Chapter 35: Use This to Jab Him
"Oh? Aren’t you the young man who stopped me yesterday?" Miss Han extended her hand and used a folding fan to lift the guard’s chin, blinking her big eyes as she curiously asked, "What happened to you? Why is your nose bruised and swollen?"
Zhao Zun and Ping Chuan were taken aback, covering their faces with one hand and silently turning their heads away.
Although Miss Han had changed her appearance, the gatekeeping guard recognized the gentleman before him by her voice as the beautiful lady he had stopped the day before.
The guard sneaked a glance at Zhao Zun and Ping Chuan, then quickly lowered his head. "It’s nothing, miss. I accidentally tripped last night and bumped myself."
"Oh dear! Tsk tsk tsk... You’re really unlucky." Miss Han reached into her sleeve, took out a box of ointment from her space watch, and handed it to the guard. "Take it home and apply it yourself; it helps with blood circulation and reduces bruising."
"No need, no need." The guard quickly declined.
After his shift ended last night, he got a good beating and finally understood who Prince Xiaoyao was.
"Take it!" Miss Han directly stuffed the ointment into his palm.
"Uh... thank you, miss." The guard held the ointment apprehensively, sneaking another glance at Zhao Zun and Ping Chuan, noticing that Zhao Zun was looking over, he quickly lowered his head again.
"Alright, remember to apply it!" Miss Han smiled slightly at the guard and returned to the steps.
She instructed Ping Chuan to open the package and distribute the electric batons inside to the injured soldiers of the Big Word Team, then had Zhao Zun open another package to give each injured soldier a solar charger.
"What are these things?"
"Never seen them before."
"Could this be a stick for hitting people?"
The injured soldiers of the Big Word Team curiously studied the items in their hands, and the injured soldiers of the Small Word Team crowded around too, eager to touch them. Even Luo Hai tiptoed and stretched his neck to see what the injured soldiers were holding.
"Brothers!"
Han Lei shouted loudly from the steps, and the injured soldiers immediately quieted down, all looking at her in surprise.
Though the voice was clearly Miss Han’s, standing on the steps was a man. What was going on?
"Alright, stop staring. I’m Han Lei." Han Lei felt uncomfortable under their gaze. "Your Prince has me tightly under control; he won’t let me out unless I wear men’s clothing. So, um... this is how I am now."
Han Lei shrugged helplessly, and the injured soldiers laughed heartily, with some whistling and cheering.
"Whoo~ Long live the Prince! Hahaha..."
They were genuine men from the barracks, often joking around with Zhao Zun, and Han Lei’s teasing completely delighted Zhao Zun. At this moment, he felt he had a strong presence and truly seemed awe-inspiring.
"Haha, you’re too kind, too kind." Zhao Zun puffed out his chest, clasped his hands towards the injured soldiers, and smiled brightly. It seemed he had truly overcome the hurdle in his heart.
Han Lei turned to look at Luo Hai, who was covering his mouth with his hand and laughing quietly, "Mr. Luo, please have someone bring a horse or a cow over."
"Sure! Hahaha."
Luo Hai was also infected by the atmosphere and laughed along. He felt Zhao Zun had good judgment, as Han Lei consistently elevated Zhao Zun’s status outside; she was sure to be a good Princess Consort in the future.
The guard with the bruised nose quickly brought people around with a horse and a cow, tying them to the stone lions in front of the government office.
Han Lei didn’t walk down the steps. She took the electric baton from the hand of the captain of the Big Word Team and turned it on. Instantly, the tip of the electric baton emitted a zapping sound, surprising everyone present.
"Everyone in the Big Word Team, take a good look; this is called an electric baton, used to deal with enemies. When shocked, the enemy will convulse or temporarily lose consciousness. If anyone dares to disrupt or steal from our project, you grab this and prod them. Then take the captured scoundrel to the government office, and the County Magistrate will stand up for you."
As Han Lei spoke, she demonstrated how to use the electric baton and solar chargers. She then walked to the horse and activated the baton directly against its leg.
"Zap~ Boom!"
After a brief electric sound, the horse screamed and fell to the ground.
Han Lei then demonstrated on the cow, and the strong-bodied cow also collapsed.
"My goodness! Even horses and cows can be knocked down."
"This is incredible!"
"Yes, prodding people would be even easier."
"Are these weapons given to the Big Word Team by Miss Han?"
The place was buzzing with exclamations.
Having witnessed Han Lei’s miraculous prowess before, Zhao Zun and the injured soldiers were a bit more composed. But Luo Hai and the guards at the front of the government office were completely taken aback.
Luo Hai thought to himself, no wonder Miss Han dared to do such big charitable deeds; she obviously had serious weaponry. He felt even more assured, and for the sake of his future political career, he dared to let loose and embark on major initiatives.
What Luo Hai didn’t know was that this was just the beginning; Han Lei still had more formidable weapons in store!
"Brr-brr... brr-brr..."
Just as Han Lei was about to issue orders to go to the restaurant, a chaotic sound of hooves came from a distance. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound; it was Commander Xiao Zhengfei of Zhao Zun’s trusted aides, leading a group of aides on horseback.
"Greetings to the Prince!"
Xiao Zhengfei and his group dismounted and paid respects to Zhao Zun. After greeting them, Zhao Zun directed them to the government office to rest, then personally accompanied Han Lei and the others to the restaurant.
In front of the restaurant, four tables were set up, with four long lines of people waiting outside, including men and women, old and young alike. Mr. Wang and three other unknown men were seated behind the tables, registering people individually. When Han Lei’s group arrived, Mr. Wang quickly nudged the man beside him, and they all stood up to greet Han Lei.
"Miss Han has arrived." Mr. Wang cheerfully bowed, then said to the three men beside him, "This is our proprietor, Miss Han."
The three men’s faces lit up with joy, and they all respectfully bowed.
"We greet Miss Han."
"No need to be so formal. My name is Han Lei, just call me by my name from now on. It’s quite awkward to be called ’Miss.’" Han Lei said amiably.
"Miss Ha—uh... better stick to calling you Miss Han!" Mr. Wang was slightly uncomfortable, pointing to the three men beside him. "These three are my sons and nephew; the wages Miss offered are high, so I brought them along to help. Hopefully, Miss doesn’t mind?"
"Haha, I don’t mind." Han Lei was amused by Mr. Wang’s straightforwardness, "As long as they work earnestly and diligently, it doesn’t matter what their background is."
"That’s a given. We just fear you would say we’re favoring our own." Mr. Wang breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Lei, worried about scaring the queued civilians, refrained from introducing Zhao Zun and Luo Hai to Mr. Wang for now, but instead had Ping Chuan accompany Zhao Zun and Luo Hai to look around inside the shop and tour it.
Once those two notable figures were inside, Han Lei glanced at the long queue outside and asked Mr. Wang.
"Mr. Wang, how’s the recruitment of other personnel?"