At Yucai School, the major civil engineering projects are basically completed, with only minor details remaining. Since the national investment was initially aimed at reviving traditional culture, and with the help of Li Yun, the chief engineer of Liangshan, Yucai's main buildings are mostly in a retro style, with carved beams, painted rafters, and flowing water, resembling a giant retro park. Of course, the contributions of the recent arrivals of these renowned figures are also noteworthy. The four martial arts arenas on the new campus have inscriptions by Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing, respectively, for the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The themed murals naturally feature works by Yan Liben and Wu Daozi. Additionally, the new campus includes a "Hundred Herbs Garden," where skilled physicians like Bian Que and Hua Tuo can cultivate easy-to-grow herbs, which can also serve as a school clinic, saving students from hospital visits for minor ailments. Two other areas have also been opened in the new campus: a tea-tasting pavilion and a zither-listening pavilion, where Lu Yu and Yu Boya can experiment with their crafts. Whether people understand them or not, it's all just for show—they're just passing the time anyway.
After looking at it for a while, Li Shishi suddenly pointed to a long foundation and asked, "What is this?"
I glanced at it and said, "That's the Berlin Wall—" Then I quietly explained to her the purpose of the wall. Compared to the grandeur of the new campus, the old campus was like a dried-up nutshell. The original plan was for this area to become entirely the living quarters of "our own people"—my clients—and all teaching duties would be transferred to the new campus. Once this wall was built, only people on this side could go to the other side; people on the other side couldn't come to this side. Aside from classes, all private interactions between teachers and students would be prohibited. Guarding this place was the selfless and impartial Lord Su Wu.
After hearing my idea, Li Shishi, that girl, said in a very Western tone, "Oh, I simply can't think of a worse way." It made me so angry that I really shouldn't have ignored Jin Shaoyan and let her make "erotic" films.
When Li Jingshui mentioned an "internal" meeting, many people immediately understood and headed towards the lecture hall. However, before the new campus was put into use, everyone was teaching in a tiny space, and many of Duan Tianlang and Cheng Fengshou's apprentices, upon hearing that a meeting was going to be held, disregarded whether it was internal or not and followed along without really understanding what was going on.
Fang Zhenjiang seemed to want to get rid of Tong Yuan and go to the meeting by himself. After saying something, Tong Yuan complained with a displeased look on her face: "Why are you all always sneaking around! You wouldn't let me attend the last meeting. You came to Yucai even later than me, so why can you go?"
Fang Zhenjiang crossed his arms and could only chuckle awkwardly. Then he saw me and waved at me frantically, saying, "Xiao Qiang, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to say something..."
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Alliance of Attack and Defense
When Tong Yuan saw me, she got even angrier. This girl looked like a lady from a good family, but she was actually trained in martial arts and had a very straightforward temper. She narrowed her eyes and slowly said, "Xiao Qiang, am I not considered a member of Yucai?"
When I saw her squint, I quickly stepped back behind Wu Sangui and said, "Why doesn't it count? Wasn't your household registration transferred through your employment relationship with Yucai? Actually, it's not too late to do that after you get married to Zhenjiang."
Tong Yuan blushed: "Then why do we have to exclude some of us from every meeting?"
Duan Tianlang and Cheng Fengshou were also watching me from a distance. I stamped my foot: "It's nothing, let's go together, it's time for the meeting!"
Tong Yuan then asked Fang Zhenjiang, "What were you trying to say just now?"
Fang Zhenjiang: "...It's nothing, let's go."
When I arrived at the lecture hall, wow, the place was unusually full today. There were representatives from Liangshan, Fang La, and Yue Fei's armies, Yan Jingsheng and several cultural studies teachers, Duan Cheng and his disciples, and Bao Jin's brother, Bao Yin. There were also members of the medical team, the painter team, the calligraphy team, and others, arranged by profession. Since it wasn't lunchtime yet, Xiao Liuzi had also brought a group of cooks to join the fun, squatting on either side of the classroom smoking.
Amidst the commotion, I slammed the chalk box down twice and shouted, "Stop talking, smokers, put out your cigarettes, and those standing on the chairs at the back, get down!"
These people, who considered themselves employees of Yucai School, stopped chatting when the leader spoke. But the bandits from Liangshan didn't care what anyone said; their so-called teaching was just a hobby, and they shouted incoherently, "Isn't this a meeting? What's up?"
I slammed the blackboard eraser down: "Quiet down, everyone! I'm getting married!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent...
I bet those teachers were hearing such an opening speech for a conference for the first time in their lives, and seeing a leader like me for the first time. My clients, on the other hand, were eager to hear what I was going to say next. The next moment, I don't know who started clapping, but others cheered, and the conference venue was more lively than a temple fair.
I buried my head and slammed the blackboard eraser down: "Listen to me..."
Zhang Qing shouted, "Didn't I already say last time that I'd already written the invitations for you?"
Wang Xizhi and the others raised their hands and said, "Yes, none of us have been slacking off."
I grabbed the microphone and shouted, "Everyone, help me think of someone else! And what should we buy?"
The leader called a meeting in a flurry of activity, only to discuss this very issue, which made many people laugh. A few teachers whispered among themselves, "Is this what humane management is like?"
Yan Jingsheng quickly understood what I meant. He sat in the front row and said, "Should we invite all the relevant leaders?"
I nodded. It seems holding a general meeting does have its advantages; I hadn't thought of that. I looked around and asked, "Who can take notes?"
The understanding Li Shishi said, "Let me do it." She was busy exchanging pleasantries with several great scholars, whom she had long admired, and had even met Zhang Zeduan. Li Shishi took a brush from Liu Gongquan and started taking notes on paper. I instructed her, "Write in simplified characters."
I said, "Anyone who didn't receive an invitation can ask Teacher Wang (Xizhi) and the others for it later. I won't compile a separate list."
Fang Zhenjiang said to Tong Yuan, "Go and ask for one."
Tong Yuan said, "Why don't we just go then? Why do we need invitations when we see each other every day?"
Fang Zhenjiang chuckled and said meaningfully, "I still want one; it has sentimental value."
Fang La, being a married man, asked, "Have you bought the four kinds of gifts, cigarettes, alcohol, and red paper?"
I rubbed my hands together and said, "Yes, yes, write it down—"
Du Xing said, "We have wine, how about Five-Star Juniper?" Then he winked at Fang Zhenjiang and whispered, "Brother Wu Song, you brought back the secret recipe for this wine back then." Fang Zhenjiang scratched his head: "Really?"
Since coming to Yucai, Wang Yin has been getting plenty of free drinks. He clicked his tongue and said, "The wine is good, but the alcohol content is too low. It doesn't seem suitable for a wedding."
Du Xing smiled smugly: "We have some rare gems, those have a high alcohol content." Wang Yin's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to Du Xing to discuss: "How about I try some first..."
I said, "Now that the alcohol is taken care of, does anyone know someone who sells cigarettes?"
Xiao Liu quickly raised his hand: "I know several people who sell counterfeit cigarettes."
I threw a piece of chalk at him: "I finally get married, and you let the guests smoke fake cigarettes?"
Xiao Liu said aggrievedly, "Those who sell counterfeit cigarettes may still have genuine ones. Besides, what I meant was to ask them to help identify them."
I waved my hand and said, "The cigarettes are yours. Zhonghua and Furongwang, buy enough for 20 tables, and report the expense when you get back."
Xiao Liu muttered, "Didn't you say you wanted at least 50 tables?"
"Stop talking nonsense. I'll allow you to embezzle a pack of Furongwang cigarettes." Most of the 500 people I'm inviting don't seem to smoke. Can you imagine Yue Fei's troops having a cigarette in hand?
“And,” I said, “who among you will come with me to get married that day?”
Below, a cacophony of shouts erupted: "I'll go! I'll go!" There were at least a hundred, if not two hundred.
I smiled broadly and said, "Alright, all of you go. I'll leave the task of breaking through Baozi's house gate to you all."
On the wedding day here, the bride's family goes to great lengths to tease the groom; it takes more than a dozen strong young men to squeeze through the main gate. Of course, the hostility between the two sides is half real and half fake, but there are quite a few who actually go home because they can't stand being treated like that.
Hua Mulan sat in the crowd and laughed, "I have to be there as a member of the maternal family that day. I can't just stand by and watch you bully my little dumpling sister."
Hua Tuo was intently inserting needles into her head. I said indignantly, "Divine Physician Hua, you'll paralyze her from the waist down!" I never imagined that this dignified heroine would be a traitor like Wei Yan.