diymy Chapter 056 Brother-in-law
Chapter 056 Brother-in-law
After wooing Wang Er for a while, Gao Yingxiang saw the cheerful guy off and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
Being a boss isn't easy! You have to fight with the people below, use them, appease them, and maintain a balance... Gao Yingxiang has really gone to great lengths this time.
Leaving aside Gao Yingxiang's side, after Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing left, they greeted Zhao Sheng and went to their unit's camp.
"Brother, three hundred men are enough. Besides, although we are the vanguard this time heading north, it's really no different from our last trip to Qingjian, and there's no danger."
"Better safe than sorry. Chief Wang abandoned Fugu and headed south. We don't know the reason, but there must be a reason. There are government troops in the south, surely there are some in the north too? Shenmu isn't too far from here, but it still takes several days to get there. The more men we take, the safer we'll be. Do as I say, take five hundred men directly. Also, I'll assign Xiao Zhong's scout team to you." Li Wanqing said to Zhou Lun, his tone resolute and brooking no argument.
Zhou Lun pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "That's not appropriate."
"What's wrong with that? We're brothers, if I tell you to bring it, you bring it!"
"Brother!" Zhou Lun said earnestly, "Although I am the vanguard, you are the rearguard. The government troops are in the south. If news of our northward march gets out, they will surely follow. Your position is extremely dangerous. If you don't have enough troops and reliable protection, how can I feel at ease?"
Before Li Wanqing could speak, Zhou Lun continued, "Especially the scouts. Xiao Zhong is clever and reliable, so it's more suitable for him to follow you, brother. I can send a few men ahead to scout, which won't delay our main mission. Besides, the three hundred veteran soldiers are enough for the vanguard. If you're worried, brother, just send some men from the new camp to me. There's no need to continue using the elite veteran soldiers."
"This..." Li Wanqing hesitated for a moment.
Zhou Lun continued to persuade him, and in the end, he couldn't resist Zhou Lun's persuasion and agreed to his suggestion.
However, although he accepted Zhou Lun's proposal, in addition to the three hundred old troops, he also specially allocated three hundred new troops to Zhou Lun, and also gave Wang Tieniu to Zhou Lun.
With Wang Tieniu's assistance, Zhou Lun's journey north would be more convenient. As for the rest, it would be up to Zhou Lun to decide.
And so, after discussions between the two sides, the matter was settled. Zhou Lun didn't stay in the camp any longer and got up to make arrangements.
After Zhou Lun left, Li Shoutian, who had been silent the whole time, looked conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Brother!" After hesitating for a while, Li Shoutian couldn't help but say to Li Wanqing, "Since Brother Lun thinks it's unnecessary to go through all this trouble, why not just do as he says? Why go out of your way to allocate so many people to him?"
"What? What do you want to say?" Li Wanqing turned to look at Li Shoutian, his eyes gleaming.
Li Shoutian instinctively avoided his gaze, forcing a smile as he said, "Brother, things are different now. Don't forget, Lun Ge is now married to the niece of the Rebel King!"
"Nonsense!" Li Wanqing slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "What? Does marrying the Gao family's daughter mean he's no longer Zhou Lun? What kind of logic is that? Since he's my sworn brother, we're no different from blood brothers. Besides, I approved of this marriage. You're using this to argue that you doubt my brother?"
"Furthermore, I know Zhou Lun's character perfectly well. So what if he's become Gao Yingxiang's nephew-in-law? He's still my brother! When I was imprisoned, how could I have escaped without his help? Later, when he disguised himself and went to the city to rescue my fellow villagers from Liwang Village, we were fighting a desperate battle in the county prison, on the verge of death. If it weren't for Zhou Lun's timely rescue, we would have died at the hands of that corrupt official Zhang Xiuguo long ago, and we wouldn't be where we are today."
Li Shoutian was so embarrassed by these words that he didn't know how to defend himself.
After a few words of scolding, Li Wanqing softened his tone and said earnestly to Li Shoutian, "You and I are cousins, and it's right for you to think of me, but don't forget that Zhou Lun is also my brother! We're all family, and we shouldn't distinguish between us no matter what. We can't be suspicious of our own brothers! Shoutian, your thinking is wrong!"
"I understand, elder brother... I misunderstood..." Li Shoutian said with a blush of shame, cupping his fists in apology to Li Wanqing.
Seeing that he understood, Li Wanqing didn't blame him further, waving his hand to let the matter drop. He then sent Li Shoutian to make preparations. They were to depart tomorrow, and many things needed to be arranged in advance.
After Li Shoutian left, Li Wanqing remained seated, lost in thought. After a long while, he sighed and shook his head slightly.
Li Wanqing is a kind person, but he's not stupid either.
He had long seen through Gao Yingxiang's little tricks, and he understood even better Gao Yingxiang's true intention in marrying his niece Gao Guiying to Zhou Lun. Gao Yingxiang was doing this simply to win over Zhou Lun. But Li Wanqing knew this perfectly well yet did not stop it. The real reason, besides genuinely believing that the marriage was good, was his absolute trust in Zhou Lun.
In his eyes, Zhou Lun was a man of integrity and loyalty. Since saving Zhou Lun over the past year, Li Wanqing had a clear understanding of Zhou Lun's character. Moreover, Gao Yingxiang had been trying to win Zhou Lun over for some time.
Li Wanqing didn't say it aloud, but he understood everything perfectly. He could even clearly see Zhou Luntong and Gao Yingxiang's feigned friendliness and deliberate distance.
In short, Li Wanqing's silence does not mean he is unaware.
Moreover, he never expressed the slightest dissatisfaction with Zhou Lun over this matter, continuing to trust him implicitly and entrust him with important responsibilities. Within Li Wanqing's forces, he was the undisputed leader, yet Zhou Lun's position was second only to him. It could be said that within this rebel army, Zhou Lun consistently held the second-in-command position.
Li Wanqing was wise in appearance but foolish in reality. He knew that once he became wary of Zhou Lun or even made disloyal moves, Gao Yingxiang would not stand idly by.
Gao Yingxiang, who has always wanted to win over Zhou Lun, might actually be hoping that he would have such an idea so that he could directly bring Zhou Lun over.
Even if Li Wanqing trusted Zhou Lun completely, once that trust was broken, it couldn't be repaired. Therefore, his best course of action was to pretend he knew nothing and continue to trust Zhou Lun as before. Knowing Zhou Lun as he did, he was confident that as long as he gave him enough trust, Zhou Lun would still treat him like an older brother.
When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal! How could a mere woman possibly sever such a bond?
Li Wanqing wasn't well-educated and didn't understand many grand principles. But he knew that people should treat each other with sincerity, especially sworn brothers. This was loyalty, and the reason he was respected by everyone in Liwang Village back then.
In the words of scholars, it means "If you treat me as a national hero, I will repay you as a national hero."
Zhou Lun didn't know what Li Wanqing was thinking, but he could sense Li Wanqing's attitude towards him.
Taking advantage of this incident, Zhou Lun also wanted to test Li Wanqing. After all, he had just married Gao Guiying, and he wasn't sure if Li Wanqing's attitude towards him had changed, given how things were before and how they were now.
After leaving Li Wanqing's place, Zhou Lun felt a complete weight lifted from his shoulders. There were some things he couldn't say outright, but judging from Li Wanqing's attitude today, his elder brother was still his elder brother, and not only that, but he also trusted him as much as before.
With this, Zhou Lun was relieved. As long as his brothers remained loyal, Gao Yingxiang's attempts to win them over would be futile. Besides, his wife, Gao Guiying, was no ordinary woman. Despite being just an ordinary woman who could barely read, she was deeply righteous and understood who truly held power over her.
It has to be said that Gao Guiying was the right wife.
The saying "She regards her husband as her heaven and her husband as her guiding principle" is perfectly embodied in her.
Even though they had only been married for a day, she had made it clear on their wedding night: Gao Yingxiang was Gao Yingxiang, and she, Gao Guiying, was Gao Guiying. Leaving aside what happened before the marriage, after the marriage, she was Zhou Lun's wife, and a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family.
"If Gao Yingxiang knew his niece was like this, wouldn't this be considered a case of the rebel king's brilliant plan to secure the country ending in a double loss?"
As Zhou Lun walked back from the camp, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
"You're back, sir!"
As soon as she stepped into the house, Gao Guiying's cheerful voice rang out.
A curtain was lifted, and Gao Guiying came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of noodles and a dish of pickles. She smiled and said to Zhou Lun, "I figured you'd be back soon, so I made you some noodles. Eat them while they're hot."
The noodles were rolled out perfectly, sprinkled with chopped green onions, and drizzled with sesame oil, smelling wonderful. Add a side of seasoned pickled vegetables, and it looked incredibly appetizing.
"and yours?"
"She's in the kitchen. You eat first, husband. I'll eat with my younger brother in the kitchen later," Gao Guiying said with a smile, handing the chopsticks in her hand to Zhou Lun.
"Your younger brother's here? We're all family, we don't have all those fancy rules. Let him come over, and bring all the noodles from the kitchen, we can all eat together."
Zhou Lun smiled and said to Gao Guiying. Gao Guiying hesitated for a moment before readily agreeing and turning to go to the kitchen. A little while later, she came out carrying two bowls of noodles, followed by a boy of about half a year old.
The young man looked somewhat reserved when he saw Zhou Lun and called out to him, "Brother-in-law."