Jiang Qingqing was stunned by Zhang Liunian's swift movements. How had he managed to strip himself bare so quickly? It must have taken hundreds of practice sessions to achieve such a feat!
"You... mmmph..." Jiang Qingqing intended to call him shameless, but Zhang Liunian immediately silenced her. What followed was, as expected.
After a night of exertion, Zhang Liunian felt refreshed. Poor Jiang Qingqing, however, couldn't get out of bed again and could only glare at her husband with a look of wronged complaint.
Naturally, Zhang Liunian couldn't bear to see his wife like this. He stepped forward, embraced her, and showered her with kisses and comfort. It took a long while to coax her out of her mood before he went to attend to his business matters.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liuxing, who should have been locked up in the detention center, was suddenly released.
Standing on the street, Zhang Liuxing looked at the bustling crowds and suddenly felt lost. The house in the south city had already been sold, and the money had been given to his third brother. His wife had divorced him. If he went to find his parents, he might be met with disappointment.
He didn't want to return to the Zhang family village to face his parents' disappointed faces. As for the extra son, he didn't care much either. It wasn't a child he had ever expected. His sudden appearance only made him feel like there was one more person in his life.
"Zhang Liuxing, is that you? Get in the car!" Just as Zhang Liuxing stood by the roadside, unsure of his path forward, a car slowly appeared before him. The person speaking was none other than Tang Shitong.
A few days prior, Zhu Laosi had approached Tang Shitong, asking for his help to get Zhang Liuxing out so that he could be used by the Zhu family, with the ultimate goal of dealing with Zhang Liunian.
Zhu Laosi loved to watch brotherly conflicts more than anything.
"Who are you?" Zhang Liuxing didn't immediately get into the car, only asking in confusion, wanting to clarify the other party's identity.
"My surname is Tang." Tang Shitong didn't reveal his full name, only his surname. Yet, this was enough for Zhang Liuxing to guess his identity and follow him.
As they sat in the car, Tang Shitong continuously observed Zhang Liuxing. According to the information he possessed, Zhang Liuxing was also very intelligent and educated. It was just unfortunate that he lacked the ruthlessness when dealing with his own brother, which led to his current predicament.
"To be sent to prison by your own brother and almost spend your life there, do you have any thoughts on that?" Tang Shitong disliked Zhang Liunian, wishing him misfortune every day. He also wanted to see Zhang Liuxing help him deal with Zhang Liunian.
While he didn't enjoy the drama of sibling rivalry as much as Zhu Laosi, he certainly didn't want Zhang Liunian to have an easy time. If Zhang Liuxing could become their tool, Tang Shitong believed it would surely catch Zhang Liunian completely off guard.
"You want me to come out and deal with my third brother, Zhang Liunian, right?" After hearing Tang Shitong's question, Zhang Liuxing immediately deduced their true objective.
Tang Shitong smiled. This Zhang Liuxing was indeed as sharp as he was known to be.
Since he was intelligent, there was no need for indirect talk. "Are you willing? He's your own brother."
Zhang Liuxing didn't answer immediately. He turned to look at the receding scenery outside the window. He hadn't had a good time in prison recently. Not only did he lack freedom, but he was also bullied by others. Whenever he encountered such situations, he would curse Zhang Liunian and secretly vow to make him pay once he was out.
Now, someone had rescued him in advance, and the task they wanted him to perform was simply to deal with the person he had long wanted to target. How could he refuse?
"What happens after it's done?" Zhang Liuxing asked directly about the aftermath, his words revealing his true intentions.
Tang Shitong was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "I'll give you the freedom you desire, how about that?"
For someone who had lost their freedom, nothing was more precious.
Tang Shitong believed that Zhang Liuxing would be satisfied with the offer. As for whether Zhu Laosi would actually release him, that was beyond his control.
"How do you want me to do it?" Zhang Liuxing was indeed tempted by the offer. He didn't want to be anyone's puppet. He just wanted to live his own life, not be an obedient henchman. This was something he had realized in prison.
"How to do it, you will listen to Zhu Laosi's orders. He is the one orchestrating all of this." Tang Shitong didn't know Zhu Laosi's plan either, so he could only deliver the man to Zhu Laosi.
"Zhu Laosi?" Zhang Liuxing had never heard of this person and felt a sense of unease.
"Don't worry. He is Zhu Laosan's own brother. His brother died at the hands of your third brother. This man wishes he could flay your third brother alive. You share a common enemy," Tang Shitong said, sensing Zhang Liuxing's apprehension.
Zhang Liuxing remained silent. The car had already been boarded, and it was too late to say anything. He would wait until he met the person. However, upon reaching the provincial capital, he learned that Zhu Laosi was still at the police station, and the one who had sent him there was his third brother, Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian, of course, was unaware of these developments. At this moment, he was returning to Zhang family village with two truckloads of goods.
As soon as he arrived at the entrance of his new house, he was completely surrounded by the village elders and children.
"Liunian is back?"
"Is Liunian back for the New Year?"
"Liunian, you've gotten even better-looking."
"Liunian, I heard you've made a lot of money, is that true?"
"..."
The villagers gathered around Zhang Liunian, bombarding him with questions.
Zhang Liunian smiled and responded to each one, "Yes, I'm back for the New Year. I didn't earn too much. I see everyone's complexion has improved considerably, unlike last year when everyone looked sallow and thin."
His words further heightened everyone's enthusiasm.
"It's all thanks to you, Liunian. If you hadn't set up factories in the village, we wouldn't be eating meat every day. Without meat, we wouldn't have such good complexions."
"Exactly. Although my family doesn't eat meat every day, we eat it every few days now, and everyone's complexion is rosy."
"Liunian, you are our village's lucky star and our god of wealth. If it weren't for you, we might still be tightening our belts."
"Who's saying it isn't? Who in the surrounding villages doesn't envy us people from Zhang family village? Now, young men and women are highly sought after."
"Hahaha, who's saying it isn't? If it weren't for Liunian providing such a good job for my family, my son wouldn't have been able to marry a wife."
"Mine neither."
"I'll bring over some of the cured meat we just made for Liunian later."
"I have some tea oil, I'll bring some over for Liunian later too."
"We just slaughtered a pig, I saved a pork leg for Liunian."
"..."
The conversation, which began with pride, quickly turned into expressions of gratitude towards Zhang Liunian and an eagerness to offer him gifts.
Zhang Liunian hastily waved his hands, saying, "No need for everyone to go to such trouble, I have everything. The New Year's goods are already prepared."
But the villagers wouldn't listen and insisted on giving him something.
"This is just a small token of our appreciation, please don't refuse."
"That's right, if it weren't for Liunian's help, our families wouldn't be living such good lives as we are now."
"A small token of our sincerity, Liunian, please accept it."
"Yes, it's just a small token of our appreciation, you must accept it."
"..."
The villagers were truly too enthusiastic. After their words, they asked the half-grown boys in their families to bring their offerings.
Within half an hour, the yard of Zhang Liunian's new house was piled high with gifts from the entire village.
Looking at the items on the ground and then at the grateful and admiring eyes, Zhang Liunian was filled with mixed emotions.