Chapter 151 Completely Cut Off
After hearing this, Gu Mingda's eyes showed a hint of doubt.
The leader of the caravan beside him hastily replied: "Village head, we are a legitimate caravan, we set out from Jiangzhou Prefecture, and our employer is the largest business firm in Jiangzhou Prefecture: Zhiyuan Business."
The old village chief heard this, his expression did not change at all, and he said: "I don't care which business you are from, anyway, I don't know, I just want to listen to the official's words now."
The leader of the caravan immediately looked at Gu Mingda eagerly.
Gu Mingda would naturally not let the matter down, and said, "Don't worry, old man, this caravan did indeed depart from Jiangzhou Prefecture, and it is a legitimate caravan."
The old village chief heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, you can live here. We can discuss the money issue later."
Gu Mingda didn't care anymore.
After some bargaining between the caravan leader and the old village chief, the rent for lodging increased by 20%, and the village chief allowed the villagers to take the caravan to various homes in the village to stay overnight.
Gu Mingda waited until the surroundings were quiet before asking, "Village Chief, I've been away for only two months. Has anything major happened in the village?"
The old village chief sighed heavily upon hearing this and said, "Do you still remember Mr. Li's house where you stayed?"
Gu Mingda asked, "What happened to his family?"
"It's gone, all gone." The old village chief's eyes were full of horror when he mentioned this.
Gu Mingda only felt a chill on his back.
"After you left, Mr. Li's wife passed away. She had been bedridden for many years, so it was not surprising that she passed away. Mr. Li was a grateful man. He held a grand funeral, invited monks and Taoist priests to play music for several days, and spent money like water."
"Just after the funeral, another caravan arrived outside the village to stay overnight."
"If the inn in front hadn't collapsed, there wouldn't be so many people staying in our village. But the villagers didn't take it seriously. They just entertained them as usual, hoping to make some money."
"But this caravan had a clear purpose. They disliked the poor living conditions of the villagers and paid a high price to stay in Mr. Li's house."
"Mr. Li's family rarely accommodates passing caravans. His family is not short of money, and they have always only accommodated guests of status."
"It was the same this time, but I don't know what the caravan leader said to Mr. Li. He actually changed his mind and allowed so many people to stay at his house."
"That night, Mr. Li's house caught fire. Mr. Li, his children, his concubines, and even his servants died."
"The government sent a coroner to perform an autopsy. The people did not die in the fire. Instead, they were already dead before the fire started. Almost all of them were killed by a single knife. The gold and silver treasures of the Li family were also looted. Therefore, the government believed that it was the work of nearby bandits."
After hearing what he said, Gu Mingda took a breath.
"Village chief, do you also think it was done by bandits?" Gu Mingda asked the village chief softly.
The village chief sighed and said, "More than 30 lives were lost just like that. I will believe whatever the government says."
The Gu family was staying at the village chief's house. When he returned to the house, Zhang Yuniang had already packed her luggage and the three children were already asleep.
"Husband?" Zhang Yunniang asked in a low voice.
"Go to sleep first. We'll talk about it in a few days." Gu Mingda lifted the quilt and lay down next to the child.
It’s not that he wanted to hide it from Zhang Yunniang, but if he told her now, his wife would not be able to sleep well all night. If a child who was not asleep heard it, he might have nightmares all night.
Early the next morning, the caravan hitched their carts and set off immediately after breakfast, without stopping for a moment. The villagers were afraid that they were bandits, and the caravan was also afraid that the bandits would visit the village again.
When the carriage started on the road, Zhang Yunniang had three children sitting beside her. She didn't want to say it too clearly, so she said cryptically, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I want to visit Mr. Li's house."
It was said to be a visit, but in fact it was to gather information.
Gu Mingda shook his head gently, held her hand, and said, "He has a lot of things to do at home, and going there would only cause trouble for others."
Apart from these few twists and turns on the return journey, everything went smoothly.
I had just returned to Guang'an County and hadn't even had time to sit down when people from all walks of life arrived to give me gifts.
Before Gu Mingda returned, Jiangzhou Prefecture had already sent the list of successful candidates in Guang'an County to the county government. Naturally, some well-informed people had already sent people to wait at Gu's house.
Old Mrs. Gu had been warned in advance, so she didn't break the chain: "Second brother, you told me before that someone gave me a gift and asked me not to accept it. I listened to you and didn't dare to accept it at all, but someone still sent it to the shop."
Liu Xiaoru said on the side: "It's okay. I didn't take away the things that were sent to the shop. I scolded those who refused to send them. Don't worry, it didn't affect our business. When people heard that this was the shop of Jie Yuan, they bought more. They wanted to take advantage of my brother-in-law's talent."
Gu Mingda thanked his sister-in-law.
He is not greedy, nor is he a person who does not care about the present situation, but when it comes to accepting gifts, it depends on the situation.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law is so happy!" A woman's refreshing voice came from outside the house.
Hearing this name, everyone in the house looked at Liu Xiaoru first.
Liu Xiaoru quickly shook her head: "It's not me, I didn't make any sound just now."
Zhang Huiniang and her husband squeezed in from outside the house: "Move aside, move aside, this is my sister's house!"
When they saw her, Gu Mingda and Zhang Yuniang frowned together.
"Brother-in-law, since we learned that you had passed the high school entrance examination, my husband and I rushed to the city as fast as we could. Fortunately, we caught up with you." Zhang Hui Niang said with a shy smile.
She was so affectionate now that it seemed as if she had completely forgotten the unpleasantness she felt during the New Year.
It has always been a custom not to hit someone who smiles at you. Zhang Hui Niang was holding a gift in her hand, and there were a bunch of people watching outside the house. The Gu family felt annoyed but couldn't say anything.
However, Zhang Huiniang's reality was far beyond that of ordinary people. When her brother-in-law became rich, the first thing she thought of was not her own brother who was sentenced to exile, but she rushed to take the benefits for herself.
Zhang Huiniang was holding a basket of eggs and was determined to give it to the Gu family.
"Brother-in-law, I heard that you found a good job for Gu Yun in the government. You should find one for my Da Wu as well. You took the eggs from my family, so you can't go back on your word." Zhang Hui Niang said.
Old Mrs. Gu hurriedly sent the basket of eggs to the door. She remembered clearly that she had spent a lot of money to find a job for Gu Yun and treat the people in the yamen to a meal. Now Zhang Hui Niang wanted to do such a thing with just a basket of eggs. She didn't dare to agree.
Zhang Huiniang was very thoughtful. Not only was she thinking about her husband's job, she was also thinking about the braised food shop: "How can I leave such a good shop to my sister? I should give it to you. My sister and I are sisters who are as close as brothers."
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