sinovels Chapter 1794 Zhao Family Gang vs. Shao Family Gang
Chapter 1794 Zhao Family Gang vs. Shao Family Gang
Chapter 1794 Zhao Family Gang vs. Shao Family Gang
"Third Uncle?" Upon hearing this address, Zhao Jun subconsciously glanced at Wang Qiang. Seeing that Wang Qiang was equally surprised, Zhao Jun recalled the scene that morning when Xing San stabbed someone at the village entrance.
Thinking of this, Zhao Jun tentatively asked Song Gang, "Brother Gang, what... what does that Third Uncle do? Does he have weapons and cannons?"
“It doesn’t seem like it…” Song Gang said, shaking his head. “From what I heard, he seemed to be a security guard who was later robbed by a group of people over there…”
"Ah..." Upon hearing Song Gang's words, Zhao Jun concluded that the "Third Uncle" he mentioned was Xing San.
At this moment, Zhao Jun couldn't help but sigh. He called him "Third Uncle" every day, but the title had become Xing San's nickname.
What Zhao Jun didn't expect was that once Song Gang started talking, he couldn't stop. He continued, "Everyone says that guy is awful. One morning, a group of robbers blocked his way. Unexpectedly, he just pulled out a knife and started stabbing people. That guy not only killed seven people, but also injured six others!"
"What the hell?" Zhao Jun and the others were a little confused when they heard Song Gang's words. Although Xing San had gone all out that day and had indeed stabbed someone, he hadn't achieved such an amazing feat.
If that's the case, then the "Third Uncle" on the roads of Shulan and Jishi wouldn't be Xing San.
"Are all the third-ranked guys this fierce?" Xie Chen said quipped from the side, which startled Song Gang. He asked, "What did you say, brother?"
"Ah, it's nothing, hehe..." Xie Chen laughed and the matter was over.
Zhao Jun and his companions bid farewell to the Song family father and son once again, and then boarded their vehicles.
Li Baoyu drove the jeep, while Zhao Jun sat in the passenger seat and directed the way to the Shao family's house.
After the car started, Li Ruhai, who was sitting behind Zhao Jun, suddenly said, "That must be our Third Uncle."
"That can't be right," Wang Qiang said. "Even your third uncle didn't stab those people."
“Uncle, you don’t understand,” Li Ruhai said with a smile. “Passing on messages, passing on messages, once they spread, they become big.”
"Huh?" Hearing Li Ruhai's words, Zhao Jun felt that he made sense.
Three minutes later, the car stopped outside the Shao family compound. The two drivers remained in the car, while the others got out with Zhao Jun.
As soon as they stood in front of the Shao family's courtyard gate, the dogs in the backyard started barking, and Shao Zhiqiang and his son Shao Jun came out of the house to greet them.
"Uncle Shao!" Zhao Jun, being the younger generation, greeted Shao Zhiqiang first, and then heard Shao Zhiqiang say with a smile, "My old man just finished talking about you guys!"
As he spoke, Shao Zhiqiang went to the door, warmly shook hands with Zhao Jun, and patted Zhao Jun on the shoulder.
Then, when Shao Zhiqiang greeted Wang Qiang and the others, he saw Li Baoyu and Xie Chen getting out of the cabs of the jeep and the Jiefang truck. He turned to Zhao Jun and said, "Zhao Jun, have your two young brothers drive the truck into the yard. There's room in our yard."
This was exactly the result Zhao Jun wanted. He waved to Li Baoyu and Xie Chen, who nodded to Shao Zhiqiang before getting back into their cars.
Shao Zhiqiang beckoned Zhao Jun and the others to come inside. Once inside the Shao family's courtyard, the jeep and the Jiefang truck also pulled in and parked.
Li Baoyu and Xie Chen got out of the car and followed Zhao Jun and the others into the house.
Upon entering the outer room of the Shao family home, one could see Shao Zhiqiang's wife, Lin Yueying, busy cooking with three other women.
The stove is surrounded by plates of different sizes, each containing prepared ingredients.
The ingredients include both meat and vegetables, but the meat portion consists only of a small amount of shredded or sliced meat used in stir-fries.
It wasn't that the Shao family didn't treat the Zhao family as guests, but rather that there was a large pot in the outer room of their house. At that moment, the pot was covered, and wisps of steam were rising from the edge of the lid, indicating that there was food stewing inside.
In those days, there were no gas stoves or induction cookers, and few families ran canteens like the Zhao family. Most households had a large pot in their homes, and if they had guests and needed to cook a lot of dishes, they would ask their neighbors to help.
The Shao family did the same. To welcome Zhao Jun, they killed the rooster that had been kept idle after breeding in the spring, and bought fish and meat. But they couldn't keep up with the large cooking pot at home, so they asked their neighbors for help.
Zhao Jun and his group went into the house. When they entered the east room, they saw the two elders of the Shao family and four middle-aged men sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Upon seeing Zhao Jun enter, Shao Yunjin, the patriarch of the Shao family, remained still, while Shao Tianpeng got up to welcome Zhao Jun.
As soon as he stood up, the four men all got up.
"Zhao Jun!" Shao Tianpeng shook Zhao Jun's hand and said with a smile, "You've finally arrived!"
"Master Shao." Zhao Jun smiled at him, then looked at Shao Yunjin on the kang and hurriedly greeted him, "Grandpa, you're in good health."
"Okay!" Shao Yunjin replied with a smile, then raised his hand to Shao Tianpeng and beckoned, "Tianpeng, introduce them to Zhao Jun and the others."
"Hey." Shao Tianpeng responded to his father, then pointed to a man with a high nose and high cheekbones and introduced him to Zhao Jun and the others: "This is my nephew, and also our Ginseng Gang's Second-in-Command."
At this point, Shao Tianpeng raised his hand and clasped his hands in greeting to Zhao Jun and the others. Finally, he spoke to Zhao Jun and introduced himself, saying, "Chief Zhao, my name is Xu Shanchuan."
"Thank you for your hard work," Zhao Jun replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
As the saying goes: We bow in gratitude for the hardships we've endured, for we are all in this world of martial arts.
People follow the etiquette of the martial arts world, and Zhao Jun cannot be lenient with it.
At the same time, Zhao Jun secretly observed Xu Shanchuan. His identity as the second-in-command of the Shao family gang made Zhao Jun pay more attention to him.
Before the ginseng gang sets off, they need to line up their sticks, with the leader at the head, in a row. There should be a distance of two or three meters between each pair of sticks, and the sticks should be able to touch when the two people pull the ropes in their hands.
They marched in rows, the ginseng enthusiasts using their ropes and sticks to part the grass and search for wild ginseng.
The leader was the head of the gang, but the one next to him was not the second-in-command.
The second-in-command of the ginseng gang, also known as the side-commander, stands on the other side of the gang's formation, working in conjunction with the leader to keep the group under control. During the ginseng trek, they ensure no one is missed or moved back and forth, making them second only to the leader in the ginseng gang.
Therefore, in the final profit sharing, the top earner gets 10%, and the second earner gets 5%.
Currently, Zhao Jun is the main figure in the Zhao family ginseng gang, and he's the only one who's truly capable of leading it. The Zhao family ginseng gang hasn't even decided who their second-in-command will be.
Among the people around him, Zhao Junyi favored Zhang Yuanmin. He believed that with Zhang Yuanmin's intelligence and dexterity, he could teach Zhang Yuanmin to practice the staff twice, and Zhang Yuanmin would be able to perfectly fulfill the duties of the second staff.
At this moment, Shao Tianpeng pointed to the person next to Xu Shanchuan and introduced him to Zhao Jun: "This is Shanchuan's uncle, Xu Shanhe, who is also the head of our Shao family's guards."
The second-in-command of the ginseng gang could also be considered the deputy leader. Below the two leaders, according to the older generation, were the helpers and miscellaneous servants.
The menial laborers were those who did the dirty and tiring work. For example, when the ginseng gang moved to a new place to stay, they had to build shacks, cook meals, and do all the washing and cleaning. These were all menial laborers' jobs.
The workers were divided into ginseng gatherers and guards. Ginseng gatherers were responsible for finding and carrying ginseng, while guards were responsible for protecting the ginseng and its cargo with weapons.
I don’t know how many guards the Shao family gang has, but judging from Xu Shanhe’s broad shoulders, thick waist, and fierce face, I know that his fighting ability should be quite high.
As Shao Tianpeng finished speaking, Xu Shanhe clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Jun and said, "Chief Zhao, thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you for your hard work." Zhao Jun smiled and clasped his hands in response. Then, seeing that Xu Shanhe's clasped hands had not been lowered, he continued, "I am also a hunter, and I have long admired the name of General Fuhu."
To be honest, Zhao Jun's nickname is indeed impressive.
Zhao Jun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Shanhe. Then Shao Tianpeng raised his hand to greet someone and introduced him to Zhao Jun: "Zhao Jun, this is your aunt's brother. He is the manager and head steward of our ginseng gang."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun knew that this person was no ordinary individual.
The so-called "Guanbang Guanshi" (参帮管事) is someone who can handle all kinds of miscellaneous matters and ensure food and drink, and who can also build connections and understand business.
When the Shao family gang, consisting of twenty or thirty people, went into the mountains, they mostly traveled to other places. The steward had to take care of their food, clothing, and daily necessities.
This was internal. Externally, the former ginseng guild leaders were responsible for connecting the ginseng guild with pharmacies and businesses, and were in charge of selling wild ginseng and relaying information.
All of these are crucial. Selling wild ginseng goes without saying; that's the ginseng gang's only source of income.
As for news, that's even more essential. Like the recent news of a major investor offering a large sum to acquire Sanlong, that's all under the responsibility of the person in charge.
The Zhao family gang had no one in charge and had always been out of touch with the outside world. If it weren't for the chance encounter with Manager Huang, they wouldn't have been able to share Shilong with Shao Tianpeng this time.
Zhao Jun glanced at the manager of the Shao family gang and saw that the man had a kind face and a warm smile. Looking at his face, it seemed as if even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were smiling.
Seeing Zhao Jun looking at him, the man raised his hands in a fist salute and said with a smile, "Chief Zhao, you've worked hard. My name is Lin Youli."
"Hehe..." Zhao Jun felt inexplicably irritated by the man's pedantic manner and responded with a fist and palm salute, "Thank you for your hard work."
But then, Lin Youli continued with a smile, "Li Dazhi and Lin Xue are my relatives."
"Ah..." Zhao Jun realized what he meant. When he first visited the Shao family, Shao Zhiqiang and Lin Yueying mentioned Li Dazhi and Lin Xue. Lin Yueying said that she was related to Lin Xue, and Lin Youli was Lin Yueying's older brother, so he was naturally also a relative of Lin Xue.
In this sense, Li Baoyu, Li Ruhai, and the Lin siblings could be considered somewhat related. However, of the four members of the Shao family gang, one had not yet met Zhao Jun, so Zhao Jun used his eyes to suppress the eager Li Baoyu.
“Zhao Jun.” At this moment, Shao Tianpeng introduced the last person to Zhao Jun, saying, “This is the son of my sworn brother. He and your Uncle Shao are sworn brothers.”
As Shao Tianpeng finished speaking, the man raised his hand and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Jun, saying, "Commander Zhao, you've worked hard."
This person must be a man of few words; he didn't even bother to introduce himself.
At this moment, the old man with the beard, who had been sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), asked Zhao Jun to introduce the man to him, saying, "His name is Wang Tianshui, and his father is Wang Jinlong."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback. In this kind of introduction of his father, it must be that his father knew Zhao Jun, but Zhao Jun had never heard of the name Wang Jinlong before.
Although Shao Yunjin was old, he was sharp of hearing and sight. He noticed Zhao Jun's doubt and continued, "Wang Jinlong was a child that Widow Wang picked up, and later... he has been following us ever since."
"Ah..." Zhao Jun thought to himself, "If you think about it carefully, this person isn't exactly an outsider."
Zhao Jun clasped his hands in a fist and said "Thank you for your hard work" to Wang Tianshui.
Then, Zhao Jun introduced the people behind him to the Shao family gang.
“This is my uncle.” Zhao Jun gestured to Wang Qiang and then smiled at Shao Tianpeng, Shao Zhiqiang, and the others, saying, “You’ve all met him before, haven’t you?”
"Yes." Shao Tianpeng nodded and smiled, "We met before your wedding."
“We also had drinks,” Shao Zhiqiang added, to which Wang Qiang responded with a smile.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Jun pointed at Zhang Yuanmin and said to the Shao family gang, "This is our second brother, and also my elder brother."
Zhang Yuanmin was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he was secretly delighted. He immediately clasped his hands in greeting to the Shao family gang members and said, "Master Shao, Chief Shao, everyone, you have worked hard. My name is Zhang Yuanmin, and I am known in the martial arts world as the Little Zhuge Liang of Yong'an."
Zhang Yuanmin was not particularly handsome, but his conversation was quite refined after reading comic books, especially his nickname, which startled the Shao family gang.
The Shao family gang members, such as Shao Tianpeng, Shao Zhiqiang, Shao Yunjin, and the manager Lin Youli, were all somewhat educated. Upon hearing the name "Little Zhuge," they were quite impressed.
The Shao family members dared not be negligent and all raised their hands in response with clasped fists.
Just as Zhang Yuanmin was feeling smug, he suddenly felt a gaze sweep over him from the side. He quickly put down his hand and retreated behind Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun smiled, then waved and called over Li Baoyu, saying, "This is Li Baoyu, a bodyguard of our Ginseng Gang."
It wasn't that Zhao Jun was vain; the key was that the other party's ginseng was a pillar of the family, and his own Zhao family couldn't just be a bunch of rabble, could it?
Even if you are, you shouldn't show weakness in front of others.
Upon hearing that he had been appointed as a bodyguard by Zhao Jun, Li Baoyu was overjoyed. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to Shao Zhiqiang and the others, and said, "Chief Shao, fellow martial artists, you have worked hard. I am Li Baoyu, also known as Little..."
In his excitement, Li Baoyu almost blurted it out, but stopped himself at the crucial moment, paused, and then said, "Little Wu Song!"
Leaving aside history and focusing solely on the novel's portrayal, the Prime Minister is far superior to Wu Song.
However, in those days, because the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger was more widely spread, more people knew about him than about Zhuge Liang.
The Shao family members sized up Li Baoyu and saw that he was over 1.9 meters tall and had a burly build that was two sizes larger than Xu Shanhe, the leader of the Shao family guards. They knew that Li Baoyu must be exceptionally brave and skilled in martial arts.
Next, Zhao Jun introduced Xie Chen and Zhao Jinhui in turn. Compared to Zhang Yuanmin and Li Baoyu, Xie Chen and Zhao Jinhui did not have any official titles in the ginseng gang; they were just ordinary ginseng soldiers.
Jie Chen and Zhao Jinhui hadn't expected this turn of events; neither of them was prepared and secretly regretted their actions. If only they had come with a catchy nickname!
Finally, Zhao Jun called Li Ruhai over and introduced him to the Shao family gang: "This young man is called Li Ruhai, and he is the manager of our ginseng gang."
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Li Ruhai puffed out his chest, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to the Shao family members, and said, "Boss Shao, you've worked hard, everyone."
To Zhao Jun's surprise, Li Ruhai was more composed than Zhang Yuanmin and Li Baoyu, and did not mention his nicknames "Little Golden Boy" and "Golden Tongue".
The Shao family members and Li Ruhai exchanged pleasantries. Although Li Ruhai was young, none of the Shao family members dared to underestimate him.
Previously, the Shao family had received information that a major investor was willing to pay 80,000 yuan to acquire the three dragons. However, the Zhao family had received information that the price was 100,000 yuan. It was possible that when selling the stone dragons in the future, they would have to rely heavily on the young manager of the Zhao family.
(End of this chapter)