Although I haven't seen him for several years, Su Chang is still the same Su Chang, still the fat man, just a little taller. When he turned around, there was a circle of fuzz around his lips, and he was about to grow a beard.
When he saw Yan Liqiang, Su Chang's face flashed with the surprise of meeting old friends. He seemed to want to rush over, but in the blink of an eye, he hesitated, and the foot that had already taken a step forward fell to the ground with some reserve.
The two words "Li Qiang" seemed to have a kind of magic. When they heard Su Chang's voice, many people sitting under the teahouse turned their heads at once. Only after taking a closer look at Yan Liqiang did they move their eyes away from him. Yan Liqiang's outfit at the moment made those people rule out that possibility at the first time. They all thought in their hearts that it was probably a coincidence...
Yan Liqiang saw the hesitation on Su Chang's face. Su Chang didn't come over, but he walked to Su Chang's side in a few steps, with a bright smile on his face. He hit Su Chang's shoulder and said, "Haha, you've lost weight!"
Su Chang was stunned for a moment, then he started laughing. "Why have you lost weight?" This was the way Yan Liqiang used to greet him jokingly. After not seeing each other for a few years, seeing Yan Liqiang still talking to him like this, Su Chang felt a warm current in his heart. Su Chang scratched his head and looked at the tea shed. "Why are you here?"
"Why can't I be here?"
"Well, you're not... not that... you're also drinking tea at a roadside teahouse?" Su Chang held it in for a long time, his face turning red, before he managed to utter a word.
"If I don't drink tea, will I still be here eating dirt?" Yan Liqiang smiled, "I've always wanted to ask you, where have you been these years? How come even your family has moved away? I can't find you even if I want to!"
"I went to Wuwei County as an apprentice. My family also went to Wuwei County. I often heard news about you in Wuwei County. I'm happy for you!" Su Chang smiled naively. As a young person in this world, if the path of cultivation is not feasible and the family is not rich to inherit any family property, most people will learn a craft or do errands in their teens. This is an apprentice. Most apprentices are half-employed and half-working. If they meet a good person and master like Yan Liqiang's father, the treatment may be better. If they meet some harsh shopkeepers or masters, the so-called apprentices are simply working like slaves for others, and there is no salary, just food to eat. This is the path Su Chang took.
"No wonder!" Yan Liqiang let out a long breath, "So what are you learning now?"
"Our boss runs a dyeing factory. I work in the dyeing factory, and my father also works in the dyeing factory..." Su Chang said, and looked at Yan Liqiang again, his eyes shining, and lowered his voice, "I heard that Liqiang, you are very powerful now, have you advanced to the martial arts master?"
In Su Chang's eyes, it seemed that Yan Liqiang's advancement to a martial artist was already an unimaginable great thing. Yan Liqiang certainly would not show off in front of his friend, because there was no need. He could only answer vaguely, "Well, about the same..." After saying this, Yan Liqiang looked at Su Chang's dusty clothes, the broken shoes on his feet and the cracks on his hands. His heart sank slightly, but he still smiled and said, "How does your shopkeeper treat you?"
"Yeah, it's okay!"
"So are you going back to Pingxi County to open your own dyeing factory this time?"
"Haha, my family can't afford to open a dyeing factory. It costs a lot of money. I came back this time with our shopkeeper. The shopkeeper knows that I am from Pingxi County. He came to Pingxi County for something. He wants to join an insurance company and visit two friends. Since I know the way, he brought me along..."
What a coincidence, the insurance company that Su Chang mentioned was the one that Yan Liqiang asked Zhong Ruolan to set up. Everything about the insurance company was just as Yan Liqiang had expected. As soon as the company was opened, it immediately caused a sensation in the business circles of Pingxi County and Ganzhou. Before the insurance company was opened, no one had ever thought that there would be such a business in the world, where one could be guaranteed safety by paying only a small amount of money every year. At the beginning, people in the business circle were still a little hesitant, but under Yan Liqiang's planning, the insurance company took on several orders, and then after a fire broke out in an insured noodle shop and the full compensation was paid, the business prospects of the insurance company were opened up all of a sudden. In addition, Zhong Ruolan was very skillful and good at business, so the reputation of the insurance company spread quickly. Just like now, even the owner of a dyeing factory in Wuwei County couldn't help but run to Pingxi City to take out insurance.
Yan Liqiang was about to say something when a man in his twenties wearing a blue robe came up behind Su Chang and called out, "Su Chang, the master asked you to come over and take care of things, why are you wasting time here with others and not doing anything for such a long time..."
Su Chang was startled and quickly grabbed over, "Ah, Brother Zhu, I just happened to meet a friend here. I haven't seen him for a long time. We chatted for a while..."
The blue-robed man glanced at Yan Liqiang's cheap clothes, raised his eyebrows, curled his lips, and showed a disdainful smile on his face. He chuckled twice, "Long time no see, that's good, how about I go and talk to the master, and let the master and the young lady wait in the car first. When you have talked enough with your friend and everything is arranged here, let the master and the young lady come over. Even if it delays today's trip and we can't reach Pingxi City tonight, it doesn't matter..."
"Li Qiang, you see, I have something else to do. When I get to Pingxi County, I'll come to see you if I have time..." Su Chang smiled embarrassedly at Yan Liqiang.
"Well, you go ahead and do your work first!" Yan Liqiang smiled, patted Su Chang on the shoulder, and then retreated to the original table and sat down to drink tea.
The man in the blue robe directed Su Chang, ordered a pot of tea and a watermelon in the teahouse, and deliberately chose a table away from Yan Liqiang. He also washed the tea set with soup and asked the teahouse owner to wipe the tables and chairs again. Then he came to an ordinary four-wheeled carriage on the side of the road outside, knocked on the window, whispered a few words, and the door of the carriage opened. Then a man and a woman walked out.
The man who got off the carriage was pot-bellied, looked to be in his fifties, and was dressed in silk. He looked like a businessman. The woman who followed the man was wearing a lotus green dress, had an oval face, was in her prime, young and beautiful, and her face shape was somewhat similar to the man's. The two should be father and daughter. The man in the blue robe welcomed the two to the tea table with a fawning look on his face.
"Uncle, cousin, there's nowhere to rest on the roadside, so just make do with this. I've just asked the shopkeeper to rewash the tea sets here. This watermelon is pretty good. The shopkeeper soaked it in the well last night. It's sweet and juicy..."
The man in his fifties nodded and glanced around, "Well, you don't have to be too particular when you're out!"
Several people sat down at the table and started to drink tea and rest. Su Chang stood beside them, occasionally glancing at the woman in a lotus green dress.
Several people sat down for a while. The man in blue robe said something and pointed in the direction of Yan Liqiang. The middle-aged man turned his head and glanced at Yan Liqiang, then said "oh" lightly without saying anything else.
Yan Liqiang was just drinking tea quietly and waiting here.
Yan Liqiang didn't have to wait long. Less than ten minutes after the army passed by on the official road outside, the sound of rumbling iron hooves came from the official road outside, causing the people in the teahouse to stretch their necks to look outside.
There were more than two hundred riders, all riding on Rhino Dragon horses. The riders were all dressed in black, carrying swords and bows, looking majestic, with a sharp murderous aura all over their bodies. This large group of people and horses escorted a black four-wheeled carriage and rushed towards the tea shop.
Just when everyone in the teahouse thought that this group of people would rush over, the people outside the teahouse stopped at the same time, then dismounted in unison. In the blink of an eye, they formed two lines outside and stood on both sides of the official road. The black luxury four-wheeled carriage drove directly to the door of the teahouse.
Faced with such a scene, everyone in the teahouse was stunned and silent. Some timid merchants even had trembling legs, thinking that there might be some trouble.
A group of strong men dismounted from their horses, holding their swords at their waists, and walked directly into the teahouse. The leader glanced and saw Yan Liqiang sitting next to a table. As he let out a long breath, a hint of joy flashed across his face. Then he hurriedly came in front of Yan Liqiang and saluted him, "Zhou Yong greets you, young master!"
These people naturally received Yan Liqiang's message and rushed to meet Yan Liqiang.
Everyone in the teahouse, except Su Chang, was dumbfounded at once - Young Master, that poor-looking guy was actually a Young Master. In the whole Pingxi County, there seemed to be only a handful of wealthy and powerful families with such power. I wonder whose young master this was
Yan Liqiang smiled, stood up, and walked directly to Su Chang's table.
The three people sitting at that table stood up quickly when they saw Yan Liqiang coming over.
"Manager Gong?" Yan Liqiang smiled slightly and looked at the middle-aged man with a big belly.
The middle-aged man with a big belly looked flattered. "Yes, yes, yes, I am Gong Changchun. May I know your name, sir?"
"My last name is Yan, and my name is Yan Liqiang!"
As soon as the three words "Yan Liqiang" were uttered, it was like a thunderclap, shaking everyone in the teahouse so much that they saw stars - Governor Qi Yun, the great craftsman of the Han Empire, the hereditary first-class baron, the prince's archery teacher and the Northwest Bandit Suppression Envoy, the founder of the world's number one factory, the strongest archery expert in the northwest, a talented boy who dreamed of meeting a god... Which one of these titles would not be well-known and shocking? And when all these titles were gathered together in one person, in the northwest, and even in the Han Empire, the three words "Yan Liqiang" were so famous that they even surpassed the reputation of a provincial governor.
“Greetings… Greetings, Master Yan!” The pot-bellied shopkeeper Gong couldn’t even speak clearly, and hurriedly forced a salute on Yan Li. He bent over and his belly pushed forward, almost knocking over the tea table.
Yan Liqiang had a pleasant face, "Manager Gong, you don't have to be so polite. I came here to discuss something with you. Manager Gong, you see, Su Chang is my childhood friend. We haven't seen each other for many years. It's a rare opportunity to meet here today. I have a lot to say to him. I wonder if Manager Gong can give Su Chang a few days off so that we can have a good reunion. Then I'll send Su Chang back."
“Oh, of course, of course…” Shopkeeper Gong didn’t dare to say no, and he nodded his head like pounding garlic.
"Thank you very much." After saying this, Yan Liqiang pulled Su Chang who was standing beside him, "Su Chang, let's go..." Then Ju walked out of the teahouse directly and came to the luxurious carriage.
Before getting on the carriage, Yan Liqiang suddenly remembered something and told Zhou Yong, "By the way, don't forget to pay the bill!"
"Well, don't worry, sir!" Zhou Yong nodded.
Yan Liqiang pulled Su Chang onto the carriage. Zhou Yong gave a signal, and someone took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table where Yan Liqiang had just sat. Then the two hundred riders escorted the four-wheeled carriage that Yan Liqiang was riding in, and under the silent gaze of the people in the teahouse, they sped towards Pingxi County, leaving the people in the teahouse in complete silence...
After a while, someone in the teahouse exclaimed, "It's Master Yan, it's Master Yan. I didn't expect that Master Yan would drink tea in this teahouse..."
"Didn't they say that Master Yan went to Canglong Mountain to seek medical treatment after becoming possessed?"
"It looks like everything is fine now..."
…
Su Chang in the carriage kept looking around, curious but also a little embarrassed. He didn't seem to know where to put his hands and feet, afraid of dirtying the gorgeous carriage. He kept saying, "Ah, this carriage is so stable, so stable, not bumpy at all..."
"Su Chang, do you still consider me your friend?" Yan Liqiang looked at Su Chang and asked directly.
Su Chang was stunned for a moment, looked at Yan Liqiang's sincere eyes, and nodded heavily, "Of course!"
Yan Liqiang laughed, "Well, do you like the daughter of Shopkeeper Gong?"
Su Chang's face suddenly turned red, like a large piece of floral cloth, and he lowered his head with a guilty conscience, "This... this... I am not worthy of her..."
Yan Liqiang patted Su Chang on the shoulder and said, "Don't think too much. In the entire northwest, no one dares to say that my friend Yan Liqiang is not worthy of the daughter of a shopkeeper who runs a dyeing factory. I promise you that when you go back this time, that shopkeeper Gong will almost certainly propose marriage to someone in your family..."
"Ah..." Su Chang looked at Yan Liqiang in astonishment.
"Come on, tell me how you've been spending the past few years..."
(End of this chapter)