"It's like this..." I told Liu Laoliu about what had happened since I joined Liangshan, focusing on the story of Wu Song, the stubborn resident. After listening, Liu Laoliu pondered for a moment and said, "It seems there's no other way. I can only tell you now that although Fang Zhenjiang and Wu Song are one entity, they occupy two bodies, so theoretically, the thing you're worried about won't happen if they meet—it would be different if you sent Guan Yu back to the Three Kingdoms. But there are still risks. Not to mention what unexpected things might happen, Fang Zhenjiang is only half Wu Song."
"...So you're saying that it's okay for the two of them to meet?"
"Uh...right?"
I said, "Okay, that's all for now. I'll hang up now, long-distance calls are quite expensive."
Liu Laoliu: "..."
Actually, I sensed that time was running out. The old charlatan isn't omnipotent, especially after Ersha and the others returned; his usefulness couldn't even compare to He Tiandou, who could provide me with mana potions. Since Fang Zhenjiang can go back, the only option is to bring him back to Liangshan and leave it to fate. Although he doesn't have memories of his past life, his character is still that of the tiger-slaying hero; let Wu Song decide for himself.
Because I intentionally sped up, the return trip took more than twenty minutes shorter than the outward trip. I found a large supermarket and bought everything that met the needs of my companions—I couldn't bother with Xiao Rang's desire for a home theater system for now!
When I arrived at Yucai School, I learned that Fang Zhenjiang had just finished get off work and was busy renovating his new house. I built dozens of duplex apartments behind Yucai School, and I gave one to him and Tong Yuan. The young couple is busy with this every day, and I guess they'll be getting married soon once the house is finished.
The two places weren't far apart, and I soon found Fang Zhenjiang. The guy was wearing a hat made of newspaper and watching the workers paint the walls. As soon as he saw me, he complained, "Hey, why don't you give us a nice, fully-furnished place? We have to paint the walls ourselves!"
Tong Yuan stood to the side with a smile and said, "It's all your own fault for swiping the card. You couldn't even wait for the house to be handed over at the end of the year."
I chuckled and said, "See? Someone's speaking up for the truth—Zhenjiang, why are you in such a hurry? Is someone getting impatient?"
Tong Yuan said shyly, "Anyway, I'm not in a hurry."
"So, Xiao Fangzhenjiang is in a hurry?"
It took Tong Yuan a while to realize what I meant. Her face flushed, she grabbed a brick the workers were using as a stepping stone, split it in two, then clapped her hands without saying a word. I quickly apologized…
Fang Zhenjiang noticed that I kept giving him glares, so he pulled me into the hallway and whispered, "What's wrong?"
I explained what had happened, and then said with difficulty, "I'll have to trouble you to come with me to see your past self."
Fang Zhenjiang took off his paper hat and said cheerfully, "Let's go! I've wanted to go for a long time, but you said no." He turned to Tong Yuan and said, "Xiao Yuan, I'm going out for a bit. I won't be back for dinner."
Seeing us acting suspiciously, Tong Yuan called out, "Are you going to fight again?"
As I walked with Fang Zhenjiang, I kept turning back and shouting, "Don't worry, there won't be a fight. Let's go see one of our own."
We had just reached the entrance of the building when we ran into Hua Rong and Xiu Xiu. Xiu Xiu sweetly linked arms with Hua Rong and greeted us warmly, "Where are you going?"
Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Fang Zhenjiang said directly, "We have to go back to Liangshan. Hua Rong, you should go too. At least you can still remember a lot of things from the past, which is more convincing than me going alone."
My heart skipped a beat. Yes, if Hua Rong went too, there would be even more room for maneuver. Hua Rong had just returned from the training ground, and his car contained both the bow and arrows in a sports bag. He weighed the bag in his hand and said decisively, "Okay, let's go."
Xiuxiu grabbed Huarong's hand tightly and said, "I'm going too!"
Hua Rong patted her hand gently and said, "Where are you going? Don't worry, my brothers are all my family. There's no danger."
Xiuxiu still wouldn't let go, saying, "Then why won't you let me go?"
Fang Zhenjiang glanced at his watch, frowned, and said, "Xiuxiu, stop fooling around. If you're worried about Hua Rong's safety, I can assure you: even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure he's safe. If you want to go to Liangshan, we'll take you there next time."
Xiuxiu then slowly released Hua Rong, and forced a smile at me and Fang Zhenjiang, saying, "Then you both have to take good care of yourselves. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
Hua Rong smiled at her, picked up her bag, and said to me, "Let's go."
The three of us hadn't gone far when Xiuxiu finally couldn't help but ask loudly behind us, "Brother, do you...do you have another wife on Liangshan Mountain?"
Chapter 116 Selling Stretchers
Xiuxiu finally brought up this sensitive issue. Hua Rong looked embarrassed and stammered for a long time without being able to give a clear answer. I pulled him along quickly, turning back to Xiuxiu as we walked, and said, "Xiuxiu, don't worry about it. It's true that he has a wife on the mountain, but there's also Hua Rong on that mountain!"
Xiuxiu stammered, "Then..."
I dragged the two of them out of the neighborhood as if we were running away, complaining to Hua Rong, "Why did you have so many wives?"
Hua Rong exclaimed in astonishment, "I am a true monogamous husband!"
Just as we were about to get into the car, Fang La and Bao Jin walked over side by side. They had both been assigned rooms, and like Xiu Xiu and the others, they had come early to check on the construction progress. Fang La smiled as soon as he saw us and asked, "Where are you three going, brothers?"
Fang Zhenjiang and he were close friends, so I was about to tell the truth when I tugged hard at his sleeve. Hua Rong reacted quickly and laughed, "Let's just stroll around for a bit, we can have a drink together sometime."
After Fang La left, Fang Zhenjiang asked me, "Why didn't you tell Lao Wang the truth?"
With a long face, I said, "What are you going to say? Say we're heading to Liangshan right now and going to conquer them?"
Fang Zhenjiang got into the car and sighed, "This matter is really quite complicated. By the way, Xiaoqiang, there's something I need to discuss with you."
"No money to renovate your house? How much can I borrow?"
"No. Xiaoyuan and I are getting married soon, and I want to tell her my true identity on our wedding night. We're going to spend our lives together, and I can't keep hiding like this forever. To be honest, I envy Xiuxiu and Huarong for being so open with each other."
I thought about it and it made sense. I said, "You can weigh the pros and cons yourself. If Tong Yuan is an environmentalist, then your past life of harming wild animals will be detrimental to your relationship as a couple."
Fang Zhenjiang took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. I said, "Don't smoke. We're about to drive off. Don't open the windows, or I'll have to use a microscope to find you. Also, this is the first time I've driven this car with passengers. If you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately. We'd rather not go than have an accident, especially since you both have families with you—"
Upon hearing this, Hua Rong quickly checked the windows again. I looked around to make sure no one was there, shifted into full gear, stepped on the gas, and the car sped into the timeline. Fang Zhenjiang watched for a while and said, "It's not that difficult, is it? I can drive it too if I keep the gas pedal on."
I said, "Then you drive on the way back. My feet are numb from driving so much on the Qin Dynasty route these past few days."
Hua Rong said, "Anyway, your car is so sturdy that you're not afraid of it exploding. There are no bends on the road. Just add more nitrogen. You can spray it twice to get there in half an hour."
Fang Zhenjiang said, "You play Need for Speed too?"
...
With these two companions, we chatted and laughed all the way, and before we knew it, we arrived at Zhu Gui's shop from last time. The guy who was responsible for helping me back up the car had probably been waiting for me. When he saw me, he stood at the shop entrance with practiced ease. I almost instinctively threw him my car keys and asked him to park for me.