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Chapter 164: Mutual Cooperation
The lunch with fine dishes and great taste had been finished, and the collection of more than twenty years old good wine also had all been drunk up. Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling had eaten and drunk to their heart’s contents, but for the couple Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing, even after the lunch had ended, they were somewhat still in a daze and weren’t yet able to fully recover from their shock.
"Uncle Yuan, do you have a moment for us to talk alone?"
Tang Xiu looked at Yuan Zhengxuan and said.
Yuan Zhengxuan was silent for a moment. Then, he nodded and said, “Come to my study room! Jing honey, please make a pot of tea for us and send it to my study room!”
With an astonished expression, Yuan Chuling asked, “Eh? You got something to talk with my Dad, Brother? So confidential and mysterious that even I can’t listen?”
Tang Xiu didn’t answer.
Yuan Zhengxuan replied to him with a deep tone, “Little Ling, go watch TV in the living room.”
"Fine, fine!"
With a helpless expression, Yuan Chuling shrugged and headed to the living room with lack of interest.
Yuan Zhengxian’s study room was antiquely designed and full of literary atmosphere. A lot of precious calligraphies and paintings hung on the wall. Aside from the notebook on the table, there was also a set of the “four treasures of the study”— pens, ink, paper and ink-stone, with the bookshelves around filled with a variety of books.
Yuan Zhengxuan motioned Tang Xiu to came to the coffee table. After the both of them took a seat on the sofa, Yuan Zhengxuan asked, “Tang Xiu, you want to talk to me alone, what is it you want to ask me about?”
“There are two things I want to ask you. Firstly, is there anything that makes Uncle Yuan unable to speak freely about why you husband and wife took the decision for the divorce?” Tang Xiu asked.
Yuan Zhengxuan’s face slightly changed as he asked with a deep tone, “Little Ling even told you this matter?”
Tang Xiu said, “Yes! Before, he was very disturbed and pained due to this. He was depressed, behaving bad, and hated you; so I was often at his side, talking to him to lighten his mood. Then, he discovered that you two were faking your divorce, but didn’t want to tell him the difficulties you were facing; it made him kind helpless inside. Of course, you also may not tell me about the reason, though. Also, the second thing I want to tell you is that you can tell me if you come across some troubles you’re unable to solve later. And I’ll help you once.”
Yuan Zhengxuan silent.
If he hadn’t known that Tang Xiu was Chen Zhizhong’s Master and also the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he might have laughed and scoffed at his promise.
But at the moment, he couldn’t.
After Yuan Zhengxuan was silent for a few minutes, Zhao Jing brought a fragrant tea pot and left the study room afterward. Then, he slowly looked up and stared at Tang Xiu as he asked cautiously, “How do I believe you?”
“You may choose not to believe me. If you think you can face it yourselves then you need not to look for me later. Besides, I also don’t like to have much troubles. If you weren’t Yuan Chuling’s father, even if you were a rich Big Boss, I’d not even spare you a glance.” Tang Xiu said indifferently.
Yuan Zhengxuan’s brows slightly slanted and slowly said, “I do have some troubles right now. But I think I can handle it for now. The things I do, I mean the business, are confidential and it’s not for me personally, but for the entire country. So I can’t tell you about this.”
Tang Xiu said with a smile, “I understand.”
Yuan Zhengxuan’s face slightly moved and asked, “Anyways, I heard that you’re very good in martial arts, is that right?”
“I know a little.” Tang Xiu said.
With a forced smile, Yuan Zhengxuan said, “Young men like you are already few to begin with, it’s even extremely rare finding one with a low-profile. From our talk now, I simply can’t feel that you’re a youngster, but it’s like I’m talking with someone on the same level of status and age.”
Tang Xiu said, “You should be glad that you are Yuan Chuling’s father. If we didn’t meet today, maybe eight to ten years later you might need to look up to me.”
Yuan Zhengxuan involuntarily laughed and said, “Kid, you really speak grandiosely!”
Tang Xiu confidently replied, “The strong and powerful need not to boast; and even though the road to the future is very long, yet we’re still going forward to see and try ourselves.”
Going forward to see and give it a try?
Yuan Zhengxuan narrowed his eyes as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Then, he probed, “Tang Xiu, since you can kill five or six A-class wanted criminals, that proves that you’re very strong. If I ask you to help me now, can you do that?”
“What kind of help?” Tang Xiu asked with a tranquil expression.
“My company has a laboratory and we need to divide the core data and information into two parts and send them to the newly established secret laboratory. This information is very important. No, it’s of the extremely, utmost importance. Not only is this related to the success or failure of my business, but it’s also related with a national secret. If I let you go with the escort, can you guarantee that nothing will go wrong?” Yuan Zhengxuan said.
For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent and slowly said, “If it’s related with a state’s secret, why didn’t you ask the escort from police force or, the military?”
Yuan Zhengxuan said, "Like I said, this is a top secret information. I don’t want other people, or forces to get a sniff of it. Otherwise, my business will have no way to continue.”
Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Okay, the first batch of the materials, will be free of charge. The second batch will cost you quite a sum, 10 million. If you agree to my condition, I’ll come to help you with the escort. However, if there are some problem midway, I’ll have to charge you 100 times the basic payment.”
A hundred times?
1 billion?
Yuan Zhengxuan stared blankly and looked distracted. Then, he patted his thigh and said, “No problem, it’s a deal. Give me three days. The first batch of information will be sent out three days later. I’ll have to explain in advance that my people will be responsible for the delivery, while you will be responsible for escorting.
Tang Xiu asked, “Can I ask you the person or the force who want to snatch this information?”
Yuan Zhengxuan said seriously, “The only thing I can tell you about them, is that there isn’t only one of them. But more than one power who want to get it.”
Tang Xiu nodded and said, “Anyway, three days later I’ll also lead my own people. But you can rest assured that these people are absolutely trustworthy and reliable.”
“What people?” Yuan Zhengxuan was startled and asked.
“You don’t need to care who they are. You only need to remember that we will be responsible for ensuring the safety of the confidential information.”
Suddenly, his expression moved as if he recalled something in his mind and said, “Uncle Yuan, your business should be related and involving the military, yes? I presume that you have some personal network with the military. If so, I want to ask your help for something.”
"Do say!" Yuan Zhengxuan nodded.
Tang Xiu said, “I just bought an isolated island overseas, and I’ve been preparing to set up a security force there. I think the military has quite a bunch of capable people. So, could you help me ask them a list of veteran-retired soldiers? What I need is retired special soldiers as I don’t have much hope for ordinary retired soldiers. Also, I don’t need too many people, thirty people is enough.”
"You…"
Yuan Zhengxuan didn’t expect that the help Tang Xiu was seeking turned out to be this kind of matter. He subconsciously turned his head to look at his desk as he couldn’t help smiling wryly inside.
A piece of cake, surely never enough for two people to eat!
If it was only ordinary retired soldiers, it wouldn’t be much a problem. But Tang Xiu, after all, was the benefactor who saved his wife. If he were to hide it from him, it couldn’t be justified.
So, tell him about the list, or…?
And thinking about his capital, perhaps, it would also be very difficult for him to recruit these rebellious retired special soldiers to work under him, of which, even he couldn’t do it. By that time, he’d still able to recruit them again. And not only could he follow his own conscience, he would also have done the right thing by him.
After Yuan Zhengxuan thought up to there, he immediately got up and walked over to the table. He took the name list, handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, “My subordinate has spent a lot of effort for this one, but even so, he could only get a batch in this name list. The special soldiers in this list have just recently retired this year. I was planning on recruiting them myself to work under me. If you can recruit them yourself, then take them. If you can’t do it, then I’ll recruit them to work for me. So, you can’t complain and blame me later.”
Tang Xiu looked at the names on the list a few times. After he memorized the names as well as the means to contact them inside his mind, then, he gave the list back to Yuan Zhengxuan as he nodded and said, “Thank you very much, Uncle Yuan. If they are not interested to work for me after I invited them; naturally, I won’t have any bad thoughts for you if you can get them to work for you.”
Yuan Zhengxuan loudly laughed with a clear and resonant voice as he said, “Tang Xiu, you give me the feeling as if you’re the kind of ‘rear waves of the Yangtze river that drive on the waves before, as I am as the first wave who will end up in the sandy shore’ [1]. How true is this saying. And speaking about it, the clouds and winds will indeed have to change if they ever meet with a dragon. You know, you’re already this capable at present, and I’m totally clueless as how high your achievements would be in the future. Just like you have just said, maybe I really will have to look up to you ten years later.”
Tang Xiu faintly smiled and naturally accepted Yuan Zhengxuan’s praise.
Shortly after…
They chatted for a short while as Tang Xiu then got up and left.
At South Gate Town…
After Tang Xiu arrived at home, he saw that Gu Yin was leaning on the sofa and sleeping soundly. The house was very quiet, but he couldn’t see Mu Qingping inside.
Tang Xiu then went upstairs to take a wool blanket and then gently covered Gu Yin’s body. Then, he personally boiled a pot of tea and drank it in the living room whilst waiting for Gu Yin to wake up. After thinking about many things, he just remembered that he had promised Gu Yin he would take her out to play for a full day after he took his College Entrance Test. Thus, he called the New Idea’s private tutor, informing her to take the afternoon off.
He liked this little apprentice of his. Even more so, it could be said that he was really fond of her. After all, being capable of enduring the suffering with the kind of physique she had for two years and don’t even dying, was a tough. He could tell that had it been himself in her shoes and with the same age, perhaps, he would have long been unable to endure any longer and died already.
Moreover, she was very sensible and very filial.
Tang Xiu also had doted on Gu Yan’er once. It was because she experienced a painful and pitiful life. She was as though a lonely, solitary wild grass in the wild, withstanding the severe test of strong winds and storms, but in the end, was still alive and strong.
Gu Yin and Gu Yan’er were very much similar.
And at present, Gu Yan’er was suffering a tribulation. As she risked her life, braving the danger and travelling through time and space to come to earth, for him. This greatly touched his heart.
Therefore, he believed that with the kindness he gave to Gu Yin, she wouldn’t let him down in the future.
Half an hour later…
Mu Qingping had just arrived from the outside. For a moment, she was slightly surprised upon seeing Tang Xiu in the living room. But when her vision landed on her daughter, warmness immediately filled her heart.
“Tang…”
Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her as he got up, went over and said, “Yinyin is still sleeping and seemingly very tired. Let her sleep for a while! I just called her private tutors to cancel this afternoon’s course. It’s just that I have promised to take her out to play.”
Mu Qingping could feel Tang Xiu’s concern and affection for her daughter. She almost didn’t hesitate as she nodded and said, “Then, you two go! I’ll be at home, doing the housework.”
Notes:
[1] The saying means that the old generation will be replaced by the new generation who excels the previous. I translated the idioms fully, albeit with a slight modification to retain the nuances in the dialog.