pertwk Chapter 2002 The Zhao Family's Mentors (9k)
Chapter 2002 The Zhao Family's Mentors (9k)
Chapter 2002 The Zhao Family's Mentors (9k)
Zhao Jun never expected that his parents' trip to the city would yield such an unexpected gain.
After hearing his father's words, Zhao Jun remained silent for a moment, then said to Wang Meilan, "Mom, let's put this matter aside for now. After the conference is over, and I've seen off those guests, I'll pass through Shulan on my way back. I'll find someone there and ask around about this Wang Sanxi."
“Alright, son.” Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Wang Meilan said, “Anyway, none of our things will run away. I’m just nagging you. Right now, you still have to focus on our big meeting.”
Zhao Jun thought so too; if all else fails, there's always Zhao Youcai's way to cover it up.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Wang Meilan urged Zhao Jun to go back and rest.
When Zhao Jun returned to the room, Ma Ling had already prepared the foot bath water for him. After Zhao Jun washed his feet, Ma Ling took the basin out to empty the water, and when she returned to the room, Zhao Jun was already asleep.
Zhao Jun was truly exhausted; he didn't even have a dream in the first half of the night.
He did have a dream in the latter half of the night, but just as Zhao Jun dreamt of hunting bears up the mountain with Qinglong, he heard someone calling him: "Son! Son!"
That was Zhao Youcai's voice. In his dream, Zhao Jun looked around at the woods on both sides, thinking, "When did my dad arrive?"
Then, Zhao Jun was woken up by Ma Ling.
"It's almost three o'clock," Ma Ling said. "Dad is calling you to get up and eat."
"Hmm?" Zhao Jun hadn't slept enough and his head was still a little heavy, but he had to get to Chuncheng by noon today and couldn't afford to waste a moment.
So Zhao Jun quickly got up, put on his clothes, and went out of the house.
When he arrived at the outer room, steaming dumplings were already on the table.
Following the old custom of "dumplings for leaving home, noodles for returning home," Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan got up early and worked late to cut chives and make dumplings, hoping that Zhao Jun would have a smooth journey.
While Zhao Jun was washing up, Zhao Youcai went next door and knocked on the window to wake Li Baoyu.
The chive and egg dumplings were very fresh. Wang Meilan habitually left a generous amount of filling at the bottom, so they only needed to be dipped in vinegar and chili oil.
When the dumplings were first cooked, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu would eat one dumpling in two bites. Later, the two brothers started eating them one bite at a time.
After eating and drinking his fill, Zhao Jun slowly drank the dumpling soup beside him, which was still slightly hot. He drank until he was sweating profusely, and after wiping himself with a dry towel, he felt refreshed.
Just then, a dog barked twice in the backyard. It turned out that Lin Xiangshun, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui had come together.
Seeing them arrive, Wang Meilan hurriedly asked if they had eaten. All three said they had, and Zhao Jun then got up to prepare for their departure.
"Son!" Wang Meilan stuffed five stacks of ten-yuan notes into Zhao Jun's satchel, saying, "A poor family should be frugal on the road. Spend money when you need to while you're out."
Zhao Jun responded, and then Zhao Youcai added from the side, "It's not like being at home outside, so be sure to be careful."
"Don't worry, Dad." Zhao Jun said, looking at Ma Ling. The young couple smiled at each other. Zhao Jun then turned back and waved to Li Baoyu and the others, saying, "Let's go!"
The group left the Zhao family compound, and the five members of the Zhao family gang got into four jeeps and one Jiefang truck.
"Please drive carefully, and be extremely careful," Wang Meilan repeatedly reminded them, watching the five cars disappear into the thin mist that had just formed in the early morning.
"Alright, Mom," Ma Ling said, supporting Wang Meilan's arm. "Let's go back."
"My dear, you should go back and get some more sleep." After saying this, Wang Meilan remembered Liu Mei standing beside her and quickly said to her, "Hey, you should go back too. It's not even 3:30 yet. Get some more sleep. You don't need to get up so early today."
Because Liu Mei and Jin Xiaomei both have the character "Mei" in their names, Wang Meilan and the others call Liu Mei by her nickname in order to distinguish how they address the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in daily life.
Liu Mei's nickname is Xiao Ya, which is the same as Wang Ya, who recently joined the family. However, Zhao Weipeng and his wife said they would change Wang Ya's name in a while.
Wang Ya had no objection to this. Now, the child has integrated well into this big family. Wang Ya is sensible and knows how to cherish the hard-won good life. She also has a grateful heart and is exceptionally considerate of others; Zhao Weipeng's family of five adores her.
Nobody slept well, getting up so early. Liu Mei agreed with Wang Meilan and was about to return to the west courtyard when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back and hurriedly said to Wang Meilan, "Auntie, my brother Jun and the others need to borrow a car when they go to Lingnan, don't they?"
"Yes," Wang Meilan nodded in agreement, then asked, "What's wrong?"
"Who will drive the borrowed car?" Liu Mei said, meaning that Zhao Jun and his five friends had driven five cars, and when they arrived at Qiaotou Village, they were facing the problem of not having a driver to borrow another car.
"Ah." Wang Meilan understood Liu Mei's meaning, and immediately pointed to the mountain, saying, "There's a driver up there who can drive. He's a relative of Xiaochen's. Your Aunt Sun and Sister-in-law Xie both said that he's a reliable person. Let him go with us."
Hearing Wang Meilan say this, Liu Mei felt relieved. She said goodbye to Wang Meilan and the other two, and then returned to the west courtyard.
Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan accompanied Ma Ling as they walked slowly through their courtyard. Zhao Youcai suddenly sighed and remarked, "I never imagined I could live in such a big house."
"Hahahaha." Wang Meilan laughed loudly. At this moment, she had her right arm around Ma Ling's arm and patted Zhao Youcai's shoulder with her left hand, saying, "After our son and the others are done with their work this time, you and Qiangzi will both learn to drive with our son."
"Why would I learn that thing? Where would I drive it?" Zhao Youcai replied, "I have a motorcycle."
Hearing Zhao Youcai say this, Wang Meilan patted him on the shoulder again and said, "I've already talked to Qiangzi's wife. Once our father gets his shares in the shop and factory back, we'll split the money 50/50 with them. After that, once we get the money, I'll buy you a sedan chair."
Zhao Youcai smiled upon hearing this. Just as he was about to say something, Wang Meilan said, "I'll learn too. When my eldest grandson starts school, I'll drive him there every day."
"That's because you're so open-minded, and you even said you'd buy it for me," Zhao Youcai said. Wang Meilan laughed, and then Zhao Youcai and Ma Ling also laughed.
……
The roads in Yong'an Forest Area are really good, especially after the Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce and the Zhao Group jointly donated tractors to the forest farm this year. The forest farm then organized people to repair the original diesel tracks, making them even better.
Zhao Jun and his five men drove five vehicles at breakneck speed and arrived at Xinlengchang at 4:05.
When they arrived, the new workshop had already started construction.
Here in Zhao Jun's area, the first week of the dog days of summer is the hottest. In those days, the highest temperature can reach around 33 degrees Celsius.
Moreover, the weather is still muggy every year after the start of the hottest period of summer and before the beginning of autumn. Even people who don't do any work can get covered in sweat just by lying on the kang (heated brick bed) indoors and fanning themselves, let alone doing heavy physical labor like carrying logs.
According to Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan, the workers should be given a holiday at this time, go home and rest for a month, and then resume work after the beginning of autumn.
The mother and daughter meant well, but the four groups of workers refused to do anything and insisted on staying on the mountain to earn money.
But at this time of year, carrying logs weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds under the scorching sun can be fatal.
So these workers worked from morning till night, getting up at three in the morning and working until the sun came out before returning to their shacks to rest.
We would come out again after 4:30 pm and work until it was completely dark, then we would carry a dozen or so lanterns and work for another half hour.
Zhao Jun led the way, driving the vehicle into the new log yard and all the way to the log stacking yard.
At this moment, shouts rose and fell, and the workers worked in groups of eight, ten, or twelve, some with two small poles and some with two large poles, working with great enthusiasm.
Of the four groups of workers, four were led by others, but only Jie Zhong didn't work. At that moment, Jie Zhong was in the shade, keeping a small notebook to record his work points.
Whoever carries a certain amount of timber will have points recorded under their name. Then, at the end of the month, Li, the accountant from the Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce, will calculate the accounts based on the receipts.
Upon seeing the convoy approaching, Xie Zhong hurried over to greet them.
A few days ago, when Xie Zhong returned home, Zhao Jun mentioned this matter to him. But Xie Zhong didn't expect Zhao Jun and the others to arrive so early.
Xie Zhong arrived at the front of the car just as Zhao Jun got out. Xie Zhong whispered to Zhao Jun, "Brother, um..."
Seeing that Jie Zhong looked troubled, Zhao Jun quickly asked, "What's wrong, Brother Zhong?"
“The people in Qiaotou Village are all eager to work and don’t really want to go,” Xie Zhong said. “After that, Huang Gui scolded them, and things got really bad.”
Hearing Jie Zhong's words, Zhao Jun frowned. But the people from Qiaotou Village came to work. They worked hard, and the Zhao family's chamber of commerce paid them their wages normally; they were even. They didn't want to go out and cause trouble with Zhao Jun, and there was nothing Zhao Jun could say about it.
"Brother Zhong, what about your men?" Zhao Jun asked. Jie Zhong replied, "I'm fine here, brother. I'll call them over right away and have them come with me."
As soon as Xie Zhong finished speaking, several people ran over. The leader was Huang Gui, followed by Huang Guofu, Huang Minqiang, Jiang Weifeng, Chen Jinyong, and Chen Jinjun.
Upon reaching Zhao Jun, Huang Gui grinned and said, "Brother, you've arrived!"
Jiang Weifeng, who followed along, also called Zhao Jun "brother," while the other four boys all addressed Zhao Jun as "Uncle Zhao."
"Brother, you need men, right?" Huang Gui said to Zhao Jun, "I'm not that capable, so count the six of us, and I can only get you thirty-eight people in total."
At this point, Huang Guishou gestured towards Xie Zhong and said, "The rest of the men are on Brother Xie's side."
Hearing Huang Gui's words, Xie Zhong nodded, then turned around and shouted to the work area, "Hey, those facing the sun, deliver the wood to the designated spot, and then come over here!"
As soon as Xie Zhong finished speaking, Huang Gui also shouted at the top of his lungs, "All thirty-two of our men, come over here!"
No one expected Zhao Jun to arrive so early; the workers over there were still busy at work. No one could just dump the wood and come; it had to be delivered to the destination.
Huang Gui knew this too, so after he shouted, he turned around and smiled at Zhao Jun, saying, "Brother, what have you been busy with lately?"
"I wasn't busy with anything..." Zhao Jun said, looking at Huang Gui in front of him. Huang Gui had a shaved head, was shirtless, and had fresh scratches on his body. A dark towel was draped over Huang Gui's shoulder.
When lifting the bar, he would place this towel under the bar. After putting the bar down, he would use the towel to wipe his sweat.
"Brother, if it's almost over, let's take a break." Zhao Jun got along well with Huang Gui, and seeing how thin and dark-skinned Huang Gui was, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"It's alright, brother." Huang Gui took the towel off his shoulder, wiping his sweat as he said, "Normally at this time of year, we're all idle and restless. Why don't we hurry up and get this job done?"
Just as Zhao Jun was talking to Huang Gui, people from Xiangyangtun and Qiaotoucun came over one after another.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the east. Zhao Jun turned his head and saw a group of people rushing towards them.
Judging from the size of the group, there were about forty or fifty people. Xie Zhong and Huang Gui both frowned, because this group was not their men.
"Young Master!" The leader of this group was Tong Youfeng, the militia captain of Xishantun. As soon as he called out "Young Master," forty or fifty people from Xishantun echoed him in unison.
Their shouts startled the people in Xiangyang and Qiaotou. When Tong Youfeng approached Zhao Jun, he immediately questioned, "Young Master, what did we hear? You're hiring people to do the work?"
Then, without waiting for Zhao Jun's reply, Tong Youfeng continued, "If you have work to do, you should call us! I heard you need a hundred people? Our village only has eighty-two people, and we'll all go with you. You can borrow a few of the missing eighteen from them."
“Yes, young master!” Tong Youfeng shouted to Wu Dalin, who was most loyal to Grandma Zhao, as soon as he finished speaking, “We have a few more people, they will be here soon.”
As Wu Dalin was speaking, Zhao Jun saw people running towards them from the pole-erecting machine. These people looked somewhat familiar; they were probably from Xishantun.
Just then, a soft voice reached Zhao Jun's ears from behind: "Brother Huang, there are so many of them, so why don't you let us go?"
"Get lost!" came Huang Gui's low shout.
At this moment, Zhao Jun did not turn around. He looked to his left and saw that someone in Xiangyang Village was also pulling on Jie Zhong's arm.
Zhao Jun smiled faintly and turned to look at the people of Xishantun.
“Young Master, what kind of work do you need? We’ll do it for you.” After saying this, Tong Youfeng paused slightly and added, “Everyone in our village is happy to do work for you.”
As Tong Youfeng finished speaking, voices of agreement rang out from the crowd in Xishantun. Meanwhile, more and more people arrived, and the Xishantun group visibly grew larger.
Zhao Jun never expected things to turn out this way. He originally planned to find those two groups in Lingnan and try to avoid those near his home.
But the current situation made Zhao Jun change his mind.
"We don't need these people today." Having made up his mind, Zhao Jun quickly raised his hand and said to the people of Xishantun, "Thirty people will be fine with me today."
“Thirty people… I’ll go!” Wu Dalin was the first to respond, followed by a chorus of “I’ll go” and “Me too”.
"No need to rob, no need to rob." Zhao Jun pressed his hand down, then asked Tong Youfeng, "Captain Tong, aren't there eighty-two of you? Thirty of you will come with me today, and the rest tomorrow..."
At this point, Zhao Jun turned to Xie Zhong and said, "Brother Zhong, you lead them down the mountain in our wagon. Uncle Li will tell you the exact time we leave later."
“Okay, brother.” Hearing Zhao Jun’s words, Xie Zhong responded, then asked, “Then we’ll send all the men from their village, and twelve more of us will go…”
"No need, Brother Zhong." Zhao Jun stopped Jie Zhong, and then said to Huang Gui, "Brother, there's no need for anyone from your village to come over. Just focus on your work at Lengchang."
“Brother, how about we go with you?” Huang Gui said, but Zhao Jun shook his head and said, “No need, brother, these guys are enough. We’ll pack up and leave after we’re done. You… take it easy on yourself.”
"Okay then." Huang Gui felt a bit embarrassed, as Zhao Jun was in a hurry to leave and didn't chat with him for long.
When Zhao Jun turned around again, he heard Tong Youfeng say, "Young Master, when are we leaving? I'll bring some men to go with you."
"Let's go now." Zhao Jun said, looking at Xie Chen, who was standing next to a short, thin man.
"Brother Jun." Meeting Zhao Jun's gaze, Jie Chen pulled the person next to him over and said, "This is Erbao."
After speaking with Zhao Jun, Jie Chen gently nudged Liu Erbao and said, "Quickly call him Brother Jun."
"Brother Jun," Liu Erbao called out. Zhao Jun laughed and said, "Alright, brother, hurry up and pack your things, grab your clothes, and let's go."
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Tong Youfeng turned around and said to the people of Xishan Village, "Those who went with the young master, go back and wash your faces, then put on your shirts and let's go!"
At Tong Youfeng's command, the crowd parted to two sides. Some people ran and stumbled towards the shack, while the others, led by Wu Dalin, said to Zhao Jun, "Young Master, let's get back to work."
Although Wu Dalin was not a cadre, he had a high reputation in Xishantun. So after Tong Youfeng decided to go with Zhao Jun, he left Wu Dalin behind to lead the remaining people of Xishantun.
Ten minutes later, the thirty people from Xishantun climbed onto the back of the Liberation truck.
When Tong Youfeng, the first person to go up, saw the mortar and a large box containing dozens of Type 56 semi-automatic rifles, he was completely stunned.
At that moment, Tong Youfeng had only one question in his mind: "What is our young master going to do?"
Soon, the twenty-nine Xishantun people who followed Tong Youfeng up were also dumbfounded.
Before they could react, Zhao Jun, in the lead car, honked his horn. The five cars started one after another and drove off towards the edge of the yard.
Leaving Lengchang, we took the diesel road to the war preparation highway and headed straight for Lingnan.
More than forty minutes later, five vehicles drove past Zhangguangcai Ridge. Zhao Jun honked the horn and parked the car on the side of the road.
The four vehicles behind stopped one by one. In the back of the last Jiefang truck, the people of Xishantun clung to the railings, gazing at the majestic and continuous Zhangguangcai Mountains outside the vehicle.
They had been discussing it all the way from Chuxinlengchang to here.
At this moment, Zhao Jun got out of the jeep and walked quickly to the back.
When Zhao Jun walked to the back of the truck, the people of Xishan Village were a little nervous, fearing that Zhao Jun was going to take them to "do something big".
That's why Tong Youfeng was able to become the militia captain. He was at his most composed at this moment, saying to Zhao Jun, who had climbed onto the back of the truck, "Young Master, we didn't bring a shovel."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback and blurted out, "Take what?"
"Get a shovel." Tong Youfeng's eyes darted around as he continued tentatively, "Without a shovel, we can't dig trenches."
As he said this, Tong Youfeng was very nervous. If they were digging trenches, it would mean fighting a defensive battle. Otherwise, it would mean attacking a certain place.
Thinking of this, Tong Youfeng glanced at the mortar next to him out of the corner of his eye and wondered, "Is this a trip to Lingnan to attack Shulan or Dunhua?"
Just as Tong Youfeng was lost in thought, Zhao Jun laughed and said, "Captain Tong, what are you talking about? What the hell, digging trenches?"
As he spoke, Zhao Jun pointed to the equipment and said, "Today, I'm going to Chuncheng to pick up a few big bosses. I'm worried about being robbed on the way, so I'm giving you guys some directions."
"Ah..." As soon as Zhao Jun said this, the atmosphere in the back of the truck, which was almost freezing, instantly became cheerful.
"Young Master, is that all?"
"Young Master, I'm not bragging. If there are any highway robbers today, I'll consider it a good thing they emptied their bowels this morning if I don't beat the shit out of them!"
……
"Alright, alright!" Zhao Jun raised his hand to silence the chatter, then continued, "We all came out here with me to do this, and now we can't get any work on the mountain. We'll lose a lot of wages, won't we?"
As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Tong Youfeng said, "Young Master, what are you saying? Without you and our village chief, where would we get this job?"
“Exactly,” Qin Guangquan chimed in, “Young Master, if you ask me, you wasted your time contacting them. Those two groups weren’t willing to work for you, but we were!”
“That’s right!” Zhang Xinglong’s son, Zhang Guoming, echoed loudly, “Young Master, you don’t need to be so polite. Just tell us what to do, and we’ll do it.”
Zhao Jun felt good hearing these words, and then he pulled out a wad of ten-yuan notes from his pocket.
"What are you doing, young master?" Seeing this, Tong Youfeng stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Jun's hand that was holding the money, saying, "Take it back right now. We're just doing some work, why would we need your money?"
“Captain Tong,” Zhao Jun said, looking at Tong Youfeng, “before I left home, my mother said that we can’t let our own people suffer.”
"What loss are we going to suffer?" Before Tong Youfeng could even speak, someone said, "Young Master, if it weren't for you and our village chief, would we be able to live like this? What's wrong with us doing some work for you?"
“I agree! Young Master, we didn’t come out with you for the money. If we were here to make money, we wouldn’t have come.”
"Did you hear that, young master?" Tong Youfeng pressed down on Zhao Jun's hands as he took the money, saying, "Put it away quickly."
Zhao Jun was a man of strong emotions, and seeing the atmosphere had reached this point, he looked up at everyone and said, "We're going to be out here for at least three days..."
“Even if you stay for eight days, we still can’t take your money.” A voice interrupted Zhao Jun, and many others echoed it.
"Listen to me, everyone," Zhao Jun said loudly. "We'll stay in Chuncheng today, and tomorrow we'll head back to Shanhe early in the morning, arriving in the county town at noon. The day after tomorrow or the day after that, you'll have to come to Chuncheng with me again, and then we'll go home."
When we go back from Kunming, let's find a big store and buy some food, drinks, and other necessities, then take them home.
At this point, Zhao Jun held up the money in his hand and said, "I'll use this money to buy things later."
"No need, young master, we have money."
"Okay! Okay!" Zhao Jun quickly raised his hand to suppress the noise and said, "This money is a token of our appreciation from my mother and me to everyone."
My daughter and I, although we don't live in Xishan Village, are treated like family there, and we don't consider ourselves outsiders either. This money, once it's given to everyone, will allow them to go home and enjoy it with their families, and afterwards, we'll all be happy.”
Zhao Jun's words, spoken with such emotion, silenced the people of Xishan Village.
Seeing that they were all silent, Zhao Jun smiled, took out two ten-yuan bills, and handed them directly to Tong Youfeng.
Originally, Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan agreed to give each of them ten yuan. But today, the atmosphere was right, and the friendship was there, so Zhao Jun added another ten yuan to each of them.
Seeing the large sum of money Zhao Jun offered, Tong Youfeng ducked away, saying, "Young Master, why would I take your money? Back in the good days, we only made four or five yuan a day. It wasn't even any real work..."
Zhao Jun didn't wait for Tong Youfeng to finish speaking before forcefully stuffing the money into his hand.
Tong Youfeng was taken aback, and then saw Zhao Jun pull out two more ten-yuan bills and hand them to Qin Guangquan.
"Thank you, young master." Qin Guangquan accepted the money and expressed his gratitude, his face full of thanks and his heart full of emotion.
"You're welcome, no need to thank me," Zhao Jun replied, then handed two more ten-yuan bills to the next person.
"Thank you, young master."
"You're welcome, put it in your pocket."
Zhao Jun patiently handed the money to each person, and when they thanked him, he responded with a warm and gentle response.
This was taught to Zhao Jun by Wang Meilan. According to Wang Meilan, it was also taught to her by her father, Wang Dacai. Otherwise, given Zhao Jun's personality, he would have given all the money to Tong Youfeng and let Tong Youfeng distribute it among his subordinates.
After all thirty people had received their money, Zhao Jun smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone, saying, "We can all rest in this vehicle as we see fit; there shouldn't be any problems."
"Young Master, we're not afraid of any problems!" A man from Xishan Village waved his arm and shouted, "Say something, and we'll beat him up!"
"Yes! Knock him down!" someone shouted in response, and morale soared.
Looking at their excited, flushed faces, Tong Youfeng felt that if Zhao Jun were to lead them to attack Shulan, none of them would hesitate.
Zhao Jun waved to everyone, then climbed out of the trunk. He walked to the passenger side and handed Liu Erbao two ten-yuan bills through the window.
"What are you doing, Brother Jun?" Liu Erbao tried to push him away, but Zhao Jun put the money in his arms and left.
"Take it, Erbao," Jie Chen said from the driver's seat. "Brother Jun is giving it to you, so just take it."
The convoy continued on its way and entered Qiaotou Village in fifteen minutes.
It was nearly 5:30 a.m., but many people had already gotten up and were taking advantage of the cool morning air to work in the fields and tend to their gardens.
Zhao Jun thought that as the convoy drove through the village, everyone who saw it would be drawn to it.
So Zhao Jun called Liu Erbao to his car, and then told everyone else to wait outside the village while he drove the jeep and took Liu Erbao into the village.
The jeep pulled up outside the Shao family compound. By then, four of the five members of the Shao family had gotten up, leaving only Shao Jun still asleep.
"Uncle Shao." Zhao Jun got out of the car and ran into Shao Zhiqiang, who was coming out of the outhouse.
"Oh my!" Shao Zhiqiang was surprised to see Zhao Jun at this time and asked, "Zhao Jun, why are you here so early?"
After saying this, Shao Zhiqiang realized what was happening and invited Zhao Jun into the house.
We had to go inside. Zhao Jun took out the cigarettes, alcohol, and canned goods he had prepared in advance from the car. Shao Zhiqiang couldn't help but complain, "Look at you, what are you going to do with this stuff?"
"Hehe." Zhao Jun chuckled and joked, "I bought all of these for my aunt."
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Shao Zhiqiang laughed, then beckoned to Liu Erbao, "Come on, let's go inside. What are we doing outside?"
"Uncle Shao, let him stay outside." Zhao Jun stopped Shao Zhiqiang and said, "I'll go inside for a while, check on the old man, and then I'll leave."
"What are you doing?" Upon hearing this, Shao Zhiqiang looked at Zhao Jun with displeasure and said, "We're home now, you need to eat before you leave!"
"Uncle Shao, I ate at home before coming here," Zhao Jun said. Shao Zhiqiang didn't believe him and frowned, asking, "If you ate at home, what time did you eat?"
"I got up at two o'clock, ate breakfast before three-thirty, and then drove over here," Zhao Jun said with a wry smile. Shao Zhiqiang asked in surprise, "So early? You... have something to do?"
"Ah!" Zhao Jun nodded, then pointed to the large Jeep parked in front of the house and said, "Uncle Shao, I'd like to borrow your car for a few days."
After saying this, Zhao Jun paused for a moment, then added, "If it works, I'll use it for four days at most, and then I'll send it back to you."
Upon hearing this, Shao Zhiqiang narrowed his eyes and asked Zhao Jun with a smile, "Are you going to pick someone up?"
"Huh? Ah..." Although he didn't know who had passed the message to Shao Zhiqiang, since the person had said so, Zhao Jun didn't hide anything and said directly, "Yeah, Uncle Shao, I'm going to Changchun to pick up passengers, but we don't have enough cars."
"Come on, come on, let's talk inside." Shao Zhiqiang ushered Zhao Jun into the house, where Lin Yueying was cooking in the outer room. Shao Tianpeng must have seen Zhao Jun through the window, because he slipped on his shoes and came out of the house into the outer room.
Zhao Jun quickly stepped forward to greet him and put down the gifts he had brought.
Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang ushered Zhao Jun into the inner room, where they saw Old Beard Shao Yunjin sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) looking at the door.
"Grandpa, you're in good health!" Zhao Jun greeted Shao Yunjin as soon as he entered the room.
"Good!" Old Hu Zi was old and hard of hearing, so his voice became louder: "Zhao Jun, I heard you've got several ginseng kings and are going to hold a ginseng king conference."
"Ah, hehe..." Zhao Jun smiled, looked at Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang, and said, "There are really no secrets in this line of work."
"So what are you thinking about?" Shao Tianpeng replied with a smile, and then Shao Zhiqiang said, "Grandpa, Dad, Zhao Jun came to borrow the car."
"Are you going to entertain guests?" Shao Tianpeng asked Zhao Jun after hearing this.
"Okay." Zhao Jun nodded and said, "Go to Chuncheng to pick up today's plane, and send them off the day after tomorrow or the day after that. After that, I'll bring the car back to you."
“That’s easy to do.” Shao Tianpeng looked at Shao Zhiqiang as he spoke and said, “Go and get the key from my eldest grandson’s room.”
Shao Zhiqiang got up to leave, but Shao Tianpeng immediately added, "Oh no, that kid's been called here. His brother's here, why are you still lazing in bed?"
"No need, no need," Zhao Jun quickly waved his hand and said, "Let him sleep, I'll be leaving right away."
Shao Zhiqiang didn't say anything and went straight outside. Zhao Jun wanted to chase after him to stop him, but then he heard Shao Tianpeng say, "Zhao Jun, Master Shao wants to talk to you about something."
“Go ahead and say it, Mr. Shao.” Zhao Jun was very straightforward, and Shao Tianpeng didn’t mince words either, saying directly, “I heard that your Ginseng King Conference is quite a spectacle. Could you let your Uncle Shao and my brother go over and watch the excitement, and broaden their horizons?”
“Why not?” Zhao Jun readily agreed, saying, “I have guests coming from the south this afternoon. We’ll stay overnight in Chuncheng tonight and head back early tomorrow morning. We’ll have lunch in Shanhe County. After that, we’ll come here tomorrow, and I’ll come back to pick up my Uncle Shao and my brother.”
"Zhao Jun," Shao Tianpeng said after hearing Zhao Jun's words, "I'm thinking, Zhao Jun, if it's convenient for you, why don't you let them take them away today?"
“Take them back…” Zhao Jun hesitated upon hearing this, “But we have to be in Chuncheng before noon. My Uncle Shao and his brother haven’t eaten yet, have they?”
"Then what's the point of eating?" Shao Tianpeng waved his hand and said, "Isn't it normal for mountain herders to go hungry one day and eat the next?"
Just as Shao Tianpeng was speaking, Shao Zhiqiang brought over a sleepy-eyed Shao Jun.
"Brother Zhao Jun." Shao Jun greeted Zhao Jun in a hoarse voice. Before Zhao Jun could reply, Shao Tianpeng pointed at Shao Jun and shouted, "Hurry up and get dressed, and follow your brother Jun!"
Shao Jun was a little confused, but ten minutes later, Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun were seen out of the house by Shao Tianpeng, followed by Lin Yueying, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
A doting mother often spoils her son. She wanted to keep Shao Jun at home for a meal before he left, but she was afraid that her father-in-law would be angry.
When Zhao Jun arrived, he brought large pancakes and sausages in his car. So, he invited the Shao family father and son to ride with him and have a bite to eat.
In this way, Zhao Jun drove in front, with Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun in the car, and then Liu Erbao followed behind in the Shao family's car.
Sitting in the car, Shao Zhiqiang chatted with Zhao Jun while chewing on a pancake.
"Oh dear!" Suddenly, Shao Zhiqiang seemed to remember something. He put down the pancake and hurriedly said to Zhao Jun, "Zhao Jun, hurry up and head back."
"What's wrong, Uncle Shao?" Zhao Jun asked. Shao Zhiqiang replied, "I didn't bring any weapons. What if we run into robbers..."
"It's alright, don't worry," Zhao Jun chimed in with a smile. "I've brought quite a few men with me, so don't worry."
"A lot of people..." Shao Zhiqiang was about to say something when the car had already driven out of Qiaotou Village.
Shao Zhiqiang saw the three jeeps and Jiefang trucks parked outside the village and asked Zhao Jun, "Zhao Jun, you've got quite a entourage."
"Right, hehe..." Zhao Jun smiled. Just then, the jeep drove up to the back of the Jiefang truck. Zhao Jun stepped on the brakes and stopped the vehicle. Then he said to Shao Zhiqiang, who was sitting in the passenger seat, "Uncle Shao, take a look at how many people are in the back of the truck."
Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, not only did Shao Zhiqiang go down, but Shao Jun also curiously followed.
The father and son peeked through the guardrail and into the back of the truck; their expressions instantly changed.
The back of the truck was packed with people, some sitting, some lying down. Besides people, there were guns…and a cannon?
炮！
"Holy crap!" Shao Zhiqiang blurted out a curse in fright, and it was his voice that woke up the sleeping Tong Youfeng.
The moment Tong Youfeng opened his eyes, he saw Shao Zhiqiang. Tong Youfeng sat up instantly and shouted sternly, "What are you doing?"
"We're on the same side! We're on the same side!" Fortunately, Zhao Jun's car window was open, and when he heard Tong Youfeng shouting, he quickly called out twice.
Startled by Tong Youfeng, Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Jun quickly returned to their car. At that moment, Zhao Jun honked the horn, signaling the convoy to head south.
The Jiefang truck started last. The people of Xishantun had been working since early morning, and now that they had some free time, they were all asleep. Even when the truck honked its horn or the road was bumpy, many of them didn't wake up.
But then, Tong Youfeng woke them up one by one: "Return the guns to the ground. If you're going to sleep, sleep with your guns. If anyone tries to peek at the car again, we have to show them our spirit!"
After becoming a cadre, Tong Youfeng received a lot of extra training and even learned about mental outlook.
Meanwhile, inside the jeep, Shao Jun excitedly said to Zhao Jun, "Brother Zhao Jun, you even have cannons?"
"Haha...borrowed!" Zhao Jun laughed and said, "Damn it, if we run into robbers again, I'll move the cannon down. Even without shells, let's see if they're still not satisfied."
“It’s numb! It’s definitely numb!” These were the words of Shao Zhiqiang. As soon as he finished speaking, Shao Jun said, “Brother Zhao Jun, we’re now in the jeep in front, with the guns and cannons in the back to provide support, right?”
“Yes, yes,” Zhao Jun responded twice, and then Shao Jun continued, “It would be even better if we had two more sidecars.”
"What's up?" Zhao Jun said, "Our security team really does have some. What are you going to do with them?"
“You have two sidecar trucks leading the way, then five jeeps in the middle, and finally a large Liberation truck bringing up the rear. Isn’t that awesome?” Shao Jun said, but Zhao Jun thought about it and felt something was off.
"Go to hell!" Then, Shao Zhiqiang cursed at Shao Jun, "Aren't those Japanese devils suffering from a great plague?"
Zhao Jun: "..."
I simply couldn't write the entire essay for the Ginseng King Conference in one go, but I'll try to write as much as I can.