"Your second-in-command is quite capable."
Sun Miao'er looked at the brightly lit Li Family Ancestral Hall, where all the villagers were now locked up.
She could even imagine what methods the so-called strategist had used to gain the villagers' trust, after all, when it came to being greedy for cheap deals, no one was as good as Village Chief Li.
The myna bird gradually calmed down and asked cautiously, "Manager Sun, can I go back now? I've been out for too long, and someone inside will be looking for me soon."
Sun Miao'er sized up the myna bird's figure. "Now there's an opportunity to grant you your freedom. Are you willing? As long as you do me a small favor."
Myna nodded repeatedly, but her expression was still helpless. "I am but a nobody, not even worthy to carry a knife for Tu Zhenshan. How can I help you two?"
"Take off your clothes and give them to me." Sun Miao'er squinted, it seemed she had no choice but to take a risk.
Ji Changru picked up the sword from the ground and asked, "Manager Sun, are you planning to go in by yourself? It seems you are truly skilled and daring!"
"I can't let Manager Ji suffer with me, can I? Mountain bandits are violent. If they find out, we might be thrown into some desolate mountain to be eaten by wolves. Is Manager Ji willing to do that?"
Ji Changru's eyebrows twitched, and then he added, "To stand by and watch someone die is not the act of a gentleman."
With more people, there are more helpers. If we encounter any physically demanding tasks, Ji Changru can at least lend a hand.
Sun Miao'er said to the myna bird, "Go and call your brother out. He'll come to this tree in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
It's better to rely on yourself than on others. These two brothers are like they're missing a screw; you can't count on them. It's better to go deep into the thieves' den yourself.
As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." How can you understand the situation inside the enemy's territory without infiltrating their ranks?
Myna obediently did as he was told, sneaking over with his brothers. Following Sun Miao'er's instructions, the two of them took off their outer robes. "Gentlemen, these are our waist tokens. During the day, we wear masks when we go out with the boss, so the brothers don't recognize each other. Keep your waist tokens safe, and probably no one will recognize you."
The myna bird shivered in the cold winter wind. Every time it encountered Manager Sun, its clothes would be ruined. But now that it was able to leave this bandit's den, it was a blessing from heaven and a blessing from the Bodhisattva.
"Is there any more silver?" Sun Miao'er winked at Ji Changru.
Ji Changru took a money pouch from his waist. "I own three money shops in Pingnan City. I never like to carry silver when I go out, so this is all I have."
Sun Miao'er snatched the money pouch and said, "Consider it a loan from you."
He immediately threw the money bag into the myna bird's hand, saying, "You two go now. Live a good life from now on, be careful, and don't get caught by bandits again!"
"Thank you, thank you Manager Sun, thank you Manager Ji, may you two be blessed with a long and peaceful life!"
The two myna brothers received the money bag and, by sheer chance, were given a new lease on life. They were overjoyed and ran off excitedly, disappearing into the woods behind them.
"Have you two finished urinating yet? If you're done, hurry up and help me, stop dawdling!"
Two people suddenly appeared from over there and shouted something into the woods.
Sun Miao'er hurriedly fastened her belt, hastily straightened her clothes, and called out, "Alright, brother, I'm coming right away!"
Neither of the two waist tags given by the myna bird had a name on them, only two numbers: Sun Miao'er's was nineteen and Ji Changru's was twenty.
It's easy to see that Tu Zhenshan is a cautious person. His subordinates not only don't show their true faces, but they also don't easily reveal their names, only simple serial numbers.
Finally, we arrived at the main gate, where seven or eight men carrying long guns stood guard.
"Waist tag!" The two men stopped Sun Miao'er and asked.
Sun Miao'er shook the wooden sign hanging from her waist, "Brother, you've worked hard in this freezing weather!"
"Why are you wearing a mask so late at night? Don't you feel stuffy?" The man rubbed his hands together, his breath steaming in the cold air as he spoke.
Fushui Village is located in the mountains, and it gets even colder at night.
Sun Miao'er, quick-witted, made up a story: "Hey, I don't know what kind of evil spirit is in these mountains, but my brother and I get really itchy when our faces are exposed to the wind. Wearing masks actually helps a bit. Anyway, the chief is calling us in to get to work!"
Slipping into the ancestral hall, Sun Miao'er couldn't wait to find where the villagers were being held. She could already hear the villagers' voices coming from the backyard, even though they were coming from the front yard.
She was just about to run to the backyard when someone suddenly called out to her, "You two, come with me."
The plan was interrupted, but there was no time to rush things, so Sun Miao'er obediently followed the person.
"You two go and move all the grain outside into the empty room on the left. After you've done that, go to the backyard and wait for the chief's instructions."
Strange, is Tu Zhenshan planning to store grain in the Li family ancestral hall? Could it be that he wants to turn Fushui Village into his bandit stronghold?
Fushui Village has a unique geographical advantage, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. In addition, the roads leading into the village are all mountainous and difficult to traverse, but the waterways are accessible, making it entirely possible.
Sun Miao'er went outside and saw several oxcarts parked there, loaded with rice, flour and cooking oil, which the bandits must have looted from the villagers' homes.
"Go ahead." Sun Miao'er carried a slightly lighter bag of wheat bran and gestured to Ji Changru to take it.
If you're going to act, you have to go all the way; you can't let it slip at this crucial moment.
Ji Changru was carrying a bucket of oil and almost fell over from its weight. It took him a lot of effort to lift the bucket.
Sun Miao'er carried the grain to the grain storage place and found that there were guards outside each house. There were many bandits, possibly more than the eight-legged beast had previously revealed. She had to be more careful.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Miao'er turned right and said, "Brother, good evening. I've come to deliver the grain."
The man frowned. "Why is the grain being delivered here? We haven't received any instructions from above yet!"
"It was supposed to be placed in the left room, but it's very damp there. The head of the household was worried that the grain would rot, so he had it brought here."
Sun Miao'er had heard Grandma Sun mention that a secret passage had been built in the Li family ancestral hall. That passage was dug by the villagers of Fushui Village more than a hundred years ago during the war, to help them escape the chaos of war.
She had previously observed the terrain of the entire ancestral hall. The east side was bordered by water and was at a lower elevation, so the secret passage was most likely hidden in the room on the right.
"Go in." Seeing that they all had waist tags, the man didn't suspect anything further and let them into the room on the right.
As soon as they entered the house, Sun Miao'er quickly put down the grain she was holding and whispered, "There might be a secret passage in this house. Let's look for it."
"really?"
Ji Changru looked around and saw that it was just an ordinary house, and it didn't look like it had a secret passage at all.
Sun Miao'er had already started rummaging through drawers and cabinets. Aren't the hidden mechanisms in novels usually concealed under cabinets or vases?
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