Upon realizing the situation, Zhang Fang felt a heavy heart.
Zhang San Shao was so exhausted that he couldn’t move anymore; his legs gave way, and he started to fall backward. The housekeeper behind him couldn’t hold him back, and the two ended up tumbling down together. Zhang Fang and Wang Zhuang hurriedly stepped forward to stabilize them.
In the commotion, Zhang San Shao’s black hood fell off. Turning to look behind him, his face showed a mix of shock and joy.
“Woo woo!” It was Fifth Brother!
Zhang Fang gestured for Wang Zhuang to untie Zhang Da Shao and the others’ hoods and cloth strips.
When Zhang Da Shao and the others turned around and saw Zhang Fang, they were equally surprised.
“Fifth Brother! What in the world is happening?” Zhang Da Shao, who had gone a whole day without food, asked Zhang Fang feebly, his tone devoid of blame, purely confused.
Zhang Er Shao and Zhang Si Shao, seeing that everyone present was on their side and not their kidnappers, boldly ordered the housekeepers to untie their ropes.
When they had gotten out of the carriage before, the ropes around their feet had been cut, leaving only their hands bound. With an air of superiority, Zhang Er Shao threatened the housekeepers, “Why aren’t you untying me yet? You’ll definitely pay for this later!”
The housekeepers looked to Zhang Fang but did not immediately move to untie Zhang Da Shao and the others.
“What are you waiting for? Do you want to be expelled from the Zhang family?” Zhang Er Shao scolded them fiercely.
Zhang Si Shao felt nauseous and hurried to the side to vomit.
Zhang San Shao cheerfully asked Zhang Fang, “Fifth Brother, are you planning to give us a surprise? This method of surprise is quite unique.”
Looking around, Zhang Da Shao noticed that the sun had already set, and the narrow mountain path was surrounded by cliffs. It felt as though they had fallen into the mouth of a massive beast. Uncomfortably, Zhang Da Shao asked Zhang Fang, “Fifth Brother, where is this? It’s getting dark; we should hurry back! Stop joking around with us!”
“I’m not joking around. I plan to help my brothers turn over a new leaf! Starting today, we’ll quit indulging in lust, gambling, drinking, and overeating. Together, we’ll strive to become good young men!” Zhang Fang stated very seriously, looking nothing like someone who was joking.
“No way!” After vomiting, Zhang Si Shao looked at Zhang Fang in shock.
Zhang Fang nodded earnestly.
Zhang Da Shao: !!!
Zhang Er Shao: !!!
Zhang San Shao: !!!
Zhang Si Shao: !!!
Their obedient younger brother had suddenly become so frightening!
“Fifth Brother, these are all our hobbies, and yours too. Can you really give them up?” Zhang Si Shao expressed his disbelief, not understanding why Zhang Fang had changed so abruptly.
“As long as we are resolute in our hearts, we will definitely be able to quit! We must believe in ourselves!” Zhang Fang encouraged them seriously.
“Fifth Brother, quit joking! Let’s get home quickly!” Zhang Er Shao looked at Zhang Fang speechlessly, feeling as if he were dreaming, unable to believe it.
“I’m not joking. I mentioned yesterday that I will take good care of my brothers from now on. So during this time, I will help my brothers quit these bad habits. We five brothers will share joy and sorrow in the future!” Zhang Fang hugged Zhang San Shao and then embraced Zhang Er Shao and Zhang Da Shao.
Zhang Si Shao had already opened his arms, waiting for Zhang Fang to hug him, but upon seeing the vomit on his clothes, Zhang Fang didn’t go over.
The feeling was too terrifying; Zhang Da Shao felt a sense of unease and asked Zhang Fang, “Fifth Brother, is this what Father wants? Or is it your own idea?”
“This is my own idea. Father is getting old, and if we continue to act as we did before, the Zhang family will surely decline because of us. We’ve grown up and should start to take on Father’s burdens and share his worries,” Zhang Fang said with certainty, making it hard to refute.
“It’s getting late; if we don’t keep going, we might not reach our destination before it gets dark. We don’t know if there are wild beasts in this mountain, and spending the night here would surely be unsafe,” Zhang Fang said, instructing Wang Zhuang to lead the way in front.
Zhang Da Shao and the others wore expressions of incredulity, feeling helpless against Zhang Fang, and could only walk along with him. After all, it was getting dark, and staying overnight in the deep mountains wasn’t safe!
“Fifth Brother, at least untie us! We are your real brothers! How can you let people tie us up?” Zhang Si Shao said, looking pained and unable to accept how they were being treated.
Zhang Fang directed Wang Zhuang to untie their ropes.
Once freed, Zhang Da Shao and the others quickly rushed forward to stop Zhang Fang, demanding, “Did Father tell you to do this?”
Zhang Fang nodded. Zhang Lao Ye had always hoped that his sons could quit their bad habits and start anew.
Zhang Er Shao began to persuade him, saying, “Fifth Brother, you’re just being naive! You can listen to what Father says but don’t take it seriously! Quitting sex, drugs, and alcohol isn’t easy at all! You yourself are involved in all these things and know better than anyone how hard it is to quit.”
“Even if it’s difficult, we still have to quit,” Zhang Fang said firmly, not allowing any objections as he walked forward.
Feeling frustrated, Zhang Er Shao tugged at his hair and turned to Zhang Da Shao, asking, “What happened to Fifth Brother? Why the sudden change? Isn’t this just tormenting us?”
Zhang Da Shao glanced helplessly at Zhang Fang and whispered, “Let’s see what Fifth Brother wants to do since we’re already here.”
In fact, Zhang Da Shao also knew that being infatuated with women was bad, but he couldn’t control himself from indulging. Zhang Lao Ye had once locked them in a room to force them to quit their bad habits, and it hadn’t worked. Zhang Da Shao didn’t believe that Zhang Fang bringing them to this place would successfully help them quit. Compared to them, Zhang Fang had even more bad habits. Zhang Da Shao felt if Zhang Fang couldn’t quit these bad habits himself, how could he expect them to be successful?
Adopting a mindset of just making the trip, Zhang Da Shao reassured his other brothers to follow Zhang Fang’s lead as if they were just here to have fun for a while.
After dark, the deep mountain became pitch black, making it hard to see the path. If it weren’t for Zhang Fang carrying a luminous pearl, it would have been challenging to move.
Even though they were exhausted, Zhang Da Shao and the others had to keep pressing forward. They didn’t want to spend the night in this deep forest!
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments