Shipin Dalizheng

"That's unacceptable." Rong Tang shook his head. "The people I want to use can only be loyal to me. No matter how useful they are, I won't dare use them if they don't belong to me alone. Gentlemen, although you learned a life-threatening secret of mine during our time together, God is merciful. If the situation happened again, I would still make the same choice. I don't intend to silence you. As for whether you will betray me in the future, that is up to God's will."

At this point, Rong Si seemed to lower his head even more, causing Rong Tang to look at him twice more.

Rong San's face turned serious. "Mr. Rong, you have great merits. We are not ruthless and we know right from wrong. As long as you don't use your extraordinary means to deal with our master, we will not reveal a single word even if we die."

Rong Tang frowned, "Just forget about that. That's a power that shouldn't exist. It's not my wish to destroy the world."

Rong San bowed and saluted him. "Master Rong, we will stay here for a few days and leave once you are settled. Even if we don't catch your eye and you don't want to keep us, you can always use us if you need us in the future."

Having said this, several people saluted and quietly retreated.

Gui Ergou was dumbfounded. "What? Master, they are not our people?"

Rong Tang rubbed his brow and said, "They are not enemies for now. Please leave first. I need to think about something myself."

He walked out of the main room and strolled along the wall under the moonlight.

This yard was built in the village by Rong Zheng after he became rich. It was considered his old house in the countryside. Unfortunately, no one had lived there for many years after his death. A lot of weeds grew in the yard. Even though they were urgently removed today, there were still many mosquitoes buzzing, which was annoying.

He had just clapped his hands a few times when the voice of the Third Master came from the courtyard gate again, asking Gui Ergou, "Is the young master rested?"

Gui Ergou said, "Not yet! Third Master, the young master is taking a walk to help digest his food! Do you have anything else to do?"

The Third Master whispered, "There's a lot of grass in this yard, and there's a lot of bright grass outside. I'm afraid there must be a lot of mosquitoes. I brought a basket of mugwort and burned it to kill the mosquitoes."

"Hey! You take a rest, I'll go and fumigate."

"I, I want to talk to you, Master."

Rong Tang walked towards the main gate and greeted the Third Master, "Master."

When the Third Master saw him, he rubbed his hands in bewilderment for a moment. It was not until Chuncao moved a stool for him to sit down that he said, "I am an old woman who does not know what is good for you. I have made a fool of myself for you. We have enough food at home, so don't let the girls come. They will make the villagers laugh at me."

Chuncao's eyes widened. "Third Master, your three daughters are skinny and emaciated, while your grandson is as fat as a pig. We are all blood relatives, so is it necessary to be so partial to him?"

The Third Master's face flushed, and he was speechless. What could he say? Say that it was all because of the old woman's spoiling? But without his tacit approval, the old woman wouldn't have become more and more out of control.

He looked up at Rong Tang, not knowing what he would think. Although Chuncao was a maid, after watching her all day, he felt that this maid was very powerful. It seemed that the young master would agree with her and indulge her no matter what she said.

Rong Tang said gently, "Grandpa, although most families value sons over daughters, a boy should be the pillar of the family. He will shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the prosperity of the family and protecting the young and old. This, of course, includes the sisters. If he gets used to standing on the backs of his sisters and relying on sucking their flesh and blood to nourish himself, can you still expect him to have any other future?"

After hearing this, Chuncao was enlightened. Yes, yes, that's exactly what it meant. Why was she so stupid that she couldn't even reason properly?

The Third Master's heart trembled. He had originally thought that his words had gone too far; his grandson wasn't that bad. But the small things reflected the big picture: even when his grandson was stuffed, he refused to share the extra food with his sisters. That was indeed a bit too much.

He nodded randomly, not knowing whether he agreed with Rong Tang's statement or promised to change.

"Grandfather, although I don't know how the Jian'an Earl's Mansion and the clansmen interacted in the past, if it were me, there would definitely be changes. If the Rong family wants to prosper, relying on one earl alone is far from enough. I need a lot of help from the clan, so that we can all stand on the top together. If Xiaobao is a person who can be taught well, I don't mind taking him with me. If he refuses to make any progress, don't blame me for abandoning him. Tomorrow's thank-you banquet is also the time for me to select people. Grandfather, go back and visit a few more families and call all the elders in the village who can take charge, regardless of whether they are surnamed Rong or not, so that we can discuss how to do things next."

The Third Master's steps were unsteady. He didn't know when he had walked out of the courtyard. Rong Tang's words were still echoing in his ears, "Boys need to grow up to be men. They can't live by hanging on women's skirts forever. I don't look down on women. It's just that women in farming families are often ignorant and only care about the gains and losses of the little things under their noses. My grandson is my grandson. I have the final say on how to pamper him. I won't have a single word to say in the future. Come back, Grandpa!"

I couldn't sleep well all night.

Rong Tang got up early and practiced boxing for a while. Chuncao prepared dinner, and the master and servants ate in the dining room. Then, outside the door, Daya's soft voice came, "Sister Chuncao."

Chuncao put down the bowl and went out. "Da Ya, why are you alone? Where are Er Ya and San Ya?"

Daya said uncomfortably, "Grandpa said that Erya and Sanya are still young and can't do the work, so he asked me to come alone. Sister Chuncao, I can do anything. Just tell me what work you need."

Early in the morning, grandma wanted to ask her three granddaughters to come over, but grandpa scolded her and only let her come.

"Come, I'll serve you some food."

Daya shrank back as hard as she could. "No, no, I've already eaten at home. Sister Chuncao, if you don't let me work, I'm leaving."

"You can't leave. We have a banquet today and there's a lot of work to do! Wait a minute, I'll have Brother Rong Qi harness the cart, and we'll go to the nearest market town to do some shopping."

Daya said nervously, "Master asked me to tell you to bring your own food, as well as tables, chairs, and benches. You don't have to spend any money."

"How can that be? Even if we don't buy the money for the banquet, we, the master and the servant, still have to make a living. We can't skimp on some necessities."

After Rong Qi finished his meal, he washed the dishes himself and silently went to harness the carriage with the help of his crutches. He had a broken leg and could only drive a carriage until it healed.

Rong Si and Rong Wu discussed it and decided to go up the mountain to hunt some big game to supplement their food.

Gui Ergou went to find the third master to get tables, chairs, benches and a big pot.

Rong San is responsible for Rong Tang's safety and his main goal is to never leave her side.

Chuncao pulled Daya into the car, saying that she was unfamiliar with the road and needed her to lead the way. Halfway through the journey, she took out some cakes and preserved fruits she had bought on the way north and gave them to Daya to eat.

Daya's eyes were red. "Sister Chuncao, I really ate and I'm full."

This morning, when grandma scooped out thin porridge for them, grandpa said that all the children at home were treated the same and Xiaobao couldn't get thick porridge. Grandma couldn't persuade grandpa, so they all got thick porridge and some bread.

Even the barbecue we brought home last night, which was originally meant for Xiaobao to eat alone, was divided into many small portions and shared by the whole family.