: Little Li Guang's First Meeting with Timely Rain; Hua Baoyan's Fate is Destined

Hua Rong hesitated for a moment. After all, women had a low status in ancient times, and the patriarchal system was extremely prevalent. When guests came, it was rare for them to eat at the same table with distinguished guests, unless they were high-ranking officials or elders, which was extremely rare! Hua Rong was no exception to this custom, otherwise Song Jiang would not have been able to marry his sister to Qin Ming, a man with whom he had no relationship and who was cold-hearted, with just a word!

Song Jiang naturally knew this, but he was unwilling to follow these outdated customs from ancient times. At least in his case, such a situation was unacceptable. Deeply influenced by the teachings of later generations, he remembered the great man's words: "Women can hold up half the sky!"

What Song Jiang didn't know was that his respect for women would garner him a lot of support during his later struggle for power. In particular, when he wanted to abolish the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and liberate women's status, many women were moved to tears, knowing that they would no longer suffer unequal treatment!

Seeing Song Jiang's insistence, Hua Rong no longer hesitated and invited Cui Shi and Hua Baoyan to eat at the same table!

Cui was a typical woman who followed the "three obediences and four virtues," and she basically listened to Hua Rong's words without question. So she sat down at the table with Hua Baoyan.

However, Cui remained silent at the dinner table, only slowly serving food to Hua Rong and occasionally eating a little herself, spending most of the time watching Hua Rong.

On the contrary, Hua Baoyan, young and carefree, was like a little lark, filling the dinner table with laughter. Occasionally, when Song Jiang said something, she would ask questions if she didn't understand, which made Hua Rong want to reprimand her several times, but Song Jiang stopped her with a smile!

Although Song Jiang wasn't a master chef, he did have some knowledge of cooking. His skills made Hua Baoyan's eyes light up, and she couldn't stop eating!

Hua Rong was quite helpless. This younger sister was good in every way, but sometimes she was too lively and had nothing to do with being well-mannered and knowledgeable. He also blamed himself for spoiling her too much!

Hua Rong took a sip of the cheap wine, then excitedly said to Song Jiang, "Brother, I've come with good news! A few days ago, the imperial court appointed me as the magistrate of Qingfeng Village in Qingzhou. I'll be taking office in half a month. I had some free time today to visit you, brother, because I'll be heading to Qingzhou to assume my post in a few days!"

Song Jiang felt a little regretful. He had originally wanted Hua Rong to come with him to Liangshan, but Hua Rong had already become the magistrate of Qingfeng Village. If he were to bring Hua Rong to Liangshan with him, Hua Rong would definitely bring his wife and sister with him!

But could I really be so selfish? Hua Rong is different from Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and the three Ruan brothers. He has a family, ambitions, and now he has a public office. If I let Hua Rong come to the mountain for my own selfish desires, the Liangshan Mountain is currently empty of people, money, and resources. In fact, it would be a waste of Hua Rong's talents!

Moreover, Qingzhou is an important part of my future plans. Now that Hua Rong has gone to Qingfeng Village, I have a trusted confidant in Qingzhou. If I want to take over Qingzhou, it will be a piece of cake!

Amidst a multitude of thoughts, nothing beats the sip of wine in his cup at this moment. Song Jiang laughed and said, "Fourth Brother, let's toast your brother Hua Rong together. This cup of wine is not only to honor our brotherhood, but also to celebrate his bringing glory to his ancestors. The bandits in Qingzhou are a serious problem; if he goes there, he will surely wipe out the bandits and bring blessings to the people!"

Song Qing quickly stood up, raised his glass to Hua Rong, and Hua Rong also quickly stood up!

In fact, just before Hua Rong spoke, he sensed that Song Jiang had something to say to him, but when he mentioned that he was about to take up the post of magistrate of Qingfeng, Song Jiang seemed to swallow his words back down!

Hua Rong found it strange, but Song Jiang neither said anything nor asked, which showed his trust. He knew that Song Jiang must have his own reasons.

The three of them downed their drinks and sat back down in their chairs!

At this moment, Hua Baoyan was enjoying a plate of roast chicken, which made Hua Rong laugh helplessly.

Song Jiang smiled and shook his head. The meal gradually became more enjoyable in a peaceful and joyful atmosphere.

After the meal, Song Qing served tea and cleared away the bowls. Only Song Jiang, Hua Rong, and Hua Baoyan remained in the hall.

Hua Baoyan couldn't sit still and kept pestering Hua Rong to teach her archery!

Hua Rong scolded sternly, "Show some restraint in your brother's house! You have no manners at all! What kind of behavior is this!"

Hua Baoyan looked at Hua Rong pitifully, but Hua Rong wasn't buying it at all!

Hua Baoyan then looked at Song Jiang with a wronged expression and said, "Brother Gongming, my brother won't practice archery with me, so why don't you practice martial arts with me instead!"

Song Jiang quickly waved his hand and laughed, "In terms of martial arts, I'm far inferior to your brother, and I'm no match for you either. But in chess, you're no match for me!"

Hua Baoyan said speechlessly, "Playing chess is too difficult, and I have no interest in it! I'd rather practice my marksmanship!"

Song Jiang chuckled and said, "I have a new method that's both easy and fun. Want to try it?"

To put it bluntly, Hua Baoyan was just a young girl. As soon as she heard about a fun way to play, she couldn't wait to try it out. Even Hua Rong was aroused!

Setting up the chessboard, Song Jiang picked up a black piece and casually placed it on the board, explaining, "This is called Gomoku. The first player to form a line of five pieces, whether horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or sideways, wins. Black moves first, and the other player, holding white, tries to block."

After hearing what Hua Rong and his sister said, they were amazed and Hua Baoyan immediately wanted to give it a try!

Compared to Go, Gomoku is simpler to learn and more fun.

Of course, Go is also quite fun, but it is difficult to learn. It takes several years to become good at it, and very few people can master it. As a result, there are not many people who play Go.

However, Go, as a national treasure, is the essence of traditional Chinese culture and its value is immeasurable. It deserves to be protected and respected by everyone.

Hua Baoyan had never played Gomoku before, and she kept making mistakes, often missing pieces or gaps in her defense. In just a few rounds, she was completely overwhelmed by Song Jiang.

Hua Baoyan was not convinced and played a few more rounds with Song Jiang. Although the result was still not satisfactory, it was still a great improvement over the beginning!

Looking at her own four pieces, and then at Song Jiang's smiling five pieces lined up together, Hua Baoyan said angrily, "I'm not playing with Brother Gongming anymore!"

Hua Rong also became interested. After watching a few rounds, he felt he could play too, so the brother and sister started playing!

Song Jiang brewed a pot of tea and watched the brother and sister play chess while drinking it. Occasionally, he would offer some pointers. The rare peaceful and leisurely time passed quietly in this joyful atmosphere!

Looking at Hua Baoyan's smiling and innocent face, Song Jiang didn't have many thoughts. He just sighed inwardly and said, "In this life, I will no longer decide your fate. I hope you and your brother can both be happy!"

Dinner was once again cooked by Song Jiang himself, and Song Taigong also returned. This harmonious life was the first time since Song Jiang transmigrated that he had completely let go of his heart and integrated into this group. He didn't know if such moments would be common in the future!

But Song Jiang believed that he would cherish this kind of family and friendship even more, and that there would be more and more people around him. No matter how difficult things might be in the future, he would persevere!

That night, Hua Rong quietly went to Song Jiang's room. Don't misunderstand, based on Hua Rong's understanding of Song Jiang, he knew that Song Jiang definitely had something to say to him today, but he held back a bit. Hua Rong knew that Song Jiang must have something important to discuss, but with his sister and wife present, Song Jiang might not be able to speak freely. So after settling his wife in, Hua Rong immediately went to Song Jiang's room!

"Brother!" Hua Rong said as he entered the room.

With his back to Hua Rong, Song Jiang had a faint smile on his face. He knew Hua Rong would come. As the saying goes, concern makes one confused; otherwise, Hua Rong wouldn't have been tricked by Huang Xin and Liu Gao because of Song Jiang!

"Brother, why aren't you resting yet?" Song Jiang said with a smile.

"Brother, we've been brothers for so many years, how could you possibly hide anything from me? Today, when you heard I was going to become the magistrate of Qingfeng Village, there was a hint of disappointment on your face, though it quickly disappeared. But I believe I can't be wrong!"

Song Jiang wasn't deliberately trying to hide it from Hua Rong; he knew that if he told Hua Rong, Hua Rong would definitely come to Liangshan with him, but he didn't want Hua Rong to give up his ideals and ambitions! However, Song Jiang was also unwilling to hide it from Hua Rong any longer. After some hesitation, he told Hua Rong about his plan to use Liangshan as a base to develop his own power! Of course, this was only because of Hua Rong; he wouldn't have been able to tell anyone else so frankly!

Hua Rong was stunned for a moment, then said incredulously, "Brother, you want to start a rebellion? Isn't that a bit too crazy?" His words were always shocking; if it were any other two people you knew, and one said they wanted to rebel, the other would either think he was joking or that he had lost his mind and was talking nonsense!

Although Hua Rong didn't necessarily think Song Jiang had lost his mind, seeing Song Jiang telling him this so seriously made it hard for him to accept the idea for a moment!

Song Jiang didn't say anything, he just smiled and looked at Hua Rong!

After a long silence, Hua Rong shook his head, clearing his mind of his troubled thoughts, and whispered, "Brother, is what you say true?"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "But we can't rush it. We have to eat one bite at a time and do one thing at a time!"

Hua Rong's expression hardened, and he said in a low voice, "I'll join my brother in the uprising; I'd rather not be the magistrate!"

Seeing Hua Rong's solemn expression, Song Jiang knew he wasn't joking.

However, Song Jiang calmly replied, "No!"

Hua Rong was somewhat surprised, but then she realized that her brother must have seen that she had a family and didn't want her to get involved, so as not to implicate her.

Song Jiang, unaware of Hua Rong's thoughts, earnestly said to Hua Rong, "Brother, you already have a family. Don't get involved in this mess again!"

Hua Rong said urgently, "Brother, what are you saying? Are you looking down on me, Hua Rong?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Brother Hua Rong, our friendship is based on mutual respect. How could I not know your thoughts? It's just that the path I've chosen is one of no return, and may even lead to utter ruin. Besides, you have more important things to do!"

Hua Rong asked doubtfully, "Could you explain something more clearly, brother?"

Song Jiang took out paper and pen and drew a simple map. Pointing to the map, he said, "Qingzhou has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists. The surrounding area is mostly mountainous and forested. Controlling Qingzhou allows us to attack, defend, and retreat as we wish. Currently, the prefect is Murong Yanda. If we control Qingzhou, our chances of success in the future will undoubtedly be greatly increased!"

Hua Rong looked down at the picture and fell into deep thought!

Song Jiang added, "With my worthy brother in Qingzhou, I am confident that within three years, Qingzhou will surely be ours!"

Hua Rong asked solemnly, "What does brother need me to do?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "The position of magistrate is truly beneath my brother, but haste makes waste. I will strive to get you into the top ranks of military officers in Qingzhou Prefecture within a year, and then gradually replace you with our people, thus sidelining Murong Yanda. However, we cannot be too hasty. We can proceed slowly, bide our time, and lie low!"

Hua Rong's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "I will certainly live up to your expectations, brother!"