PCJ – Chapter 180 A Guest Arrives

“What’s to be done with this child, Jiaohua?” Zhang Manyin was still worried about his grandson.

“Every child has their own fortune. Why are you, an old man, worrying? I think Jiaohua is quite sensible. Just let him be. As Jiaohua says, it’s his own money. He hasn’t done anything bad; if he wants to raise dogs, let him. Haven’t you seen Shanbao he raised? It’s even more impressive than the hunter Chen’s dogs. Why bother him? Meishan is so big that it can sustain a whole pack of wolves, let alone twenty-four mountain dogs,” Ma Donghua firmly supported Zhang Jiaohua this time.

“You have long hair but short knowledge. Falling into Meishan’s teachings, do you think it’s all good? Look at Chen the lunatic; he fell into Meishan’s teachings and ended up crazy. I’d rather Jiaohua be a bit foolish than fall into Meishan’s teachings,” Zhang Manyin said worriedly.

“There are many Meishan sects in the world, and there’s only one Chen the lunatic. There are plenty of people who haven’t fallen into Meishan’s teachings who are also crazy,” Ma Donghua strongly disagreed with Zhang Manyin’s theory. In fact, she was also worried, but if she acted the same as her husband, wouldn’t that drive their grandson to despair? Since their second son and daughter-in-law weren’t home, she had to be Jiaohua’s protector.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t go to school for a day. Gong Ziyuan just asked about it once, having already heard about Zhang Jiaohua buying dogs at high prices. Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t afraid of this class teacher at all, so he told the truth. Gong Ziyuan couldn’t do anything about it and just asked Zhang Jiaohua not to skip class without reason in the future. Although Zhang Jiaohua had some objections to the “without reason” part, thinking it was clearly for a reason, since there was no actual punishment, he didn’t mind.

On Sunday, Zhang Jiaohua was planting vegetables in the field, dividing a plot of two square meters into more than ten small sections, each planted with different vegetables. With experience in planting rice, Zhang Jiaohua now used the same method for any crop: digging a hole, sowing seeds, and using the mantra to accelerate germination and growth. If the village’s old farmers saw his vegetable planting method, their eyes would probably pop out.

As soon as the seeds were planted, the seedlings sprouted. Zhang Jiaohua was very satisfied with his work. Straightening up, he looked over the vegetable field. At that moment, the sound of a car engine came from the village entrance again. It seemed to be Luo Changjun’s jeep.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua, you have guests!” Dumb ran towards the vegetable garden.

“The jeep is here again, and there are two guests. You should go back and see,” Dumb said, panting.

Zhang Jiaohua packed up his things and walked home with a load of sieves.

Luo Yongming and Luo Changjun were sitting on a bench in the courtyard. Zhang Jiaohua had left the garden gate open, as was the rural custom.

“Grandpa Luo, Uncle Luo, you came over?” Zhang Jiaohua was delighted to see them.

“Jiaohua, I wanted Changjun to pick you up to thank you properly. He said you’re busy with farm work, so I thought I’d come to your village for a change of scenery. Did we interrupt your work? If you’re busy, don’t mind us. I’ll follow you around and see if there’s anything I can help with. Don’t underestimate me; I spent years in the countryside when I was young,” Luo Yongming looked around the courtyard, seeming quite familiar with the rural setting.

“No need, no need. There’s not much work in the field. My parents went to Guangdong to work. They left a bit of land, just enough for myself,” Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t let guests help with farm work.

Luo Yongming looked around Zhang Jiaohua’s courtyard with some regret. Although it wasn’t completely covered with cement, it was tidy. The wooden stakes in the corner caught his attention. He got up and walked over.

“Jiaohua, do you practice martial arts?” Luo Yongming asked with some insight.

“Yes, just a bit of a beginner’s skill,” Zhang Jiaohua replied casually.

“This is Meishan stake work, not just any beginner’s skill. It’s authentic Meishan stake work, isn’t it?” Luo Yongming noticed something about the arrangement of the wooden stakes.

“Grandpa Luo knows Meishan stake work?” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t directly answer but implied his acknowledgment.

“I don’t know it, but I’ve seen it. When I was sent to the countryside, I knew a water master who knew Meishan stake work. It’s a pity that fewer people know it now,” Luo Yongming lamented. When young, people always look ahead, not back. As they age, they like to look back.

Zuan Shanbao lay silently in the courtyard. Since Luo Yongming and Luo Changjun were familiar, it didn’t react at all. The five puppies, still in training, knew their master’s scent but hadn’t learned to guard yet. Instead of barking, they cheerfully greeted the guests, their stomachs rumbling as the porridge hadn’t filled them for long.

“So many dogs, do you feed them all?” Luo Yongming’s eyes lit up at the sight of the five puppies.

“Yes. I’m planning to raise twenty-four mountain dogs, but I only have ten more to go,” Zhang Jiaohua said, intending to talk to Luo Changjun about it.

“Twenty-four mountain dogs?” Luo Yongming had never heard of it. Luo Changjun was also intrigued.

Zhang Jiaohua explained Zhang Wulang’s twenty-four mountain dogs and the significance behind them.

“You really believe in twenty-four mountain dogs?” Luo Changjun was skeptical.

“Of course. It’s a tradition in the Meishan Water Master’s Canon, so it can’t be fake. My Shanbao was trained using methods from the Canon. Don’t be fooled by its appearance; in the mountains, it can fight wolves one-on-one,” Zhang Jiaohua boasted about his Zuan Shanbao.

Luo Yongming and Luo Changjun looked at Zuan Shanbao with skepticism in their eyes.

“Shanbao, show Grandpa Luo and Uncle Luo your skills. Go to the mountains and bring back some game for lunch,” Zhang Jiaohua patted Zuan Shanbao’s head. It immediately got up, shook its fur, and dashed out.

“It can hunt by itself?” Luo Yongming stood up in surprise, watching Zuan Shanbao disappear.

“That’s nothing. Even a good local dog can do that. It’s not hard for Shanbao,” Zhang Jiaohua said proudly.

Villagers, aware of Zhang Jiaohua’s guests, passed by his house, glancing curiously but not entering. They smiled and greeted him, then hurried away.

Soon, Zhang Dechun and Zhang Manyin arrived at Zhang Jiaohua’s courtyard, followed by Zhang Jiwang.

“Brother Luo, Chief Luo, you’re here! Such rare guests! Jiaohua, have you served tea to Grandpa Luo and Uncle Luo?” Zhang Manyin worried about neglecting the guests.

“Yes, we have. Jiaohua is very sensible,” Luo Yongming quickly said.

“Sensible? He causes trouble every day,” Zhang Manyin looked at the five puppies running around the yard, feeling the pain of spending a hundred yuan.

“Which boy isn’t naughty? Naughty kids are smart,” Luo Yongming laughed.

“Brother Luo, let me introduce you. This is our village chief Zhang Dechun, and this is our craftsman Zhang Jiwang, who makes all the village’s furniture,” Zhang Manyin introduced them.

Zhang Dechun stepped forward, “Honored guests, sorry for any lack of hospitality. Jiaohua’s parents aren’t home, so please forgive us. Jiaohua, go to my house and get the jasmine tea and thermos from Granny Manguai.”

Luo Yongming quickly stopped him, “No need to be so formal. Jiaohua gave us some cold tea, which was very good. No need to trouble yourselves.”

Zhang Jiwang noticed the guests sitting on a narrow bench without a backrest, uncomfortable for long sitting.

“Jiaohua, do you have any wood left? If so, I’ll come in a few days to make some chairs. We can’t have guests without proper seats,” Zhang Jiwang asked.

“There should be some, but most of it was used to reinforce the walls last winter,” Zhang Jiaohua thought about the wood still nailed to the walls. His honest father used the good wood for furniture to strengthen the walls.

“Then leave it. Who knows when the wolves might come. Making chairs won’t take much wood. I have some at home; I’ll send some over later,” Zhang Dechun said generously.

Luo Yongming and Luo Changjun, seeing the villagers’ sincerity, quickly connected with them.

“Back then, the production team worked so cleanly. When we built the inverted siphon, the whole team worked day and night, completing in three months what should have taken six. Those water projects were all done in those years. Now we benefit from their work. Without those projects, farming wouldn’t be so easy now. Too bad we didn’t have hybrid rice back then. The production team could have continued,” Zhang Dechun reminisced about those glorious days.