Chapter 2: Enlightenment (Part 2)
Zhang Xuanning did not interrupt, but listened carefully. The more he listened, the more surprised he was, and a possibility emerged in his mind. If it was the real world, he would despise gangs, because gangs could never be on the stage. However, the gangs described by Master Su were no less famous than the famous Tiandihui and Hongbang in history, and even better. This Zhuhua Gang was just a regional organization, but it was very tightly organized. Under the gang leader, there was a military advisor, and then there were the four halls of "Wind, Sunny, Rain, and Dew", which commanded the helmsmen, incense masters, and gang members. The gang members were almost all over the nearby counties, with a total number of more than 10,000 people. They were tightly organized, with strict rules from top to bottom, and controlled a large amount of wealth and industry. Therefore, it was more of a paramilitary organization than a gang.
While listening, Zhang Xuanning was already thinking. When Master Su finished speaking, he asked tentatively: "Master Su, what do you mean by saying this?"
"Don't look at me as old and useless. In the past, I was an old man who followed the gang leader to conquer the world. Later, I was injured and disabled, but the gang leader still sympathized with me and reserved a position for me in the hall. However, I am old and still go back to work at home - but who in the neighborhood doesn't give me some face as Master Su?" When Master Su said this, he naturally had a long-lost majesty: "Let alone other things, your boss Lao Feng is also taken care of by me, otherwise, how could he have such a peaceful life? I also knew about your affairs a long time ago and have been paying attention to you for a long time. You have good character and are a promising talent. You are not a place to stay in the store for a long time. It will cause some gossip and it will also be unfair to you. You can read and have practiced martial arts. It is too cowardly to do this."
"Master Liu, do you want to take me in?"
"I'm old and can't take you in, but I can introduce you to the gang and even arrange for you to meet the gang leader. The gang leader will still give me this little face. In the future, let alone other things, it will be more than enough for me to get the position of deputy incense master in Yangzhou city. It's just that we don't have any status now!" Master Su said meaningfully.
Thoughts flashed through Zhang Xuanning's mind, and he immediately remembered what Master Su's intention was. No matter how many old members he was in the past, if he half-quit the gang, his influence would decline. And his son had his legs chopped off early on, so he had no future at all. Therefore, there was no suitable successor in the gang. Therefore, in order to preserve his influence and leave a way out for his descendants, it was natural for him to have this idea.
"I understand Master Su's good intentions. I'm here to greet my godfather." Zhang Xuanning's heart moved, and he immediately knelt down, bowing his head deeply to the ground.
This straightforward decision actually made Master Su stunned. He originally wanted to take in an apprentice, or something else, but now this title made him stunned for a few seconds, and then he laughed: "Okay, okay, my son, please stand up quickly, please stand up quickly."
After Zhang Xuanning stood up, the relationship between the two immediately changed. In ancient times, the relationship between godfather and godson was absolutely extraordinary.
After thinking for a while, Master Su said, "Oh, my son, when you go back this time, just quit your job and hurry back to have the New Year's Eve dinner at my house. Although you have lost your memory, your family background is not necessarily mediocre. I dare not change your surname, so just be a son with a different surname!"
"Yes, godfather, but I'd better finish my work this morning. As a subordinate, I should be loyal to the people I serve!" Zhang Xuanning said so, smiling in his heart. Would he try to seize your property? He replied respectfully, then looked around and found nothing else to do. He said a few words and left.
In ancient times, whether to change one's surname or not was completely different. If one did not change one's surname, it meant being a godfather, which was a personal relationship and had nothing to do with the clan. If one changed one's surname, one would become a member of the clan, register in the family tree, and have the right of inheritance.
I pulled the vegetable cart back to the store. Although it was almost New Year, there were still some customers. I didn't say much, just pulled the vegetables back and hurried to help.
"The world is in turmoil..." After a few drinks, some of the guests who came from all over the country started chatting again. Compared with the locals, they were much less restrained: "That's right... Chen Tian, Liang Huishang, Li Saner, Zhu Xie, Guan Chong, and Lu Mingxing have all rebelled. There are more and more bandits nearby. The situation is not optimistic!"
"Yes, there are so many troubles in the world. If a war breaks out, we will be in trouble... It is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times!"
As people talked, more and more sighs came out: "Thinking back to the Kaihuang era, it was much more peaceful than it is now."
I listened casually and did something casually. I turned my eyes to the outside of the store and saw a young man, about fourteen or fifteen years old, smiling and saying, "Hello, Sister Zhen, I want to buy eight vegetable and meat buns!"
Originally, this would not be a big deal, but seeing his clothes, his greasy face, ragged clothes, and his face blue from the cold, he could not help but take a second look.
When Zhen Sao saw the young man, she looked back worriedly at Old Feng and the eldest wife who were busy inside. Only when she realized that they couldn't see the situation here did she feel relieved.
While dealing with other customers, she pretended to be coquettish and said, "Why should I imitate others and buy buns if I don't have money?"
The young man smiled and said, "I will pay you back tomorrow if you don't owe me anything."
Sister Zhen quickly grabbed four buns, hesitated for a moment, took two more, wrapped them in paper, and stuffed them into his hands, cursing, "This is the last trip. Alas! Look at you frozen like this."
The young man cheered, stepped out of the crowd, straightened his waist, and immediately looked more energetic. Before he took a few steps, another young man rushed out, grabbed a bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and ate it in big mouthfuls.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuanning was still smiling, thinking that Sister Zhen was really soft-hearted, but a trace of warmth emerged in his heart, and he intentionally or unintentionally blocked the view inside.
But as soon as he paid attention, his mind suddenly lit up. The scene before him, like lightning, illuminated the mystery in his mind for months.
Suddenly, he was shocked and took a step forward unconsciously, looking carefully at the two young men in front of him.
The one who was eating the bun with big mouthfuls had broad shoulders and thick arms, was quite strong, with big ears. The other one was a little taller and had a very pleasant appearance, with long and smart eyes, a straight nose, a wide forehead, and a sunny smile on the corners of his mouth.
The two young men suddenly noticed someone was watching them. They looked over and saw that it was the shop assistants. They quickly retreated and hid in the crowd.
Seeing Zhang Xuanning still looking at them, Sister Zhen shouted, "Come, help me."
"Huh? Here she comes." Zhang Xuanning was startled, came to his senses, and stepped forward to help.
Although it was cold, Sister Zhen was still busy and sweating. As she passed by, she whispered, "The two men just now were the leaders of the orphans who couldn't get enough food. They gathered in a shabby house outside the city. If they weren't starving, they wouldn't have come to see me."
"Sister Zhen, you are so kind." When he mentioned the word "Sister Zhen", he couldn't help but put emphasis on it: "Do you know what their names are?"
"It seems that one of them is called Kou Zhong and the other is called Xu Ziling. They are so pitiful. Their parents were killed by the rebels and now they are orphans."
"Really?" Zhang Xuanning responded calmly, but his hands were shaking.
After a while, when no one was in the store and it was time to rest, he allowed his emotions to show and walked out into the snow. The snowflakes didn't look big or dense, like catkins floating in the wind. As the wind blew harder and harder, the snow fell denser and larger, like a white net. You couldn't see anything a few feet away. It was like a continuous curtain falling straight to the ground. Slowly, the dark sky and the sea of snow merged into one, and nothing could be seen.
Zhang Xuanning lay motionless in the snow, his head seemed to be filled with thunder and only four words kept turning over in his mind: "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty ...!"
