Ning Ye didn't care about this, after all, no one would believe what a young boy said.
Pushing open the only room, one could see that most of the space was piled with grain, and a small box sat on top of it. Inside, three hundred taels of silver were neatly arranged.
There was a pile of clothes in a corner nearby. These clothes looked like they had been picked up from somewhere, and they were all a bit worn out, but they were definitely better than the clothes of the refugees.
As for weapons, if that pile of scrap metal can be called weapons.
Lin Qinshu, who had come in with them, roughly counted the grain and said, "Husband, there must be more than a hundred bags of grain. It seems that the magistrate has really spared no expense in terms of grain."
Ning Ye casually opened a burlap sack and grabbed a handful. He could tell at a glance that this must be grain that had been stored for more than three years, otherwise it wouldn't look like this.
But as long as you can eat, who cares about anything else? No matter what, being able to eat is the most important thing.
Ning Ye joked, "Wife, if we take this grain and run away, we'll never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of our lives."
It was supposed to be a joke, but Lin Qinshu clearly took it seriously. "With so much grain, I'm afraid it'll be hard to move it without anyone noticing. And it'll probably be difficult to move it away quietly. Husband, why don't we think about it first?"
Lin Qinshu's serious expression amused Ning Ye. "Has anyone ever told you that you can be quite adorable at times? Let's go, take these people back first."
Ning Ye walked out of the house and shouted, "There are some clothes in the house. Each of you pick one that suits you and change into it. Throw away all those rags you're wearing."
Without new clothes, these people immediately rushed over and all squeezed into the house. Ning Ye stood at the door watching, and if anyone tried to get out of line, he would have to show his authority.
As expected, Ning Ye did not close the box of silver. Someone was quietly approaching while changing clothes, and Ning Ye only made his move when the person reached out.
The hand, as strong as an iron clamp, grabbed the man. Ning Ye said coldly, "Although the money in this box is your salary, it's up to me when you get it."
The man, looking flustered, hurriedly begged for mercy, "My lord, I was just momentarily bewitched, and besides, I didn't even succeed! Please let me go."
"The first rule I'm going to set for you is that you shouldn't touch anything without my order."
Everyone nodded blankly, and as for the thief, Ning Ye simply kicked him out of the group.
Having a petty thief in the team is not a good thing; it can easily lead everyone else astray.
After everyone had changed their clothes, they still looked like dirt, simply because they were too filthy, and the smell was too overpowering in the sweltering summer heat.
Since staying in the county town was impossible, Ning Ye simply moved a portion of the grain out in carts and had these people push the grain back to Qingyuan Village with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to find a place to train these guys.
As for the scrap metal, Ning Ye brought it along too; having something in hand is always better than having nothing.
However, as they walked down the street, Ning Ye and his group still attracted a lot of attention; they seemed rather awkward no matter how you looked at them.
The guy who had been following Ning Ye sensed that Ning Ye was about to leave, so he immediately went to warn him.
At this moment, Hu Erbiao also brought four or five of his men. After listening to his underlings' report, his eyes immediately lit up.
He was aware of the recruitment news, but he didn't expect it to be related to Ning Ye. The truck was probably carrying grain.
Three large cartloads of grain would be quite valuable even if sold, not to mention a beautiful woman waiting for him. How could Hu Erbiao possibly resist?
He immediately set off with his men, determined to get what the man wanted.
Ning Ye and his group were already pushing the cart, so their speed was naturally not very fast. Not long after leaving the city gate, Ning Ye told everyone to stop and rest for a while.
Although the refugees didn't know what Ning Ye was trying to do, they probably liked to slack off during their rest, so they immediately put down their things and found a place to sit down.
Not long after, Ning Ye saw Hu Erbiao leading a few people, hurrying over from not far away.
Hu Erbiao looked at Ning Ye, panting, "Kid, you can't walk anymore with this bunch of burdens, can you?"
Lin Qinshu suddenly became a little nervous; she still remembered Hu Erbiao.
"I'm just waiting for you here. After all, it's better to resolve some things as soon as possible."
Hu Erbiao said with some surprise, "You deliberately waited for me here? Did you know from the beginning that my men were following you?"
Ning Ye crossed his arms and said, "If the boss isn't very bright, the underling isn't much smarter either. You think you can fool me?"
Hu Erbiao laughed angrily and said, "You sharp-tongued brat, no one can save you today."
As they were talking, Hu Erbiao's henchmen had already approached menacingly, treating Ning Ye like a fish on a chopping board.
Ning Ye, however, remained calm and composed, saying, "Why do you think it's about having more people? I think I probably have more people."
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that something was wrong. The group of recruited refugees involuntarily stood behind Ning Ye, numbering about thirty in total.
But Hu Erbiao completely disregarded these people, and said menacingly, "A bunch of refugees who were just recruited want to go against me? What, are you all prepared to die in place of this kid?"
The henchmen beside him also brandished several small knives, which looked well-maintained, each one gleaming with a cold light.
If someone had no skills whatsoever, they would have been kicked out of Qingyuan County long ago if they had been able to stay in the county for so long as a local thug.
Most of these refugees were also somewhat apprehensive, after all, many of them were just honest farmers before.
He has never physically assaulted anyone, let alone engaged in a fight that could result in death.
Only Wang Wu stood at the very front, directly blocking Ning Ye's path, a rusty longsword that had appeared in his hand at some point.
Ning Ye was quite satisfied with Wang Wu; at least he wasn't a coward, and he probably was an experienced veteran.
If he had people like this under his command, Ning Ye was confident that he could wipe out the bandits in the shortest amount of time. Unfortunately, such people are hard to come by.
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