Who are they? Why are they sneaking around? Like... thieves?
thief?
Liu Dong's eyes suddenly widened, he was nervous and at a loss, he could not squat any longer, and when he saw the two figures crouching and going into the deserted house on the east side, he swallowed his heart that was jumping in his throat, crouched down and left the bushes, tiptoed, and quickly approached the west wall of the Guo family.
Besides Madam Pan and a couple in their late fifties, the Guo family also had a teenage boy and three frail young women. It wasn't a small group, but unfortunately, there weren't any able-bodied men, so they'd be at a disadvantage if things got tough.
Thinking of this, Liu Dong was extremely worried for her. Throwing aside his shame, he tiptoed over the wall and waved to the Guo family members who were worshipping their ancestors. He lowered his voice and whispered:
"Hey? Jiang, Jiang—" He knew Jiang, but didn't know how to address her, so he called out, "Madame Pan? Madame Pan, come here quickly!"
Aunt Pan was kind and gentle, always smiling at any villagers who approached her with good intentions. When they met in the fields, they exchanged a few pleasantries.
"Who?" Cuimei, with her sharp ears, heard it first. She turned her head and glanced, frightened and jumped up on the spot. She raised her hand and pointed at the top of the wall. Her voice trembled and she said, "Look! Look quickly, is that a person or a ghost?"
"What?" Several people were shocked.
"It's not a ghost! You little girl are scaring people again. He is clearly Lao Zhu's son." Zhou Yan squinted his eyes to identify him.
Xiao Tao hugged Cui Mei, breathed a sigh of relief, and said confidently, "I recognize him! Isn't he the Dong Zi who was surrounded and scolded the day we were repairing the canal?"
Jiang Yushu, who had been praying devoutly to the moon, suddenly stood up, turned her head in surprise, and patted her chest. "Yes, it's him. Aunt Pan, he seems to be here to see you."
"That's strange. We are not related at all, so why would he come to see me?" Nanny Pan was puzzled, and the group slowly walked towards the wall.
Liu Dong was lying on the wall, and he felt uneasy when he saw that he had scared the whole family in the yard and made them look at each other in dismay.
"Dongzi, right?" Zhou Yan, as the manager, took the lead and stopped to ask solemnly, "My house has a door. You, a grown man, come to visit someone but don't knock. What does this mean?"
Climbing the wall, how ugly is that? It would be even worse if it got out. Especially since the Guo family now has three young women.
Liu Dong frantically waved his hands, anxious and panicked, and answered incoherently, "I, I didn't dare knock on the door, afraid they'd see or hear me. Actually, I'm here to bring you some fruit." As he spoke, he placed the bamboo basket on the wall and, with an ingratiating look on his face, said naively, "Here, I just picked them from the fields this evening. They're fresh, sweet, and cleanly washed. If you don't mind, try some."
"What are you talking about?" Cuimei frowned. "It's just giving fruit. Just give it generously. Who's afraid of seeing it? The village head's third sister-in-law sent a big basket today. We don't need it."
Jiang Yushu was confused. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Could it be that your family disapproves and you came here secretly to send me off? If so, please go home as soon as possible. Don't cause any unpleasantness during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Young man, I have a lot of fruits at home. You should take them away quickly to avoid being scolded by your parents again." Nanny Pan waved her hand and urged.
Zhou Yan's wife moved closer and said unhappily, "It's late at night, and you're lying on someone else's wall like this. How can you behave like that? Leave now, or I won't be polite!"
Liu Dong had been harshly scolded and beaten by his parents since he was young, and he had always been submissive. At this moment, his face fell sadly. He hesitated for a while and whispered, "There is something else I want to tell you."
On the day they were repairing the canal, Jiang Yushu noticed that the man's temperament was not like his mean and greedy parents. She asked in surprise, "What else is there? Tell me."
Liu Dong was timid by nature, but he couldn't bear to see the Guo family being harmed, so he mustered up his courage. He pointed to the deserted house to the east and whispered, "Not long ago, I saw two men with my own eyes. They first crouched against the east wall of your house and took a few glances, then tiptoed into the deserted house, sneaking around."
"Could it be a thief? It must be a thief!" Cuimei widened her eyes and whispered, "Everyone, am I seeing things? A thief definitely sneaked in in the middle of the night! I yelled and scared him away."
The family members were whispering to each other. Jiang Yushu looked towards the deserted house to the east, confused and uncertain. She hurriedly asked, "Two men? Did you see who they were? Did they have any weapons like knives or sticks?"
Liu Dong shook his head and apologized, "They were crouching, their heads down, walking in the shadows at the base of the wall. I couldn't see their faces clearly, nor could I tell if they had knives or sticks, but I was sure they were men, and they were sneaky. You'd better be careful."
"On Mid-Autumn night, children of all ages in the village ran around and played everywhere." Zhou Yan stared at the deserted house to the east and said uncertainly, "Perhaps a mischievous kid from some family sneaked into that house to play?"
Jiang Yushu clasped her hands together and remained silent in thought.
Liu Dong shook his head decisively, "Impossible! Have you ever seen any children playing in that deserted house?" He paused, scratched his head, and revealed, "You may still not know, but the family of eight in that deserted house were extremely unlucky. Last year, when they went to Yongzhou for a wedding, they were massacred by the Northern Thousands. The whole village is taboo about this. Who dares to go in and 'play' unless absolutely necessary?"
"What?" Jiang Yushu was stunned. She took two quick breaths and lamented, "We've lived here for so long, and we've never heard of it!"
"How ridiculous!" Zou Gui was furious. "The village head is really going too far. How could he let us live here?"
"That's right! That's too much."
Several people were discussing this, and Cuimei said with a sad face, "You always laugh at me for being suspicious. Now you understand, don't you? I'm probably being attacked by the evil spirit."
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down and raised her hand to interrupt, "Okay, stop arguing and be quiet. People have died in deserted houses before, but ours is pretty good. The headman has done his best, so it's no wonder he's not the one to blame."
"Then, what are you going to do?" Liu Dong looked eagerly and hesitated to leave.
The moonlight was bright, and Jiang Yushu lowered her eyes to consider, her eyebrows and features were picturesque, and when she blinked, her long eyelashes fluttered again and again, dignified and beautiful, which made Liu Dong unable to take his eyes away. For the umpteenth time, he thought to himself: She is beautiful, she is so beautiful...
After a moment, Jiang Yushu looked up, quickly made up her mind, and said to Zhou Yan in a serious tone, "During this Mid-Autumn Festival, although there is no fine wine or food, fresh cakes and fruits are also good, just right for enjoying the moon. Aren't you good friends with the village chief? Why not invite them to enjoy the moon, and then invite the village head and his family, so that we can have a lively chat."
"Ah?" Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, then understood and immediately turned around to walk out. "Right! We have no relatives here, and thanks to the government and the village head's family for taking care of us, we should invite them to try some cakes."
Jiang Yushu looked at the wall and said gently, "Dongzi, thank you for coming to remind us. Don't worry, we will keep this matter a secret and try our best not to involve you. I'm sorry, it's not convenient for me to keep you as a guest right now. I——"
"Don't, don't apologize, I understand!" Liu Dong met the person in his dream face to face and received a long string of words. He was already satisfied, put down the basket and said, "The fruit is for you, I'm leaving." After speaking, he turned around and ran. His feet felt like they were stepping on cotton, and his whole body felt light and happy.
"Why?"
"stop!"
"We don't want it. You can take the fruit." Cuimei kept her voice low.
Jiang Yushu sighed and said with a headache: "Forget it, I'll thank you when I have the chance in the future."
"Liu Laozhu and his wife are hateful people. I'm really afraid of causing them to misunderstand and cause trouble." Zhou Yan's wife was worried.
Jiang Yushu was also afraid, but she was helpless. "There's nothing we can do. The person has already run away. We can't chase him, right? Let's pack up quickly and prepare to entertain the guests."
"yes."
A quarter of an hour later
The courtyard gate was open, and there was a round table in the yard, with cakes, fruits and tea on it. The chief clerk Zhuang Song sat at the head of the table, and the head of the village and two officials were also there. Zhou Yan greeted them warmly, and Zou Gui made tea and accompanied them.
The village head brought his two sons, and the calf and the cow cheered, jumped, chased and played.
Although there was no wine, Zhou Yan was eloquent and his words were humorous, which made the men at the table very excited. They talked about everything and laughed from time to time.
A table was also set up in the main hall. Jiang Yushu invited the only guest to sit at the top, but the village head's wife declined in fear, insisting on sitting at the end. She said awkwardly, "I'll sit here. I'll sit here. You, you guys sit first."
Jiang Yushu didn't force it and said with a smile, "Sit down, everyone."
"Hey." After receiving the invitation, the wife of the village head hurriedly combed her hair, changed into nice clothes that she usually didn't want to wear, and sat down stiffly.
"Third sister-in-law, please have some tea." Cuimei served the tea with a smile.
The village head's wife hurriedly stood up, took it with both hands and thanked him.
Jiang Yushu's eyes shone brightly. After a moment of reflection, she sighed with worry and asked with a wry smile, "Why have you become so polite? You were clearly not like this when we first met. Alas, is it because the Guo family are all exiles that you despise them?"
"No, no, no! You misunderstood. I don't mean to dislike you." The headman's wife wanted to stand up again, but Cuimei and Xiaotao held her down.
Jiang Yushu comforted her, "Don't be nervous. We invited you here just to chat. Try this osmanthus cake. It's Xiaotao's craftsmanship."
"Oh. Oh, this cake is shaped like a flower. Miss Xiaotao has such a skillful hand." The wife of the village head felt like sitting on pins and needles, feeling uncomfortable all over and being very cautious.
"That's nothing, Third Sister-in-law, you're too kind." Xiao Tao imitated Cui Mei's address, smiled, then turned sad and said wistfully, "In the past, our kitchen had everything. Honey alone came in different varieties: Sophora japonica, jujube, osmanthus, lychee, and so on. We also had over a dozen cake molds, which we could use when we had free time and use when we were busy. Alas, now we're short on things, and the cakes we make are crude. I hope Third Sister-in-law won't mind."
"No, this is already very good." The village head's wife was uneasy. She took a piece of cake and chewed it slowly. She said awkwardly, "Please don't misunderstand me. I never meant to dislike you. It's just, it's just... I heard that you are originally from the capital, with a very prominent family background, a 'marquis' mansion' that I only heard of in operas! Rich families have strict rules and many etiquettes. No wonder you speak and act differently."
Jiang Yushu was very patient and said calmly, "That's all in the past. The Guo family is neither prominent nor wealthy now. Because of their status as exiles, they are even inferior to others."
"That being said, it has been said since ancient times that 'a lean camel is bigger than a horse'. Your family has good relations with the government, and you have three or four able-bodied men who have joined the army. I, a country woman, am crude and ignorant of etiquette. I am afraid of offending you, so I dare not get close to you." The wife of the headman said with a smile.
Jiang Yushu smiled and said cheerfully, "It's good that you don't dislike us! In fact, we are very afraid of being disliked, and we are always uneasy."
"That's not true!" The village head's wife hurriedly shook her head. "When the villagers talk about the Guo family, they always wonder about how wealthy the Marquis's mansion is, and no one shows any disdain."
Jiang Yushu said happily: "That's great!"
As we chatted and laughed, the bright moon slowly rose.
Gradually, the village head's wife lost her restraint and asked while eating her cake, "Dog? Yes, we have one. How big do you want?"
Jiang Yushu pondered for a moment, then smiled and replied, "If they're too big, they'll be hard to tame. A recently weaned puppy would be best. I see almost every household in the village has one, so we'd like to keep two too, to guard the house."
"Okay. This is not difficult. Leave it to me!" The wife of the village head readily agreed.
The next day. Evening
"Woof woof woof~" Two puppies, one black and one yellow, ran around in the yard, curiously exploring everything unfamiliar.
Zhou Yan's wife was delighted. She poured a handful of dog food into the bowl. The puppy came closer following the smell and licked the food.
"Girl, please give them a name!" Cuimei was very excited and squatted down to touch them again and again.
Xiao Tao said excitedly, "I heard from my third sister-in-law that they were born by a bitch in the village and a wild wolf in the mountains. When they grow up, we'll see which fool dares to lay his eyes on this yard."
"Bite the evil little thief to death!" Cuimei gritted her teeth.
Jiang Yushu looked at him for a long while and said with satisfaction, "Not bad, he should be able to guard the house. Um... this is Heqin, so the black one is called Da He and the yellow one is called Xiao Qin."
"Hahaha, great!" Cuimei was overjoyed. She petted the yellow dog and shook her head, saying, "Xiaoqin, if you were fatter than Dahe, we should call you 'Daqin, Xiaohe'."
Instantly, everyone burst into laughter.
Xiao Tao leaned closer and couldn't help asking, "Young Madam, on Mid-Autumn Night, I thought you would ask the village head and officials to search the deserted house next door, but I didn't expect you to just chat and admire the moon."
Jiang Yushu slowly shook her head and said calmly, "We haven't lost any property, and we have no evidence. It's a big festival, so if we rashly ask the authorities to search, even if they find someone suspicious, what can they do? They can just deny it to death, or accuse the Guo family of bullying, fabricating stories, and maliciously framing us. If we arouse public anger, the consequences will be disastrous and difficult to resolve."
"That's true." Xiao Tao frowned unwillingly.
Jiang Yushu rubbed her brows and said, "I was negligent before. I was busy farming and should have taken the time to interact with the villagers. At least I should have had a good relationship with the headman's family so that I wouldn't be isolated and helpless when something happened."
"Don't we have the government to help us?"
Jiang Yushu said angrily, "The government is the government after all. Why should they always help the fugitives? People should solve their own personal problems. They can't expect the government to mediate everything."
"……oh."
After that, the Guo family started to have dealings with several honest and kind families in the village. Occasionally, they would say, "You send me two bunches of vegetables today, and I will send you a few cakes tomorrow morning." They were polite to each other.
Since the first potato plant bloomed, nearly seventy acres of land have blossomed one after another. On both the gentle slopes and the flat land, large patches of green leaves, yellow stamens and white petals sway in the wind, which is very beautiful.
Whenever she went to the fields, Jiang Yushu wore a veil to avoid getting a heatstroke. Gazing at the abundant canal water, she warned, "During droughts, water the potatoes more often after they bloom, otherwise they won't grow. Also, fertilize them at least three times: at seeding, after seedlings emerge, and during flowering. Compared to other crops, potatoes aren't that troublesome."
Liu Sanping squatted in front of the ridge, touching the leaves and petals, unable to let go. Full of anticipation, he shouted, "According to what you said, the fertilizer will soon be fermented. I'll find help to fertilize it in two days!"
"That's good." Jiang Yushu was fully focused, carefully examining each row of crops, fearing that the crops would be infested with insects or diseases, and she weeded them at the same time.
Liu Sanping worked diligently weeding, saying wistfully, "Our village is so unlucky. Years of war and harvest failure have forced people to flee. We toiled for months this year, but just as the summer harvest was about to begin, the crops were burned to ashes by northern elk. We've been busy for another two months now. I just hope God will have mercy and bless us with a larger potato harvest, so we can at least have something to look forward to."
Jiang Yushu couldn't estimate the harvest for the time being, so she could only say comfortingly, "I prayed too, and God will surely open his eyes."
At this time, Cuimei, who was weeding nearby, said with a smile, "I had a dream last night. I dreamed of digging out potatoes as big as millstones. I woke up laughing."
Millstone? Jiang Yushu burst out laughing and said seriously, "That's impossible! A millstone is too ridiculous. You should be dreaming about the grain before it's cut."
"Okay! Then I'll try to dream again tonight and try to make it more reasonable." Cuimei always makes people laugh.
In the blink of an eye, it is already September.
The autumn wind gradually rose at the border. In the evening, the wind was strong on the bank of Cangjiang River, blowing the Heqinwei army flag vigorously.
"Go ahead, and come back on time." Pan Kui put down his pen, handed over a warrant, and took a sip of tea.
Guo Honglei took it, clasped his fists and bowed, "Thank you, sir. I will return on time!"
"Huh, you're itching to get home, aren't you?" Pan Kui slumped in his chair and asked teasingly, "You've just finished your mission, can't you wait until tomorrow morning to leave?"
Guo Honglei answered frankly: "I am not very worried and want to go back as soon as possible to check."
"Although Liujia Village is close, you still have to be careful and cautious when traveling at night." Then, Pan Kui's face turned stern, and he changed the subject, saying sternly, "You four young men are strong and well-equipped. You know the way well and are well-equipped with swords and arrows. There are also brothers patrolling the route at night. You should be safe. Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to me!"
Guo Honglei said loudly: "I will do my best not to embarrass you!"
"Well. Go ahead." Pan Kui waved his hand as big as a palm fan.
A moment later
"Let's go!" Peng Changrong, carrying two bags, urged excitedly, "Brother, hurry up!"
Peng Changxing stared at his brother, wondering, "We're only resting for one day. You have to be back before twilight tomorrow. Why are you packing?"
Lin Qin also picked up two bundles and explained, "Let's take the torn clothes back and mend them."
"Oh." Peng Changxing suddenly realized.
Peng Changrong blurted out, "I'll ask Xiao Cui'er for help!"
"Hey? Xiao Cui'er?" Peng Changxing squeezed his brother, "Call her to her face later, I want to hear a loud slap." @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
“Hahahaha~”
Guo Honglei led the horse, walked with his head held high, his eyes full of smiles.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny about this?" Peng Changrong muttered awkwardly, leading his horse to squeeze behind Guo Honglei. "Sir, listen to this! All they do all day is laugh at people!"
Guo Honglei knew what was going on and said seriously, "As a man, why wouldn't you dare try? But I advise you not to shout in public. Getting slapped in the face would be so embarrassing."
"Hahaha~" Lin Qin and Peng Changxing lowered their voices and laughed out loud.
Peng Changrong blushed, and made up his mind, "Since the Master has given the order, I will definitely give it a try when I get back, even if it means embarrassment."
"Okay!" Guo Honglei strode to the camp gate and handed over his badge and warrant one by one. He could only ride a horse after being allowed to stay away from the camp gate.
Four men mounted their horses, two of them holding torches. Guo Honglei spurred his horse and shouted, "Gee!"
The four horses stamped their feet and rushed off into the dusk.
Liujia Village at Xu Hour
The window was half open. After taking a bath, Jiang Yushu, with her long hair half loose, leaned against the window, looking up at the crescent moon in the night sky, and chanted casually: "It's a pity that on the third night of September, the dew is like pearls and the moon is like a bow."
"Today is the third day of the ninth lunar month. Why do you look so pitiful?" Cuimei, who was sewing shoe soles, asked with concern, "Are you worried about something? Or are you feeling unwell?"
Jiang Yushu couldn't help laughing and replied lazily, "I just suddenly remembered a line from a poet. The word 'pitiful' in his poem means 'lovely' and praises the scenery."
"I see." Xiao Tao continued to work with confidence, "I'm glad you're okay."
With a creak, Xiao Tao pushed the door open and entered, carrying a small tray. She addressed him as usual, saying, "I've tried to make some sweet-scented osmanthus and taro soup, Madam. Would you like to try it?"
Jiang Yushu turned her head and replied, "Okay, put it aside for now. I'll try it later. Xiaotao, you are so virtuous. Whenever you have free time, you either embroider or cook. The man who marries you in the future will be so lucky!"
Marry? Xiao Tao bit her lip in confusion, placed the tray on the table, lowered her head to serve the snacks, and thought to herself: I am a house-born child. Ever since the old lady chose me for the second young master, I have served him wholeheartedly and never thought of marrying another man...
Her heart was in turmoil, and she hesitantly replied, "You are too kind. I was born to work hard, and I get anxious when I am idle."
Jiang Yushu disagreed and said, "Silly girl, what do you mean by 'born to work hard'? We work hard in the fields during the day, so we should rest at night when we have nothing to do! Come here and enjoy the moon together."
"Yes." Xiao Tao lowered her head and sat in front of the window with a blank look in her eyes.
The next moment, the clear sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the village entrance, causing bursts of barking from dogs.
"Woof woof?"
"Woof woof woof!" There was a rustling sound from the doghouse in the corner of the yard. Da He and Xiao Qin rushed out, barking angrily, not knowing what was going on.
Jiang Yushu pushed the window wide open and asked in surprise, "Who is it so late at night?" She listened attentively to the sound of horse hooves, her heartstrings tightened instantly, and she blurted out excitedly, "Could it be--" For some reason, she paused.
"Maybe..." Xiao Tao's eyes lit up, but she stopped talking for some reason.
Cuimei threw down her needle and thread and ran to the window, "Could it be that my son-in-law has returned?"
The three of them stared intently, waiting with bated breath.
In the silent night, the sound of horse hooves was crisp, getting closer and closer, and finally stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
"Whoa!"
Guo Honglei leaped down, and the other three dismounted as well. He stood still, and as they had agreed on the way, he pointed at the door with his whip, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing.
Peng Changrong kept his promise, gritted his teeth, and went all out, knocking on the door and yelling: @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
"Xiao Cui'er! Open the door!"
The author has something to say:
After more than two months apart, we finally meet~
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