These things, whether valuable or not, big or small, broken or old, were all painstakingly saved up one copper coin at a time. Accustomed to thrift, they were reluctant to throw them away. So, in the end, they even took down the door panels and hid them away.
The Chen family was even more capable of tearing things apart; they removed not only the doors but also the roof tiles.
With the Chen family taking the lead in removing the roof tiles, those in the village who had built brick and tile houses followed suit.
With such a large-scale operation in Anping Village, the village chief arranged for several people searching for water to act out a scene in order to mislead the outsiders. They were supposed to be happily searching for water, but instead, the village chief would reveal information about the availability of water in various locations, leading the outsiders in the opposite direction from Moon Lake.
Those people from other villages already knew that the people from Anping Village were leaving, but no one thought to talk to him.
If any of them could step forward, be more polite, and agree to a few of his conditions, leaving him some food wouldn't be so bad. But none of them stepped forward; none of them even bothered to have a proper conversation with the villagers. They just stared at his food with greedy eyes.
Since that's the case, there's nothing left to keep.
They continued their opportunistic tactics, while he played his game of covert maneuvering.
The people of Anping Village were really enthusiastic about demolishing their houses this time. After they finished demolishing their own, it seemed like they hadn't had enough. They remembered that the people from Liujiazhuang Village were also leaving.
So they asked if Zhangjiazhuangzi had anything they didn't want, and offered to give them what they didn't need.
When the villagers realized they didn't want it anymore, they rushed in like they were on steroids and started grabbing it.
The valuable items in Liu Family Village had long been sold off; what remained were mostly worthless things.
But the villagers wouldn't look down on it; what the rich people consider worthless is valuable to them.
Upon hearing the news, the two elders of the Chen family rushed to Liujiazhuang with Chen's eldest son's wife and eldest son to collect the lost items.
Old Man Chen had been eyeing the Liu family's stone lion for a long time; even if he couldn't take it with him, he would move it and hide it away.
With Chen Laoda's wife, a master of house-demolition, there's nothing that can't be moved.
So, Old Man Chen and Mrs. Zhou started their "robbery" mode, taking whatever they wanted with them.
The village chief sent word that the refugees who had been wandering outside their village before had looted the village after they left, and were still following them. They were even giving away the things they had taken from the village to other refugees who had fled famine, trying to recruit them. He warned everyone to be careful and watch out for this group.
The village chief was unaware that Qiangzi and his gang had looted the village, and he was also unclear about their recruitment of people.
But based on the information he had gathered, he was pretty much right about what those people had done.
To become the village chief and manage the entire village, one must have some skills.
The villagers were furious when they heard about this.
Fortunately, they hid all the property they couldn't take before they left, otherwise these robbers would have really benefited.
After hearing about this, the women of the Chen family found a few villagers to help drive the carriage, and then they held a small meeting in the carriage.
Chen's eldest daughter-in-law said with a serious expression, "Mother, we absolutely cannot let those people live. If we do, they will cause endless trouble. We must get rid of them as soon as possible. They are a hidden danger following us."
I think they're following us because they want to steal our food. If any refugees cause chaos and steal our things, they'll definitely rush up and grab our food.
If we encounter other bandits, given their character, they'll definitely collude with them, tipping them off and helping us rob our things.
Zhou said worriedly, "What should we do? The village chief won't take action sooner, and he won't allow anyone to go out and cause trouble."
This isn't in a village where you can easily teach a servant a lesson.
They are currently fleeing famine. If anyone leaves the group, not only the village chief but the entire village will know in no time.
What amusements can one find on a journey of fleeing famine? Even the smallest things become the subject of much discussion.
The eldest daughter-in-law said, "Let's just talk to the village chief and tell him we're going to teach those people a lesson and drive them away. If the village chief is willing, he can send some people to us; if not, we'll go ourselves."
The second son's wife agreed, "Eldest sister-in-law is right. The village chief doesn't allow us to go out and cause trouble because he doesn't want us to get hurt. As long as we don't get hurt, the village chief will definitely agree."
The eldest son's wife suddenly said, "Do you remember the secret weapon that my younger brother mentioned making before?"
The second son's wife nodded: "Yes, it's that Molotov cocktail. I've heard my younger brother talk about it. It's a weapon with a wide area of effect. It seems pretty easy to use. You light the cotton thread on the bottle, throw it into a crowd, and it will explode with a bang."
The eldest son's wife said, "I've heard my younger brother talk about it too. He also said that those Molotov cocktails are extremely powerful and dangerous, and shouldn't be used lightly. But are those things really useful?"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment. They had seen those Molotov cocktails before; Chen Kai had shown them to them and had earnestly told them not to use them lightly, as they were extremely dangerous.
The eldest daughter-in-law was silent for a moment before saying, "Why don't we try it first? Didn't my younger brother make three of those things? Let's take one and try it out. When those people aren't paying attention, let's throw it in and see. If it's really effective, we don't need to notify the village chief. Let's throw the remaining two in as well. If it doesn't work, we'll throw them in and run away, and then think of another way."
Everyone agreed on this plan; as long as the eldest daughter-in-law speaks up, the Chen family will surely be led astray.
Chen's eldest daughter-in-law: "Where did my younger brother hide that thing?"
Chen Lao Er's wife said, "It was put in a wooden box and locked with a brass lock. I saw him carry it up to their carriage."
Zhou said, "Alright, you guys try to lure them away later, and I'll go look in their car."
Zhou got off the mule cart and jogged over to Chen Kai and the others. When she got on the cart, she found it empty.
"Where is he?" Zhou asked Chen Laosi, who was driving the cart.
Chen Laosi: "Mom, they went to Xiaobao's place to play."
Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around and said, "If they come over later, call out to them."
Chen Laosi sensed that his mother was acting strangely, but he still agreed.
Zhou entered the carriage and began rummaging through it.
After searching for a long time, she finally found two locked boxes. She wasn't sure which one contained the glass bottle, but after thinking about it, she decided to take them both.
After restoring the traces of the ransacking to their original state, Zhou took both boxes with her.
Back in the women's carriage, everyone looked at their mother-in-law with a puzzled expression.
Zhou said, "Both boxes were locked, and I didn't know which one contained the glass bottle, so I brought them both."
Then, Zhou began to test each key one by one. She had a spare key for every lock that the Chen family had made.
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