He Bo said, “Reporting to our master, although we were afraid, our master took us in and provided us with food and lodging. Without their help, we would probably have starved to death. Our master has shown us a life-saving grace.”
"Besides, the grain we've collected is our own food. Without it, even the master can't guarantee that we'll have enough to eat. So, we're just trying to survive, and we can't be afraid."
Uncle Cai and Uncle He naturally knew that these people were dangerous. If they were discovered, they would probably lose their lives under their swords.
As soon as the two men spoke, the other refugees immediately echoed, "Yes, we can't be afraid. This is not only for our master, but also for ourselves."
"Yes, we can't be afraid."
After learning that both Uncle Cai and Uncle He had previously served as village chiefs and had received some education, Chen Danru pondered for a moment and said:
"Uncle Cai, Uncle He, from now on you two will be the heads of the two villages in the east and west of the city. We will be in your care to manage the affairs of the villages from now on."
Uncle Cai and Uncle He were somewhat shocked upon hearing this.
The master trusted them so much, giving them food and shelter. Now that they had only done their duty, they were entrusted with important responsibilities. Feeling warm inside, they quickly knelt down and said, "We are willing to share the burden with the master."
Shen Danru helped the two up: "Uncle Cai, Uncle He, from now on, just say what you need to say, don't kneel anymore."
Qingtan took out silver notes and gave each of them fifty taels of silver notes.
Uncle Cai and Uncle He were somewhat surprised and looked at Shen Danru with a puzzled expression.
"Take this money first and use it for daily purchases. If you need more, come to me for more."
Uncle Cai and Uncle He held the silver notes, feeling their weight. They were being given money so easily; weren't they worried the money would be taken and run away?
The young lady trusts them, and they must not let her down.
"Miss, don't worry, we will definitely handle things well. As for the bandits..."
"Uncle Cai, Uncle He, don't worry about the bandits. I will make sure they never return."
Shen Danru gathered all the able-bodied men together, which numbered about two hundred, while the remaining three hundred or so were the elderly, women, and children.
"With so many able-bodied men like us, why would we be afraid of a few bandits?"
Seeing that Shen Danru, a woman, spoke in this way, the others became bolder.
"Yeah, they have knives, but we have farm tools. I'll use my sickle to kill that son of a bitch."
"Yes, I'll use a shovel to chop that bastard to death."
With someone taking the lead, the others became much bolder, but some were still very afraid, their eyes showing fear, especially some women.
“Uncle Cai, Uncle He, the bandits are probably here to scout out a spot. They probably won’t come tonight, but they’ll come tomorrow night. You should arrange for the able-bodied men to work in groups of ten, taking turns on night watch. Food is secondary, but you must protect the elderly and children. I won’t leave tonight; I’ll stay here with you on this estate.”
Everyone was moved, and some of the women who had been terrified just moments before now felt ashamed.
Even the young lady of the main family is thinking of them in every way. Knowing the danger, she still stayed. What do they have to be afraid of?
Sure enough, around midnight, there was a commotion outside, and then someone outside the window notified Shen Danru, who woke up with a start.
"Miss, I'll go out and check first. It's dangerous outside. Please stay inside and don't go out."
"I'll go with you."
"Miss, you mustn't."
Chen Danru pulled up Qingtan, exerting force secretly.
"Don't worry, I won't take any risks."
"Miss…"
Shen Danru nodded.
Her system has shown signs of upgrading in the past few days, and her divine power is gradually recovering.
By the moonlight, I could see that there were quite a few people coming, at least twenty or thirty.
These people were all carrying large knives. The leader looked very fierce, with a tall and burly build, and exuded a murderous aura.
"Listen up, you people inside! We only want the grain and didn't intend to hurt anyone. If you hand over all the grain, we might spare your lives. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless with our swords."
Shen Danru cursed under his breath, his tone still quite arrogant. "The grain of ten thousand shi has just been harvested. If I hand it over, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. There's so much grain, you won't even have a place to hide it."
Uncle Cai called out, “Brother, we are also refugees who have come here. We were taken in by our master and given a bite to eat. But food is our life, and we cannot let our master down. But if you really need food, we can lend you five bushels, and you can pay us back later.”
Upon hearing this, the bandits all burst into laughter.
They were mountain bandits and had never heard of borrowing grain.
If they could really borrow grain, why would they still be bandits?
"If you don't want to lend, go and rob those rich people. All the grain our master has produced has been given to us. There's nothing left."
"Stop your damn nonsense. If you don't hand over the grain, we won't be so polite."
Having already tried to persuade them, and seeing that they showed no sign of backing down, Shen Danru said, "Qingtan, throw it away."
As soon as the stink bomb was released, the stench permeated the area for miles around, and all the bandits vomited.
But after vomiting for a long time, nothing came out. Before long, they all became weak and collapsed to the ground.
Fortunately, this area is all farmland, and there are no houses nearby.
Everyone in the village smelled the antidote and had no reaction to the stink bomb.
This was the first time Shen Danru had witnessed the power of a stink bomb, which was one of the reasons she hadn't dared to use it recklessly before.
You might accidentally implicate those around you.
"Arrest them all."
At Shen Danru's command, Cai Bo and He Bo led their men to tie up all the bandits.
The leader glared at Shen Danru with hatred. He already looked fierce, and anyone with a weak heart would go weak at the sight of him, let alone stare at Shen Danru with a murderous look.
Shen Danru originally wanted to let these people smell the antidote, but she gave up on the idea at this moment.
Someone couldn't stand it anymore and kicked the leader, saying, "If you scare our young lady again, we'll gouge your eyes out!"
The leader glared at him.
"Trying to scare us? Guys, let's beat him up."
众人上前，把领头人一顿胖揍，但他似感觉不到疼似的，舔了舔嘴角的鲜血，还是那副样子。
"Lock them up first. They want food, so let's make sure they don't get it. Don't give them food or water. Let them starve for three days first."
Following Shen Danru's order, Cai Bo led his men to subdue the group.
After the early rice harvest, the seedlings have grown well, and the transplanting of late rice is underway.
The estate in the west of the city was not yet completed. Every day, Uncle He would take people to work in the west of the city and then return to the estate in the east of the city to live.
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