Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Bandits
After finishing their business in Fang County, Kang He and Fan Jing drove back to Luan County early in the morning, taking with them a lot of food and daily necessities they had purchased locally.
It was also bad luck. The weather was cloudy when we left the city, and it started to rain when we left Fang County.
"Go sit in the carport."
When the two of them went out, they drove a flatbed cart like that because they were afraid of encountering rainy or snowy days. Although the flatbed cart was convenient for hauling goods, it was uncomfortable for people to sit on it in winter.
Kang He pulled the reins and saw the raindrops blown by the wind and floating towards people. Although there was a shelter above their heads to protect them from the rain, it could not protect them from the wind.
He was afraid that Fan Jing would catch a cold, so he asked him to sit inside.
The man was unwilling to do so. He said he felt bored sitting there and didn't want to move.
Seeing this, Kang He was embarrassed: "You can't leave me even for a moment. Others think you are such a powerful man, but in fact you are completely dependent on your husband. Considering that you can't live without me, I will obey you in everything."
Upon hearing the voice, Fan Jing glanced at Kang He, turned around and went into the carport at the back.
Seeing this, Kang He cried out, "Hey! Hey! I was just joking, but you took it so seriously."
As soon as he finished speaking, a straw hat was suddenly put on his head.
Fan Jing came back and sat outside. He also put on a hat on his head and held a straw raincoat in his arms. He put it on his body and tied the rope. He threw the other one to Kang He and taught him to put it on.
Kang He passed the reins to Fan Jing and put on his raincoat while laughing.
"I think since you've been blessed, you've become even better at taking care of others."
Fan Jing didn't acknowledge his words: "Didn't I take care of you before?"
Kang He was silent for a moment, and said, "Back then it was caring, which is different from taking care of."
"You're the only one who talks too much."
The two chatted casually along the way. Although it was a rainy winter day and there were not as many pedestrians on the road as when they came, and they did not meet anyone traveling together, it was not too difficult.
After walking for a while, I had a rough idea of how far I had to go to reach the county. It was different from the time when I went there, where I had no idea where to go. I just felt like after passing a mountain, there was another depression, and it took a long time to get to the end.
When they arrived in Luan County, it was almost dark. Kang He and Fan Jing had no intention of spending the night in the shop in the city. Since they were already in the city and back to the familiar area, they simply went home in one breath.
My body was wet and it was inconvenient to wash in the shop. I couldn't even change into clean clothes, which was very inconvenient.
Another thing is that if you go home earlier when you are away from home, your family will have one less thing to worry about.
Fan Jing got torches in the city, and one person lit them while another drove the carriage.
On the way back home, Fan Jing looked around. Kang He saw that he was a little wary and said, "We're on a road we often walk on. Why are you being more cautious than outside the county town?"
Fan Jing frowned, raised the torch a little higher and shone it around.
He said, "The nights are long in winter, and it's raining, so it gets dark early. It's not that late now, it's just like the time when it gets dark on a sunny day. Why is there so little light in the countryside?"
Upon hearing this, Kang He couldn't help but look towards the village outside the official road. He didn't realize that since Fan Jing mentioned this, he really didn't see many lights.
Even though farmers are frugal and go to bed early at night to save money on lamp oil, they don't go to bed this early.
"It's common for rainy days to be foggy and difficult to see the light."
Kang He said this.
Fan Jing shook his head. He took out a basket of arrows from the cart and said to Kang He, "Perhaps you have forgotten the sufferings of the refugees in the past."
At that time, Fan Jing was still young and his mother was still alive. A group of refugees affected by the disaster took a small path into their county. The strong ones gathered together and rushed into the village to scramble for food, and many people died.
The whole family even hid in the mountains for a long time.
Kang He had no idea about the sufferings of the refugees, but after hearing what Fan Jing said, he couldn't help but become alert and unconsciously sped up the car.
Both of them felt a little uneasy and just hoped that nothing happened at home.
"Who, who is it?!"
Kang He and Fan Jing's car had just driven off the main road of the village and was heading towards the driveway they had built when they heard voices from a distance.
Judging from the voice, it was the family's farmhand, Lian Si Ge.
"Who else could it be except the two of us?"
Hearing a familiar voice from the other end of the house, he opened the door to greet the person.
As they braved the rain and entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of doors opening, and Chen Sanfang's voice immediately followed.
"My sons, why did you two come back at night when it was raining? Didn't you hear about the bandits in the city?"
Chen Sanfang came out hurriedly wearing a coat, his face showing both joy and worry, as if he was about to cry.
Father Fan was so frightened that he even put his shoes on backwards and ran out of the house without realizing it.
When Kang He heard this, he realized that something had really happened. He and the others hurried into the house, closed the doors and windows, and then lit a small lamp.
Seeing the two return safely, Chen Sanfang felt relieved, yet also a little frightened. She said to them, "The day you two left, our county was attacked by bandits!
A group of thieves came from nowhere and entered the village, killing and robbing. I heard that three people died in Dou'er Village and five or six were injured; four people died in Nianshui Village and seven or eight were injured. The government has been dispatched!
"Although the county government hasn't posted any notices, they've told every village and town to refrain from traveling outside. Word has spread everywhere. People are panicking these days. Villagers are wary of outsiders these days, and they dare not light any lights at night, fearing the bandits might find their homes."
Kang He heard that two villages were very far away from their Hepingzi, but in the same county. How could they live in peace when such a thing happened?
This was the first time he had encountered such a scare, so he asked Chen Sanfang, "Then why did they enter the village?"
"I heard they were robbing food and property. The city is heavily guarded, so they don't dare enter. They only rob the wealthy families in the countryside!"
Chen Sanfang's lips turned pale as he spoke. It was precisely because their house was large that it was the target of the bandits. Kang He and Fan Jing were not at home for the past two days. Everyone in the house had no leader and kept their doors closed all day long.
Fortunately, there are still two strong men. Fan Jing taught them some archery skills a few years ago, so they still have some ability to protect themselves. Otherwise, they would really be a piece of fat meat on the chopping board, and would be slaughtered at will.
Kang He couldn't tell where these people came from, but all he knew was that they were after money.
Maybe they were trying to raise funds for some rebellious act, or maybe the poor were rebelling. All of these are possible.
But the government will not have peace until it catches the person.
After Kang He and Fan Jing learned the whole story, they called Chen Sanfang and Fan Die Qiao'er to go back to the house and rest. Seeing that the three of them did not look well, they probably had not slept well in the past few days due to being worried.
Now that they are home, they can rest a little and have a good sleep.
They had been traveling all day and were soaked, so they went to take a hot bath. Only then did they have time to go into the house to check on Dafu who was sleeping soundly.
The child was unaware of the disaster outside and was still sleeping soundly.
Fan Jing touched Dafu's little face and tucked the corner of the quilt for him. The two of them stayed with the kid for a long time before leaving the house.
"Luckily, I didn't stay long and returned home. If I had been outside and heard about what was happening at home, I don't know how anxious I would have been."
Kang He was glad that he got home early. When Fan Jing heard what he said, he also let out a sigh of relief.
He said, "Call up all the able-bodied men in the house."
Although they were a little tired, neither of them wanted to sleep. They gathered the able-bodied men in their homes that night, equipped each of them with a weapon, and took turns to keep watch all night.
The next morning, the family did not go to the city to open the shop. After the incident, Chen Sanfang carefully closed the shop and did not open it for the next two days.
There was no point in going out for business for a few days, for fear that I would run into the bandits and be killed by a single blow of their knife.
Kang He then asked Chen Sanfang and He Xiaoqiu if they knew about the bandits.
"He knows that your brother, Zhang Shili, came down from the mountain that day. We closed the shop together. He is a martial artist and knows how to look after the He family. I'm worried."
After listening to Chen Sanfang's words, Fan Jing felt relieved.
As the day dawned, everything was bright. The mountains were still the same mountains, and the fields were still the same fields. If Chen Sanfang had not told me last night that there were bandits causing trouble, no one would have noticed any difference.
The night is pitch black, which makes people feel uneasy, but during the bright day, people don’t feel so scared.
After everyone had breakfast, they were enjoying the food Kang He and Fan Jing had brought back from Fang County. They were in high spirits when Lian Sige, who had been out for a while, rushed home in a hurry. Before he even reached the house, he started shouting, "Oh no! Oh no!"
Seeing that he looked unhappy, several people asked him what happened.
Lian Sige said, "I just heard from outside that bandits were spotted last night in Feizhi Township, next to Dajing Village, and two people were killed. The situation is getting serious right now. I walked a few steps to the other end of the official road and saw soldiers. I think the rumors are true!"
"Oh my! Damn it! The government is having trouble catching these thieves, and they've already made it to our territory!"
Father Fan was so frightened that his face turned pale: "What should we do? Let's hide in the mountains!"
Yesterday they were thankful that the bandits were active in a place far away from where they were, but they did not expect that they would be right in front of them today. Kang He and Fan Jing knew that this was no longer a minor skirmish, but would result in bloodshed and casualties, and they could no longer be careless in their defense.
If they followed Father Fan's advice and hid in the wooden house where they lived before, the bandits would not be able to find them easily and they could live in peace. However, with such a big mess at home, how could they easily leave it behind?
After finding the eldest wife, the two families had a brief discussion and decided to send the elderly, children, women and children like Mr. Fan, Mrs. Fan, and Dafu to hide, and the remaining strong men would guard the house.
"I haven't heard of any bandits causing trouble in the city, so why not go and hide there for a while?"
"Who knows if the bandits will enter the city? Now they're showing up in the countryside, making people think they're targeting the wealthy families in the village. Who knows if they're deliberately trying to lure the soldiers into the countryside so they can take advantage of the city's weakened defenses and launch a surprise attack."
Kang He said, "Although there are two shops at the top of the city that we can stay in first, they are old shops and are not as solid and reliable as the tall houses and courtyards of ordinary people. The bandits can easily kick down the gates and walls with a few kicks. If the bandits enter the city, they will be worse than houses in the countryside."
When everyone heard this, they felt that it made some sense.
"If we're talking about safety, the mountains are safer. Although the conditions are poor, it's not easy to find in those old forests. It's better for hiding, escaping, or hiding here than in the village or the city. I'm just afraid the bandits will also hide in the mountains. To be honest, there's no place that's completely safe."
After some discussion, everyone decided to let Fan Jing go up the mountain to check the wooden house first. If there was no problem up there, they would hide in the mountains.
If something goes wrong in the mountains, we can decide whether to go to the city or stay in the village.
After the decision was made, Kang He and Fan Jing went their separate ways. One of them went to the city secretly to hire some strong and capable people, and also informed his relatives on the way to remind them to keep the doors and windows closed. The other went into the mountains along a familiar route.
"I won't go up the mountain. I'm not afraid. Even if I die, I'd rather die at home.
I have seen everything in my life, I am not afraid of those bandits, I only have half my life left, I don't believe those bandits will waste more energy to kill me. "
Kang He went to the city for most of the day. The county town, which was bustling in the past, was now somewhat quiet, and soldiers were often seen walking on the streets.
Many shops have closed, and there are few businesses open along the streets. The vendors that were common in the past are nowhere to be seen.
He spent a large sum of money to hire four or five skilled men, and at that time many families were competing to hire strong men, so the supply was very tight.
When he returned home, he saw Chen Sanfang, Qiao'er and others had packed up food, clothes and other things. They said that Fan Jing had returned. He said that there was no problem in the mountains and they were ready to leave at any time. However, Mr. and Mrs. Fan from the eldest house started to get angry.
Something happened outside before, and I was afraid that if I told the old people, they would be frightened, so I didn't let them know. Now I asked them to move to the mountains, but the two old people refused.
They seemed to be stuck on the kang. Even though we told them that many people had died, they refused to listen. The two old men stiffened their necks and acted stubbornly, closing their eyes and refusing to look at or listen to anyone.
It's really infuriating and I'm dying of remorse.
"What should we do? We can't just tie him up and carry him into the mountains."
Fan Shoushan was also in a dilemma: "When people get old, their tempers become bad. It's impossible to coax them, and they won't listen to scolding."
Kang He originally didn't want to talk about his elders, but seeing that they were still making a fuss at this juncture, he couldn't help but speak: "There's nothing we can do about it. If you don't want to go up the mountain, then just move to the house over there. We have to stay and guard the house anyway."
"If nothing happens, everyone will be safe. If something happens, no one can escape."
Fan Shoushan and Fan Shoulin were silent for a moment, then went to tell Grandpa Fan and Grandma Fan what had happened. The two old people still insisted that they would rather die at home and refused to go up the mountain to cause trouble.
In this way, everyone agreed with Kang He's words.
So the women and children in the family went to hide in the mountains first.
The house at home must be guarded by someone, but the way to the mountains must be cleared by someone, so the husband and wife had to separate.
Before leaving, Kang He grabbed Fan Jing and squeezed his hand tightly: "Be careful in the mountains, don't be so impulsive. I guess Brother Zhang is also in the mountains, you can ask him for help."
Fan Jing glanced at him and just nodded lightly.
Well, he didn’t say anything more, and carried Dafu and led his family up the mountain.
Kang He watched from afar, always comforting his family that it was okay and that the bandits might not come to their house this time. He spoke with certainty, and his family regarded him as the backbone and listened to him in everything.
Seeing him like this, I felt relieved and thought it was no big deal.
But only Kang He himself knew that he actually had no idea. Whether it was business or dealing with people, these were common experiences in the past and were nothing.
But he had never seen such things as bandits killing and bloodshed in all his years.
Even though his heart felt like a floating duckweed, he still had to stand up as usual.
But this time, when he was about to separate from Fan Jing, he felt a panic he had never felt before. In the past, when Fan Jing was by his side, he would feel particularly at ease.
This sense of security may have been established when the two of them first entered the mountains together.
Now that something big has happened, we have to separate. How can I feel good about it?
But he didn't show it to others, and didn't want Fan Jing to worry, so he acted as if nothing had happened.
But Fan Jing was also like a fool. I didn't know whether he really believed the ease he made, or just didn't want to talk more.
It would have been fine if he didn't say a few words of comfort, but he didn't even show any reluctance or worry at all.
For a moment, Kang He wondered if this person no longer loved him.
But in just a blink of an eye, he denied it. How could he admit such a thing?
Kang He cheered himself up and said to the servants and the newly hired skilled worker, "The walls of our Fan family's courtyard are high and the stone is thick. It's a new house. If you don't have a ladder, you can't climb in."
"At night, I just need to guard the door tightly. If any of those bandits who really want to die come in, I'll chop them up with my knife and axe like I'm chopping radishes and cabbages in the field!"
When the house was built, holes were left between the walls so that arrows could be shot out without worrying about thieves who might approach without warning.
At that time, the people who were repairing the house laughed at his family for having so much money that they built a high and strong wall. They didn't know who they were trying to protect against, but now it comes in handy.
Kang He went to Xu's house before dark. Xu Yang had found some good men to guard the house.
There are only a few larger households in the village. Since their property is here, they can't just abandon everything and take care of everything. At most, they can send their women and children to a place where they feel they can live in peace.
Xu Yang is the head of the village, so he can't run away.
He and Kang Heyan originally planned to teach the able-bodied men in the village to take turns patrolling and guarding the village. However, someone heard that bandits would kill the patrolmen first when entering the village, and they were so scared that no one was willing to do this anymore.
The poor families felt that they were being exploited by the rich. But since they were poor and could not live a good life, why would they do something that could easily cost them their lives? They should just take care of their own business.
People in the countryside are inevitably short-sighted, and they don't know the truth that no eggs can survive when the nest is overturned.
The two men said that if the bandits really came to the village, no matter whose house they broke into, they must make a big noise so that the villagers would know. Then they could bring people to help or report to the police, so that they would have more power to resist.
The two talked for a while, and seeing that it started to drizzle outside and it was getting late, Kang He went home.
When I got home, it was getting dark and the sky was gray. Not only could I not see clearly in the distance, but there was also the sound of wind and rain.
Kang He thought to himself that this kind of weather was really unsettling and would make it very easy for the bandits to cause trouble.
He was wondering whether Dajing had settled down with his children and family.
Someone outside started shouting, "Who is it?"
Upon hearing the sound, Kang He quickly picked up his weapon and rushed out of the house.
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