Little Pink Starfish

I Rather Like Your Daughter

Yu Xiaoxiao picked up Qian Mingzhu by the collar. Though her face remained expressionless, her voice was quite enthusiastic: “Want some yuanxiao? I’ll treat you—peanut filling.”

Qian Mingzhu was in complete disbelief. This bandit woman had just ruined her father—and now she was inviting her for sweet dumplings?

“No answer? That means yes. No need to be polite,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, carrying the young lady off like a sack of grain.

“What are you doing?!” Boss Qian shouted from the ground.

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “I quite like your daughter. I’m taking her with me.”

A female bandit saying she liked his daughter?! Boss Qian watched as Yu Xiaoxiao disappeared into the night carrying his precious girl with one hand. His vision went black and he passed out cold.

Qian Mingzhu tried to scream, but Yu Xiaoxiao silenced her with a slap to the head. Unlike her father, she didn’t even manage to finish her scream before fainting.

At that moment, Gu Xingnuo turned to Xiao Wei and the headman. “What happened?”

The headman, nervous in front of the eldest Gu master, didn’t dare speak.

Xiao Wei took a breath and answered quietly, “This was cargo Yongsheng Temple meant to deposit with Huixin Bank. We, uh… brought it back instead.”

The Gu brothers exchanged looks.

Gu Xinglang turned to his older brother. “Did we just rob Yongsheng Temple?”

Gu Xingnuo looked at Xiao Wei, then at the headman. “Whose idea was this?”

Seeing the dark expression on Gu Xingnuo’s face, the headman immediately felt doomed.

But Xiao Wei spoke up, “It was my idea—spontaneous.” In his mind, sure, the headman pulled him into this, but he could’ve refused. So ultimately, it was his responsibility.

The headman breathed a sigh of relief, giving Xiao Wei a grateful look. Not a bad kid, this one.

“You’re hurt?” Gu Xinglang asked Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei nodded.

“Let’s talk back at the residence,” Gu Xinglang said. “Healing comes first.”

Xiao Wei looked at Gu Xingnuo.

“Go,” Gu Xinglang urged. “Now.”

Xiao Wei turned to leave.

“Wait,” Gu Xinglang called out again. “Your horse is behind the carriage. If you can still ride, take it.”

Xiao Wei lowered his head, led his horse out from behind the cart, bowed to both Gu brothers, then rode off.

The headman slinked off to a corner to squat.

Only after Xiao Wei rode off did Gu Xingnuo glance at Gu Xinglang and chuckle. “What? Afraid I’d bully him?”

Gu Xinglang mumbled, “No, of course not.”

“You rascal,” Gu Xingnuo flicked his brother’s forehead. “You’re that protective of the princess’s people?”

“He’s injured, and you still want to interrogate him?” Gu Xinglang muttered. “Wait until he’s healed.”

“And then I can hold him accountable?” Gu Xingnuo suddenly turned serious.

Gu Xinglang froze. “Hold him accountable for what?”

“You tell me,” Gu Xingnuo said.

Realizing he couldn’t dodge anymore, Gu Xinglang admitted, “So we robbed Yongsheng Temple. It’s not like we’re on good terms with them anyway. What’s done is done—we’re not exactly going to return the money, are we?”

In the corner, the headman was eavesdropping with wide ears. Hearing Gu Xinglang defend Xiao Wei, he picked his nose and thought: If Xiao Wei ever really dares harbor feelings for the princess, that’s some serious moral failure.

Just then, the former pirates filed out of Huixin Bank in a line, carrying a total of 55,000 taels of silver.

Gu Xingnuo said to the headman, “Drive the cart and take them to the location I told you.”

The headman quickly agreed and led the wagon toward the bank’s gate.

Gu Xinglang sighed. “A bank’s burning down, people are screaming, and not a single neighbor steps out to look.”

Gu Xingnuo sneered, “Everyone minds their own doorstep.”

Changing the subject, Gu Xinglang asked, “Should we send Xiao Zhuang and Xiong Xiong to your private estate too?”

“No need,” Gu Xingnuo replied. “I’m not saying I don’t trust Xiong Xiong. I just worry he might bungle this.”

Gu Xinglang nodded in understanding.

“Trust in people—but still keep precautions,” Gu Xingnuo said quietly. “Besides, Miss Li is still in our estate. You think Xiong Xiong dares to run off with the silver?”

Gu Xinglang…

That whole “trust” thing was clearly just lip service. The second half was his brother’s real point.

Soon, the headman and his crew drove off with the bank’s cart toward the city’s north end.

Yu Xiaoxiao returned to the alley entrance with Qian Mingzhu in tow and Xiao Zhuang by her side.

Seeing his sister-in-law lugging a person, Gu Xingnuo asked, “Who’s that?”

“Zhu Zhu girl,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.

“What?” Gu Xingnuo blinked. Did that girl’s parents get kicked by a donkey when naming her?

“Qian Mingzhu,” Xiao Zhuang explained. “Qian Taiduo’s daughter.”

“She’s Qian Mingzhu?” Gu Xinglang leaned over for a better look.

“You know her?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Gu Xinglang eyed the girl dangling from his wife’s hand. “Qian Taiduo only has one daughter. I’ve heard of her—supposedly a heroine among women, and they say—”

Gu Xingnuo pinched his little brother’s waist. Complimenting another woman in front of your wife? How tactless can you get?

Gu Xinglang winced and turned to glare at his brother—only to see Gu Xingnuo glaring first. He immediately turned to Yu Xiaoxiao and said, “Rumors are unreliable. She looks pretty average.”

Yu Xiaoxiao frowned. “Average?”

Gu Xinglang quickly backpedaled, “V-very plain?”

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Xiao Zhuang.

The boy looked confused. Why was she looking at him now?

Yu Xiaoxiao held Qian Mingzhu up to her face and examined her closely. “She’s not that bad-looking…” Then she turned back to Gu Xinglang and asked, “Really that plain?” Being from out of town, she wasn’t sure about local beauty standards. She thought this girl looked fine—but she couldn’t give Xiao Zhuang an ugly wife, could she?

Gu Xinglang replied carefully, “I don’t like her.”

Yu Xiaoxiao blinked. “But this is the wife I picked for Xiao Zhuang. What you like doesn’t matter. She’s very plain?”

BOOM.

Xiao Zhuang felt as if five thunderbolts struck him on the spot.

The Gu brothers exchanged glances. Finally, Gu Xingnuo asked, “This is Xiao Zhuang’s wife?”

Yu Xiaoxiao said matter-of-factly, “I think she’s pretty good.”

Gu Xingnuo gave up trying to reason with the princess and turned to Xiao Zhuang. “What’s going on? You want to marry Qian Taiduo’s daughter?”

Xiao Zhuang stared dumbfounded at Yu Xiaoxiao. “Princess, what just happened?!”