The room was empty, with only a cut fishing net on the ground!
"Damn! The mute actually ran away!"
"Who was on patrol last night? Did they see where the mute ran off to?"
"He was tied up so tightly, yet he managed to escape. Did he have a knife on him?"
"If I had known earlier, I would have left someone to watch him!"
Everyone was talking about it, feeling frustrated. They searched the house inside and out, and only stopped when they found that there was no sign of the mute.
The old man led everyone out of the house without leaving a trace, sat down under the eaves, and began to comfort them, "Forget it, this mute dared to set fire to our house, maybe he really has some skills. Even if we had kept someone last night, he would have escaped. If he hurt someone else, it would be even worse!"
Master Tai San also nodded and responded, "That's the truth. If he runs away, then he runs away. We will have a chance to catch him back in the future. It would be best if no one is hurt and there is no loss to the family."
Everyone felt warmed when they heard this. The elders did not blame them, but instead took their safety so seriously. Who could not be happy?
"Uncle San, Uncle Liu, don't worry! If the mute dares to show up again, we will definitely catch him back!"
"That's right, this heartless guy, next time I see him I'll just break his legs and see how he runs away!"
"It's a pity that I didn't find out who was behind this and sent him to cause trouble."
Old Master Tai lowered his head and puffed on his empty pipe, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
I didn't want you to know who was behind this, so I killed the mute at night and buried him in the mountains.
Mr. Tai San was an old and experienced man. He had just made some discoveries in the wing room, so he quickly changed the subject.
"The mute has escaped, and he might come back for revenge. Everyone needs to be more alert and patrol more diligently these days to prevent the mute from taking advantage of us. When Jiye and the others come back, all the tribesmen will be here, and we won't have to fear anything."
"Third brother is right. I guess Jiye and the others will be back in about ten days." Old Man Tai echoed.
At this time, Yang Lihua came from the backyard holding Zhuzhu.
Zhuzhu ran to her grandfather's arms and sat there, blinking her big eyes, her chubby face full of joy.
The old man put down his pipe and said with a smile, "Zhuzhu, are you hungry? Just wait for your uncle to come back with the shopping. There will definitely be snacks for you, maybe even chicken legs!"
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Zhuzhu happily hugged Grandpa's neck, not forgetting to fight for benefits for her little friend, "Sesame Ball also helped catch the bad guys last night, Grandpa, give it a chicken leg too, okay?"
"Okay, I must give it to you!" The old man laughed and agreed readily, which made Sesame Ball wag its tail and run around mischievously.
The villagers recalled the thrilling experience last night and couldn't help but praise him.
"Zhimaqiu was too aggressive last night. He bit the mute's leg and wouldn't let go!"
"Yes, the mute even led it over the wall. It is really brave and fierce. It is hard to find a good dog in the world!"
"To guard the house, we need a dog like Zhimaqiu! If I can find a mastiff again when I go to the cattle and horse market, I'll get one for my family."
Zhimaqiu was stunned by the praise. He squatted at Zhuzhu's feet, holding his head high and chest puffed out with pride.
Fortunately, the big black horse is not at home, otherwise he would definitely turn his lips and spit at it...
After a while, Tai Jizong, who had gotten up early to go to the city to buy things, came back.
The Tai family has never been stingy. Last night, the villagers took the risk to help catch the mute, so today's reward banquet must be more sumptuous.
Tai Jizong bought two big carps, half a pig's hind leg, two roast chickens, two jars of strong liquor, and some rice, flour and other sundries.
Of course, he also picked up two boxes of snacks for his niece from the Min family's snack shop.
Manager Min happened to be buying candied fruits from merchants from the south, and he brought back a small jar of preserved apricots for Zhuzhu to taste.
Zhuzhu was so happy that she immediately went back to the house with the apricots, snacks, and the chicken legs that her grandfather had promised her.
Followed by the excitedly jumping sesame balls...
Liu Dongniang came out wearing an apron, and she knew how to arrange the dishes just by taking a glance at the ingredients.
"Dad, let's make the braised pork with tofu and the braised fish with sauce for lunch, and add four more seasonal dishes, making a total of six, okay?"
"Okay, you decide on this matter. Everyone likes your cooking skills, and it tastes delicious no matter how you cook it." Old Master Tai never hesitates to praise his daughter-in-law, which makes Liu Dongniang blush and proud, and she happily goes to work.
The old and the young continued to gossip, talking about everything from crops in the fields to the latest news in the city. Of course, what they talked about most was guessing who had instructed the mute to cause trouble, and the main suspect was the Wang family.
Although County Magistrate Wang and his son were dead, leaving only Madam Wang with her entourage of concubines, married daughters, and sons-in-law, no one could be sure whether Madam Wang had gone berserk and, unable to find anyone to vent her anger on, had taken it out on the Tai family.
Just when things were getting busy, there was a commotion outside the courtyard.
It turned out that the women were working in the backyard, the men were gossiping in the front yard, and the naughty boys came to join in the fun, but no one was in charge, so they started fighting over a trivial matter.
The two naughty boys tore at each other and turned into a ball rolling on the ground. The clean clothes turned into mud balls in the blink of an eye!
When everyone heard the noise, they all came out to see what was going on.
The two naughty boys were pulled apart, and it turned out to be Tai Jicai’s eldest son and Tiedan!
Uncle Tai San raised his hand and slapped his grandson, causing the boy to shrink his neck. Although Tiedan was not hit, he was frightened and took a few steps back.
Master Tai was so angry that he chased them away, "Get lost! Go home! If I see you fighting again, you'll all go back to work in the fields! We have enough food and clothes to eat every day, and you have the time to mess with me. Wild boars can't eat fine bran, you useless people!"
The two boys ran away immediately, fearing that they would be beaten again if they were a step late.
Master Tai shook his head in anger, "These boys are such a headache. Originally they were supposed to study with Yongning, but every girl did well in school. These boys just don't get it. They'd rather go fishing and climb trees than write a few more words.
"Now Yongning is studying in the city, and his step-grandmother's wife is teaching him well, but they still can't make much progress. I'm afraid they'll have to stay in the village farming in the future. If they go out to do business, they'll easily be cheated and come back with nothing."
The people around looked embarrassed when they heard this, because they also had children at home and no one usually disciplined them.
In their opinion, as long as the child does not get sick, is well fed and well clothed, and is raised to the age of thirteen or fourteen, he or she will be a strong laborer and can help with housework.
As for becoming a successful person through studying, it seems like a very distant thing.
Mr. Tai saw what everyone was thinking, but he didn't feel angry.
Maybe when Yongning becomes successful in the future, everyone will take studying more seriously.
As for now...
He filled a pot of tobacco for his elder brother and advised with a smile, "They say that naughty boys can become good men. Don't look at them like this now. When they grow up, they will definitely become good people. Besides, just because they don't like to study doesn't mean they have no future.
"I'll find a few masters in a while. If there are any kids who are willing to learn and can endure hardships, they can learn martial arts from them.
"Not only will they stay healthy, but we won't have to worry about them getting bullied when we go out. Even if someone comes to cause trouble in the village, we'll have help."
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