Chapter 006: Brotherhood

He spoke while taking out a handful of scattered copper coins

I don't have any either," Ge Wenjun said, patting himself on the back. "The day before yesterday, I sold all the stools and tables at home, and only then did I manage to scrape together some money for food. I must say, it's partly your fault; you've tarnished our reputation. Now, people in the city aren't afraid of us anymore, and there's nowhere to go to get some silver!

The outside world is quite turbulent; if it really becomes unbearable, just come back. After all, the festive shop always lacks someone to run errands

These individuals reacted quickly. Upon seeing three people, one of whom was carrying a bundle, Xiao Tian felt somewhat puzzled and asked, "Where are you three headed?"

... ...

He shot a glare at the timid Yu Fei and said, "If I were to voice this thought, it would be fine; the second one didn’t say anything and was ready to go with me right away, while the others were all scared to death, one more than the other. In the end, it was the seventh one who showed some spirit; don’t be fooled by his usual rabbit-like cowardice."

"Old Third, now we are brothers, all family. What do you think we should do now?" Chen Shaodong puffed out his chest and proudly displayed himself, as if he had completely forgotten the earlier embarrassment, immediately adopting the demeanor of the second brother.

Ge Wenjun suddenly realized: "Yes, this idea from the second brother is good. Brother Xiao, you are a real man. You should look at hetushu.com. If you don't mind the things we've done in the past, we will become brothers. In the future, if anyone dares to touch our brothers, we will all take up our knives and respond together"

Chen Shaodong was somewhat avoiding Xiao Tian, when Ge Wenjun approached and said: "Brother Xiao, are you planning to enlist in the army at Hejian Prefecture?"

Wu Pan-nan suddenly took out an item, surprisingly it was the watch that Xiao Tian had given to Manager Wu that day: "I know this is a rare item, it might have been left to you by your family. I stole it from my father, take it. Tomorrow morning, my father will return to his hometown, and I will also send Mr. Jin away, you should leave now"

"Like you, I am going to join the army in Hejian Prefecture." Ge Wenjun's face unexpectedly flushed: "Brother Xiao, ever since we were defeated by you last time, we have been unable to survive in Ziliu County. We are ridiculed wherever we go. Once we learned that you were interested in joining the army, we discussed it among ourselves and decided to follow you to enlist!"

... ...

Chen Shaodong suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had made a discovery: "Alright, I have an idea. Since we are not outsiders to each other, and we are all going to enlist, why don't we form a brotherhood? In the future, when we are in the army, it will be good to have each other's support!"

Father, please be extremely careful on the road!

Xiao Tian silently put on this braid, unsure of how to express the gratitude in his heart, as the young lady had already prepared everything for him.

Without waiting for Xiao Tian to say a few parting words, Wu Pan Nan had already secured the door panel, locking Xiao Tian outside. Peering quietly through the crack of the door, she saw Xiao Tian standing outside for a while, seemingly digging something out from his body, placing it at the doorstep, and then turning to leave.

Xiao Tian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. So these three gentlemen came out without any money? Fortunately, Pan Nan gave him six taels. Well, he didn't just acknowledge the three brothers; he acknowledged three gentlemen who don't carry any money!

Having inquired about the route to Hejian Prefecture, I exited the city gate, contemplating how many days it would take to arrive. While considering whether to hire a carriage, I suddenly heard someone calling from behind: "Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao!"

Upon turning back, he was surprised to see Ge Wenjun, Chen Shaodong, and the person who had cried in fear on the day he had cut his flesh to drink with them. Xiao Tian later learned that this person was named Yu Fei, who was particularly timid, and he did not know how he ended up with this group of ruffians

"Hejian Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture." Xiao Tian searched in his mind for a long time before recalling: "It should be the Sixth Brigade of Beiyang recruiting soldiers there. Right, I heard that the court is going to hold the autumn drill in Hejian. Perhaps we can catch it. Eldest brother, second brother, fourth brother, everyone take out the silver you have. I have six taels here; let’s hire a carriage and head to Hejian Prefecture early."

Wu Pan-nan placed a package in front of Xiao Tian, his face devoid of any expression

The conversation had reached this point, and being overly sentimental would truly show a lack of consideration for others. Xiao Tian gritted his teeth and agreed. Without any formalities, the four of them knelt on the ground and bowed to each other three times.

Standing up to calculate their ages, Ge Wenjun is twenty years old, the eldest, Chen Shaodong is also twenty years old, but since his birthday is later in the year, he is still the second. Xiao Tian is eighteen years old, the third, and Yu Fei is seventeen years old, ranking last.

Xiao Tian turned over and got out of bed, quickly washed up, picked up his package, and as he was leaving, took one last look at the room he had been living in for some time, then slowly walked out

Xiao Tian was just about to deny it when he suddenly saw Chen Shaodong grinning and approaching with a smile, saying: "You might as well not hide it from us. We all know that the county magistrate visited you a couple of days ago. We were just thinking, someone like you, can you really spend your whole life running around the streets? This morning, as soon as we saw Manager Wu leave, you followed right after. How could we not guess where you were headed?"

As he spoke, Wu Pannan turned around and walked out, not looking back. However, Xiao Tian clearly saw that when Wu Pannan stepped out of the doorway, his hand quietly lifted to wipe his eyes

"No!" Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Shaodong exclaimed, "Old Three, my pocket has been empty for several days now, and you gave those beads to my mother. If I move even a little, my life will be at stake. Where am I supposed to find the money?"

"Xiao Ge, Lao Qi, it’s me, I am Lao Qi!" Yu Fei leaned out from behind Ge Wenjun, repeatedly pointing at himself, as if he were afraid that Xiao Tian did not know.

Wu Pan-nan waited by the door crack until he could no longer see Xiao Tian, then quietly reopened the door. Outside lay the watch he had just returned to Xiao Tian. Holding the watch in his hands, Wu Pan-nan realized this was a memento left for him by Xiao Tian. As he thought of this, tears could not help but fall, "drip, drip".

Who is hetushu.com? You are not a stranger to me? Xiao Tian was both amused and exasperated; this second-generation rich kid had a thick skin. Just a few days ago, he was brandishing knives and guns, and now, in the blink of an eye, he wanted to become sworn brothers with him?

Is this also my fault? Xiao Tian turned his gaze to Yu Fei, who quickly said, "Third Brother, I have it, I have it; I brought money with me when I came out."

At dawn, Manager Wu had already arranged for the carriage. After a flurry of noise, Wu Pan-nan's voice could be heard loudly saying

Without waiting for Xiao Tian to speak, he took out a braid connected to a cap and handed it to Xiao Tian: "Put this on, it’s not easy to expose. Be very careful; if they catch you without the braid, it will cost you your head"

Inside, there are your clean clothes, and the letter from the county magistrate is also included. By the way, there are six taels of silver; you should carry it with you for expenses. I have heard that those soldiers can be quite unscrupulous, so remember to be extra cautious once you arrive.

Wu Pan-nan had been waiting outside for a long time. He placed several boiled eggs into Xiao Tian's bundle and silently accompanied him to the door. Suddenly, he said:

The street vendors selling breakfast had already set up their stalls. Upon seeing Xiao Tian warmly greeting them, they inquired about the bundle he was carrying and where he was headed. Xiao Tian hastily concocted an excuse to brush them off.