Chapter 262: Cutting the Gordian knot
Huo Ying remained silent, his teeth bared. Captain Wu even wanted him to demonstrate his whip-wielding skills for Cui Qingyi, but Cui Qingyi declined with a smile. "I'll have to rely on these brothers tomorrow. So, after the incident in Luhua Town is over, I'll invite you all to the Hongyan Teahouse for an opera. You'll then have a chance to see Brother Huo in all his glory again."
Upon hearing this, Captain Wu asked Huo Ying to go back. Captain Wu had heard of the Hongyan Teahouse a long time ago.
"I don't have any other hobbies. When I have nothing to do, I like to listen to opera. Unfortunately, the military camp is busy with affairs. I heard that the village chief's Hongyan Teahouse has some fresh music from the north, but I don't have time to go and listen."
Cui Qingyi smiled cheerfully: "That's not a big deal. I'll have the teahouse open two shows for Captain Wu when I get back this time."
Who in the world doesn't like to be respected and complimented, especially by people of a certain social status.
Anyway, Captain Wu felt that the Lord of Dongping Township was not only efficient in his work, but also very pleasant to the ear. No wonder he was able to jump from a commoner to a township lord with an official rank.
Her courage is no less than that of men.
That night, Captain Wu's men were well fed and well-drinking and were in high spirits.
Although Captain Wu acts boldly, he is actually a very careful and cautious person. Even though they had captured most of the dangerous elements in Luhua Town during the day, on the first night of setting up camp in Luhua Town, in addition to the soldiers on duty, Captain Wu also got up several times to lead the patrol himself.
With Xiaoba and Jingjiu by her side, Cui Qingyi knew everything about the camp.
The sky on the mountainside gradually turned pale, with a hint of orange mixed in occasionally. It was about to dawn!
In front of a low house at the foot of the mountain, Mrs. Lu looked at her little girl who was still sleeping in the house with a numb expression, but her heart was full of worries.
Second Sister Lu stood aside, carrying her bag, hesitant: "Sister-in-law, are we really leaving? What about the children?"
Aunt Lu Liu came out of the dilapidated kitchen, carrying some dry food in her wicker basket. "Now that we've made up our minds, we should leave quickly before daybreak. If we wait until they come back, it will be too late."
The three women had not slept all night, and there were dark circles under their eyes.
Mrs. Lu and her second sister-in-law looked at their mother-in-law. Her face was covered with wrinkles, and her left foot was bent inward unnaturally from the ankle. It was said that this was caused by her ankle being broken by her father-in-law.
Mrs. Lu raised her head slightly, her eyes red. She felt that she was really useless. She had been waiting for this opportunity to go home for more than ten years, but now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she hesitated.
"Mom, what do you think the village chief will do to my father-in-law and the others? Will they go to jail or die?" If possible, let them die.
Aunt Lu Liu had no idea about this problem. She patted the back of Mrs. Lu's hand and sighed in her heart, thinking how great it would be if they were a normal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with such a good child.
"Let's go. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. They won't do anything to the children. I will protect them even if it takes my old bones to do so."
Looking at the two thin figures walking away together, Aunt Lu's eyes were full of reluctance and longing, but she was already old and could not remember the way home.
She sat on the tree stump in front of the door and waited quietly.
At the end of the Mao hour and the beginning of the Chen hour, the sound of drums came from the direction of the inn.
The trance-stricken man was awakened, and hurriedly adjusted the corners of his clothes. After a moment, he limped towards the inn.
Cui Qingyi likes to sleep in, but she got up extra early today. After practicing a set of boxing techniques with Xiao Ba to strengthen her body and having breakfast, she notified the military captain to beat the drum.
The passionate and rhythmic drum beats completely shattered the silence of Luhua Town, and the mountains were suddenly filled with the sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking.
Soon, people began to gather towards the inn from different directions.
Lu Da didn't sleep all night, and was the first to arrive outside the inn when he heard the assembly drum.
I couldn't see clearly last night because it was getting dark, but today I found that the inn was very different inside and out. The soldiers coming and going with their heads held high and chests puffed out gave people a sense of oppression, but also made Lu Da feel the long-lost vigorous atmosphere.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing are the men who are working hard to make clay bricks at the foot of the mountain where the inn is located.
Cui Qingyi has formulated a series of plans for Luhua Town. Although she has never seriously participated in any rural construction, she has seen pigs run even though she has never eaten pork. There are so many successful experiences in her previous life waiting for her to copy.
Huo Ying received an order from the captain early this morning. The village chief wanted to build a school and a clan temple in the town, but Luhua Town has always been poor and naturally could not afford the money to build the school and the clan temple.
What should we do? We can’t ask her, the village chief, to pay for it out of her own pocket, right?
Then the people of Luhua Town could only rely on their own strength to build this school and ancestral hall. So the guys who were grinning and winking at each other in the backyard and trying to escape were whipped when the rooster crowed for the first time.
Lu Laoliu, surrounded by his three sons and two older grandsons, was furious at the tools thrown in front of them. "You set up a private torture chamber. I'm going to sue you."
Huo Ying just followed the orders of Captain Wu. The captain said that the village chief needed mud bricks to build a school, so these people must complete the task goals set by the village chief today.
As for those troublemakers who were disobedient and affected his mission, Huo Ying did not hold back. He whipped them hard but made sure not to break their skin, but the burning pain would reach their crown.
Lu Laoliu was old and couldn't bear the blow. He covered his swollen cheek and quickly picked up a tool.
It’s just making clay bricks, so he just does it.
When he gets out, he will definitely give this damn village chief a lesson.
Cui Qingyi didn't leave Lu Da out in the cold today. As soon as he asked for a meeting outside, she brought him in.
Since she had decided to continue using this person, Cui Qingyi was not polite at all. She pointed to the roster spread out on the table and said, "I need to fully understand the situation in Luhua Town. Today, the head of the village will bring my people to register all the people who will come. We will register every household's population, age, facial features, and home address in detail.
As for the land under each family's name, not only the acreage and location must be registered, but also the soil quality and the harvest of crops planted in previous years.
Also, starting from tomorrow, all children aged five and above in Luhua Town will gather here at the beginning of the morning hour, and a teacher will be there to give them enlightenment.
By the way, after finishing these things, the village head will take my people to survey the terrain again. I need a detailed map."
After finishing what she wanted to say in one breath, Cui Qingyi picked up the pen and made a mark on the book in her hand. Then she looked up at Lu Da and said, "Is everything okay?"
Lu Da didn't dare to say there was a problem, and hurriedly bowed in agreement.
Perhaps out of fear of the whip in the military commander's hand, the people of Luhua Town arrived at the inn within the specified time and strictly abided by the order that only one person from each family could come.
Lu Da sat at the desk and worked with Master Xiao He.
Little Master He was young and tender-faced, and his words were gentle and slow-tempered, suggesting a good temper. Lu Da didn't dare to say a few more words to him. "Sir, what is the purpose of the village master asking you to register these?"
Lord Xiao He could probably figure out the village chief's intention, but he thought it would be better for him not to say anything about what the village chief didn't say.
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