Chapter 1, Leaving Home (2)

"It might be the train tomorrow!" Boss Zhao of the woodworking shop gave his nephew a hard knock on the forehead and loudly retorted. Turning his head, he softened his tone and forced a smile to comfort Zhang Youcai, "Uncle Cai, don't be anxious. Perhaps the date on the letter was written incorrectly. Nowadays, young people are careless in everything they do. Our fourth brother's son, last year..."

Zheng Yue'er, the wife of the second marriage, is a full twenty years younger than him. At a time when her emotions are hard to contain, how could she endure such an undeserved calamity? She immediately threw down the spatula and iron spoon, packed her belongings, and prepared to return to her mother's home. Zhang Youcai, aware of his own faults, had no choice but to block the doorway and coax her. Once the household was restored to peace, his worries about his youngest son were somewhat alleviated. Holding a pot of coarse tea, he sat by the window and fell into a daze.

Zhang Youcai responded with a sigh, stumbling back home. The pork pouch in his hand felt too heavy to lift, as if his arms and legs weighed thousands of pounds. Upon entering the house, he saw his new wife and two young daughters, and inevitably, he held the latter responsible for the account of his third son, who refused to return home.

It turned out that he had gone to the train station with the manager Zhang Shouling to meet the Third Young Master. They waited at the exit for quite a while, and even after the train had departed, they still did not see any sign of the Third Young Master. Just as he was getting increasingly anxious, Manager Zhang Shouling spotted a carriage from Hetai Trading Company at the exit. Next to the carriage were several large suitcases, clearly just unloaded from the train.

Sigh! Manager Sun looked around anxiously, fearing he was being watched, and lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper, "On this train, something sinister is afoot. Since we departed from the provincial capital, a group of young people has started singing and giving speeches, moving from carriage to carriage. They claim that North China is on the brink of collapse, that once Hebei and the books are lost, Shandong will be the next target for the Japanese attack. Therefore, supporting Beiping now is tantamount to defending Shandong. They are calling on everyone to contribute money and effort to face the national crisis. They keep saying that North China is on the brink of collapse, that once Hebei and the books are lost, Shandong will be the next target for the Japanese attack. Therefore, supporting Beiping now is tantamount to defending Shandong. They are calling on everyone to contribute money and effort to face the national crisis. Don't you think this is all nonsense? Song Zheyuan from Hebei and Chairman Han from Shandong have never gotten along..."

Before a word of comfort could be fully expressed, Zhao Renyi, feeling wronged, interjected, "No, no, it’s not a mistake! I didn’t meet with the young master, but I did encounter Manager Sun from Taiyang Company. The third young master asked him to deliver a letter to Uncle Cai, saying that he intends to go to Beiping to enlist in the army!"

The more one fears something, the more it comes to pass. Upon hearing the words "enlistment," Zhang Youcai felt a wave of darkness before his eyes. He hastily grabbed Zhao Renyi and, trembling, asked, "Where is the letter? Hurry up and show it to me!"

What happened, what exactly happened to him? At that moment, Zhang Shouling noticed sweat on his forehead, grasped the sleeve of Manager Sun, and eagerly pressed for answers

The eldest son of the Zhang family traveled extensively with his father during his youth, engaging in trade and encountering numerous challenges. His physique was exceptionally robust due to these experiences. In a confrontation, even the bodyguards of ordinary families might not be his match. The third son of the Zhang family, in particular, was most fearful of his elder brother. Sometimes, he would dare to be cheeky in front of their father, but upon receiving a stern glance from his brother, he would immediately become as frightened as a mouse seeing a cat, wishing he could slip away against the wall.

The young master hired a horse and rode off towards Liu City! It is said that he intends to intercept the third young master!" Zhao Renyi thought for a moment and replied with a hint of grievance.

Yes, yes, Liu Liuzi, please do not rush, speak carefully! After all, having experienced several storms, Zhang Youcai was startled awake by Li Tiejian's words, quickly adjusted his mindset, and urged in a trembling voice

The audience's analysis was reasonable, and Zhang Youcai finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to say a few polite words to reassure everyone, but he felt empty inside and didn't know what to say. The neighbors understood his concern for his youngest son and did not wish to add to his troubles at this critical moment. They smiled and offered a few comforting words, advising Uncle Laocai to relax. The third young master could do calculations at four years old and read and write at five; his talents were certainly not ordinary. Even if he encountered any difficulties, he would surely turn misfortune into fortune. For now, everyone decided to remember this banquet and, when both the eldest and third young masters returned, they would combine the two tables into one to ease Uncle Laocai's worries and to welcome the third young master.

"Yes, indeed! Don't trust this fellow, Uncle Cai! He is utterly unreliable in his work!" The neighbors gathered around, chattering in unison.

What about the young master? Everyone inquired in unison.

At this moment, Zhao Renyi finally found the time to wipe the sweat from his forehead and, panting, began to recount the detailed process of receiving the guests

"Yes, Xiaoliuzi, what else did Sun Guanshi say? Hurry up and tell us everything you know!" The neighbors held onto Zhao Renyi, urging him in unison.

One son walks away while the other chases after him. Tonight's banquet is certainly going to be canceled. After listening to the report from the young man Zhao Renyi, the neighbors picked up the meat pouch from the ground, brushed off the dirt, and handed it back to Zhang Youcai. At the same time, they spoke in unison to reassure him, "Oh, it's just a small matter! Uncle Cai, don't listen to Xiao Liuzai's incessant nagging. The Third Young Master is an educated person; even if he gets momentarily confused by others, he will quickly come to understand the situation. Oh, it's just a small matter! Uncle Cai, don't listen to Xiao Liuzai's incessant nagging. The Third Young Master is an educated person; even if he gets momentarily confused by others, he will quickly come to understand the situation. I estimate that he won't even need to reach Liu City before he starts regretting it. At that time, he can just find a small station to get off, and buy a return ticket for tomorrow morning, ensuring he can get home before lunch!

The neighbors were also taken aback, and for a moment, no one thought to help Zhang Youcai, watching him as he was about to collapse to the ground.

Zhang Shouling had previously interacted with Hetai Trading Company in the marketplace, so he hurriedly approached to inquire whether they had seen his younger brother on the train. Coincidentally, Manager Sun of the trading company poked his head out of the carriage and, upon recognizing that it was the esteemed Zhang, responded with a smile: "Isn't this Brother Shouling? You have indeed asked the right person. I was just about to go to Hanyuan Trading Company to find you. I encountered your brother on the train, and he asked me to deliver a letter to Uncle Youcai..."

Liucheng is located one hundred and sixty li north of Lucheng, where there is a railway and two main roads connecting to Lucheng. In these times, trains stop and go, and may not be faster than a good horse. Upon hearing that his eldest son had already gone ahead to intercept, Zhang Youcai felt somewhat reassured and thought for a moment before continuing to inquire, "What else did Manager Sun say? Who did Sanzi go with? Which army is he planning to join in Beiping?"

At this moment, Zhang Youcai's mind was as chaotic as a bundle of over a dozen pounds of tangled hemp rope, leaving no room for any steady thoughts. Listening to everyone speak so easily, he sighed and shook his head, saying: "Alas, what I fear most is his cleverness! The smarter he is, the less he is willing to heed others' advice. Once he has made up his mind about something, he will stick to it no matter what. If I had known it would be like this, I should have had his elder brother come to pick him up before the holiday. I had thought that in the provincial capital, the second brother would take good care of him. Who would have thought that the second brother, that scoundrel, would be completely indifferent to his younger brother!"

What about the three sons, what about my third brother? Speak quickly, what does this have to do with my third brother?" Zhang Shouling interrupted impatiently in a low voice

The second young master has a lot on his plate, so he probably can't manage it all! Seeing Zhang Youcai placing all the blame on his own second son, everyone quickly continued to offer their support, "Besides, didn't the eldest young master go after him? In this day and age, no one is willing to spend money on the railway. The train is slower than a donkey! Once the eldest young master corners the third brother at the Liucheng station, no one can snatch the younger brother away from his elder brother!"

Foolish! Zhang Shouling was so angry that he stomped his feet. Over the years, he had traveled extensively and seen much of the world. Without needing to think too hard, he understood that his younger brother had made the worst choice. Among those young people shouting slogans, there were likely either members of the Kuomintang or the Communist Party. If it were the former, it would be manageable. Although Chairman Han was at odds with Chairman Jiang, he would not openly attack the Kuomintang. However, if there were Communists among those young people, and his younger brother got entangled with them, it would lead to a disaster that could ruin their family and annihilate them, leaving no chance for a future reversal.

"Am I not saying this right now?" Sun, the manager, looked around again and lowered his voice even further, "The key is that there are some truths that the two of us understand, but your family’s third son does not! When someone sings, he sings along. When someone shouts slogans, he shouts along, all the way from the provincial capital to Lu City. Just as we were nearing the station, he handed me a letter. Then he bought another ticket and went directly to Beiping with that group of people!" When someone shouts slogans, he shouts along, all the way from the provincial capital to Lu City. Just as we were nearing the station, he handed me a letter. Then he bought another ticket and went directly to Beiping with that group of people!

Indeed! With the physique of your family's young master, a couple of strong men are simply no match for him. As long as he stands by the carriage and lets the third one follow him home, who would dare to say another word?

Isn't that so? Who is the Third Young Master? He could follow you around and play with the abacus at the age of four, so how could he be easily deceived? I suspect he was just caught up in the moment while singing and couldn't bring himself to get off the stage. After a few days, he will calm down! To help Zhang Youcai relax, Manager Zhao even recounted the remarkable stories of how Third Young Master Zhang learned to use the abacus with his father when he was a child. After a few days, he will calm down! To help Zhang Youcai relax, Manager Zhao even recounted the remarkable stories of how Third Young Master Zhang learned to use the abacus with his father when he was a child

As he spoke, he took out a sealed letter from his coat pocket and handed it to Zhang Shouling. Zhang Shouling was both surprised and delighted; without taking the time to read the letter, he hurriedly asked Manager Sun about his brother's whereabouts. Upon hearing this, Manager Sun immediately jumped down from the carriage, pulled Zhang Shouling a few steps toward a secluded area, looked around, and replied in a lowered voice: "Brother Shouling, it's not that I want to criticize you. Why didn't you go to the provincial city earlier to bring your younger brother back? At his age, he is most impulsive. Once someone stirs him up, he gets all hot-headed!"

I, I went to the station with the young master to pick up the third young master!" Zhao Renyi scrambled up from the ground, wiping his tears as he replied, "The car, the car arrived, and then it drove away. No, we didn't pick anyone up!"

"The letter is in the hands of the young master!" The young man Zhao Renyi replied with a face full of grievance, in a very soft voice

It was still Li Tiejian who reacted quickly, being the first to come to his senses. He first grabbed Zhang Youcai by the lower back with his hand, then kicked the young messenger Zhao Renyi, sending him tumbling. "What are you howling about? The Third Young Master is a highly educated person; how could he possibly be deceived by a swindler?! Xiao Liuzi, speak carefully, what exactly happened?!"

Upon realizing this, he quickly expressed his gratitude to Manager Sun. While sending the young assistant Zhao Renyi home to deliver the message, he strode towards the mule and horse dealership near the station. Drawing on the reputation he had built over many years in the business world, he rented a large horse from Liaodong at the dealership and set off at a gallop towards the next train station, Liucheng, which was 160 miles away