Chapter 99

As the carriage attendant shouted, the swaying carriage finally came to a stop. Although Zheng Zhwei could not see the outside situation, he judged from the sounds that they had arrived at their destination. Soon, Zhang Xiaofei's voice was heard outside: "We're home, you two lovebirds, get out of the carriage." Then, the curtain was lifted, and Zhang Xiaofei stood by the carriage with a smile, beckoning the couple to get out.

Zheng Zhwei took his wife's hand and got out of the carriage one after the other. He stretched his arms and legs, which had become numb from the long ride, and looked up at the side of the carriage. He saw a grand gateway, with the two powerful characters "Qingyuan" written on the plaque above it. A thick black gate was already open, revealing two rows of welcoming servants on either side, dressed in the attire of the household staff.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaofei had already walked to Zheng Zhwei and his wife, saying, "This is the 'Qingyuan' I told you about. How impressive is it? Now you believe your sister didn't lie to you, right?"

Zheng Zhwei was at a loss for words, still feeling conflicted. However, his wife Liu Jie could not contain her excitement and said, "It's impressive, very impressive. Little sister knew that what big sister said was true, and she would never lie to us."

As the sisters were talking, the steward Deng An ran out from inside the gate, bowed, and said, "I greet the Fifth Lady, the Twenty-fifth Master, the Twenty-seventh Master, and the Twenty-ninth Master."

Zhang Xiaofei and the others nodded slightly to Deng An, and then Zhang Xiaofei asked, "Steward Deng, are the Fifth Master and the others ready?"

Deng An replied, "Fifth Lady, please rest assured. The Fifth Master and the others are all ready and are waiting in the front courtyard to welcome the two new friends."

Zhang Xiaofei nodded, turned to Zheng Zhwei and his wife, and said, "Let's go in. It's not good to keep them waiting." With that, she led the way.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhwei quickly took his wife's hand and followed Zhang Xiaofei up the steps of the "Qingyuan" gate and into the courtyard. Tang Chao and Wang Feng followed behind.

Inside the gate, the servants and staff, who had been lined up to welcome them, bowed when they saw the Fifth Lady leading two new faces. This sudden gesture startled Liu Jie, who instinctively tightened her grip on Zheng Zhwei's hand. Sensing his wife's unease, Zheng Zhwei held her hand tighter and turned to give her a reassuring smile. Encouraged by her husband, Liu Jie felt more at ease and walked more confidently.

After passing the screen wall, they entered the spacious front courtyard. On the steps of the main house, all the members of the "Qingyuan" community, led by the four committee members, were lined up in several rows, clapping enthusiastically to welcome the new friends. Then, Wang Xiaojun stepped forward, shook hands with Zheng Zhwei, and embraced him warmly, welcoming him and his wife on behalf of the entire team. Subsequently, the other committee members and Xie Tian, who had been assigned to help Zheng Zhwei and his wife integrate into the team, also came forward to shake hands and chat with them.

Wang Xiaojun then introduced the other time travelers who had come to welcome them, as well as several stewards, including Deng An. He also announced to the stewards that from now on, Zheng Zhwei and Liu Jie were their new masters, and all the servants and staff should treat them as they would the old masters. If anyone disrespected them, the Fifth Master would not be lenient.

Deng An and the others bowed and agreed, showing great respect to Zheng Zhwei and his wife. Wang Xiaojun nodded in satisfaction, took Zheng Zhwei's hand, and led them to the middle courtyard, where they were to rest in their assigned quarters. The brothers would hold a welcome banquet for them in the evening. Zheng Zhwei and his wife had no objections and were accompanied by Xie Tian to freshen up and rest. After they left, the committee gathered Tang Chao, Wang Feng, and others who had gone to meet them, to hear a report on the trip to Dama Mountain, focusing on Zheng Zhwei's work experience before the time travel and the impressions of Tang Chao and others.

Tang Chao, the leader of the trip, reported, "According to Zheng Zhwei himself, he worked for the national security agency in Tianjin before the time travel, as an investigator with rich experience. We could feel that he is a person with rich social experience, a very smart mind, and a strong will, or you could say, a person with a lot of integrity. As for his flaws, he is quite suspicious. This time, if it weren't for his wife's insistence, he wouldn't have come to Liangxiang, fearing that we might harm them. However, I think this flaw is exactly what we need. The Fifth Master suggested he join the audit group to help the Second-Eighth Master, and his suspicious nature is well-suited for this job.

As for his wife Liu Jie, there's not much to say. She was just a regular salesperson, a typical urban blue-collar worker. She likes a comfortable and peaceful life, which is why she insisted on coming to Liangxiang despite her husband's concerns. After all, while they could get by at Yuching Temple, the living conditions there are far inferior to those at 'Qingyuan.'"

Tang Chao's introduction gave the committee, especially Wang Xiaojun, a clear understanding, and they became more confident about having Zheng Zhwei join the audit group. As for Liu Jie's work arrangement, it was simpler. The committee decided to have her join the trade group, starting with some internal administrative work, and adjust her role as the business developed. Of course, these decisions were just the committee's ideas, and they would ultimately seek Zheng Zhwei and his wife's opinions to show respect for them.

In the evening, as the lamps were lit, the banquet began, and the brothers drank and toasted each other with great enthusiasm. The four committee members raised their glasses to Zheng Zhwei, and Xie Tian, who had a mission, frequently urged him to drink and served them food and drinks. The warmth and sincerity of the "Qingyuan" brothers deeply moved Zheng Zhwei and his wife, and Zheng Zhwei's unease gradually dissipated. Gradually, he relaxed and began toasting the brothers, drinking almost every glass offered to him, earning the admiration of everyone present, who praised him as a true man.

The banquet lasted nearly two hours and ended at the beginning of the tenth hour. Many were drunk and had to be helped back to their quarters by the servants. Zheng Zhwei, who had drunk the most, showed little sign of intoxication, indicating his great capacity for alcohol. Even Xie Tian, known for his drinking prowess, admitted defeat, saying he had finally met a true master after so many years of drinking. Since they were both new to the team, Zheng Zhwei and Xie Tian naturally felt close. Especially since Xie Tian had the mission of helping the Zhengs integrate into the team, he was even more proactive in his interactions with Zheng Zhwei. After the banquet, the two felt a sense of camaraderie. Zheng Zhwei entrusted his wife to Zhang Xiaofei's care and followed Xie Tian to his quarters, where they talked through the night until dawn, only waking up at noon the next day. After a quick wash, they had a late lunch and were called to a small meeting room for a meeting.

Today's meeting was an expanded committee meeting, so there were many people in the small meeting room. When Xie Tian and Zheng Zhwei entered, the meeting officially began. There were two main topics: the first was to discuss how to arrange Zheng Zhwei and Liu Jie's future work.

The committee had already made a decision on this issue the previous day, and today was to announce it publicly and hear Zheng Zhwei and Liu Jie's opinions. As new members of the team, Zheng Zhwei and Liu Jie had no objections to the arrangement. They felt that they had come to seek refuge and were content with a comfortable and prosperous life. The team's high regard for them was evident from the current arrangement. Although they were not familiar with the specific work, Zheng Zhwei, with his shrewdness, understood the importance of the audit group and the heavy responsibilities of its members.

This trust completely reassured Zheng Zhwei, who had been uneasy about the trip to Liangxiang, and he was deeply moved. He not only had no objections to the committee's decision but also solemnly pledged to do his best and contribute all his energy to the team's development.

The committee and the heads of various functional groups were very appreciative of Zheng Zhwei's commitment. Liang Ziyue warmly welcomed Zheng Zhwei to his group and hoped that the older Zheng Zhwei would provide guidance in his work. Zheng Zhwei modestly declined, saying that they should all learn from each other and make progress together.

After resolving the work arrangements for the new members, the next topic was the move. With the increasing number of team members and the successful completion of the bodyguard squad's training, the long-delayed plan to disperse the living arrangements was finally ready to be implemented.

However, the unexpected merger with the Five Tiger Fort (Feilong Fort) required modifications to the original moving plan. Since the main force stationed at Feilong Fort was the security group, the modifications mainly focused on this part. In the original plan, the city's security was handled by Qian Yuanshan, Cheng Fei, and Wu Peng, with Qian Yuanshan as the group leader. The security outside the city was handled by Zeng Zhilin, Tang Chao, Yang Xin, and Mutel, with Zeng Zhilin as the group leader. Xu Shaowan was in charge of the overall security outside the city, and Wang Feng served as a mobile force. Now, Qian Yuanshan, Zeng Zhilin, Tang Chao, and Mutel had to stay at Feilong Fort, so the security groups inside and outside the city needed to be reorganized, especially with the departure of Qian Yuanshan and Zeng Zhilin, who were the group leaders.

After careful discussion and study by the attendees, it was decided that Wang Feng would be added to the city's security group and appointed as the group leader, responsible for leading and commanding the city's security forces. Yang Xin and Wu Peng would serve as Wang Feng's deputies and be the chief and deputy chief of the "Qingyuan" guard. Xu Shaowan would still be in charge of the overall security outside the city and serve as the group leader of the security group outside the city. Cheng Fei and Huang Hai, who had recently joined the security group, would be assigned to the security group outside the city, serving as Xu Shaowan's deputies and the chief and deputy chief of the "Jingyuan" guard.

Although the security force allocation was completed, this only cleared one obstacle for the move. The actual move was the real challenge. Since more than half of the time travelers had to move outside the city, and they were not moving alone, their personal attendants and servants also had to move with them, the number of people and items to be moved was substantial. The preparations were quite complex. Who and what needed to be moved, how many vehicles and people were required, and which vehicle should be used for a specific person or item all needed to be determined in advance and communicated to the relevant people to avoid confusion during the move. Especially since many items from their previous lives needed to be moved, the time travelers were naturally very cautious.

Such a complex task could not be arranged in a single meeting. After the expanded committee meeting, all attendees, except those responsible for negotiating with the brothel, had to put aside their current work and fully commit to the move preparations, contributing their share to the success of the "move operation."