Bug Fixes

Glancing back, Zhang Muyang, the person he had been talking to, had already opened the wardrobe, taken out three sets of pajamas, and followed Zhang Xianyang into the bathroom. Zhang Xiyang cursed and hurried after them.

Since they had already showered that morning, the three of them merely rinsed off with water before changing into their pajamas and coming out. As Zhang Xiyang passed the floor-to-ceiling window, he pulled the curtains shut, then leaped onto his bed, shoved his head beneath the pillow, and mumbled, "Good night."

Zhang Xianyang shuffled back to his own bed in slippers and flopped down spread-eagle. He turned his head toward Zhang Xiyang and said, "I heard sleeping with your head under a pillow can deprive your brain of oxygen. You'll turn into an idiot."

With his eyes closed, Zhang Xiyang replied, "Get lost!"

Zhang Xianyang snorted, then turned to Zhang Muyang, who was already lying properly in bed with his eyes closed, and complained, "Second Brother cursed at me."

"You can hit him." Zhang Muyang paused, then added with a smile, "If you can't beat him, I can help."

"Damn it, brothers turning on each other!" Zhang Xiyang, who also had his eyes closed, reached up and tossed the pillow over his head away. The cotton-stuffed pillow sailed over Zhang Xianyang's bed in the middle and landed squarely on Zhang Muyang's face on the bed beside him. Zhang Xiyang chuckled. "Strike first and suffocate you to death."

Zhang Muyang did not even open his eyes. He caught the pillow and threw it back at Zhang Xiyang. The practiced precision of the movement showed that this was far from the first or second time. Zhang Xianyang, who had stirred up the conflict between them, chuckled twice, rolled over, and pretended to be asleep.

Usually quiet and reserved, Zhang Muyang turned to look at Zhang Xianyang, whose eyes were closed and breathing gradually steadied. A trace of amusement flickered through his cool eyes.

Because of the Old Zhang Family's unusual standing, the Zhang Family ancestors, afraid that brothers turning against one another would cause bloody upheaval within the family, had decreed at the founding of the clan that all Zhang descendants, whether they shared the same mother or not, had to live in the same room before marriage to cultivate brotherly bonds. This greatly reduced the chance that Zhang brothers, who would inevitably live separately once they reached adulthood, might be incited by others into doing things that hurt their loved ones and pleased their enemies.

This ironclad rule was written as the very first rule of the Zhang Family Rules, an ancestral law that could not be altered even by death.

When they had first entered middle school and only begun to understand concepts like "privacy" and "independence," the three Zhang brothers had made a fuss over it. They thought it was utterly humiliating for all three of them to live in the same room. They had been too young and ignorant then. They only felt that the Old Zhang Family was not lacking in other houses, and the villa was not lacking in other rooms, so why did the three of them have to squeeze into one room to sleep? It was embarrassing just to tell anyone about it.

So the three of them agreed to go to Zhang Linmo and strongly demand to live separately. The result was that Zhang Linmo, who usually spoiled the brothers to the point of indulgence, flew into a rage. In front of all the gang's elders, he gave the three brothers a thorough beating and sternly warned them never to violate the Old Zhang Family's ancestral laws again. They were not even allowed to mention it. Otherwise, he would lock all three of them in the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors. Having been brutally beaten and left looking pitiful, the three Zhang brothers personally proved that the Zhang Family's ancestral teachings could not be defied. Sure enough, they became much more "timid" afterward and never again dared to openly violate the family rules under Zhang Linmo's watch.

Oddly enough, aside from his exceptional insistence that Zhang brothers had to share a room before marriage, Zhang Linmo turned a blind eye whenever the three brothers violated other family rules. Over time, the three Zhang brothers gradually understood that the first ironclad rule was inviolable. The ancestral principle that Zhang brothers could not turn against one another thus seeped into the souls of this generation of the Zhang Family.

Zhang brothers could not turn against one another. Zhang brothers had to watch over and support each other. Zhang brothers must never betray their brothers. As the eldest brother, he had to protect his younger siblings, be responsible, be the first to stand up and shoulder the burden when trouble came, never place his younger siblings in danger, act like an eldest brother, be steady, smart, resourceful, good at judging people, ruthless toward outsiders, and lead his younger siblings toward better and better lives...

Thinking of the things his father had muttered endlessly in his ear since childhood, Zhang Muyang turned to look at Zhang Xianyang and Zhang Xiyang, who were already sleeping like the dead in the beds beside him. The corners of his lips curled slightly.

He was Zhang Muyang. He was the eldest of the Zhang Family. Of course he would do those things. He would strive to do even better than his father required...

Author's note: Thanks to Zhuzhu for tossing me a landmine. ╭(╯3╰)╮

One piece of good news and one piece of bad news.

The good news is that, to catch up with the rankings, there will be double updates today and tomorrow! ~＼(≧▽≦)／~ La la la!

The bad news is that, to catch up with the rankings, this author is going to be exhausted to death! /(tot)/~~

Bug Fixes

After roughly an hour of sleep, the three Zhang brothers were awakened by Sister Li knocking at the door. After washing up briefly, everyone went downstairs to eat. Naturally, the table was not set with a full Manchu-Han Banquet. However, it featured eight meat dishes and eight vegetable dishes selected from the Manchu-Han Banquet, sixteen dishes in all. It was still lavish and grand.

Gu Zhaohuan had not expected that Zhang Linmo would actually have the chef prepare dishes from the Manchu-Han Banquet just because of one casual remark from him. He had sampled the complete Manchu-Han Banquet in Yanjing before. It was said that the chef's ancestors had served as imperial chefs in the palace, and the dishes had truly tasted excellent. However, ever since Gu Zhaohuan had been "exiled" by his family to the small place known as the Old District, he had never again enjoyed such a feast.

Now, seeing the Zhang Family chef's exquisitely presented dishes, fragrant enough to make his mouth water, Gu Zhaohuan felt as if he had returned to Yanjing in an instant. Even his not particularly hungry stomach began to stir with anticipation.

Out of both courtesy and a desire to show off, Zhang Linmo introduced his family's chef. "Old Zhang's family has never left the Old District for generations, but when Manchukuo was established, Old Zhang's grandfather was summoned to cook for the last dynasty's emperor. The craft was passed down from there. Mayor Gu comes from a big city, so today you can see whether Old Zhang's cooking is authentic or not."

Hearing this, Gu Zhaohuan picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, and chewed. After a long moment, he clicked his tongue in admiration. "Its color, aroma, and taste are all impeccable. This skill is no less impressive than that of the Imperial Kitchen's chefs in the capital. I never expected Mr. Zhang to have such a master serving at his side. You truly hide your talents well."

The chef, Zhang Duo, who was standing nearby, bowed slightly and humbly replied, "You flatter me, Mayor. I merely know how to stir-fry a few simple dishes. How could I dare call myself a master?"

Gu Zhaohuan was somewhat unaccustomed to the Zhang Family chef's overly literary manner of speaking. Before he had been transferred to Guandong Province, someone in his family had warned him about the differences between the Old District and the rest of China. Whether in terms of social development or people's habits, the place remained stuck twenty years in the past. Its structure was also much like that of rural areas decades ago, where the wishes of local family powers greatly influenced the local government's policies. They had told Gu Zhaohuan that when he went there to work, he must respect the wishes of the local powers and avoid doing anything that might be misunderstood. They repeatedly reminded him that this assignment to the Old District was merely to polish his credentials, and that once his three-year term was up, his family would immediately transfer him back to Yanjing. It was a warning for Gu Zhaohuan not to stir up trouble and simply stay there obediently for three years.

After all, for every "youngster" sent to work in the Old District, merely managing to remain there peacefully for three years without being drawn into the vortex of the many powerful families, whose local conflicts were sharp and whose clan struggles were exceptionally brutal, was already no easy feat.

In his grandfather's words, that required great perseverance, wisdom, and judgment.

Hearing his family speak so pessimistically, Gu Zhaohuan had initially found it boring and laughable. Yet after personally experiencing the complicated entanglements and undercurrents among the Old District's local family powers, Gu Zhaohuan finally understood that his family's words were truly golden rules. The conflicts among the family powers in the tiny Old District were no less intense than the open and hidden struggles among the great families in the capital—if anything, they were even worse. Only then did Gu Zhaohuan understand that backwardness and isolation did not mean weakness or helplessness. Dealing with these century-old families, who valued ancestral rules, possessed complicated power structures, and had their own pride and principles, was not easy at all.

When you mistook them for barbarians, they would communicate with you in a civilized manner steeped in cultural refinement. But the moment you truly treated them as reasonable people with whom you could communicate... they would start throwing tantrums, rolling on the ground, and making an unreasonable mess of things. ╮(╯_╰)╭

Gu Zhaohuan smiled faintly. In this respect, he found the Old Zhang Family's way of receiving guests fairly comfortable and easy to adapt to. After all, ever since their conversation began, the other party had maintained the bearing of "civilized people," which felt very familiar to Gu Zhaohuan, who had long moved among the "civilized."

Watching Gu Zhaohuan smile pleasantly throughout the meal, Zhang Xianyang shook his head and sighed inwardly. That's because you haven't yet experienced the "unreasonable mess" that drove you out of the Old District in such a miserable state in your previous life.

Sensing Zhang Xianyang's barely concealed schadenfreude, Zhang Linmo secretly shot him a glance, then calmly urged Gu Zhaohuan to continue eating.

In any case, thanks to the joint efforts of Zhang Linmo and the mayor, this simple lunch finally ended with both host and guest satisfied. Having finally managed to eat his fill, Gu Zhaohuan could only set off back to the city with deep regret and reluctance. He still had an afternoon meeting, where he needed to inform his subordinates of the decision to place Zhang Linmo in charge of the Old District renovation plan. Zhang Linmo also had to make the rounds in his own territory, ensure that gang affairs continued operating normally, and speak with several senior members who supported him about renovating the Old District.

As for Zhang Xianyang, he had to go to the garment factory he had just acquired and discuss future development plans and sales channels with its owner, Sun Wanshan. Meanwhile, the brothers Zhang Muyang and Zhang Xiyang planned to stay home and practice the newly acquired "Interstellar Youth Radio Calisthenics." The Old Zhang Family was exceptionally enthusiastic about any opportunity that could strengthen the family's power.

In short, everyone had things to do.

At one in the afternoon, the well-fed Zhang Xianyang arrived at Wanshan Garment Factory on time. However, the factory had now been renamed Zhang Garment Factory. Its former owner, Sun Wanshan, was sitting anxiously in a wooden high-backed chair in the reception room. The moment he saw the late-arriving black Mercedes-Benz through the window, Sun Wanshan sprang from the room and rushed to greet it at the main gate like a rabbit whose tail had been set on fire. He had arrived at seven-thirty that morning and waited until now. Afraid of missing Zhang Xianyang's inspection of the factory, Sun Wanshan had even made do with a boxed lunch bought from the guardroom at noon.

But at a time like this, he had neither the mind nor the appetite to eat.

The bodyguard in the front passenger seat got out and opened the door for Zhang Xianyang. Zhang Xianyang waved a hand, stuck his head out the car window, and said to Sun Wanshan, "Get in. We'll go straight to the factory grounds and take a look."

Sun Wanshan bent and nodded in agreement. He immediately opened the door and sat beside Zhang Xianyang. His hands rested properly on his knees, his back ramrod straight. With a smile plastered across his face, he nodded repeatedly at Zhang Xianyang. Through the rearview mirror, the bodyguard in the front passenger seat watched Sun Wanshan fawn over Zhang Xianyang like a lapdog and curled his lips in contempt.

As the car drove onward, Zhang Xianyang looked over the fairly clean and tidy factory grounds and nodded with satisfaction. "You've kept the place in decent shape. Unlike some factories, where the stench hits you the moment you walk in."

Sun Wanshan smiled somewhat awkwardly. Regarding that, he had ordered the workers to clean up the factory grounds overnight just yesterday. He had never dealt with Zhang Xianyang before and did not know much about his preferences. Still, keeping the place cleaner could not possibly be wrong.

The car stopped at the entrance to the workshop. The bodyguard in the front passenger seat got out and opened the door for Zhang Xianyang. Zhang Xianyang bent to step out, casually tossing the backpack from the seat to the bodyguard who had opened the door. Sun Wanshan immediately got out from the other side as well, following one step behind Zhang Xianyang into the workshop.

Zhang Xianyang surveyed the spotless workshop, reached out to touch one of the machines beside him, and noticed how little it had been used. Somewhat surprised, he said, "Your machinery is pretty new, isn't it?"