Chapter 49

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the end of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar. During this period, the trade and security teams were extremely busy. On one hand, they were preparing to take over the two shops in the Qi family, familiarizing themselves with the relevant business and contacting the existing staff to prepare for the official takeover—especially the land in Fanyang, which the穿越者 (time travelers) had entrusted to Mr. Zhong to manage. On the other hand, they were negotiating with Mr. Chen to secure the best possible cooperation, working hard to achieve the greatest benefits. Fortunately, their efforts paid off, and after nearly half a month of hard work, they made significant progress on both fronts.

On the Qi family's side, the two shops were originally doing well, and the hired managers and assistants were all experienced in their business. After interacting with the time travelers for some time, they found the new owners easy to get along with and the pay was no less than before, so those who were originally planning to stay became more confident, and those who had concerns also put them aside, expressing their willingness to continue working, thus greatly reducing the difficulty of the Qi family's persuasion efforts. The focus of the Qi family's persuasion was mainly on the servants and guards who were not planning to move to Jiangnan, and it seemed to go well, proceeding smoothly.

At Tianfu Tower, things were relatively more difficult. Initially, Mr. Chen had many concerns about the conditions proposed by the time travelers, especially the requirement for a higher share, which he feared would marginalize him and allow the shrewd time travelers to take over the tower he had built over more than a decade. Therefore, the negotiations started slowly, and Mr. Chen even considered giving up on the cooperation.

However, the time travelers showed great perseverance. Through repeated negotiations, they demonstrated their sincerity, making Mr. Chen believe that they were not trying to take over his tower but rather to ensure that all efforts could be focused on work without issues of responsibility leading to mutual shirking. Zhang Weixin even swore to Mr. Chen that he would always be the owner of Tianfu Tower, and that the tower would always bear the Chen name. Eventually, after both sides made some concessions, they reached a preliminary agreement on the principles, and were now finalizing the specific terms of cooperation, with the expectation of a resolution in the near future.

On the 28th of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, Wang Xiaojun, accompanied by Daoist Yuxuzi and escorted by Zeng Zhilin and Cheng Fei from the security team, set off early in the morning with a large goose that they had struggled to buy, heading to Mr. Zhong's home in Fanyang County to finalize the marriage arrangements between Wang Feng and Zhong Ziqi, with Daoist Yuxuzi serving as the matchmaker. According to his plan, he intended to complete the first three of the "six rites" (纳采, 问名, 纳吉, 纳徵, 请期, 亲迎) on this trip, and then complete the remaining two in the following month, with the wedding to be held in the first month of the next year, to start the new year on a good note.

In fact, according to Wang Xiaojun's original intention, as long as Wang Feng and Zhong Ziqi were in love and both families had no objections, a grand wedding would suffice. These complicated procedures were a waste of time, especially in the dead of winter, when it was particularly difficult to find a goose in Youzhou. However, to respect Mr. Zhong's feelings, these formalities had to be followed.

Since the marriage had been agreed upon long ago, the procedures went smoothly when Wang Xiaojun and Daoist Yuxuzi arrived at the Zhong family. They agreed to set the 20th of the following month as the date for the engagement, when the groom's family would send the engagement gifts and hold the engagement ceremony. After Mr. Zhong treated everyone to lunch, he took them to see the land they had bought in Fanyang County. However, except for Cheng Fei, who had some farming experience before joining the military, the others knew nothing about farming. Even Cheng Fei had only helped during holidays and did not claim to be knowledgeable, especially since his hometown was in the south, where conditions were quite different.

The 1,500 acres of land, equivalent to about one square kilometer, looked vast when viewed from the edge of the field. Since it was the winter break, there were no farmers working in the fields, and with the recent heavy snow, the land was covered in white, offering little to see. After standing by the field for a while and talking with the managers responsible for the land—former Qi family managers who had agreed to stay—they bid farewell to Mr. Zhong and returned to Yuxu Palace.

Upon returning to Yuxu Palace, Wang Xiaojun had just entered his room when Wang Feng came up to him, asking about his well-being and quickly serving him a cup of tea. He stood by, eagerly waiting for Wang Xiaojun to speak. Wang Xiaojun knew his cousin was concerned about the marriage proposal, and although the marriage had been agreed upon, Wang Feng was still uneasy until the final step was completed. To tease his cousin, Wang Xiaojun sipped his tea slowly, put on a worried look, and frowned at Wang Feng without saying a word.

This scared Wang Feng, who feared something had gone wrong with the marriage and was too afraid to ask, sweating profusely despite the cold weather.

Seeing his cousin's anxious state, Wang Xiaojun almost burst out laughing. He put down his tea cup, pulled Wang Feng to sit down, and said with a smile, "Look at you, so impatient. Think about it, with everything already agreed upon, why would Mr. Zhong go back on his word? Everything went smoothly. We've set the 20th of next month for the engagement, and the wedding will be held in the first month of next year."

Wang Feng, realizing his cousin was teasing him, felt a mix of relief and frustration but had no one to complain to. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, thanked his cousin for his efforts, and silently prayed that one day he would find a strong wife to keep his cousin in line.

Wang Xiaojun, unaware of his cousin's thoughts, was planning to prepare the engagement gifts for Wang Feng once the Qi family's properties were fully taken over. He learned from Daoist Yuxuzi that the engagement gifts for a family like the Zhongs would cost around 100 guan, which, while not a huge sum for him and Wang Feng, was still a significant expense. Considering the future expenses of the young couple, he decided to cover the cost himself.

As Wang Xiaojun was pondering this, Zhang Weixin entered the room. Seeing that Wang Xiaojun had returned, he sat down beside him and said happily, "You're back just in time. Mr. Qi just sent a messenger to say that the two houses have been cleaned up, and the luggage for the trip south has been packed. He plans to set off for Jiangnan with his family on the 1st of the twelfth month, and has arranged reliable people to look after the houses. Once he leaves, we can move in whenever we want. The land and shops have already been taken over, and all the necessary arrangements have been made, so there's nothing more he needs to do.

I've arranged for the messenger to rest and was planning to gather the committee and the heads of the functional groups to discuss when we should move. Once you're back, we can hold the meeting and have the messenger relay our plans to Mr. Qi. Since you're back, I'll call everyone together, and we'll start the meeting right away. We need to reach a decision quickly so I can have the messenger reply to Mr. Qi."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaojun was naturally pleased, as it meant they would soon have their own space and could start implementing their development plans. He immediately agreed to Zhang Weixin's suggestion, called a meeting, and informed all team members to share the good news.

The other two committee members and the heads of all functional groups quickly arrived. Zhang Weixin repeated the message from Mr. Qi and asked everyone to share their opinions on how to arrange the living quarters and the division of responsibilities.

Everyone was naturally pleased to hear this news, and some even applauded. The meeting then engaged in a lively discussion on the proposals put forward by Zhang Weixin. Ultimately, four main plans emerged.

One, proposed by the trade group, suggested moving into the city. The city offered better living conditions, and it would be more convenient to buy supplies for research and development. Additionally, living in the city would make it easier to manage the shops.

Another, proposed by the technology group, suggested moving into the Qi family's villa at the foot of Baoshan Mountain. They believed the larger and more isolated location would be better for the confidentiality of their research and development work, and some felt it would also be more secure after the failed attack at the inn.

A third, proposed by the security group, suggested moving into the Qi family's villa for security reasons, but they were also open to living in the city, provided everyone lived together to reduce security pressure.

The fourth, proposed by Zhang Weixin and supported by Wang Xiaojun, suggested that everyone live in different places based on their roles. He even suggested leaving a few people at Yuxu Palace as liaisons to communicate with Daoist Yuxuzi or Qingchen when needed.

Each of these proposals had its pros and cons, and none could cover all aspects. However, most attendees supported Zhang Weixin's proposal, as it did not conflict with the trade and technology groups' needs and could accommodate both. The security group, however, was less supportive, as living in different places would increase security challenges.

After careful discussion, a vote was held, and Zhang Weixin's proposal was adopted with the majority's support. The move was set for the 2nd of the twelfth month, and living arrangements were based on each person's responsibilities.

For now, the trade group would be based in the city, while the technology group, logistics group, and archive room would be based at the villa outside the city. The majority of modern supplies would be stored at the villa, with only essential security supplies kept in the city.

The security group's nine members were divided into two teams. Three would be based in the city, including Qian Yuanshan, Cheng Fei, and Wu Peng, with Qian Yuanshan as the team leader. The remaining six would be based at the villa, including Zeng Zhilin, Tang Chao, Yang Xin, and Mutel, with Zeng Zhilin as the team leader. Xu Shaoguo would remain the overall leader, based at the villa, while Wang Feng would serve as a mobile force, primarily based in the city, providing protection when team members traveled between the city and the villa.

The medical team would be based at the villa, with Dr. Lin making regular visits to the city. The finance, external affairs, and audit groups, needing to travel frequently between the city and the villa, would have accommodations in both places. Zhang Weixin's suggestion to leave liaisons at Yuxu Palace was put on hold, as the team would be stretched thin with the upcoming work.

Faced with this decision, Xu Shaoguo, as the head of the security group, did not argue further but expressed his reservations. He promised that the security group would do its best to fulfill the team's tasks.

The other attendees understood the security group's concerns and pledged to fully cooperate with security measures, not adding to their burden.

After the meeting, the committee had a separate discussion with the main members of the security group. Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin encouraged Xu Shaoguo and the others, expressing their confidence in the security group's capabilities and promising priority resource allocation to help them expand their team and build a more robust security system. They also promised to prioritize support for the technology group's weapons development to enhance the security group's strength.

Faced with such favorable conditions, Xu Shaoguo could not argue further and reaffirmed the security group's commitment. He then returned to his room with Qian Yuanshan and Zeng Zhilin to focus on developing the security plan.

After seeing off the security group members, Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin went their separate ways. Wang Xiaojun went to inform Daoist Yuxuzi of the news, while Zhang Weixin notified the Qi family's messenger of the decision and wished Mr. Qi a safe journey.

The next day, Wang Xiaojun visited Mr. Zhong's home to inform him of the news and to borrow several carts to help transport their luggage, especially the gold and silver. Mr. Zhong readily agreed and offered to send his son, Zhong Shiwén, to help a day in advance. Wang Xiaojun thanked him and returned to Yuxu Palace to prepare for the move.