Gu Zhang hurried forward to greet Uncle Ma. The two chatted for a bit, then Gu Zhang raised his voice and announced to the crowd, "This is Uncle Ma, the guide I've hired. He will be accompanying us on our journey south."
"Uncle Ma was a professional escort when he was younger, so he's very experienced. Everyone must follow Uncle Ma's commands on the road. When he says walk, we walk. When he says stop, we stop. When he says eat, we eat. When he says sleep, we sleep."
"I'll say this upfront. Even though we are all friends and relatives here, if anyone disobeys orders, they can go on their own. Don't drag everyone else down."
The village chief was the first to show his support. "Of course. With this many people, you need someone in charge. Otherwise, if one person wants to go east and another wants to go west, we'll never get anywhere."
Boss Zhang also said, "Second Brother Gu, that goes without saying. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have left my home to follow you."
