Chapter Seven: Poor Children Take Charge Early

  Under Zhao Xing's repeated insistence and strong demands, in the presence of Li Qing and several maternal uncles and cousins, Zhao Xing signed his name on a contract. The complex character "興" took him half a day to write with great flourish. As for the content of the contract, it was naturally what Zhao Xing had said to Green-haired Tabo that day when he was furious.

  That's right, those few words were indeed written with flair and elegance, not crooked or sloppy. Zhao Xing may not have been a calligrapher in his past life, but he was indeed praised by his comrades as "well-versed in both literature and martial arts". In terms of classical learning, due to the influence of his book-loving family and father, Zhao Xing was also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was not just a rough and unrefined soldier as people imagined.

  Perhaps this is a reward and blessing from heaven for Zhao Xing's good deeds in his past life, allowing him to stand under the sky of the late Eastern Han dynasty with a skill that can support him, living as freely as a fish in water.

  After getting to know the Li family's relatives, they attended a reception dinner that was neither here nor there. Then, under the leadership of Zheng Bo, the four of them hastily left the manor's back door and walked through the fields and hills for two hours before finally arriving at the Li family's secondary mansion.

  To be honest, Zhao Xing was barely holding on at the banquet and didn't want to stay for even a minute longer. The feeling of being under someone else's roof is really unbearable, especially when you're at your own uncle's house and being stared at by relatives with ulterior motives, it's annoying whoever is in that situation.

  From a distance, the Li family's courtyard is backed by the residual mountains of Taihang, located at the foot of the mountain, and it also has some meaning of blocking wind and gathering water.

  What is called Li's family courtyard, is actually a place where some Li family tenants gather to live. Three rows of five rooms each were built facing east and west as warehouses. These houses are used for storing farm tools and temporarily holding grain that has not been dried in the sun. Occasionally, when the Li family accountant comes to collect rent, he will stay here for a few days.

  The furniture and objects in the house are not complete, let alone tidy and clean. The dust and cobwebs hanging everywhere silently tell people who enter the house that no one has lived here for a long time.

  Three rows of houses are surrounded by a two-meter-high wall made of stones, forming an enclosed courtyard. Behind the second row of houses are several vegetable fields, with a few fruit trees planted in between. The front yard opposite the first row of houses is semi-enclosed and connected to the small square where tenants dry their grains, only separated by a fence, allowing people inside and outside the yard to see each other clearly.

  Although it was simple and old, Zhao Xing was very satisfied with this new home because he could live without looking at other people's faces. The empty and spacious drying field in front of the house was just suitable for Zhao Xing to practice martial arts in the future, and even organize a team of hundreds of people to conduct drills on it at the same time.

  "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun!" This is Comrade Zhao Xing's deeply ingrained understanding. On his westward journey, Zhao Xing carefully planned for the future after his rebirth, with building his own loyal armed forces being his top priority. However, his immediate task was to accumulate wealth as quickly as possible and lay a solid foundation. With money comes food, and only then can one afford weapons and horses. And with an armed force, one can finally consider "seizing the mountain and becoming king", preparing for the impending chaotic era.

  It is said that the children of poor families take charge early, and for Zhao Xing, he has always been thinking about taking charge as soon as possible. Being in charge is great! You can do whatever you want, "Heaven is number one, earth is number two, I am number three", no need to look at others' faces or suffer from their cold ridicule. The key is that only when you are in charge, some ideas can be put into action.

  In the few days after moving into his "new" home, Zhao Xing was busy running around with Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao to clean up the room, rearranging the furniture according to his own preferences, concentrating the scattered farm tools in a house in the back row facing north, and cleaning and tidying up other rooms.

  Finally, Zhao Xing occupied the two rooms in the middle row to the south. The southernmost room was a bedroom, and the adjacent one was a study. The two rooms were connected by a door, and the study's door also led to the central hall used for receiving guests. The Zhao family occupied the two northern rooms that were internally connected but separated from the hall by a door. One room served as a bedroom, and the other was intended for female relatives to receive guests in the future.

  The five houses in the front row, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, one in the north and one in the south, each took over the outermost house, forming a pattern of guarding the middle and back yards. The remaining three houses were vacant, with the middle one having doors at the front and back, and the back door facing the living room of the middle row of houses, which can be used as a temporary waiting area for guests.

  The five rooms in the back row, with two rooms facing south serving as a kitchen and dining room, and the remaining three rooms used as warehouses for storing grain and farm tools.

  Watching Zhao Xing busy with a happy expression, Li Yujiao felt happy and relieved from the bottom of her heart.

  Only after losing, do you cherish and appreciate more. Because heaven took back the originally foolish son, a mother's reliance for survival, so now facing the clever and clever Zhao Xing, Li Yujiao only feels that no matter how much suffering and hardship she endures, it is worth it. Looking at her busy and mature-looking son now, Li Yujiao only feels that the hardships are not difficult to bear, but just a test from heaven. As long as one can withstand this test, what awaits people will be happiness and sweetness.

  "Let Xing'er be in charge from now on, as long as he's happy. Old Tong said that Xing'er will achieve great things in the future, and Gan Luo was able to become a prime minister at the age of eight. My family's Xing'er is fourteen years old and can already take care of the household, so let him be in charge from now on."