Chapter 33 Taoyuan Dad, can you give this to me as my daughter-in-law this time...
Zhao Huaixu bowed and started talking about the missing child's mother. He was halfway through his words when Lu Qi interrupted him with a hint of impatience in his voice.
"General, this kind of thing happens deep in the mountains. If there's not a hundred or eighty cases a year, it's probably over half a hundred. Those who go missing are either completely devoured by wild beasts, leaving no intact body behind; or they stumble into some remote ravine, their bodies completely buried, and their families haven't even noticed they've lost someone."
"We have a small place like this. We have no money and no manpower. What can we use to investigate?" He waved his hands as he spoke, his eyelids drooping, without even looking at Fang Yilan.
In both her words and her intentions, she was trying to push this hot potato away: "Who knows what evil things might be hidden in those deep mountains and old forests. General, you're a woman, so you'd better not get involved in this mess and get yourself into trouble."
Fang Yilan looked at the unshaven, unkempt man in front of her and her temper flared. She asked impatiently, "Are you saying you can't do anything about this?"
Lu Qi, however, remained nonchalant, his hands folded behind his head, his body swaying back and forth with the chair. He said nonchalantly, "This temple is too small for me to manage. Please return."
Fang Yilan looked at the stubborn and pitiful child in front of her. Since she had encountered him, how could she just ignore him?
She squatted down, patted his head and said, "Okay, I'll take you back first. I can also ask your family for some useful information. When we return to Shangjing, I'll help you find your mother, okay?"
"Really?" The boy's eyes lit up instantly.
"General, are you really going?" Lu Qi, who was standing by, widened his eyes when he heard Fang Yilan was going to send the boy up the mountain.
Because he was too excited, he lost his balance and fell off the armchair with a "thump", his feet facing the sky. However, he seemed to feel no pain at all. He quickly got up from the ground, not even bothering to shake off the dust on his body.
Fang Yilan looked at the man with great surprise and asked bluntly, "Why, Master Lu doesn't allow me to go?"
Lu Qi's face was wrinkled with smile, but it radiated a unique spirit, completely devoid of his previous casual attitude. "How dare I stop the general? I'm worried it's too dangerous for you to go up the mountain alone. I've been serving in Feng County for over three years, and I'm very familiar with the surrounding mountain roads. Why not let me accompany you and provide you with protection?"
"You, protect me?" Fang Yilan looked up and down at the old man in front of him who was nearly fifty years old and had a slightly hunched figure, then looked at Zhao Huaixu who had good arms and legs, and himself who had been learning martial arts for more than twenty years.
Lu Qi, however, did not feel embarrassed. He immediately began to practice martial arts on the spot. When he lifted his leg, he almost injured it. However, he remained calm and sang the opera at the top of his voice: "Lian Po is old, can he still eat?"
Fang Yilan was speechless and could only applaud.
The road to the village was bumpy and the mountain road was rugged. The narrow mountain path was full of fallen rocks. As we walked, the road disappeared. We had to go into the forest and make many turns before we found a small path in the weeds with traces of people walking on it. The weeds on both sides were as high as our knees.
The boy led the way, stopping from time to time to look around and try to remember which direction to go.
Fang Yilan asked as they walked, "Since your mother is from the capital, why did she marry into such a poor and remote place?"
"I don't know." The child's young face was full of confusion and he shook his head gently.
Fang Yilan was full of doubts: "This mountain road is so difficult to walk on. Even if we live off the mountain, don't we need to go down the mountain to buy groceries?"
Lu Qi added, "General, you may not know this, but the villagers rarely leave the mountains. But every month, a group of strong men come down from the mountains and bring back a batch of goods. I heard that former villagers have made a lot of money outside, and out of camaraderie, they come back regularly to help everyone."
That makes sense, but it sounds like it doesn't answer the question.
This person knows everything about the village, but why did he ignore their requests for help at first, but now he insists on following them?
Halfway through the journey, everyone took a short break. Fang Yilan approached Zhao Huaixu unnoticed and whispered in his ear, "There's something wrong with Lu Qi. He seems to be trying to lead me up the mountain."
Zhao Huaixu nodded slightly and responded in a low voice: "Let's wait and see for a while."
After half an hour's arduous journey, they finally found the hidden village. The village was ordinary and quiet, with wooden houses scattered among the mountains and smoke rising slowly from the roofs.
"Wang Zheng, where have you been, you little bastard? Your father has been looking for you for a long time." A strong man who was doing farm work in the fields saw the boy from afar, straightened his back, and shouted at the top of his voice.
When he got closer and saw Fang Yilan beside the boy, he immediately put down the hoe in his hand to the edge of the field, patted the dust off his body, and said enthusiastically: "Guests are here, welcome, welcome." Then he led everyone to the village, and on the way he did not forget to ask others to call the village chief.
Men were everywhere in the village, while women were quite rare. Strangely, there were quite a few children playing and laughing in the village, running and chasing each other.
As soon as I stepped into the village, the villagers gathered around me with such enthusiasm, as if they were welcoming a long-lost relative. Fang Yilan, in particular, became the focus of everyone's attention as soon as she appeared.
Several ladies directly held her hands, muttering affectionately: "Oh, this girl is so beautiful."
But the villagers' attitude towards the two outsiders, Zhao Huaixu and Lu Qi, was completely different, with a hint of hostility in their eyes.
An old woman walked tremblingly to Fang Yilan, stared at her face, and praised: "Oh, this girl's skin is so tender, like a freshly peeled egg." As she said that, she stretched out her wrinkled hand, wanting to touch her face.
Fang Yilan subconsciously dodged back and quickly reached out to hold the old woman's wrist.
"Don't mind it, little girl," the old woman said with a wry smile, explaining, "We haven't seen a new girl in our village for a long time. When I saw you, I thought I saw a fairy descending to earth and couldn't help myself."
Fang Yilan frowned. She noticed an indescribable greed in the old woman's eyes, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
Wang Zheng suddenly spotted someone and ran in one direction, shouting excitedly, "Dad!"
He dived into the arms of a plain-looking man with a stocky build. It was none other than Wang Tie. Wang Tie smiled and picked up the child, "Where did you run off to?"
"I wanted to go find my mother, but I fainted. My brothers and sisters brought me back."
Wang Tie's smile froze for a moment when he heard this.
Fang Yilan originally wanted to leave early after sending the person there, but now he wants to stay and investigate.
The village chief happened to speak at the right time and offered the steps: "It's getting late, and the way down the mountain is difficult. It's better to stay overnight and set off tomorrow."
"Then I'm sorry to bother you."
The village chief personally took them to the yard of a young couple. The yard was not big, but it was clean and tidy. The village chief also specially asked people to clean out three rooms. The furnishings in the rooms were simple and plain, and the beds were flat and clean, which showed the owner's care.
The young husband's name was Li Zhu. He walked into the kitchen with good meat and vegetables, and soon the table was filled with steaming dishes.
His wife was hiding in the house, looking over timidly through a small window. When she saw Fang Yilan and the others had discovered her, she quickly avoided their gaze, leaving only the slightly swaying curtain to prove her presence.
The four of them sat around the table, the food steaming temptingly. Li Zhu looked at the three who hadn't even started eating and quickly said, "Come on, everyone! Don't be polite. Just treat it like you're at home."
Fang Yilan raised her head and asked, "Don't you want to eat?"
Hearing this, Li Zhu scratched his head in bewilderment for a moment, and smiled a little forcedly: "I... I don't want to eat anymore. I've already eaten before."
Lu Qi's eyes rolled, and he quickly tried to smooth things over, "Oh, I just climbed the mountain for such a long time, my spleen and stomach are not feeling well yet, and you guys are probably feeling the same way, right?"
Zhao Huaixu followed up on Lu Qi's words and said, "Why don't you save the food for now and we can eat later."
"That won't do!" Li Zhu suddenly became anxious, and hurriedly said, "We can't waste it. We can't bear to eat it during the New Year."
Fang Yilan thought for a moment and said, "I have some things to discuss with him. Can we eat in the house later?"
Li Zhu couldn't refuse, so he nodded in agreement. "Okay then, you must remember to finish your meal."
The two of them made repeated assurances and said goodbye to Lu Qi before returning to the house. About an hour later, a meal tray was delivered outside the room. Li Zhu took a closer look and found that there was obviously less food on the plate. It was obvious that someone had touched it. His heart finally settled down.
As night falls, only the occasional chirping of insects can be heard from the mountains.
Wang Erniu crouched down, followed the village chief stealthily, and sneaked into Fang Yilan's room. The room was dark, and with the faint light coming in from the window, he could see a bulge on the bed.
Wang Erniu stared at the bed, a malicious look gradually appearing on his face. His voice was extremely low, but it revealed his excitement that was hard to conceal: "Hey, Dad, can this one be given to me as a wife this time?"
The village chief glared at him fiercely, raised his hand and knocked him hard on the head, lowering his voice and scolding: "Why are you so anxious! She knows martial arts, and with your limited skills, you still want to take advantage of her? For safety reasons, you have to break her leg bones first, lock her up there and starve her for a few months to temper her temper. Once she is obedient, she can be your wife obediently."
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The author has something to say: Hey babies! I'm ready to become a V! I've finally waited for this day. After becoming a V, there will be a super fat 10,000 word chapter! [Sprinkle flowers][Sprinkle flowers][Sprinkle flowers] I ask everyone to pre-collect [Crown Prince is a professional poacher] It is really important to me [burst into tears][burst into tears][burst into tears]
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