Lu Shiyan subconsciously took a few steps toward Jiang Tangtang and asked, "Why are you here?"
“You haven’t gone back, and the villagers are worried. So I brought everyone out to look for you.”
Jiang Tangtang ran up happily and handed over the water pouch like a treasure, "Husband, you must be exhausted, right? Drink some water. Are you hungry? I brought you some fried rice with eggs."
Lu Shiyan took the water pouch, but didn't drink it right away. Instead, he looked down at her. Seeing that her face was flushed and her temples were soaked with sweat, he whispered, "Don't bring anyone out to find me in the future. It's not safe outside."
Jiang Tangtang's legs were about to give out from walking so long, and she said aggrievedly, "It's all because you haven't gone back for so long, and everyone was worried about your safety."
Lu Shiyan assured, "I will not let anything happen to the villagers."
Seeing Jiang Tangtang pouting, he asked again, "Can you still walk?"
Jiang Tangtang glanced at the large trunk beside him and deliberately said, "If you can't walk, will you carry me?"
"Sit on the box, I'll carry you." Lu Shiyan said, and was about to move the box on the carrying pole to a different position.
Jiang Tangtang quickly pressed his hand down and said, "No need."
Seeing his serious expression, she laughed and said, "I was just kidding! Why are you taking it so seriously? Are you stupid?"
"Then be careful." Lu Shiyan took a few sips of water, then returned the water pouch to Jiang Tangtang and continued on his way.
With the addition of Lu Shiwang and others, the pressure of carrying things was greatly relieved, and the team moved faster.
The Cui family, mother and daughters, found themselves struggling more and more.
Guo Xuantong looked at Lu Shiyan, who was carrying heavy boxes and cages while protecting Jiang Tangtang, and felt a bittersweet feeling rise in her heart.
"Who is that?" Luo Taohua saw that the delicate Guo Xuantong kept looking in the direction of Lu Shiyan and Jiang Tangtang, and occasionally showed a wronged expression. She was filled with gossip.
Lu Shiwang was busy moving things and had no time to care about anything else. He said impatiently, "How would I know? Are you going to help or not? If you can't, then get out of here."
"Third Brother must be entangled with another woman." Ignoring her husband's impatience, Luo Taohua speculated to herself, "Didn't you see the way that girl looked at Third Brother and his wife? It was like Third Brother was a heartless man. Could it be that Third Brother is going to take a concubine?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Third Brother isn't that kind of person." Lu Shiwang scolded her a few times, but couldn't help turning his head to glance at Guo Xuantong.
Madam Cui also noticed her daughter's gaze and scolded her, "How have I always taught you? Is this all the good you've got?"
Although she felt it was a pity that Lu Shiyan couldn't become her son-in-law, she immediately put aside her previous thoughts after learning that the couple was very loving.
She hated her husband's infidelity and the other women who had ruined their marriage. She would never allow her daughter to do the same.
Guo Xuantong was scolded by her mother and immediately looked away. She moved her lips as if to explain, but in the end, she said nothing.
For a fleeting moment, she did indeed compare herself to her benefactor's wife in her heart.
He felt that he was better than her in everything except for his appearance.
Why is he so considerate to her, yet indifferent to him?
Looking at her two daughters, Cui said, "When we return to Jiangzhou, I will have your uncle select a young and talented man of similar status to you and arrange a good marriage for you."
"Can we still go back to Jiangzhou?"
Guo Xinyi couldn't help but cry, "Although they weren't as violent towards us mother and daughter as those beasts from Xirong, they were robbers who only cared about money."
Even though Mrs. Cui wasn't sure herself, she still firmly reassured her daughter, "She'll definitely be able to get back."
Before they knew it, the mother and her daughters had fallen to the back.
The mountain was dark, surrounded by waist-high weeds, and there was no one in sight ahead.
A sense of panic washed over them.
Cui was alright and managed to keep walking, but the Guo sisters were so scared that they started to cry.
Just as the crying began, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind, followed by a rough male voice: "Boss, we found it."
Upon hearing the sound, the mother and her daughters simultaneously recalled their experiences that day and trembled with fear.
Just when everyone thought they were in deep trouble, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the woods.
The shadowy figure moved with lightning speed; in the blink of an eye, the several burly men who had arrived behind it all fell silently to the ground.
The mother and her daughters screamed in unison. A hint of impatience flashed in Lu Shiyan's eyes. He raised his hand and quickly silenced them by pressing their pressure points. Then, like lifting a sack of potatoes, he grabbed them by the collar and carried them away from the scene.
The Cui mother and her daughters were grabbed by the collar and leaped through the mountains. Looking at the trees rushing past below and the high cliffs, they were terrified and almost lost their lives.
Unfortunately, several people had their pressure points sealed so that they couldn't scream even if they wanted to.
Finally, both Guo Xuantong and her sister couldn't hold on any longer and fainted. Although Madam Cui didn't faint, she was completely terrified. By the time Lu Shiyan put her on the ground, her eyes were glazed over, and she had wet herself.
Luo Taohua, who was assigned by Lu Shiyan to look after the mother and her daughters, covered her nose in disgust upon seeing them, saying, "A county magistrate's wife, indeed. She's even less refined than a roughneck like me."
By now, she had learned the identities of the group from Lin Erzhu.
Upon learning that they were the wife and daughter of a corrupt official, she resented her brother-in-law for not killing these menaces and for bringing them back to the valley.
"Alright, hurry up and take them away. If they catch up with us, none of us will be safe."
Jiang Tangtang pinched the philtrum of Guo Xuantong and her sister, and urged them to wake up after they woke up.
Luo Taohua's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer to Jiang Tangtang, saying, "Third sister-in-law, aren't you angry?"
Jiang Tangtang said speechlessly, "Why am I angry?"
"Aren't you afraid that now that our third brother has some ability, he'll become too ambitious and want to bring in two more families?" Luo Taohua scanned the Guo sisters' faces.
She admitted that the two sisters were indeed not as good-looking as Jiang Tangtang.
Although she can't compare to Jiang Tangtang, she's not bad either.
Zhang, a peddler from her hometown village, was just a peddler who made a little extra money and then took a concubine.
The third brother's skills are clearly much better than that of the peddler. What if he also wants to enjoy the bliss of having two wives?
Thinking about this possibility, Luo Taohua suddenly regained her balance from the sour feeling of envying Jiang Tangtang.
Although her husband wasn't as capable as her third brother, he was honest and would definitely not bring concubines home.
Jiang Tangtang ignored Luo Taohua's question and instead asked Guo Xuantong and her sister, "Can you still walk? If you can't, I'll have someone carry you for a while."
The pressure points on their bodies hadn't been released yet, but they both nodded in unison, indicating that they wanted to walk on their own.
Seeing the two nod, Jiang Tangtang said to Luo Taohua and Zhou Qiongniang, "Sister-in-law, please help them."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com