Chapter 41: Fright
The man had a dark face and a ferocious expression, which was scary to look at.
He had a full beard and wore a striking green robe and official boots with white soles and black surfaces. However, there were some black and red marks on his robe, and his boots were covered in dust.
Xia Youtian trembled at first, but when he saw that the man had no intention of snatching the purse from his arms, he slowly calmed down.
He forced a smile, bowed deeply to the visitor, and made a salute:
"Mr. Jin, long time no see! How have you been?"
The bearded man scratched his head, pulled Xia Youtian by the shoulder and ran into a narrow alley nearby, talking in his mouth:
"Fourth brother, please stop irritating me! Come over here, let's go inside and talk!"
With a creak, the bearded man pushed open a shabby wooden door, and the two men entered the yard. The bearded man looked back and saw no one, so he closed the door.
Xia Youtian's heart, which was already tense to begin with, now became even more tense.
The bearded man listened to the noise outside for a while, then rudely pulled Xia Youtian a few steps faster, entered the house, bolted the door from the inside, and said to Xia Youtian:
"Fourth brother, I'm so lucky to meet you today, so I don't have to go to Beiguan Village again.
Please tell Yujiao about this for me!
My superiors sent me there to carry out a mission, and it will probably take me a year or so to come back.
Tell Yujiao not to rush to get married and to wait for me for two years! When I come back, I will propose marriage to her!"
Xia Youtian's eyes suddenly widened to the size of a cow's, and he was speechless for a long time.
The bearded man threatened him domineeringly:
"You must tell her the message. If she refuses, I will go find her. If you don't, I will go find you to settle the score!"
The bearded man said these words hurriedly, picked up the teapot from the small table in the room, gulped down a bellyful of cold tea, wiped his mouth, and put the teapot on the table with a "bang":
"You can go now. Don't tell anyone you've seen me, except Yujiao!"
The bearded man said this nonsense, turned around and climbed onto the kang, opened the window on the wall at the head of the kang, raised his hand to prop it open, and then climbed out of the window.
He looked stocky and heavy, but surprisingly he was quite agile when he moved.
The bearded man kicked the ground, raising dust along the way.
Xia Youtian stared blankly at the bearded man's back running farther and farther away in the smoke and dust, his face dull and he couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. He couldn't help but think about it in his heart.
This man named Jin is a somewhat famous figure in Beiguan Town, but it's a pity that he doesn't have a good reputation.
When did he meet Yujiao?
From what he said, could it be that he has already secretly decided to spend his life with Yujiao?
But, I heard that this man surnamed Jin has a wife and children!
Yujiao is the treasure of the Xia family, how could she become someone's concubine!
Even if his wife died, it would not be okay to let Yujiao be his concubine!
Yujiao was good-looking and young, but even though she broke off the engagement with the Xie family and was the subject of gossip, she was a little unhappy.
But as long as this period passes, she will recover sooner or later.
When she comes to her senses, she can find a good young man from a decent farming family.
At worst, I can marry someone who lives a little further away!
No matter what, isn't being a married couple better than being a concubine to your wife named Jin?
After much thought, Xia Youtian decided to keep the matter secret.
After returning home, he never mentioned it again.
Xia Yujiao is actually only a few years older than Lihua, and Xia Youtian has practically watched her grow up.
The bearded man was rude and irritable, and he already had a wife and more than one child...
No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem like a good man suitable for his girl.
Xia Youtian shook his head, forced himself to put the worry aside, packed up his things and walked out.
Everything in this house was very shabby, there wasn't even any bedding, it didn't look like a place where people could live.
Since there is nothing valuable, there is no need to lock the door.
However, perhaps because he did not check the almanac before going out today, the shock Xia Youtian encountered was not over yet.
As soon as he walked out of the courtyard door of the cottage, he saw a man in black clothes climbing over the wall into the courtyard.
Xia Youtian's heart was pounding with fear and he almost fell to the ground.
I covered my mouth with my hands and finally calmed my pounding heart. Then I saw a group of soldiers, about ten people, rushing past the entrance of the alley while shouting "Hurry, hurry, follow me".
The knives in their hands shone brightly under the scorching sun, flashing with a cold glow.
Xia Youtian's heartbeat, which had just calmed down, began to speed up uncontrollably again.
Be it the bearded man or the stranger who just climbed over the wall, none of them were as scary as this group of soldiers. After all, these officials in the government office were not the kind to be reasoned with!
He held onto the wall and slowly moved out, bit by bit.
It’s my fault for having such weak legs that I can’t walk faster. I can only stroll slowly.
No matter what, get away from this broken house.
Otherwise, if that guy named Jin has some connection with this group of people and he captures me and puts me in jail, who can I turn to for justice?
By then, Mrs. Jiang will probably cry her heart out!
Even if I use all the money I have to bribe people, it may not help me get out! If I get sick in prison, I might not even be able to farm!
Xia Youtian tried his best to control his expression, but this horrific prospect that one could imagine still hit him hard.
Xia Youtian couldn't help but feel that he had been too careless during this period.
There is a portrait of the notorious bandit hanging at the city gate!
How could I just run to town as if nothing had happened when I got the chance?
When leaving the town, Xia Youtian found a new notice at the city gate. He felt as if a pile of stones were stuffed in his stomach, making it hard for him to breathe.
My legs seemed to be heavier.
Xia Youtian walked out of the town slowly, looking very unhappy. When he finally got home, it was already almost an hour later than usual.
Jiang was very worried and had looked towards the village entrance several times.
The children were all hungry, but no one wanted to eat first. They all waited for Xia Youtian obediently.
Seeing Xia Youtian’s ugly face, the whole family gathered around him.
"Arita, what's wrong with you?"
"Dad, are you hungry?"
Surrounded by his family, staring at him with concern, Xia Youtian forced a smile to comfort his wife and children:
"It's okay, it's okay. I ran into an acquaintance in town today. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we chatted for a while. As a result, I came back late."
The children were reluctantly convinced, but Jiang and Xia Daohua could see that what he said was not entirely true.
After quickly eating some cornmeal porridge, Jiang settled the children down and asked Xia Youtian what happened during the day. Unexpectedly, Xia Youtian said to Jiang with a depressed look on his face: "We divided the family by mistake."
I've had some minor health problems these past two days, so those who don't have drafts saved can't afford it! I'm very sorry that I was interrupted yesterday and updated late today. PS, thank you dear book friend "Autumn Fairy Tale Book" for your support! Thank you all for your votes and comments! Love you, (づ￣ 3￣)づ
(End of this chapter)
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