"Grandpa is right. My blind dates have all watched me grow up, and we should help each other. We all know each other well. If I get better, I will naturally not forget you all. It is truly good when everyone is well!" Yan Liqiang smiled slightly and looked around. All the men, young and old, sitting in the yard were perked up. Everyone pricked up their ears, wanting to listen to what Yan Liqiang had to say. Yan Liqiang also took this opportunity to tell him what he had thought of along the way, about his plan for returning to Pingxi County.
"The first thing I want to do when I come back this time is to set up a Kyudo Club. Young people in Liuhe Town who are qualified and want to learn martial arts can all go to the Kyudo Club to study. I will personally teach everyone the Kyudo martial arts!"
Hearing Yan Liqiang's words, everyone in the courtyard had their eyes shining, and many people's faces flushed with excitement. After hearing this, Sixth Grandpa sighed and stood up, "You returned to your hometown to open a Kyudo Club and teach the children of Liuhe Town to learn Kyudo martial arts. This is a great favor. No matter how old I am, I still want to pay my respects to you!"
Seeing Sixth Grandpa stand up, move his chair, take two steps back and tremblingly bow to Yan Liqiang, Yan Liqiang and everyone at the main table also stood up quickly. Yan Liqiang quickly held Sixth Grandpa's arm and said, "Grandpa, I can't bear it, I can't bear it. You are really embarrassing me by doing this!"
Sixth Grandpa struggled twice, and found that Yan Liqiang's hands were as strong as Mount Tai, so he couldn't bow down at all. Then he turned his head to look at the people sitting in the yard, puffed his beard, glared, and pounded the ground with his cane a few times, "You idiots, what are you still doing? Do you know that Li Qiang is a fifth-rank sword-bearing guard in the Imperial Capital City, and the emperor has invited him to be the prince's archery instructor? If Li Qiang was in the Imperial Capital City and didn't come back, there would be many people in the Imperial Capital City who could learn archery from Li Qiang. He is the Crown Prince of the Han Empire. The children of the high officials in the court do not have this qualification. Li Qiang opened the Archery Club to teach the children of Liuhe Town to learn the martial arts of Archery. That means the children of Liuhe Town who join can enjoy the same treatment as the Crown Prince. You know how great a favor it is to have such a master. It is priceless. If it weren't for Li Qiang, your ancestors' graves would have glowed with smoke but you still wouldn't have encountered such a good thing. Why are you still standing there in a daze? Do you still need me, an old man, to teach you how to do it?"
As soon as Sixth Grandpa got angry, all the neighbors in the yard reacted and stood up one by one to thank Yan Liqiang. In the blink of an eye, what Yan Liqiang had just said spread to the yard outside, and the whole yard was instantly boiling.
All of a sudden, there was a noise of clattering of tables and chairs inside and outside the Yan family's yard. People stood up one after another, pulled out their chairs, and thanked Yan Liqiang. After several minutes of chaos, the scene finally calmed down and the adults sat down again. However, the teenagers standing in the yard were all very excited at this time, and they couldn't wait for Yan Liqiang to teach them skills so that they could be as successful as him in the future.
Yan Liqiang's statement suddenly made the atmosphere of the entire banquet even more heated, just like pouring a bucket of water into boiling oil.
"Li Qiang, you just said that setting up a Kyudo Club is just the first thing you want to do when you return to your hometown this time. Li Qiang, if you want to do anything else, just tell me. I'm willing to break my old bones and play drums for you..." Sixth Grandpa sat back in the chair with an excited look on his face.
"Grandpa has seen the world and experienced war, so he naturally knows the principle of being prepared for danger in times of peace. Our Liuhe Town is such a big place, but there is no protection at all. The road outside is so open, people can come in from all directions. In such an environment, there is no big problem at ordinary times, but once there is a war, or there are bandits and robbers, others can rush in at once, and the safety of all the families in the whole town cannot be guaranteed. Although Ganzhou is peaceful now, our Liuhe Town cannot help but make some preparations!"
"Li Qiang is right!" Sixth Grandpa and the town's senior figures sitting at the main table nodded, agreeing with Yan Li Qiang's words. Sixth Grandpa was quite emotional. "Our Ganzhou was originally a place of many battles. Now there are many thieves and robbers. If we really want to fight, there will be countless bandits and foreign cavalry. When I was young, I joined the army and saw a village and a town burned, killed, and looted by bandits. Now there are also many bandits in Ganzhou. It is not safe to walk on the road far away from the city. For the sake of future generations, our Liuhe Town really cannot be completely unprepared. Otherwise, if something happens, it will be too late to regret it. Look at the towns with wealthy families in Pingxi County. They have built forts and docks. Ordinary bandits and soldiers with a few hundred people cannot easily take them down. People can live in this way with peace of mind..."
Yan Liqiang smiled and glanced at everyone in the yard. "Grandpa is right. Last night, my father and I discussed it. In order to provide a safe and happy environment for the villagers in the town, we decided that this time our Yan family would pay to expand Liuhe Town, build fort walls and arrow towers, and build a fort. We should also organize the young and strong people in the town to patrol and guard on weekdays. This is not only for training, but also to ensure the safety of the people in the town. If something really happens, everyone will not panic."
"This is a great deed, your Yan family has really accumulated great virtue..." Sixth Grandpa gave Yan Liqiang a thumbs up, "Liqiang, don't despise me, I still have more than 100 taels of silver in my coffin fund, I will donate it this time to do something for the folks in our Liuhe Town. You can use my kids as you like, Liqiang, if anyone dares to disobey, I will break his legs!"
“Yes, yes, yes, everyone should contribute money and effort. We cannot let Li Qiang and Old Man Yan pay for it. Since Sixth Grandpa has said so, our Li family should also show our stance and donate one thousand two taels of silver…” The old man of the Li family, a wealthy family in town, who was sitting at the same table with Yan Liqiang, had quick eyes. As soon as Sixth Grandpa finished speaking, the Li family immediately expressed their support.
When others saw this, they also expressed their willingness to donate money or help.
As soon as the news spread here, cheers were heard inside and outside the Yan family compound - the Yan family was paying to build a fort in Liuhe Town, which was definitely a good thing for everyone in Liuhe Town. As ordinary people, especially those living in places like Ganzhou, who doesn't want to live in a safer place? Since the Yan family took the lead in this matter, the people of Liuhe Town naturally supported it.
When everyone was having fun, Zhou Hongda, the steward of the Yan family, walked quickly in from the main gate of the yard and whispered a few words in the ears of Yan Liqiang and Yan Dechang. Yan Liqiang stood up suddenly and said, "Dad, you just stay here, I'll go!" After that, Yan Liqiang and the person sitting at the same table apologized and quickly walked out of the yard with Zhou Hongda.
As soon as he came outside, Yan Liqiang saw Qian Su, Zhou Yong, Lu Wenbin and a group of more than 20 people riding rhinoceros horses, arriving outside the Yan family compound. Not to mention Lu Wenbin, Qian Su, Zhou Yong and others were directly wearing official uniforms and military uniforms. Zhou Yong and several soldiers from the craftsman camp were equipped with swords and guns, and they looked naturally majestic. When these people came, the eyes of everyone in the Yan family compound involuntarily fell on them.
Seeing Qian Su and the others coming, Yan Liqiang immediately showed a bright smile on his face, "Uncle Qian, Manager Lu, Brother Zhou, I've been waiting for you today..."
Qian Su jumped off his rhinoceros horse with a big laugh, and walked over quickly. His eyes sparkled, and he carefully looked Yan Liqiang up and down. Then he led Zhou Yong and others to show Yan Liqiang the etiquette of meeting his superior, "Qian Su, the supervisor of the Huanglong Artisan and Machinery Camp in Pingxi County, Ganzhou, greets the governor!"
"Uncle Qian, Brother Zhou, you are here just to show me your power!" Yan Liqiang also smiled, and quickly supported Qian Su's arm and lifted him up, "We are family, this will not happen again, this will not happen again!"
“Hahahaha…” Qian Su, Zhou Yong and others looked at each other, then straightened up and laughed together.
"Brother Zhou, you have also learned bad things from Uncle Qian!" Yan Liqiang laughed and hit Zhou Yong on the shoulder. Zhou Yong and several soldiers from the nearby craftsman camp grinned. Yan Liqiang's attitude made everyone feel warm in their hearts and refreshed.
"Lu Wenbin greets the young master!" Manager Lu smiled and came up with a few people from the Lu family. They also saluted respectfully to Yan Liqiang.
"We are all family, Manager Lu, please don't be polite!" Yan Liqiang glanced at the people who came with Manager Lu, "Is Mr. Lu in good health?"
"The old man is in great health. Last night, Mr. Lu received a letter from the young master. He was very happy to know that the young master had returned. That night, he personally appointed a group of capable accountants from the Lu family. Then, the old man asked me to bring people here to listen to the young master's instructions..."
"You're going to have to endure some hardships this time, and there's a lot of work to do. Manager Lu, don't blame me for mentioning your name to the old man!"
Lu Wenbin sighed and smiled bitterly, "Thank you for your trust, Master. How dare Lu Wenbin not serve you!"
Lu Wenbin said that he was suffering, but in fact, after learning that Yan Liqiang personally asked him to come and help Mr. Lu, he was very happy. There were so many managers in the Lu family, but Yan Liqiang only asked him to help. This made his status in the Lu family rise sharply. Even the housekeeper became polite to him, and Mr. Lu also looked at him differently.
(End of this chapter)