Chapter 60: Integrating into you is forcing good people to become enemies
Xie Zhao looked a little flustered: "Did any villagers get hurt?"
"The roof flipped over and fell on two villagers, but luckily their lives are not in danger. The doctor has gone to see them."
Xie Zhao's frown relaxed: "I'll go over and take a look."
"I'm going too." Lu Tingwan followed.
Xie Zhao didn't care about her and said nothing.
The houses in Nanjiao Village are being rebuilt. The injured villagers were not seriously injured, they were just crushed by heavy objects that fell on them. They have received medicine.
"Boss." The villagers bowed respectfully to Xie Zhao. They had never met Lu Tingwan who was following behind him.
Xie Zhao inspected the houses for a week. If he sent more people to rebuild the roof, they could finish the repair in one day. However, what they lacked right now was not manpower, but supplies.
"Boss, there is not much turf left in the village. I guess we have to go down the mountain to buy some." said the subordinate.
Only then did Lu Tingwan realize that the village was so poor in supplies. She had thought the thatched cottage she lived in before was too simple, but now, in comparison, it was considered a good arrangement in the village.
Xie Zhao had no choice but to let Bai Tu go down the mountain to buy things, but the round trip was time-consuming and the roof would be difficult to repair after dark. The villagers would have to spend the cold night in such a leaky wooden house and they would probably freeze to death.
Lu Tingwan looked at the woman and child and offered, "I can still squeeze in. The boss can let them move in. I can make do with them."
As for the men, they only need to spend one night with the bandits.
Xie Zhao didn't want to trouble Lu Tingwan, but seeing her enthusiasm, he didn't want to spoil her fun and readily agreed.
After settling down, the women and children followed Lu Tingwan back to the thatched hut. The weather in the valley changed after nightfall. The north wind blew over the rocks, swirling and whistling at the bottom of the valley. The snow had stopped for the past two days.
The straw bed was not wide, and three people could barely sleep on it if they squeezed together. Lu Tingwan was full of curiosity about Baita Village, including Xie Zhao.
"I heard from the people in the main hall that Miss Jiang is the benefactor brought back by Mr. Bai, and she has made a lot of money for the boss." The woman started chatting.
"Why do the villagers here respect Xie Zhao and Bai Tu so much?" Xie Zhao and the bandit army's actions during the day proved one thing: at least, they were kind to the villagers.
"The first and second in command are both good people. People down the mountain say that Baita Village is evil and a group of unscrupulous bandits. But the two in command only rob the rich to help the poor and have never harmed ordinary people. The villagers are afraid because of the merchants who were robbed of their goods and money and spread rumors."
Lu Tingwan looked at the turf roof, thoughtfully: "But it's true that they are robbing, and the merchants' money is also hard-earned by others."
"Perhaps, but the headmaster is a great benefactor to the people of Baita Village."
"Baita Village is so short of supplies, why don't you go down the mountain and find a place where you can farm and settle down?" Lu Tingwan wondered.
The woman patted the child to sleep and said, "The bureaucrats and the rich have seized our land and are even trying to take our houses. If there were a place to survive down in the mountains, why would we run to this bitter cold place to survive?"
"Although the conditions here are a bit harsh, no one bullies us, and we don't have to worry all day long."
Tanzhou is rich in resources. Lu Tingwan secretly guessed that people should not be forced into such a desperate situation. Could it be that the local government condoned the rich to exploit the farmers?
If this is the case, there will inevitably be a transfer of benefits. This is the case under the feet of the emperor in Kyoto, not to mention that the area is so far away that the court cannot reach it, so local officials become local tyrants.
The terrain in Baita Village is barely suitable for growing some resistant crops with a short growth cycle, which can barely meet the basic needs of food and clothing. Once winter comes, supplies cannot be kept up, and the villagers have to go down the mountain to rob.
If you want to expand arable land in the mountains, it is not impossible, it just takes time.
However, if Shanxia really does what the woman said, I am afraid that more farmers will be forced to move to Baita Village in the future.
The oil lamp cast a shadow on her face, and she fell into deep thought. Suffering was everywhere in the world. Wherever she went, what she saw and heard was beyond her imagination of the prosperous era of Dalan.
Although Jiangling was not wealthy, the local officials were quite capable. At least she had never seen such a phenomenon, or maybe she just hadn't seen it yet.
The important officials in the court are engaged in intrigues and struggles, openly and secretly, and they hold power that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. What can they do?
The people far away in Kyoto were suffering, living a miserable life with no one caring about them. They paid heavy taxes but received no protection from the court.
As Cheng Xianzhi said, she is not a savior, and don't think that she can change anyone's fate, because it is difficult for her to grasp her own fate, let alone others.
Lu Tingwan knew that he was as small as a speck of dust, so how could he shake the mountains and the seas.
The next day, the wind stopped. At dawn, Xie Zhao came to the wooden house. The woman and the child had already returned to the house, and the turf that Bai Tu had bought could be used again that day.
Without the wind signal to wake him up at noon every day, Lu Tingwan slept soundly and gradually adapted to the thatched cottage.
The knock on the door disturbed the sleeping person, and Xie Zhao's voice came through the crack of the door: "Miss Jiang."
Lu Tingwan seemed to be hallucinating, and she forced her eyelids to close again. Someone outside the door called out again, "Miss Jiang, please come down the mountain today."
Lu Tingwan now understood everything and sat up suddenly: "Xie Zhao?"
"Get up, get up..."
Lu Tingwan put on his boots and coat, and looked through the crack in the door. He saw Xie Zhao standing with his hands behind his back.
"What are you doing down the mountain?"
"Open the door." Xie Zhao said in a low voice.
Lu Ting put on her clothes, but her hair was left hanging loose without being tied up.
The wooden door opened.
Lu Tingwan shivered as the chill seeped through her outer garment. Xie Zhao noticed how thin her clothes were. She had just arrived at Baita Village and didn't have any thick clothing. When Bai Tu brought her back, her bag was gone. She had left Kyoto overnight, unpacking.
When she looked down, she exuded the agility of a young girl. Her three-dimensional and delicate facial features did not need the embellishment or enhancement of heavy and luxurious red hairpins. The movement of her clear eyes could attract people's attention. When Xie Zhao looked at her, it was as if there was a layer of mist between them.
Lu Tingwan grinned, like a camellia blossoming on the edge of a green mountain, bright and charming, yet so unassuming. "I haven't washed up yet, would you like to come in and wait, Boss?"
Xie Zhao moved his body and stood in the wind's outlet, blocking the incoming wind for her. Lu Tingwan's hair, dancing in the wind, fell down and landed on her shoulder armor.
After she went in, Xie Zhao followed.
"Aren't you afraid that I might do something?" Xie Zhao found a seat for himself without hesitation.
Lu Tingwan put on the dark-colored men's coat, and with her long hair tied into a ponytail with a wooden hairpin, she said nonchalantly, "This is your territory. If you want to do something to me, you don't have to wait until today."
After Lu Tingwan found out what kind of person Xie Zhao was from the woman, she was no longer afraid of him, but instead felt some respect for this man.
She tied her hair in front of the bronze mirror, turned around and asked, "What new goods have you intercepted?"
"No." Xie Zhao looked around her room. It was indeed too simple. Judging from Lu Tingwan's behavior, makeup and appearance, although she did not look like a proud lady, she was definitely not an ordinary girl.
She had never felt resentful towards this kind of environment, or perhaps she knew her situation was not good and was deliberately enduring it?
He tried to see through Lu Tingwan, and Lu Tingwan was also spying on him.
"Can I ask the boss a question?" Lu Tingwan packed up and waited for Xie Zhao to lead the way.
"What's the reason for the boss to come to Baita Village?"
The person walking in front suddenly stopped, and Lu Tingwan's nose hit Xie Zhao's back hard, forcing her to take a few steps back. She rubbed her nose, which was sore and still felt cold.
"Shouldn't you care about why I took you down the mountain?" Xie Zhao stared at her.
Lu Tingwan had forgotten about this and always thought that it was still the same as before, so she asked Bai Tu to take her down the mountain to discuss business.
It seems that it is not a good thing for him to ask this now.
"The boss can say whatever he wants to say," Lu Tingwan said, "I can't say no anyway, right?"
Although Xie Zhao is a warrior, he is not a rough man, but he is still inferior to Lu Tingwan.
Xie Zhao took a step forward and stood side by side with her: "I'll take you to rob money."
Lu Tingwan felt a chill down her spine after hearing these words lightly. Damn Xie Zhao, he was going to drag her completely into the robbery business, so that even if she escaped in the future, she would not be able to erase her acts as a robber.
No one answered, so Xie Zhao laughed impudently: "Why, are you scared already?"
"Whose rich family's goods are these this time?" Lu Tingwan was calm and didn't give him a chance to look down on him.
"It's the official silver from the Qingfeng County Government." Xie Zhao adjusted the crossbow in his hand and said calmly.
Lu Tingwan's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed a handful of snow from somewhere and threw it at his face: "Xie Zhao, are you crazy?"
The snow shattered and fell on his clothes, but he didn't get angry. He looked at Lu Tingwan's angry face and smiled innocently, "Miss Jiang also gets scared sometimes."
"I'm not going." Lu Tingwan stopped walking and said firmly.
This is a risky and life-threatening business. They in Baita Village don't care about their lives, so she won't risk her life here.
A group of bandits from Qingyao Mountain and Baita Village intercepted the government silver, and the government must hold them responsible.
If we provoke someone into anger, as long as the government sends troops to defend Qingyao Mountain, the village will starve to death in less than two months with only the food stored in it, and will be defeated without any attack.
"Just kidding." Xie Zhao brushed the snow off his cheeks. "Binzhou sent a batch of high-quality spices to the Qingfeng County Trading Company."
"Spices," Lu Tingwan breathed a sigh of relief, "Second Master Bai isn't going?"
"I'm leading the team this time. Since you said we're on the same boat, I'll ask you to sit tight on this boat, otherwise I won't be at ease." Xie Zhao smiled evilly.
Lu Tingwan's beautiful eyes darkened: "You are forcing good people to become enemies."
Xie Zhao turned to her: "Yes."
He slowly raised his arm and aimed the crossbow at Lu Tingwan's chest: "Do you have a choice?"
Lu Tingwan's life is in someone's hands, and a single word can decide her life or death. If she is worthless in Baita Village, Xie Zhao will never let her do that.
She had a choice, but it wasn't the situation she was in now.
"I don't know martial arts, my hands and feet are not flexible, what can I do for the boss?"
Xie Zhao put away his armband, and the two of them walked until they arrived at the main hall. His subordinates brought out a black cloak, and Lu Tingwan put it on as instructed.
Xie Zhao didn't ask her to do anything. He just asked her to hold the knife and stand there, and then asked her to identify the spices when checking them.
Lu Tingwan previously ran Zhichunli, developing Huanyan Cream, Yulu Cream, rouge and powder, so naturally she had some knowledge of spices. The purpose of asking her to come was to participate. As for spices, women always knew more than these rough guys.
As Xie Zhao said, these spices are of top quality.
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