That's absolutely right!
Liu Yingying nodded, her expression suddenly darkening.
Zhu Erqiang was a skilled carpenter and worked in town year-round, only returning home after receiving his wages from his employer each month.
The bandits would often ambush these workers on the paths they took home to rob them.
Seeing how badly Zhu Erqiang was injured, it's questionable whether he'll survive!
Right now, Liu Yingying doesn't have time to think about the life or death of the person who has been bullying her.
but...
Now that those bandits dare to openly rob villagers, I'm afraid their next step will be to storm the village and rob it!
She had seen some records in the county annals.
It is said that one year the county suffered a natural disaster, and the government did nothing. As a result, the bandits became even more ruthless and audacious, openly breaking into villages in broad daylight, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities against women...
Thinking of all this, Liu Yingying couldn't help but take a deep breath.
It seems she needs to take some precautions in advance...
When she got home, Zhao Di and Jia Fu were still waiting for her to come back for dinner, but Zhu Jiawang was nowhere to be seen.
Just as Liu Yingying was about to ask a question, the boy's loud shouting came from outside the door.
"Liu Niang, eldest sister, something terrible has happened!" Zhu Jiawang rushed in, panting, and picked up the bamboo tube filled with water on the table, drinking it all in one gulp.
"Look at you, so reckless! You ran out at mealtime, making Aunt Liu wait for you. It's really outrageous!" Zhao Di scolded her younger brother.
Zhu Jiawang ignored Zhao Di, but glanced at Liu Yingying and couldn't help but excitedly recount Zhu Erqiang's encounter with bandits in a vivid manner.
Liu Yingying already knew what he was saying, so her expression didn't change.
Seeing this, Zhu Jiawang felt somewhat unwilling and then dropped an even bigger bombshell!
"I also heard that many people have been brutally murdered by those bandits in the past two days. Even the concubine of the wealthy Liang family in our town, who just married into the family, was kidnapped by them!"
"What! Such a thing actually happened?" Zhao Di exclaimed in surprise, her eyes involuntarily turning to Liu Yingying.
"Hmm, continue. How was that master's concubine kidnapped?" Liu Yingying raised an eyebrow.
Pshaw! He thought this woman didn't like gossip!
Zhu Jiawang secretly rolled his eyes and continued, "I heard that the concubine was originally a famous courtesan in the county. At the beginning of this year, she was redeemed by Master Liang and naturally became his concubine. This morning, this concubine went to the market with her maid to buy rouge and powder, but she was spotted by a group of bandits who came into the city and was kidnapped!"
As Zhu Jiawang finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something and gave Liu Yingying a special reminder: "So, you'd better not go out these next couple of days, lest you end up like that concubine..."
"Smack!"
"What nonsense are you spouting, cursing Liu Niang?"
Zhao Di was so angry that she slapped him on the back of the head.
"I was just trying to be helpful, since she's been sneaking out alone lately..."
Zhu Jiawang argued indignantly, but stopped talking when he saw Liu Yingying's cold expression.
"Alright, let's eat first!"
Liu Yingying didn't say anything. After stuffing a few meatballs into Zhao Di's bowl, she hurriedly finished half a bowl of rice.
With bandits lurking around, even the most delicious food tastes bland.
It was still early after dinner.
Liu Yingying carefully examined the house and finally found a cellar that had been abandoned for many years.
Taoyuan Village is not far from Xijiu Mountain, where bandits are entrenched. If they really want to plunder the village, then Taoyuan Village will definitely be the first to be hit.
She had to take precautions in advance.
This cellar could serve as their temporary refuge...
As evening approached, Liu Yingying looked at the shockingly red sunset clouds on the horizon, and her unease grew stronger.
When she called the children and asked them to move to the cellar to sleep that night, she discovered that Zhao Di was missing.
"Where is Zhao Di?"
"I don't know!"
The three looked at each other in bewilderment.
After searching inside and outside the house, they still couldn't find Zhao Di.
Liu Yingying's brows furrowed deeply.
Zhao Di has always been well-behaved and sensible in this family, so there is no way she would run away outside without a word.
But it was precisely this that made Liu Yingying even more worried.
"In such a short time, you two need to think carefully about whether anyone has come looking for your sister?"
"I...I think I just saw Sister Dongxi..." Eight-year-old Zhu Jiafu said uncertainly.
"Dongxi...Zhu Dongxi!"
She is the eldest daughter of Zhu Guanbao, the carpenter in the village. She is one year older than Zhaodi and is fourteen years old this year.
Moreover, Liu Yingying learned from the original owner's memories that Zhu Dongxi was jealous of Zhao Di's father being a scholar while her own father was just a carpenter, so she had bullied Zhao Di in secret since she was a child.
"Jiawang, stay home and take good care of your younger brother. Don't let him run around. I'm going to find your older sister!"
After giving the two children some instructions, Liu Yingying quickly walked outside...
However, just as she reached the village entrance, she saw Zhu Dongxi walking back on the path ahead with a smug look on her face.
From the time Zhu Dongxi was old enough to understand, she harbored deep jealousy towards Zhu Zhaodi.
Everyone in the village said that Zhu Zhaodi was destined to be the daughter of an official, because her father was a scholar.
In the future, those who pass the imperial examinations will surely live a life of luxury!
And what about Zhu Dongxi?
A lowly carpenter's daughter, whose life is predictable from the start!
The difference between the two is like heaven and earth!
But heaven has eyes, Scholar Zhu is dead!
In the past, Zhu Dongxi only dared to bully Zhao Di in minor ways, but now, even if he ruined her innocence, or even forced her to die, so what?
Who would care about an orphan girl with no one to support her?
Just as she was still basking in the pleasure of this revenge, Zhu Dongxi suddenly realized that someone was blocking her way, and a surge of anger rose in her heart.
"Who is it! Can't you watch where you're going...? It's you!"
Zhu Dongxi looked up and was immediately struck by Liu Yingying's slightly smiling face, but her eyes were now staring at him like two icy pythons, as if trying to see right through him...
"Aunt Liu...you...what are you doing here?"
Zhu Dongxi tried her best to remain calm and not give herself away, but her feet unconsciously took a step back.
How could Liu Yingying let her escape?
He grabbed Zhu Dongxi's shoulder with one hand, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free.
"What are you doing? Let me go!"
"I should be asking you, what are you doing here?"
"Also, where did you go so late? And who did you take with you?"
Faced with Liu Yingying's questioning, Zhu Dongxi, being just a child, showed signs of panic but still tried to argue.
"I just came out for a walk to digest my food after dinner. Do I need to explain myself to a widow like you?"
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