The bandit was stunned by the beating and felt pain, which meant he was still alive!
Who are these people in front of us?
He hadn't gone on the robbery before and had never met the Lu family, so naturally he didn't recognize them now.
Although they seemed easy to talk to, the fact that their secluded mountain stronghold had been discovered still startled him, and he rushed off to report it.
However, because he was too hungry, he didn't move very fast. He opened the paper package that He Jiuniang had given him. It was a dark lump of something, but it smelled very good. He couldn't resist eating one. It was sweet and sour, and he was so happy with how delicious it was!
Is this what you call "Liuliu Mei"?
If he survives this ordeal, he'll definitely pull off a big heist and use all the money to buy Liuliumei (a type of Chinese dessert)!
Then, whether it was because he was too excited from eating the plum or because he was frightened by seeing the leader and his group of men crying in each other's arms, he didn't pay attention when reporting and swallowed the pit.
To make matters worse, the fruit pit was a bit too big and got stuck in his throat, so he couldn't speak when the leader asked him questions.
"Are the attackers government troops or other people? And what did you steal that you're not saying?"
"What's that in your hand? Give it to me!"
The bandit leader snatched the paper package, opened it, and saw that it was black and smelly. He thought it was some kind of dog poop and wanted to throw it away in disgust.
The guard finally spat out the fruit pit and hurriedly shouted, "Boss, that's good stuff! It's delicious!"
Then, the bandit leaders sat in a circle, each taking one to satisfy their cravings, and found that it was indeed quite delicious.
"Where did you get this thing?"
"Oh right, what did you just say?"
"Oh, I remember now, you said someone attacked! Damn! Why did it take you so long to remember! Where are they? Where are they?"
Chaos erupted instantly in the bandit's den; they were starving and their minds were dulled.
Lu Baichuan and his wife strolled over with a group of children. When they saw a group of bandits running around like headless flies, they couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Lei Zi asked, "Does this... still require our intervention?"
Jiezi said, "No need, it's already like this, it's quite pitiful."
Youya said, "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful. No matter how pitiful they are, we still have to bring them back!"
Lu Xiaoyang nodded: "Youyou is right!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved, shouting, "Hey, you bunch of idiots, we're right here!"
Upon hearing this, the bandits all looked in their direction, and then the leaders recognized this devilish family.
Other strangers wanted to grab their weapons and have a big fight, even if they weren't very skilled, they couldn't lose in terms of momentum.
But the group that recognized them did nothing, and even stopped others from taking action.
"How...how did you find this place?"
The bandit leader stammered, unable to comprehend how his well-hidden stronghold had been discovered; it was simply too much of a bullying.
He Jiuniang smiled and said, "I have a brilliant plan."
As she spoke, she gestured with her chin toward the group of children behind her, the meaning of which was clear: Go!
A group of children rushed forward excitedly, while the bandits were terrified. Their leader hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "No, no, no, heroes, spare our lives! We really didn't do anything wrong, we're starving to death!"
When the bandits saw that their leader had no backbone at all and knelt down immediately, they knelt down without saying a word.
Yes, those who know when to yield are the wise ones.
"Good men, please arrest us! At least we'll have food to eat in jail, sob sob sob..."
The second-in-command was crying just now, and he's so heartbroken that he's completely out of control.
This whole operation left the Lu family kids completely bewildered. They had hoped to make a big splash, but this was it?
He Jiuniang also found it unbelievable that such a large mountain stronghold really had no stock at all?
But you can't disbelieve it. The reason she gave the bandit on guard duty food was because he was starving. It's not easy being a bandit like that.
How did you manage to survive in this brutal environment?
He Jiuniang was very curious. Although the competition wasn't very fierce in this era, there was no need to be so outrageous, was there?
"We were forced into becoming outlaws back then. Our leader is kind-hearted, so we only robbed once a year. Each robbery was enough to sustain us for the rest of the year. We usually lived frugally in the mountain stronghold. When the weather was good, we would go out hunting just to barely feed so many people. This year we didn't succeed, so we had no money to buy food. And with the freezing weather, there was no prey to be found, so we just had to go hungry..."
A henchman standing nearby spoke up in a pitiful tone, looking as aggrieved as could be.
Another added, "We only rob rich people. Our boss is kind-hearted and even gives some money to the poor. We're lucky we've managed to survive this long!"
The bandit leader, embarrassed by his underlings' exposure, glared at the two men before smiling obsequiously and begging He Jiuniang for leniency.
Lei Zi said, "That's no good person either. What good person would stare at a young girl like that!"
He was also vengeful; he still remembered the way that boss had looked at Lotus before.
The bandits protested their innocence, arguing, "What man doesn't like to look at pretty young women!"
That's true, but his gaze offended Lotus.
Lei Zi insisted on beating him up no matter what.
"Young hero, hit me! I'll take this beating for our elder brother!"
The bandit who had been on guard duty stepped forward and blocked their leader's path.
In Lianhua's eyes, their leader was not a good person, but in the hearts of these mountain bandits, they would not have survived to this day without their leader.
This elaborate scheme completely baffled Lei Zi, leaving him unsure of what to do.
He subconsciously looked at He Jiuniang, who blinked and said, "Why are you looking at me? Go ahead and hit me!"
It's hard to quell the anger without giving them a good beating, and it won't teach them a lesson either.
Lei Zi was about to fight the bandit when the bandit leader grabbed his underling and pushed him aside, saying, "One person does what one must take responsibility for. I've seen the man, so come at me if you have any problems! We're willing to go with you, but you have to promise not to hurt my brothers! Although we've been outlaws for many years, we've never taken a life. You can't kill innocent people indiscriminately!"
The bandit leader looked righteous and indignant, but Lei Zi still threw a punch at him.
Regardless of what he says, let's avenge Lotus first.
While the fighting continued, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan walked around to check whether there was really nothing in the mountain stronghold. They couldn't just rely on the words of these people.
After looking around, I realized that this village was incredibly poor; everything was dilapidated and reeked of poverty.
"What a miscalculation!"
He Jiuniang sighed and looked at Lu Baichuan, unsure of what to do.
They came to suppress bandits, not to help the poor!
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