Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

After leaving the library, Lin Yanzhou didn't go straight back to the villa. He parked his car on the side of the road and glanced at the time: 4:10 PM. It was already more than an hour past the agreed-upon pickup time of 3 PM, but he wasn't in a hurry. After driving around the suburbs twice to make sure he wasn't being followed, he finally headed towards the mining supplies store.

The narrow alley was still the same, the road surface was potholed, and the old buildings on both sides cut very little sunlight. The door panel was a little wider than last time, and you could see someone behind the counter through the gap. Lin Yanzhou drove the car directly to the door—the shop was spacious enough that cars usually drove right in and out.

He pushed open the door and went in. The old man was squatting in the corner packing things. Hearing the car, he turned his head and glanced at him. "The goods are all ready. Four hundred catties of saltpeter and forty catties of sulfur, all over here." He pointed to several tin barrels and burlap sacks stacked at his feet. "The saltpeter was packed in two batches. The ones on the left are completely dry, while the ones on the right have a slightly higher moisture content. You should let them dry for another day before using them."

Lin Yanzhou squatted down, opened a snakeskin bag, grabbed a handful of saltpeter, rubbed it in his hands, and then brought it closer to smell it, confirming that the quality was about the same as the last time he had seen it: "When will the remaining two hundred catties of saltpeter and ten catties of sulfur arrive?"

"About five days." The old man stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "Same as always, I'll let you know when it arrives."

"Okay. Let's finish this batch first. You go get the receipt, I'll pack it myself."

The old man turned and went to the counter in the inner room to retrieve the invoice book, then bent down to rummage through a drawer for a stamp and inkpad. While the old man was out issuing invoices, Lin Yanzhou lightly touched the plain band of the ring with the back of his other hand. With a thought, the pile of tin buckets and snakeskin bags in the corner vanished within seconds. The truck was already covered with an old tarpaulin, making it look like it was loaded with goods—but the moment these goods disappeared from the inventory, they went directly into the ring's internal space.

He turned around, his expression unchanged, as if he had just stretched. The old man, having finished issuing the invoice, returned and glanced at his empty hands. "Finished moving so quickly?"

"All done moving." Lin Yanzhou took the invoice, folded it, and put it into the inner bag. "The quantity is correct."

The old man glanced at the corner—the goods were indeed gone, leaving only a shallow mark on the ground from the metal drum. He then looked at the car parked by the door; the cargo compartment was covered with a tarpaulin, making it impossible to tell what was inside. He looked away: "Alright. Contact me by phone next time."

Lin Yanzhou got into the driver's seat, started the car, and backed out of the shop. In the rearview mirror, the old man was standing at the door, taking pictures of his car with his phone, probably keeping some evidence.

As the car turned out of the alley, it was already getting dark. The light at the alley entrance changed from gray to orange, and the old buildings on both sides cut the sky into a narrow, long, orange-red band.

He didn't rush back to the villa. He drove for more than ten minutes in the suburbs first, making sure no one was following him, before turning around and heading home. There was still plenty of space left in the ring, and the tools and seeds were neatly categorized and stacked in a corner.

It was almost dark when they returned to the villa. Lin Xiaoya was preparing vegetables in the kitchen, while Xiaozhou was writing something at the desk in the living room. The living room light was a warm yellow, just like the night before. Lin Yanzhou stood at the door for a moment, then changed his shoes and came in, hanging up his coat.

"Finished meeting?" Lin Xiaoya asked without turning her head.

"That's all."

"How is it?"

"He kept the seal to make a rubbing, and he'll pick it up next week. This is a great find. Thank you, Xiaoya."

She didn't ask any further questions. Lin Yanzhou walked into the kitchen, stood beside her, and leaned against the edge of the sink, watching her movements.

"I might go out tomorrow, to the same place again."

"Hmm, how many days will you be gone?"

"I can't say for sure, maybe one day, maybe two or three days."

"Shall I go and prepare some clean clothes for you?"

"I don't need it. It'll only take a day or two. Hmm, how about you see me off tonight? What do you say?" Lin Yanzhou said, wrapping his arms around Xiaoya's slender waist from behind.

"Xiao Zhou's here, we'll talk tonight, you better get out of here." Xiao Ya laughed and scolded as she pushed him out.

Lin Yanzhou went upstairs first, folded a few changes of clothes and put them in his bag. He then reviewed the information he had saved on his phone again—metallurgical formulas, water conservancy maps, seed instructions, gunpowder ratios—to confirm that everything was correct. Then he put his phone, power bank and spare phone into his pockets and zipped up his bag.

When she came downstairs, the food was already on the table. Xiao Zhou was sitting at the table, holding a pair of chopsticks, and was putting food into her bowl.

"Uncle, how long are you going to be gone this time?" Xiao Zhou asked.

"Not necessarily." Lin Yanzhou sat down opposite her. "But I'll bring you something when I come back."

"I said I'd bring something last time, but I forgot when I left." Xiao Zhou took a bite of rice with her head down, a little complaining in her voice.

"I will remember this time, I promise the astronauts."

After dinner, Lin Yanzhou pushed open the basement door, stood in the dark for a while without turning on the light. The ring had enough space; tools, seeds, fertilizer, saltpeter, and sulfur were neatly arranged inside, clearly categorized, each occupying its own area, roughly half the total capacity. After confirming nothing was missing, he exited and locked the door.

When he returned upstairs, the hallway lights were still on. Xiao Zhou's bedroom door was closed, with light shining through the crack. The master bedroom door was ajar, letting in a sliver of warm yellow light. He stood in the doorway for a moment, hearing the sound of pages turning inside, like a magazine being flipped through.

He pushed the door open and entered. She leaned against the headboard, holding an old magazine, her gaze fixed on him: "Did that professor ask you any particularly difficult questions?"

"I asked a few questions, and I hope that by sharing information with the professor in the future, I might be able to offer him some help."

She closed the magazine and placed it on the bedside table, then adjusted the lamp to dim the light: "Are you leaving tomorrow morning?"

"I'm going out for a bit," he said. "I need to talk to Haozi about something. I'll be back in an hour."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Go ahead. Remember to wear a warm coat."

Lin Yanzhou walked over, sat down on the edge of the bed, and turned to face her. "When I'm almost done with my things, shall we go get our marriage certificate?"

"I'll have to think about it. You go ahead, we'll talk about it later."

"I was thinking of giving Xiao Zhou some time to adjust, and finding a suitable time to explain things to her. It's also time to give you a proper status. Xiao Ya, I really feel very sorry for you."

"Also, I'm going to talk to Haozi about starting a machinery factory later, as a way to help him build his business. I sold some antiques today, totaling over 11 million. I'm thinking of investing 8 million in him, and transferring the remaining 3 million to you. Is that alright?"

"I won't interfere in your affairs with Haozi. Haozi is trustworthy. You don't need to send me any more money. The millions you gave me haven't been touched; it's enough for the rest of my life. My own salary is sufficient; you can keep it for your business."