Upon hearing this, the person who spoke was so frightened that they dared not utter a word and huddled in the crowd, too afraid to move.
He was becoming increasingly certain of his suspicions that he had unfortunately encountered robbers.
On the other side, Huang Shi found the manor, but an incense stick had already burned out, and the manor's people had already left.
In their haste, they only took the most valuable silver and weapons, leaving the grain and copper coins untouched.
Although there were no boxes of silver and silver notes, there were some loose silver and ingots, which were silver that had not yet been sealed and put into storage. The large pile of copper coins was also strung together with rope, very neatly.
As for the grain, it filled two large warehouses, one a rice warehouse and the other a grain warehouse, totaling about 100,000 jin.
"Wow," Chief Jiang's eyes lit up as he looked at these things, "We've made a killing this time."
He got both money and grain, gained a favor for free, and eliminated a potential threat. This was definitely the most worthwhile deal he had ever made in his life, bar none.
“The cellar,” Jiang Chao ran over, his face flushed. “Clan leader, Uncle Huang, there’s so much meat in the cellar, thousands of pounds, all good quality. They’ve stored ice down there, so it hasn’t spoiled.”
"Meat too?" Chief Jiang could no longer suppress his smile. "Brother Huang, today is truly a fine day."
“It’s really good,” Huang Shi said happily. “Come on, bring it up. Take it all home.”
Qingfeng Temple was very wealthy. Even if they took away valuables, the meat soup they left behind still made people fat and bloated.
Jiang Nuan roughly estimated: the silver and copper coins totaled more than 1,700 taels, 100,000 catties of fine grains, 3,500 catties of meat, 3,000 catties of coarse grains, 500 bolts of fine flour, and more than 120 bolts of silk.
There were also about ten bolts of very fine fabric. Jiang Nuan didn't know what it was, but it felt smooth and breathable, making it especially suitable for making close-fitting clothes.
In addition, there are various odds and ends, such as pots, pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Although there are few of them, they are still quite considerable.
"How are we going to get all this stuff back?" Huang Shi asked, somewhat worried. "How about we leave it here for now? It's almost dawn, and we can move it slowly tonight."
"No," Jiang Nuan shook her head, "We have to get them out before the officials arrive, otherwise we won't even get a sip of soup."
Such a large piece of fat meat, who wouldn't want to take a bite? The county magistrate's annual salary is less than two hundred taels. Even the most upright person would find it hard not to be tempted by such a thing.
"Oh, I thought it was something serious," Chief Jiang said dismissively. "Jiang Family Village is nearby. If we hide in the ancestral hall, we can go back and call people over for help."
The women are very efficient at their work; they carry, lift, and push things, and always manage to get them back.
It's heartbreaking to think about when a duck that's almost in your mouth flies away.
"Look at me," Huang Shi slapped his forehead, "I was so flustered that I forgot about such an important thing."
He was so happy he was practically dumbfounded.
It wasn't that he was impatient; it was that anyone would feel the same way if they were in his situation.
A windfall overnight, completely turning my life around!
Huangjiakou had been poor for two hundred years, but in this one night, they were completely shaken up.
"I'm going to find Brother Ji to discuss this matter and also to see what he's gained." After saying this, Huang Shi walked briskly towards the Taoist temple.
Despite spending the entire night in fear and fighting various battles, I didn't feel tired at all.
He even felt that if he had such an opportunity again, he could work for another ten years!
Having gained little from Qingfeng Temple, the group couldn't help but set their sights on the temple itself.
“Clan leader,” Ji Qin said with a smile, “look at the paving stones here, they’re all top-quality blue bricks. Let’s pry them off and take them away.”
After speaking, he looked expectantly at Clan Chief Ji.
After her stepmother entered the family, she was always clinging to her biological father, which was so cloying that Ji Qin wanted to build her own house and have a few days of peace and quiet.
Qin's father also had this idea, "Yes, clan chief, the wall we pushed down was also made of blue bricks. We'll take it back together later. And this house, if it doesn't work, we'll just demolish it."
That brat is getting more and more of an eyesore. My wife always protects him, so I can't hit him or scold him. It's infuriating.
I'll take a piece of land, build two brick houses, and move out with my wife to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet. Let the brat stay in the old house by himself.
The father and son, with their different thoughts, unexpectedly found themselves in the same boat!
"Do you really think of yourselves as bandits?" Chief Ji was speechless. "You won't even let a brick go, you're worse than animals. Let's look around some more. If there's really nothing good, let's move those Laozi statues in the front yard. Those seem to be made of bronze."
Upon hearing this, the father and son exchanged glances, inwardly grumbling.
This is worse than being an animal!
They never even considered taking those bronze statues. The Taoist priest was fake, but the statue of the Taoist Lord was real. The clan leader wasn't afraid of divine retribution.
"I was just kidding, just kidding," the clan chief Ji said, rubbing his nose, feeling a little embarrassed. "Continue. I don't believe that such a big place doesn't have a single ounce of silver!"
The tone of that last sentence was subtly one of exasperation.
If he hadn't been so desperate to find something valuable, he wouldn't have gone so mad as to lose control of his thoughts.
Who told them that Ji Family Village was poor!
Not only is it inferior to Huangjiakou, but it is also inferior to Dingjia Village, Huangjiakou's arch-rival. Half of the villagers cannot get enough to eat and have to make do with wild vegetable soup every day.
Even he, the clan chief, had clothes covered in patches. The best piece of clothing he wore only had two patches on it. He only wore it when he wanted to save face when he went out. Otherwise, he would just wear a burlap sack like the rest of the clan.
"Brother Ji," Huang Shi called out as soon as he saw Chief Ji in the distance, "Come here for a moment, we need to discuss something."
"What's the matter?" Chief Ji asked as he walked. "Did you have any gains over there?"
As Chief Ji approached, Huang Shi lowered his voice and explained the situation.
Instantly, Chief Ji convulsed with excitement, his eyes seeing stars.
"My goodness, we're rich! We're really rich! With so much stuff, why would I need to dig bricks or move Laozi statues anymore!"
There were over three hundred of them; even divided among them, they could get a lot. Five of them came from his family! Good heavens, I can't think about it anymore, the more I think about it, the more excited I get, I'm dizzy…
"Now it's just a matter of how to get it back," Huang Shi said, explaining Chief Jiang's plan. "Hide it in Jiang Family Village first, and then take it back in the middle of the night. Otherwise, with such a large amount of stuff, someone will definitely be envious."
"Why should they be envious?" Chief Ji said excitedly. "We risked our lives to earn this."
Although the final result was good, everyone knows the dangers involved. Why are those people so envious?
Lying at home with his eyes closed, waiting for money to fall into his arms? How could that be possible! If such a good thing really existed, he would hang himself right now, lie in bed with his eyes closed every day, and wait for money to rain down on him.
"Brother, don't get excited," Huang Shi said helplessly. "We know the dangers inside, but those people don't. They only see the benefits, so naturally they'll be envious."
Even if you see it with your own eyes, what can you do if they're just deceiving themselves? People die for money, birds die for food; with so many people, it's not surprising that a few will take the risk.
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