Rebirth 78: After being jilted at the altar, I reached the pinnacle!

Zhong Huaibang nodded, signaling him to continue.

Li Hanliang took a deep breath, then knelt on one knee and said with a firm gaze, "Elder Zhong, I would like to ask you to take me as your apprentice. I will learn brick-making techniques from you and go back to instruct the brick kiln myself!"

"Hanliang, what nonsense are you talking about?" Pei Shuxin said anxiously. "This is no joke. The kiln is dangerous; it could easily lead to someone's death. Besides, you've never been exposed to brick-making techniques before. Even if you can use your intelligence to avoid safety issues, you can't guarantee the quality of the bricks!"

What she said made perfect sense. "If you invest the resources but end up with a batch of worthless bricks, how will you explain that to the villagers of Xiaoliangzhuang? They've just started to listen to you; are you going to squander that little bit of authority they have?"

Li Hanliang understood, of course, that every problem Pei Shuxin mentioned was real. Once things progressed, if any one of these problems came to light, the consequences he would face would be extremely serious.

However, Li Hanliang never gives up halfway through anything he sets his mind to!

If he's going to make bricks, he'll definitely succeed!

"Master Zhong, please accept me as your apprentice!" Li Hanliang persisted.

Looking at this spirited young man, Zhong Huaibang couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

“I am only willing to teach you for three days. Within those three days, regardless of whether you have learned anything or not, you must leave. After that, you will be responsible for everything yourself. However, I will give you three opportunities to ask me for guidance,” said Master Zhong, adding, “Also, after you leave, you are not allowed to tell anyone that you were once my disciple.”

After listening, Li Hanliang nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, teacher, I will definitely do it!"

Pei Shuxin was still worried, "Dad, please don't make things difficult for him. What you're doing is no different from asking a great general who's skilled in wielding swords and spears to learn how to embroider a needle in three days. It's simply impossible!"

Zhong Huaibang laughed and said, "Little Li himself didn't say he couldn't learn it. Xiao Xin, why do you underestimate Little Li and make such a rash judgment about him?"

Pei Shuxin was speechless, thinking to herself, "Does this even need to be said? Isn't it obvious?"

Li Hanliang smiled and said, "Shuxin, thank you for thinking of me, but my mind is made up on this matter."

He didn't know why Elder Pei was unwilling to come out of seclusion to help the villagers, but everyone has their own principles and beliefs, and he had no right to question them or force them to do so.

Therefore, Li Hanliang felt that making this choice was the only viable and absolutely correct path.

Pei Shuxin looked at the two of them and thought they were both crazy.

However, since Li Hanliang's attitude was so firm, he couldn't say anything more.

Fortunately, her father has always doted on her.

She could wait until Li Hanliang couldn't learn it before pleading with her father.

By then, neither of these two stubborn fellows would have anything to say.

……

Li Hanliang didn't expect the expert's matter to be resolved so quickly. Although it wasn't the result he initially envisioned, everything was still within his acceptable range.

So he was in a good mood, and he thought it was a great start.

Li Hanliang and Pei Shuxin stayed at the Zhong family's house together.

As night deepened, neither of them could sleep, and they happened to run into each other when they went downstairs to the kitchen for a drink of water.

Li Hanliang suggested, "Shall we go out and get something to eat? I've heard the disco in the city is really fun."

"Huh? That kind of place is chaotic, let's not go there, shall we?" Pei Shuxin was a well-behaved girl.

Seeing her pure and innocent appearance, Li Hanliang liked her even more.

The night was quiet, and he gazed at Pei Shuxin in the moonlight streaming through the window, becoming somewhat mesmerized.

Pei Shuxin thought he was disappointed because he couldn't get a date with her.

She didn't know what she was thinking, but she blurted out, "How about we go for a walk in the yard and look at the moon?"

Li Hanliang nodded quickly, "Let's go!"

"How can I refuse an invitation from a beautiful woman?"

As Li Hanliang spoke, he subconsciously put his arm around Pei Shuxin's slender waist.

Pei Shuxin blushed, her pretty face lowered slightly, looking very shy.

However, she did not avoid Li Hanliang.

……

Meanwhile, Li Hanliang and Pei Shuxin strolled in the Zhong family's back garden, enjoying the flowers and the moonlight – a truly romantic scene.

On the other side, in Anfeng County.

Jing Wenqiang was humiliated, squatting in the solitary confinement cell, listening to his father's phone call.

“Your third uncle has explained everything to me clearly, so what excuses do you have?” Jing Kaijiang’s reprimanding voice came from the telephone receiver.

Jing Wenqiang gritted his teeth, looked up at Jing Kaiyuan who had brought him the phone call, and felt a surge of hatred in his heart.

He really wished he could tear Jing Kaiyuan apart the next second!

"Dad, I know I was wrong. I've reflected on it these past two days," Jing Wenqiang said deliberately, his head bowed.

He felt that if he were locked in that dark, gloomy little room for another two days, he would be half-dead, if not dead.

No matter what, being alive is the most important thing.

The Jing family's vast fortune of tens of millions must not fall entirely into the hands of Jing Kaiyuan and his two older brothers!

"Are you sure you really know you're wrong?" Jing Kaijiang had never really trusted his good-for-nothing youngest son.

Over the phone, Jing Wenqiang repeatedly assured his father, "Yes, Dad, I know I was wrong! I will never do it again!"

At this opportune moment, Jing Kaiyuan spoke up, turned on speakerphone, and said to his brother, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely keep a close eye on Wenqiang."

"Actually, it's better that Wenqiang isn't in Xiaoliangzhuang. The situation is different now. Since there will be new changes next spring, staying in the countryside is definitely not as good as staying in the city for development. I'll go and run some errands for Wenqiang's job tomorrow."

Listening to this, Jing Kaijiang sighed repeatedly, "Third brother, our Jing family is truly indebted to you."

"Wenwu and Wenjing are both good kids and don't need much supervision, but Wenqiang has really gone too far! You'll have to take care of him in the future."

When Jing Wenqiang heard his father say that, he was so angry that he almost ground his back teeth to powder!

He looked at Jing Kaiyuan, his eyes flashing with hatred.

Over the years, Jing Kaiyuan has been suppressing him and speaking ill of him to his father, trying to sow discord between the father and son.

His success today is not only due to the harm caused by that country bumpkin Li Hanliang, but also inseparable from the promotion of Jing Kaiyuan.

However, Jing Wenqiang also knew in his heart that now was not the time to completely break ties with Jing Kaiyuan. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years.

As Jing Wenqiang pondered, a grateful smile appeared on his face: "Third Uncle, thank you very much."

"Then I'll leave my work to you! Don't worry, I'll definitely listen to you."

Hearing this on the other end of the phone, Jing Kaijiang nodded in satisfaction. "Wenqiang, it's good that you think that way."

“By the way,” he paused, his voice turning serious, “you just said that the kid who harmed you, what’s his name?”