At that time, Chen Tu said to Bai Yushuang, "We are both people who have walked through the gates of hell. What kind of suffering haven't we endured? Now that we have been lucky enough to escape death, we have taken life and death lightly. What are we afraid of suffering for?"
Our children are all grown up now, capable of supporting themselves, and have their own money. Let's not trouble Shunping and Guizhi any further.”
Bai Yushuang rested her head on his shoulder and said gently, "Master, I will listen to you. It is better than anything else for our family to be together. What is a little hardship? We will go to Changting County to open a cloth shop and make the business successful. When our Chen family is re-established, we will repay Shunping and Guizhi for their kindness."
As everyone was talking in the main hall, the sound of rain began to patter outside. Zhao Guihua looked out the window and said, "No wonder it felt so muggy this morning. It turns out it was going to rain. The rain came at a good time, and we didn't get wet. If it had come earlier, we would all have gotten soaked."
Zhang Xiantao walked to the eaves and looked at the sky, muttering, "I just saw a dark cloud floating in the sky, and then it started to rain. Since entering the southern region, it has been raining every few days. I had heard that the south has a lot of rain, and it really is. I hope there won't be any floods."
"Pah! Don't spout such nonsense. There will be no more natural disasters in the future. The Great Jin Dynasty must have good weather and abundant harvests, and the country must be peaceful and prosperous." Xingxing spat at her. The Great Jin Dynasty could not withstand any more destruction. It had only been peaceful for two years. She could only hope that God would have mercy and let the people of the Great Jin Dynasty live a few more decades of peaceful life.
Zhang Xiantao lightly patted her mouth. "See, I'm talking nonsense again. Don't be angry. The bad things don't come true, but the good things do. What I said just now doesn't count."
Xingxing glared at her, thankful that she knew better than to back down, otherwise she would have given her a good scolding until she was ashamed beyond measure.
“The south is all paddy fields. If it doesn’t rain for too long, the people have to go up the mountain to draw water down every day. The rice seedlings can only grow well if it rains from time to time. As long as it’s not a rainstorm, there will generally be no flooding,” Zhao Guihua explained in a gentle tone.
The rain continued until the early morning of the next day, after which the sun came out. Because the dirt roads were wet and muddy, the Zhou family stayed in the county town for another day.
On their way back, they didn't linger in town. The town's tavern was managed by Mo Tianzhu's family, which Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua trusted. So the couple led the rest of the group back to the village in a grand procession.
There were five carriages in the procession, quite a grand display. Aside from the time when people lived on the Song family's estate, carriages were rarely seen in the village. Although Old Master Zhou's family had a carriage, they only had one. So, the arrival of five carriages together in the village caused quite a stir, and all the villagers came out to watch the spectacle.
Ironically, while those who framed the Zhou family in the town of Fucheng County have been dealt with, four government officials are still lording it over the villagers. It seems these four have been forgotten.
During the day, four constables guarded the thorny gate at the entrance of the village. Everyone entering or leaving the village was searched by them, and any carriages that came by were stopped. They were so arrogant that it was easy to think that Yegou Village was their mountain stronghold.
"Get down, all of you! Get off the carriages! No matter who you are, you must be searched before you can enter the village!" One of the officers, with a pointed face and monkey-like features, shouted, blocking the gate.
Zhou Erfu cursed, "Damn it, the masterminds have all been caught, but I didn't expect there were still four stinking maggots in the village, waiting for their second grandfather to come and deal with them personally."
Before he finished speaking, Erfu had already jumped out of the carriage and knocked out the four guards with a few punches, and even kicked them twice in anger.
"Erfu, don't waste your time on these thugs. Tie up the four of them and lock them up." Zhu Qiuyu poked her head out to remind them. The villagers were watching. Erfu was born with superhuman strength. If he kicked someone to death, he would be branded a murderer, which would be a huge loss.
At this moment, the village chief also arrived with his men. When he saw that it was Zhou Laoda's family returning, along with those few white-robed experts, the village chief felt relieved, knowing that the Zhou family's disaster should have been resolved.
“You’re finally back. These past few days, the whole village has been living in fear. Those officials have been roaming around the village with knives all day long, scaring the villagers so much that they dare not go out. It’s good that you’re back.”
The village chief caught a glimpse of Erfu tying up the four constables out of the corner of his eye and said worriedly, "These are government officials. Isn't it a bad idea to tie them up?"
"It's alright, we have powerful backers. These few petty officials are nothing to us. Even the prefect has to give them some face. Why should we be afraid of these little minions?" Zhou Erfu said arrogantly.
“Erfu, watch your mouth. We’re just ordinary people. How can we compare to prefects and magistrates? Are you out of your mind?” Zhao Guihua wouldn’t allow him to use Xingxing’s identity to cause trouble. She would definitely give him a lecture when they got back.
Zhou Erfu smiled and dared not be arrogant anymore. He obediently tied up the people. After tying them up, Zhou Fafu and Zhou Fagen and a few others came over and dragged the four officials away.
"Leave them to us. Lock them up in the cowshed at the village entrance so they won't be an eyesore to everyone." These days, the villagers have hated these four officials. They are always either threatening the villagers with knives or robbing the villagers' chickens and ducks, just like bandits.
Now that we have a good chance to teach them a lesson, we should definitely make them suffer to avenge the theft of our poultry.
The village chief led the Zhou family, along with their distinguished guests, toward the end of the village. He looked left and right but couldn't see anyone else.
"Eldest daughter Guihua, where are your parents and the whole family? Why didn't they come back together? Are the people from the second, third, and fourth branches still on their way?" the village chief asked, puzzled.
Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua were completely bewildered.
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