Chapter 12 The Big Town
It was already evening when we arrived in Guqu Town.
After hiding the boat, the group sneaked into the town in the dark, but every household had their doors tightly shut, and only the occasional bark of a dog could be heard.
Xiao Bao shrank into Madam Fan's arms, a little scared, and whispered, "Mother, Xiao Bao is scared."
Madam Fan patted his head and asked Uncle Wang, who was leading the way, "Uncle Wang, where are we going?"
"I went to a fellow villager's house; I used to stay there often."
About an hour later, Uncle Wang and a few others knocked on the door of a house at the far end of the dock. The barking of dogs clattered in the dead of night, and the house was dark. Someone hurried to the door and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"
Uncle Wang, standing outside the courtyard gate, also became a little nervous at the sight of this. He exchanged glances with the others before lowering his voice and replying, "Old Zhao, it's me! Old Wang!"
The door creaked open a crack, and an old man with a white beard peeked out from behind it. After seeing the people outside, he looked around to make sure no one else was following them before opening the hotline to let them in.
"Quick! Come in quickly!"
After everyone had entered, Old Zhang quickly closed the door again. Uncle Wang, seeing his suspicious look, was puzzled: "Old Zhao, what's wrong with you?"
"Shh! Let's go inside and talk."
Old Zhao tiptoed them into the house, covered all the windows with black cloth, and then lit the candles. The sudden light made Fan Xiaoxiao squint uncomfortably, and once her eyes adjusted, she could see the old man clearly—short, slightly hunched, with dark skin, wearing a faded brown shirt and a white towel tied around his head, but he seemed to be in fairly good spirits.
He invited the group to sit down, and after seeing the somewhat listless baby in Fan's arms, he brought the child a bowl of sweet soup.
"Hey Lao Wang, what brings you here at this hour?"
In response to this question, the group had already discussed it on the way. Uncle Wang coughed lightly and repeated what Fan Xiaoxiao had taught him: "Well, our home was flooded, so we fled with our family. We were just looking for a place to stay in town. Oh, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Wang Shi. This is my daughter-in-law, Fan Shi. This is my grandson, Xiao Bao. This is my niece, Er Ya."
Old Zhao looked at each of their faces and nodded: "So that's how it is. No wonder you're all so dirty. You've all suffered some misfortune. Sigh, life is tough for everyone."
Hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao asked, somewhat puzzled, "Grandpa Zhao, what do you mean? Did you also suffer a misfortune? Did something happen in town?"
Old Zhao shook his head and sighed. It turned out the town's former mayor had died, and the Huang family, a wealthy landowner, was now in charge. This Huang family was quite influential; not only was they a prominent clan in the area, but Huang's eldest son was also a successful official in Yizhou Prefecture. Therefore, under these circumstances, the Huang family took over the previously unmanaged Guqu Town.
However, the Huang family is also heartless and rotten.
Not only did they mistreat the people of Guqu Town, but they also imposed additional taxes. Besides the taxes they were supposed to pay daily, they had to pay a nighttime toll of one tael, an entrance tax of one tael, an exit tax of one tael, and so on. If they didn't pay, they would force family members to do labor to pay off the debts. That's why, tonight, the townspeople are staying indoors all night.
"Alas, Guqu Town is a major thoroughfare; every merchant ship passes through here. But ever since the Huang family issued that regulation, some small merchant ships have stopped coming here altogether. The once prosperous town has gradually become deserted. Life is really tough now..."
Upon hearing Old Zhao mention Yizhou, Fan Xiaoxiao's brow furrowed slightly, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. The others, after hearing about the current state of Guqu Town, also fell silent.
The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows on the group. They hadn't expected that after escaping one wolf's den, they would find themselves in another!
(End of this chapter)
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