"No, if it's convenient, could we have the children gather at the school?
I'd like to distribute the books to them. I brought some with me. This is my first time teaching, and thank you for giving me this opportunity."
Zhao An shook hands with Village Chief Pang, his smile bright and cheerful.
Village Chief Pang seemed somewhat flattered.
Zhao An possessed an extraordinary air, an intangible nobility combined with an approachable demeanor.
"Sure, sure, but I'm worried about the teacher working too hard. Teacher, would you like to rest for a while?"
Zhao An smiled and shook his head. "No rush. Let's distribute the books first and get to know the students.
Then we can have a good chat. Once we've done everything, we can have a proper drink.
I brought some wine. Brother Pang said you like to drink; we'll definitely have a good drink then."
He then took out several bottles of wine and handed them over.
"Oh dear, no, no, teacher, how can we take your things?"
Village Chief Pang genuinely seemed a little embarrassed, a very honest farmer.
If the village weren't so remote and poorly accessible by road, he wouldn't actually be qualified to be the village chief.
"It's alright, you'll have to keep nagging me in the future."
Zhao An smiled. What is the martial arts world?
The martial arts world is about interpersonal relationships, not fighting and killing, there's no such thing as domineering power, only shared interests.
If you can share common interests, then there's no problem that can't be solved.
Zhao An arrived at the school, which was just two rooms.
Xiaohe Village didn't have a large population, only about six hundred people, and the young people had all left to work and earn money elsewhere.
Only about three hundred people remained, scattered around.
There weren't many children in the school, only about twenty, some older and some younger, who hadn't attended school for a long time and had all stopped after a while.
Because the teacher couldn't take it anymore.
Zhao An remained calm. He introduced himself to the students and distributed textbooks.
"Come to class the day after tomorrow morning. Studying isn't for others, it's for yourselves. Studying can give you a better life.
If you don't study, you won't know how many convenient things there are.
It's like farming. In many places, tractors are used for plowing. One person can plow more than ten acres in a morning.
How much could be plowed by hand?
You know better than I do.
Alright, go back now. I'll bring you some extra reading materials later. Study hard, see you the day after tomorrow."
His words were few, simple, and concise. He said what needed to be said, and there was nothing more to say.
Children don't listen to grand theories; simple and easy to understand is better.
"From now on, you must listen to your teacher. If you don't, I'll tell your parents, understand?"
Village Chief Pang still held considerable authority. He had finally found a teacher, and he had to support him.
"Okay, goodbye, teacher."
The children answered timidly.
Zhao An waved his hand, then took out a cigarette and smoked it with Village Chief Pang.
"This is good cigarette."
Village Chief Pang took a deep breath. He rarely had the chance to smoke good cigarettes; he only got a little when he went to meetings in town.
"You'll get some more often in the future. Even the hardest times will pass."
Zhao An smiled.
"Oh, right, I haven't arranged a place for you to stay yet, teacher.
This place isn't big enough for anyone. Let me think."
Village Chief Pang thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. "That's right, you can stay at my sister's place. Come on, teacher, I'll take you there.
It's alright, my sister has another room available. Her son went out to work, leaving only her granddaughter and daughter-in-law at home."
Meanwhile, at the Henghui Club, several family members had gathered together.
"I heard Zhao An went to teach in the mountains. What's he up to?"
Huang Yu took a deep drag on his cigarette. Things weren't going well lately.
The cooperation with foreign capital wasn't going smoothly, mainly because market profits weren't high.
Moreover, the effects of lending were already showing—a terrible reputation, though the profits were still decent.
"Hey, who knows what he's up to? Damn it, real estate, finance, and stocks are all lucrative, but he didn't do those. Instead, he went into manufacturing!
He only makes a few hundred thousand a year, not even enough to fill a gap in his teeth."
Lin Xiao's tone was very displeased. Perhaps it was because his mother was pregnant, which would create another competitor for them, hence his annoyance.
Their father was still young, and now he also had to deal with his uncle's challenge. Maintaining his position as head of the family was already a struggle; he had no time to deal with anything else.
"Or, how about we go into manufacturing too?
Whatever he does, we'll do it. Who cares what it is? Let's just do it first! That kid never loses money!"
Fang Shunli's eyes were shrouded in smoke. Foreign trade had been tough lately; factories overseas were experiencing riots, and material prices were rising—it was difficult.
"We can't do it. He has a complete industrial system.
If he can't sell it all, he can recycle it himself. We can't handle that much on our own."
Huang Yu shook his head. His grandfather's sudden death was a major event in the Huang family.
This made him uneasy, as if he had a bad premonition.
"Damn it, forget it, let's not talk about him. If that beast isn't making money, are we not making money either?
Maybe he's just trying to lure us into manufacturing, and once we're distracted, he'll come back and devour us."
Lin Mo also said viciously. He had overheard his younger sister boasting to the women in the family, and he didn't know if it was just bragging.
The Lin family was also very unhappy with Lin Yuanyuan. A young lady from a respectable family becoming someone's mistress?
And to make matters worse, it was their future son-in-law who lost the deal. They had no leverage and could only grit their teeth and acquiesce.
Moreover, Lin Yuanyuan was already pregnant with her second child! Damn, she's incredibly fertile!
The scheming between large families…
Zhao An was fully aware of it all.
He didn't have time to engage in their intrigues. He could simply throw out some smokescreens, letting them continue to step on landmines, and one day he'd blow them to smithereens!
Regarding the money for a farmhouse, Village Chief Pang spoke to an older farmer's wife, who considered it for a moment and then agreed.
Zhao An took out five hundred yuan and placed it in the woman's hand. "Auntie, this money is for my food expenses. Please don't refuse.
This is one thing at a time. If you feel bad about it, just cook me some better dishes in the future."