Loyalty in the Time of Tyranny Chapter 4

The hooligans rushed forward, one hugged the big man's waist, and the other picked up a bench and was about to smash him.

How could Adrian Tang let this strange man be attacked from both sides? He pushed his sister away and went up with a stool. Although the hooligans were numerous, they were all top-heavy and had no weight at all. The two hooligans tried to knock the big man down, but the big man didn't move at all and was beaten with one punch after another.

The big man punched fiercely, and each punch was powerful. Adrian Tang was young and had the body of a scholar. He was just helping, but he was just making trouble.

In the past, they relied on their numbers to bully the village, and the villagers did not dare to say much. Now the big man took their punches and kicks, fighting back from time to time, and with Adrian Tang's assists, the leader of the hooligans was beaten and staggered back, with bruises on his face.

"What are you doing? What are you doing here?" A loud shout came from a distance. The crowd of onlookers made way and the village chief came over with a few people.

Seeing that the situation was not right, the ruffians spat blood in Adrian Tang's direction and ran away.

The village chief was helpless with these R@sc@ls. These people were all extinct, their parents died early, and they had no relatives or friends. They were fearless and would just give you a hand if they committed a crime. The worst that could happen was that they would lose their lives. The village chief expressed his condolences and learned that the two brothers and sisters of the Tang family were fine, so he asked them to close their stalls early and go back to rest.

The villagers helped clean up the broken tables and chairs.

Adrian Tang rubbed his arm. In the previous fight, his arm was hit by a scoundrel, and it was red. Luna Ah hurried over and looked at Adrian Tang's arm, feeling anxious and annoyed.

"Those damned R@sc@ls!"

Adrian Tang looked at the big man, only to see an old woman running over anxiously to check the injuries on his body.

This sturdy man was the one who asked for juice at Adrian Tang's stall two days ago.

Adrian Tang's skin was delicate and tender, and it turned red when he was touched. This big man had strong muscles, and he should be very resistant to beatings, but he was beaten by the gang of hooligans and was covered with wounds and purples. He didn't say a word during the fight, but now Adrian Tang found that there was a bloody wound on the man's arm, and he didn't know when he was scratched by a sharp weapon.

Ivy Don said nervously: "Such a serious injury, what should I do?"

Adrian Tang said, "Take the rest of our things and we'll go to see Doctor Liu at the east end of the village."

Hearing this, the man said, "It's okay, little brother, it's just a minor injury. Those damned B@st@ards are just using street tactics, they can only attack brute force, they can't hurt anyone."

Luna Ah: "You said it was okay, but I was bleeding!"

The man wanted to say more, but Adrian Tang took them to see a doctor. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and the man looked embarrassed. Adrian Tang paid for it. The man and the old woman stood on the village road, at a loss. Adrian Tang looked at their ragged appearance and asked, "What's your name, brother? From your accent, you look like a northerner?"

The man said, "Yes, we came from Shanxi."

"How did it end up like this?"

A trace of pain appeared on the man's face. He sighed and said, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you. I was originally a guard of a family of a successful candidate. Although I wasn't rich, I lived a good life. Unexpectedly, last month, a flood suddenly occurred in Shanxi and the Yellow River overflowed. Not only my family, but also the successful candidate's family was buried in the Yellow River. I could only take my mother thousands of miles to Gusu Prefecture to seek refuge with relatives. But I didn't know that the relative had passed away last year, so we are in this situation."

Ivy Don hid behind Adrian Tang and poked his head out: "So you are a guard. No wonder you are so powerful. You beat those hooligans until they screamed."

Adrian Tang pressed his sister's head down: "I see, but with your skills and age, it should be easy for you to make a living."

The big man sighed and said, "If I were alone, I wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing wherever I went. I could also make a living as a security guard. But I still have my old mother. I found a family in Gusu before. The owner valued me very much, but when he heard that I had to support my mother, he didn't want me anymore. Little brother, you don't know that although Gusu in Jiangnan is rich, there are many people like me who come from other places. Others don't have families with them, so they are more liked by the owner than me."

Adrian Tang understood this principle.

If you offer the same package of food and lodging, plus a monthly stipend, everyone would choose the one without the burden, rather than the one with the burden.

Adrian Tang's eyes lit up: "Have you been to Gusu Mansion?"

"Yes. My relative is from Gusu Prefecture. I stayed there for more than half a month, but couldn't make it, so I brought my mother to the village to try our luck."

Adrian Tang said: "Brother, I think we are destined to be together. I trust your character." He can take his old mother across thousands of miles, never leave her, and take good care of her. A filial person cannot be a bad person. "My sister and I lost our family last year, and we depend on each other. If you don't mind, you can come and live in my house."

The big man was shocked and said, "This is not good. How can I accept this favor for no reason?"

Adrian Tang smiled and said, "You saved our lives."

The big man refused again and again, but finally he couldn't refuse anymore and followed Adrian Tang back home.

Ivy Don was a little girl who was very fierce at home, but she always listened to Don Shen in external affairs. When the four returned home, the big man and his old mother diligently helped with cleaning and cooking, busying themselves inside and outside. Within two days, the four became as close as a family.

The big man's surname was Yao, and his name was Yao Cheng. He was the third child in the family, so others called him Mason Yao.

Mason Yao insisted on calling Adrian Tang the "young boss", thinking that he was hired. Adrian Tang had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

In the following month, the four of them were busy making fruit juice. They received many orders at the temple fair, and with the help of Mason Yao and Aunt Yao, they finished making more than 100 kilograms of fruit juice. They also received some additional orders in the middle. At the beginning of August, Ivy Don counted the newly received 16 taels of silver and slept with them every night.

After dinner in the evening, Adrian Tang sat in the sunbathing area outside the house and calculated the money he had earned in the past six months since his time travel.

"...plus the 80 coppers from this morning, that makes twenty-three hundred yuan."

Mason Yao ran out and said, "Little Master, the quilts in the room are ready. It's getting dark. Come in and have a rest."

Adrian Tang looked up at the sky and said, "The moonlight is nice tonight, very bright. Please invite Ivy Don and Aunt Yao out, and let's bask in the moonlight for a while. I also have something to say."

Mason Yao went to ask for help in confusion, and the four of them sat on the wooden chairs in the drying hall.

Mason Yao: "Little Master, do you have any important instructions?"

Adrian Tang nodded and looked at Tang Juan: "You have hidden all the money. Tell me, how much money do we have now?"

Ivy Don clasped his hands in fear: "What do you want to do? You are not allowed to touch my money!"

Adrian Tang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Boss Tang, that's your money? That's our family's money. Don't be silly, I'm asking you, do you have more than twenty-three dollars?"

The little girl nodded reluctantly and mumbled a number.

Adrian Tang: "I didn't hear it clearly."

"Twenty-three strings and forty-one coins! Aunt Yao, he bullied me."

"Okay, stop pretending to cry." The numbers he calculated were almost the same as Adrian Tang's. He said, "It's like this. From the beginning, I didn't plan to stay in Zhaojia Village for long. I'll tell you the truth. In two days, Ivy Don and I will go to Gusu Mansion and may not come back in the future."

Mason Yao: "This..."

Adrian Tang: "Brother Yao, I have never considered you a servant. It is a foregone conclusion that we are leaving, and we will definitely sell this house. If you and Aunt Yao are willing, you can go to Gusu Mansion with us. If you are not willing, there is a small house in the back room. I will not sell it and will give it to you."

Aunt Yao said, "How can this be possible?"

Adrian Tang said, "Brother Yao has not yet established a firm foothold in Zhaojia Village, so Auntie, please don't refuse."

The mother and son looked at each other.

Mason Yao thought about it and gritted his teeth: "Little Master, please give me one night to think about it carefully."

The next morning, Mason Yao approached Adrian Tang and said, "Young Master, we'll go with you. My mother and I didn't have a home to begin with, and you gave us a place to stay. Besides, you and your brother are still young, so it's really inconvenient for you to go to Gusu Mansion."

Adrian Tang: "If you're worried that we're too young and might get into trouble on the road, don't think about it, Brother Yao."

Aunt Yao came out of the house and said, "You are such a rough man who can't talk. Young master, don't listen to his nonsense. Although my eyesight is blurry, I can see that young master will have a great future. San'er will have a future if he follows you. We should go with young master."

That's how it was settled.

In fact, Adrian Tang was relieved that Mason Yao was willing to go with him. There was a saying that he said was right. It was always inconvenient for two children to go to a strange place alone. Even though Adrian Tang was a doctoral student in his twenties at a prestigious university, he looked like a child. If he really met a bad guy on the way, ten of him would not be as good as one Mason Yao.

After deciding to leave in ten days, Adrian Tang and Mason Yao began to pack their bags.

First, find a buyer and sell the Tang family's house. The one acre of land that Tang Xiucai originally had was also sold to the old couple who owned the herbal tea shop. The land was originally rented to them for farming, and Tang Xiucai never knew how to farm, so it was very convenient to sell it to them now.

After preparing all the things and renting a donkey cart, Adrian Tang still had thirty strings of cash left.

When the villagers heard that the Tang brothers and sisters were leaving Zhaojia Village, they came to see them off.

Tang Xiucai was a rare scholar in the village. Although he was pedantic and didn't like to mingle with his neighbors, he had no problems with the villagers. Adrian Tang and Tang Juan were even more well-behaved and cute. After they started selling fruit juice, they spent every day with the villagers. Everyone loved the brother and sister very much.

The sister-in-law of the herbal tea shop stuffed a bag of steamed buns into Adrian Tang's hand and said, "Little Tang Lang, don't get hungry on the road."

The neighbor aunt also gave a bag of clothes: "They are all my son's old clothes. Little Tanglang, please don't despise them. I heard that the things in the Gusu Mansion are very valuable."

"Little Tang Lang, why are you leaving?"

"Little Tang Lang, now that you're gone, won't we have no fruit juice to drink?"

Adrian Tang smiled bitterly and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, little Tang Lang is gone."

"Well, Xiao Tanglang will definitely come back to visit when he has time."

"Little Tang Lang definitely doesn't spend money recklessly."

Well, he can just make fun of himself.

Mason Yao and Aunt Yao accepted all the gifts given by the villagers and put them on the donkey cart.

As he was about to leave, Adrian Tang stopped in front of Master Zeng. The gray-haired old man looked down at Adrian Tang, a boy who was only as tall as his chest. He snorted, threw a package at Adrian Tang, and said, "Study hard!" Then he turned and left.

Adrian Tang watched Master Zeng's receding back.

The village chief said: "Little Tanglang, don't forget our Zhaojia Village when you go to Gusu Prefecture to study."

Many people in the village thought that the Tang brothers and sisters moved to Gusu Prefecture in order to study.

Ivy Don said proudly: "My brother will definitely pass the imperial examination!"

"Take the exam to become a juren?"

The little girl wanted to save face, so she would never say that her brother had no ambition and was satisfied with passing the imperial examination. She stammered, "Of course, Uncle Village Chief, will you change the name of Zhaojia Village to my brother?"

Zhaojia Village was not called Zhaojia Village before. It was changed to Zhaojia Village because a scholar named Zhao was born there.

The village chief thought the girl was just joking: "Okay, if little Tang Lang really passes the imperial examination, our Zhaojia Village will be called Tangjia Village from now on. Is everyone okay with that?"

"Listen to the village chief!"

Looking at the villagers gathered together, Adrian Tang said with a smile: "Don't say goodbye, little Tang Lang is really gone."

On the country road, the donkey cart creaked forward. The figures of the villagers gradually became small black dots, and soon, Zhaojia Village could no longer be seen. Ivy Don was reluctant to leave, and his eyes were wet.

Adrian Tang sat on the donkey cart and opened the package given by Master Zeng. Inside was a brand new inkstone and a set of four books. The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Great Learning, and Mencius. He opened the book and saw dense notes on it. The book was not new, and it seemed that it had been flipped through and read many times.

It took me decades of reading to be able to write so many insights and experiences in the book.

Adrian Tang put away his things and sighed, "He can read."

Wu County was some distance away from Gusu Prefecture. The four of them rested in the mountains for one night, and finally arrived at Gusu Prefecture the next morning.

There is heaven, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Suzhou

Two unruly black characters were printed on the city gate, looking weathered and shocking.

This is a majestic and huge city. The city gate is 32 feet high, and the blue brick walls spread out to both sides, with no end in sight. Inside the tall gate, carriages and pedestrians come and go, a busy scene. Guards stand on the city wall in armor, and people come and go hurriedly under the city wall. Before entering the city, you can hear the bustling and noisy sounds in the city.

The cries of hawkers and the tinkling of horse bells.

Through the city gate, Ivy Don was stunned by the sight of the city. After traveling for half a year, this was the first time he saw a large ancient city. Even Adrian Tang was stunned for a while.

After a long while, Ivy Don pulled his brother's sleeve and said, "Adrian Tang, this is where we are going to live in the future?"

Adrian Tang came back to his senses.

"Yes, this is where we will live from now on."

Gusu Prefecture, Tangjia Village, Wu County, Adrian Tang.

I'm only thirteen years old this year.