Meng Tianze and the others split into seven groups, which conveniently lured One-Eyed King and his group away.

After leaving the inn, all seven groups drove around Litian County.

One-Eyed King wasn't stupid. After following for a while, he immediately sensed something was wrong and turned back to the inn.

But when he returned, Jiang Qinyu had already checked out and happened to go to the mule and horse trading post with the inn's staff.

When One-Eyed King arrived at the backyard, he couldn't find a single carriage. He immediately stormed out, gathering his henchmen to settle scores with Meng Tianze and the others.

However, when he tried to find Meng Tianze and the others again, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack; he never saw any trace of them again.

...

Chen Shao and Liu Yazi were the first to arrive at the place they had agreed upon with Jiang Qinyu. The two of them ran very fast, and when they saw the line of mule carts behind Jiang Qinyu, their eyes lit up with astonishing speed.

"Sister-in-law Lu, have you changed so many mule carts?" Chen Shao came over and started counting, "Twelve!"

Five horses are good, but they're inconvenient to use in the fields. Mules are different; they can work in the fields and can also be harnessed to a cart at any time, making them better than oxcarts.

Liu Yazi rubbed his hands together with a grin, then casually picked up a mule cart and got on. "These are all from our village, right?"

Jiang Qinyu nodded, "From now on, the village will arrange for mules to work in the fields. When things get better and we no longer live a collective life, everyone can buy them from the village using work points or money."

"That's great! Uncle Erleng and the others will be very happy to hear that." Chen Shao also jumped onto a mule cart.

There were seventeen people in total. Apart from Jiang Qinyu, the remaining sixteen could all take the carriage, so they wouldn't have to walk the way back.

As they were talking, Meng Tianze, Liu Erleng, and the others arrived one after another.

Seeing so many mule carts and that everything was almost loaded, everyone was very excited.

Jiang Dacheng's group returned last, covered in sweat. "Tiezhu and I were being watched by the leader of Qinggang Mountain. We had to lead them around in circles many times before we managed to shake them off."

"Wow! So many mule carts? Ah Zheng's wife, you're amazing!"

"Were the mule and horse traders who helped us load the cart? Quick, someone come and tie the things on the ground to the roof of the cart..."

Meng Tianze and his men loaded the things Jiang Qinyu had specially set aside into the car, and the group set off immediately.

This time, however, Jiang Qinyu and Meng Tianze's mule cart was the last to leave, and they made it out of the city before the gates of Litian County closed.

Just before leaving the city, Jiang Qinyu looked back and vaguely saw the One-Eyed King leading his men, asking questions all the way here.

Just as he looked over from the city gate of the One-Eyed Dynasty, the gate closed, and he probably only saw the rear of Jiang Qinyu's mule cart.

Jiang Qinyu recounted what had happened, and Meng Tianze, clutching his chest in lingering fear, said, "Luckily, sister-in-law, you had the mule and horse dealers load the cart first, otherwise we might have run into them again."

They went to great lengths to shake off that group of people. If they fail at the last minute, wouldn't that be incredibly frustrating?

"I just wanted to finish things as soon as possible so we could go back earlier. But it cost one tael of silver to have the mule and horse traders load the cart. Brother Meng, is that money well spent?" Jiang Qinyu asked with a smile.

Meng Tianze quickly waved his hand, "This money was well spent!" Then he added, "You've spent all the money you've spent today well!"

The money they spent today—booking rooms, asking the innkeeper for help, and paying at the mule and horse stable—was all to shake off those people.

Now they have not only gotten rid of the people and completely eliminated the risks brought by the horses, but they have also gained more than a dozen mules. Such a wonderful thing was something they never dared to dream of before.

"Sister-in-law, it's all thanks to your educated minds that things are so quick. If it were me, I reckon I'd just end up leading people into a fight with those people..." Meng Tianze said to Jiang Qinyu with a sigh as he drove the carriage.

Jiang Qinyu agreed verbally, but in her heart she was already missing her two children. She wondered how they were doing in the village. Had Lu Yancai's family done anything wrong?

Unfortunately, in order to avoid running into One-Eyed King and his gang again, they took a detour from Tateda Prefecture, which meant they wouldn't be able to return for another two or three days.

...

Jiang Qinyu and the others were eager to return home, and they hurried along the way, finally arriving in Yongshan County on the afternoon of the sixth day.

"Finally back! Damn it, who would have thought my first long trip would end up in the prefectural city?"

"Absolutely! I've really learned something new this time. Next time I go abroad, I'll definitely sign up again!"

"I see you all forget the lessons of the past. This time it wasn't all smooth sailing either. If it weren't for Ah Zheng's wife's quick thinking, it's questionable whether we would have come back unscathed..."

The group chatted amongst themselves, and soon the mule caravan turned onto the small road leading to Dingshui Village.

Looking at the tire tracks on the ground, Meng Tianze exclaimed in surprise, "Why do I only see tire tracks entering the village, and none coming out? Have outsiders come to our village?"

"What's going on with Uncle Meng?" Chen Shao asked loudly after hearing this.

Meng Tianze pointed to the tire tracks on the ground and said, "I think these tire tracks are strange. They don't look like they came from our village, they only look like they went in. Judging from the tracks, they just entered the village not long ago."

"Huh? Someone drove into our village?" Chen Shao asked in surprise.

Meng Tianze nodded, "Probably. But who would drive to our village at this time?"

The surrounding villages had all fled famine, and most of the wealthy families in the county town had left. So where would the vehicles come from to their village?

"Hey, we're almost back, aren't we? At worst, we can just tell everyone to hurry up, we'll find out soon enough." Chen Shao tugged at Liu Yazi. "You go sit in the back, I'll drive the carriage."

He drove the carriage quickly, while Liu Yazi was a bit hesitant and timid.

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