It was nearly dusk when Zhuang Li and his family returned to Luoxia Village. The green hills, clear waters, and blue skies had lost their original hues, now stained a golden crimson by the setting sun. The entire world was engulfed in a warm atmosphere, and time seemed to slow down.
Zhuang Laoer and Liu Chunhua half leaned on the shaft of the cart, looking at the magnificent scenery on the horizon with contentment, with peaceful and happy expressions on their faces.
Liu Chunhua held her husband's hand and looked at it carefully, then sighed contentedly, "Daddy, I won't have to pop your blisters on the way home today."
Zhuang Lao Er quickly looked at the two children sitting in the car and gave his wife a look that said, "Don't talk nonsense."
It turned out that every day after work, Liu Chunhua would take out her sewing kit and pop the blisters that Zhuang Laoer had gotten from carrying goods on the way home, just to create the illusion that Zhuang Laoer's work was not hard.
The first time Zhuang Laoer went to the dock to move goods, he returned with his hands and feet covered in blisters, a truly horrific sight. The two children were so frightened that they refused to go back to school the next day, leaving the couple in a state of great distress. From that moment on, they developed the habit of concealing their hardships before returning home.
They are willing to give everything for their two sons.
Liu Chunhua immediately changed the subject and pretended nothing had happened, but their conversation had been overheard by the two brothers sitting in the carriage.
Zhuang Li didn't know what had happened before, so he didn't feel deeply, but Zhuang Jiuge turned his head away and quietly wiped the corners of his eyes.
Over the years, their parents have worked so hard to support their education. If they two brothers can't make it on their own, their parents' hopes for the past few years will be dashed, all their efforts will be in vain, and this family will lose all hope.
In that case, life will become an endless torture for them.
If the eldest brother hadn't come, what would have happened to the second branch of the Zhuang family? Zhuang Jiuge couldn't even imagine it. So he silently accepted all the changes and didn't hate the new eldest brother.
In addition to sadness, he was even grateful, grateful that his elder brother brought hope to his family.
Before they knew it, the carriage arrived at the village entrance. Zhuang Li jumped off and said, "Dad, Mom, and little brother, you two go back first. I'll take a walk around the village."
"Be sure to come back before dark." Zhuang Laoer reminded him worriedly.
"Brother, I'll accompany you." Zhuang Jiuge followed closely.
So the four of them split into two groups, one heading home while the other wandered aimlessly around the village.
Zhuang Li, carrying an oil-paper bag, walked towards the big banyan tree where the children were gathered. When he got close, he poured the candy from the bag into his palm and tempted, "Want some candy?"
The children, who were originally a little afraid of him, were immediately attracted to him, staring at his palm and nodding timidly.
"Come and eat, one per person." Zhuang Li extended his palm forward with a gentle smile on his face.
If he deliberately shows his good side, others will immediately fall into his trap. In a sense, he has mastered the skills of the devil walking in the world.
The children were no longer afraid of him. They rushed over, took the candies from his palms, and stuffed them into their mouths impatiently.
Zhuang Li squatted down to look the children in the eye and asked softly, "Are there any strangers coming to the village today?"
"Yes, two older brothers came today. They looked unfamiliar. They said they were from the next village and came here to catch fish." Without being asked in detail, the children told everything they knew.
"Did they ask about my family's situation?" Zhuang Li continued to ask.
"Yes, they asked if your family had really become rich, and we said yes. They were very envious and asked what treasures your family had." The children had no idea what sinister intentions were hidden in this question and answer. In their view, becoming rich was a great thing.
Zhuang Li curled the corners of his lips and smiled with satisfaction.
He stood up and waved to his pale brother: "Go home."
Zhuang Jiuge hurried after him, and when they reached a deserted corner, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother, those two people are most likely bandits or robbers sent to scout our area. Our family is being targeted!"
Zhuang Li was very pleased with his brother's sharpness. He rubbed his head and said, "Don't worry. They will make a careful plan tonight and won't take action. The danger will only happen tomorrow. And tomorrow, I will take our family to live in Bazhou City. What do you think of the house across from the Qin prefect's house? If we rent it there, will the robbers dare to come?"
The street where the Qin prefect lived was the most prosperous street in Bazhou City. Yamen runners patrolled back and forth every day, and the public security was very good.
The house there certainly wasn't cheap, but for Zhuang Li now, ten taels a month wasn't expensive. He had also done Mr. Zhou a great favor. Mr. Zhou had once been a close confidant of the prefect, and the Zhou residence was located near the prefect's residence. Asking Mr. Zhou for help in finding a place to rent was a piece of cake.
After everyone in the family has moved out, who will the robbers come to rob? Will they dare to commit crimes in Bazhou City?
Thinking of this, Zhuang Jiuge finally smiled easily, then scratched his head in embarrassment. "Big brother is so capable, how could he not have considered these things? He was just worrying about nothing."
Zhuang Li glanced at him and whispered, "They say a thief never leaves empty-handed. Guess who those thieves will target if we leave?"
Zhuang Jiuge was stunned at first, then he opened his eyes wide with an expression of realization.
On the day of the family division, several elders settled accounts with the second branch of the Zhuang family. The story of Zhuang Tian'er finding ginseng and selling it for 100 taels of silver had spread throughout the village. Therefore, if the second branch of the Zhuang family left the village, the first branch, holding the 100 taels of silver, would naturally be targeted by thieves.
Is Big Brother planning to let the first wife take the place of the second wife to avoid disaster? Is this something he planned in advance?
Zhuang Jiuge's awe for this new eldest brother grew even stronger, but he couldn't bear to see the eldest wife suffer, so he whispered, "Brother, are uncle and his family in danger? Why don't we give them a message and ask them to get out of harm's way too?"
Zhuang Li turned around and walked towards the Zhuang family's courtyard. He said in a cold tone, "Why do you think the news of our family's fortune spread so quickly? The villages are separated by mountains and it's very inconvenient to travel without a carriage. The villagers have lived here for generations, and few people go out.
"In such a secluded environment, it would take at least ten days or half a month for a piece of news to spread. Yet, in just one night, the thieves received the news and rushed over to investigate. Don't you think they acted too quickly?"
Zhuang Jiuge's scalp began to tingle, and he said in a trembling voice, "Brother, are you saying that someone deliberately leaked this news?"
"What do you think?" Zhuang Li asked without turning his head, but smiled secretly in his heart.
He was the first to release the news, but he hadn't expected Zhuang Tian'er to act so quickly, spreading the news in just one day. This saved him from having to wait any longer.
Zhuang Jiuge stared at his brother's back and murmured, "Who was the person who spread the news? What deep hatred does he have against our family? My parents work honestly and have never offended anyone. We study every day and never get into trouble. Who could possibly hate us so much?"
Zhuang Li pointed out, "Destroying my brain and your hands, preventing us from studying, is an attempt to ruin our family's future. Hanging the donkey's eggs on the front door is a curse that our family will be destroyed and die. Who is the one who did these things?"
Zhuang Jiuge opened his eyes wide, his expression filled with horror: "It's Zhuang Tianer!"
Zhuang Li continued, "Who would spread the news and attract bandits, causing our family to be robbed and even costing lives? Don't you think this tactic is very familiar?"
"It's still Zhuang Tianer!"
Zhuang Jiuge was stunned for a long moment before whispering in disbelief, "Brother, why is this happening? What deep-seated hatred does she have against our family? Mom and Dad have never treated her unfairly. Other girls have to work in the fields every day, but she can just stay home and embroider. If Mom and Dad didn't bring home enough money every month, could she have enjoyed this kind of life?"
"Perhaps in her eyes, asking her to embroider is exploiting her labor; asking her to wash clothes and cook is like working like a slave for us brothers. We can go to school, so our parents should support her education; we can live in the spacious east room, so she should have the same wing room; we can have half a tael of silver for pocket money every month, so she should have it too. In short, she should have everything we have, and it must be better."
Zhuang Li slowly described Zhuang Tianer's mentality.
Zhuang Jiuge was stunned by what he heard and said angrily, "Why does she think she can have it for free? Our parents worked so hard to earn this money, and you and I feel so bad when we spend it. Why does she think she can have it for free? Doesn't she have parents? Why should we support her? Besides, she must have forgotten that we support her, her parents, her brother, and her grandparents! Everything they eat, wear, and use is earned by our parents' blood and sweat. How can she still be so ungrateful?"
"She will be satisfied." Zhuang Li said these terrible words in a calm tone: "When our family is drained of blood by her and turned into dry bones, she will be satisfied."
He turned to look at his brother, his eyes gleaming coldly. "After we die, she'll suck our marrow dry, crush our bones, and use them as stepping stones. She'll squeeze every last bit of our worth out of us."
Zhuang Jiuge was so frightened that his entire body stiffened, a chill running down his spine. The wickedness of human nature constantly resonated with him. Just when he thought there was no one more detestable than Lingxi, Xuan Zhenzi appeared. Just when he thought Xuan Zhenzi was the epitome of evil, Zhuang Tianer reappeared.
He hugged himself tightly, taking one deep step and one shallow step after his brother, and only when his body was immersed in his brother's elongated shadow did he let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that only with this person could he feel enough security.
Zhuang Li continued walking forward, his hands twitching slightly behind his back, his tone filled with doting, "If you're scared, hold on tight to your brother's hand. This world is indeed a place full of ghosts and monsters, but as long as you have your brother here, our family will be fine."
Zhuang Jiuge quickly grasped his brother's slender fingertips, feeling the strands of warmth, and his panicked heart instantly calmed down.
At this moment, he sincerely thanked this person for appearing, because he had already glimpsed his family's future from the conversation just now.
Having his blood sucked dry and his bones crushed by Zhuang Tianer until he turned into dust, that scene was countless times more terrifying than he had imagined.
"So, are you still planning to notify Zhuang Tianer and her family now?" Zhuang Li asked back at the right time.
Zhuang Jiuge shook his head like a rattle. "No, no, whoever leaked the information will have to bear the consequences. I can't do anything about it!"
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