"Hey - don't bite!" Jiang Yushu was caught off guard and staggered and fell in pain. She stepped on empty air and fell down the steep canal slope with the boy in her arms. She rolled and fell into the water with a "splash".
The irrigation canal was built a hundred years ago. Liu Village has continuously cleaned and widened it from generation to generation. It has actually become a small river with abundant water and a depth of up to half a meter.
Unfortunately, the two fell into Deep Water Bay.
Fortunately, the soil on the canal bank was moist and the grass was soft, so the two men did not injure any bones when they rolled down.
Miss Jiang didn't know how to swim, but Jiang Yushu, having grown up in a water town in her previous life, was an expert swimmer. When she fell into the water, she instinctively held her breath, treading water vigorously with her legs. Carefully, she reached out, grabbed the boy by the back of his collar, and lifted him to the surface.
"Cough, cough, cough—Dad? Dad, come and save me." The boy choked on water twice, his face turned red from coughing, he waved his hands and kicked his legs, and cried for his relatives in fear.
"Shh! Don't cry, be careful not to attract wild boars. Am I not saving you?" The beast on the shore howled violently. Jiang Yushu looked around anxiously, and had no other good ideas. She grabbed the man's arm and paddled with one hand, gritting her teeth and swimming towards the other side.
In a moment, she pulled the man ashore and hid in the lush taro bushes on the bank of the canal.
Jiang Yushu was panting, her heart pounding, and she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She peered through the taro stalks, rolled up her sleeves, and looked down:
On the fair skin of his forearm, near the elbow, a circle of bruised red tooth marks was visible. Blood oozed from the two canine fangs.
Jiang Yushu raised her arm, frowned, and threatened: "If you dare to bite anyone again, I will not care about you anymore. I will let the wild boar take you away!"
"I, I didn't mean to do that." The boy sobbed, shrank back, and stammered guiltily, "You shouldn't have stopped me. I wanted to go find my dad."
Jiang Yushu refused to allow any further comment and said sternly, "Hide quietly and don't go anywhere! Didn't you see the wild boars are going crazy? They're charging and ramming with brute force, and no one can stop them. Children can't help, so stay out of the trouble."
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" the boy said aggrievedly, "I just wanted to ask my dad to go with me."
Jiang Yushu listened attentively to the noise on the shore and asked casually, "Where's your mother? Didn't she come down with you?"
"My mother?" The boy wiped the water droplets from his face and answered blankly, "One summer during the harvest, she fell ill. The family had no money to buy medicine... and she died of the illness."
Jiang Yushu was startled. She raised her hand and rubbed the other person's head, then warned him, "Stay here and wait until everyone drives away the wild boar. Then we can go up and look for people. Avoid causing more trouble."
"Oh, that's fine." The boy was at a loss.
At this time, the shore was in chaos.
Nearly fifty strong men, armed with weapons such as swords, hatchets, hoes and shoulder poles, fought against more than a dozen wild boars. The roars and curses mixed with the howling were so noisy that it was difficult to tell the winner for a while.
Gradually, some people were injured, cursing in pain and furious; the wild boar was also beaten, but it did not retreat, but continued to roar and charge forward.
Dust and debris were scattered in the fields, and human and animal blood were dripping, making everyone's eyes red.
The two men in the taro bush were terrified when they heard this. As they were clinging to the taro stalks to look around, suddenly several strong men, wielding hoes and shoulder poles, chased after a wounded wild boar. After beating it recklessly, they kicked it with all their strength.
With a loud "plop", the wild boar fell into the canal, and its blood instantly dyed the clear water light red.
The boar, with its bristles standing on end and its weight exceeding two hundred pounds and its white fangs sticking out, immediately paddled after falling into the water wounded, and swam towards the taro bushes, panting and grunting, looking wild and ferocious.
Jiang Yushu suddenly shuddered, pulled the boy to his feet, quickly went ashore, and shouted, "There are people here!"
The young man on the shore was panting like an ox and asked in surprise: "Why didn't you run away?"
"What are you doing here? You're just causing trouble!" The people caught in the melee were very impatient.
"Hurry up and find a place to hide, we don't have time - oh, another one comes!" Before he finished speaking, they had to raise their weapons and rush forward, in a panic and cursing.
Jiang Yushu didn't care about the other side of the canal because the wild boar in the canal was climbing up.
"What should I do? It seems to want to come up." The boy stepped back, his face pale.
"Run!" Jiang Yushu grabbed the boy's shoulders and pushed him south, pointing to the distance. "See? Those are all people from the village. Go over there and stay with them."
"Then, then you—"
"Go quickly!" Jiang Yushu gave the boy a push. The boy hesitated for a moment and then ran obediently. He was thin and agile, running along the canal.
Jiang Yushu was extremely anxious and searched hastily. She quickly picked up the stones that the villagers had embedded in the nearby fields as a boundary and smashed them at the wild boar that was climbing the slope!
"You have to stay in the water." Jiang Yushu fought alone and had no time to rest. She was soaked all over, but with her courage, she barely managed to repel the wounded beast.
The soil on the bank of the canal was soft, and the wild boar, bleeding profusely, slipped and fell on its butt at the water's edge. It shook its mane, becoming even more furious, digging the soil with its hind legs, glaring with its head raised, its tusks thick and long.
Jiang Yushu moved a few stones and placed them beside her. She was so tired that she sat down and looked down warily.
It didn't dare to climb up, and she didn't dare to turn around and run...both sides were in a stalemate.
"girl!"
"I heard you fell into the water, are you okay?"
"So you are here! Oh, we were so scared that we looked for you everywhere." The boy led the way and the Guo family hurried over.
Jiang Yushu waved her hand and replied helplessly: "There is a wild boar in the water. I dare not leave."
"Ah? Let me take a look." Zhou Yan and Zou Gui bent down and looked into the eyes of the boar that was baring its teeth and howling.
"Is it injured?" Cuimei guessed, "It looks like it's dying."
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "It's a tough beast, it won't die so easily. Keep a close eye on it, everyone, be careful." After a pause, she turned her head and instructed, "Third brother, you two stay there and don't come over!"
Guo Hongzhe waved his hand and arrived a little late, supported by Hu Gang. His face was pale and his lips were blue, but he was in good spirits. He squatted on the shore and looked at the wild boar.
"It's bad." Zhou Yan looked at the other side and said anxiously, "Although we have more people, we don't have the upper hand. Three or four of us are already injured."
After instructing her companions to gather the stones, Jiang Yushu frowned and said with regret, "If we continue wasting time, it might get worse. Wild boars have greater physical strength and endurance than humans."
"what to do?"
Amidst the roars, howls and cries of pain, everyone was anxious and angry, but they were powerless to do anything about the wild boar's incredible strength.
The next moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the north!
"Who?" Zhou Yan, who was nearly fifty years old, was frightened and squinted his eyes to look into the distance.
The young servant was very sharp-eyed. Zou Gui jumped for joy and shouted happily, "Hahaha, it's the soldiers of the Heqin Guard!"
"Really?" Jiang Yushu hurriedly walked past the crowd and stood on tiptoe to take a closer look: Sure enough, a team of about thirty soldiers in uniform were galloping along the canal-bank avenue.
Xiao Tao carefully identified him and whispered, "Huh? Ding, Ding—it's Ding Yuan."
"Oh, it's Master Pan who's leading the way!" Cuimei exclaimed happily. Xiaotao's eyes lit up, and she said expectantly, "Maybe the Master is here too?"
Jiang Yushu was delighted at first, but then became worried. She murmured in confusion, "Seeing how hurried they are, it seems they are on some urgent business."
The horses galloped, and in a short while, the border soldiers approached.
"Whoa!"
Pan Kui had a full beard from under his ears to his chin and around his lips. His military uniform was stained with blood and he looked dusty and exhausted, obviously not having had time to wash himself for a long time.
If he wasn't exceptionally tall and strong, with a naturally ferocious look, Cuimei wouldn't have recognized him at all.
Pangui reined in his horse, slowed down his pace, and surveyed the chaotic scene with a frown. He called out from a distance, "Hunters, have you seen any trace of the Northern Ape?"
"No, no!" Zhuang Song, who had been bitten by two wild boars on his legs, had a pale face. He recognized the person and was overjoyed. He quickly answered: "Are you Lord Pan? I am the chief clerk of the county government, not a hunter. I originally brought people here to harvest crops, but I didn't expect this group of wild boars to steal food repeatedly. I had no choice but to - ah!" As he spoke, he was suddenly hit by the wild beast from behind and fell to the ground in a mess.
Without saying a word, Pan Kui immediately drew his bow and arrow. After aiming for a few breaths, he let go of the arrow, which flew through the air with a whoosh and accurately hit the prey's eye.
The wild boar howled miserably and rolled on the ground, twitching and dying.
"good!"
"Good archery!"
"Master Pan is so awesome!" The Guo family couldn't help but admire and applaud.
Pan Kui glanced out of the corner of his eye and finally saw the person on the other side. He said in surprise, "Oh? The Guo family."
"Sir." Jiang Yushu bowed and took the opportunity to look around, but did not see any family members.
"Hmm." Pan Kui's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot, and he was extremely exhausted. He dismounted and ordered, "They are panicked and timid, and are no match for the wild boar. Go and help them."
"Yes!" The soldiers received the order, rode their horses and drew their swords to rush into battle. The villagers who had been struggling to hold on were overjoyed, their morale soared, and they hurriedly made way and stood at the foot of the mountain to block the wild boar's retreat.
The other side
Pan Kui threw the reins and whip to his personal guards. After dealing with the wild boar in the canal, he leaped down the steep slope and squatted by the water, slurring his face as he asked, puzzled, "What happened to you? Did a wild boar chase you into the water?"
Jiang Yushu shook her dripping sleeves and replied with a wry smile, "Yes. Why did you come to Liujia Village?"
"Chase and kill the enemy soldiers." Pan Kui washed his face and slowly went ashore.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Jiang Yushu hurriedly asked, "Did the enemy soldiers escape into the village? How many are there?"
"Don't worry, we're tracking them and we're determined to wipe them out!" Pan Kui was reluctant to reveal the details and avoided answering. He would sometimes bend over, sometimes squat, concentrating on the faint, messy horseshoe prints.
The personal guard handed over the water bag and whispered, "We have been out for three days and our dry food is gone."
Pan Kui frowned, "Tsk!"
The autumn wind brought a secret. Jiang Yushu heard it and said without hesitation: "We went to the fields to work and brought some dry food. If you don't mind, please take it."
Without being told, Zhou Yan and the others gave up their lunches and put them together into one pack.
"Let's go." Without waiting for the other party's response, Jiang Yushu called her companions to run for a while and cross the single-plank bridge downstream.
"Hey? Not bad."
Pan Kui smiled and said to his guards cheerfully, "That's Hong Lei's family."
“So they are farming in this village.”
Pan Kui slapped his thigh and sighed, "It's not easy. It's hard for them. If the Guo family hadn't been unlucky, they would be a noble family. Let alone the women, people like us wouldn't even be able to see Hong Lei!"
"Yes." The newly recruited personal soldier couldn't hide his curiosity and secretly looked at the rumored "wife of a down-and-out nobleman's son."
After a while, the Guo family approached.
Zhou Yan enthusiastically stuffed a large bag of dry food into the hands of his personal soldiers, who took it and subconsciously looked at the leader.
"It's hard to refuse such a kind offer. We are indeed hungry, but we don't have time to go back and get something to eat. So please accept it. Thank you very much." Pan Kui said in a heroic tone, "I'll treat Hong Lei and the other four to a drink later!"
During the mourning period, he would not drink alcohol. Jiang Yushu smiled and asked, "Why didn't they follow you?"
"The troops have been divided into two groups." Pan Kui squatted on the road, keeping his eyes wide open to look for any suspicious traces.
Jiang Yushu was inevitably disappointed, "I see."
In just a quarter of an hour, the border troops and the young men in the village worked together to subdue more than a dozen wild boars, and the smell of animal blood was strong.
Everyone was grateful and rushed forward, some bowed, some kowtowed, some clasped their fists, and expressed their thanks in a cacophony of voices.
Pan Kui straightened up and asked, "No one is seriously injured?"
"Aside from a broken calf, the rest were only slightly injured." Zhuang Song, sweating profusely, said thankfully, "Thanks so much for your generosity today!"
"Are you the chief clerk? You look unfamiliar. Who does he work for?" Pan Kui spoke frankly.
Zhuang Song replied awkwardly, "I work for Lord Liu Tong. I've only been in this position for a short time, but I once saw you from a distance in the back hall."
"Oh, so he is Liu Tong's man." Pan Kui nodded casually.
At this time, Liu Sanping brought a large basket of various dry food and offered it with both hands, saying respectfully, "We heard that you were too busy to go back and get some dry food, so we happened to bring some with us. It's very simple, but I wonder if you can get used to it?"
"Hahaha~" Pan Kui raised his head and laughed, saying happily, "How can you not be used to it? Do you think we usually eat lavish meals? But if you give it to us, what will you eat?"
Liu Sanping quickly replied, "Let's go home at noon! There's food at home."
Pan Kui thought for a moment, took out a dime and slapped it into the other person's hand, saying readily, "Okay, we'll buy it!"
"Hey, this is not worth it," Liu Sanping hurriedly returned. "The basket is mostly filled with corn and vegetable cakes. They're worthless."
Pan Kui sighed, "Take it. I know the county has had poor harvests for years, and I'm sure every one of you is short of food." He mounted his horse, whipped the whip, and ordered, "Listen, a group of enemy soldiers have fled into Xicang, and we're on orders to pursue them. Be careful, don't be alone during the day, and stay home after dark. If you're unlucky enough to encounter them, please report it to the garrison immediately!"
"Yes." Everyone nodded.
"Gee!" Pan Kui was starving. He continued to track while eating dry food, leading his men to move back and forth like the wind and quickly go away.
The enemy soldiers fled?
It sounds like Heqinwei has recently fought against Beiqi again.
Since they were able to participate in the pursuit, they must not have been injured.
Jiang Yushu was silent and thoughtful, watching them for a long time.
After the border troops left, Zhuang Song wiped his sweat and first asked, "Doctor Fang, is your family willing to treat the villagers?"
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses and had to cheer up, answering seriously: "Look, he is saving people, of course he is willing. But if Doctor Fang goes back, Hongzhe must follow him and be considered a medical apprentice, okay?"
"Okay!" Zhuang Song agreed readily, thinking to himself: The third son of the Guo family is weak and sickly, and it took him half a day to pick two baskets of potatoes. It would be useless even if he stayed.
"Thank you for your understanding." Jiang Yushu cheered herself up, gave instructions to her third brother and Fang Sheng, cleaned up the mess on the ground roughly, and prepared to start digging potatoes.
Zhuang Song, limping along, dragged his bitten leg and shouted, "Sanping, immediately arrange for someone to take the injured back for bandages. Tell the villagers: We've killed over a dozen wild boars, and anyone who comes to help will get a share of the meat."
"I'll do it right away!" Liu Sanping hurriedly urged the villagers to carry the injured cart and went back to the village to find help.
Almost the entire village joined in the effort, and it took five full days to harvest all 67 acres of potatoes.
That afternoon, the deserted house next to the Guo family was very lively. Baskets of potatoes were moved into the yard, filling the house.
Zhuang Song dusted off the paper and happily announced, "From our 67 mu of land, we harvested over 116,000 kilograms of potatoes! Of these, about 114,000 kilograms were suitable for growing crops."
“Well, that’s great!”
“It’s a good harvest.”
"There are six people in my family. If we plant four acres of crops and harvest twice a year, we won't have to worry about food." The villagers whispered to each other and talked enthusiastically.
Zhuang Song stood with his hands behind his back and said sternly, "This place is too far from the county town. The grain is temporarily stored at the village head's house and in this deserted house. If anyone dares to steal, the government will not tolerate it!"
"Who, who dares? Don't worry, the villagers would never dare to do that." Liu Sanping said with an apologetic smile.
Zhuang Song snorted, "It would be best if I didn't dare. Tomorrow morning I will return to the county to report. You just wait patiently. Once we have discussed and decided, the government will send someone to make the arrangements."
"Oh, yes. Then we look forward to good news."
The Guo family was by the wall, sorting wood while listening to Zhuang Song's conversation and laughing.
Jiang Yushu saw an opportunity and waved. The village head's wife hurried over and asked familiarly, "We've just finished the autumn harvest, and you're already planning to build a sheep pen? You guys should take a break, too."
"We wanted to rest for two days, but the weather is getting colder. I heard that snow often falls in Heqin next month, so the sheep must be settled as soon as possible."
The village head's wife frowned and asked fearfully, "Are you really determined to use the backyard of this deserted house to build a sheep pen?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "The sheep belong to the government. The village chief has spoken. He ordered that they be built there. We must do as he says."
"Alas, that kind of place—well, it's nothing. It's just a rumor. Who in the world has ever seen a ghost?" The village head's wife crossed her arms and said comfortingly, "Besides, that family was murdered by the Northern Bandits. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its creditor. They probably wouldn't scare their own people."
Jiang Yushu nodded and said, "That makes sense! I wonder if the village chief has told you..."
"He said so! Wait, I'll go and urge him right away." The village head's wife interrupted knowingly, turning around and shouting, "Sanping? Sanping? The village chief has ordered that the Guo family build a sheep pen today."
"I know. We have already called everyone. When I called out the day before yesterday, more than a dozen people were willing to help." Liu Sanping was happy, knowing that most of the villagers wanted to curry favor with the Guo family.
Jiang Yushu apologized, "I'm so sorry, we're clumsy and we won't be able to do it well without someone to teach us."
"Hey, how are you 'clumsy'? It's just that you haven't done farm work since childhood." The wife of the village head rolled up her sleeves, picked up the wood swiftly, and called for helpers to follow.
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After working hard, the Guo family finally saved enough fodder for the sheep for the winter before the snow fell.
Throughout October, the whole family was looking forward to Guo Honglei and his family's return, but there was no news.
The wait was in vain. The autumn wind stopped and the north wind started, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
Early November. Early morning
Jiang Yushu was dressed neatly. As soon as she opened the window, the north wind wrapped in snowflakes blew in her face, making her shiver with cold.
"It's snowing again!" Cuimei shivered as she combed her hair. "Every morning when I get up, I don't want to get off the kang."
Jiang Yushu washed up, her fingers red from the cold. When she spoke, white steam came out of her mouth. She smiled and said, "There's no need to go out in the fields in winter. You can rest after finishing your housework."
"No way." Cuimei's nose flushed, and she rubbed her hands vigorously. "The cotton-padded jacket and quilt are not finished yet, and the charcoal is not burned enough... Oh, I have to hurry!"
Jiang Yushu put on her snow cap and said briskly, "I'll go check out the sheep pen."
"It will take another four months to see the lambs. That's too slow." Cuimei sniffed and followed him out of the room.
Xiao Tao came towards them and said, "Breakfast is ready, please have it quickly or it will get cold soon."
"Yeah. You guys got up early enough. I admit you're better than me." Jiang Yushu turned around and glanced out of the corner of her eye, only to see someone chasing after them in the yard:
"Go! Go! Go!"
"Strange, whose cat is this? Why does it always come to our house to steal things?" Guo Hongzhe was confused.
"Madam Pan said that it was this cat that scratched the cabinet containing cured fish and cured meat last night!" Zou Gui ran very fast, but the cat jumped onto the wall and escaped in an instant.
Zou Gui angrily yelled, "Don't run away if you dare!"
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Jiang Yushu walked out of the main room, feeling a little worried, and reminded him, "Third brother, it's windy and snowy, go back to your room and sort out your manuscripts, or you'll catch a cold."
"Oh." Guo Hongzhe obeyed, trotting up the stairs. Although life was hard, his family was harmonious and his heart was no longer filled with resentment. He had gained some weight, his cheeks flushed with cold. He said expectantly, "I've already sorted out most of the manuscript. It should be finished before the end of the year, so I can write the preface. Oh, when will my second brother come back? He was busy last month, will he be busy this month too?"
Separated by the two places and without any communication, the family could only wait. Jiang Yushu was secretly worried, but her expression remained calm. She replied gently, "It's unknown yet. I guess he's busy with military affairs and has no time to visit his family. He will naturally come back when he has time."
"I haven't seen him for a long time. I'm really worried. I wonder if he is doing well in the army?" Guo Hongzhe stepped over the threshold and tilted his head to brush off the fallen snow on his shoulders.
Jiang Yushu paused for breath, staring into space, and replied softly, "It will be alright. Let's wait patiently for a while."
At the same time, on the bank of Cangjiang River
Guo Honglei was unconscious, and his blood dyed the white snow red.
"Master? Master, you, you must hold on!" Peng Changrong pressed the wound, his heart burning with anxiety. Lin Qin's eyes were red, and his hands were shaking as he took out the golden medicine. He quickly bandaged it and shouted:
"Let's go back to the guard post!"
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