Siheyuan: Traveling through three years to gain the power of a palm

Chapter 221: Night Visit to Lou Zhenhua

At the Lou family, Xu Damao told Lou Zhenhua in the study that Jiang Fan would come to see him.

Lou Zhenhua nodded, with a hint of sadness on his face.

"Dad, excuse me for saying so much, but has something happened to our family?" Xu Damao couldn't help but ask. He couldn't understand what could have made a person like Lou Bancheng so worried.

"This issue…"

Lou Zhenhua didn't want to say much to Xu Damao, but then he thought that Jiang Fan was Xu Damao's good friend, and he came for Xu Damao's sake.

"Da Mao, please sit down."

After Xu Damao sat down, Lou Zhenhua poured him a cup of tea.

"Let me tell you about our Lou family first..."

Lou Zhenhua began to recount the Lou family's rise to prominence. As the saying goes, heroes are made by the times; decades of turmoil have buried many talented people, but also produced many heroes.

Relying on his own talents and a little bit of influence from his ancestors, Lou Zhenhua achieved some success in the turbulent times.

However, no matter how great his achievements were, he was still just a businessman. Although he could be considered to have great skills, he was nothing in front of guns and cannons.

If all forces did not need the support of business tycoons like Lou Zhenhua to stabilize order, and Lou Zhenhua was very tactful and took the initiative to offer profits, there would be absolutely no way he could have established such a foundation in the chaotic times.

This has also been one of the ways for merchants to survive for thousands of years.

Therefore, Lou Zhenhua was betting on many sides in the chaotic times. On the surface, he supported whoever ruled the city. But behind the scenes, he naturally supported the resistance, telling them that he was "in Cao's camp, but his heart was with Han."

Every force can understand the difficulties faced by people like Lou Zhenhua, and they try to win them over.

Lou Zhenhua was also a man of foresight. He had always provided support to our side and even made friends with several leaders. The reason for his distress was that the only friend of his who had been in Beijing had passed away due to illness. It could be said that his greatest supporter was gone.

Originally, this matter wouldn't have worried him so much, but it all started with a phone call Jiang Fan had with him last year. He didn't know why he believed Jiang Fan so much, but he just did.

Over the past year, he has been traveling around, gathering information, and contacting former business friends. He has discovered that some of them are considering leaving the company, and if they seem unlucky, he will immediately take advantage of them.

This also made Lou Zhenhua feel a sense of crisis, and the collapse of his backer made this sense of crisis infinitely magnified.

"That person has passed away. If the future is really like what Jiang Fan said, then we may suffer. Damao, do you understand?"

Xu Damao nodded solemnly. Jiang Fan had already explained to him the dangers of the Lou family's capitalist background and warned him that he would likely suffer in the future. But he had already entered the game, and he was indeed greedy for the Lou family's wealth.

"Dad, so you want to find Jiang Fan and ask him for some advice?"

Lou Zhenhua nodded. "Da Mao, I've lived for most of my life and have a good grasp of people, but I can't quite figure out Jiang Fan. He seems... Anyway, remember, there's no harm in following him."

Lou Zhenhua still didn't express his opinion. Without being sure that Xu Damao was completely on his side, he couldn't be open and honest with Xu Damao, even though they were father-in-law and son-in-law.

Xu Damao said hurriedly, "I will. Jiang Fan and I have a very good relationship! He is also Sen Sen's godfather."

Lou Zhenhua smiled with relief. He was a little envious of Xu Damao. Although he had no ability and his character was average, he was really lucky.

That day, Xu Damao and Lou Zhenhua were waiting for Jiang Fan's arrival in the study.

On the other side, Jiang Fan came out of the courtyard and found an alley to change into his night clothes.

He moved his legs alternately, sprinting through the city like a gust of black wind. He was confident that he could sneak into the Lou family without alerting anyone.

One was safety, and the other was to intimidate Lou Zhenhua. If I could sneak into your house without making any noise today, I could suffocate you to death while you sleep tomorrow.

A few minutes later, Jiang Fan arrived near the Lou residence. He didn't enter directly, but first released the Black Scorpion to observe. He then began to circle the area, looking for any ambushes. New Era travelers, be cautious!

After a few minutes, after making sure there was no danger, Jiang Fan jumped over the wall of the Lou family's courtyard, and without going through the door, he climbed up the wall towards the study.

In the study, Lou Zhenhua and Xu Damao were smoking.

"Da Mao, go see if Jiang Fan has arrived?"

"Dad, don't worry. He will come when he says he will."

Xu Damao took a sip of hot tea, turned his head to look out the window, and happened to see Jiang Fan's handsome face.

"Dad, look, he's here, hanging on the window." Xu Damao smiled at Lou Zhenhua, and Lou Zhenhua also looked out the window with a smile on his face.

"Window? Window!"

Xu Damao's face changed instantly, and he exclaimed: "Oh my God, why are you here?"

Xu Damao and Lou Zhenhua quickly got up to open the window and let Jiang Fan in.

Xu Damao nervously examined Jiang Fan's body. "Why didn't you go through the door? Why did you go through the window? What if you accidentally fell? It would be very dangerous."

Lou Zhenhua stuck his head out and looked again and again. He couldn't understand how Jiang Fan got in or climbed up to the second floor.

After some pleasantries, Lou Zhenhua also told Jiang Fan about the current predicament of the Lou family.

Jiang Fan thought about it in light of the plot and realized that this was due to the butterfly effect he had created.

Jiang Fan glanced at the bookshelf behind Lou Zhenhua, stood up, took down a few books, opened them, took out a pen and drew on them.

"Books contain golden houses, beautiful women, and solutions to problems."

As Lou Zhenhua read the book, he first thought that the riddler would not die a good death. However, he did not dare to show it, and instead carefully read the title of the book.

Historical books of the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, and Marx's "Das Kapital".

"Let's take a look first. Let's discuss how to get your matter done to avoid trouble in the future." Jiang Fan sat on the chair, feeling a little melancholy.

Lou Zhenhua nodded and looked through it carefully.

Xu Damao couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What's in that book?"

"Just some small stories." Jiang Fan said lightly.

"Oh."

After a few minutes, Lou Zhenhua's face became gloomy and it took a while for it to return to normal.

"Do you understand?"

"I understand a little bit, but I feel a little melancholy for a moment." Lou Zhenhua said bitterly.

"Don't be so sad. You still have time to think and plan. You're a smart person and should know how to choose the most advantageous answer. A bad family background is not a shame. A man who can bend and stretch is a true man. The development of any era cannot do without business talents like you."

"Da Mao, go back to sleep first."

After hearing what Lou Zhenhua said, Xu Damao was obviously reluctant, but after seeing Jiang Fan nod, he still left.

Chapter 222: Sha Zhu Has a Daughter

After Xu Damao left, Jiang Fan stayed in Lou Zhenhua's study for half an hour before leaving through the window.

Even Xu Damao didn't know what they talked about, but when he returned to the courtyard, Lou Zhenhua gave him another sum of money and asked him to take good care of his wife and children.

This made him very curious, so he went to ask Jiang Fan.

"Brother, what did my father-in-law tell you?"

"Do you listen to me?"

"Of course I will."

"Be obedient and don't ask."

After tricking Xu Damao, Jiang Fan resumed his normal life. He went to get off work, came home, and then taught Jiang Yang, Jiang Yue, and Jiang Yu. None of them went to school anymore. The teacher was so hungry that he couldn't teach.

One month later, Yang Shufen had a seizure at home. Sha Zhu was extremely anxious and didn't know what to do.

"Brother Zhuzi, go find the sister-in-law of the Jia family. She has given birth to a child." Yang Shufen gritted her teeth. Her body was in great pain, but she was still conscious.

Sha Zhu said in a panic: "Yes, looking for Jia's sister-in-law." But his steps seemed to be nailed to the ground by iron nails.

He Yushui and Yang Ergou were the calmest and ran out to call for help.

Within two minutes, Jia Dongxu and his wife and Yi Zhonghai put on their clothes and came to the He family.

"Zhuzi, don't just stand there. Go borrow a cart and take your wife to the hospital." Jia Dongxu looked at the panicked Sha Zhu and slapped him to wake him up.

"Yes, Brother Dongxu, come with me to borrow a car. Sister-in-law Qin, please take care of my wife."

Sha Zhu pulled Jia Dongxu out, and Qin Huairu did not delay and sat next to Yang Shufen to comfort her.

After Sha Zhu's commotion, most of the people in the courtyard woke up. But no one blamed Sha Zhu, as having a child was a big deal for a family.

Some women came out to ask if anyone needed help. Everyone was very enthusiastic.

"Shazhu is making so much noise that he even woke up my son." Xu Damao came to Jiang Fan with big dark circles under his eyes.

“What’s it like raising a child?”

"Don't even mention it. This kid has been keeping us both awake for the past month. My mom is the same. She gets up every time she hears any noise to see if he's awake. Raising a child is even harder than raising an ancestor."

Xu Damao complained that he now sleeps in the factory every day and comes home to take care of the child at night. The joy of having a son disappears without a trace when the child wakes him up.

"Why don't you feed her with formula? Don't tell me you can't do it."

"Well, I'd like to feed the baby formula so your sister-in-law can get some rest, but she and my mom aren't happy about it. They say formula isn't as nutritious as... They're willing to suffer a little for the sake of the child."

Jiang Fan didn't say anything more and patted Xu Damao's shoulder to comfort him. After all, at least he had a son, and his family wasn't extinct.

While the two were talking, Sha Zhu had already helped Yang Shufen walk out the door.

"Do you think this Shazhu is a girl or a boy?"

"What I said is not certain. It was decided by Sha Zhu, not by us. We will know tomorrow. You don't think Yang Shufen will be willing to spend money to stay in the hospital, do you?" Jiang Fan said.

Xu Damao nodded in agreement. In the year since Yang Shufen got married, the people in the courtyard had gotten to know her a little. She was a virtuous woman who was capable of taking charge of the household.

After Sha Zhu left, the two of them went back home to sleep without saying a few words.

On the other side, Sha Zhu and others came to the hospital.

"Someone, come quickly, my wife is about to give birth."

Sha Zhu's roar attracted the doctors and nurses on duty.

After checking the specific situation, he pushed the person into the delivery room and asked Sha Zhu to wait outside.

Sha Zhu's current situation is even worse than Xu Damao's. Joy, excitement, anxiety, and fear are all intertwined together, making it impossible for him to calm down.

"Brother, don't worry too much. Sister-in-law is a lucky person. There will be no problem."

"Yes, brother-in-law, Yushui is right." Yang Ergou echoed. He had been eating free meals at the He family for a while, but He Yushui would teach him after the holidays, so he did read some books.

Yi Zhonghai also comforted Sha Zhu. After seeing that his emotions had calmed down a little, Yi Zhonghai asked Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu to go home and sleep.

Jia Dongxu didn't stay long. He needed to get enough energy to work and earn money. Working in a steel mill was dangerous. If he lost his energy and fell headfirst onto the machinery, he would most likely die.

Yang Shufen's delivery was not smooth. Although it did not reach the point of dystocia and heavy bleeding, it did give the doctors a difficult time. But in the end, she gave birth to a daughter safely.

Sha Zhu was a little disappointed that Yang Shufen gave birth to a daughter; he wanted a son. But when he thought about how his wife had gone through so much trouble and nearly risked her life to give birth to this child, his disappointment mostly dissipated.

However, Yang Shufen blamed herself a lot after she knew she had given birth to a daughter, blaming herself for not being able to give birth to a boy to continue the He family's bloodline.

"Brother Zhuzi, I'm sorry for not being able to give you a son." Yang Shufen's pale face was full of guilt.

Sha Zhu quickly comforted her, "It's okay, Shufen. It's good to have a daughter. They say a daughter is a father's little cotton-padded jacket. I won't be cold in the future. Besides, we are still young. We can just work hard to have another child in the future."

Sha Zhu's comfort did not make Yang Shufen feel at ease, but made her feel even more guilty. She vowed to give birth to a son for Sha Zhu.

Just as Jiang Fan said, Yang Shufen, who was frugal and thrifty, was unwilling to spend more money in the hospital, so she dragged her weak body back to the courtyard in the afternoon.

Everyone knows that Sha Zhu gave birth to a girl.

No one knew how others reacted to this news, but Jia Zhang kept calling her a money-loser.

Xu Damao felt a little happy after he found out, but not much. He just stayed in the middle courtyard for a while holding his son, then snorted coldly when he saw Sha Zhu and went back.

Sha Zhu ignored Xu Damao. He was also very anxious now. Unlike Xu Damao, he did not have a rich father-in-law and parents who could help take care of the children.

He and Yang Shufen were both first-time parents and had no experience in taking care of children. If Qin Huairu hadn't been there to help, he really wouldn't have known what to do.

"Zhuzi, Shufen, watch carefully. There are only a few possible reasons why this child is crying: he's pooped, he's hungry, he's sleepy, or he's uncomfortable because you're holding him the wrong way. You need to check and deal with it."

Qin Huairu held the little girl in her arms and demonstrated to Sha Zhu and the others how to take care of a child. He Yushui took a pen and paper and carefully took notes. This was her first time being an aunt, so she had to learn it well.

At night, before going to bed, Sha Zhu asked Yang Shufen, "Wife, what do you think we should name our daughter?"

"Let's name her Zhao Di or Pan Di. I hope she can bring us good luck and give birth to a son next time." Yang Shufen wanted to use the secular name to bring herself a son.