Chapter 122, exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Will they deal with the bad guys...?
County government office.
The county magistrate, with his full head of white hair and drooping eye bags, looked somewhat weak. He yawned and listened listlessly to his subordinates' discussion.
"Have you found out where those people came from?"
"Someone overheard Miao An's conversation with that group of people. It is said that these people are all from the same village called Yunlu Village."
"Yunlu Village? There is no village with that name in this county, so they must not be from this county."
The former chief镖师 (chief镖师) of the镖局 (镖局 is a type of security escort agency) frowned and said, "Wait, so many people come from the same village? How is that possible! How many of them survived?"
The accountant nodded in agreement, "They probably think that saying they come from the same place makes them seem capable and prevents them from being looked down upon, so they deliberately lied to Miao An."
The chief bodyguard sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he could only ask, "Did they say they would join Miao An's side?"
"The other party hasn't made a statement yet, probably because they want to learn more about the strength of the various forces in the city before waiting for the right price."
The old county magistrate grew impatient and frowned, saying, "Whether it's the survivors from one village or several villages, they're all just a bunch of peasants. There's no need to care so much."
The accountant reminded him, "But sir, they have several strange-looking vehicles that look very impressive. It is said that those vehicles can float, and the windows are even made of glass."
"What floating? It must be some kind of illusion, just a charade." The chief镖师 scoffed.
The old county magistrate also thought that the floating carriages didn't exist at all. However, when he learned that the windows of those strange carriages were actually made of glass, he still sat up slightly, and a hint of greed and dissatisfaction appeared in his cloudy eyes.
"A bunch of peasants do not deserve such good things. Tomorrow, you should have someone hint to them to hand over the car. If they are willing to hand it over, I can reluctantly provide them with protection."
At this point, the old county magistrate paused, "By the way, you said there are women among those people? See if there are any young and beautiful ones. I'm getting a little tired of the ones in the backyard."
The legal advisor asked, "What if they don't comply...?"
The old county magistrate sneered, "They wouldn't dare! Go there tomorrow dressed as government officials, and I doubt they'd dare resist. If they really don't know what's good for them, aren't they living on our territory? Just kick them out, and then teach them a lesson in private, so they'll know who's in charge here."
The group nodded, indicating that they understood what to do.
"That's settled then." The old county magistrate said impatiently, "I'm going to the backyard. My concubines are still waiting for me. Don't bother me unless it's something else."
"Please take care, sir."
"We will send you a new beauty as soon as possible."
...
Inside the study of a large mansion in the south of the city.
Several wealthy merchants and landlords sat around the table.
“Some people saw live cattle and sheep in the strange vehicle that those people brought.”
"Didn't they say it was cattle and horses? And it wasn't those people, it was Chen Bing's caravan, the people have already separated from them."
"No, besides the Chen family caravan, that group of people also had quite a few cattle and sheep. My man could see them clearly through the car window on the way Miao An took them to the east of the city."
Are there any supplies in the vehicle?
“From the outside, it doesn’t look like one, but to be able to support so many cattle, sheep and people, it must be rich in supplies.”
The most well-off and harmless-looking landlord, Zhao, clicked his tongue and said, "That's not necessarily true. During famines, people have resorted to cannibalism and eating sheep. I've heard that they were farmers? Have you ever seen any farmers who looked better than us during a famine?"
The others' faces darkened upon hearing this.
Indeed, those people were in an unbelievably good condition.
If those people really eat things they shouldn't, I'm afraid they won't change their habits after coming here.
That would be dangerous.
The tall, thin Boss Zheng said in a deep voice, "That's just your guess. I don't think so. I heard that Miao An got a lot of steamed buns. Those people don't seem to be lacking food."
Landlord Zhao shrugged. "If it's not ideal, then it's simply that they have more resources. We can consider exchanging goods with them."
Another landlord, Liu, said, "Those people seem to have some decent weapons. If we can get their weapons, or even just let them all join us, not only will we have more supplies, but we'll also have more people to protect them, so that the gambling den people won't keep eyeing our stuff."
The others thought it made sense.
Finally, the slightly chubby Boss Wang slammed his hand on the table and said, "They'll definitely go to the trading area after they enter the city. Let someone go and observe them tomorrow to see what kind of goods they've sold, so we can get a general idea of what they've done."
Mr. Zheng added, "We'll also take a look at what they're interested in so we can tailor our approach accordingly."
While they may try to win them over, the deal still needs to be done. If they happen to have the supplies that the other party desperately needs, they will have the upper hand. They can sit back and wait, make a big profit first, and then talk about other things.
"Okay, let's do it this way!"
...
The reaction from the gambling dens in the south of the city was much more direct.
Feng Hu, the burly gambling den owner with a face full of scars, was holding the top courtesan of the county's largest brothel in his arms. He grabbed a chicken leg and took a big bite, shouting as he ate, "Those guys have women, cattle, sheep, strange vehicles, and weapons. I want them all!"
The guys below shouted excitedly, "That's right! We want them all!"
Feng Hu scoffed, "The other three forces are too weak in combat. They're probably going to try some dirty tricks again. But I'd say they're all bullshit! In this world, you have to settle things with your fists!"
Tomorrow, you go and test their skills. If they're capable, try to win them over. If they disobey, beat them! They'll behave once they're subdued! If they refuse to give us their things, we'll take them! In short, there's no need to be too polite, otherwise they'll think they're something special and start manipulating us.”
"That's right! Beat them into submission and seize all the supplies!" the gambling den thugs and hooligans shouted.
However, someone quickly said, "It seems that Boss Chen Bing knows them. What if the local gentry help us? Although they can't fight, they definitely outnumber us..."
The thugs' screams subsided, and their expressions showed obvious hesitation.
Feng Hu's face darkened, and he spat on the ground, cursing fiercely, "Those old bastards, how come only one of them died in such hot weather the other day? It would be better if they were all dead!"
"And those old geezers in the county government, they're all over sixty, almost drained dry by those women in their backyards, yet they're still alive. They're all a bunch of old codgers!"
If he could take control of the county government officials and bodyguards, no matter how many connections those gentry and elders had, they would all have to bow down to him in the face of his fists!
"Boss? Should we still try those guys?"
Feng Hu's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said, "Try! Why not try! Do you think I'm afraid of those old fogies? If they dare to interfere, I'll take care of them too! Tomorrow you can go and have a good chat with those new guys!"
"yes!"
...
Inside a small courtyard in a working-class neighborhood.
An ordinary-looking but gentle-looking middle-aged man said helplessly to the other elderly people, "My nephew told those people about the situation in the city, but he couldn't find out much about the other side. He could only guess that they didn't lack food and weapons. To get more detailed information, we'll probably have to find Chen Bing and ask him."
The elderly people nodded in understanding at first, then their expressions became somewhat subtle.
"Chen Bing... He's been gone for several months. It's good that he's returned safely with his wife and children, but he probably doesn't know the situation in the north of the city yet."
"Ahem." The young people standing at the back who were listening couldn't help but cough and silently looked at another old man who looked somewhat similar to Chen Bing.
An elder said gently, “Old Chen, Chen Bing is your cousin. Talk to him tomorrow. His caravan has many skilled men who can help us when they return. If all goes well, we might be able to settle down in peace.”
Grandpa Chen nodded and said, "There shouldn't be any problem. There's a vacant courtyard next to my house, so it's a good opportunity for their family to move over. They can look after each other. But it's already late today, so I'm afraid we won't be able to find them for a while."
Logically, after discovering something was wrong in the north of the city, he should have come looking for him.
They haven't arrived yet at this late hour, probably because there are too many goods and people, making it inconvenient to make a scene, so they've just found a place to spend the night.
Another wealthy man, who hadn't spoken until now, said with some concern, "The other three groups will definitely make a move tomorrow. Will we mess things up if we're a step behind them? What if we manage to win over the newcomers..."
Old Master Chen shook his head and said, "Probably not. When young An invited them today, they didn't rush to express their opinions, which shows they are not impulsive people. It's not a bad thing to be a little slow. It's a good opportunity to see their reaction to the other three forces tomorrow."
You can basically tell whether someone is someone you should associate with by observing how Yunlu Village treats them.
If the people of Yunlu Village get along well with those three groups, it would be better to force them to join their side.
Their situation is relatively stable for now, but once a bunch of troublemakers join in, there will be no peace.
We would rather be slightly weaker overall than disrupt the hard-won peace.
The other elderly people shared similar thoughts, believing it was best to wait and see and remain unchanged in the face of any eventuality.
·
Not only the four major powers, but other disaster victims in the city were also excitedly talking about the newcomers who had entered the city today.
After learning that Miao An had not only escaped being "eaten" but had also gained considerable benefits from leading those people today, the adults completely forgot their suspicions that those big guys were "monsters." They all started thinking about going to the east side of the city tomorrow to see what was new, and perhaps those people had some other needs, so they could take the opportunity to earn some food.
If all else fails, they can actually join those people!
Many people saw it today; Miao An received several soft, fluffy steamed buns made of millet flour.
In the past, as city dwellers, they probably wouldn't have cared much for this.
But after eating coarse grain flatbread for almost two months, the soft and fluffy steamed buns... just imagining them makes my mouth water.
The focus is somewhat different for the children who lost their parents in the earthquake and became orphans.
Inside a dilapidated house that had collapsed more than halfway and looked like complete ruins.
Eight-year-old, somewhat thin boy excitedly asked his older sister, who was lying on the hard bed, trying to fall asleep, "Sister, did you see those children during the day? Those people are willing to raise so many children, and they're all chubby. They can't be bad people. Do you think they might take care of the bad guys in the city?"
Without turning her head, the older sister said in a muffled voice, "They don't know anyone in the city and have no grudges against them, so why should they take care of them? Stop dreaming and go to sleep."
The younger brother slumped his shoulders in disappointment, and after a moment of silence, he muttered again, unwilling to give up: "What if they just mean well? Or what if those forces provoked them? They'll definitely fight back, right?"
The older sister said impatiently, "If they're capable, they can simply leave this place and go somewhere else. People who don't lack resources can live well anywhere, unlike us."
The younger brother opened his mouth, but remained silent.
A moment later, a gurgling sound came from the younger brother's stomach. He touched his empty belly, leaned pitifully against his sister's back, and whispered, "Sister, I'm so hungry."
The older sister sighed inwardly, turned around and hugged her younger brother, gently patting his back as their mother used to do, and said, "Go to sleep, you won't be hungry if you fall asleep."
The younger brother hummed in agreement and closed his eyes, enduring his hunger.
A sliver of moonlight shone through the cracks in the dilapidated house, illuminating the older sister's somewhat dirty but exceptionally bright-eyed face.
She looked up at the faint moonlight, holding her only family member in her arms, and pondered her brother's words.
·
As dawn broke, the villagers of Yunlu Village got up early to wash up and have breakfast. After leaving behind some of the elderly, Ye Jing, whose pregnancy was progressing, and a third of the able-bodied young people, the remaining hundred or so people set off in a grand procession to the Free Trade Street they had learned about from Miao An.
Most of the supplies that the disaster victims scavenged from the ruins were indeed meant to be used to trade for food with the four major powers, but there were always some left over. These items would then be sold at stalls on the free trade street in the center of the county town.
The four major powers in this area do not interfere much, nor do they charge stall fees.
Correspondingly, if someone's stall is targeted for trouble, no one will step in to help; they will have to find their own way to resolve the issue.
The villagers wanted to learn more about the city as soon as possible, and that was the easiest place to go, where they could also stroll around and find some good deals.
The appearance of such a large group of people at the entrance of the trading area instantly attracted the attention of all the disaster victims on the street.
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