Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

South of Liaoyang Prefecture.

The crops in the fields are lush and green, and the vibrant scene makes the farmers standing on the ridges in the fields very happy.

Lush trees stand on the official road, their drooping branches blocking the sunlight from the sky, providing a place for pedestrians to rest from the sun. Many sweaty people sit against the tree trunks, drinking cool water from their water bags and eating dry food from their bags. Occasionally, a breeze blows, and they breathe a sigh of relief.

The people on the carriage pulled away the curtains and drove slowly towards the huge city in this beautiful scenery. The wheels rolled over the compacted sandy road surface, and voices could be heard.

"When you go to meet the kid from the Wang family this time, don't change your attitude just because of his changed status. Talk to him the same way you would talk to him in the past."

"Dad, why is this?"

"The kid from the Wang family has always been unruly and dislikes customs and etiquette. When my father was an official in the court, he was always lazy. He was still acting like that when he came to borrow grain from our family last time. Maybe he will be better after he turns thirty. But now..." A decisive voice sounded in the wind: "There is no way he will change."

"So when you interact with this kind of person, it's best to follow his personality. If you respect him too much, he will get bored and it will be difficult to get along with him."

The sun shone into the carriage as the vehicle moved. It was the family that Wang Zheng had borrowed grain from last time. The young son frowned and said, "But father, what if my dear brother Wang Zheng is not as you said? What if he has changed now?"

The father looked at him with a sidelong glance and sneered: "I, your father, have met many people in the court, and I have never misjudged anyone. You can just rest assured and act as before."

"...Oh." The young man responded, but he was still frowning in thought, which made the middle-aged man, who was his father, shake his head secretly.

The wind was light and the clouds were thin. The sun shone through the gaps between the leaves, and the mottled shadows of the trees were occasionally reflected on the wooden roof of the cart. The sound of the horses' hooves pulling the cart echoed with the sound of the wheels rolling by and faded away.

Soon, the noisy sounds of the street market came into my ears, and then gradually returned to silence. In my sight, a small house gradually enlarged until two gates made of cedar wood filled my eyes.

The servant who was driving the carriage brought out a stool and placed it on the ground. The father and son got off the carriage one after another. They looked up at the two words "Wang's House" written in cursive script. The father smiled and nodded to his son, "Go and knock on the door."

The young man hurried forward, grabbed the door knocker and slapped it a few times, then stepped back. Immediately, footsteps were heard, and the door creaked open, and an old face poked out: "Who are you..."

"May I ask if this is Brother Wang Zheng's residence?"

"That's right." The old man opened the door and walked out to greet him. "May I ask your name, so that I can tell you who my young master is."

"Excuse me, just say that Yang Min from Tiezhou wants to see you."

"Your distinguished guest, please wait a moment."

The old man turned and went in. After a while, Wang Zheng's voice could be heard amidst the sound of his footsteps: "I was wondering why there were a flock of swallows flying over the roof this morning. It turns out that Brother Yang is here. I'm treating you today. Come with me to Hua Niangzi's building. I heard that there are some beautiful girls here. I'm so excited."

As soon as he stopped walking, Wang Zheng raised his hands and before he could pull up the flushed Yang Min, he saw the middle-aged man behind him. He was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly saluted him and said, "I didn't expect Uncle Yang to be here. I was too careless just now." The middle-aged man said, "Thank you for your courtesy, nephew." Looking at the young man standing opposite him without any shame, he felt relieved.

Still the same temper.

Wang Zheng did not feel the slightest bit of shame about dragging his son to a brothel in front of the father, but it was not easy to invite the father and son to go together, so he had to suppress the commotion in his heart, turned around and made a gesture of invitation: "Uncle Yang, Brother Yang, please come in."

He then ordered the old servant to buy some food and drinks, and then led the way, saying, "Only the old servant and I are at home, and neither of us can cook. We are too lazy to light a fire, so we just eat and drink everywhere. If the food and wine are not to your liking, don't blame Zheng for not entertaining us well."

Looking at his father, Yang Min's eyes twitched: "...You are still the same as always, not at all shy, it's a pity that the General of the Cavalry has occupied almost the entire Liaodong area."

The middle-aged man lagging behind on the side smiled but said nothing.

Wang Zheng laughed loudly: "It's not easy to come to this world, if I still worry about this and that, wouldn't it be a waste of my life?"

Yang Min rolled his eyes and shook his head, convinced by his former classmate. Only Yang's father was looking at him from behind, stroking his beard with his hand, with a flickering look in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Not long after, the old servant came in with a few shop assistants and placed the wine and food on the table. It was he who ran to the restaurant and ordered a table of fine wine. Wang Zheng immediately invited the Yang father and son to sit down. The three of them ate and chatted. The sun gradually moved to the west, and the old servant came in and lit the lamp.

Wang Zheng, sitting at the main seat, blushed slightly. He picked up the wine jar and poured himself a glass of wine, then put the jar on the table: "Uncle, Brother Yang, the situation in Liaodong is clear now. The General of the Cavalry has won. I believe that the whole of Liaodong will be in his hands in a few years." He rubbed his cheek with his hand and shook his sleeves: "Uncle and Brother Yang are both talented and wise, many times better than Zheng. I wonder if you are willing to come and help the general?"

"Nephew, I'm afraid you have been holding back on this for a long time, right?"

Father Yang raised his head and drank the wine, looking at Wang Zheng with an unchanged expression. The young man over there grinned, raised his glass with both hands, raised his head and drank it, and exhaled: "If I wasn't afraid that my uncle would blame me for not knowing etiquette, I would have wanted to invite you since you two came. But now I have been holding it back for a long time. But uncle, I'm afraid you two came here today with the same idea, right?"

Yang Min glanced at his father, opened his mouth and closed it again. The middle-aged man picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and put it to his mouth. He paused for a moment and looked up slightly: "You guessed right. The general has occupied most of Liaodong and defeated Liao and Jin. If he is still sitting at home waiting, then what was the point of borrowing the general's food before?"

Wang Zheng sat up straight, remained silent for a moment, and nodded.

The fish meat that had been resting on the edge of his mouth finally went into his mouth. Father Yang put down his chopsticks and said, "To be frank, this time, my Yang family came here to join the general, and everyone in the clan agrees."

Wang Zheng raised his eyebrows, and the middle-aged man below him raised a finger: "The general should be short of officials to manage the local area at this time. Although the Yang family does not have much power, we can still invite a few big families to contribute to the stability of Liaodong. In addition, we are willing to offer cattle, sheep, food and grass to the army as a token of sincerity."

"Uncle..." Wang Zheng looked a little strange: "What do you want?"

Father Yang laughed and said, "I want a chance to see the general."

Wang Zheng was moved. (End of this chapter)