Chapter 235 Extra 6

Chapter 235: Extra Story 6

Although Han Zhang and his group had only traveled through time with just a small base facility, given how hard supplies were to come by in the apocalypse, the base's facilities and personnel were already pretty well-rounded.

So after they conquered the Zhao State and several other countries, the subsequent tasks—handing over power, appointing officials, drafting laws—were a total non-issue.

The chaos of founding a new nation? Didn't exist, period!

After all, anyone who'd made it to year 32 of the apocalypse, plus the kids born during it, had to teach themselves every damn skill under the sun just to survive.

Whether it was fighting, surviving in the wild, or playing politics... everyone was a jack-of-all-trades.

Because anyone who wasn't versatile had basically been weeded out by the harsh reality of the world.

So, after taking down several countries, it took Han Zhang and his crew less than half a month to get everything sorted.

As for the capital, Han Zhang ended up picking the Zhao State capital.

No real reason—he just thought it looked nice.

Once all that boring stuff was handled, the singles at Dawn Base couldn't wait to start hunting for partners!

It wasn't that everyone was that desperate.

No, it's just human nature—once your belly's full, other desires kick in. Once food and clothing were sorted, people naturally started wanting a partner.

Especially the single guys in the base—since the number of women had tanked during the apocalypse, and Han Zhang didn't allow the men at Dawn Base to act recklessly, there were a whole lot of "leftover men" who couldn't find wives.

Now that they finally had a chance to find partners, these guys were practically climbing the walls with excitement!

After all, people into the same sex were still a minority.

To this, Han Zhang nodded and said:

"You can find partners, but no fooling around. The customs here are still feudal—don't bring your post-apocalyptic or modern dating standards into this. The young ladies and lads here care about keeping their purity. Whoever dares to stir up trouble, don't blame me if I skin them alive!"

"And Li Yanyan, I'm talking to you! I know you like your soft, delicate men, but guys deserve their purity too. Don't you go corrupting innocent lads!"

Han Zhang pointed at a girl with serious attitude and made his point extra clear.

He had no choice—Li Yanyan was the most headstrong, wild girl in the base, and she had a thing for soft, delicate guys. She especially loved playing that "bossy heroine and soft husband" game.

He really had to hammer this into her head!

"Got it, boss! I don't like the guys here anyway—ancient dudes are even worse than modern ones. I like the young lads here! All soft and sweet, they whine and call me 'big sis'—so cute~"

Li Yanyan, who'd been called out, blinked innocently to show how pure she was.

Han Zhang: "..."

Fine, whatever floats your boat!

The others quickly stood up straight and nodded eagerly: "Got it, boss! Don't worry, we know where to draw the line!"

"Alright, remember that. Now get lost—once you've set a date for your big day, don't forget to send me an invite."

Han Zhang rubbed his forehead and shooed them away.

Even though his subordinates had principles, every single one of them—male or female—was a total scoundrel. He really had to keep an eye on them.

The crowd cheered and scattered like a bunch of kids.

In the end, only Li Yanyan's brother, Li Fengfeng, was still standing there.

Seeing this guy, Han Zhang's head immediately started throbbing. "Alright, what kind of craziness are you pulling now?"

He couldn't help it—the Li siblings were basically the "problem kids" of Dawn Base. Strong as they were, they'd occasionally go off the deep end, giving him real psychological trauma.

Li Fengfeng had thick skin and didn't care about Han Zhang's annoyed look. He shuffled over, rubbing his hands together with a suck-up grin:

"Hehe, well... boss, you know I'm a bit of a sucker for good looks. I've always wanted to find a good-looking guy."

"But back at the base, everyone was a rough, rugged type. Now that we've got this whole wide world, I think I've got a real shot..."

Han Zhang cut off the upcoming long-winded speech: "Get to the point! Don't make me slap you upside the head."

"Alright boss! I just want you to put out a matchmaking ad for me. I want to hold a beauty pageant! Pick the best-looking young lad here to be my wife!"

Li Fengfeng puffed out his chest, looking quite proud of himself.

Han Zhang smacked him upside the head: "You think these lads are cabbages you can just pick from a bin?"

"Wahh, boss, how about I give 100 taels of silver as a consolation prize to the ones who don't get picked?"

Li Fengfeng clutched his swollen cheek, looking all pitiful but totally unrepentant.

To marry the prettiest wife, he was going all out!

He was a Level 9 Power user, the second strongest at Dawn Base, and a founding hero of the boss's new nation. Even if he blew every last cent, he could earn it back! But once a pretty wife was gone, she was gone for good!

100 taels of silver was no joke.

To put it in perspective, the young masters and ladies of rich families usually only got a few taels a month as allowance. That gives you an idea of how much 100 taels could buy.

Clearly, Li Fengfeng had stashed away a nice chunk of loot during the battles!

But that was standard practice—without some perks, why would anyone bust their ass? Han Zhang couldn't be bothered to nitpick, since he was the one getting the biggest cut anyway.

"Fine, I'll put out a matchmaking ad for you. But whether the lads actually show up—that's not my problem..."

Han Zhang waved his hand and agreed to it.

Despite his dismissive tone, with Li Fengfeng being a Level 9 Power user and founding hero, there'd definitely be no shortage of lads wanting to marry him.

Of course, the partners he'd find this way would mostly be after his status, but Li Fengfeng only cared about their looks anyway—true feelings didn't matter.

It was a classic case of one willing to give, one willing to take. He was their boss, not their dad, so he wouldn't meddle.

Watching Li Fengfeng walk away all happy after getting what he wanted, Han Zhang set down his pen and rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "All the singles at the base are taken care of... maybe I should find myself a partner too?"

But what kind would be right?

Gentle? Cute? Sunny? Cold? Dramatic?

Eh, somehow none of them feel quite right.

His pickiness is a real headache!

Han Zhang was fretting over his marriage prospects. He didn't want to be so picky, but this was someone he'd spend his whole life with—if it didn't feel right, he just couldn't settle.

...

On the other side.

The Shen family.

Shen Father, Shen Mother, and Shen Huairen, Shen Huaizhi, Shen Qingyue... the whole family sat in the living room sighing.

The new dynasty Han Zhang founded wasn't kind to the old aristocracy.

Although Shen Father came from a humble background, his reputation in officialdom was too poor. Thanks to his former humble status, the new dynasty hadn't sent him to a labor camp for reform yet, but his official position was gone.

To become an official again, he'd have to retake the new dynasty's official examinations and start from the bottom. But with his tarnished reputation, his chances of being accepted were practically hopeless—he was back to square one!

The worst part was that Shen Mother's birth family had also fallen.

Because Shen Mother's family, the Rong family, were major merchants in the Jiangnan region. Although they were relatively decent locally and didn't oppress the people as harshly as other heartless merchants, as part of the exploiting class, the Rong family naturally couldn't escape being "struck down" in the campaign to redistribute wealth. Their riches were confiscated, and they were reduced to commoners.

Even if they had secretly hidden some treasures, with the current crackdown, the Rong family was lying low and wouldn't dare use money to pull strings for Shen Father like before.

Therefore... the Shen family's days were now quite difficult.

They weren't eating scraps, but money was tight. Shen Mother's dowry now only consisted of the gold and silver in the storeroom—her shops and estates in the city had all been confiscated.

They could endure tight finances, but losing their power made the Shen family anxious and fearful—afraid of being bullied by the new dynasty's powerful people, afraid of old enemies gaining power and seeking revenge.

For example, right now...

One of Shen Father's former political rivals had married his daughter to a low-ranking official of the new dynasty. Now, with that backing, he was doing way better than Shen Father.

If he played his cards well, he might even get back into office!

The two had never gotten along, and Shen Father was genuinely afraid of retaliation.

Just imagining the scene of being retaliated against made Shen Father uneasy. He slammed the table and gritted his teeth:

"No! I absolutely can't just sit here and wait to die! That Kong Hongshou has a beautiful daughter, and my Lan Geer is just as gorgeous! If the Kong girl can marry up, my Lan Geer can too!"

"It's just some small-time district official—nothing impressive. If we're climbing, we climb high! We can't let our Lan Geer settle for less."

The Shen family thought this made sense.

If you're finding a backer, you find a big one—otherwise, wouldn't the sacrifice be wasted?

Shen Qinglan was open to finding a wealthy and powerful husband either. He nodded seriously: "Father, I'm willing to marry up!"

He'd been pampered by his mother since childhood and wasn't cut out for hardship.

Before, with family backing, he could be picky and willful. But now that the family had fallen, he couldn't afford to be picky.

But the problem was...

Shen Mother said anxiously: "Husband, I heard those people from the Hua State practice monogamy—no concubines or side wives."

"Those around Lan Geer's age are already married. The unmarried ones who are high officials... they're all what they call ability users."

"I heard those ability users—the youngest are forty or fifty! Most are sixty or seventy! They're all old men!"

How could she bear to marry her Lan Geer off to an old man even older than she was?

"What? Mother, those Hua State high officials—are they really... really that old?"

Shen Qinglan teared up when he heard this.

Although he was willing to sacrifice for the family and find an older husband to help them out, sixty or seventy... that was too old!

Shen Huaizhi immediately shook his head: "No! Father, I don't agree with this marriage. It's asking too much of Lan Geer!"

Even Shen Huairen and Shen Qingquan couldn't help nodding: "Exactly, Father. Those Hua State high officials are too old—older than you. You'd have to call them 'older brother'!"

Shen Qingyue scolded: "Father, we know what you're really like, but you can't be this obvious about it."

Shen Father: "..."

He was just ambitious, wanting to climb the ladder and get rich—what was wrong with that?

Shen Father felt he was in the right, but under the family's contemptuous stares, he couldn't help feeling awkward. He stubbornly tried to save face:

"What are you all saying? Like I've got no heart at all! Lan Geer is my own son—how could I not care about him?"

"I got word that a General Li of the Hua State court has put out a notice looking for a spouse. The conditions don't limit family background—just one standard: a good-looking guy!"

"Do you know what the 'General rank' means? It's equivalent to a top-tier official in our former court!"

"And I heard this General Li is one of the Hua State leader's trusted confidants—he's got a bright future ahead."

"Although... although he's not exactly young—he's over forty—but!"

Shen Father, under Shen Mother's disapproving gaze, spoke quickly, adding guiltily:

"But I heard their ability users live longer than ordinary people and age slower. At that age, he's still young—not old, really not old."

Even if he were an old man, rising in rank, getting rich, and getting his inheritance—wasn't that a great joy?

After all, General Li had never married and had no children. When he died, his wealth and glory would all go to Lan Geer. What a deal!

Why couldn't his family see that?

Truly, in this whole family, he was the only smart one!