Chapter 35

Liu Xu could easily see that those mutants were just people Niu Dongliang had brought in to make up the numbers and scare people. They were just unofficial members of the patrol team.

But Niu Dongliang's brilliance lies precisely in this.

Although those people weren't actually mutants, if they dared to drive them out today, the news would definitely spread throughout the area very quickly.

Although the base strictly controls mutants and does not allow them to target ordinary people, the rumor that Niu Dali beat a mutant to a pulp still made the mutants lose face.

It's hard to say what will happen while we're at the base, but once we leave, we might get into trouble.

In addition, Niu Dali's strength increased greatly after eating the mutated fish belly, but he hadn't yet mastered how to control his strength. Liu Xu was afraid that he would accidentally kill someone, so she didn't allow him to make a move, which made the two of them hesitant.

As soon as the Jiang family arrived, they saw Liu Xu's family being bullied, and they all raised their sticks.

Along with Grandma Jiang, the eight members of the Jiang family, each armed with a farm tool stick, confronted Niu Dongliang and his group with great force.

Jiang Shu, in particular, spoke so loudly that everyone around could hear him clearly: "What are you doing?! Are you burglarizing my home?!"

Niu Dongliang, unaware of the Jiang family's background, assumed they were Niu Dali's henchmen and arrogantly retorted, "And who are you? I'm here to get something from my brother's house, what's it to you?"

Jiang Shu turned his gaze to Niu Dali.

Liu Xu quickly said, "No, they want to rob all our valuables!"

Jiang Shu tapped the bone stick in his hand. "This family is under our protection. If you know what's good for you, get lost, or don't worry about us being impolite!"

Just when he was about to get his hands on the goods, these unexpected troublemakers appeared. Niu Dongliang was so angry that his nose almost crooked. "Who are you guys? These guys of mine are all from the patrol team. If you dare to mess around, we'll take you all to the dark room!"

Grandma Jiang stepped forward and snorted fiercely, "I'm just an old woman. If you dare touch me, I'll sit here and not leave. If anything happens, you'll be responsible for my medical expenses!!"

Niu Dongliang: ...

Is this old lady trying to extort money from people?

Jiang Shu watched in amazement, admiring his grandmother. He realized that magic could be used in this way, and that magic was indeed the only thing that could defeat it!

The man who came with Niu Dongliang laughed angrily, "Who exactly are you? If you keep making trouble like this, I'll call my men over and have you dragged away on charges of assaulting a police officer!"

Liu Xu was furious: "What kind of police are you! You're just unofficial staff working in logistics!"

Grandma Jiang wasn't afraid of them at all. She had never been afraid of arguing with people in the village back in the day. With her hands on her hips, she said, "Who are we? We are Xiaoxu's family! What? You Niu family are allowed to bully people, but we, her family, are not allowed to reason with you?"

Niu Dongliang: "Impossible! This woman's family is all dead! What kind of family are you?!"

Wu Xiu stepped forward and said, "What? Xiao Xu is my newly adopted goddaughter, so I'm her mother! Our Jiang family is now her maternal family. If you bully them, you're bullying us!"

Niu Dongliang choked, unsure how to respond.

The man next to him grew impatient and shoved Wu Xiu aside. "Why waste words with them? Take your things away now! If they dare to stop you, take them back for obstructing official business!"

Fearing things would escalate, Liu Xu quickly ran over to stand in front of the Jiang family, gritting her teeth and saying, "If you dare touch a single hair on their heads today, Dali and I will fight you to the death! If you won't let us have an easy time, I won't let you have an easy time either!"

She wiped away her tears and said to the Jiang family, "Everyone, thank you for your kindness today, but these people are so reckless, I'm afraid..."

Jiang Hai, however, was not afraid. "What's there to be afraid of? These people just bully others because of their titles. They want to take us back, but we'd like to collectively report them! I'll go to the patrol team's office and ask them later if this is how these officials bully ordinary people."

With just one sentence, Jiang Hai grasped the lifeline of these people.

Niu Dongliang shrank back, knowing that this time they had really hit a brick wall.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We're just here to collect alimony from Niu Dali! Which eye of yours saw us bullying people?"

He turned to the men who had come with him and winked, "I'll give you a few more days. If you still don't pay alimony, we'll be back!"

These people were about to leave, bypassing the Jiang family.

Jiang Hai sneered, "Did we say you could leave?"

"You bullied the Jiang family and just left like that? Others will think we're easy to bully."

Niu Dongliang's expression was unfriendly. "You still want to make a move? I'm warning you, even if we're not officially part of the organization, if you dare to lay a hand on us, the higher-ups will hold you accountable!"

Jiang Hai chuckled, "Who in this house saw you get beaten up?"

Niu Dongliang and the others were stunned for a moment, and before they could react, Jiang Hai had already walked over with his stick.

Who is Jiang Hai? Before retiring from the military, he was a recruit instructor for many years, and he was the best at beating people without leaving a trace.

So, after Jiang Hai's fierce attack, Niu Dongliang and the others were beaten and screamed, but no marks could be seen on their bodies.

These people are all show and no substance.

They were defeated in no time.

Jiang Shu watched from the sidelines speechlessly. "These guys can't even beat my uncle, how dare they come and cause trouble for Brother Dali?"

To put it bluntly, it was the debt of gratitude owed to the Niu family that bound Niu Dali.

And so, the people Niu Dongliang had invited were driven away in a panic.

Jiang Shu recounted the whole incident with great detail and excitement. He then looked at Jiang Zhi with great enthusiasm and said, "It's a pity you didn't see my technique just now. Swish, swish, swish, it was amazing! I want to learn a few moves when I get the chance!"

Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes and walked straight in.

Upon entering the courtyard, they saw the Jiang family members standing guard to one side. Jiang Hai grabbed Niu Dongliang's shoulders and made him kneel in front of Niu Dali.

Jiang Hai gave this guy a good beating, leaving him with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Brother, I was wrong. Please let him go. I promise I'll never do it again. I just wanted Mom and Dad to have something nice to eat. We haven't had anything to eat while you've been gone..."

Liu Xu sneered, "You seem perfectly fine to me, you even have money to hire your cronies to threaten us!"

Niu Dongliang cried out, "I'm innocent, sister-in-law! They came to help me for free!"

"Pah! Do you think I don't know what you're up to? If someone hadn't come to our aid today, you would have used your people to steal our things and forced Dali to write an IOU for 50,000 points. If we had dared to lay a hand on you, who knows how you would have framed us!"

Grandma Jiang asked, "Ah Xu, what do you think we should do about this guy?"

Liu Xu hesitated.

Jiang Shu said directly, "Sister Liu Xu, this guy never tells the truth. If we let him go, he'll definitely cause you trouble later."

Willow catkins certainly know this.

But fighting wasn't allowed at the base. At most, they could only beat up Niu Dongliang, but as long as he didn't die, he would keep coming back to harass them.

Especially when Niu Dali isn't around...

At this point, Jiang Wen came up with a solution: "Why don't we get this guy to sign an IOU? If he dares to cause you any more trouble, we can just take out the IOU and make him pay back the money."

Niu Dongliang was dumbfounded.

Just a moment ago they were clamoring for Niu Dali and his wife to sign an IOU, but now the tables have turned!

Seeing his expression, everyone felt a sense of relief.

Yuan Ying said, "Awen's idea is good. Dali should keep the IOU. If anything happens to Axu or Xiaolu, we can use this to settle the score with him!"

This is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine.

So Niu Dongliang was forced to sign an IOU for 50,000 points with tears in his eyes.

Finally, Jiang Hai beat the man up again before letting him go.

Niu Dongliang scrambled out of the house.

After running a few dozen meters, he turned his head and glared at them with his piercingly narrow eyes.

It seems to be saying that he will get his revenge sooner or later.

Grandma Jiang also saw it and immediately said with great concern, "This boy is a good-for-nothing, and it seems he still won't give up."

Liu Xu felt so heartbroken that she wanted to cry out loud—was it possible that they would never be able to escape the Niu family in this lifetime?

At this moment, Jiang Zhi suddenly spoke up: "Sister Liu Xu, why don't you help us over there? We have a piece of land over there. Although we'll have to rebuild the house, it'll cost a little money to move there. If you need anything, you can still call us."

As soon as Jiangzhi finished speaking, Liuxu burst into tears.

Under everyone's gaze, she was a little embarrassed. "Actually, I had already thought it through. If things really don't work out, I'll just take them all down with me."

Seeing that she didn't answer her suggestion, Jiang Zhi assumed they had some difficulties, so she said, "What I just said was just a suggestion. If you don't want to, that's fine too."

"Let's forget about the time I asked Brother Dali to go with us to collect the materials." She knew how important Niu Dali was to the family.

If I were with them, I would have to go out to collect samples every day, which would not only be dangerous, but also leave me unable to take care of my family.

Suddenly, Liu Xu grabbed her hand. "A-Zhi, is it really okay for us to move to your place?"

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, looked at her reddened eyes, smiled, and squeezed her hand in return, "It's okay."

Liu Xu burst into tears: "Thank you, Azhi... thank you all..."

Jiang Zhi pursed her lips. Although she knew that saying this at this time was a bit of a mood killer, she still continued, "Let me make this clear from the start. Although our family can take care of you a little when you move in, we can't guarantee anything. We can only say that we will help within our own capabilities, but all of this is on the premise of my family's safety. If it exceeds my family's ability, and we can't help you, don't blame me."

The reason I'm willing to help Niu Dali's family this time is twofold: first, I want to repay the favor I owed Niu Dali for shielding Jiang Shu from a fatal blow when we encountered the mutated snake; second, I feel that Niu Dali is a good candidate to be my partner.

Niu Dali is a trustworthy person, and he won't easily abandon his teammates and run away when faced with danger. It's really hard to find a partner who can be trusted and is also capable these days, so she doesn't want to miss out.

She only thought of helping after careful consideration, but she didn't want Liu Xu and her son to take her help for granted.

Liu Xu wiped away her tears and smiled, "I know, we are already very grateful that you are willing to help us."

Grandma Jiang patted her shoulder tenderly, "Silly girl, why are you crying? Good days are yet to come!"

Liu Xu had suffered too much in the past, and no one had ever helped her like this before.

The Jiang family's actions left her unsure how to repay them.

"Grandma, if there's anything we can do to help you in the future, we'll never refuse... I... I don't know how to repay you enough..."

When Niu Xiaolu saw Liu Xu crying, he also shed tears. But the child was very sensible and wiped away his tears, saying, "Great-Grandma, I will repay you in the future."

Everyone laughed, thinking it was just a child's joke.

What they didn't know was that, not long afterward, Niu Xiaolu would actually save the lives of so many members of the Jiang family.

Grandma Jiang smiled and patted his head.

Although we don't know what other mischief Niu Dongliang might be up to, with them watching over him, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Once Liu Xu calmed down, Jiang Hai said directly, "You are A-Zhi's friends. If A-Zhi is willing to help you, then we are willing to help you too. We just hope that if the two siblings encounter any difficulties outside in the future, you can be more understanding."

Jiang Hai said the last sentence to Niu Dali.

Although Niu Dali didn't cry, it was clear that he was very excited.

He nodded vigorously.

"Uncle Jiang, don't worry, as long as I live, I will definitely protect the big tree Azhi!"

Jiang Hai nodded in satisfaction. This couple was indeed sensible, and their trip today was worthwhile.

Jiang Zhi was moved.

It seems that from childhood to adulthood, whatever she wanted to do, her family always supported her, even if they didn't agree.

Wu Xiu then asked Liu Xu, "Do you have a points system for exchanging land?"

Liu Xu wiped away her tears. "Yes, I saved up some points before, but I didn't dare to use them because I was afraid there might be an emergency at home."

Everyone nodded.

Jiang Hai: "Then let's get the land exchange done quickly. Before the Niu family realizes what's happening, you should move there first."

Grandma Jiang also said, "Yes, Azhi, don't you have tents? You can lend them to Xiaoxu and the others for a few days. It will be fine once the house is built."

Jiang Zhi responded.

That's how it was settled.

Having resolved the matter, Wu Xiu and the others went back first.

Jiang Wen and Jiang Shu stayed behind to help move things.

By the time Niu Dali finished his business, it was already afternoon.

It's worth mentioning that Jiang He's stall last night didn't go to waste; two people actually decided to order wardrobes from him.

The two of them agreed to come and see the finished products today, and to decide on the style.

Just after the hottest part of the afternoon sun had passed, one of them came looking for them.

"Excuse me, is this the home of carpenter Jiang He?"

She was a woman about the same age as Wu Xiu.

Her son is getting married, so she wants to prepare a new wardrobe for his new wife.

Grandma Jiang quickly opened the door and brought the person in, saying, "Yes, yes, this is the place."

"Ahe, our guests have arrived. Show them around."

When Jiang He heard that it was the person who had come to inquire yesterday, he put down what he was doing.

"Sister-in-law Zhu".

Aunt Zhu responded and was about to speak when she saw Jiang Shu, who was diligently practicing his stance with two children. "Hey? Isn't this the young man who just came here from another base a while ago?"

Jiang Shu didn't recognize Aunt Zhu.

He went to the front to gather information and didn't speak to Aunt Zhu.

"You've found your relatives, haven't you? Your new place looks pretty good. How's it feeling staying with relatives?" Aunt Zhu asked with her usual friendly smile. "Where's your sister and your mother?"

Jiang Shugan chuckled, then stopped practicing his stance and replied dismissively, "I'm resting."

Unable to resist Aunt Zhu's attitude, he made up an excuse and went into the house.

Aunt Zhu didn't mind and turned to Jiang He, saying, "Brother Jiang, what a coincidence! It turns out you and that Sister Ye are relatives."

Jiang He chuckled, "Sister-in-law Zhu, take a look at the finished product first."

"become!"

These past few days, besides rushing to finish the work for Ma Yanhong next door, Jiang He has spent the rest of his time making cabinets for each room.

The ones placed under the shed are for the third and first wives.

The cabinet is square and fits perfectly, with the mutated dwarf wood panels radiating a rustic luster.

The cabinet door handles are also made of wood, polished to a smooth and delicate finish. The interior space is cleverly divided, with stacking and hanging areas arranged in a staggered manner. The edges and corners are all finely polished with frosted leather made from mutated beasts, giving it a very elegant look.

Aunt Zhu nodded in agreement.

"Not bad, not bad, the craftsmanship is excellent, I want one like this too." The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, so she said, "I want to add one more. Just make the one you originally ordered about the same size as these two, and make the extra one a little smaller for me."

At this point, she added, "I've added a cabinet now, so you should at least give me a discount, right?"

Jiang He, an honest man, said with difficulty, "Sister Zhu, this large cabinet of yours needs to be rushed. If I make it for you first, I'll have to postpone other people's orders. I really can't offer a discount on this one. But what about the one you added to your order..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a voice say, "Auntie, we're just running a small business. We have to find the wood ourselves. You know there are risks involved in collecting wood outside. We're earning money by risking our lives."

Aunt Zhu was a little unhappy when she heard this, but when she saw that it was a young man in a wheelchair, she immediately fell silent.

She stammered, "Well, it should be cheaper, right? If it works well, I'll come back next time, won't I?"

Jiang He smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Zhu, if you're not in a hurry, I'll make this for you after I finish the cabinets I have on hand. I'll give you a 50-point discount. How does that sound?"

Aunt Zhu immediately said happily, "Okay, it's a deal. You're not allowed to cut corners, or I won't accept it."

Jiang Sui said crisply, "My second great-uncle never cuts corners when making things."

Aunt Zhu was in a good mood, so she paid a deposit of 300 yuan and left.

Before leaving, I glanced at their house a few more times out of curiosity.

He thought to himself, "I didn't expect to be so lucky to meet that Ye girl before. She made a good connection with someone as soon as she arrived at the base."

They seem to be living a good life.

After seeing Aunt Zhu off, Jiang He got busy again.

Although Jiang Jun lost both legs, it did not affect his hands, and the two cooperated very well.

Jiang He is skilled and efficient; with a little rushing, and with Jiang Jun's help, a cabinet can be finished in three days.

Earning points at this speed can yield a considerable income.

Wu Xiu said, "Ah Jun, your second uncle has been quite busy lately. Could you come and help him out these next couple of days?"

As life gradually improved, Wu Xiu's biggest fear was that her son would do something rash, so she always tried to get him to find something to do.

Jiang Jun agreed.

Yuan Ying and the others were sorting through yesterday's spoils.

There's too much stuff; the living room is overflowing.

Especially the mutated cotton in the corner, piled together like a fluffy "small mountain".

Grandma Jiang is used to being tidy, and she felt extremely uncomfortable looking at it. "I didn't notice it before, but now that there are so many things, it just doesn't look right."

She sighed, "People really are all greedy."

Jiang Wen: "Yes, if we want to store food, our house doesn't seem to have enough space."

They have many rooms, and the kitchen is already considered quite large, but the food they've bought these past few days simply can't fit in the kitchen.

Grandpa Jiang said, "If all else fails, we'll just dig a cellar."

Grandma Jiang: "That's good. We can dig a cellar in the shed and stick some preservative leaves on the walls. It will be convenient to preserve food."

Preservative leaves, also known as mutated palm fans, can wrap food and keep it fresh for one or two days. They are cheap, durable, and plentiful, making them a must-have for every household.

I must say, the two elders had a very good idea.

Jiang He replied, "Alright, let's discuss it when our eldest brother and third brother return before we start digging."

In order to clear space in the hall as soon as possible, Jiang Wen and Jiang Shu divided the barley they bought yesterday into seven or eight winnowing baskets and tested them one by one in the yard.

Yuan Ying and Xu Na, along with several other women, divided the work and planned to take care of all the mutated cotton.

If there's no space available, we'll move them into a shed.

Yuan Ying carried a low, long bench out of the house and placed it steadily in the middle of the yard. She sat down on it sideways, giving the other side to Xu Na.

Wu Xiu and her two children gathered around the mutated cotton. A large bamboo basket was placed between them to hold the peeled cotton.

Yuan Ying reached out and grabbed a handful of cotton, giving it a gentle shake to loosen the cotton in her hand, making it easier to locate the cotton seeds. Then, she pinched the part where the cotton boll and the cotton seed were connected with her thumb and forefinger, digging her nails in slightly, and carefully pried the cotton seed out of the cotton fiber. Each cotton seed was accompanied by a soft "pop" sound as it came off.

As she searched, Yuan Ying laughed, "I did this kind of work a lot when I was young, and now that I'm doing it again, I'm really a bit rusty."

Wu Xiu laughed when she heard this: "That's right. We finally got to enjoy a few years of high technology and didn't have to do anything ourselves. It hasn't been long, and we're back to the old ways."

Xu Na was young and had never done this kind of work before. She learned from Yuan Ying for a while before she found the knack. But after peeling for a while, she felt her fingers getting stiff. She stopped and rubbed her fingers on her apron to loosen them up.

Yuan Ying asked with a smile, "How are you? Are you feeling too tired?"

Xu Na was a little embarrassed, "A little."

Yuan Ying then taught her some skills.

The two children were also peeling with great enthusiasm.

However, children are not strong enough, so some cotton fibers will always remain on the discarded cotton seeds.

The group didn't say anything, but instead picked it up and peeled it again.

Her movements were also very nimble. When she encountered cotton seeds and cotton that were stuck together tightly, Yuan Ying would squint her eyes slightly, bring the small clump of cotton close to her eyes, lightly lick her lips with her tongue, and use a little skill to peel the cotton seeds off completely, leaving no cotton fibers on them.

Just then, Grandma Jiang finished making the pancakes and poked her head out, calling to Jiang Zhi, "Ah Zhi, big tree, come out and eat some delicious food, your favorite pancakes!"

Ever since the old lady learned that the brother and sister were going to become mutants, she always wanted to cook more food for them, fearing that they wouldn't have enough to eat if they ate ordinary food.

Jiangzhi came out of the house and saw her family working together to take care of things at home. A sense of happiness welled up in her heart.

Wu Xiu smiled and said, "Azhi, this flour was specially exchanged with someone else by your grandmother, so you should eat more of it."

Jiang Zhi was surprised, "When did Grandma become so willing to part with her?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sui ran over excitedly, "Auntie, Grandpa said you and Uncle are going to become mutants, so are you very strong now?"

Jiang Zhi laughed and picked him up, easily flying him around several times.

This made Jiang Sui giggle.

"How is it? Has Auntie gotten stronger?"