Half an hour later, Zhu Qiuyu returned carrying several wild rabbits. Zhu Xichen had already gathered firewood and lit a fire to warm himself. Luckily, it wasn't raining here, otherwise they would have had to find a place to take shelter from the rain.
Zhu Qiuyu took out a dagger and began to skin the rabbit, then took out its internal organs and threw them away. After processing the whole rabbit, he skewered it on a tree branch and began to roast it. The woman next to him saw that they were about to throw away the rabbit skin and suddenly spoke up.
"Rabbit fur can be used to make shoes, it's such a waste to throw it away."
Zhu Qiuyu smiled enigmatically, "You seem to know how to be thrifty and manage a household well. You want rabbit fur?"
The woman stared intently and nodded. "We don't have any cloth to make clothes here, so we wear animal skins. Every single skin is put to good use; we can't waste it. You can't be so wasteful."
"I have clothes to wear, I don't need animal skins, only you need them," Zhu Qiuyu said calmly.
The woman choked for a moment, then remembered that the other young man in white had just bandaged Da Zhuang's foot wound, and felt that they didn't seem like bad people.
“You may have misunderstood Young Master Long Hair. He’s just very energetic and likes to run around. Actually, he’s a good person, not a bad one. When he goes to Chaimu Village, he only steals poultry and livestock. He doesn’t hurt anyone. We raise the poultry he steals so that when we can’t catch any prey, we still have eggs and duck eggs to eat. Young Master Long Hair is very kind to everyone.”
"Are you pleading with us, not wanting us to hurt him?" Zhu Qiuyu's tone was certain.
“You must be very capable to have made it here safely from the swamp. So many of us couldn’t stop you. But you didn’t kill any innocent people after you came. I believe you are good people.” The woman nodded as she spoke, as if affirming her own words.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens, we won't hesitate to hurt someone. We'll have to see what attitude the master and mistress you mentioned have then." Zhu Qiuyu didn't want to say more, but she still threw three rabbit pelts to the woman.
The woman was very skilled at processing furs; it was clear she did this often. After processing the furs, she hung them up on a tree branch to dry.
The group of people dressed in animal skins watched as Zhu Qiuyu and his two companions devoured the rabbits, leaving only bones, which almost made the others drool with envy.
Zhu Chumo threw away the rabbit bone in his hand, took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and turned to look at Dazhuang, who was still swallowing his saliva, "Didn't you guys eat before you came out tonight?"
"I've already eaten, but I've come all this way, and I can't sleep because I have to fight. Now I'm hungry again," Dazhuang said.
"Is your place far from here?" Zhu Chumo caught the key question.
Dazhuang: "?" Oh dear, I've been tricked into talking again without even realizing it. Look how stupid I am.
"I'm so sleepy, I can't stay awake any longer, I need to go to sleep." Dazhuang lay down on the ground and soon started snoring.
Another night passed. In Chaimu Village, Zhu Lin and the others ate breakfast and then wandered around the swamp. After waiting for about an hour without seeing their senior brother and the others come out, they went back to the village to wait.
Two more days passed, and it had been three days since the three senior brothers left. Even though Ren Zhu Changge and Zhu Qingruo were usually calm, they couldn't help but start to worry.
"Could something have happened? Should I, my fifth junior brother, and my junior sister go into the swamp to check?" Zhu Changge was getting impatient.
Zhu Lin was also a little worried. He went back to his room, took out a tortoise shell and copper coins, and cast a divination. The divination showed that everything was normal, indicating that his senior brother and the others had not encountered any danger and that they could wait patiently for a few more days.
Back to Zhu Qiuyu and his group, the reason they hadn't returned after three days was because those people refused to lead the way. No matter what methods they used, those people faithfully refused to reveal even the slightest clue.
Threatening them with poison pills was useless. Of course, other methods might be able to force them to compromise, but the senior brothers were not such despicable and shameless people that they would not do anything too cruel or inhumane.
So they had to find it themselves in the forest. It took them two whole days to find their hideout. There was a large fence around it, and inside the fence were ten thatched and mud-brick houses. The houses were built neatly and orderly, and the place had become a small village.
In the small village, women and children were busy with something, and no one would want to disturb such a peaceful and serene life.
But since they're already here, they should at least try to unravel the mystery.
Zhu Xichen was pushed forward to play the villain. He touched the tip of his nose and said with a half-smile, "You didn't lead the way, but we still found it in the end."
The woman who received three rabbit pelts said with an upright expression, "There is a difference between you coming to us and us leading the way for you. At least we have not betrayed the village. We have a clear conscience. It is you who are too cunning and capable, not us."
"Nonsense." Zhu Xichen was amused by the other party's persistence and determination.
"You dared to be so bold because you were sure we wouldn't do anything to you. You've just wasted a lot of time, and your family members waiting at home are getting anxious," Zhu Xichen remarked with feigned seriousness.
"Anyone with eyes can see you're not bad people. Not only are you good-looking, but you're also upright and honest." The woman smiled as she spoke. These three young men had been the ones who hunted and fed them during their journey these past two days.
We've saved two days' worth of food at home, hehe.
"Aren't you afraid we'll go in and massacre the village? And you're still laughing so heartlessly?" Zhu Chumo found the woman's smile somewhat irritating and uncomfortable to look at.
“You won’t, you’re good people.” The woman kept handing them “good person cards.”
Zhu Qiuyu said, "Let's go into the village and take a look."
The woman's eyes flashed, and she hesitated, but in the end she said nothing.
Zhu Xichen was closest to the woman standing nearby. He noticed a fleeting, strange look in her eyes and had a bad feeling. He quickly warned her, "Senior Brother, be careful, it might be a trap."
"Let them go first." Zhu Chumo casually grabbed a few people and had them stand in front of him.
Those few people refused to leave, and they looked like they would rather die than submit. Zhu Chumo felt a lump in his throat and was somewhat annoyed. If he were any more ruthless, he would definitely poison them all with a pill. Look how spoiled these people have become.
It's because we've been too lenient with them these past two days that they've become increasingly arrogant and fearless.
"Why don't we just not go in? Let's call them out," Zhu Qiuyu suddenly came up with a plan. Standing on a rock, he shouted, "Everyone inside, come out! Your people are in our hands. If you don't want to watch them die, come out and negotiate. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."
The village was silent for a long time without any response. Just as Zhu Qiuyu and his two companions were about to lose patience and were about to force their way into the village, two people walked out of the most magnificent and largest house at the very back of the fence.
One was a hairy monster, and the other was a refined middle-aged man dressed in a robe made of animal hide. They stood in front of the gate, glanced at Zhu Qiuyu and the others, and then stepped outside.
Soon, the remaining villagers, men and women, each carrying a thick wooden stick, surrounded the long-haired monster and the refined man, protecting them as they emerged.
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