Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Fourth Young Master of the Zhang Family Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Fourth Young Master of the Zhang Family It was nearing dusk, and after everyone packed up their belongings, they started to make a fire to cook.
The one in charge of cooking was Yang Chengche, also a relative of Yang Zhenshan’s grandchildren.
Yang Chengche lost his mother at a young age and depended on his father. He took over the kitchen at home when he was very little.
Even after he got married, he remained the chief cook in the family.
However, his family was not wealthy, and a skilled wife is helpless without rice; despite his good culinary skills, there was no place to showcase them.
But today, Yang Chengche finally had the opportunity to show off his cooking skills.
A dish of stir-fried chicken was brought to the table, and Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but sniff.
“This aroma!”
He couldn’t resist and grabbed a piece of chicken with his chopsticks first.
The meat was tender, stewed perfectly, slightly salty, and very much to his taste.
How should I put it?
Although Yang Chengche’s cooking skills are not amazing, probably not even comparable to the chefs in Anning County, Yang Zhenshan was still extremely delighted.
Don’t forget, Yang Chengche’s family previously couldn’t afford chicken, and they would not eat meat several times in a year.
The stir-fried chicken he cooked today might even be his first attempt.
For a first attempt, it was already very good.
“Very good, very good, from today onwards, you are the cook!”
This cooking skill surpassed Ms. Wang’s from home, and Yang Zhenshan gave high praise.
“Cook? Uncle grandpa, what’s a cook?”
Yang Chengche was not tall and was rather thin, standing next to Yang Mingwu, he seemed like a little child.
The reason he passed Yang Zhengxiang’s selection and followed Yang Zhenshan to Chongshan Pass was because he had a fierce tenacity, a reckless fierceness.
Of course, his martial arts were not bad either, wielding the Yang Family Spear with unmatched ferocity.
“A cook is like a military chef, you’ll take care of our meals from now on, and as a reward, you’ll get a chicken leg every day!” Yang Zhenshan put a chicken leg in Yang Chengche’s bowl.
“Really, thank you, uncle grandpa!” Yang Chengche looked at the chicken leg in his bowl with joy.
And the others looked on with envy.
Really envious!
They previously had hard times, and unless it was a festive occasion, they seldom ate meat.
It was only after the battle against the Northern barbarian that they had a period when they ate horse meat every meal.
“Alright, let’s eat!”
Yang Zhenshan looked at the young fellows at the table, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and started to eat.
What followed was a whirlwind of consumption.
Half-grown boys starve their fathers.
The fourteen people here, Yang Mingwu was the oldest, only twenty-five years old.
Yang Qinwu was the youngest, only fourteen.
You can imagine what it was like with such a group eating.
A large ceramic bowl of wheat rice was polished off in a few moments.
Yang Zhenshan felt that he needed to save more money in the future, otherwise, he couldn’t afford to feed these young lads.
Of course, Yang Zhenshan wouldn’t be stingy and let these young boys go hungry.
Practicing martial arts requires a lot of energy and nutrition, not eating enough won’t do.
These dozen or so people are his backbone; naturally, he needs to train them well.
…
Yang Zhenshan thought he would meet Zhou Lan soon, but to his surprise, he stayed at the mansion for three days without seeing her.
If it wasn’t for Zhao Yuan occasionally coming to check, he would have thought Zhou Lan had forgotten about him.
Zhao Yuan kept saying Zhou Lan was busy, Yang Zhenshan didn’t know if she was really busy or what she was busy with.
At first, Yang Zhenshan was somewhat worried, but as time passed, his worries faded.
Since he’s here, might as well settle down.
Whatever Zhou Lan wanted to do, since he was here, he might as well wait patiently.
After settling his mind, Yang Zhenshan stopped staying inside the house and began to wander outside.
“Dad, look, that’s the Hundred Medicine Pavilion, I heard there are many treasure medicines inside!”
Over these three days, Yang Mingzhi had already familiarized himself with the streets and alleys of the Pass City.
He had a good understanding of the unique shops on the streets.
Yang Zhenshan stood on the busy street, looking up at the signboard of the Hundred Medicine Pavilion.
Three gold-embossed characters, written powerfully and dynamically, catch the eye, while the three-story building boasts intricately complex eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters, and arching flying corners—it is exquisite and splendid.
Yang Zhenshan scrutinized it carefully, then turned his head to look at the shops they had passed along the way, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This Hundred Medicine Pavilion seemed to have an extraordinary background.
Throughout the street, all the shops were either one or two stories, only this Hundred Medicine Pavilion was three stories, and its decorations were so lavish.
Without a significant backing, how could it stand out from the crowd?
“Dad, wouldn’t it be great if we could also acquire a Treasure Medicine!” Yang Mingzhi said with some longing.
Treasure Medicine refers to herbal medicines that are old, rare, and highly beneficial to Martial Artists.
For example, hundred-year-old ginseng is considered a Treasure Medicine.
For lower-tier Martial Artists, Treasure Medicines are as precious as natural treasures; obtaining one is like receiving divine assistance.
However, Yang Zhenshan didn’t really care much about Treasure Medicine since he had Spiritual Spring Water; there was no need to pine for the unattainable.
“Alright, stop daydreaming; let’s go!”
Yang Zhenshan interrupted Yang Mingzhi’s unrealistic thoughts and continued to stroll along the street.
But they had only wandered for a short while when they found the road ahead was blocked.
The street, three Zhang wide, was tightly packed with people, three layers inside and three layers outside.
Yang Zhenshan stood on tiptoes, trying to see what was happening ahead, but unfortunately, it was too crowded to see through to the middle.
Very cleverly, Yang Mingzhi stepped forward and pulled over a bystander, asking, “Brother, what happened ahead?”
The spectator, who was busy enjoying the commotion, responded reluctantly: “Can’t you see for yourself?”
“Ah, but I can’t see, brother. Please be kind and tell me about it!” Yang Mingzhi pleaded with a flattering expression.
Perhaps finding him agreeable, or simply being free with nothing else to do, the bystander started to explain, “No need to look, just by hearing the voices, you can tell it’s the Fourth Young Master Zhang family causing trouble!”
“The Fourth Young Master Zhang! Who is he?” Yang Mingzhi continued to inquire.
“Who else could it be, it’s that one from the Zhang family!”
“The Zhang family!” Yang Mingzhi’s eyes swiveled, and he lowered his voice to say, “That eunuch’s family!”
These past few days he had not been idle, always gathering information about the city.
He knew which major figures, which families had power, and which interesting places existed, although he hadn’t uncovered any secretive news, he had still gathered quite a bit of overt information.
The bystander also lowered his voice: “Exactly, this Fourth Young Master Zhang is notoriously brutal. Just recently, a relative from my uncle’s maternal grandmother’s family got whipped by him merely for walking too close.”
“And last month, a young lady from the Song family was taken by him while shopping and ended up as the eighteenth concubine in his household!”
Their voices got softer and softer, but their expressions became more and more animated.
Especially Yang Mingzhi, showing an utterly shocked expression one moment, and an exaggerated expression of astonishment the next, sometimes even flattering shamelessly.
Seeing this from not too far behind, the corners of Yang Zhenshan’s mouth twitched slightly.
This kid even has a talent for acting!
Look at his changing expressions, without a hint of pause, albeit a bit exaggerated, but to bystanders, it seemed all the more genuine.
The Fourth Young Master Zhang!
Yang Zhenshan mulled over thoughtfully.
Yang Mingzhi had discussed with him about the power dynamics within the city.
He was aware of the Zhang family.
Although the Zhang family wasn’t an ancient noble family, they held a top-tier status within Chongshan Pass City.
They had a significant figure backing them.
The garrison eunuch Zhang Yude of Chongshan Pass.
Normally eunuchs shouldn’t have children, but this garrison eunuch not only had a son but also four grandsons.
It is said that after gaining power, Zhang Yude adopted a son from his clan.
Having a son led to having several grandsons.
Now, Zhang Yude not only had grandsons but also various great-grandchildren.
Being an eunuch yet enjoying the happiness of a full family, Zhang Yude loved these descendants dearly.
A garrison eunuch represents the Emperor, and in the entirety of Chongshan Pass, nobody dares to provoke such a presence.
With his support, the Zhang family’s status naturally soared.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yude was just an eunuch, and his son was previously a mere farmer’s child.
Such a background made the Zhang family resemble upstarts, completely devoid of deep heritage.
Combined with Zhang Yude’s protection, it led to a group of brutal and unruly scions.
Among them, the most notorious was Zhang Chen, the Fourth Young Master Zhang.
Listening to the yelling and screaming from the crowd, Yang Zhenshan gently shook his head.
The waters of Chongshan Pass were deep, not something he could casually wade into at this moment.
Just as he was about to call Yang Mingzhi to leave, a rebuking voice suddenly erupted from behind.