Chapter 288 - 286: Arrangements

Chapter 288: Chapter 286: Arrangements

Li Xiu packed the prepared meal into a basket and brought it to the garden residence. Seeing Zhou Lian and Liu Shengnan chatting happily inside, Li Xiu smiled faintly. "Bao’er," he said softly, "you and our sister-in-law go wash up and eat. You can talk more this afternoon."

Seeing Li Xiu personally bring them their food, Liu Shengnan said, a little embarrassed, "Sorry to trouble you, brother-in-law. I can just eat in the main courtyard, this isn’t necessary!"

"It’s nothing. This is a special situation, so don’t think about anything else and just focus on taking good care of yourself. Didn’t Ping’an tell you not to stand on ceremony with us?" Zhou Lian said casually.

Liu Shengnan recalled what her husband had said and smiled awkwardly. ’As if I could actually listen to what he said!’

Glancing at Liu Shengnan, Li Xiu gently took the food out of the basket and set it on the table. He smiled and said, "That boy definitely told you. Sister-in-law, just do as he says. He’s never been one to stand on ceremony with me or his sister!"

Watching Zhou Lian and Liu Shengnan return after washing up, Li Xiu said gently to Zhou Lian, "Bao’er, accompany our sister-in-law and get some rest this afternoon before you continue chatting. I have things to do, so I won’t be back. If you get bored, you can take her for a walk in the garden. I’ve already made all the arrangements."

Smiling at Li Xiu, Zhou Lian said softly, "I understand. Go on and get to your work. I have everything under control."

Gently stroking Zhou Lian’s hair, Li Xiu left with the empty basket. In the garden, he ran into two former soldiers who were surveying the surroundings and smilingly called them over to eat.

The younger family members returned from school. Mr. and Mrs. Zhou noticed the two strangers, but seeing that Li Xiu offered no explanation, they acted as if they hadn’t seen them. After lunch, the students went back to their classes.

Li Xiu sighed and said to the two former soldiers, "I’m going to sort out the weapons. One of you guard the residence, and the other wait here for Dongfang to bring the men over. I’ll try to be back as soon as I can."

After watching the two men nod in agreement, Li Xiu drove straight to the Imperial Palace to find Secretary Sun, got an authorization slip from him, and then headed straight for a military base in the suburb of Beijing to find Wang Song.

Staring at the authorization slip in his hand, Wang Song looked at Li Xiu in shock and whispered, "Bro, what are you planning? This is a huge setup."

"Don’t ask, don’t snoop. Just find a way to get me the items discreetly. The faster, the better!" Knowing he was worried, Li Xiu said sternly.

Looking at the signature and official seal on the slip, Wang Song thought for a moment and said, "Bro, don’t worry about it. You go on back now. I’ll personally deliver them to you tonight. Rest assured, this stops with me."

Nodding, Li Xiu left quickly. He only breathed a sigh of relief after starting the car, lightly tapping the steering wheel. ’The weapons are taken care of, but now there’s the issue of room and board for these twenty men. Housing is easy enough; the outer wing of the courtyard house could fit another twenty people. But the food... Sister Fang is already exhausted taking care of our big family. Adding twenty more men... No, I’ll have to find another person.’

He was originally heading toward the Imperial Palace, but Li Xiu turned and drove to the north side of the city instead, toward the military base where the Sun family’s eldest grandson was stationed.

Sun Chengdong was stunned for a moment when Li Xiu walked in, but he quickly broke into a smile. "Young Uncle, what brings you here to see me!"

Li Xiu gave him an appreciative smile and said softly, "Everyone at home misses you. I was in the neighborhood for some business and thought I’d drop by."

As the two walked side-by-side on a small path next to the training grounds, Sun Chengdong asked in a low voice, "Young Uncle, if there’s something on your mind, just say it."

"Do you have any trustworthy soldiers under you who know how to cook?" Li Xiu glanced at him and asked quietly.

"I do. There are two from the cooking staff."

"Can you assign them to me?"

Giving Li Xiu a shocked look, Sun Chengdong asked in a hushed tone, "Young Uncle, what are you planning? You can’t just transfer soldiers on a whim!"

Li Xiu shot him a glare and said in a low voice, "These are special times. Can you keep this confidential?"

"Transferring two cooks is no problem, and confidentiality is no problem either. But, Young Uncle, what are you up to? If my dad finds out, he’ll kill me!"

Li Xiu glanced at him with a smile and said softly, "Don’t worry, he won’t. If he finds out, just tell him I was the one who needed them. He’ll understand."

Hearing this, Sun Chengdong’s curiosity vanished. ’My dad knows what Young Uncle Li gets up to. I’d better not get involved. They’re all old foxes, and I’m not in their league yet!’ He thought for a moment, then asked, "Young Uncle, when do you need them?"

"The sooner, the better! Can I take them now?"

Sun Chengdong sighed deeply and said helplessly, "Young Uncle, you head back first. I’ll bring the men to you after training is over. Don’t worry, no one will know about this. I won’t mess up your plans."

"Alright. I still have to make a trip to the Imperial Palace. Bring them yourself; I have something else to discuss with you." Li Xiu checked the time and, with that, left immediately.

Arriving at the Ping family’s residence in the Imperial Palace compound, Li Xiu saw the Eldest Young Master and the Eldest Young Madam were both waiting. He smiled and said, "My apologies for keeping you, Eldest Young Master, Eldest Young Madam. I was delayed by a trip to the suburb of Beijing."

"Jin Chen, you’re here! Come, sit down. Why are you still calling them ’Young Master’ and ’Young Madam’? Didn’t we tell you to call them Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law?" Mrs. Ping said, taking off her reading glasses and looking at Li Xiu with a chiding expression.

"Yes, yes, my mistake. Aunt Zhou, would you like to come see our sister-in-law as well?" Li Xiu said to Mrs. Ping with an apologetic smile.

Staring at Li Xiu, Mrs. Ping said with excitement, "May I? Would it be too much trouble?" She knew the current situation. Her younger daughter-in-law’s safe return to the Capital City was all Li Xiu’s doing. She longed to see her, but...

"It’s no trouble. You can visit her anytime in the future, too. I’ll just have to come and pick you up," Li Xiu said casually. Now that she was in the Capital City, in his territory, he had made so many preparations. ’I’d like to see who dares to make a move!’

The Eldest Young Madam stood up, helped Mrs. Ping to her feet, and said urgently, "Mom, let’s go now, then!"

"Yes, let’s go, let’s go!" Mrs. Ping said, just as eager.

Li Xiu and the Eldest Young Master carried their luggage to the car. They then gently helped Mrs. Ping and the Eldest Young Madam get in. The Eldest Young Master took the front passenger seat, and the car started up immediately.

Driving straight to the garden residence, Li Xiu got out and saw that Wang Dongfang had already delivered the men. Two team leaders were organizing them. After nodding to them, Li Xiu opened the car door, helped Mrs. Ping out, and escorted her directly toward the room.

Opening the door and seeing who was there, Zhou Lian smiled and turned back. "Shengnan, look who’s here!"

"Mom, Big Sister-in-law, Big Brother!" Hearing Zhou Lian, Liu Shengnan craned her neck to look at the doorway. Seeing the people there, she cried out their names excitedly.

After a few pleasantries, the Eldest Young Master and Li Xiu withdrew from the room. The two strolled into the garden. Staring at the twenty-some young men standing ramrod straight in the distance, the Eldest Young Master looked at Li Xiu in shock. ’What is he planning to do?’

"Big Brother, you’re well aware of the current situation in the Capital City. The winds are rising, heralding the coming storm. Our sister-in-law is on my territory now, so I must ensure the safety of her and her child. What’s more, you and Big Sister-in-law will also be staying here. It’s better to be prepared than to try and fix things after they’ve already happened," Li Xiu said nonchalantly.