mesbooks Chapter 1007 Visit
Chapter 1007 Visit
Zhang Ping'an knew that Xiao Yu'er had secretly cultivated a considerable number of his own loyal followers over the past few years.
Especially the bald-headed man they brought back a few years ago, along with Jinbao's two nephews and those few martial arts retainers, they've been quite helpful.
Based on their individual personalities and strengths, Xiaoyuer specially recruited additional people to train them.
We must train useful personnel.
Seeing that he was doing a good job, Zhang Ping'an handed over the dowry shops left by his wife to his son to manage. The profits were more than enough to support these people.
Therefore, Zhang Ping'an now hands over many things that are inconvenient for him to do personally, or things that are not very urgent, to his son. This is partly for him to practice, and partly to help him share the burden.
After pondering for a moment, Xiaoyuer decided on the candidate: "Let's let Lazitou handle it. We don't know how deep the water is now. These people must have someone backing them. Let Lazitou try it out first. He's smooth and won't offend anyone, so he's more suitable."
"Alright, you decide what to do." Zhang Ping'an wouldn't interfere too much with his son's hiring decisions, but would mainly guide him. Over the years, Xiaoyuer had developed his own decisiveness.
The father and son arrived home as they talked.
Although Xiaoyuer was shocked and disappointed to learn that His Majesty had become addicted to opium, he also felt somewhat relieved after hearing the news, knowing that the Crown Prince's position would not be easily shaken and that his efforts over the past few years had not been in vain.
My cousin's chances of winning are much higher now.
He also needed to reassess his attitude towards the Crown Prince.
In short, it's a mixed blessing; things aren't too bad yet.
Upon entering the courtyard, Zhang Zhuo was playing with his older brother. The children's laughter and chatter created a lively and warm atmosphere. Zhang Heng, who usually maintained a mature demeanor, relaxed and played with his rosy cheeks, displaying a rare liveliness.
Upon seeing this, Xiaoyuer couldn't help but want to say something, so he stopped and asked, "Heng'er, have you finished your homework for today?"
When Zhang Heng saw his father ask, he immediately stopped playing around, bowed, and replied in a clear voice, "Father, I have already copied ten large characters, and they are in the study waiting for your inspection."
Ten sheets may sound like a lot, but at Zhang Heng's age, he was actually just practicing calligraphy. His characters were written in very large characters, so ten sheets didn't amount to much. However, it was still quite an achievement for a child of that age.
Hearing her son say he had finished his homework, Xiaoyuer couldn't help but smile. She hummed in agreement, praised her son a couple of times, and then went to the study to check his homework.
Zhang Ping'an felt exhausted for his grandson, but he wouldn't spoil him for no reason. He generally wouldn't interfere unless things went too far, otherwise the child would know he had a powerful backer and would be even less able to be properly taught.
However, when he thought about what he had learned about the alchemy room today, Zhang Ping'an was still troubled. After sitting in the main room for a while, he went to the backyard to visit his elderly parents.
The weather is already very hot, but as people get older, they become more susceptible to cold, so they can't stand being too hot or too cold. The Zhang couple didn't feel that it was particularly hot outside and often sat and rested under the eaves.
When Zhang Ping'an arrived, he saw the elderly couple sleeping side by side on rocking chairs under the eaves.
When the servants saw Zhang Ping'an approaching, they were about to get up and bow, but Zhang Ping'an waved them off.
The sun is now setting, and a gentle breeze is blowing through the room. The elderly couple is sleeping soundly, their brows relaxed, and a few strands of silver hair are being gently lifted by the wind. Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, they appear exceptionally peaceful and harmonious.
Seeing that the outer garments draped over the two of them were about to slip off, Zhang Ping'an stepped forward and pulled the garments up.
Unexpectedly, such a gentle movement woke the two of them up.
Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi were overjoyed to see their son arrive. After rubbing their knees, they stood up and pulled their son to sit down beside them.
Zhang Ping'an smiled and sat down without struggling, following their movements. "Father, Mother, have you been resting well these past few days?"
"What? You're eating well?" Zhang Lao Er asked loudly, his voice booming. As he spoke, he turned his head closer to his son's direction and chuckled, "We're eating quite well, you don't need to worry. Have you been busy lately?"
Zhang Ping'an's ears went numb from the loud noise. Even when he was young, Zhang Lao Er rarely spoke so loudly at home. Now that he's old, however, he's full of energy and his voice is booming.
After rubbing his ears discreetly, Zhang Ping'an replied with a smile, "Anyway, it's always the same things, not too busy. I came back early from my shift today, and there wasn't much official business to attend to, so I came to see you two."
"Alright, alright, come visit us often when you're not busy, otherwise we'll get quite bored. Your father and I have been feeding the fish in the pond in the backyard so much that several of them have died from overeating," Xu said, fanning her son as she chatted.
"You old woman, how dare you say that? It's all because you fed them too much! I told you not to feed them, not to feed them, but you wouldn't listen. You fed them several times a day. How could the fish not die from bloating? They were quite beautiful, what a pity!" Zhang Lao Er chimed in.
Mrs. Xu was a little confused and couldn't remember what had happened. She asked in bewilderment, "Did I feed you until you were stuffed? Wasn't it you?"
"You're the one who fed it," Zhang Lao Er shouted.
"I'll feed him, why are you being so mean!" Mrs. Xu said unhappily.
Both of them had loud voices, and their conversations sounded like they were arguing.
Zhang Ping'an knew they were indeed a bit bored, but neither of them liked going out these days, so he suggested, "Then I'll just bring a dog back tomorrow. Let's see if anyone has a newborn puppy, and bring back a spirited one. Dogs are smart, and they can keep you company."
“Keep a dog? Forget it,” Zhang Lao Er waved his hand in refusal. “Your mother and I are too old to keep a dog. We’re fine with just the two of us.”
"Aren't there servants too?"
“Forget it, listen to your father, don’t raise a dog. Dogs grow up quickly, and once they’re grown up, they’ll run wild everywhere and you won’t be able to control them. We already have two children at home, and my third grandson is about to be born. Wouldn’t it be nice to hold my grandson then?” Xu Shi said, her face full of anticipation.
She can no longer carry her eldest and second eldest grandchildren, and can only hold her newborn third grandchild.
Hearing his parents say this, Zhang Ping'an knew that they were actually worried that it would be inconvenient to keep a dog since they had children at home, after all, they didn't live in the village.
Thinking about this, he felt a mix of emotions, so he simply ate dinner with the elderly couple in the backyard.
Mrs. Li very attentively brought the food over herself.
Before they had even finished their meal, a servant came over and said that Li had gone into labor.