Chapter 8

Hong Zhenan frowned, staring at Zuo Xiaoyou. Zuo Xiaoyou smiled back, facing the situation calmly.

The young girl was puzzled: "Dad, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the prescription Brother Zuo wrote?"

"Take a look yourself!" Hong Zhenan handed the two pages to the girl, who took them and read.

The pages were filled with things Hong Zhenan needed to pay attention to, along with very detailed and reasonable living habits and dietary arrangements, covering every detail, clearly written with great care.

After reading, the girl said, "Dad, Brother Zuo wrote very well!"

"I didn't say he wrote poorly," Hong Zhenan replied.

"Then why are you frowning?" the girl was puzzled.

"Take a look at the first sentence," Hong Zhenan said.

"Maintain a cheerful mood, exercise appropriately, and don't overexert yourself... Isn't that great!" the girl said.

"With two hundred brothers relying on me for meals and all sorts of matters to handle, how can I not overexert myself!" Hong Zhenan said.

"Because of this, your illness hasn't improved," Zuo Xiaoyou advised. "I understand your feelings, Uncle. Being responsible for the meals of hundreds of people is a huge pressure. Fortunately, you are a martial artist, and your body is still strong. If it were someone else, they would have given up long ago."

"You understand, that's good," Hong Zhenan sighed, his heart touched. "Now, those foreigners always exploit us Chinese. If I didn't smooth things out, not only my two hundred brothers, but all the martial arts schools in Hong Kong would not be able to teach boxing peacefully."

"Dad..." The girl, feeling a bit heartbroken, gently massaged Hong Zhenan's shoulders. Hong Zhenan smiled and patted her hand.

Zuo Xiaoyou watched this scene, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "Uncle, as a leader, you only need to know how to delegate. There's no need for you to be so exhausted."

"Oh?" Hong Zhenan's expression changed. This modern cliché had considerable power in this era. "What do you mean?"

"Uncle, have you heard of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang?" Zuo Xiaoyou asked.

"I've heard of him. The Chu River and Han Boundary on the chessboard, the Han Boundary that fought for the empire with the Overlord of Chu."

"..." Zuo Xiaoyou coughed and said, "Right, that's Liu Bang. But Liu Bang was of low birth, uneducated, and not skilled in martial arts. He was inferior to Xiang Yu in both strategy and martial prowess, yet he ultimately defeated Xiang Yu and established the Han Dynasty for four hundred years. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Hong Zhenan was intrigued. A man who was inferior in every way to Xiang Yu could defeat him, and the reason was very interesting. Not only him, but the girl was also listening attentively.

"Because Liu Bang knew how to delegate," Zuo Xiaoyou said. "Liu Bang was of low birth, a ruffian with no education, stealing and loafing around. But his strength was that he listened to advice, accepted others' opinions, and dared to delegate. He had Zhang Liang for strategy, Chen Ping for logistics, and Han Xin for military command. He had a group of ruffians and butchers fighting at the front, each person using their strengths and resources to the fullest."

At this point, Zuo Xiaoyou looked at Hong Zhenan, who seemed to be deep in thought, and said, "Knowing how to delegate is what a leader should do. A leader only needs to control the big picture, and let subordinates handle the specifics. This way, you can maximize the talents of your subordinates and also make your own life easier, achieving both goals. Why not do it?"

Hong Zhenan was silent.

"Dad..." the girl wanted to persuade him.

Hong Zhenan remained silent.

Zuo Xiaoyou knew his words were not enough to move Hong Zhenan, so he added another strong point: "Uncle, do you know how Zhuge Liang died?"

Without waiting for Hong Zhenan to answer, Zuo Xiaoyou continued, "He died from overwork. Because Zhuge Liang handled every detail, even the smallest matters, such as a twenty-stick punishment, required his approval. A person's energy is limited, and Zhuge Liang was no exception. With too many things to worry about, he became exhausted and died at the age of fifty-four."

Looking at Hong Zhenan, whose expression was uncertain, Zuo Xiaoyou said, "Uncle, do you think you can do better than Zhuge Liang?"

"No need to say more," Hong Zhenan stood up and turned to leave.

"Dad!" the girl was anxious.

Hong Zhenan paused and said, "Stay for dinner before you leave."

"Dad?" the girl was stunned.

Zuo Xiaoyou smiled, "Okay, Uncle."

"Alright." Hong Zhenan went upstairs.

"Brother Zuo." The girl looked at Zuo Xiaoyou, full of gratitude.

Zuo Xiaoyou smiled and waved, "Show the prescription to your mother and let her supervise."

"Okay." The girl nodded repeatedly.

Hong Zhenan was the pillar of the family, and the family's livelihood depended entirely on him. The girl was the eldest daughter, and her younger sister and brother were still young. If something happened to Hong Zhenan, the family would struggle to survive.

Hong Zhenan's wife knew the importance of the situation. After seeing the prescription, she would strictly follow its guidance in arranging Hong Zhenan's diet and lifestyle. Hong Zhenan himself also began to gradually delegate his responsibilities to his disciples.

At first, he was worried that the disciples would not do well, but over time, he found that they were doing quite well. As a result, Hong Zhenan's pace of delegation gradually accelerated, and his life became more relaxed.

With a more relaxed life, his health improved significantly. Seeing Hong Zhenan looking healthy and energetic every day, the whole family was very happy.

As the instigator, Zuo Xiaoyou also received the family's gratitude, and Hong Zhenan's impression of him was also very good.

In terms of appearance, Zuo Xiaoyou was not a handsome man, but he was much better looking than Ye Wen and Hong Zhenan. He had a good physique and a scholarly air, making him seem like a pearl, captivating to behold.

Of course, these were all very good, but what Hong Zhenan was most satisfied with was Zuo Xiaoyou's family background.

A wealthy, educated... orphan.

Orphans are good! No ties, no in-laws to deal with when the daughter marries. Moreover, Zuo Xiaoyou had money, was talented, and had a good temperament.

After learning about Zuo Xiaoyou's situation, Hong Zhenan's wife liked him very much. She often whispered in Hong Zhenan's ear, praising Zuo Xiaoyou and saying that such a good son-in-law was hard to come by, and they must not let him go.

The girl's younger sister and brother also got along very well with Zuo Xiaoyou. These children admired his talent, and when one admires someone, even their flaws are overlooked. So in the eyes of these children, Zuo Xiaoyou was the best choice for a brother-in-law.

The whole family was satisfied and fond of Zuo Xiaoyou, and the girl, as the main party, was not without feelings. Because Hong Kong was still using the Qing Dynasty laws, girls could marry at the age of fourteen, so the girl was already of marriageable age. If she met someone she liked, she could marry and have children.

This also made Zuo Xiaoyou's life a bit uneasy.

First, the girl was only fifteen, just out of the "Loli" stage, and Zuo Xiaoyou couldn't bring himself to do it;

Second, they had known each other for too short a time, and there were many aspects they didn't understand about each other, so they might not be a good match;

Finally, this was a movie world, and if he completed his mission, he would have to leave this world. If they really fell in love, what would happen to the girl?

He had already asked Xiaohei, and unless he could draw the girl in the lottery after completing his mission, there was no way to take her out of this world in any form or method.

He also could not return to any movie world he had experienced in any form or method.

Once experienced, there was no going back. This was Xiaohei's answer.

Therefore, facing the girl's increasingly ambiguous attitude, Zuo Xiaoyou always pretended to be clueless. At this time, virtuous women were very traditional and would never actively pursue a man, which made the girl very frustrated, and she had cursed Zuo Xiaoyou as a "log" many times in her heart.

In this uneasy state, the plot where Huang Liang posted advertisements and got into a fight with Hong Zhenan's disciples finally happened.

One day, Zuo Xiaoyou was practicing martial arts on the rooftop with a dozen junior disciples. Ye Wen, the homebody, was sitting on a stool, a large cup of tea by his side, and a tin box with a lit cigarette on top, casually pointing out the mistakes in the disciples' boxing techniques, enjoying the bright sunshine, quite comfortably.

Zuo Xiaoyou was speechless. Without the pressure of life, Ye Wen's preference for a leisurely and comfortable lifestyle became more serious. In the past, he would stand and teach his disciples more seriously, but now he was too lazy to even stand. It was hard to say whether to cry or laugh with such a teacher.

At this moment, three extras came to the rooftop. The leader loudly asked, "Who is Ye Wen?"

Ye Wen was taken aback and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Your disciple Huang Liang injured our brother, and he is now in our hands. Bring money to Li Hong's fish stall to redeem him." After saying this, the leader said, "Let's go," and the three left the rooftop.

Ye Wen was dazed for a moment, picked up the cigarette, and took a worried puff, holding his forehead, clearly troubled.

"..." Zuo Xiaoyou was helpless, sighed, and said, "Master, I'll go!"

"A You?" Ye Wen's face showed joy, then turned to worry, "Can you handle it?"

"Don't worry!" Zuo Xiaoyou put on a coat and said, "I believe it's just a misunderstanding. We'll clear it up."

"Then I'll trouble you." Ye Wen stood up, a bit ashamed, "Troubling you with everything, I..."

"Master, no need to say more," Zuo Xiaoyou shook his head. "It's the disciple's duty to serve the master. It's only right." He then shouted at the junior disciples, "What are you stopping for? Keep practicing!"

Seeing the junior disciples continue to practice, Zuo Xiaoyou turned to Ye Wen with a gentle tone, "Master, I'm going."

"Go quickly and come back quickly."

"Okay."

Page break

Page break