Chapter 144: Urging Marriage and Visitors from the Hometown

"Ha, in broad daylight, a meteorite fell from the sky and smashed the house until it collapsed."

"I heard it wasn't just the house that fell; five or six people were crushed to death, their heads flattened—terrifying!"

Mother vividly recounted the gossip she had heard.

Zhou Laodie was displeased and tapped his pipe against the edge of the table, "Don't talk about this while eating."

In the middle of the dishes on the table, a plate of steamed pig brains with scallion oil no longer tasted as delicious as it usually did.

A pair of chopsticks reached over and picked up a large piece of smooth, tender pig brain.

Zhou You opened his mouth to take it in, felt the texture of the fat—smooth and tender as tofu—and squinted as he let out a breath.

Delicious, the taste is not bad.

It was already the second day, and the impact of the shelling of the Bao Tiefeng Martial Arts Hall had spread.

Wang Laohu's overbearing ruthlessness made everyone realize once again the weight of a local tyrant; he could even procure military-grade equipment and use it in a busy downtown area in broad daylight.

Afterward, the higher-ups not only failed to investigate but instead went to great lengths to cover for him.

Since the commotion at the martial arts hall was too big to hide, they claimed it was a meteorite falling from the sky, an unprovoked disaster—a natural calamity rather than a man-made one.

Zhou You's mother heard the official version, and the common folk happened to believe it.

Bao Tiefeng swallowed his pride, realized the gap in power, and had no choice but to suffer in silence.

In this round, the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall won completely.

Zhou You was a contributor who had put in the effort, and he was kept by his master for dinner; while eating, he noticed that Jiang Hua really didn't eat much, not even as much as a child.

The next day, he went home to eat with his parents and did not explain the inside story of the matter.

This was also for his parents' own good.

"You'er, did you know that Manager Xu's son recently took another concubine?"

Zhou You knew and nodded, "I know, he didn't hold a big celebration, I sent a gift."

Senior Brother Xu Ying perhaps did not want to leave any regrets, so he was crazily taking concubines and fathering sons; this was already his third concubine, and counting his legal wife, there were four women in the house—his nightlife must be particularly exciting.

The firm had been stable recently, and with the Pseudo Qi and Blood of Xu Ying, the losses were finally curbed and the profit margins had improved.

The senior management of the firm, including Zhou Laodie, breathed a sigh of relief and gradually began to smile.

"Who doesn't know? He is desperately having children because he is afraid that if he dies, there will be no one to carry on the family line."

Mother suddenly said, "Husband, why don't you quit your job!"

"I'm just afraid that one day, the firm will force You'er to go out of the city and risk his life just like the Xu family's son."

Zhou Laodie hurriedly waved his hand, "It won't come to that, it won't come to that, the old master promised me..."

"What is your status compared to Manager Xu? Even his son has to risk his life."

Mother's question was piercing and bone-chilling, leaving Zhou Laodie unable to speak for a long time.

Seeing the family disharmony, Zhou You hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

"Father, Mother, Master thinks very highly of me and has been teaching me personally lately."

"I cannot leave the martial arts hall for a short time, there will be no danger for now, don't worry."

Zhou Laodie let out a breath, "See, the boy has already said so, why are you still worrying about this and that!"

After finishing the meal, while Mother was clearing the table and going to wash up.

Zhou Laodie secretly said to his son, "How about we quit our jobs and go back to the countryside?"

"Go back to the countryside? Where do we still have a home in the countryside? What would we eat if we went back, gnaw on dirt?"

After all, his father still cared for his son; even though he was already a high-level member of the firm, he was not attached to the benefits this position brought.

Zhou You shook his head; their family had moved from the countryside to the city in his grandfather's generation.

There was no land to farm in the countryside, no way to maintain a livelihood, and even fewer connections; they would have to start from scratch.

In this day and age, farming not only couldn't make a fortune, but even getting enough to eat was difficult; it was simply not a way out.

"Father, don't worry, my status in the martial arts hall is not below that of Senior Brother Shen." "Master values me and treats me very well; with him protecting me, the firm cannot force me."

After repeated persuasion, he finally dispelled Zhou Laodie's concerns.

After the meal, his father went out to take a walk near the house to digest.

Mother took advantage of the fact that only the two of them were there and pulled Zhou You to sit down on a bench, "You'er, look at your Senior Brother who has already taken five or six concubines; shouldn't you settle down?"

"It's not that many, Senior Brother Xu has only taken his third concubine."

Zhou You corrected her earnestly, but his mother didn't want to hear that.

She grabbed Zhou You's hand and said earnestly, "I have hired the best matchmaker in the city; we are not in a hurry, we will look slowly, and we will definitely find a wife who is to your liking."

"You'er, in order to hire the matchmaker, Mother even gave her my favorite gold ring."

"You are not young anymore..."

Zhou You smiled awkwardly and glanced at the sky outside the window—there was still such a long time before sleep!

An unexpected guest arrived, rescuing Zhou You.

"Zhou You, by seniority, this is your Liushugong."

The guest Zhou Laodie brought home was an old farmer with a face full of wrinkles; although the fabric of his clothes was new, one could tell at a glance that it was something kept at the bottom of a chest that he couldn't bear to wear, only brought out during holidays to save face.

He looked at the furnishings in the room, somewhat timid and shrinking; he wouldn't sit even when asked, and wouldn't drink the water offered.

"Big Fortune, have you made a fortune in the city?"

Zhou You noticed that when his father heard this, his spirit suddenly perked up.

He intentionally or unintentionally showed off his gold cigarette holder and said reservedly, "It's alright, enough to eat."

They say that wealth without returning to one's hometown is like wearing silk in the dark; Zhou Laocan was now properly a middle-class family and was very proud in front of his relatives from his hometown.

Also, his father's childhood name was Big Fortune?

Liushugong put down a bag of peanuts, the bag covered in mud, "This is a local specialty I brought for you."

"Since you've come, you've come, but you even brought things; Liushugong, you are too polite."

Zhou Laodie forcibly pulled the old farmer to sit down and began to exchange pleasantries with him: how the harvest had been lately, whether the livestock at home had fallen ill, which person in the clan had gotten married, and how his childhood companions were doing.

The old farmer was a bit reserved at first, but as they chatted, he realized that Big Fortune had not forgotten his roots and gradually opened up.

According to him, he had come into the city this time to sell local produce.

This year, drought combined with a pest infestation had reduced grain yields, and the quality was not very good, making it difficult to pay rent and taxes by selling grain alone.

He had no choice but to sell the special produce grown in the fields, such as peanuts and vegetables, to make ends meet.

After entering the city, he heard that Zhou Laodie was doing well, so he specifically came to visit.

"Liushugong, stay the night; I'll have his mother boil some water for you to soak your feet."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

Liushugong waved his hands repeatedly, "I wouldn't dare stay in such a nice house; I have to return to the countryside tonight."

Even after repeated persuasion, he refused to stay, so Zhou Laodie stuffed a bag of copper coins into his hand as a return gift for the bag of peanuts.

In the end, he even hired a donkey cart for him to take Liushugong home.

When Liushugong came, he had walked dozens of miles on his own two feet; being able to ride a donkey cart on the way back, he was so moved that he kept saying Master Dafu was righteous and had not forgotten his roots.

"Master Dafu, the clan is going to revise the genealogy recently; I will put in a word to have your branch added as well."

It was because of this sentence that Zhou Laocan was so excited he didn't sleep all night.

Zhou You's grandfather had been driven out by the clan, his land confiscated, and he had only come to the city to make a living because he could no longer survive in his hometown.

Until he died of illness, he was never able to return to his roots, which was the great regret of Zhou Laodie's life.

Now that there was an opportunity to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan, it was the best news in the world for him.

(End of this chapter)