Chapter 379: Giving the Villagers a Little Shock

Zhang Cai clapped his hands and, imitating Li Jinfeng, laughed: “Xiaohua, you really are mischievous. You want us to carry something this heavy? Who could possibly lift it?”

From Zhang Cai’s demeanor, if it weren’t for Mr. Liu and Old Shopkeeper Li knowing him so well, they might have thought he was trying to trick them too.

Guo Sufei asked, half-believing: “Xiaohua, just how heavy is this little thing? Why can’t anyone here budge it even an inch?”

Zhang Xiaohua stepped forward, picked it up with one hand, and gave it a light swing. “Mother, to be honest, I don’t actually know how heavy it is. After all, I’ve never seen anything that could weigh something this massive.”

“Oh~” The crowd suddenly understood. That’s true—who would have nothing better to do than make a scale for something this heavy?

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaolong’s eyes lit up. “Xiaohua, it’s great that you’re back! With your strength, our family will never need an ox to plow the fields again!”

With a thud, Zhang Xiaohua collapsed to the ground.

After a while, he climbed back up and said: “Big Brother, you can’t be serious. Of all the things I could do, you want me to plow the fields instead of an ox? That’s such a waste of resources.”

“Then go help people dig wells. With your strength, you’re as good as ten men!”

Zhang Xiaolong truly had a knack for business.

After chatting for a while longer, Guo Sufei and Li Yinfeng went to the small courtyard nearby and shared the three chosen names with Liu Qian. Upon hearing them, Liu Qian was delighted. The formal name and courtesy name had been carefully picked by the elders, and as for Zhang Xiaohua’s miraculous abilities, she had experienced them firsthand. Everyone knows a pregnancy lasts ten months, but she had carried her child for five years before giving birth. Zhang Xiaohua had known about this five years ago and even gave her a small stone. When the stone turned to powder, her son was born. Could such a thing be explained away as mere coincidence? And now, Zhang Xiaohua had even given her son a childhood name that fit perfectly with her wishes—“Bairen” (Hundred Endurances). Such a meaningful name—how could Liu Qian not be overjoyed?

Picking up her son, who was sleeping soundly nearby, she called out one name after another—Zhang Jian, Zhang Youren, Zhang Bairen. Hearing his name called, the child groggily opened his eyes and babbled incoherently.

Li Jinfeng’s family of three had only come to Guo Village to pay New Year’s respects to the Zhang family, while Liu Kai was there because Li Yinfeng was returning to her maiden home—either way, they were bound to come.

These two groups had just arrived in Guo Village when they happened upon Liu Qian giving birth, so they stayed to help. Now that the child had been safely delivered and New Year’s greetings exchanged, Li Jinfeng’s family naturally prepared to return to Lu Town. However, Zhang Cai, in high spirits, said: “Brother, if matters in town aren’t urgent, why not stay a bit longer? There’s no rush to leave—wait until after the Lantern Festival. There’s plenty of room here in Guo Village.”

In recent years, Old Shopkeeper Li’s business in Lu Town had picked up again, and he figured there wouldn’t be much to do during the New Year. After a moment’s hesitation, he agreed to Zhang Cai’s suggestion. In truth, if Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t returned, Old Shopkeeper Li might not have hesitated at all—after all, a newborn brings busy days, and his whole family staying here would only add to the chaos. But now, Zhang Xiaohua was a person of extraordinary abilities. Although he couldn’t say exactly how powerful Zhang Xiaohua had become, five years ago he had already dared to venture deep into a tiger’s den and emerged unscathed. After five more years, Zhang Xiaohua was surely even more formidable. Mr. Liu and Zhang Cai, having left Lu Town, might not realize the impact, but Old Shopkeeper Li knew well: if Zhang Xiaohua were in Lu Town, he would be a force to be reckoned with!

Moreover, judging from what Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei said, their youngest son would not be allowed to travel far in the future. If he couldn’t leave, where else could he go? Surely he wouldn’t spend his days farming in Guo Village. That left Lu Town as his only real option. Old Shopkeeper Li calculated carefully: as long as he maintained a good relationship with Zhang Xiaohua, his own family could walk tall in Lu Town from now on.

So, Zhang Cai’s invitation was like offering a pillow to someone desperate for sleep—after only a moment’s hesitation, Old Shopkeeper Li gladly accepted.

As for Liu Kai and Li Yinfeng, there was no need to say more—they simply stayed at Mr. Liu’s place, both to care for their father and to look after their younger sisters.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

During these days, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t go anywhere; he just wandered around Guo Village, visiting families to pay New Year’s respects and delivering gifts. Life in the countryside was indeed simple and honest, but to call it pure would be a stretch. Back in the day, the Guo family had only one daughter, Guo Sufei, who was bullied both openly and in secret. When Zhang Cai married in and they had three strapping sons in a row, the family suddenly had three strong laborers—naturally, the bullying lessened. Just as their days began to improve, Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu went missing. 

At first, people thought they’d gone elsewhere to seek their fortunes and might bring honor to the family someday, especially after their first return home, which made the whole village envious for a while. The tall, red jujube horse they brought back was something most villagers had never seen before. Yet, the two brothers soon left again, disappearing for years, and all sorts of rumors began to spread. Li Yinfeng’s arrival made the idle men of the village a bit more cautious, but when she married Liu Kai, the Zhang family kept their mouths shut, though facts can’t easily be concealed. With Guo Sufei falling ill twice, it became clear to everyone in Guo Village that something had happened to the Zhang family.

Moreover, when Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu brought back three to four thousand taels of silver notes, they didn’t squander the money, but their lives did improve. The old courtyard was renovated, and a new one was built next to it. The idle men and jealous women in the village were green with envy, and rumors ran rampant—some said the silver was bought with the lives of their two sons, others claimed the brothers had turned to banditry, and the gossip only grew uglier. Fortunately, the Zhang family had always had a good reputation in the village, so most people believed the less malicious rumors.

The eyes of the masses are indeed sharp—these rumors were, in fact, not far from the truth!

The Zhang family found themselves unable to explain, nor did they really feel the need to.

Especially with the birth of Zhang Jian, and with Granny Li fanning the flames, new rumors had already begun to swirl.

Although Zhang Xiaohua was only eighteen, he had tasted blood on the edge of a blade in the Jianghu and understood well the ways of human nature. The recent tempering of his heart through the evolution of the Heavenly Dao had given him boundless inner fortitude, allowing him to clearly perceive the undercurrents beneath this seemingly simple rural life. So during this time, he often mingled with the idle villagers of Guo Village, occasionally showing off his worldly experience, telling tales of bloody vendettas and, at the height of the story, casually lifting a stone roller or millstone with one hand to display his strength.

 Sometimes, a few local youths who had learned a bit of martial arts would come up to show off, but Zhang Xiaohua would unceremoniously send them flying with a single kick. At most, a dozen or so would jokingly gang up on him, but Zhang Xiaohua, without even using his hands and with less than a fraction of his true skill, would lay them all flat. After that, the villagers’ gossip ceased, and their eyes held nothing but awe and fear.

Zhang Xiaohua was quite satisfied with this effect. He clapped his hands and strode away.

As for Zhang Jian, Zhang Xiaohua visited him every day. He never spoke a word to anyone about the child’s extraordinary nature, not even to Liu Qian. In these few days, there was nothing noticeably different about Zhang Jian compared to other children—he didn’t start speaking or walking right after birth. On the contrary, he simply ate and slept, never causing any trouble. The only odd thing was that he always clutched those two ugly little stones while he slept, but he seemed perfectly content.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt somewhat at ease. There was no one in the family with exceptional martial prowess; if Zhang Jian stood out too much, it would surely attract trouble. Keeping a low profile was the best course.

As for his little nephew’s future, Zhang Xiaohua had not the slightest worry. With such a powerful heavenly omen, if he didn’t amount to something, then the heavens must truly be blind.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth of the first lunar month, Old Shopkeeper Li’s family decided to return to Lu Town. Over the past few days, the old shopkeeper had repeatedly urged Li Jinfeng to build a closer relationship with Zhang Xiaohua, but Li Jinfeng paid it no mind. Zhang Xiaohua was certainly formidable, but wasn’t he still his own student? He believed in making friends heart-to-heart, without the need for flattery. Originally, Li Jinfeng had wanted to ask Zhang Xiaohua for news of Qiu Tong, but now he decided not to ask at all, which left Zhang Xiaohua rather puzzled.

On the Lantern Festival, Lu Town would be ablaze with lanterns, and Guo Village observed the same custom, though not as lively as Lu Town. Naturally, Old Shopkeeper Li invited the Zhang family to join them in Lu Town for the festivities.

Liu Qian, having recovered well from childbirth, was already up and about days ago, showing none of the weakness Zhang Xiaohua had imagined. However, since her month of confinement was not yet over, she could not leave the house. Guo Sufei and Zhang Xiaolong stayed home to look after Little Jian’er, leaving only Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohua from the Zhang family.

Zhang Cai originally hadn’t planned to go, but seeing that Xiaohua had spent the past few days mingling with the village youths, thinking the boy couldn’t stand the boredom, he decided to take him to Lu Town to enjoy the festivities. Since Zhang Cai was willing to go, Zhang Xiaohua naturally accompanied him.

As for Mr. Liu’s family, there was no need to mention them—they were a leisurely trio, always ready to set out at a moment’s notice.

And so, the group made their way to Lu Town.

The last time they’d visited Lu Town was five years ago, when the Li family’s property still lay in ruins. Now, the place had long since been rebuilt, no less grand than before. Old Shopkeeper Li hosted a banquet at home to welcome the Zhang and Liu families, while Shopkeeper Yu from the jade shop, having heard the news, had already prepared gifts and arrived early with his daughter and son-in-law to express his gratitude.

Thanks to the Li family’s current prosperity, the main hall was spacious enough to accommodate so many guests. The feast was lively, with host and guests alike enjoying themselves until nightfall.

Even before dusk, the sounds of drums and gongs thundered outside, and firecrackers crackled without end. Though the Four Trees neighborhood wasn’t the most bustling part of Lu Town, the air was filled with the clamor of voices and the vibrant energy of the festival.