When the Cannon Fodder Meets the Love-Brained Female Supporting Character - Episode 32

Jiang Nan and A-Jiu arrived at the scene of the brawl shortly after. After watching for a while and listening to bystanders, they learned the reason behind the fight between the two groups.

It turned out that one table had ordered West Lake Vinegar Fish, while another had ordered Braised Fish.

The two tables were seated very close to each other, and the waiter had mixed up their orders.

He served the West Lake Vinegar Fish to the table that had ordered Braised Fish and vice versa.

Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. They could just remake the dishes.

However, the table that received the West Lake Vinegar Fish angrily yelled at the waiter, “What kind of fish is this? It’s so sour and tastes awful!”

The waiter tried to explain politely.

But the customer wouldn’t let it go, even going so far as to say that the West Lake Vinegar Fish was so bad it shouldn’t even be served.

The other table, now understanding the situation, grew agitated upon hearing their beloved West Lake Vinegar Fish being insulted: “You think your Braised Fish is any better? It’s so salty you’d need ten jugs of water after one bite! Even worse!”

To top it off, he even mimed vomiting. This enraged the other table.

The two groups began hurling insults, with some even spitting onto the dishes at the opposing table.

When words failed, fists were about to fly.

The second table had two burly men weighing over two hundred pounds each, creating a clear mismatch in strength. Seeing they were outmatched, the first table grabbed a knife from a curious chef who had come out to watch, stabbing it into the table to intimidate their opponents.

The second table, realizing things had escalated, quickly got up and fled the restaurant.

The first table chased after them, brandishing the knife wildly.

Seeing them waving the knife around in the street, the second table decided to fight fire with fire and grabbed a knife from a neighboring restaurant.

A standoff ensued.

That was how the whole thing had unfolded.

A-Jiu asked Jiang Nan, “Master, what should we do?”

With so many people around, Jiang Nan couldn’t just summon her hidden guards to deal with the two groups.

After a moment’s thought, she whispered a few words to A-Jiu, who nodded discreetly and slipped away.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, A-Jiu returned and gave Jiang Nan a confirming nod.

Suddenly, someone on the street shouted, “Look up! Someone’s scattering banknotes from above!”

Both groups instinctively looked up.

Sure enough, a person on the rooftop was emptying a basket of banknotes, letting them flutter down like rain.

The sight of the yellow and green banknotes drifting through the air left them all wide-eyed.

Someone yelled, “There’s a five-hundred-tael note! Grab it quick!”

Everyone craned their necks, searching for the five-thousand-tael note.

In the ensuing chaos of pushing and shoving, they slipped and tumbled over one another. The two groups, who had been so fierce moments ago, now lay on the ground clutching their backs and groaning in pain.

“Who the hell did this?!”

Someone had scattered banana peels all over the ground.

Too busy staring at the falling banknotes, none of them had noticed.

“Go grab those knives now,” Jiang Nan said to the nearby constables.

The constables snapped out of their daze and rushed forward, seizing the knives. To prevent further violence, they handcuffed everyone involved.

The brawlers, no longer concerned with dignity, tried to snatch a few banknotes as they were being led away. But a sharp-eyed man swiftly took them all back.

This man was the one who had scattered the money in the first place.

He tossed the notes back into his basket and said, “I was just playing around. Who said you could have them?”

With that, he turned and walked away, slowing his pace slightly as he passed Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan took two silver notes from her sleeve and tossed them into the man’s basket.

Only then did the man leave with a beaming smile.

.

When Jiang Nan returned to the carriage, she was met with an odd scene.

Xiao Ran was tugging at the willow branches by the riverside, swaying them back and forth, her expression drooping as if lost in thought.

Not far away, Xiao Yun stood with her hands on her hips, gazing at the scenery.

Both had their backs turned to each other, ignoring one another completely.

With just a glance, Jiang Nan could tell the two had fallen out. She signaled for Xiao Ran to get into the carriage.

Seeing them return, Xiao Ran released the willow branch, lifted the hem of her skirt, and followed them into the carriage.

It wasn’t until the wheels of the carriage began rolling slowly across the ground, leaving faint tracks, that Xiao Yun realized they were about to leave without even a word to her.

She hurried after them, calling out beside the carriage, “Miss Jiang, are you leaving already?”

Jiang Nan lifted the carriage curtain halfway with one hand, letting her speak.

“Miss Jiang, where are you headed?” Xiao Yun pressed.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Ran frowned at the sound of Xiao Yun’s incessant questions.

She’s here again, armed with her endless inquiries.

Jiang Nan remained silent.

Xiao Yun eagerly voiced her wish, “Miss Jiang, I wonder if I might have the honor of accompanying you even as a maid or a firewood keeper would do.”

Jiang Nan had no interest. “We lack nothing. And don’t block the way getting kicked by a horse hurts.”

Xiao Yun’s little schemes had been clear to Jiang Nan from the very first glance.

She was a merchant. Some things might escape her notice, but when it came to opportunism, she could spot it a mile away.

Yesterday, Xiao Yun had been somewhat useful, so Jiang Nan had allowed her to tag along. As Xiao Yun herself had said, Jiang Nan had paid her a few dozen extra coins to serve as a local guide. Neither owed the other anything.

But now, Xiao Yun’s persistence in following them despite the obvious disinterest was entirely her own fault.

Xiao Yun refused to give up.

She truly didn’t want to spend her days embroidering pouches anymore, barely scraping together a few hundred coins sometimes not even that.

“Miss Jiang, please reconsider! I can do anything!”

Jiang Nan let the curtain fall and said to the driver, “Faster.”

The driver hesitated, glancing at the girl jogging alongside the carriage. “But—”

A-Jiu snapped, “Think carefully! Who’s paying you? If you can’t do it, step down. We’ll find someone else!”

The driver shrank back at her words and urged the horses into a gallop.

Xiao Yun tried to keep up, but the carriage showed no mercy. When she reached out to steady herself against it, she only ended up with scratches on her arm.

Soon, she fell behind, shrinking into a tiny black dot in the distance.

Earlier, when the carriage had moved slowly, Jiang Nan had already felt unwell. Now that it sped up, jolting over gravel and stones, her stomach churned violently.

She had anticipated this and had eaten and drunk nothing before setting out. Now, though she didn’t feel like vomiting, her insides twisted uncomfortably.

As Jiang Nan’s discomfort blurred her awareness, a soft, boneless hand slipped over hers, fingertips gently circling the back of her hand.

The moment that slightly cool hand clasped hers, Jiang Nan shuddered, her mind clearing a little.

The woman’s fingers continued their motion, murmuring softly, whether Jiang Nan heard or not, “This is the Hegu point. Massaging it helps with carriage sickness, it soothes the stomach.”

After pressing for a short while, Jiang Nan’s motion sickness symptoms eased considerably.

A moment later, Xiao Ran used both hands. One to hold Jiang Nan’s hand in place, the other to gently knead her wrist.

The spot she massaged radiated a warm, comforting sensation.

“This is the Neiguan acupoint. Massaging it together with the Hegu acupoint enhances the effect,” the young woman murmured softly.

The effect was indeed remarkable. The churning in Jiang Nan’s stomach gradually settled.

She remained still, allowing Xiao Ran to hold her hand and continue the massage.

As Xiao Ran worked, her gaze lingered on those slender, delicate fingers.

Jiang Nan’s hand rested slightly against the carriage cushion, the tightened sleeve cuff rolled up just enough to reveal translucent blue veins beneath pale skin. A vermilion eighteen-bead bracelet dangled loosely from her wrist, making her complexion appear even fairer.

How wonderful it would be to intertwine fingers with a hand like this.

Xiao Ran pressed her lips together, her mind flooding with images of their fingers entwined. Almost as if bewitched, she let her own fingers drift into Jiang Nan’s palm.

A jolt like an electric current shot through Jiang Nan, her arm stiffening as if it no longer belonged to her. Yet, for some reason, she didn’t pull away.

When she lifted her gaze, she saw the girl with her head bowed, her velvety lashes trembling faintly, her cheeks flushed a shade deeper than usual.

Xiao Ran appeared obedient, diligently massaging Jiang Nan’s hand, yet her slender fingertips traced idle, featherlight paths over Jiang Nan’s skin. Each touch sending ripples of tingling warmth through her.

A faint itch stirred in Jiang Nan’s chest, as though feathers were brushing against her heart.

Sensing Jiang Nan’s gaze, Xiao Ran slowly looked up and met the depths of those dark, unreadable eyes. Instantly, her pulse thundered in her ears.

Jiang Nan’s hair was slightly disheveled, her beauty undiminished but now edged with a careless, languid charm. An unfamiliar sight to Xiao Ran. And those focused, unguarded eyes held something raw and ineffable.

Xiao Ran’s breath quickened, her face burning.

They stared at each other until Xiao Ran was the first to yield.

Flustered, she averted her gaze, shrinking into herself like a startled little hamster. As she withdrew her hand, her fingers accidentally grazed Jiang Nan’s palm.

Jiang Nan reflexively clenched her hand, capturing Xiao Ran’s retreating fingertips still tinged pink.

Both froze. Then, Jiang Nan released her grip and said calmly, “Sorry, I’m a bit ticklish.”

“Mm.” Xiao Ran tightened her grip on her handkerchief.

“Thank you. I feel much better now,” Jiang Nan replied, her tone composed.

But beneath the surface, she was barely holding herself together. A fine sheen of sweat coated her skin. Heat—her head, her body, radiating from within.

Xiao Ran smiled softly. “No need to thank me. I’ll be relying on your care during this trip to Qu City.”

Jiang Nan nodded. “Your aunt sent many things and asked me to look after you.”

Xiao Ran lowered her head. “Oh.”

Meanwhile, A-Jiu, who had been silently observing their subtle exchange, wished she could fling herself out of the carriage.

Since childhood, her training as a shadow guard had taught her three rules: be blind when necessary, deaf when necessary, and a living corpse when necessary.

Thanks to Xiao Ran’s ministrations, Jiang Nan’s dizziness had vanished without a trace.

She picked up a piece of fruit to eat and caught a faint, elusive floral fragrance.

The scent seemed to linger on her own hand.

She realized immediately it was the fragrance Xiao Ran had left behind.

Xiao Ran didn’t care for incense, but she loved having flowers and fruits in her room, so she always carried a faint floral scent about her.

Jiang Nan lowered her eyes, feeling the irregular beating of her heart.

The roads around Qu City were wider and flatter, so the carriage moved faster. However, once they reached the outskirts, it was inevitable that they would have to slow down.

Jiang Nan lifted the curtain and glanced at the sun. They should arrive back in Yang City today without it being too late.

She calculated the time and then said to the coachman, “Let’s stop here for a while and take a break.”

The coachman replied, “Sure thing.”

The three of them got out of the carriage and strolled around the area to stretch their legs and have some dry rations.

It was a vast grassland, not covered in short grass but in growth that reached half a person’s height. As they walked, they could faintly spot small animals darting about.

Xiao Ran had no desire to explore on her own and followed closely behind Jiang Nan, keeping her company.

Suddenly, Jiang Nan stopped in her tracks.

Not far away, a person lay on the ground, covered in wounds, their blood staining the surrounding grass red.

Jiang Nan stepped closer, and when she saw the person’s face, her pupils constricted.

It was actually…