This meal was very uplifting.
Meng Chijian packed up a bundle and called A-Mian to his side. "You ate a lot for dinner, so don't go to sleep right away. I noticed the chicken coop hasn't been cleaned properly these past few days. After you've cleaned it, go boil some water. Your second brother is here, so he'll do the water-fetching chores. Make sure you're covered up properly when you sleep tonight. If Xiao Jing tries to take your blanket, go to the closet and get the pale yellow duvet cover..."
Ah Mian was completely exasperated and quickly pushed him out the door, saying, "I know, but can you please stop nagging like that?"
Meng Chijian gave her a deep look, which made A-Mian feel uneasy all over.
He could only say, "It's just for two nights, and I'll bring you food in town during the day!" He was being very attentive.
Meng Chijian smiled faintly and patted the little dog's head, "Make sure to lock the door."
Then he left with Yuan Hua.
During the day, Ah Mian kept her word and brought some delicious food to the blacksmith shop.
Upon entering, one could see that both men were unshaven. Meng Chijian looked better, only a little tired, while Yuan Hua, who had been tending the fire all night, was so exhausted that he was about to collapse into bed.
When A-Mian first saw Meng Chijian looking so dirty, she was both curious and disgusted. "His face was covered in ash, and his eyebrows were black."
"Don't come any closer, it's filthy here."
This job is really inhuman; it's exhausting, demanding, and doesn't pay much.
Meng Chijian was too busy, so he told A Mian to leave the food and go back.
This job came suddenly, but looking back now, it seemed rather strange. In a flash, Meng Chijian suddenly remembered the "mountain bandits" he had mentioned earlier... Could it be that the government officials were imposters?
But at the time, I did see the documents and the waist tag.
As he was thinking, Ah Mian suddenly felt sorry for him and stopped looking down on him. She took out some red bean buns, stir-fried pork liver, and several cucumbers from the vegetable basket, mixed a piece of soft tofu with salted duck egg, and wiped the dusty face with a clean handkerchief. "What are you daydreaming about?"
Then I took out seaweed and eggs from the basket and made a simple seaweed soup.
"I'm thinking..." Meng Chijian said in a low voice, "Is it possible that these government officials are imposters?"
Ah Mian exclaimed "Ah!" and immediately grasped the key point intuitively: "Among the government officials who came from there, are there any familiar faces that you recognize?"
“There is one.”
Ordinary people don't go to government offices very often anyway, so it's normal for them to encounter people they don't recognize.
However, it would be strange to rashly go to the government office to inquire now. If they really are government officials, who knows what other complications this misunderstanding might cause. But if they are fake, there is an indescribable strangeness and danger in this situation.
Amian thought for a moment, "You guys keep working, I have a way."
Meng Chijian shook his head, "I've also thought of a solution. When it's time to transport the goods, Yuan Hua and I will personally take A Dou to transport them. If anything seems wrong, we won't deliver the goods and will rush back."
"Don't worry, it's not dangerous. I'm just going to ask."
Ah Mian peeked out and looked around, then smeared coal ash on his face and called a little beggar to buy his tattered clothes for a penny.
Meng Chijian was horrified: "There might be fleas on it! You're not allowed to wear it!"
Ah Mian was very decisive. She ignored his tantrums, dusted her clothes over the fire a few times, changed her clothes, got herself all dirty, and looked exactly like a beggar before heading out the door.
Ah Mian dressed very convincingly, carrying a bowl as she strolled to the entrance of the yamen.
Before long, he actually struck up a conversation with the gatekeeper.
Ah Mian didn't say much, only begging while speaking kind words, saying that a few days ago an official from the yamen had given her money, and she would repay him even if she had to work like a cow or a horse for the rest of her life. The gatekeeper originally wanted to chase "her" away, but seeing how nicely she spoke, he became curious and asked several people if it was true, but Ah Mian said no each time.
After chatting for a while, A-Mian left again.
Back at the blacksmith's shop, A-Mian asked Meng Chijian about all the people she had inquired about, asking if they matched the descriptions.
The final result was that this batch of goods was indeed ordered by the government.
However, the government ordered this batch of goods, saying it was to be transported to the neighboring county...
Time is of the essence, and there is not much time left to consider.
Meng Chijian stayed up for two nights to finish forging all the ironware, and after tidying it up, he went to deliver it.
"This should be it. As long as we can get through it smoothly, it should be fine." Yuan Hua has been very optimistic lately. "It's okay. The plot can be changed. Zhang Sheng didn't pass the imperial examination either."
He said those strange things again.
Originally, the government officials said they would handle the transportation themselves, but Meng Chijian suggested that they go together, so that if the recipient was dissatisfied with anything, he could fix it.
They agreed.
Amian insisted on going too.
The first reason is that she has never been to the neighboring county.
The second reason is that even Ah Dou can go, so why can't Ah Mian go?
The third reason is that more people mean more ideas, and if something happens, there will be more solutions.
So the group set off on a cloudless afternoon.
Walking on the official road was relatively easy, and it felt like a "wild excursion".
"I didn't realize that I could understand what these passersby were saying after walking such a short distance."
Yuan Hua was speechless: "You're riding a donkey, so you think walking such a short distance is okay... Oh dear, I can't even walk when I see sesame cakes now."
"Want some food?" Meng Chijian called out to the person on the donkey.
A-Mian answered decisively: "Yes!"
The first half of the journey was filled with laughter and conversation, but things got a little strange when we started walking along the mountain path in the middle.
Meng Chijian inquired and learned that they needed to take a shortcut so they could return by the afternoon of the next day.
As soon as we entered the mountains, unexpected events occurred!
"This mountain is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!" Suddenly, several masked men wielding large knives appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group.
Normally, such a shout would frighten passing travelers so much that they would turn pale and scream.
This time, however, there was an eerie silence after he finished speaking.
The bandit who had shouted the words immediately twitched his face, which was hidden under his mask.
No, at least give us a response! Don't bandits have any dignity?!
"Are you out of your minds! This is goods the government wants. You could lose your heads!" One of the escorting officials drew his sword from his waist with a "whoosh".
"Oh, government officials? Aren't they just freeloaders?"
"Hahaha, Third Brother, tell them that we're the ones who chopped off the head of that blacksmith shop owner in the county!"
These bandits were professional bandits, not starving farmers who had turned to banditry; otherwise, they would have been scared away. However, each of them had several lives on their hands, and being caught meant certain death, so they were fearless.
This is precisely the band of mountain bandits that is currently causing the most headaches for the neighboring county, which is why another batch of weapons needs to be urgently requisitioned.
Meng Chijian remained calm and blocked the bandits' view.
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