribbons.

“Huh?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up at the sight of Qin Banban. She trotted over and pressed against Qin Banban’s arm. “Pretty big sister! Which family’s pretty big sister are you?”

Qin Banban: “…”

Qin Banban was stunned. She wasn’t foolish, and after a moment of surprise, she realized she had overthought things before—Chen Sanxi’s junior sister was truly a “little” junior sister!

The girl had fair, tender skin, a round face, and large, dark eyes like grapes, with long, fluttering eyelashes. Rosy cheeks made her look utterly adorable.

Unconsciously, Qin Banban knelt down to meet her eye level, her voice softening and turning sugary without her realizing it.

“Then whose little darling are you?”

The girl widened her round eyes and answered seriously, “I belong to my daddy and mommy.”

As she spoke, she trotted to the table, stood on her toes to take a piece of pastry from a plate, and generously offered it to Qin Banban.

“Pretty big sister, Yaya wants to give you this!”

It was a pear pastry from Suxiang Zhai—Chen Sanxi had mentioned before that the He family’s junior sister loved pastries from there.

Qin Banban didn’t refuse. She accepted the pastry and, in return, took out a handful of small candies wrapped in oiled paper from her small bag.

These were made by Liu Guyu, and the family often carried them as snacks.

“Then big sister will trade with you! These candies are fruit-flavored. Try them and see if you like them!”

The girl’s parents must have taught her not to accept food from strangers, so Yaya, who had been smiling earlier, fell silent. Her big eyes darted about, fixed eagerly on the candies in Qin Banban’s hand, but she didn’t take them.

“So this is where you two are.”

Chen Sanxi’s voice came from behind. The two girls, one big and one small, turned to see him walking in.

He rushed over, glanced at Yaya, then at Qin Banban, and explained, “This is my master’s daughter.”

He Kuan was nearly forty, so it was no wonder Qin Banban had instinctively assumed this “junior sister” would be around her own age—who would have guessed she’d be a four- or five-year-old little girl?

As if sensing Qin Banban’s confusion, Chen Sanxi scooped up the little girl and added, “My master served in the army for over ten years. He only returned home, married, and started his family after retiring—he was already in his thirties by then.”

After speaking, he turned to the little girl and coaxed gently, “This is Sister Banban. You can take the candy she gave you. She has a brother at home who makes really delicious candy—give it a try, I’m sure you’ll like it!”

Even someone as stern-faced as Chen Sanxi couldn’t help softening his voice when speaking to such an adorable little girl.

The little girl accepted the candy but didn’t eat it right away. Instead, she carefully tucked it into her pocket, then stretched her arms out toward Qin Banban.

“Pretty sister, hold me!”

Well-behaved, cute kids are always charming wherever they go.

Qin Banban immediately took her and teased Chen Sanxi, “Back in the village, you always avoided those naughty boys—I’ve never actually seen you comfort a child before.”

Chen Sanxi laughed awkwardly and ruffled the back of his head. The blush on his face had faded, but his ears were still burning hot.

The commotion outside seemed to have settled, and it wasn’t long before He Kuan strode in as well. As soon as he entered, he saw his little girl in Qin Banban’s arms and quickly reached out, calling, “Oh, Miss Qin! Don’t bother holding her—she’s gotten heavier, it’ll tire your arms out! Here, give her to me!”

With that, he reached over and took the little girl into his own arms.

No woman likes to hear words like “chubby,” “heavy,” or “put on weight”—and that goes for four- or five-year-old little girls too!

Yaya pouted dramatically, wiggled vigorously in her father’s arms—kicking her legs, arching backward, sticking her bottom out—throwing such a fit that even He Kuan, who was trained in martial arts, couldn’t hold onto her and had to put the slippery little girl down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she immediately dashed off toward the backyard, calling out as she ran, “Mama! Mama! Pretty sister gave Yaya yummy fruit candy!”

Small as she was, she ran as fast as a little rabbit and was out of sight in no time.

He Kuan clapped his hands, laughed awkwardly a couple of times, then gave Chen Sanxi two pats on the shoulder and said, “Since it’s Miss Qin’s first time at our escort agency, show her around!”

Unable to decline such warm hospitality, Qin Banban had no choice but to awkwardly follow Chen Sanxi on a tour of the escort agency.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to see; she’d have rather watched the men practice boxing or spar in the front courtyard training ground.

As an escort agency, there were no particularly elaborate decorations. Both the front and back yards were simply arranged, with no flowers or vegetables planted, and every room looked the same.

Huh?

Qin Banban seemed to spot something and suddenly stopped, calling out to Chen Sanxi.

“Is that your room?”

Chen Sanxi also stopped and followed Qin Banban’s pointing finger. His eyebrows perked up in surprise as he asked, “How did you recognize it?”

Qin Banban laughed lightly, her voice bright and cheerful.

“There’s a string of pinecones hanging by the door—that's just like at your place back in the village.”

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Author’s Note: I actually wrote about the pinecones quite early on—it’s a relatively minor, early foreshadowing detail.