While the man wasn't paying attention, Jiang Yuwei quickly carried Ning Wan off the carriage, hurried into the pastry shop, picked out a few pastries and candied fruits, paid the bill, and then looked around the door for a while to make sure the man was far away before carrying Ning Wan and hurriedly getting onto the oxcart.
Seeing that they had boarded the cart, Ning Huaizhi immediately drove the oxcart towards Ningjia Village:
"Just now I saw that person was very anxious, carrying the scroll around asking around. We need to be more vigilant these days. I'm afraid he won't just leave like that. When we get to the courtyard, we need to set up more protective mechanisms."
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
“Okay, I’ll go back and dig a few more traps outside the yard. They’ll come in handy tonight. I’ll ask Aunt Zhou to keep an eye out for any dogs in the village so I can bring one back to guard the front yard. With Xiao Jiu around in the back, I can rest assured.”
Ning Wan clapped her hands happily when she heard that she was going to get a dog:
"Okay, okay, Wan'er loves puppies the most."
Jiang Yuwei smiled helplessly and playfully pinched Ning Wan's nose:
"So, do you like the puppy more, or Xiao Jiu more?"
Ning Wan tilted her head, pondered for a moment, blinked, and smiled:
I like them all!
Seeing Ning Wan chatting and laughing, Jiang Yuwei finally felt relieved. She had been worried that Ning Wan would be traumatized by the incident, but it seemed that Ning Wan was still quite good-natured.
The family of three quickly arrived at the courtyard. As soon as Jiang Yuwei opened the gate, she heard Ning Daya anxiously calling out to her from inside:
"Sister Yuwei, come quick! He's awake!"
Jiang Yuwei and Ning Huaizhi exchanged a glance, then quickly helped Ning Huaizhi into his wheelchair.
"Huaizhi, go in first and see him, ask him about his background."
Ning Huaizhi nodded and pushed his wheelchair to the side room himself.
Jiang Yuwei first helped Ning Wan out of the car and let her play in the backyard, then turned to Ning Daya and said:
"Da Ya, hurry up and cut some pig feed to feed the poultry in the backyard. Remember to cut a lot to keep in reserve. Be sure to come back before dark."
Upon hearing the instructions, Ning Daya quickly picked up her basket and went to cut grass.
Jiang Yuwei first drove the oxcart to the backyard, and then unloaded everything from the cart. Today, Tiezhu and Ningwu did not make paper, so they worked together to build the shed in the backyard.
Jiang Yuwei looked at it and was quite satisfied, but then she remembered that Aunt Zhou's house was very close to hers, and worried that the strange man might come back looking for someone again tonight. So she told Ning Wu about what had happened in the past few days and gave him some instructions:
"Ningwu, go back early in the future. Remember to tell Aunt Zhang's family to keep their doors closed for the next few days and to prepare some self-defense items at home. It would also be best to set up more ambushes in the yard. Our Ningjia Village may not be safe these days. You should also go back early and arm your own yards."
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei turned to Tiezhu, who was still busy tidying up the yard, and said:
"By the way, Tiezhu, I need you to go to the village head's house first and tell him about this so that he can remind everyone in the village to keep their doors locked to prevent thieves from getting into their yards."
Seeing how much Jiang Yuwei valued this, Tie Zhu and Ning Wu nodded earnestly as well.
Jiang Yuwei waved to the two of them and said:
"I won't keep you for dinner tonight. You should go home quickly and remember what I told you."
After Tie Zhu and Ning Wu nodded and said goodbye to Jiang Yuwei, they went out from the pond in the backyard.
Jiang Yuwei still let Xiao Jiu out and took him to the pond to guard him. She locked all the doors again. Jiang Yuwei was still a little scared when she thought about the man kicking the door last night, so she moved some heavy objects to block the gate.
When Jiang Yuwei arrived at the front yard, she saw Ning Daya returning with two large baskets of grass on her back. Jiang Yuwei said to her:
"Da Ya, go to the backyard to feed the pigs first. After you're done feeding them, come to the front yard and cook dinner. I need to go out and dig a few more traps before I feel at ease."
Ning Daya naturally understood the seriousness of the matter and quickly nodded, saying:
"Sister Yuwei, you go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of these things."
After saying that, he carried the pig feed to the backyard, while Jiang Yuwei took an iron shovel and went outside the yard to find a few hidden places to start digging holes. Before eating, she dug three more small holes, covered them with branches and fallen leaves, and then looked around before going into the house and locking the yard gate.
Jiang Yuwei still found some heavy objects and moved them to the front of the courtyard gate to block it. She also set up several traps in the courtyard before entering the side room.
Seeing Jiang Yuwei covered in sweat from exhaustion, Ning Huaizhi felt a pang of heartache and took her hand, saying:
“Wife, you’ve worked hard. I’ve asked this person, but I couldn’t get any information out of him. He probably fell down the hillside and hurt his head. He looks a bit dazed.”
Jiang Yuwei carefully examined the man lying on the kang (a heated brick bed); his face was covered in soot and ash...
Jiang Yuwei pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at Ning Huaizhi helplessly, asking:
"Did you do this to his face?"
Ning Huaizhi glanced at Jiang Yuwei somewhat guiltily and muttered softly.
"I only resorted to this tactic because I was afraid his identity would be exposed. Right now, that man is looking for him everywhere. If he finds him, not only us, but the entire Ningjia Village will probably suffer."
Jiang Yuwei frowned and looked at Ning Huaizhi:
"Do you really think that man is that powerful?"
Ning Huaizhi nodded and looked at the person lying on the bed with concern:
“That man is no ordinary person. Not only is he highly skilled in martial arts, but he also has a powerful background. The clothes he wears are not made of cheap fabric. You can't even buy that kind of material in our Ping'an Town. Moreover, the cloud and crane patterns embroidered on his cuffs are not simple either. He should be a subordinate of a noble family in the capital. He is someone we cannot afford to offend.”
Jiang Yuwei was shocked. Ning Huaizhi had only glanced at the man from afar in Ping'an Town and yet he had noticed so many details. It seemed that her husband's ability to rise from a common soldier to a general in the army was no simple feat. He had concealed his brilliance before, so she hadn't noticed anything special about him.
Jiang Yuwei nodded:
"We need to be careful. Let his face stay as it is for now. We can't just throw him out like this. Let him rest in our room for now, and we can send him away after this storm has passed."
Ning Huaizhi, seeing the man on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling beam, was moved with pity and said:
"Then let's keep him in our yard for now. Once he's feeling better, we'll let him work in the paper mill in the backyard. Let's call him 'Fool' for now. When he remembers his past, we'll let him go."
Jiang Yuwei was speechless. Why call someone an idiot? It was too casual. But when she met Ning Huaizhi's questioning eyes, she didn't know how to answer. Oh well, an idiot is an idiot. Fools are lucky.
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