A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Zhao Daxuan and Li Shishi were sunbathing and eating snacks in the yard.

Winter is fast approaching, and the autumn winds have been blowing for quite some time now.

The temperature had dropped considerably by then, and even wearing two layers of thermal underwear, there was still a slight chill in the air. Sunbathing became a popular pastime for many people.

Zhao Daxuan went out early in the morning and brought back a box of desserts from Heji Peach Crisp Shop. He inquired about it and found that this shop was a well-established brand in Zhenbei City.

"Wow, husband, sister, you must try this peach shortbread! It's just as good as the ones in the capital!"

Li Weiwei held a half-eaten peach shortbread in her hand, her eyes shining.

Li Shishi picked up a piece and tried it, then squinted her eyes to savor the fragrant and crispy peach shortbread bursting on her taste buds.

"Yes, the flavor is slightly different, but not by much. Husband, you should try it!"

Zhao Daxuan casually picked up a piece and tasted it. It was alright, but it was still a bit inferior to the pastries from his previous life.

But at least it's considered quite good here, and it's worth the one or two taels of silver he spent on this box.

Just as Zhao Daxuan and his companions were savoring the pastries from Heji Peach Crisp Shop, the Zhao family's door was knocked on again.

A young man's voice rang out from outside the door: "Xuanzi, Xuanzi, are you there?"

As Zhao Daxuan listened to that familiar yet unfamiliar voice, a figure appeared in his mind: Li Tiezhu, the fourth son of the Li family!

I used to live in this alley too. I grew up with my predecessor. A couple of years ago, after working as a waiter at Bafang Restaurant and getting married, I moved out and rented a place to live on my own.

Whenever his predecessor ran out of money to buy medicine and went hungry, it was Li Laosi who helped him out.

Although it only allowed him to barely fill his stomach, Li Laosi himself was not well-off. If it weren't for Li Tiezhu's relief, he might have starved to death long ago.

Upon opening the door, a bright-eyed young man stood outside – it was indeed Li Laosi!

Looking at the person before him, Zhao Daxuan instinctively felt a sense of closeness: "Tiezhu, what brings you here?"

Li Tiezhu was startled when he saw the burly Zhao Daxuan in front of him. Pointing at him uncertainly, he asked, "You, you're Zhao Daxuan?"

Zhao Daxuan chuckled and said, "Who else could it be but me? Come in and talk."

After saying that, he stepped aside to let Li Tiezhu in. As Li Tiezhu entered, he looked Zhao Daxuan up and down.

"You've changed so much in just over a month!"

Zhao Daxuan chuckled and said, "It's a long story, we'll talk about it another time. What brings you here today? You're always so busy."

After staring at Zhao Daxuan for a while, Li Tiezhu shifted his suspicious gaze away from him.

"I came here because I heard something at the restaurant... um..."

Just as he was about to reveal the purpose of his visit, he was stunned by two identical, stunningly beautiful figures in the courtyard.

Li Tiezhu pointed at the two women and looked at Zhao Daxuan, stammering, "They...they..."

Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly, walked over and put his arms around Li Shishi and her sister, looking at Li Tiezhu smugly and saying, "They're my wives, quickly call them sister-in-law!"

He then introduced him to Li Shishi and her sister, saying, "This is my childhood friend; you can just call him Brother Zhu."

Li Shishi and her sister smiled and slowly bowed to Li Tiezhu, saying, "Greetings, Brother Zhu!"

Li Tiezhu was immediately flustered by the two sisters' bowing, and with a flushed face, he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No need to be so polite, no need to be so polite."

Zhao Daxuan gestured for Li Tiezhu to sit down, handed him a peach shortbread, and said with a smile, "Try it and see how it tastes, then continue telling me what you heard at the restaurant."

Li Tiezhu took the peach shortbread and stared wide-eyed at the large "Heji" characters on the box next to him.

"These are peach shortbreads from Heji Peach Shortbread Shop? Really? You've struck it rich, kid? You actually managed to buy them?"

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's just a few peach shortbreads, not worth much. You should try them."

Li Tiezhu took a bite of the peach shortbread in his hand with some skepticism. It was crispy, delicious, and had an irresistible aroma. It was indeed Heji's peach shortbread.

He once picked up a small piece of Heji peach shortbread that a customer had left behind while he was cleaning tables at a restaurant. He still remembers the taste to this day, and it is exactly the same as the piece in his hand.

Li Tiezhu finished the peach shortbread in his hand in small bites, and looking at the box still full of peach shortbread, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Zhao Daxuan chuckled and handed over two more pieces, saying, "Eat more if you like, there will be more after you finish these!"

Li Tiezhu awkwardly accepted it, then carefully wrapped it up in a handkerchief from his pocket and put it inside.

After chuckling twice, he said, "I won't stand on ceremony with you, kid. I'll take these two pieces back for my wife and son to try."

"Let's get down to business first. I heard at the restaurant that you actually made a pledge to kill a hundred bandits in the Liangshan Mountains! Is that true?"

Zhao Daxuan nodded calmly and said, "It is true. I didn't expect it to spread so quickly that even you know about it."

Li Tiezhu immediately became anxious: "Do you even know how strong the bandits in the Liangshan Mountains are! They have over two hundred men, not to mention they have the advantage of terrain!"

"What are you going to use to kill those hundred bandits? Are you out of your mind?"

Seeing Li Tiezhu's anxious expression, Zhao Daxuan was moved.

But he could only reassure them, "As you can see, I am no longer the same as before. Taking down a mere hundred bandits is a piece of cake. Just wait for my good news."

"Xuanzi, you'd better not go. Go back and plead with Shangguan on your behalf..."

Seeing that Li Tiezhu still wanted to dissuade him, Zhao Daxuan could only stop him and said helplessly, "The military order has already been signed, how can we just back out like this?"

"Alright, alright, I'm confident in my abilities. Is there anything else besides this?"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Li Tiezhu sighed helplessly and could only pray for Zhao Daxuan in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Li Tiezhu spoke again: "Indeed, there is another matter, which also concerns the military pledge you made."

"I heard that the biggest casino in town, Jubao Casino, has opened a betting platform for your completion of this military order."

Zhao Daxuan looked interested upon hearing this and said, "Tell me in detail, what are the odds and betting lines?"

Li Tiezhu shook his head and smiled wryly, "You actually still have the mind to care about this? I don't know the specifics, but I heard that the odds of betting on you to fulfill your military order are very high, a full 1 to 50!"

"These are extremely rare odds, meaning the bookmakers don't believe you can succeed at all; everyone knows it's a dead end!"

Zhao Daxuan burst into laughter upon hearing this: "Interesting, very interesting! I didn't expect someone to be so eager to give me money. If I don't accept this money, even God wouldn't stand for it!"

Having said that, he looked at Li Tiezhu and said, "There's no time to lose. Lead the way, let's go to Jubao Fang now!"

Li Tiezhu was taken aback and said, "Xuanzi, what are you going to do? We can't afford to mess with Jubao Fang!"

Zhao Daxuan laughed and said, "Don't worry, we're just going to place a bet this time. They'll be more than happy to welcome us!"