I said, "There's Wang Zhihe, who makes stinky tofu. And there's Tang Sanzang."
"...What happened to Tang Sanzang?"
"Everyone wants to eat him."
Su Wu picked up a fried dough stick and took a big bite right in front of Qin Hui. I saw Qin Hui shudder violently. It seems the war between loyalty and treachery has never stopped since ancient times.
Just as we finished eating and were about to leave, a vendor pushed a cart full of steamed buns, calling out, "Goubuli, come and eat Goubuli..."
Qin Hui was almost in tears, pointing at the steamed bun and saying, "That's me again, isn't it?"
...
As I drove back to the villa, Su Wu suddenly changed his mind; he didn't want to go back either. In his words, he hadn't come to indulge in luxury; to him, living on a daily pack of instant noodles was a luxury he considered a great disservice to the Emperor.
So I had to send two more people to school. Qin Hui insisted on sitting in the very back, and arrogantly boasted to me about the common sense he had learned these past few days: "The one sitting in the front driving is like the driver; people of status sit in the back!"
I just don't understand, what kind of status can a beat-up Jinbei van have, even if you sit on the roof?
However, this person of status, when a breeze blew, carried the smell of Su Wu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, to him, and he was thoroughly irritated by the stench.
When we arrived at the school, Qin Hui was easily settled in. When I told him that Xu Delong, a junior officer in Yue Fei's army, was in the building across the street, he wished he could sleep in the same bed as Su Wu.
Su Wu, on the other hand, is more troublesome. He doesn't want to live in the building anymore. According to him, I only need to build him a thatched hut at the school, and I don't need to worry about anything else, such as food, drink, or sanitation. Lord Su wants to continue to challenge the limits of survival.
Where am I supposed to build him a thatched hut? This is a school, not a forest park. Are we going to put on a primitive tribal exhibition here? Finally, driven to desperation, I pointed to a small house in the distance and said, "How about that?"
My "Berlin" wall is taking shape. At the opening in the middle, as I requested, Engineer Cui built a small gatehouse-like space for me. My plan is to have someone on duty there during the day to prevent communication between the two sides. Now, I've handed over this space, just big enough for a bed, to Lord Su, and, in my capacity as a great king of the Han Dynasty, ordered him to guard the border and prevent anyone or anything from the other side from entering the old campus.
At first, Su Wu didn't understand what I meant, so I had to point to the new campus and say, "Just imagine that over there is the Xiongnu!" Only then did he resolutely grip the stick in his hand and shout, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
In this way, Su Wu finally rediscovered his sense of mission and transformed from a shepherd into a general!
Chapter Ninety-Eight: Treating Human Life Like Grass
After finally settling the two of them in, I immediately convened a meeting of all Yu-Tsai employees in the auditorium to discuss the trip to the Singapore competition.
About 15 minutes later, I finally gathered everyone together. The hall was packed with people, including those from Liangshan, Fang La and the Four Heavenly Kings, Cheng Fengshou and Duan Tianlang with their disciples, Tong Yuan and Fang Zhenjiang, and Yan Jingsheng and Xu Delong were also among them.
Aside from Xiao Liu and his cooks, almost all of Yucai's permanent staff were present. This was the most complex meeting I've ever held, including time travelers, semi-time travelers, natives of this century, bandits, peasant rebels...
Faced with this situation, I was at a loss for words. I stared blankly at the crowd for a full five minutes, unable to even think of an opening greeting. How should I begin—fellow brothers? Fellow heroes? Ladies and gentlemen?
Finally, I chose a universally applicable term: Comrades!
I cleared my throat and said, "Comrades, we have a project to Singapore in a few days. Our school has 100 places available. Let's discuss the selection process now."
A buzz of discussion immediately erupted below. Duan Tianlang, Tong Yuan, Li Tianrun, and Pang Wanchun all knew it was a garden city and exclaimed, "Singapore, what a wonderful place!" Most of the heroes, however, hadn't heard of it and asked each other, "Singapore? What's that? Is it far from Shizipo?"
I patted the table and said, "That...that's overseas, the scenery is very nice. Since we have limited spots, those who want to go can sign up now, and we'll decide later."
After discussing for a while, the heroes all said, "Since it's a good place, let's all go."
Duan Tianlang and Cheng Fengshou sat there, puzzled, probably not understanding why such a good thing had suddenly happened.
The four Heavenly Kings all looked at Fang La, seemingly waiting for their eldest brother's opinion. Fang La thought for a moment, then stood up and asked, "Director Xiao, why the sudden decision to go abroad? Who organized it?"
I slapped my forehead. I was so focused on sending this group of people away to avoid the storm or to seek knowledge, that I forgot to get to the point.
I quickly said, "Oh right, we're not just going there to have fun, we're also going to play some matches." If this group goes, then the matches are just something they "casually" play, right?
Wang Yin stood up and said, "Then we'll all go." He looked at Fang Zhenjiang provocatively and said, "Let's have another competition between our two families, and see who wins more gold medals."
As soon as I mentioned the competition, Cheng Duan and the others all shouted that they wanted to go, and the auditorium was instantly filled with noise. While taking notes of the names, I slammed my hand on the table and shouted, "Wait, wait, wait, let's go one by one."
Wu Yong suddenly waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Xiao Qiang, don't remember yet—how many people are there in total now?"
I was taken aback, and counted the people with my pen. There were only 98 people in total...
Wu Yong laughed and said, "There are 98 people out of 100 spots. Every one of you here can go. Now it's just a matter of who doesn't go."
Xu Delong was the first to stand up and said, "I'm not going. Now that you've all left, I can focus on helping the kids improve their physical fitness."
I know this is just his excuse; he has to stay behind to support the 299 Yue Fei soldiers. But he's also quite stubborn—couldn't Yue Fei have been in Singapore? After all, over 90% of the population there is Chinese.
At this moment, Yan Jingsheng also stood up and said, "I won't go either. The children's daily lives depend on me, and besides, I can't help with the competition."
I said, "Then go and have some fun." I was truly grateful to Yan Jingsheng. This bookworm poured all his enthusiasm into the children. Without him, the school wouldn't be as well-organized as it is now. It's only right to take this opportunity to reward him properly.
Yan Jingsheng shook his head and sat down. Thus, two stubborn individuals, one scholarly and one martial, were born at Yucai School.
I looked down and asked, "Is there anyone who isn't going? Saving one person can save the country tens of thousands of yuan. Think about it carefully."
After all, they were all heroes and great men, with high moral character. I wouldn't have said that if I hadn't said it, it would have been fine, but once I did... not a single person raised their hand.
I said, "Okay, let's confirm the team leader now."
Immediately, many people in the audience shouted, "Aren't you going?"
I was so proud of myself. It seems that I still have some popular support at Yucai.
But... when they found out I wasn't going, they immediately started nominating their own people to be the team leader. Duan Tianlang's disciples shouted in unison, "We choose our master!" Cheng Fengshou's group shouted, "Brother Cheng is the most suitable candidate." The heroes also joined in the commotion, some calling for Lu Junyi, some for Lin Chong, and one even called for Sister Ma.
I slammed my laptop on the table and yelled, "Can't you guys work together a little?"
The crowd stopped jeering and returned to their own small groups, united in their vigilance against other teams. Once they realized everything was alright, they all said to me in unison, "We're very united—"