Chapter 267: Setting Off for Xiangjiang

The following evening, Zhang Ping'an returned to Sijiucheng, but the motorcycle was too flashy, so he didn't dare take it out to ride; he casually hailed a pedicab.

"Master, Nanluoguxiang 95."

"Got it, sit tight."

That evening, upon learning that Zhang Ping'an had returned, Lao Jia finished his meal and came over to ask about the situation with Jia Youwei.

"Second Brother is doing very well, but I'm afraid Uncle Liu is having a hard time; it should be a matter of these next three or four months."

"Sigh, it's tough on Youwei." Lao Jia didn't know what else to say; this younger brother had been ill-fated since childhood, and now he was afraid he would have to endure another blow.

The next morning at work, Zhang Ping'an went to report his return to Li Huaide and even brought Li Huaide quite a few local specialties from Modu.

"Hmm, Ping'an, the burden on your shoulders is not light right now. In another two months, the Rolling Mill will be expanding, and the pig farm might not be enough to cope by then; the Procurement Section needs to check for gaps and make up for them in time."

"Very well, Factory Director, I understand."

"Hmm, I trust you with your work."

Now that Li Huaide held great power in his hands, he had instead lost the passion he had when he was Deputy Factory Director, though he had become much more steady.

However, Zhang Ping'an was his top general, and his status rose along with Li Huaide's; many leaders also ran to the logistics department more actively, all wanting to build a good relationship with Zhang Ping'an.

When people greeted him with smiles, Zhang Ping'an naturally treated them with courtesy; he would help if it wasn't excessive, which could also build some goodwill. After all, once his wife's family ran away, his position as Logistics Director would likely be stripped away.

At Qian Dahu's place, the two brothers were sparring; seeing Zhang Ping'an arrive carrying a large piece of pork, the two stopped to rest.

"Master, when are we leaving? My fists are already starving and impatient." The two felt no reluctance about leaving, only anticipation for the chaos of an unknown land.

"You two, I'll give you half an hour to rest, then I'll spar with you."

"Alright."

Since coming out of the mountains, the two had been brimming with confidence; they hadn't traded blows with Zhang Ping'an yet and had already forgotten the feeling of being beaten like sandbags.

"Little sister, take the meat and go stew it."

"Alright, Master."

They all followed Qian Dahu in calling Zhang Ping'an Master; Zhang Ping'an corrected them several times, but when they didn't change, he just let them be.

An hour later, the Qian Dahu brothers were exhausted and lying on the ground; this time, Zhang Ping'an didn't beat them directly, but instead fed them moves until they were worn out.

Li Laidi and the other girl looked at Zhang Ping'an, who was still standing in place as if nothing had happened, their faces filled with admiration.

"Master, when you have time, teach us a couple of moves too."

"Haha, sure."

In the year and a half of practical combat, the Qian Dahu brothers had finished practicing the Thirty-Six Style Body Refining Technique, and their bodies had expelled trace amounts of impurities; at the time, both were extremely excited, as this was the "Cleanse Marrow and Cut Meridians" their wandering master had spoken of.

This was also the reason they were even more devoted to Zhang Ping'an; later, with Zhang Ping'an's permission, they passed the Thirty-six Forms to the remaining eight people, so calling Zhang Ping'an Master now was not wrong.

In May, Zhang Ping'an funded the construction of three new rooms and an Ear Room on the site of the original West Wing Room where Qian Dahu lived; from then on, the ten of them had eight rooms.

In July, Jia Youwei came over alone; he didn't go to San Jie Fu and Lao Jia's house, but was arranged by Zhang Ping'an to stay at Qian Dahu's place. It just so happened that they all knew kung fu, so they could exchange pointers.

"Second Brother, has everything been handled over in Modu?"

"Yes, after Uncle Liu's funeral was finished, I took the land deeds. At the time, Uncle Liu's nephew and sister's son came over to make trouble, but I beat them back."

"Second Brother is impressive."

"What's impressive about it? In the end, I found it troublesome, so I just rented Uncle Liu's house to the Street Office; I just wait to collect the money every year," Jia Youwei said.

"Hmm, that's for the best; I doubt they would dare to cause trouble for the Street Office."

"Hmm, by the way, after I leave, give this letter to Big Brother."

"Alright."

In August, Zhang Ping'an had already mass-produced a large quantity of Flushing Pills and handed them to Qian Dahu and the others respectively.

"Master, we can't beat Uncle Master Jia."

The Qian Dahu brothers felt very uncomfortable sparring with Jia Youwei, always feeling like their fists were hitting cotton.

"Hahaha, you've only been practicing for a few years; it would be abnormal if you could beat him."

Zhang Ping'an also taught the Thirty-six Forms to Jia Youwei, and the two also sparred with different styles of Taiji; with Zhang Ping'an using thirty percent of his strength, they were evenly matched.

"Dahu, remember these two prescriptions; they are secret formulas for tempering the bones and muscles. In Xiangjiang, I don't oppose you developing your influence, but in the early stages, you must prioritize protecting your Mistress's family."

"And you must cultivate loyalty from a young age; orphans are best. I've already given you a rough idea of the current situation in Xiangjiang; it's best if you can build a good relationship with the British."

"Yes, Master, we will definitely protect Mistress's family well."

"Hmm, don't worry about the eight younger brothers and sisters at home; I will take good care of them."

"Thank you, Master."

Once they left, the eight of them would have eight rooms, enough for them to get married and have children; this was something Qian Dahu and the others never dared to imagine before.

"Second Brother, they don't recognize our Mainland currency in Xiangjiang; here is fifteen kilograms of gold, take it."

"Ping'an, I..."

"Second Brother, don't refuse yet. You need money for everything over there, and the cost of living isn't low. I know you have a talent for mechanics; you can make money over there just by tinkering with small gadgets. Consider this my investment."

"Haha, alright then." Jia Youwei was indeed very confident in himself; to him, making money was the simplest thing in the world.

Zhang Ping'an also gave the Qian brothers thirty kilograms to buy land and develop themselves.

In September, Zhang Ping'an had many more bottles and jars in his hands; he gave half to the Qian brothers and the other half to his master.

"Master, these are little gadgets I tinkered with myself; each pill can be soaked in one hundred jin of water, and drinking more can prolong life."

"You spendthrift, there's actually hundred-year-old wild ginseng juice in there!" Lao Wang took one, sniffed it, and said with a pained expression.

"Hehe, I happened to buy a few, so I made them all into pills."

Lao Wang looked into the porcelain bottle; there were roughly twenty pills per bottle, so these ten bottles meant two hundred pills. It hurt, it hurt so much; Lao Wang "happily" ground his teeth.

"Master, I saved two roots for you, look."

The ginseng Zhang Ping'an originally planted in his space was now over two hundred years old, but the one he gave Lao Wang was about one hundred and fifty years old.

"Hiss~ where did you get so many good things?"

"Since you didn't want the Yellow Fish, I went to the Black Market and exchanged them for ginseng."

"You child," Lao Wang said, feeling both gratified and pained.

In October, Zhang Ping'an finally finished preparing everything that needed to be prepared; he handed all the healing medicine and life-saving medicine over to the Qian brothers in one go.

That night, after the great battle had ceased, Zhang Ping'an caressed Wang Xiaoling's smooth, delicate back, unable to keep his hands off her.

"Brother Ping'an, I don't want to leave," Wang Xiaoling said, her voice choked with sobs as she hugged Zhang Ping'an's waist tightly.

"Silly girl," Zhang Ping'an's burly frame shuddered; he had not expected that his father-in-law would tell her in advance, so he no longer hid the truth.

"Xiao Ling, I know you are caught in the middle and find it difficult, and I want even less for you and the children to be harmed; following your father and the others is the best choice."

"Also, don't forget your man's abilities; I will come to see you all when I have time. You must educate the children well and teach them the Body Refining Technique."

"I promise you, in five years at the latest, I will come to see you. Silly girl, stop crying."

"Brother Ping'an..."

"It's alright, it's alright." Watching the glistening tears in Wang Xiaoling's eyes, Zhang Ping'an's heart felt like it was breaking, and he could only hold her tightly to comfort her.