In the dead of winter, Tao Wan's family had long been huddled indoors for warmth. A sudden knock on the door in the middle of the night startled the alert Tao Wan.
But I really didn't want to leave my warm bed to open the door.
I lingered in bed for a while, but no one in the yard got up. Meanwhile, the knocking on the door continued intermittently but persistently.
"How tactless! Don't you fear being hated for disturbing people's sleep in the middle of the night?" Tao Wanniang reluctantly got up, wrapped herself in a thick cotton coat, and went to answer the door with a lantern.
"Who is it? In this freezing weather, are you deliberately trying to torment people?" Tao Wanniang snapped irritably.
"Big sister, it's me, I've come to find you!" Zhang Tiehao's voice from outside the door startled Tao Wanniang. Good heavens, he really came to the capital?
She opened it and saw Zhang Tiehao, who wasn't dressed warmly but was still standing tall. But his face... why did it look so much smaller?
"Zhang Tiehao?" Tao Wanniang looked him up and down suspiciously.
"Big sister, my name is Zhang Liang now. I'm here to repay you. Your house is so big, do you need a guard or a thug? I can do it!" Zhang Tiehao entered the place a few days earlier than Tao Wanniang and the others. Although he had made fake identity documents, he had no money, so he had been having a hard time these past few days.
"You... come to repay me in the middle of the night?" Tao Wanniang's eyes widened. "You're probably here for revenge!"
"I wouldn't dare, big sister. I've been poisoned by the poison you fed me, so I had no choice but to come to you. Half of the three-month period has passed," Zhang Tiehao said in a low voice.
The cold wind made Tao Wanniang shiver, but thinking of Mai Lisu, she let Zhang Tiehao into the house.
"Zhang Liang, right? What happened to your face?" Tao Wanniang asked, carrying a lantern as she walked alongside Zhang Liang.
“A master of bone setting spent half a month with him, adjusting my bones every day,” Zhang Liang replied. “I also received this identity document. The real Zhang Liang lay in the mortuary for seven days without anyone claiming him.”
Is this for real? Tao Wanniang glanced at Zhang Liang again. His face was indeed smaller than before. If he used to have a square face, now he had a more angular and chiseled look. He looked less bandit-like and more refined.
"You better behave yourself, don't make me feel like I've let a wolf into the house!" Tao Wanniang warned. "I've hidden the poison in your body where no one knows. Even if you capture my family, don't think you can make me bow down."
"Big sister, I've entrusted all my secrets to you. If I, Zhang Tiehao, were that kind of person, I wouldn't have fallen into your hands back then." Zhang Liang said breathlessly, "Big sister, you're a real hidden master. In this location in the capital, with such a large mansion, you must not be an ordinary person. I misjudged you back then."
"Heh, could it be that you regret letting me go back then?" Tao Wanniang said sarcastically.
“You can’t say that. Although it’s about robbing the rich to help the poor, my elder sister doesn’t seem to be a heartless rich person. If I had been on good terms with her back then, maybe my brothers wouldn’t have died,” Zhang Tiehao said with emotion. “But the old Zhang Tiehao is really dead. Now I’m called Zhang Liang.”
"Hmm, Zhang Liang!" Tao Wanniang murmured, wondering if the person who came up with the name even knew of such a famous person. "You can stay in the guest room for now. Be sensible tomorrow; I don't want you to cause panic for my family."
"Don't worry, elder sister, I am Zhang Liang, here to repay your kindness." Zhang Liang said meekly. He had only become an outlaw because he was forced to by life. If he could live a life free from worry about food and clothing, who would be willing to live a life of danger and bloodshed?
"This is the room. The bedding was just made during the day. There's a tinderbox and a lantern on the table. The outhouse is on the north side of the yard. If you're hungry or thirsty, just bear with it until tomorrow morning." Tao Wanniang said, yawning, and walked away.
Zhang Liang lit the lantern, and the room immediately became bright. Looking at the small house, Zhang Liang felt at ease. He had also inquired beforehand and found that the Tao family had connections with various royal and general mansions. The most dangerous place is the safest place. Who would have thought that he, a mountain bandit wanted by the imperial court, was right under the emperor's nose?
Lights out, sleep—Zhang Liang had the most restful sleep he'd had since arriving in the capital.
On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, after Tao Wanniang got up, she thought about going to buy some things. How could she not prepare a proper New Year's Eve dinner for her first meal in this world?
We used up quite a few ducks and chickens on the way, and now there are only two left. We bought some preserved meats in Jinzhou city, and we also need to buy a few fresh fish, so that we may have abundance every year!
Tao Wanniang was checking the ingredients in the kitchen, Wang Hongyu was making breakfast, and Ling Dahu rushed over in a panic.
"Mother, Mother, something terrible has happened! There's an extra man in our family!"
When Tao Wan's mother saw her son's exaggerated behavior, she didn't even look up and said directly, "Why are you making such a fuss? That's Zhang Liang, whom I took in."
"Huh? Mother, when did you arrive? We've never seen you before!" Ling Dahu was taken aback. That's not right, there was no such person when we went to bed yesterday!
"You came in the middle of the night last night, and the knocking was so loud it made the snow fall off the roof tiles. You were all sleeping like logs," Tao Wanniang said with disdain.
"Eat breakfast first. After that, I'm going to the market. It's the New Year, so I should buy some festive food," Tao Wanniang instructed.
"Dahu, come on, help me carry this big bowl of porridge upstairs. I'll also get you some vegetables and steamed buns, bring them all over." Wang Hongyu got up before dawn to make breakfast, and despite the cold weather, she was sweating profusely from her busy work.
"Oh, Mother, when did you meet her? She looks quite unfamiliar to me!" Ling Dahu asked curiously, carrying a large bowl of porridge.
Tao Wanniang went to the dining room with Ling Dapeng. Ling Dapeng told the children to sit quietly and took special care of Zhou Xiaoyun. Although she was two and a half months pregnant, it was not obvious, but Ling Dapeng was very nervous!
Bai Yumei and Chen Liansheng also arrived, along with Zhang Liang. As two men from outside the family, Chen Liansheng and Zhang Liang chatted casually.
"Brother, where are you from? What do you plan to do to make a living in the capital?" Chen Liansheng asked casually.
“It’s a poor village near Jinzhou City. Sister Tao helped me before, so I came to seek refuge with her. I don’t know anything else, but I do have some basic martial arts skills. As long as Sister Tao asks, I’ll do anything, whether it’s guarding the house or being a thug,” Zhang Liang said politely.
Chen Liansheng bowed to Zhang Liang with admiration and said, "Brother, you are grateful and repay kindness. Sister Tao is helpful and kind."
Zhang Liang chuckled and then asked, "Brother, how did you end up at Sister Tao's house?"
"To my shame, I am from Shanhai Prefecture. I only came to the capital thanks to Yu Mei's help, by hitching a ride in Sister Tao's carriage. I have a cousin in the capital, and I will go to visit him later."
"Sister Tao!" Upon seeing Tao Wanniang approaching, both women stepped forward and called out.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Another knocking sound came from the door. Tao Wanniang couldn't help but frown. "Who's so inconsiderate so early in the morning? This person hasn't even had breakfast yet!"
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