Chapter 2: Establishing Oneself in Fenyang

  The soldier pulled on the reins of his horse and sneered at the young man, saying: "You little thing, I'll show you how to ride."

  The soldier grasped the long braid with his mouth, and immediately flipped onto the horse. As soon as he stepped into the stirrup, the horse, which had indeed been suffering from colic, and was also uncomfortable in its new surroundings, with hard lumps rubbing against its belly, reared up on its forelegs, throwing the soldier to the ground. The soldier still wouldn't give up, and twice more tried to mount the horse without success. A young man standing nearby was secretly delighted, but his face showed no sign of it. He hastily ran over to the soldier, reaching out a hand to help him up while saying: "You can't ride anymore, if you keep riding, your life will be in danger."

  Zhang Xiluan saw that his BMW was so severely ill, but he thoroughly believed in this young man, and hurriedly walked over to him, saying excitedly: "Young man, I wonder if this horse can be saved?"

  The young man smiled lightly and said confidently, "Don't worry, sir. This horse of yours is really lucky to be alive. It's not seriously injured. If you trust me, I can give it a few Western medicine pills."

  He then pulled out a box of capsules from the pocket of his white down jacket, on which the words "Penicillin" could be clearly seen.

  This Xie Lian and these soldiers had never seen this thing before, they all leaned over to take a look, with surprised faces. Then Xie Lian also believed the young man's words and respected him, curiously asking: "Sir, what is this thing?"

  "This young man thought to himself, 'This thing is really hard to explain. I wonder if there's penicillin capsules around this time. Probably antibiotics haven't been invented yet.' Then he smiled slightly and said, 'This stuff is called American Energizer, it relieves pain and can quickly restore physical strength, even more potent than opium.'"

  Zhang Xiluan let out a surprised "huh" and asked in doubt: "Could it be that this American also has a Great Strength Pill?"

  Looking at Zhang Xiulang and others looking at the Western medicine, the young man couldn't help but want to laugh, then said to Zhang Xiulang: "Don't worry, sir, after taking my medicine, you should be fine, and if nothing goes wrong, you can move around in the afternoon."

  "After some thought, he continued: 'However, as for the horse's long-distance galloping, it will have to wait for a while. Although this American medicine is effective quickly, it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. The spleen is weak and dampness is trapped, the blood does not nourish the swelling, and there is internal wind due to liver disease. It still needs to be treated with Chinese herbal medicine for several days. Say, is there a pharmacy nearby?'"

  At this time, the soldier saw Zhang Xiulang trust the young man so much, and everyone knew that Zhang Xiulang loved horses. He looked a bit tense and hastily interjected: "Not far ahead is the Anxi market in front of the town, I'll take you to grab some medicine."

  The young man walked a few steps, feeling somewhat uneasy and turned back to add: "Mr. Zhang, please don't let this horse move at all!"

  Two people rushed to the pharmacy together, entered the pharmacy, and the young man pulled open several drawers, taking out Poria, licorice, Pinellia, and Perilla two catties each. He also specially picked a single grain of Croton.

  In the afternoon, the two came out of the pharmacy and returned to the horse. The young man held a handful of beans to feed the horse while shouting for someone to bring water. This time, their worries were finally alleviated because after an entire morning, the penicillin had started to take effect.

  The young man pulled the horse to a nearby bluestone water trough and let it drink some water, then turned his head to Zhang Xi's guards and said: "This horse has finished drinking water and needs to be walked quickly. Who will walk the horse with me?"

  This time, the soldier's attitude suddenly made a one hundred and eighty degree turn, walking to the young man with a smile, patting his chest, and volunteering: "I'll go."

  Outside the streets of Zhen'an County, two people led a horse and walked out of the street.

  The young man looked at the dog-eyed soldier with growing anger, and just now he was about to collapse on me. This time, looking at the young master, how can you make trouble for him? The corner of his mouth rose intentionally, making things difficult: "You carry this saddle for me, when the horse can pull out dung, you can ride it on your back."

  Two men walked back, clearly only a few minutes away, but the young man said they had to wait for the "fire dragon" to defecate before they could return. The soldier could only helplessly circle around, walking for nearly half an hour. It was one thing if he were walking alone, but it was no easy task with a saddle on his back like a horse. The soldier panted heavily, wiping the sweat from his face as he asked breathlessly: "Mr... sir! How much longer will it take for this horse to defecate? Give me an estimate, or I won't be able to hold on!"

  Watching the soldiers sweating profusely, the young man was secretly delighted and cursed in his heart, "You dog-eyed thing, why don't you die of exhaustion!" But he couldn't say that out loud, so he pretended to comfort him, saying: "Oh my, brother, you're not having an easy time, are you? It's tough on you, but it'll be over soon! Just hang in there a bit longer!" There was no way around it - this Director Zhang, the newly appointed "Mr. Zhang", had to be obeyed, and the soldiers could only reluctantly carry out their duties like pack horses.

  After another hour, the "fire dragon" that the soldier had been looking forward to finally defecated. The soldier seemed to see the horse dung on the ground as gold, despite having a saddle on its back and holding the reins in his hand. He was still full of energy, running towards Zhang Xiluan while excitedly shouting: "Sir, this horse is great! It just had a big dump (a Northeastern dialect expression for a large amount), it's running so fast it's like flying!"

  Zhang Xiluan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. He said to the young man, "Sir, your medical skills are truly impressive! You can name any price you want, don't be polite, I'm truly grateful that you've cured my 'fire dragon'! Ah yes, does my horse still need to take medicine?"

  The young man said to Zhang Xun, "Sir, don't be polite. My father was a veterinarian by profession, and I also learned some veterinary skills from him. With the addition of Western medicine, it's only natural that it takes effect quickly. Moreover, on our journey here, I've heard that you, sir, are diligent in governance and love your people like your own children. I deeply admire what you do, and this small matter is not worth mentioning. I don't seek any reward; I only hope to do some work by your side, share your worries, and make a contribution to the imperial court."

  "Also, this horse should be fed less fodder. If a person isn't fat from eating too much, they can't run around, right? The students have prepared a set of herbal medicine for your 'Fire Dragon', to be taken three times a day, and the effects will be seen in a week."

  Actually, this 'Fire Dragon' is not as fierce as the young man said. He just wanted to please Zhang Xijun by exaggerating the horse's illness, so that Zhang would appreciate him more. At first, the young man had only heard that a horse owned by a certain Mr. Zhang was ill, which happened to be his area of expertise, and he thought he could make some money and solve his immediate financial worries. He didn't expect that this Mr. Zhang would turn out to be Zhang Xijun, and the young man's heart skipped a beat - if he could just get in good with Zhang Xijun, he would have no more financial troubles.

  After listening to the young man's words, Zhang Xiluan began to size him up from head to toe, especially his peculiar attire. He guessed that this person was also a returned overseas student, although not very handsome, but still quite elegant and composed when dealing with things, giving people a sense of wisdom. However, when he saw the "Wang" character on his forehead, he couldn't help but feel a shock. The "Wang" character on his forehead formed a stark contrast with his refined appearance, also giving people a feeling of being wary. Although his eyebrows were not strong and fierce, but rather calm like a scholar, there seemed to be something hidden behind his elegant demeanor, like a sword, beautiful and radiant, yet cold and gleaming.

  Mr. Zhang Xiluan paused for a moment, composed himself, and continued: "Sir, judging from your attire, you must have just returned from studying abroad. I don't know how to address you. Where is your hometown? Do you still have family?"

  The young man hesitated for a moment, then politely said: "Replying to the adult, the student's surname is He and his name is Tianci. His ancestral home is in Ningyuan, Fengtian (now Xingcheng, Liaoning). Since childhood, he has followed his parents to live in the United States. Unfortunately, both parents passed away last year. Recently returned to Fengtian, I hope the adult will take care of me!"

  Although the Qing Dynasty was still corrupt at that time, a big official like Zhang Xiluan valued students who had studied abroad. Otherwise, this young man would have been executed as a revolutionary rebel without a large beard.

  Zhang Xiluan said with a bad conscience: "Tianxi, I'm really sorry to have touched your sore spot. You're now in Fengtian without any support or backing. Why don't you just surrender to me and become my disciple? As someone who has returned from studying abroad, your thinking is quite advanced, and I think you handle things quite skillfully too. If there's anything that needs to be done, you can give old man some advice. What do you say, Tianxi?"

  He Tianxi's face revealed a hint of sadness, then he said loudly: "Thank you, Lord Zhang, for taking me in. As a student, I should repay your kindness with the loyalty of a horse or a dog." After finishing speaking, he knelt down and kowtowed while shouting loudly: "Your kindness to me is like giving me a second life, I have no way to repay you, from now on He Tianxi's life belongs to you, Lord!"

  These actions moved Zhang Xun to tears, and he couldn't help but think of his sworn brother Yuan Shikai, who had once knelt before the Empress Dowager Cixi in the imperial court. He sighed inwardly: "The younger generation is indeed formidable! The younger generation is indeed formidable!" As he spoke, he made a gesture of invitation and stepped forward to pull Zhang Xun up, saying: "Heaven's Gift, please rise!" Heaven's Gift saw Zhang Xun slowly walking over, and so he stood up in response.

  This old man Xi Luan is also a seasoned veteran, having lived for over 60 years and having seen countless people in the official circles. His many years of experience have made him certain that He Tianxi is a bold and meticulous person, with both courage and strategy. Especially in the corrupt Qing dynasty, those who have had overseas experiences are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and it just so happens that he lacks someone with such experience under his command.

  So Xi Lun made up his mind to arrange a Ma Bian (now known as a deputy officer) for He Tian Ci, on the one hand to test whether he had real talent and learning, and if he was indeed a talented person, he would stay by his side to help him make plans.

  Even if He Tianci is not doing well, he can just change to another horse whip later. If there's something to be done, the two of them will each take what they need. If there isn't anything to be done, it doesn't have much to do with him anyway. He won't lose out either way.

  Investing in He Tianxi now is low-risk and high-return, a stock with great potential!

  Zhang Xiluan glanced at He Tianxi, smiled slightly and said: "You're a formidable young man, Tianxi. You don't have any close relatives now, and I quite like you. If you don't mind, stay by my side and be my groom first, just put up with it for now."

  He Tianci was overjoyed as soon as he heard this, and immediately showed a grateful expression. He quickly knelt down to Zhang Xun, loudly kowtowing while shouting: "Thank you, sir, for your cultivation. I will definitely do my best to repay you."

  Zhang Xiluan said excitedly: "Tianci, please get up, today you will stay with me at the temporary government office in Zhen'an".

  "Disperse!" the soldier shouted to those around him. On his way back, despite the snowflakes drifting in the wind and the biting cold of a northeastern winter evening, He Tianci's heart remained ablaze like a burning flame, giving him endless warmth and energy. He couldn't help but think of his own special "past".