There was no response from the other side; they seemed to be busy repairing the car. Boss Zhou didn't approach either. Both sides were on guard. He was wary of the other side's guards, who were all on horseback and carrying knives. They looked like they were not to be trifled with.
Half an hour passed quickly, but the other party's carriage was still not repaired. Boss Zhou was even more anxious. He said, "If your carriage is broken and needs repair, move it to the side of the grass so that others can pass. What kind of behavior is it to block the middle?"
Thinking this to himself, Boss Zhou actually said it, shouting it out to those people from afar.
At first, they ignored them, but after a while, two guards came over. Zhou Laoda felt a chill run down his spine as if facing a formidable enemy, and subconsciously gripped his axe tighter.
Seeing Zhou Laoda's wary expression, the two men stopped three meters away from him. One of them clasped his hands in a fist and said in a negotiating tone, "Brother, our old lady's carriage has broken down and can't be repaired in time. We wonder if we could borrow your oxcart for a ride? Don't worry, we'll pay you."
Who cares about your little bit of money? We just want to get home as soon as possible.
After considering for a moment, Zhou said, "Then you should move the horse-drawn carriage to the side first, otherwise our oxcart won't be able to get through."
"Let our lady get into the carriage first, and then we'll need this gentleman's help to carry the carriage," the guard said.
"You four guards and a coachman can't even lift a carriage?" Old Zhou frowned.
Five people could certainly lift it, but they needed to leave one person behind to protect the old lady's safety. Calling Zhou Laoda to help lift it was also to guard against him.
Old Zhou could also see the other party's wariness, and he was displeased. Their old lady's life was valuable, but his wife and children's lives were not?
He refused to help lift the carriage.
After a brief standoff, the old lady sent someone to deliver a message, saying that all family members in the carriage should get out and stand together so that no one would have any accidents.
Zhou asked the Zhao sisters, Guihua and Guizhi, for their opinions. Zhao Guihua subconsciously looked at the stars, hoping to get some hints from them, but the little girl peeked out the window with a curious look on her face, offering no clues and seemingly wanting to get out of the car and wander around.
Let's get off the bus then.
That's the only way. Otherwise, if we delay any longer, we'll have to spend the night on the road. And this place is so desolate; who knows what kind of accident might happen?
The old lady over there walked over, supported by two maids. It was already dark by then. As she got closer, it became clear that one of the servants was a middle-aged nanny and the other was a young maid.
When Xingxing was helped off the carriage by Zhao Guihua, she spotted a familiar face. Pointing at the man's coachman, she exclaimed, "Hey, what's this arrogant guy? How come we've run into him again?"
Soon, Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua recognized the coachman as the one they had met in the county before. It was Xingxing who risked his life to stop the carriage and the other party's men, thus escaping a disaster.
The coachman glanced around, equally surprised, and asked suspiciously, "What a coincidence that you're here?"
"Isn't it a coincidence? We're from Shanshui Town, on our way home, but we've been blocked from passing," Zhao Guizhi said, sensing the other person's suspicion. She was getting angry, as if they were deliberately following them. "We're wondering what you're doing on this road. Judging from the direction you're going, you seem to be heading to Shanshui Town."
Upon hearing that Zhou Laoda and the others were from Shanshui Town, the old lady waved her hand to signal the coachman to step back. She said gently, "So it was you who saved my life before. I never expected you to be from Shanshui Town. What a coincidence!"
Ignoring the reactions of Zhou Laoda and the others, the old lady continued, "I went to Shanshui Town to pick up someone. A relative of ours is sick, and our boat was docked at the Shanshui Town pier. We were supposed to get to the town the day before yesterday, but we were tripped up in the county town. By the time we resolved the problem, it was delayed until this afternoon."
If they hadn't been ambushed, their carriage wouldn't have broken down halfway through the journey.
Because they had met once before in the county and the old lady spoke sincerely, Zhou Laoda and his two companions believed her somewhat. The other party did not insist that Zhou Laoda help lift the carriage, and the four guards and the coachman moved the carriage to make way.
The old lady got into the oxcart, and the coachman could only share a horse with one of the guards. The four horses guarded the cart from the front and back, and it slowly followed the oxcart's pace.
Half an hour later, it was already dark. Zhou Laoda shouted as he struggled to drive the oxcart, "Sir, wait a moment, we need to enter the city gate."
"Zhongli," the old lady called out softly.
The guard at the front immediately understood, rode his horse quickly to the city gate, said something to the gatekeeper, and then took out some silver from his pocket and stuffed it into the gatekeeper's hand. The gatekeeper felt the weight of the silver, smiled, and was clearly very satisfied.
As per usual procedure, the documents handed over by the guards were checked. Finding no problems, they were allowed to enter the city. Boss Zhou didn't even need to take out his documents; he could just drive the oxcart away.
Finally back in town safely, Boss Zhou took the old lady directly to the inn. As soon as she got out of the car, he couldn't wait to leave.
"Wait a minute, brother, may I ask your name and where you live?" The old lady called out to Zhou Laoda, insisting on asking his name.
"My surname is Zhou. It's late, so let's not talk to the old lady any longer. We need to hurry home; the children are waiting for us." The eldest son of Zhou only mentioned his surname and did not reveal anything else. After saying that, he turned the oxcart around and left.
The old lady watched the oxcart disappear into the distance and said with a faint smile, "That farmer is quite interesting, and his wife and daughter are also very likable."
"She's just a little ungrateful," the young maid beside her whispered.
"That's because they have backbone; not everyone is greedy for money." The old nanny actually had a good impression of the Zhou family.
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