HNYWEF -Chapter 30 Alarmist Talk

The troublesome people had left.

Only three people remained in the room.

Qin Qiong sat back in the seat of honor, lifted his teacup, and took a sip, deep in thought.

Cheng Yaojin leaned against the chair back with both legs stretched out, sprawled there bonelessly.

Zhou Xiong sat where he was, still holding that teacup in his hand.

He did not drink.

He set the cup down.

Qin Qiong looked at him.

Cheng Yaojin looked at him too.

Zhou Yi stood beside his father, glancing at one person and then the other. He did not know what the adults were doing, but he felt that the room had suddenly gone quiet.

So quiet that the faint crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard.

Qin Qiong spoke first.

“Go on.”

Just two words.

Zhou Xiong raised his head and looked at him.

Qin Qiong met his gaze without avoiding it.

Back in the days of Wagang Stronghold, he had already learned one thing—Bear Blindman never spoke without reason. If he opened his mouth, then something must have happened.

One never visits the temple without a cause.

Qin Qiong trusted him.

From beginning to end, he always had.

Zhou Xiong looked at him for a long moment.

Then he spoke.

“Think of a way.”

Qin Qiong waited for him to continue.

Zhou Xiong said:

“Get him to agree to developing poultry farming in the Jingji region.”

Qin Qiong froze for a moment.

Cheng Yaojin froze as well.

Neither of them spoke.

The room fell silent for several breaths.

Cheng Yaojin reacted first.

He scratched his head, looking completely baffled.

“Bear Blindman, what’s this about? Do you like eating chicken or duck? If you want some, I’ll have people deliver them to you. Is there really any need to get His Majesty to approve some kind of farming business?”

Zhou Xiong looked at him.

There was still fog in those eyes, but something beneath it was moving.

He shook his head.

Just once.

Cheng Yaojin became even more confused.

“Then why?”

Zhou Xiong said:

“This concerns the common people.”

“It concerns whether they’ll still have food to eat next year.”

Cheng Yaojin froze.

He stared at Zhou Xiong with his mouth hanging open.

“Whether the people have food to eat? What does raising chickens and ducks have to do with people eating? Chickens can be eaten, ducks can be eaten—that’s just meat, isn’t it? Can meat count as staple food?”

“And next year? What do you mean by that?”

Zhou Xiong did not explain further.

He looked at Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong also remained silent.

He looked steadily at Zhou Xiong.

Thinking.

Thinking about why Zhou Xiong had said this.

Thinking about the words “Jingji region.”

Thinking about the words “poultry farming.”

Thinking about Zhou Xiong himself—this was a man who never said useless things.

The people who failed to believe him always paid the price in the end.

He thought for a long time.

Then he nodded.

“Alright.”

Just one word.

Cheng Yaojin grew anxious beside him.

“What do you mean ‘alright’? Second Brother Qin, you understood that?”

Qin Qiong ignored him.

He looked at Zhou Xiong and said:

“I trust you.”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

He stood up.

When he reached the doorway, he stopped.

Without turning back, he said:

“This time next year, you’ll understand.”

After saying that, he lifted the curtain and walked out.

Zhou Yi froze briefly, then hurried after him.

Cheng Yaojin remained sitting there, staring at the swaying curtain.

He scratched his head again.

“Second Brother Qin, did you actually understand or not?”

Qin Qiong did not answer.

He looked toward the doorway for a long time.

Then he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea had already gone cold.

He did not care.

Cheng Yaojin leaned closer.

“Second Brother Qin?”

At last, Qin Qiong turned to look at him.

“Zhijie, do you remember back at Wagang Stronghold, there was one time we ran out of grain, and Bear Blindman went out in the middle of the night, then came back at dawn with a whole sack of food?”

Cheng Yaojin nodded.

“I remember. I even asked him where he got it, but he wouldn’t say.”

Qin Qiong said, “I only found out later that he had already changed supply routes with someone three days earlier. He knew long beforehand that we were going to run out of grain.”

Cheng Yaojin froze.

“You mean—”

Qin Qiong said nothing more.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the snow was still falling.

In the courtyard, Zhou Xiong’s figure was walking away. Zhou Yi followed beside him, tiny and bouncing along.

Qin Qiong watched that back.

Watched for a long while.

Then he softly said a sentence.

So softly it was almost inaudible.

“The things he says… seem never to have been wrong.”

Cheng Yaojin stood behind him. This time, he heard clearly.

He asked no more questions.

He simply stood there, looking out the window.

Watching that figure walk farther and farther away.

Until at last it disappeared into the snow.