They were all from the same clan, and Old Man Lu knew it was no easy feat for them to have survived until now, so he didn't really intend not to help them.
But they absolutely cannot be the ones who go there on their own initiative. Now that they have come to him of their own accord, Old Man Lu can naturally accept the offer.
He wiped away his tears with a heavy heart, then helped Lu Fugui up and said, "Fugui, we're all family. Even if you didn't ask me, your third uncle would have found a way to help you. We got four horses on the road, which made our journey much easier. I was thinking of having the eldest and second eldest brothers go into town to sell two of the horses, and then we'll use the money to help you get into town."
"Third Uncle, you're such a kind person!"
Lu Fugui cried his heart out, and the other clansmen also knelt down before Old Man Lu. As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. It was truly remarkable that Uncle Lu could still think of them at this time!
"Don't worry, Uncle. Once we get to Anzhou, we will definitely find a way to make money and pay back the debt as soon as possible."
These people were all reasonably conscientious; they knew it was a loan, not something Old Man Lu had given them for free.
He Jiuniang said, "Since that's the case, everyone should come here to register and see how much it costs in total. This will help our eldest and second brothers to negotiate the price when they sell the horse. Afterward, they can come here to write an IOU."
Writing an IOU was something no one had expected. Mrs. Sun gave her a satisfied look and smoothed things over, saying, "Don't overthink it, everyone. There are too many people, so it's good to have it recorded!"
"Yes, yes, it's only right, it's only right. Uncle and Aunt have helped us so much, what else could we possibly think about? But writing an IOU... we can't read!"
Lu Fugui scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and smiled awkwardly.
The others nodded in agreement; in this era, there were very few literate people.
He Jiuniang then said, "I learned a few words when I was young, so writing an IOU shouldn't be a problem. We can just put our fingerprints on it!"
Everyone agreed and went to tell He Jiuniang how many people were in their families. He Jiuniang remembered it and then said to Lu Laoda and Lu Laoer, "Big brother, second brother, there are a total of seventeen adults and five children. It will cost sixty-one taels. Our two horses are good horses. Even if the situation is not good, we can still sell them for seventy taels or more. You can estimate the price and ask for it yourselves."
Those assassins rode all the way from Nantai to here, so they must have been riding fine horses. If someone who knows their stuff saw them, they could fetch an even higher price, but right now we're not looking for a good price. We just need to solve the problem of getting these people into the city.
"Yes, we will."
Lu Laoda responded, and He Jiuniang added, "Don't forget to go to the study and buy some paper and pens; we need to write IOUs."
Boss Lu responded again, then started tidying up the campsite to prepare for rest. Only after a good night's sleep would he have the energy to get things done the next morning.
"Little Bamboo! Son! Stop right there! Give me back my son!"
He Jiuniang's family was about to rest when they heard Cui'er's shrill scream. He Jiuniang turned around and saw that a group of refugees had taken Xiaozhu away while everyone was not paying attention.
"Save my son! Please! Save my son!"
Lu Daping's leg was injured, making it impossible for him to chase after them. Cui'er, thinking of the two people left behind by Madam Jiang, hurriedly came over to beg for their help.
Cheng Ke had already drawn his sword and chased after them. The refugees were starving. They hadn't dared to make a move when they saw that this group of people didn't seem like easy to mess with. But when it got dark, and the man in the family was lame, they just started to rob them.
They were all people who had been starving for several days, so how could their physical strength compare to Cheng Ke's? They were instantly blocked by Cheng Ke.
"Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll strangle him!"
The refugees were terrified when they saw the sword in Cheng Ke's hand. Cheng Ke sneered, "You think you can be faster than me?"
Before the refugee could react, his throat was slit. Little Bamboo, still shaken, landed in Cheng Ke's arms. Cui'er rushed over in a panic, hugged her son, and cried as she comforted him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
The others were terrified. No one had expected these two sword-wielding men to be so powerful. They immediately dared not make any more moves and slunk away.
Seeing this, another group of timid refugees quietly moved their belongings closer to the Lu family's house, feeling that it was safer there.
He Jiuniang had Leizi deliver two bamboo tubes of water to Chengke and his companion as a way of thanking them for their help.
Cheng Ke was a little thirsty, and after taking a sip, he found it was sweet. He glanced at He Jiu Niang with some surprise, only to see that He Jiu Niang had already put the puppy to sleep.
Cheng Ke frowned, sensing that this woman was somewhat different.
With Cheng Ke making an example of them, the Lu family slept soundly. The next morning, as soon as the city gates opened, the eldest and second eldest Lu brothers went into the city. After finding out about the market, they prepared to take the two horses to the brokerage firm in the south of the city.
Brokerage firms not only managed the buying and selling of people, but also the buying and selling of livestock.
An hour later, they returned to the city gate, where Lu Fugui and others were waiting for them. Upon seeing them come out, they called over the Lu family members who were not far away.
"I met a rich young master who sold both horses and got a hundred taels of silver!"
Lu Laoda quietly instructed the Lu family members, and with trembling hands handed two large silver ingots worth fifty taels to Sun Shi.
Good heavens! He's never held such a fat silver ingot in his entire life. Today he's finally had his fill of holding it!
Sun was also surprised that she could sell so much, but she had made a lot of money in the past few days and was able to calm down. She put away a fifty-tael silver ingot and took out more than ten taels of loose silver to go and pay the soldiers guarding the city.
He Jiuniang stood guard outside, making sure that everyone in each household had their handprints on her before they could enter.
It was rare for the soldiers guarding the city to see such a wealthy family. Not only did they enter the city on their own, but they also brought a whole bunch of relatives with them. It wasn't easy for them.
After finishing all that, He Jiuniang thought of Lu Guilan's family and asked the soldiers guarding the city, "Brother soldiers, have you seen a butcher's family? The men all wear mandarin jackets, are strong, and have a pig smell on them."
The Lu family paid so much money in one go that the smiles on the faces of the soldiers guarding the city became more genuine. After thinking about it carefully, they did indeed have some recollection of it.
"There really are. There are about eight or nine people, including three children. They went into the city two days ago."
These words were a lifeline for the Lu family, and Sun's previously dejected mood immediately brightened.
Although the officers and soldiers weren't sure if the person they saw was the one the family was looking for, seeing how happy they were, they decided not to spoil the atmosphere.
"Mother, did you hear that? Perhaps my sister's family thought it was too dangerous outside the city, so they went into the city first. Let's go into the city to look for them, or let's hurry up on the road to Anzhou and catch up with them. They are only two days ahead of us, so we can definitely catch up."
Sun nodded, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, wishing she could chase after him immediately.
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