Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 188 Look at this family (vote request)
After seeing Li Zisheng off, Zhang Luan anxiously waited for his son to come back home.

Unfortunately, he waited and waited but no one showed up. He even went out to ask the Jinyiwei guarding the door to help look for him, but he was told that there was no way to find him at all.

Finally, Zhang Luan could only return home with a gloomy face and continue to wait anxiously.

It was not until the sun set that the two sons came back, looking relaxed.

"Where have you been?"

Zhang Luan was so angry that he almost lost his mind. As soon as they met, he started shouting at her.

Zhang Heling said proudly, "Dad, you haven't seen how capable the second son is... We just signed the contract today, and the head of the Huizhou merchant Qin said that he would give us two thousand taels of silver to spend first, and it will be delivered to the mansion before tomorrow afternoon... Hey, I have never seen so much silver since I was a child. Our family is going to make a fortune!"

Zhang Yanling saw his father's anxiety and guessed what he wanted to ask him about. He quickly said, "Brother, Dad is very angry. You should go to the room first... I have something to tell Dad..."

"Humph, why is it like a powder keg? It hasn't even been lit yet, and it's already exploded? This is really weird!"

Zhang Heling glanced at Zhang Luan with a dissatisfied look.

"Say it again, little brat!"

Zhang Luan immediately wanted to pick up a weapon and hit someone.

But Zhang Heling was very experienced in avoiding beatings from his old father. Relying on his agility, he deftly avoided Zhang Luan who was rushing towards him with a broom. Knowing that his old father could not catch up with him, he quickly went to the inner courtyard.

"Dad, is there something wrong?"

Zhang Yanling walked over to Zhang Luan, who had thrown down his broom and was sulking, and asked curiously, "Who was here? Did your uncle give you another problem?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "You are wrong this time... You would never have thought that Li Zisheng would come to our house in person without any followers."

Zhang Yanling nodded solemnly upon hearing this, and said thoughtfully, "He may have run into some big trouble... It's probably related to what happened in the palace."

"Eh? Could it be that the senior behind you guessed something and told you in advance before you came back? Oh, no, you went out with the boss today, so you shouldn't have time to look for someone... Never mind, I won't make random guesses. Son, just tell me what you think. Dad can handle it."

Zhang Luan said in a pleading tone.

Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes and said, "Dad, I don't even know what happened, how can I have any insights? Can you first tell me exactly what Li Zisheng said to you?"

"Yes, yes, come with me into the room quickly. I'll tell you clearly that it's still early. If we hurry, we should still make it... I have to leave the city with Li Zisheng before dark, and I don't know how to deal with him. Sigh!"

……

……

Zhang family main hall.

Zhang Luan told Li Zisheng everything he had entrusted to him.

Zhang Yanling shook his head after listening to this.

"Son, is there really no way out this time?" Zhang Luan asked worriedly when he saw this.

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, that's not what I meant. I'm actually worried that you'll show your weakness in front of Li Zisheng later."

"What!?"

Zhang Luan looked confused after hearing this.

Zhang Yanling analyzed: "In your eyes, Li Zisheng is just a charlatan, and even a little ignorant, so you don't take him seriously. But he is a Taoist after all, and he is very proficient in astrology and calendar... I'm afraid you can't deceive him by using some far-fetched means in front of him."

Zhang Luan got anxious when he heard this: "When have I ever looked down on him? And why are you still talking about this now? I just want a result. As for being in front of him... I don't care if he shows weakness or not!"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Li Zisheng wants to know about your majesty's condition. I can only say that this worry is completely unnecessary."

"Huh? You mean to say that His Majesty will be alright?"

Zhang Luan was delighted.

Obviously this result is more in line with his expectations, and he can also gain huge benefits from it.

Because once Li Zisheng got this "result" and told the emperor, the emperor would surely be "very pleased". As long as the emperor recovered from his illness, he would reward Li Zisheng handsomely, and Li Zisheng would definitely reward himself generously as well.

It is simply a good thing that achieves multiple things with one stone!

……

……

Silent all night.

The next morning, at dawn, Zhang Yanling got up, washed up, and began to exercise in the yard. He practiced the Eight-Part Vajra Kung Fu, which was widely circulated on the Internet in his previous life. It was complete with text, pictures, and teaching videos. He practiced it and felt that it had a certain effect. It was more masculine than the Eight-Part Brocade and had stronger energy. After each practice, he felt energetic and his muscles and bones were relaxed.

At this time, Zhang Heling was still sleeping soundly in the house.

After Zhang Yanling finished her exercise, when Zhang Yu got up to wash her face, she found that her brother had prepared a "gift" for her, a bar of soap made using simple craftsmanship.

Although this soap was made with soda ash that Zhang Yanling bought from the market, it did not have such a strong fragrance and was at most a semi-finished product, but for people of that era, it was already a precedent.

"Yanling, what is this?"

Zhang Yu picked it up and looked at it carefully, then tilted his head and asked curiously.

Zhang Yanling introduced with a smile: "This is called soap. I just made a piece and let my sister try it first. This thing can effectively remove oil stains and dead skin from the body, and it is very beneficial for protecting the skin."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and shook his head, "You know, I don't like those fancy things."

Zhang Yanling said: "This is not rouge or powder. It will wash away the dirt anyway, so why not give it a try? This way, Sister can be gorgeous without makeup."

"How do I use this?"

There was still confusion on Zhang Yu's face, but out of a woman's curiosity about new things, she did not put it down after all. She even brought it to her nose and smelled it. Although there was only a faint fragrance, she couldn't let it go.

Zhang Yanling said, "Some people like girls who put on makeup, thinking that they are beautiful and comfortable, but my future brother-in-law is just a young man who knows nothing about the world. How could he like those vulgar girls? It just so happens that my sister is a natural beauty, just the object of his admiration."

"Pah, you are just a kid, why are you so talkative?"

Zhang Yu cursed to himself but was very happy in his heart. Finally, he couldn't help but glance at his brother and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Try it quickly." Zhang Yanling said.

"Ah."

Zhang Yu took the soap his brother gave him and went to wash his face.

After Zhang Yu washed, he returned to his room and looked at himself in the bronze mirror. He nodded and said, "It seems... a little different from before."

"Sister, if you like, I will prepare something good and send it to the palace for you first... How about letting you be my guinea pig?"

Zhang Yanling said with a smile.

"Let me be a mouse? What do you think?"

Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows and scolded him, then said, "But your idea is quite interesting. I also want to see how many good things you can come up with with your little brain. I can just use it to broaden my horizons!"

As the brother and sister were talking, their mother, Jin, came out from the kitchen and poured a basin of water directly into the yard.

The brother and sister are "experienced people" and they know from their mother's behavior and reaction that Jin is angry.

"Where's Dad?"

Zhang Yu asked in a low voice.

Zhang Yanling shrugged and replied, "I was invited by Li Zisheng last night. He said he wanted to observe the evolution of the sky to understand the secrets of the heavens and calculate when the current emperor's illness will be cured."

Zhang Yu was relieved: "No wonder my mother was angry when I didn't come home at night."

The siblings looked at each other and smiled.

Soon, Zhang Heling, who was sleeping soundly, was rushed into the room by Jin Shi, who grabbed his ears and dragged him out. He could also hear Jin Shi scolding him:
"You blind bastard, don't you know what time it is? You are the only one in the family lying in bed. Are you imitating others? Get up and work!"

"Mom, let me sleep a little longer..."

"Sleep, sleep, sleep. Just sleep. When you die, you will have plenty of time to sleep... Now go out and find your father!"

"How would I know where Dad has gone? You should definitely ask the second brother about this kind of thing. He knows Dad's whereabouts very well... Whenever Dad has something to discuss, he only talks to him and never to me. It's no use asking me."

Zhang Heling said this and started running around the yard. When he saw his younger brother in the front yard, he shouted, "Second brother, go find daddy."

Zhang Yu put his hands on his hips and shouted, "You are so unruly all day long, no wonder your mother always scolds you... But I won't see you again in the future, out of sight, out of mind!"

Zhang Heling was very upset and asked, "What's wrong, sister? Are you going to die?"

"roll!"

Zhang Yu glared at her eldest brother fiercely, then went back to her room with the basin of water and the soap that Zhang Yanling had given her.

(End of this chapter)