Mr. Qian received two baskets of fruit from the Wang family. One basket contained peace apples and pears, which he had already tasted. The other basket contained a large, strange-looking fruit.
He had never seen a fruit like this before. It had pointed ends and a large belly in the middle, and it had mottled patterns on it. It was really beautiful. It was said to be a melon and tasted sweeter than sugar.
He picked one up and weighed it; it was big and heavy.
He was so happy that his eyes narrowed into slits. Just as he was about to take the food to the cook to cut it, he heard the person who was sent to follow him come back.
"Master! The fruit seller ran away!"
Mr. Qian's hand shook and he almost dropped the melon.
After handing the melon to the cook, he slammed the table and sneered, "Didn't I tell you to keep a close eye on it? How did someone get away?"
"This... I don't know if they received the news and escaped through the small gate. I chased them for a long time on the official road and even asked the guards at the city gate, but they all said they didn't see the mule cart..."
"You're so useless! You can't even handle such a small thing!"
He kicked the man over, feeling a surge of anger. They were a local family that was being suppressed by an outsider! What a shame!
The Wang family had secured countless connections with this batch of fruit. If this continued, wouldn't the locals have to give him a share?
......
The Jiang family couple, who are known for being "professional runaways", have already packed up their mule cart and started climbing up the mountain.
As we neared the end of June, the heat was unbearable. Although it was only the middle of the morning, Jiang Yue's back was soaked and she felt like she was completely soaked in sweat. She wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve. She felt comfortable and cool in the mountains.
"Be careful, come." Jiang Nian stood steadily and pulled her up with his arms.
This mountain doesn't look very high, why is it so steep?
"Ah--" Jiang Yue screamed and accidentally fell. The dry fallen leaves under her feet were thick and very slippery.
"Yueyue, are you okay?"
Jiang Nian was originally leading the way, and he quickly turned around and pulled her up.
"It's okay, I didn't twist my ankle, I just slipped accidentally."
She lifted her foot and found that the sole of her shoe was worn flat and not non-slip at all.
Jiang Nian wanted to carry her on his back, but was rejected.
She broke off a wooden stick and used it as a crutch to explore the way and avoid stepping into pits.
After climbing for another half an hour, the slope of the ground gradually became gentle.
"What's wrong? Is there any problem?" Jiang Yue found Jiang Nian standing motionless and looking forward.
Jiang Nian frowned, "The fog ahead is very thick."
"Fog? It's so hot down there, and there's fog up there? Is it because there are so many trees?"
"Yes, quite a few." Jiang Nian held her hand and continued to walk up.
They had to cross the mountain, not only to avoid trouble, but also because it would save time on the return trip.
Although Qingshui City looks very peaceful now and has abundant resources, Jiang Yue feels that such a "must-fight place" will not be peaceful for long in troubled times and will sooner or later be caught in disputes. It is better to avoid it in advance.
They are doing well in building the city, as it has already been in chaos.
Another half-minute passed, the sun high in the sky, the mist gradually dissipated, and the shadows of the trees were heavy. There were indeed many trees. Looking up, the branches were lush and leafy, but there was no scent of flowers, but the birds kept singing.
Forests with dense vegetation generally have abundant wildlife. Even if you can't find any, you can still eat more tree bark than down in the mountains, and it's easier to find water. Why do those refugees down in the mountains prefer to beg by the roadside rather than come up the mountain?
Being in the forest, Jiang Yue's sweat had dried up, and the breeze blew past, making him feel refreshed.
"Cub, do you want to hunt here?"
Jiang Nian, however, pulled her behind him, his jaw tense. "Let's not talk about hunting for now. Now we have become someone else's prey."
"What? Someone?"
Jiang Yue looked tense and took out their sabers.
After a while, a dozen or so men appeared before them, forming a circle around them. These men were shirtless, with many old and new scars visible on their faces. They looked ferocious, like bandits who had lived on the edge of a knife.
They actually accidentally entered the gang’s territory?
Jiang Yue clenched the knife in his hand.
The man in the middle with the most developed muscles raised the corners of his mouth, thinking that he looked evil, but in Jiang Yue's eyes he looked like a monkey.
"Today, a fish actually took the bait. Blame it on your bad luck to have run into us."
The man on his left tilted his head and looked at them for a long time before spitting, "Third brother, you are two poor fellows. You only have a backpack and no luggage at all!"
The man on the right stared at Jiang Yue with a lewd expression, "This woman is quite good-looking! If she stays, she can be a treat for the brothers!"
Jiang Yue had just climbed the mountain and was tired. It was difficult to breathe, so she took off her mask. Among the pile of strange-shaped black charcoal, there was a piece of white and tender tofu.
This caused a lot of teasing, and some people even commented on her as if they could strip her clothes off with their eyes.
"Look at her breasts and her little butt, much better than the flatter butt of my previous wife!"
"Oh, young lady, your white and tender little hand is still holding the knife, put it down quickly to avoid hurting yourself. You see, your man just doesn't feel sorry for you. If you stay and become his wife, you will just serve us brothers every day, and you won't have to do any work and you will have food to eat..."
Jiang Nian's eyes darkened completely. He couldn't bear it any longer, so he put down the backpack and rushed towards the men who teased the most with a knife.
With a "puff", the white knife went in and the red knife came out, and a man fell to the ground and died with his eyes open.
The others were not prepared for his swift movements and were momentarily unable to react. Seeing their brother dead, they rushed towards him, their knives raised, and chopped at him.
Twelve or thirteen people surrounded Jiang Nian. When the remaining three saw that the young lady was alone, they walked towards her with a grim smile.
The two men on the left and right stretched out their hands, pretending to pull her away, "Young lady, stay and enjoy yourself with us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two screams were heard, and two arms fell to the ground, splattering blood all over the ground.
The remaining man put away his smile, realizing that this young lady was no ordinary woman. He no longer thought about the two pounds of flesh below his waist, and chopped her down vertically with a knife!
Jiang Yue blocked with a saber in his right hand, and suddenly there was a knife in his left hand, which stabbed into his heart.
Then he kicked him away, drew out his knife, and killed the bandit in two moves as he rolled back and forth on the ground in pain.
The bandits dared to commit the crime because, firstly, they relied on their knives, but the other party's knives were longer and sharper than theirs; secondly, they relied on their strength, but the other party could kick down two people with one kick, so they were obviously stronger than them; thirdly, they relied on the number of people, but not only the man was powerful, the young lady also dared to kill people, and soon half of them were dead!
Now that these advantages have been destroyed, they can only rely on "outsmarting" others.
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