The news that Song Liyun received at home was delivered by a man named Yang Kaiquan.
Standing at the gate, looking at the familiar middle-aged man in front of her, Song Liyun narrowed her eyes slightly and pursed her lips: "What can I do for you, Grandpa Zhang?"
The man's eyes darted downwards, avoiding eye contact with Song Liyun: "It's someone from the county government. Old Master Zhang can't handle them all, so he wants to invite you over, young lady."
"Okay." Song Liyun nodded. "I'll head into town now!"
Han Ming was pounding paper pulp in the shed. He quickly took off his apron, wanting to walk with Song Liyun.
"Uncle Han, I'm just going into town to see what's going on. You stay home!" Song Liyun shook one finger and pointed to the yard.
Once Han Ming settled down at the Song family home, he never acted on his own initiative. If Song Liyun said he wanted to stay, he would stay.
Seeing that Han Ming wasn't following them into town, Yang Kaiquan said anxiously, "Miss Song... those county yamen runners are very powerful, and they want to arrest people. Brother Han is quite skilled; with him here..."
Song Liyun looked at him coldly: "When the government is handling affairs, commoners only need to obey. What need is there for skills!"
Since they were government officials, there was no reason for Old Master Zhang to ask Han Ming to fight; that would be tantamount to rebellion.
Yang Kaiquan was speechless for a moment, and seeing Song Liyun leave directly, he had no choice but to accept it.
I could only peek into Baolin Residence a few times, but I didn't see anyone, so I quickly followed them.
Han Ming didn't understand what Song Liyun meant by shaking her finger and pointing to the courtyard.
Song Zhenping was out herding horses, and only Xiao An was at home, picking vegetables and feeding rabbits with Hei Jin in the backyard.
Yun Niangzi rarely goes out; her daily activities are limited to the side courtyard and the kitchen. Even Han Ming rarely sees her.
Although he didn't understand Song Liyun's meaning, Han Ming knew that he was to guard the house.
He glanced at Mu the carpenter, who was carving wood flowers at the gate, and, unable to stay idle, picked up an axe and chatted with the carpenter while chopping firewood.
Song Liyun and Yang Kaiquan walked into the town.
This man is the one who questioned Hu Qing's decision to publicly share the acorn technology, and was subsequently beaten by him.
Although she had only met him once, Song Liyun still had a deep impression of him.
On the way into town, Yang Kaiquan was very impatient.
But every time Song Liyun glanced at him, he quickly acted obediently until he followed Song Liyun into the Broken Gold Club.
At this moment, tensions were running high inside the Broken Gold Club. The short, stout tax collector, hiding behind four yamen runners, shouted, "You unruly people, when I get back to the county yamen, I will definitely arrest you and throw you in jail!"
Opposite him, Old Master Zhang opened his shirt and patted his thin chest with one hand, saying, "Come on, come on, kill me if you want. I, this old man, didn't die under the swords of the Di tribe, I didn't die under the swords of the bandits, but I died under the swords of you, you corrupt official."
Hu Qing and several others stood to the side, their faces filled with anxiety.
As soon as Song Liyun entered the courtyard and saw them there, she frowned and said, "What are you all doing? The stove in the workshop is still cooking. How can you just stop working like that? Go do what you're supposed to be doing!"
Hu Qing was taken aback when he saw her enter: "Miss Song, what brings you here?"
Song Liyun: "...!"
They were tricked into coming here.
She didn't have time to explain, only saying, "Even if the sky falls, everyone has their own job to do. This is none of your business, so get out! Hu Qing, go find Xue Zhuang!"
"Zhuang and the others have been called in for questioning! It seems to be people from Qili County," Hu Qing quickly replied.
Song Liyun's face suddenly darkened, and she said sternly to Hu Qing, "Immediately notify the garrison, find Xue Zhuang, and go there right away!"
Bandits have entered Qili County!
Hu Qing was stunned again. Seeing that Song Liyun's face looked extremely bad, he immediately realized that something had happened.
He was about to run to find someone when he suddenly remembered something that had just been configured.
So Hu Qing didn't go out. He took out an oil can from a hidden spot above the main entrance of the Broken Gold Club, then pulled a tinderbox from his belt, blew it into the wind, lit the oil can's fuse, and then stuck the oil can into the wall.
The oil canister fuse sizzled and burned for a few moments before a ball of light shot into the sky with a long trail of white smoke, then exploded with a "bang," flashing a blinding light.
This was the communication method that the garrison gave to Suijin Town after the food factory was built, in case any bandits entered the town again and there was no way to report the situation.
Song Liyun placed the signal tube in the most crowded hall, and unexpectedly, it was put into use only a little over ten days after she received it.
The town of Shattered Gold was in an uproar as frightened dogs tucked their tails between their legs and barked loudly.
Everyone, both inside and outside the town, looked up at the sky, puzzled, and asked, "Who's setting off fireworks in broad daylight?"
Some people also recognized the significance of this firework.
The first to spot the signal flare were the sentries at the garrison. Within a few dozen breaths, several horses rushed out of the barracks gate and headed straight for Suijin Town.
Inside the club, Sun Wuming stared blankly at the huge fireworks rising into the sky, completely forgetting his argument with Old Man Zhang.
He had never seen a military signal flare before and was somewhat puzzled: he had long heard that the military had a kind of missile used for communication, could this be it? A communication flare...?
Sun Wuming jolted awake, as if realizing something. His face turned deathly pale, and he pushed aside the guards protecting him, rushing out while shouting, "The barbarians are here! The barbarians are here!"
Old Master Zhang was only slightly surprised when Hu Qing took out the signal tube, but he had already realized what was happening. He quickly grabbed the tax collector and said, "Sir Sun, it's not that the barbarians have come, it's just that we need to inform the garrison."
He could argue loudly with the tax collector, but he couldn't let the tax collector run back to Qili County and say that the Di barbarians had come to Suijin Town again.
What Suijin Town needs now is to move beyond the shadow of five years ago and engage with the surrounding villages and towns. If people say that there are still barbarians here, others will be afraid to come and go.
Sun Wuming wouldn't listen to any of it. Seeing that he was being held back, he jumped up and down in a panic. He didn't want to be taken to the grasslands to become a slave herding horses.
"Let go, let go, you old geezer! Hey, can I skip collecting your taxes?!"
"Let go!!"
The four constables were initially flustered, but the people from Suijin Town in the courtyard remained calm and composed. They even comforted Sun Wuming, saying, "Master Sun, it seems that no barbarians have come. They just want to resist taxes."
Upon hearing that there were no Di barbarians and then hearing about tax resistance, Sun, the tax collector, immediately reverted to his normal tax official demeanor: "No, not a single coin of tax can be reduced."
Yang Kaiquan followed Song Liyun into the guild hall. When he saw Hu Qing fire the signal flare and then run out with his men, he panicked and wanted to leave.
"Stop! Why are you running?" Song Liyun took out a long knife and held it to his neck.
What happened?
Old Master Zhang and Sun Wuming looked at each other, Sun Wuming trembling behind the yamen runners: "What are you going to do?"
With a knife to his neck, Yang Kaiquan's legs trembled, but he still refused to admit it: "I didn't run away! Which eye of yours saw me run away!"
Grandpa Zhang looked at the scene with suspicion, as if he had just noticed Song Liyun: "Miss Song, what brings you here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
