During the day, the boys and girls in the village were all running around excitedly, following the adults to help, all smiling with white teeth, and were extremely excited. Even after dinner and bedtime, they refused to close their eyes early, of course including Zhuzhu.
Sometimes she would ask her mother to tell her a story, and sometimes she would act coquettishly and ask her aunt to steam buns for her the next morning. She even rolled around in excitement and giggled non-stop.
No matter how sad the family members were, they were made to laugh by this fat girl.
After waiting for a long time, the fat girl started snoring and her little belly wrapped in the quilt rose and fell. Only then did the family members feel at ease and close their eyes.
Tai Jizu followed the old man down the mountain, while Tai Jizong and Banxianer slept on the kang outside. While thinking about what else to repair tomorrow, and thinking that it was his turn to be on duty in the second half of the night, he fell asleep quickly.
In the middle of the night, someone called quietly from outside the straw curtain, "Second Brother Ji Zong, it's your turn to keep watch."
Tai Jizong turned over and sat up, quickly putting on his thickest fur coat. As soon as he opened the straw curtain, the biting cold wind made him completely awake.
After the villagers finished their shift, they hurried back to the big cave to sleep.
Tai Jizong and the other seven or eight people on night watch walked around the valley, and when they saw nothing unusual, they returned.
One of the tribesmen kept sneezing, I wonder if it was because he wasn't wearing enough.
Tai Jizong saw this and said, "Let's not stand guard outside anymore. It's useless. It's better to sit at the entrance of the cave and keep an eye on it for a while. Just don't fall asleep. Otherwise, you'll get sick from the cold and won't be able to work during the day."
Everyone naturally agreed, after all, no one wanted to suffer from the cold.
Tai Jizong returned to the cave and chased Zhimaqiu to sleep at Zhuzhu's feet. He then sat in the doghouse and stared outside through the gap in the door curtain.
The night is long, especially in the second half, when I feel the most sleepy.
Tai Jizong's head was against the mountain wall, feeling cool. He thought it would make him more awake, but he still felt drowsy.
Inside the cave, Yang Lihua woke up because Zhimaqiu jumped onto the kang. She found that it was her dog, so she pulled the corner of the quilt to cover the dog and continued to sleep.
The fat girl probably felt something furry under her feet, so she rubbed them with her chubby feet and continued snoring.
Sesame Ball pouted, as if disgusted, but its tail quietly blocked the gap in the quilt, preventing any wind from getting in.
Peace returned to the cave and everyone fell into a sweet dream again.
After an unknown amount of time, Sesame Ball suddenly sat up, pricked up his ears, and ran towards the cave entrance barking!
Everyone was awakened, and Yang Lihua and Liu Dongniang's first reaction was to protect the fat girl in the middle!
Tai Jizong at the door was also suddenly awakened. He grabbed a torch beside him, lit it, and threw out the straw curtain.
At the same time, the same thing happened to the other holes.
In an instant, the dark valley was illuminated by seven or eight torches, and the dozen or so men in black who had quietly crept up from not far outside the cave were completely exposed!
"Someone's coming! Get your weapons!"
Tai Jizong's shouting could be heard clearly throughout the valley!
At this moment, all men, women, young and old woke up. The old people and their children quickly hid in the cave, and the women picked up wooden sticks and copper basins and stood guard outside.
The men, young and old, grabbed their sharp sabers, hatchets, axes, sickles, and even shoulder poles, and gathered at the entrance of the cave, guarding it tightly.
Master Tai San squeezed to the front of the cave entrance and looked at the dozen or so men in black with bad faces. He couldn't help but tremble in his heart.
This is not an ordinary bandit, nor a petty thief, he must be a desperado!
Because these people were wrapped tightly, leaving only a pair of cold eyes, the bows and arrows behind them, and the long knives in their hands, all of which were sharp weapons for killing.
He believed that once these people started fighting, they would kill them all without hesitation and would never show mercy!
After confirming this information, he took a deep breath. He couldn't understand where these people came from. How did the Tai family provoke them?
Similarly, the group of men in black were also in a depressed mood. They originally thought it was a very simple task, after all, they were facing a group of peasants.
But they rushed all the way from Kyoto, but they were disappointed at the foot of the mountain. After tracking for two days, crossing mountains and rivers to find this valley, they wanted to end the battle quickly, but they were suddenly exposed because of a dog barking!
Master Tai San took a deep breath and asked the men in black loudly.
"Hey, heroes over there, what brings you here in the middle of the night? We're just ordinary people. Because the world is in chaos, we've taken refuge in the mountains. If you're passing by and are hungry or thirsty, we're here to help. If there's any misunderstanding, we can talk it out. Please draw a path for us!"
The leading man in black frowned and asked in a loud voice, "Are you from Taijia Village at the foot of the mountain? Who is Tai Baocheng? Let him come out! He stole something from our master. If he gives it up quickly, I can promise not to harm the rest of you!"
Mr. Tai San's heart sank when he heard this. His vague guess seemed to have come true.
Although his old brother had never told him explicitly, he had encountered many big and small things in the past year, and he also wondered if his old brother had a secret.
Unexpectedly, this secret brought trouble again today!
"My dear heroes, we are indeed from Taijia Village at the foot of the mountain, but my sixth son is not here. He has a small courtyard in the city, and he has been living there for some time because of his ice sculpture business. Why don't you go look for him in the city?"
The man in black didn't believe it and sneered, "Don't think we are easy to fool. Hand the man over quickly, or don't blame us for being rude."
After saying that, he drew out his long sword, and the other men in black did the same. For a moment, the dark valley was filled with the flickering torches shining on the sword blades, which made people feel cold in their hearts.
Master Tai was anxious and said quickly, "I didn't lie to you. Lao Liu is really not here. He is in the small courtyard in the city."
After that, he shouted at the other cave entrances, "Everyone is here. If you don't believe me, ask them."
In the other cave entrances, everyone was also holding their breath and listening.
At this moment, everyone joined in.
"Yes, Master Tai Liu has entered the city."
"Who would want to live in a cave when there's a courtyard in the city? We have no other choice!"
"Sixth Uncle is the most righteous. If he were here, he would have stood up long ago. He wouldn't have watched you scare everyone while he hid in the back!"
Mr. Tai San was afraid that everyone would say too much and make more mistakes, so he quickly took over the conversation.
"Have you heard that, my dear heroes? My old brother is definitely not here. If you want to find him, you can go into the city to look for him. The small courtyard in the city is easy to find. It's at the end of the alley behind the Min family's pastry shop. The Min family's pastry shop is the most popular. You can find it by asking in the city."
The man in black seemed to believe it and stopped talking. Just when everyone was quietly relieved, the leader mentioned another thing.
"Since Tai Baocheng is not here, hand over the Tai family's granddaughter!"
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