Chương 60: A New Beginning

Walking a few steps back to the house, Song Que shook his head and smiled bitterly. It seems my first impression on Old Zhan today couldn't have been much worse. Is being handsome a crime? He suffered in silence, unable to voice his grievances. Grandee Song could only sigh.

"A'Que, that was impressive! Tsk tsk, I didn't realize your heart was this black! Are you planning to snatch both the person and the skills?!" Zhong Hong, who had followed him fleeing in panic, only now had the chance to exclaim.

"But that old man is truly terrifying! He just glared at me, and I felt like I'd fallen into an ice cellar; I didn't dare move a muscle! He's definitely an expert!" Song Que gave a smile that was uglier than crying:"Looking at how he acted, he's definitely not going to be friendly toward us in the future. What a disaster."

"Haha, why not try the 'curveball to save the country' approach? I saw that his daughter's heart fluttered for you. All you have to do is make a move and win over his precious daughter! Will he have any choice but to obediently submit then?" Song Que felt mentally exhausted and didn't want to talk to this idiot anymore. He picked up a steamed bun, took a vicious bite, and sighed:"We'll take things one step at a time. The beginning of everything is always a bit too difficult."

"Hey, hey, don't eat them all! Save some for me! But I have to admit, A'Que, your looks are absolutely on point! In the future, maybe you just need to use the 'honey trap', and everything will be smooth sailing!" Tossing a few buns at Zhong Hong, Song Que ignored him:"Stuff your face!" After filling their stomachs, Song Que led Xiong Ba and Li Xin, while Zhong Hong led his group, splitting into two directions to begin wandering around the city. They roamed the city aimlessly.

When they got hungry, they found a local eatery to solve the problem, and they didn't return home until late in the evening. When Zhong Hong's group returned, they found Song Que and his group sitting in the living room. A large sheet of paper was spread out on the table in front of him, and his hand was continuously writing and drawing on it. Curiously approaching behind Song Que, Zhong Hong exclaimed in surprise:"Oh! This is a map of Qinghe County! This area is the route we just walked today!

A'Que, where did you get this?" Grandee Song naturally wasn't going to tell him that he had observed it all through Lightning's eyes. He vaguely replied:"I walked around a few times and drew it from memory. The streets and alleys are all marked here. Brother Hong, over the next few days, help me clearly mark the locations of important gathering spots, the government offices, gangs, and experts on this map."

"No problem! With this thing, my job is going to be incredibly easy!" Zhong Hong shouted excitedly. Song Que nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the four men behind him.

"Have any of you ever learned to read?" The four men lowered their heads in embarrassment. Fan Yang answered in a small voice:"Master Song, does knowing how to write my own name count as knowing how to read?" Song Que's face turned black upon hearing this.

"Starting tomorrow, every evening you will follow A'Xin to learn how to read. I don't demand you become great scholars or calligraphers, but you must at least know basic reading and writing. A'Xin, don't hold back with them; if anyone slacks off, beat them hard for me!" Li Xin, who had developed psychological trauma from studying, felt his eyes instantly light up at the prospect of being the one holding the ruler and whacking heads! He patted his chest loudly and guaranteed:"Big Brother, rest assured!

Leave this completely to me!" The little guy's eyes were practically burning like a lecher who hadn't seen a beauty in years, making the four men standing there feel a deep chill in their hearts. Seeing this, Li Xin grew even more smug and threw a punch into the empty air. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Using Ming Jin proficiently, a loud crack like a firecracker echoed in the room. The sudden noise startled the four men.

Satisfied with the deterrent effect of his display of martial force, Li Xin bobbed his head smugly and swept his gaze over the four:"You guys better be careful! Anyone who isn't diligent, don't blame me for not holding back! Hehehe." Watching Li Xin's mischief, Song Que only smiled and said nothing. Scaring these guys a bit wasn't a bad idea; it would prevent them from slacking off or secretly defying orders because they thought A'Xin was just a kid. But he also knew he shouldn't push them too hard.

Seeing the four men looking at Li Xin with envious eyes, he smiled and said:"If you four want to learn martial arts, you can go to A'Xin early in the morning. He will teach you. As for how much you learn, that will depend on your own fortunes." In this era, there wasn't a single person who didn't yearn to become a martial artist. Hearing this, the four men's eyes shone brightly, and they excitedly bowed deeply:"Thank you, Master Song!... Greetings, Teacher Li!"

"Hahaha, good, very good!" Li Xin was absolutely thrilled by this, pointing his nose smugly at the sky and laughing. Song Que smiled and waved his hand, dismissing them to rest. He handed the map to Zhong Hong and returned to his own room.... Over the next two days, Song Que's group left early and returned late, wandering through every street and alley in Qinghe County. Every morning, he didn't forget to show his face at the Zhan family's stall, naturally drawing displeased glares from Old Zhan.

He could only exchange a few words with Zhan Xiaoxiao before grabbing his buns and leaving. Continuously gathering information, they managed to learn roughly 70-80% of what there was to know in a short time. Their common knowledge of the county city wouldn't be any less than someone who had lived here for years.... Evening. In the main hall, Song Que was simultaneously examining the map and listening to Zhong Hong's explanations. To complete the task Song Que had given him, Zhong Hong had truly worked his tail off.

Now, the map was densely dotted with red marks. Standing in front of the table, he was pointing out the key locations in Qinghe County that needed attention.

"A'Que, this area is the County Yamen. This is the Xu Residence, where the Magistrate lives. This corner is the military barracks, holding over 400 soldiers. Not far from there is the courtyard of County Commandant Dong Zheng."

"Not far from our house is the Wu Residence; Brother Yi's entire family lives there."

"The two places marked with a 'Fierce Tiger' and a 'Golden Snake' represent the two main gangs. The rest are a dozen or so smaller gangs. I only marked the three gangs that have Third-Grade experts."

"These red dots are the residences of the experts in the city; I've clearly written their names."

"All the main buildings, gathering spots, and major roads have specific notes. See if there's anything missing, and I'll add it." Looking at the meticulously annotated, though crude, map in front of him, Song Que felt extremely satisfied. It was far more detailed than what he had learned by himself over the past few days.

"Brother Hong, this is excellent. This is completely sufficient."

"As long as you're satisfied!" Zhong Hong, whose eyes had dark circles, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Song Que smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said:"You've worked hard these past few days. Go get some rest, Brother Hong. Tomorrow, we'll discuss what kind of business we should start to get rich."

"Haha, A'Que, I'm not just flattering you. If we brew and sell your wine, I guarantee we'll be rolling in money in no time! I've tasted the wine in this county city, and none of it goes down as smoothly as the stuff you brew!"

"Haha, we'll talk about that later. Go rest first, Brother Hong." Hearing him say that, Song Que smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, I'm feeling a bit sleepy myself. I'll go sleep first; we'll talk more tomorrow." Nodding as he watched Zhong Hong head back to his room, Song Que turned his attention back to the map. He had actually thought about what kind of business to start over the past few days, but still hadn't reached a conclusion.

Benefiting from reading countless transmigration novels, and combined with the current societal situation, he naturally knew that brewing distilled liquor, producing refined salt, and making glass were all highly profitable, monopolistic businesses. Moreover, he even knew how to extract basic antibiotics like penicillin! If such a thing appeared now, he could sit at home growing mold and still earn buckets of gold every day! But the problem was, the current Song Que was just a small fry.

Once these things appeared and attracted attention, he guaranteed that within a few days, someone would come knocking, forcing him to obediently become a sweatshop worker for them. It wasn't that Song Que viewed this world too darkly. Although he hadn't gone out much these past few years, he had profoundly experienced the rule of 'the strong prey on the weak'. If you dared to talk rules with them, they were fully prepared to use their fists to explain their 'rules' to you. Being weak was the original sin.

When you didn't have enough strength to protect your treasures, simply possessing them was a crime. This world was just that bloody and cruel. Therefore, those 'ultimate weapons' were fine for Song Que to tinker with for his own amusement, but he definitely didn't dare announce them to the world. To get rich at this stage, he still needed to find another way. Looking at the nearly ten large and small casinos marked on the map, the 'God of Gamblers' Song felt a fiery passion ignite in his heart.

He also remembered Yun Jiu inviting him to the Sea of Clouds Pavilion; it was a pity his pockets were empty these past few days, so he hadn't gone yet. Perhaps I need to pick a time to go shear another flock of sheep. Earn my first pot of gold to start a business! But today was not the day. As his physique grew increasingly robust and tall, Song Que stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens in a crowd. If he didn't prepare thoroughly, he would be incredibly easy to recognize.

Therefore, going out to 'Shear the sheep' required technique; he would need to put on some makeup and use a disguise. Furthermore, as time went on, Song Que was still in his growth phase. In the future, this 'job' could probably only be done sporadically as a quick cash grab to avoid arousing suspicion and trouble. Thinking that this 'light-duty, high-salary' job couldn't be done for many more years, he felt a wave of regret. It seems opening a shop and starting a legitimate business is truly an urgent matter.

Stroking his chin, Song Que smacked his lips in thought. Rolling up the map and putting it away carefully, Grandee Song returned to his room, rested his arm over his forehead, closed his eyes, and began to ponder his grand plan for future wealth. Before long, he drifted into sweet dreams.