Chapter 12: Not a bandit?
Guan Zhiwei possessed immense strength and pulled the cart away.
Dogtooth was pushing from behind, and didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
But he heard people around him pointing and whispering that he was useless and that he was bullying the girl who was pulling the cart in front.
He didn't think he could bully Guan Zhiwei, so he could only push her even harder.
As I pushed, it suddenly stopped moving.
It turned out that they had arrived at their destination, and Guan Zhiwei had let go of the car and parked it.
The heavy knives were stored in a wooden box. She picked them up with both hands and hoisted them onto her shoulders as if she were carrying some light, floating cloud.
Dogtooth quickly knocked on the door to announce their arrival. They entered the Zhou residence, unloaded the goods one by one, and the steward counted them.
She looked around the elegant courtyard, which exuded a noble and artistic atmosphere. There were scattered rocks and green bamboos, pavilions and towers, and even poems were engraved on the long corridor.
"What would a family like that need knives for?" she asked Dogtooth in a low voice.
Dogtooth glanced around and saw that the steward and servants were quite far away from them before he leaned close to their ears and cautiously said, "The bandits sneaked into the city and killed a high-ranking official and his entire family. These people are terrified."
He scrutinized Guan Zhiwei, trying to discern something from her, suspecting that the trouble was caused by those few copper coins.
Guan Zhiwei calmly replied with an "Oh".
He added, "That family's surname is Han. They're in charge of things, and they even bought firewood from you before."
"Oh, that wealthy family? I've lost a big client." Guan Zhiwei clenched her fist in regret.
"..."
She went into the mountains to chop firewood and always returned with a full load. Selling half of the firewood would earn her 30 copper coins, which would amount to 900 copper coins a month, much more than she earned working as a blacksmith.
For a while, she thought about quitting her job and chopping wood. But then she gave up because she still wanted a stable job, even if the salary was low, there was a hidden benefit—the axe she used to chop wood in the mountains was stolen from the blacksmith's shop, and she had to return it after using it.
Dogtooth looked at her strangely, sensing that there was something indescribable about this girl.
It's roughly like this: both tyrannical and impoverished.
"Uncle, what are you doing?" A young man approached from a distance.
The steward looked up and quickly called out to Erlang, then said, "Young Master ordered a batch of knives for guarding the house and protecting against mountain bandits. I'm checking the quantity."
The young man frowned. "Isn't this ridiculous? Where did these bandits come from? My father is just being stubborn at this time..."
He was probably forbidden to say anything out of filial piety, but he came and went in a hurry with a furrowed brow.
"What else could it be but bandits?" Dogtooth asked Guan Zhiwei, his eyes gleaming.
Guan Zhiwei was thinking. Not about bandits, but about why the system was so quiet.
Is it acting out of spite?
The housekeeper settled the bill, and she took the money.
Diagonally opposite the door is the Han family, whose entire family of eighteen, along with sixty servants, were wiped out. Their deaths were extremely gruesome.
There was a bloody, human-shaped mark on the ground in front of the door, clearly visible as someone had been dragged, a truly shocking sight.
"This is the Han family. The entire family is wiped out. They even killed their mute old servant who could only gesture. They wiped them all out." Gouya pointed it out to her.
She glanced around and realized, "I don't think they were bandits. Bandits would have wanted to rob money. Chasing someone out of the mansion to kill them is clearly an attempt to silence them."
The dog's teeth were clashing together: "Is that you?"
Guan Zhiwei glanced at him and said, "Are you sick?"
Then she sat leisurely on the cart and let Dog Tooth pull her back.
Halfway there, a carriage sped by, kicking up dust, with a coachman and guards escorting him.
The guards cracked their whips, urging the crowd to clear the way: "Make way for the Grand Commandant's carriages and horses, and all bystanders—"
Dogtooth pulled the cart to the side.
Guan Zhiwei lay on the cart with her legs crossed, looking at the azure sky, until the carriage passed by.
The swaying motion lifted the floating carriage curtain.
A slender boy with drooping eyelashes like a raven's long tail.
Guan Zhiwei tilted her head slightly, looking at the other person from a lying position.
She saw a hint of sorrow in the other person's eyes, like a rippling lake.
It's also possible that I misread it.
Because the floating gauze quickly fell back down, only a faint scent of clothes wafted out.
She was like a thief, only managing to steal a fleeting glimpse.
"No wonder it's Grand Commandant Gao's mansion, it's really impressive." Dog Tooth dragged his cart with longing, "I wish I could get a job at his mansion."
Guan Zhiwei disliked his boosting of others' morale and diminishing his own. After calculating for a moment, she arrogantly said, "With our monthly salary of three hundred, even if we didn't eat or drink for a lifetime, we could probably afford one of his carriages."
"I can't afford it."
Dogtooth said dejectedly, "And my monthly salary isn't three hundred, it's one hundred and fifty."
Guan Zhiwei put on a smug face: "I can earn at least five hundred yuan a month."
He wailed, "Why am I not so lucky to be born as the son of the Grand Commandant? I wish I could be like Gao Yanei, so I wouldn't have to be jealous over five hundred coins."
Guan Zhiwei felt that one should have some ambition. It was impossible to be satisfied with five hundred coins. She would work harder and get at least six hundred coins.
For ordinary people, the current situation is not great, but it seems to be stable.
With Grand Tutor Yuwen gone, Grand Commandant Gao arrived; the young emperor always needs someone to support him.
Whether the emperor is willing to have a Grand Commandant with military power on his side is none of the people's business.
At least the 30,000 elite troops he brought into the city added new vitality to the city.
With so many soldiers suddenly receiving rewards, the people's businesses became easier, their lives improved, and the streets and alleys were bustling with activity. Those who ran wineries were especially overjoyed.
Especially Guan Zhiwei's neighbor, Madam Feng, had even more work to do. Dressed in flamboyant clothes, she walked from tavern to tavern with her pipa in her hand, singing, "One wu leaf falls, one autumn; one banana leaf falls, one sorrow; dreams return after midnight."
Guan Zhiwei had heard it by chance and thought it was really nice, even though it wasn't autumn yet.
The soldiers gave her generous tips, and Madam Feng made a fortune, returning home drunk every day. She would pack up the leftovers from the soldiers' meals and give them to her son.
Atu was a generous boy. When he climbed over the wall to Guan Zhiwei's house, he would share salted beans with her. If he was lucky, he would also get a piece or two of pork.
Guan Zhiwei always managed to catch him steadily.
The two have become good friends.
"My mother's voice is hoarse. Brother Gouya said you know medicine. Can you treat my mother?" The child asked, his hands supporting his chin, looking worried.
Guan Zhiwei gritted her teeth. Gouya, that big mouth, is always out there spreading rumors. If she's a liar, he's an accomplice.
Atu looked at Guan Zhiwei with anticipation.
She felt obligated to help someone who had paid for her meal, but she wasn't exactly a skilled doctor. After thinking it over, she said dryly, "Drink more hot water."
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