Chapter 63 Jinjiang first release Chapter 63 Let them fight each other...
As the sun rose, a mule stood by the dirt road, sweeping its tail to shoo away flies.
There are large tracts of birch forests on both sides of the road. After the heavy rain, the leaves fell all over the ground, like a half-worn blanket.
Two men lay on the blanket, their eyes closed. The mule's owner went to shake them and called out, "Hey, brothers?"
The short man was Fatty Li. He struggled to open his eyes, staring at the azure sky, as if he had no idea what day it was.
Suddenly he sat up straight: "Damn it! What's going on?"
The mule's owner asked, "What's going on? I saw you guys lying here, so I came to wake you up. What brought you here?"
Fat Li patted Gao He: "Lao Gao, Lao Gao, wake up!"
Gao He reluctantly responded, struggling to open his eyes. He also asked, "Where is this?"
The sound of his voice was like sandpaper rubbing against each other, and you couldn't hear it unless you listened carefully.
Fatty Li didn't know either, so he asked the mule driver, "Where is this place?"
The mule's owner was none other than Wu Sheng. He said, "Qixia Town is just ahead. Where are you going?"
Fatty Li said, "We're going to Qixia Town. Can you give us a ride?"
Wu Sheng said, "Of course you can, but you'd better be careful these days. I heard that a woman named Yang hired bandits to rob Fang Xiucai's husband. There's been a lot of unrest in this area lately."
Fatty Li immediately showed a look of vigilance: "Mr. Fang's husband? What's his name?"
Wu Sheng said, "Yu Qinglong. He's quite famous over there."
Gao He was so sick that he looked almost unrecognizable. He couldn't help but turn around and ask, "You said, is Yu Qinglong's husband a scholar?"
Wu Sheng said, "Yes, absolutely. Just ask around and you'll find out."
Fatty Li: "Who told you about that woman surnamed Yang?"
Wu Sheng said, "It got out of the jail. That Yang's son was locked up early for some trouble. Maybe he heard his mother talk about it in jail, and then he told her about it, and so the story got out. But it's strange, who would be so desperate as to kill Mr. Fang's family? I guess they must be from out of town."
"What do you mean?"
"The scholar Fang and his wife were very familiar with the former governor of our Qixia Town. Although Governor Guo has been promoted and moved to another place, his subordinates are still there. Besides, there is the county magistrate. The scholar and his family went to the county town a few days ago. You have heard about the county magistrate's birthday celebration, right? There is... well, I dare not say too much, but I think you understand."
"How can a scholar like him have such a big background?" Fatty Li was unconvinced. "Don't tell me you're kidding me."
"Don't disbelieve me, I didn't say that. The driver of the carriage rental company in town went to the county town a while ago and sent the scholar and his wife. There are also two other scholars. You can find out if what I said is true by asking around. It was during the days when the county magistrate celebrated his birthday, no doubt."
“…”
"I think that woman surnamed Yang is crazy and wants to hire someone to kill someone. I heard that her child didn't pass the imperial examination, and she's jealous of the Fang family, so she wants to make everyone miserable. It's really unlucky for everyone involved. There's more, but I can't tell you."
"What's the matter? Tell me about it."
"This... I can talk about it, but you can't tell anyone else, brother. It's about this Mr. Fang's husband. Some say he's protected by a mountain spirit, so anyone who wants to harm him will get sick. I heard someone in their village wanted to harm him, too, but he ended up being frightened by the mountain spirit and screaming in pain every day, just like a pig being slaughtered. He said he was beaten. But when the doctor took a look, wow! Guess what? He had no injuries at all. Isn't that incredible?"
Wu Sheng described it vividly, as if he had witnessed it all himself. The more Fatty Li listened, the more he felt that this might be true. Otherwise, how could Gao He, who was originally in such good health, get sick after being caught in the rain in this place?
There's plenty of rain in the mountains! It's not like I haven't gotten wet before!
And that woman surnamed Yang actually had the audacity to lie to them, saying that Yu Qinglong was just an ordinary man! If that weren't the case, the manager wouldn't have taken the job, and even if he did, he definitely wouldn't have offered it at that price!
Fatty Li asked, "Do you know where the man surnamed Yu, whom the bandits want to kill, is from?"
Wu Sheng said, "I know. Isn't it from Xiaxi Village? Do you still want to get in the car?"
Fatty Li gritted his teeth and said, "Go!"
He wanted to steal the cart, not even get on it! But his brother was so sick that he was half dead, and there were two strong men sitting in the mule cart.
Wu Sheng lent a hand and helped Gao He into the car.
The mule cart rolled towards the town. On the way, Wu Sheng continued to tell about what he had heard, all about how powerful Fang Xiucai's family was and how many people he knew.
The more Fat Li listened, the more silent he became, and his face grew darker.
It's not that he didn't suspect the mule driver, but how did these people know that the man surnamed Yang had come to find them?
He couldn't have guessed so much just by guessing! He hadn't even seen Yu Qinglong's men yet! He and Gao He had never told anyone who they were going to harm! What did they do? That meant that what the mule driver said was probably true, and it was just that Yang who let it slip!
That guy surnamed Yang really made things difficult for them!
But how did they get to the place where they were just woken up?
Fatty Li thought of the bowl of medicine. Fortunately, it wasn't a fatal medicine, otherwise, how could he and Gao He still be alive?
That man is quite courageous.
Fatty Li looked at Wu Sheng suspiciously, "Brother, did you see who brought my brother and me to that place?"
Wu Sheng asked doubtfully, "Didn't you walk there by yourselves?"
Fatty Li said, "How is that possible? Can my two brothers walk while sleeping?"
Wu Sheng said, "But I saw your footprints. I thought you were tired and wanted to rest there. I was afraid you might catch a cold if you slept too long, so I woke you up."
When Fat Li looked at the soles of his shoes, he saw a lot of fresh mud, leaves, and straw stuck to them.
Wu Sheng said, "Why don't you go back and take a look?"
Now we have to walk the rest of the way!
Fatty Li hesitated for a moment, then said with a smile, "Forget it. I don't think my brother would lie to me."
He couldn't help but take a closer look at the mule cart.
There were a lot of soybean stalks pulled up from above. People were all crowded together, and there seemed to be no room for him and Gao He. It was really weird.
Later they came to the city gate and he saw someone collecting tolls.
Collecting tolls is not a rare thing, but if the person collecting the toll is wearing official clothes and holding a painting in his hand, and the painting is of him, that would be rare!
Fatty Li was so frightened that he didn't dare move forward. Seeing that the people in the car were also looking at him suspiciously, he quickly pulled Gao He out of the car. He said, "Thanks, little brother. If anyone asks you next time, just say you haven't seen us! Otherwise, don't blame me for not reminding you if you get into trouble."
After saying this, he dragged Gao He away. After a while, they stopped a carriage outside, which was heading towards Liangtang Town.
Seeing this, the people on the mule cart hurried towards the city gate.
Yu Qinglong took the portrait from the officer, walked to the corner, gave him some copper coins, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your attention. I'll treat you brothers to some tea."
The officer smiled with satisfaction: "No problem."
Yu Qinglong rolled up the portrait and gathered with Fang Shu, Fang Shan, and Wu Sheng. "Brother Fang Shan, are you sure they're gone?"
Fang Shan said, "They are definitely leaving. They are heading towards Liangtang Town."
Wu Sheng seemed a little excited: "They really managed to trick me. But I really let them down by not beating them up."
Yu Qinglong sighed, "If we beat them now, we might end up getting beaten. We don't even know where they came from yet, so it's really not wise to act rashly."
This matter inadvertently involved Master and Li Zheng. If it is not handled properly, many innocent people will be harmed.
Wu Sheng had been wielding swords for years, and he had a heart for the martial arts world. Yu Qinglong had originally wanted to borrow his car, but this guy insisted on providing not only the car but also his men. He then said, "So we're just going to let them go?"
"This is the only way for now. If we catch them now, they won't reveal the buyer because that would break their rules and no one would want to 'do business' with them anymore. So they'll just point the finger at us. That would be exactly what Yang Feng wanted."
"That makes sense," Fang Shan said. "If we let them go now, they'll definitely have an explanation for the huge loss they've suffered on this trip. As long as they truly believe it was Yang Feng's son who leaked the information, they'll definitely come after the Wu family."
"That's what happened."
After Yu Qinglong finished speaking, he turned to look at Fang Shu, only to see Fang Shu staring at him in a daze.
He couldn't help but move to the other side, and Fang Shu's gaze followed him.
She was just looking at him. Yu Qinglong poked Fang Shu and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Fang Shu said, "I wonder if the new garrison commander will take care of these matters."
Yu Qinglong said: "Even if they do, they probably won't do it right away."
I just arrived and haven't figured out what's going on yet, so who would dare to just do it? In ancient times, suppressing bandits was also a headache. After all, like fighting a war, it required manpower, financial resources, and material resources.
And if they really did crack down on the criminals, would they arrest them or kill them? If they arrested everyone, who would take care of them? If they didn't lock them up, they would have to be re-educated, which wouldn't be an easy task either. Therefore, unless there was an order from above, or if they simply couldn't do anything about it, many officials were unwilling to take on this task.
Fang Shu said, "Let's go. No matter what, let's go to the town and ask first."
Fang Shan stayed outside the city, and the remaining three entered the city.
Wu Sheng went to the blacksmith shop, while Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went to a teahouse near the government office.
The people on duty outside the government office were no longer the same, nor were those at the city gates. But these people couldn't just disappear into thin air.
Yu Qinglong arrived at the teahouse and asked when a waiter was not busy, "Young man, I want to ask you something. Do you know where those big brothers who used to work at the yamen when Guo Zhenshou was here are now?"
The guy said, "I know. They were all taken away for training."
"Training? What kind of training?"
"Our new guard is quite formidable," the clerk whispered. "He immediately said that the officers and yamen runners here weren't very stable and wouldn't be any use if something happened. So, he brought them all to his camp for training. Only when they were qualified could they return to serve."
"...It's been a while, hasn't it? You haven't been back?"
"I only knew about this after they came back. They were all tanned and black. But they went back soon." The guy still remembered that Yu Qinglong had talked to Ji Shiyu, and Ji Shiyu treated this guy differently, so he wanted to chat with him more.
"Our new town guard is much stricter than the old one, Guard Guo. He never smiles. When Master Ji and Guard Guo were here, they often came to our place for tea. But this new one doesn't come himself, and he doesn't allow anyone else to come. Anyone who dares to come for tea while on duty will have their monthly salary deducted."
The guy looked obviously depressed when he said this.
Yu Qinglong could also think of it. The guys here didn't make much money in a month, but if more customers came, they would probably give some tips, so naturally they could make more.
Fang Shu asked, "Brother, have you heard when the entrance fee will be collected?"
The clerk said, "That's unclear. People passing by are talking about it. But I heard the money is going to be used to repair the city tower and the low-lying land west of the city. It floods heavily there every time it rains heavily, and there are many elderly, weak, women, and children living there. The new governor says it's prone to disease and wants to rebuild it, but I don't know if that's true."
Yu Qinglong said, "I hope it's true. If it's true, it's always a good thing. By the way, brother, you meet a lot of people here and hear a lot of news. Do you know if there are any bandits near our town? I heard recently that there are bandits operating here, but I don't know if it's true or not."
The man said, "There's nothing much happening around our town, but there are real bandits on Fuhu Mountain near Liangtang Town. But I haven't heard of anything unusual. Where did you hear that?"
Yu Qinglong said, "It seems that the news came from a prisoner named Wu."
The guy thought about it, but wasn't impressed. "That might be possible. Anyway, it's better to be careful."
Yu Qinglong nodded and said, "Young man, do you know when the new governor usually comes to the yamen?"
"That's possible," the clerk said. "I heard they're more common in the camp. Oh, and he comes every month on the ninth day of the month, saying he's here to sort out the accumulated matters at the government office. If you want to see him, come on the ninth day."
"I see."
Yu Qinglong smiled and stuffed five coins into the waiter's pocket: "Thank you, brother."
The waiter didn't expect to get any money. He took it with a smile and said, "You're very polite. If you have any questions in the future, please come to me anytime."
Yu Qinglong waved his hand and left.
Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which means we will be able to see the new garrison commander in three days.
Yu Qinglong thought about it and went to the Wu family's iron shop first.
Not far from here was a stone processing shop that could process anything from large stone tablets to small stone handles. Yu Qinglong told the shopkeeper about his idea, and the shopkeeper said, "It's easy. You can make it with some leftover materials."
Yu Qinglong said, "That's right. But I can't accept any with cracks or flaws. It has to be a perfect, intact stone. Based on the dimensions and the design I mentioned, how much would you charge for one?"
The shopkeeper asked, "How many do you want to make?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Let's make five first. If these five are good, I will continue to order from you."
Wu Sheng also joined in the fun: "Uncle Jiang, these two are my best friends, please give them a discount."
The shopkeeper said, "If you want five, the minimum price is fifteen coins each. If you think it's okay, we can sign a document and pay a thirty-coin deposit. You can pick it up in three days."
Yu Qinglong thought about it. Fifteen wen, plus the most common wood, the price could be kept under sixty wen. The cheapest inkstone in the county town would cost seventy or eighty wen. He could easily sell this pen holder for one hundred to one hundred and fifty wen.
So I asked, "Can you give me a little less, uncle?"
The shopkeeper said, "You made too few, so I can only charge you this price. If you make more in the future, I can give you a lower price."
Yu Qinglong thought that this was fine. If the product sold well in the future, he would make a better upgraded version to sell.
The two parties signed a document and Yu Qinglong paid a deposit of thirty wen.
During this time, Fang Shan kept watching outside the city to make sure that the two people who left never came back.
So apart from Yu Qinglong, Fang Shu, Doctor Mo and Li Zheng himself, no one knew that a thief had broken into Li Zheng's house.
The rush to harvest is still going on.
Two days later, Yu Qinglong rented a house for his parents in Xiaxi Village. It was not someone else's house, but Li Zheng's.
Li Zheng was raising a child alone, with limited farming skills, and was worried about the family finances. Yu Qinglong thought that if his father and grandfather came to live with him, they would be able to take care of the two children, and he wouldn't have to worry about how his parents would survive the winter.
He gave Li Zheng one hundred coins a month, and Li Zheng agreed without much thought.
If nothing else, at least these hundred coins can fill his and his children's stomachs.
Otherwise, the crops on the land wouldn't yield much, and if he paid more taxes, he and his children would starve to death! He wasn't afraid of death, but his children couldn't afford to be without a father!
Zhou Yuehua and Yu Dayou both felt sorry for the money, but Yu Qinglong was worried that it would rain again or the weather would get colder, so he simply paid all the money so that his parents could not refuse.
"My father is not in good health and can't sleep well at night. I am worried about him at home." Yu Qinglong said, "It's okay. I will find a way to make money. My parents-in-law know it."
"I heard from your second brother what kind of tube you want to make?" Zhou Yuehua said.
"Ah, a pen holder. That's a common stationery for scholars. We can't sell it here, but we can sell it in the county town." Yu Qinglong said, "Wouldn't that bring in extra income for the family?"
"Before, I was always worried that you were timid, but now I'm afraid you're too bold." Zhou Yuehua said, "Whatever you do, you must discuss it with the city guards first."
"I support everything he does." Fang Shu said with a smile, standing beside him. "Long Ge'er is capable and smart. He's doing well. Don't worry, father-in-law."
Zhou Yuehua was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and felt even more worried.
It would be fine if one is brave enough and the other one stops it, but if one is brave enough and the other one lets it go, wouldn't it be out of control?
However, Yu Qinglong was determined to take the pen holder to the county town to sell it.
He and his second brother have already figured it out, and his second brother has also started working on it. Once he finishes writing the second volume of the storybook, he will go to the county town!
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Author's words: Fang Shu: I can even guess the bandits' thoughts, my husband must be a fairy [let me see]
Qinglong: Wake up, I'll make you something good [smirk]
Fang Shu: What? [heart eyes]
Qinglong: Wooden Hammer [Dog Head]
Fang Shu: What's the use of [starry eyes]
Qinglong: I'll hit you if you don't obey [sunglasses]
Fang Shu: [laughing and crying]
Fang Shu: Please, aunts, save me [bursts into tears]
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