Chapter 44
Although Pingshan Village was not attacked by wolves that night, Lu Shang still felt the chill of fear. Anyone who was only separated from the wolves by a fence would probably not be able to remain calm.
The village chief said, "These wolves have been wandering around the village for seven or eight days. Although they haven't come back in these days, anyone with experience knows they're just biding their time."
"Let's just hope someone comes to help us before they attack!"
From midnight until sunrise, the whole village was on high alert. Young and middle-aged men from every household went out of their homes and took turns to stand guard at various checkpoints in the village.
Lu Shang followed the village chief around the village and found that not only was there a fence at the entrance to the village, but several paths leading to the forest were also blocked by mud walls. The entire village was fenced off.
People were extremely nervous at the time, so Lu Shang didn't mention his unreliable method. It wasn't until daybreak, when the villagers were packing up their hunting knives and bows and preparing to go home, that he approached the village chief and asked, "Have you ever seen the horse traps on the battlefield that block war horses?"
The group of people on the opposite side looked at each other, but couldn't figure out what this thing was.
Lu Shang had no choice but to explain while gesturing, "It's about digging deep pits in obscure places, placing sharp knives, iron spears, and other objects inside the pits. If a wild wolf falls in, it will be difficult for it to escape."
"Isn't that a trap for catching prey on the mountain!" someone shouted.
Lu Shang's eyes lit up. "Yes, it's similar to a trap, but horse pits are often very long and wide. Considering the wolves' jumping ability, they also need to be wide enough to prevent them from escaping. And if there are too many wolves outside, we need to prepare more."
"What I'm thinking of is, in addition to iron spears and sharp knives, we can also pile some hay at the bottom of the pit, sprinkle oil on the grass, and wait for the wild wolf to fall in, and then have the villagers shoot rockets into it."
Hunters rarely set such deadly traps when hunting, and setting fire would destroy the fur and meat of the prey, so it is naturally not within their consideration.
Although the method proposed by Lu Shang was a bit cruel, there was nothing wrong with using it to deal with the wolves that threatened the lives of the villagers.
The village chief couldn't help but discuss the matter with the people around him.
If Lu Shang hadn't recruited workers, they might have been able to delay and wait a little longer, but now that such a good job was delivered to their doorstep, they couldn't let a group of beasts outside the village block their path to wealth.
After everyone discussed it for a while, the discussion gradually died down.
The village chief's eyes were filled with anticipation as he eagerly asked, "Boss Lu, do you know how to set up this horse trap?"
The village chief stopped a group of experienced hunters and went outside the village with Lu Shang. They inspected several places where wolves were waiting and gathering, and finally selected six places.
These six locations are slightly lower in elevation, which provides advantages for traps from a natural environment perspective.
After several hunters worked together, they estimated the highest and farthest distances the wolf could jump. Based on this data, they marked the position. All that was left was to dig a deep pit and set an ambush.
Fortunately, Pingshan Village is a famous hunting village, and every household has some sharp weapons. When all the swords and bows and arrows are put together, they can barely fill up several horse traps.
The hay is cut from the ground and sun-dried for three to five days in advance, and then it is ready.
Finally, there is the oil to ignite the hay.
Lu Shang said, "Cooking oil will do. If you really don't have any, you can just use some pork fat to make it. If that doesn't work, go to town and buy some. I'll pay for it first."
"No, no, how dare I ask you to spend money—" the village chief refused repeatedly. "We still have two pigs in the village. Let's slaughter them today. Then we can make cursed lard."
Lu Shang nodded and gave another instruction: "Wait until the horse pit is almost dug before killing the pig. Otherwise, the bloody smell will be too strong and it may arouse the wolves' ferocity. You can also save some pork and throw it opposite the horse pit to lure them forward."
"Okay, okay, we've got that all in mind."
Hunter Zhan went to Lu Shang alone to ask for some details, but unfortunately Lu Shang only knew about the existence of the horse trap and had no in-depth understanding of it, so he could only ask them to rely more on experience.
Finally, Hunter Zhan said, "Boss Lu not only provides us with a living, but also helps us figure out a way to subdue the wolves. If we can truly save the wolves this time, my life will be yours from now on!"
"Not really, not really. I'm glad I can help you." Lu Shang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
It would take three or four days to dig a horse pit, and there was no telling when the wolves would attack. It was impossible for Lu Shang to stay with them, so now that he had given them the instructions, it was time for him to leave.
He gave the villagers half a month. If they were still trapped here within half a month, he would have to hire other long-term workers. After he told everyone about this, the villagers also expressed their understanding.
When leaving Pingshan Village, the villagers brought over two wolf skins, both of which had been carefully cared for. After cutting and sewing them at home, they could become an excellent wolf skin coat, which would be especially warm in winter.
Lu Shang accepted their kindness, waved goodbye, and drove away.
This was the first time in such a long time that Lu Shang had spent the night outside. He didn't feel anything before, but after being out for a night, he began to realize how much he missed her.
He didn't want to figure out who he was missing, so he just blamed it all on his family.
It's human nature to miss home.
When Lu Shang returned to Tang Town, it was already mid-afternoon. He hurried to the carriage and horse shop to return the donkey cart. The manager was relieved to see that he had returned safely, whether it was for real or not.
As the steward saw him off, he couldn't help but mutter, "Boss Lu, you have a happy family and a successful career right now. Why would you bother going to such a remote place? You're just lucky you didn't run into anything. If something does happen, at least consider your young wife at home, if not yourself."
Lu Shang didn't want to argue with him, so he nodded and said, "Yes, you are right. I was the one who caused the conflict this time. I will think carefully about any plans I make in the future."
"Hey, that's right!"
After leaving the carriage and horse shop, Lu Shang stopped by Guanhe Tower. He had been away for the past two days and had handed over all the business to his subordinates, but this time he was back and was very excited.
When Manager Fu heard that he was coming, he came out to meet him.
When Lu Shang asked about the goods for the past two days, Shopkeeper Fu realized that he had been out for a while: "No wonder I haven't seen you for the past two days. It turns out you didn't go with the logistics team."
"Hahaha, everything is good, the vegetables and fish delivered are fresh, the kitchen is in good condition, and even the guests said that today's fish is especially big!"
"Who's the person in charge under you? He seems to be quite capable of keeping track of things. If Boss Lu needs to be busy in the future, it's not bad to let him take care of the business. I see that he is very careful in loading and unloading goods, and he also gets along well with the workers."
"As long as it doesn't delay your business," Lu Shang said with a smile. "I think I know who the manager you're talking about is. Did you meet him at the housewarming party last time?"
Shopkeeper Fu thought for a moment and said, "It seems so."
Lu Shang asked about the new dishes in the restaurant. Last time, the chef in the restaurant only learned how to make sweet and sour fish and pickled fish from him. The new dishes have been selling well recently, so Manager Fu wanted to add two more dishes.
Lu Shang readily agreed: "Okay, I'll teach you two more when the delivery arrives tomorrow."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, Boss Lu!"
After leaving Guanhe Tower, Lu Shang was finally able to go straight home.
On the way from Guanhe Tower to home, he stopped several times. If he saw something delicious or fun on the street, or if he thought Jiang Wanning would be interested in it, he would always buy some.
By the time he entered the house, his hands were already full.
Jiang Wanning heard the noise and came out, and was called by Lu Shang as soon as she stepped out.
Lu Shang held up the things in his hand: "Aning, come here quickly, I bought you some food, some fresh pears, and here are two sachets, take a look and see if you like them."
As soon as Jiang Wanning opened her mouth, Lu Shang walked up to her and showed her what he had in his hand without saying a word. While looking for the sachet, he also fed her a dried plum.
Jiang Wanning: “…”
The worries that had lasted for two days suddenly disappeared. She couldn't help laughing and bent down to help him tidy up the messy little things.
Jiang Wanning had originally wanted to make two fur coats from the two wolf skins she brought back from Pingshan Village, to wear in the winter, but Lu Shang remembered the finger he had pierced while sewing, and without a second thought, he snatched the wolf skins away: "No!"
Facing Jiang Wanning's stunned expression, he stammered, "I'm saying, I'm saying these two wolf skins are not good. We don't want them anymore. Let's sell them tomorrow. I'll buy you better ones later."
After all, this was something he brought back, so Jiang Wanning felt a little regretful, but she didn't ask for it back.
To celebrate Lu Shang's return, the two of them went into the kitchen together and made a total of five dishes.
When Grandma Lu came home and saw the huge dish of meat on the table, she thought that guests were coming to her house again.
Of course there was no food for the guests, so the dishes were enjoyed by only the three of them.
Lu Shang tried to make a dish of spicy diced chicken, but unfortunately Grandma Lu couldn't stand spicy food. Even he couldn't stand the spiciness, so he just took two bites and let it go.
On the other hand, Jiang Wanning ate without changing her expression. When asked by Lu Shang, she just said in confusion: "I think it's okay...it goes well with rice."
Lu Shang couldn't help laughing: "Next time I'll get some beef and make you stir-fried beef. It should be a little spicier, I'm sure you'll like it."
The two were clearly just chatting about family matters, but Grandma Lu, sitting next to them, felt inexplicably excluded, especially the way she looked at the two of them.
Hey!
Grandma Lu turned her head away, too embarrassed to look any further.
Life returned to normal over the next two days. Lu Shang traveled between the village and Tang Town every day, but when he returned home every day, he would either bring a basket of eggs, a piece of lean meat, or three or five pieces of snacks. In any case, he would always bring something for Jiang Wanning.
When the two sat together again in the evening, Lu Shang had made rapid progress in literacy.
Jiang Wanning's letter stall was deserted for two days after it moved, but the flow of people gradually recovered. Seeing that there were many people queuing, the Shan family at the entrance of the alley set up a herbal tea stall at the door, charging one cent per person, with unlimited refills of water.
Even the street vendors were willing to come here, stand by the letter stalls to watch the excitement for a while, and then help promote the business when they left.
Jiang Wanning still maintains the original price and sets up the stall every two days.
But as the business stabilized, she slowly brought Dabao and Pang Liang out and asked the two children to stay with her. Whether it was to learn how to deal with people or to read letters, it was better than staying at home all the time.
Grandma Lu was afraid that the two children would run away, so she would usually follow them out. She would sit far away on the steps in the alley, her eyes always on Dabao and Pang Liang. She would also bring some water to Jiang Wanning and the other two from time to time. When asked by the people who were waiting to write letters, she would just wave her hand.
Instead, Jiang Wanning said generously, "This is my husband's grandmother."
Grandma Lu didn't say anything, but the curve of her mouth grew wider and wider. If someone talked to her again, she would only dare to respond in a low voice.
The letter-writing stall in the nameless alley was extremely prosperous. Even though Jiang Wanning could not earn more than three or five dollars, the business here still made many people jealous, especially the stalls of other scholars. With the high fees for ghostwriting, more and more people would rather wait in line than go to their stalls.
That afternoon, Jiang Wanning was about to close her stall and go home when she saw a woman with patched clothes approaching her. She looked her up and down and asked, "Are you the daughter-in-law bought by the Lu family?"
Jiang Wanning really didn't like her gaze. It was sharp and made people feel uncomfortable.
The woman's question made her stunned. After coming back to her senses, she shook her head subconsciously: "Who are you?"
The woman ignored her, muttered something, turned around and left.
Jiang Wanning watched her figure disappear from the vicinity. Although she was full of doubts, no one could answer her questions. She had to calm down, take the remaining paper and pen, and take Dabao and Pang Liang home.
Dabao tugged at the corner of his clothes: "Auntie, that person just now looked so familiar..."
Anyone who knows that Jiang Wanning was bought by the Lu family is most likely someone from the vicinity of Lujia Village, so it is normal for Dabao to be familiar with her.
Jiang Wanning tried to soothe her softly, but she felt unexpectedly uneasy.
What she didn't know was that just after she turned around, two people came out of the alley not far away, a man and a woman. The woman was the one who had asked questions just now, and the man was Wang Cuilian's younger brother.
Wang Zhanxian had a gloomy expression on his face, and his exposed arms were covered with bruises. He walked with a limp, and one of his arms was bent in an unnatural angle.
Mrs. Wang Dong lost her previous arrogance and supported Wang Zhanxian, saying timidly, "That person just now should be my sister's stepson's wife... My husband, look at her, a woman can make such a prosperous business. That sickly child of the Lu family must be no less. They must have made a lot of money. She and the sickly child of the Lu family made money, so how could they not give it to the family?"
"Sister keeps saying she has no money. I think she's unwilling to give it to you, my husband..."
"I don't blame you for keeping it a secret, but if you, my dear husband, can't pay back the money you owe the gambling house, then your other arm—ah!"
A slap interrupted Wang Dong's words.
Wang Zhanxian's face darkened: "Shut up!"
Wang Dong covered her face with her hands, tears in her eyes, and she dared not speak anymore.
Wang Zhanxian stood there for a long time, then said, "Let's go home!"
"Sister, she's so short-sighted! I clearly won money last time. If she hadn't refused to pay me, I definitely wouldn't have lost later. Why would I have had my arm broken?"
"She'd better give me the money right away this time, otherwise..." Wang Zhanxian said angrily, "She was the first to ignore me as her brother, so don't blame me for not wanting her as your sister."
Mrs. Wang followed him in small steps: "Yes, yes, when you have money, you will definitely win more. Then our family will be fine..."
That night, a major event occurred in Lujia Village.
I heard that it was the man from the Wang family who beat his sister until her head was bleeding. If his sister hadn't fled back to her husband's home, she might have died!
The people in Lujia Village talked a lot about this matter, and even the temporary workers in the village heard a few words about it.
The next day, when delivering the goods, Lu Qi told Lu Shang about this matter, and then muttered: "Wang Zhanxian insisted that you, Brother Lu, made a lot of money in town. He believed that Wang's family still had money, so he went to the Lu family early this morning."
"But Brother Lu, there are two grown men in your family. Second Uncle Lu is no pushover either. He beat him with a broom until he screamed. Later, Lu Xian avenged his mother and secretly kicked him twice..."
Anyway, Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu both lived in the town. No matter what happened in the village, as long as no one was killed, Lu Shang didn't care and just thought it was a joke.
Later, dishes and fish were delivered. Everyone was busy heating the food and had no time to discuss these trivial matters.
But Lu Shang overlooked one thing——
Some people can't stand seeing others doing well because they can't live well themselves.
Like Wang Cuilian, after waking up at noon, she didn't blame Wang Zhanxian for being cruel, but instead blamed Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning, especially the little bitch she bought. She hated them so much whenever she thought of them.
The logistics team has done it more and more times, and they have become proficient in the entire delivery process.
Moreover, Lu Shang remembered the praise that Manager Fu had given to Lu Qi, and wanted to train him to be a small manager, so he deliberately let him make arrangements, which made him feel much more relaxed.
After delivering the goods that day, Lu Shang paid the workers as usual, dismissed them, and then went to Guanhe Tower to teach the chef how to make two new dishes. By the time he finished all this, it was already completely dark outside.
Shopkeeper Fu prepared a lunch box of hot dishes for him and asked him to take it home for dinner.
I got home late today, so I couldn't buy anything, but this lunch box still gives me something to eat.
Lu Shang hummed a little tune and felt relaxed.
However, when he got home and opened the door, he thought he had walked into the wrong house.
When he saw Jiang Wanning coming out of the house, he threw his lunch box on the ground, rushed over in two or three steps, protected Jiang Wanning behind him, and looked at the men in the yard warily: "Who are you!"
A man walked out of the crowd, staring at them, "Boss Lu, I'm Zhan Shunan! From Pingshan Village! Don't you remember us?"
Lu Shang looked carefully for a long time and finally recognized him.
I don’t know what Hunter Zhan has been through these days. His originally smooth chin is now covered with beard, and most of his hair has been burned off, leaving half of his head bald.
No wonder Lu Shang didn't recognize him at first.
Without waiting for Lu Shang to ask, Zhan Shunan recounted his experiences of the past few days.
Jiang Wanning had heard these things once before, and hearing them again still felt thrilling.
It turned out that after Lu Shang left Pingshan Village, they mobilized the entire village to dig horse traps. Since the wolves only came out in the second half of the night, they had a whole day and half a night. By working day and night, they dug all the horse traps in just three days.
Then they quickly set up traps, killed pigs, refined lard, and sprinkled all the lard in the village on the hay, waiting for the wolves to come out.
Lu Shang's warning that day turned out to be correct. They had just killed a pig during the day, and the strong smell of blood stimulated the wolves. That night, there was unusual movement. At midnight, accompanied by the howl of the leader wolf, the wolves rushed straight towards Pingshan Village.
Fortunately, the villagers had made preparations early, and all the men in the village were guarding the village entrance. If they failed, they would die. Whether they could kill these beasts depended entirely on tonight.
As the first wolf fell into the horse pit, the wolves behind it could not stop and fell into it one after another. For a while, the whole village was filled with the screams of wild wolves.
The wolves at the back became alert and wanted to retreat, but the slightest movement would cause them to fall into the pit next to them. They were surrounded by enemies and had no way to retreat.
There were more than 200 wild wolves in this group that came from nowhere, but more than 100 of them fell into the horse trap. The rest looked for a way to retreat and turned around to escape.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a rocket fell from the sky and shot into the horse pit, and tongues of flames rose into the sky. The fence of Pingshan Village was opened, and the men in the village rushed out shouting, holding hunting knives and axes.
Zhan Shunan's hair was burned by flames when he was chasing a wild wolf.
Even thinking about it now, Zhan Shunan still has to say: "It's so fucking cool!"
"Those beasts wanted to hurt my fellow villagers, but now look how arrogant they are! I caught the leader wolf, skinned it, and hung its carcass at the entrance of the village. If any wild beasts from outside come here, they will have to think carefully before they react."
"And the remaining wolves were also buried separately around the village, just as a warning."
After a night of fierce fighting, the villagers suffered no casualties, only some injuries. They did not care at all that they failed to preserve the wolf's most valuable fur after such a brutal fight.
There is no way, they are all going to work as long-term laborers, who cares about these life-threatening jobs!
As soon as the plight of Pingshan Village was resolved, Zhan Shunan brought more than 20 villagers to find us.
They didn't know where Lu Shang's home was, but they found out the location of the letter stall that could draw little figures. Since Boss Lu and the lady who wrote the letter were a family, finding Jiang Wanning would naturally be equivalent to finding Lu Shang.
After listening to their explanation, Jiang Wanning took the man back home.
Fortunately, although their yard was a bit run-down, it was still large enough. They could borrow some chairs and stools from their neighbors and have some space for these people to sit down.
Zhan Shunan said, "Boss Lu! We agreed that as long as I can save the wolves, my life will be yours from now on! Boss, if you have any instructions, just tell me!"
His parents died in the mouths of wild wolves in the mountains. When their bodies were found, they were completely destroyed. What he hated most in his life was wolves.
The method proposed by Lu Shang not only saved their village from wolf attacks, but also directly killed so many wild wolves. The gratitude in his heart was simply beyond words.
Lu Shang didn't know the hidden truth, so he didn't take it too seriously.
He waved his hand and said helplessly, "Then how about this? You guys find an inn to stay in tonight. I'll pay for the inn. You can go back to Pingshan Village tomorrow, and I'll pick you up in three to five days."
"I haven't found a place for you to live in yet. I'll arrange it for you and then I'll ask you to come to work. Is that okay?"
Zhan Shunan then realized that their sudden visit had caused trouble for Lu Shang: "No need, we don't need to stay in the inn, we can just go back tonight!"
Lu Shang didn't argue with him, but turned around and asked Jiang Wanning to get the money.
"Anyway, I've given you the money. I can't control whether you stay or not. But the roads are dangerous at night. If you get hurt on the way back, I'll be without a capable farmhand."
Under his persuasion, Zhan Shunan had no choice but to obey.
The rest of the people followed Zhan Shunan and obeyed his orders. Especially when they saw a boss who cared about them so much, they couldn't wait to start work tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Lu Shang was not ready yet, so they had to leave first.
After finally sending the hunters from Pingshan Village away, Lu Shang couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. He turned around to look at Jiang Wanning and laughed dumbly: "They really are..."
After laughing, he couldn't help feeling a little sad.
A mere businessman like him could earn the gratitude of so many villagers just by proposing a method. How could those officials who claimed to be the parents of the villagers just watch them besieged for such a long time?
Most of the dishes I brought back from Guanhe Tower were spilled, but luckily no one at home knew about this, so after cleaning it up a bit, they were all eaten up.
Lu Shang suffered a bit of a shock today and looked quite tired.
Jiang Wanning drove him back to his room and cleaned up the dishes with Grandma Lu. But when she returned to the room, she found that Lu Shang had already fallen asleep.
She paused, extinguished the candle in the room, and went over to help Lu Shang take off his coat before going to bed.
The next day, Lu Shang got up late as expected. Fortunately, he had told Lu Qi in advance that if he was not there when it was time to pick up the goods, he would take the others away first, so that the business would not be delayed.
But when he walked out of the room, he found that the yard was quiet and there was no sound of reading as usual.
Jiang Wanning came out of the kitchen, also wondering: "Aren't Dabao and Liangliang here yet?"
As he was speaking, he heard a familiar sound of wheels outside the door.
Lu Shang walked over and looked at the door, but when he looked outside, he saw that only Dabao was in the car, and it was Fan Sanniang who accompanied Dabao today.
Uncle Pang's face turned pale. He parked the car and walked straight in.
He looked around the yard and saw Jiang Wanning there, but his expression became even uglier.
Just as Fan Sanniang brought the child in, Grandpa Pang asked, "Who has been teaching my little grandson to read and write from the first day until now?"
As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Jiang Wanning.
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