Chapter 174 The Son Died
"I understand, young girl, most of them are just holding onto wood."
The village head's face was etched with the marks of time.
However, he still prayed that nothing else would happen.
The crops are destroyed, the houses have collapsed, how are we supposed to survive the rest of the year?
After a long silence, sobs gradually rose in the darkness.
The ground still trembled from time to time, and the intermittent collapses continued unabated.
Xiao Zhang leaned against a big tree with Li Meng in his arms, on the verge of tears.
"My newly built house..."
"Don't be sad, it's good that we're okay. We'll earn money together and rebuild it," Li Meng comforted him.
"That won't be necessary..."
Xiao Zhang still had money, which he hid under the roof tiles of his house.
It takes a lot of searching to find it.
There would be more than enough room to build two more houses.
What he regretted was...
Where is the bridal chamber?
It will take another half month to build the house!
An hour later, when there was finally no more sound, a full hour had passed.
Everyone was really anxious, so Fu Leng, Xiao Zhang, Liu Erzhu and a few other young people decided to go into the village to take a look.
"That guy..."
Lu Qingqing walked up to the guy and asked, "Did you bump your chest? I've seen you rubbing it a lot."
“Miss Lu, my name is… Gu Chengzhou.”
Gu Chengzhou?
At least this one has a surname.
"Gu Chengzhou, did you bump your chest? Do you want me to give you a few acupuncture needles?"
"No, no need!"
Gu Chengzhou turned around and leaped onto the tree.
Lu Qingqing: Is she a cannibal?
Xu Rui's side seems to have a lot of rules, making people both silly and rigid, and always keeping strangers at bay.
After a while, the person who went to check returned.
They all had smiles on their faces and dragged back several wild beasts.
Two wolves, a wild boar, and a bear!
Xiao Zhang waved happily to Li Meng: "Our house is perfectly fine! Only about ten houses on the far east side were damaged."
The ten or so houses at the far east end: "..."
Liu Erzhu waved his hand confidently: "Don't worry, everyone will help us build it up when we get back!"
"Oh ho—"
Everyone started shouting.
This is truly a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!
Several families at the edge of the village were also happy.
We've been wanting to get rid of that dilapidated house for ages! Everyone, please help rebuild it; it'll be much sturdier!
"We even killed a few beasts! Come on, everyone, start a fire! Go fetch water, let's eat some meat to calm our nerves!"
The cheers grew even louder.
Let's not worry about anything else for now, let's have a big meal, and we'll deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow!
...
As the night passed and dawn broke, news finally arrived from the yamen runners.
The dike in this location has been inspected and repaired, and you can go home now.
The villagers wept with joy.
Now, we have nothing to worry about except the crops!
The village head shouted, "Hurry home, get yourselves together, and go to the fields to see if the crops can be saved!"
Fu Leng and Gu Chengzhou asked the yamen runners what was going on over there.
"Master Fu, the young master said that the damage was caused by human intervention! I don't know what kind of bastard did such a heinous thing! Three villages were flooded, and we don't know how many people died. Two breaches have been plugged, and the investigation is still ongoing."
"Where is the young master? Is he injured?"
"The master and young master split up to patrol, working all night. When I arrived, the young master's voice was terribly hoarse; I wonder if he was injured."
Fu Leng was heartbroken!
Why should the young master examine him personally? His body is so precious...
His gaze fell on Lu Qingqing, who was packing her things.
His eyes lit up, and he had an idea.
“Miss Lu! Could you come with us to the dam? Young Master can’t hold on any longer. There are quite a few injured people there, and many doctors have already been summoned.”
Lu Qingqing stopped and pondered.
"No, it's too dangerous over there," Lu Yun said.
"No, Gu Chengzhou and I will stay by Miss Lu's side to protect her."
Fu Leng's voice sounded somewhat obsequious.
"Moreover, you get paid for saving lives. Most importantly, it will be recorded by the government and you will have merit, which will be very beneficial for Miss Lu's future medical practice."
“Okay, let’s go together,” Lu Qingqing said.
Xu Rui has helped her a lot, and this time he even assigned two people to protect her family, so she should go and see them.
Xiao Zhang came over and overheard their conversation.
He also wanted to go see Xu Rui.
But he couldn't bear to part with his new wife.
How can you leave home right after getting married?
Don't let your wife be laughed at by others.
Li Meng was perceptive and saw through his hesitation.
“Young Master Xu is your brother, why don’t you go and see him? I’m just tidying up at home.”
"Ah, but, you're all alone..."
"Go ahead, I'm not a child anymore. If you're worried, come back before sunset."
"Okay, I'll just go take a look, to see my brother, oh, our brother! I'll be right back if there's nothing else, hehe..."
Xiao Zhang turned his head, and lo and behold! Everyone was gone!
"Wait for me, wait, I'm coming too!"
Lu Yun was going home to get a carriage to go with Lu Qingqing, while Fu Leng and Gu Chengzhou were already on horseback.
Xiao Zhang ran up to Fu Leng and said, "Take me with you!"
"No way! What are you going to do? Make trouble!"
"How did I cause any trouble? I'm going to see my brother!"
Fu Leng rubbed his face from top to bottom, making his lips curve into a smile.
"My young master specifically instructed me to keep an eye on you. Don't you know that newlyweds shouldn't leave home for the first three days of marriage?"
To have such a natural and man-made disaster on your wedding day, without even consummating your marriage, and then to leave your wife and home at this time, is extremely unlucky.
They really don't take people seriously!
Would my young master be happy to see you acting like this?
Xiao Zhang was stunned.
It seems so.
"Then I won't go. I'll go in two days."
Fu Lengxin nodded with satisfaction.
Gu Chengzhou: "Aren't you afraid the young master will punish you for this?"
Fu Leng revealed a profound smile: "You don't understand, I... I've truly seen the light!"
The young master will not only not punish him, but will also value him again!
hey-hey!
A dam on the Cuilan River.
A tiny crack was promptly plugged.
"Young master, the inspection will be completed in ten miles!" someone reported back.
"The villagers there have also been notified to temporarily evacuate."
"Okay, continue. Check carefully, there can be no oversights!"
"Young master!" another person reported.
"The lord has arranged for all doctors to treat the villagers in the three villages and to investigate any suspicious persons at the same time!"
"good."
Xu Rui felt a little dizzy, and his stomach was rumbling as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.
Ten more miles, almost there.
A series of mournful cries rang out.
Several women and children in tattered clothes ran towards them.
"Corrupt official!"
"Those who murder for money deserve a terrible death!"
The person beside him brandished his longsword, about to step forward to stop them, but Xu Rui waved his hand and said, "Let them come over."
An old woman was crying so hard she couldn't straighten up and had to be helped up by others.
A tearful accusation: "You build the irrigation canal every year, you build the irrigation canal every year!"
Just a month ago they said it was fixed, and all the able-bodied men in the village hadn't slacked off...
The torrential rain last night started calling for help again... but my son hasn't come back...
My eldest son died in the war, and now my youngest son is gone too. Let me die!
I can't live like this... I can't live like this!
"You officials really don't value our lives at all!"
The sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy glared fiercely at Xu Rui and unexpectedly threw a stone.
"Give me back my father's life!"
"How dare you!" The guard beside him cleaved the stone in two with a single sword stroke.
"Everyone, step back," the man commanded in a calm voice, leaving no room for argument.
"I'm not afraid of you. My father is dead, and I have no mother anymore. I'm not afraid of anything!" the boy cried, then picked up another stone and smashed it heavily into Xu Rui's chest.
Xu Rui did not dodge.
The dull thud of the stone hitting the body was so distinct; it hurt just to hear it.
The women were a little scared, so they grabbed the little boy and nervously backed away.
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