Chapter 144 Even brothers should keep clear accounts!
The next morning, Liu Yan replied to the message.
"It's done!"
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Continue with the shopping, and then prepare some things for hunting!"
Is she going hunting?
Liu Yan had some questions in her mind, but she answered without hesitation and immediately went to do it.
Soon after, intermittent crying could be heard outside.
A woman from Liuzhao Village delivered a message.
"A village headman went hunting in the mountains yesterday, encountered a tiger, and while running away, he tumbled down the mountain and died!"
Shen Lanxi said calmly, "Fortunately, at least I can still have a complete corpse!"
"Yes, if a tiger gets its hands on it, all that's left might be a few rags!"
Liu Yan's move essentially gave Zhang Liao leverage over his position.
Today, four horse-drawn carriages went out to shop, two fewer than yesterday. This means that most of the goods have been purchased, and people are starting to live frugally.
"Big sister." Shen Yuanjing came over with her brothers and sisters.
"Big sister, these are the clothes my mother made for you!"
"Big sister, this is crispy pork that my mother made!"
"Little sister Lanxi, these are eggs that my father and mother asked me to bring to you!"
“Sister Lanxi…”
The visitors were all busy, so Shen Lanxi gestured for them to put their hands aside.
"The Wang family will start making pastries today. If you want any dishes, you can tell her and she will make them for you!"
The group was overjoyed when they heard this.
Shen Lanxi continued, "Those are all rewards for you. There are conditions for receiving rewards from me!"
"First, you must practice martial arts; second, you must complete the tasks I have assigned you!"
Shen Yuanjing quickly said, "Big sister, even without a reward, we'll listen to you!"
"Yes, we'll listen to our eldest sister too!" the others chimed in.
Shen Lanxi smiled slightly: "Don't be too happy yet, today your big sister is going to teach you a lesson!"
The Shen siblings: "..."
“Even between brothers, accounts must be kept clear. Every time you take something from me, it’s not for free!” she said, a sharp glint in her eyes.
Shen Yuanjing and the others didn't quite understand, but they couldn't resist being gradually tamed by Shen Lanxi over the past few days. They were convinced that listening to their older sister was the right thing to do, and that everything their older sister said made sense!
"Go practice martial arts first, and you'll understand later!"
The group left, puzzled.
...
"Young General, this is the last time you will receive the medicine," Zhang Niu said after examining Wei Dongzhu's injuries.
Looking at his face, which was mostly healed, in the bronze mirror, Wei Dongzhu couldn't contain his joy!
"Master Zhang, please take care of the injuries on my brothers' faces as well!"
Zhang Niu waved his hand with a smile: "As long as you get better, that's fine. Don't tell me it's troublesome. Doesn't that mean you're treating me like an outsider?" If it weren't for Wei Jiajun taking him in back then, he wouldn't have been able to learn medical skills. Zhang Niu treated every member of Wei Jiajun like family.
"Master Hu..." Shen Yuanjing and the others called out from outside.
Zhang Niu glared at the doorway and started cursing: "These little brats have no sense of propriety at all, they're all annoying!"
Shen Yuanjing and his group entered the room.
“Uncle Zhang, yesterday when we went out to buy things, I saw a place selling liquor, so I bought you two jars, one of Shaodaozi and one of Gaoliang liquor. They are the best-selling liquors among the locals!”
Zhang Niu pursed his lips and stopped cursing.
After a while, he said, "Next time I'll buy some strong liquor. Your Uncle Zhang likes strong liquor!"
"Okay, all done!"
Looking at the Shen family members with their youthful faces, Wei Dongzhu's mind flashed back to Shen Yuanjing and his siblings.
"I've already spoken to Xiao Fang. Starting today, you'll all be training with him. He'll teach you properly!"
Shen Yuanjing and the others widened their eyes in surprise, but before they could ask any questions, they heard Xiao Fang's voice ring out in the courtyard.
"Brother Hu, I bought some charcoal from the county and unloaded it in your yard!"
Shen Yuanjing and the others were shocked. Weren't they fighting like enemies before?
What method did Master Hu use to make the bandit leader so obedient?
Zhang Niu started shooing them away: "Get out of here! Your Master Hu's injury is in a critical stage right now; he can't be exposed to the wind. You bunch of guys came here without even closing the door. Just wait until Master Hu recovers, then we'll see how he beats you up!"
Shen Yuanjing and his sister didn't want to listen to Zhang Niu's rambling and cursing, so they quickly ran away in a swarm.
The exiled prisoners and the women of Liuzhao Village quickly integrated into Hongliutun.
Three days later, Zhang Liao led the exiled prisoners into the mountains to gather firewood and hunt!
The women sat together; some were sewing shoe soles, some were grinding beans with a millstone, and others were looking after children.
"Who lives in that stone house at the very back? I've never seen them come out!"
"There were quite a few women and men. At first, I thought they were all couples, but it turns out they all live separately!"
"Those men don't seem to know how to talk; I saw them all writing."
"Could he be a fugitive who escaped from somewhere?"
Zhang Liao's wife, Wang, explained, "I heard from my husband that they seem to have fled from the north during a famine!"
"Wow, fleeing famine? I heard the refugees over there have rebelled, no wonder they're running this way."
Seeing that their attention had all shifted to the topic of fleeing the famine, Wang slowly shut her mouth.
The next day, the weather changed abruptly. After a few days of sunshine, dark clouds covered the area again, and strong winds blew up.
Zhang Liao, leading his troops, glanced at the dark, rolling clouds and shouted, "We must cut thirty logs from the mountain today!"
The soldiers weren't too afraid; they had prepared for this, and the firewood they had stocked up at home would last until after the New Year.
The ones who should be worried are the newcomers.
"You guys better hurry up and be more diligent. Judging from the weather, it might take ten days to half a month to get up the mountain!"
"Even if we could go up the mountain, it wouldn't be easy to gather firewood."
"This awful weather! If we don't light a fire for a day, we'll freeze to death!"
Most of the exiled prisoners had bought some charcoal to stock up on; those who were willing to spend money stocked up more, while those who were reluctant to spend money stocked up less.
To get through the winter comfortably, firewood is essential. Even those with plenty of charcoal at home want to prepare some more firewood!
The plan was all set, but unfortunately it started snowing around noon. It wasn't just light snow, it was a heavy snowfall, so Zhang Liao had to lead his men to transport the cut firewood back.
Suddenly, a dark gray blur flashed before his eyes. Shen Yuanjing was startled and instinctively raised his stick to strike it!
"Wow~"
He really put those around him in awe with his actions.
"Rabbit, this young man knows martial arts!"
...
"My lord, I happened to run into someone who had hunted a wild boar and a deer in the mountains when I went to the county today. I bought them both." Liu Yan jumped down from the carriage and reported to Shen Lanxi in the courtyard, holding the purchase list.
Shen Lanxi: "Since arriving here, I've been busy settling in. Tonight, let's kill a wild boar as a family feast!"
"Yes, I'll go tell Aunt Wang right away!"
Shen Lanxi looked towards the capital, her eyes unfathomable.
In the afternoon, Shen Yuanjing and the others finally had some free time, so they immediately brought the rabbit to Shen Lanxi.
A strong, meaty aroma wafted from afar, and the group instinctively quickened their pace!
"Wow, what a huge wild boar!"
It must weigh two or three hundred pounds, right? Compared to this wild boar, the rabbits they were carrying looked like mere food.
"Mr. Liu, where did this wild boar come from?" Shen Yuanjing asked curiously as soon as he saw Liu Yanhui in the yard.
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