Xiao Chang'an paused...
Thus, the master and servant settled down temporarily in the cave.
Yuan Lang was worried about his master's safety and rarely went out. Even the territory of He County was no longer safe; there might be men from the Prince of Zhennan's heir somewhere.
That afternoon, a little beggar came to Shiligou. The little beggar's name was Xiao Dingdang, and he was a boy of about ten years old.
They were spotted by the patrol team as soon as they entered the village, and it just so happened that the eldest son of the Lu family and others were on duty.
Once bitten, twice shy. He wouldn't easily trust a child now. He had brought disaster upon himself because of Lu Zhaodi; his son had been abducted, and that child was probably involved.
He heard that someone had seen a girl about the same age as Zhao Di among the bandits. Boss Lu thought to himself that if he could catch the bandits, he would definitely pry them open and ask them what had happened.
Little Dingdang was suddenly questioned by this group of burly men, which almost scared him to death. After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to say the name of Qin San Niang. Only then did the men of the patrol team accompany him to find the place.
"Third Sister, this child says he's here to see you. Do you recognize him?" Boss Lu called out from outside.
Knowing that Lu Song's children had all gone to school, and that Qin San Niang and Liu Shi should be home alone at this time, these rough men couldn't just barge in like that.
Qin San Niang, who was busy harvesting in the space, heard the call and quickly came out. Upon seeing the little beggar, she instantly understood that he was a member of the dilapidated temple in the city, her current informant.
The child was breathing rapidly, one strap of his straw sandal had come loose, his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and his face was covered in dark streaks...
Qin San Niang felt a pang of sadness. Had this child run away from the city? However, she still cautiously inquired, "Who sent you? Did you move?"
"Going back to the boss, the leader sent me. We haven't moved; we're still living in the dilapidated temple on the city wall." After saying that, he quickly took out a token hidden in his pocket—a colorful plastic candy wrapper.
For the little beggar and his companions, this was an extremely precious item. Although they didn't know what it was made of, it was certainly not a cheap thing!
The gang leader said this thing must be very expensive!
Seeing that they did indeed know each other, the eldest son of the Lu family took his leave to continue his duty. Today, he was on duty at the village entrance and could not let go of any clues. He had a grudge against the bandits and knew that they were always cunning, so he could not be careless in the slightest.
The three Lu brothers were assigned to three different teams, firstly because they were cautious and skilled in martial arts, and secondly, it was their own wish.
Gu Qingshan knew their purpose and naturally wouldn't stop them.
On the contrary, with the three brothers around, the burden on their shoulders was much lighter. The journey of fleeing was fraught with difficulties, and their adaptability was much higher than that of the villagers.
When Liu entered the courtyard, she knew that the little beggar had come to deliver a message, but she felt a pang of sadness seeing him like that. "Child, have you not eaten? Grandma will make you some noodles. Don't go."
"Thank you, Grandma."
"Mother, you go ahead, I'll take him back tonight," she said, knowing her mother was a kind person.
"Speak, what major news have you discovered?" Dong Hao wouldn't have sent him all this way to deliver a message if it weren't something significant.
They had an agreement: for ordinary messages, she could hide under the big locust tree on the side of the city gate; members of their Little Beggars' Gang would always be stationed around the tree, ensuring her safety. If it was an emergency, they would bring a token to Shili Gou to find her.
The little beggar drank the water that was handed to him, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "What's this water made of? It's so sweet!"
"Master, our leader discovered today that the handsome man stayed at Chen's Tavern for about half an hour, and then that wretched woman actually drove her carriage to the back mountain. It looks like she's joined up with the bandits!"
"Bandits? They're hiding outside the city?"
"Yes, there's an abandoned post station ten miles outside the city. The chief told me to tell you to be careful these next few days." The little beggar's words were full of cunning, and his expression was very clear. No wonder Dong Hao trusted him to deliver the message.
Qin Sanniang's heart was greatly disturbed. Ten miles outside the city, that meant it was not far from their Shiligou. No wonder Dong Hao was so anxious. It seemed that he had discovered their intention to launch a surprise attack on the village.
Where is your gang leader now?
The little beggar remained silent; the gang leader hadn't said anything about telling anyone his news.
Qin Sanniang said knowingly, "When we get back, we must tell your gang leader to stay calm and not to fight a losing battle! A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years!"
Dong Hao became Qin San Niang's spy, but unexpectedly, upon taking office, he found traces of bandits. He had an irreconcilable hatred for bandits! Even if these bandits weren't necessarily the same ones who killed his family, so what? He vowed to kill all the bandits in his lifetime!
Most of the young beggars under his command were separated from their families after the bandits attacked the city. So when they heard the word "bandits," every seemingly young eye was filled with a raging fire of hatred! An irreconcilable hatred!
Qin San Niang could understand how maddening such deep-seated hatred could be, but acting impulsively would not yield the desired results; it would only bring joy to the enemy and pain to the loved ones!
Dingdang nodded. Although he didn't know if his boss would listen to him, what his boss said was right.
Liu's noodle soup arrived quickly, made with leftover noodles from lunch. Liu quickly cooked a bowl of vegetable and egg noodles with lard. Although the ingredients were the most ordinary, it was made very delicious. The fragrant aroma made Xiao Dingdang's mouth water. He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose and sniff the air. He hadn't had such fragrant noodles in a long time.
Seeing his happy little face, Liu said softly, "Don't rush, eat slowly. There are two eggs in it. I don't know if that's enough for you. If not, tell Grandma and I'll make you another bowl."
Little Dingdang wiped away his tears. He thought of his mother and choked out, "That's enough, Grandma, thank you."
Dingdang completed his mission and went back to praise Qin Sanniang and Liu Shi, especially Liu Shi's slender noodles, which he described as extremely delicious.
The other little beggars all looked at their leader with obvious envy in their eyes, and they were almost about to say that they wanted to go and deliver the message!
Dong Hao smiled and said there would be many more opportunities in the future! As long as there is news, they can deliver it and have a good meal. This is a great thing!
Upon hearing the news from Tan San Niang, Dong Hao paused, glanced at the children before him, and realized that while he wasn't afraid to die, he couldn't take them with him. That woman was right! A gentleman's revenge is never too late.
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