Chapter 4

For the next few days, Zhang Cai and his family were all busy digging wells.

Fortunately, on the sixth day, the water that everyone had been looking forward to for a long time was finally dug out. Finally, they had completed a difficult task before winter, and everyone was relieved.

Just as Zhang Cai was busy settling the wages of the well diggers, and Zhang Xiaolong and his two brothers were busy repairing the small path from the fields to the well platform, the gloomy winter clouds pressed down, and some salt bean-like snow fell from the sky. The farmer's love-hate winter day had finally arrived.

After the first snow, the cold wind became bitterly cold, and the New Year was not far away.

Zhang Cai was very satisfied this year. He had gotten an extra piece of land for his family and dug a well. In the future, this land would not be afraid of drought, and if he took good care of it, it would be the main source of food for his family.

Therefore, as the New Year approached, he had already instructed Guo Sufei to prepare more New Year goods, so that the family could have a good New Year.

His mother-in-law was getting old, and every New Year was a New Year. Recently, his mother-in-law's health had been deteriorating, and she had been lying on the bed for half a day. He did not know if she could make it through the next New Year. Thinking of his parents and how well his father-in-law treated him, he could not hold back his burning desire, and looked forward to a good New Year.

It was easy to buy the New Year goods for the farmers. The so-called "rich" meant that there were many styles, but the quantity was limited.

In fact, in terms of style, most of them were mountain goods that were dried on a daily basis, and only a few things were bought by Zhang Cai from faraway markets.

Because of his mother-in-law, Zhang Cai had bought some food that they had not seen before this year, which made the three brothers envious, and they wanted to try it early in the New Year.

Guo Sufei, in addition to being busy with New Year's matters, spent most of her time in the village looking for relatives. Sometimes, she would go to the neighboring villages to inquire. What she cared about was her eldest son's marriage.

However, looking at her sometimes gloomy and sometimes happy face, it felt that things were not going as smoothly as expected.

Time passed quickly as the Zhang family was busy, and the New Year was finally around the corner.

On the first day before the New Year, just as everyone was sitting around the stove, talking about the next year's harvest, the situation in the field, and Zhang Xiaolong's future wife.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the village. It was a mess outside.

"Could it be that bandits have come to rob the village?" Zhang Cai's mind immediately came up with an idea.

However, that shouldn't be the case. The Guozhuang House was very small, and the Guo Family was also a small family. Every family was very poor, and the bandits who lived in the nearby mountains never came to this desolate place. There shouldn't be any reason for them to come today.

Although he thought so, Zhang Cai didn't dare to be careless. He called the three children, took the hoes and other iron tools, and carefully walked out of the house.

The Zhang family's wall was half a meter high, so they could see the situation in the village at a glance. In the village, many people were gathering and talking, and some were running. However, they all knew each other. Although everyone looked a little panicked, they could still see a little bit of joy and gloat.

Zhang Cai was puzzled. He ordered the three children to return to the house and put the "weapons" back. He then went out to gather information.

Of course, the three of them didn't want to be idle. They also followed him out and mingled with the young people of the same age.

There were many people in the village, standing or sitting in twos and threes. They were all talking about the same thing.

Zhang Cai walked to a group of old men who were smoking and talking loudly. He saw Blacksmith Liu, who he was familiar with. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old Liu, what's going on?

Why is it so messy? "

Blacksmith Liu was smoking silently. When he saw that it was Zhang Cai who asked him a question, he knocked the cigarette that he had just finished smoking on the ground. He filled a new pot with new cigarettes from the tobacco pipe and carefully lit it. He took a deep breath and then said in a dull voice, "Old brother, do you know about One Eye who is eighty miles north of our village? The bandit who occupied Xi Cui Mountain?"

Zhang Cai said, "I know, that's the biggest bandit within a hundred miles of our village. How could I not know?

However, they have always been active in the rich areas in the north. What's wrong?

They ran over to our village? "

Blacksmith Liu took another puff and said, "Yes, do you remember that some time ago, Mr. Wu from Xin Zhuang dug up a well and dug up a chest of treasures?"

Zhang Cai suddenly realized, "Could it be, they …"

Zhang Cai didn't ask anymore. He already knew the reason. Wealth shouldn't be exposed. Such a conspicuous large sum of wealth was targeted by bandits. What good could there be?

When Butcher Guo saw that Zhang Cai wasn't asking any more questions, he squeezed over and said mysteriously, "Not only that, Mr. Wu was still hoping for a fluke at first, saying that there was no such thing and refusing to admit it. One Eye chased Mr. Wu's family of dozens of people into the ancestral hall and sent people to turn Mr. Wu's house upside down. In the end, they found a pile of treasures in the cellar and at the bottom of the well. One Eye was furious that Mr. Wu had deceived him, so he burned down the Wu family's ancestral hall with a torch.

Luckily, Xin Zhuang is slightly better than us. They are all poor people, so One Eye didn't make things difficult for others.

When these bandits left, they even made a fuss and told the villagers to be careful and not to report it to the authorities. Otherwise, they would bury everyone in Xin Zhuang with them. "

Blacksmith Liu said, "Misfortune is a blessing in disguise. A few days ago, they thought that they had struck it rich. Now, their entire family has been wiped out.

How tragic ~ "

Butcher Guo continued, "They didn't wipe out their entire family. Mr. Wu's sister-in-law came back to our village yesterday to visit her parents. She didn't go back today and avoided a disaster. Didn't someone just report it?

She just found out about the tragedy and sent people to investigate. Also, the person who reported it said that when the bandits left, they dragged a woman on a horse. They couldn't see her face clearly. She's probably Mr. Wu's daughter. The bandits took a fancy to her and took her up the mountain. Maybe she's the mistress of the village. "

Zhang Xiaohua and his brothers had been standing behind their father for a long time. When they heard what the villagers said, they felt a chill in their hearts for no reason.

Usually, they didn't hear much about the evil deeds of bandits, but it was all just talk. They thought it was just a story. Now, it happened right in front of them. Mr. Wu was also someone that a few people had seen before. When they were young, he had even taught Zhang Xiaohua a few words. Now, he was gone. He was burned to a crisp. Although they didn't see it with their own eyes, it still made them feel sad and afraid.

Zhang Xiaohua unconsciously rubbed the bracelet on her left wrist. She secretly thought, "Fortunately, what I dug out wasn't a real treasure. Even if it was, I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid bringing disaster to myself and my family."

An ordinary man's wealth is his own ruin. Such a bloody truth was deeply ingrained into the young man's heart.

The three brothers told Zhang Cai that they wanted to go to Xin Zhuang to see what happened, but Zhang Cai didn't agree.

After all, it was almost the New Year. If they encountered a bloody disaster, it wouldn't be good for their luck in the coming year. Moreover, the Wu Family in Xin Zhuang was now scorched earth. The tragic scene made people afraid. It was estimated that the people from the government should have already arrived there. If they went, it might cause a lot of trouble.

As they talked, the people in the village also dispersed. After all, other people's days had come to an end, but their own lives still had to be lived. The truth of each person only sweeping the snow in front of their door, even farmers understood.

The sky was dark, and the New Year was coming. It was better to tidy up their mood and busy themselves with their own affairs.

When Zhang Cai and the three children returned home, he saw his mother-in-law and Guo Sufei warming themselves around the fire. He told them about what happened in Xin Zhuang. When the two heard, they turned pale with fright. The two of them prayed to the heavens, hoping that the souls of the dead would be reincarnated as soon as possible. They also hoped that their family would never encounter such a disaster.

Until the sky was completely dark and the house was lit with oil lamps, Zhang Xiaohua's grandmother was still muttering, "Misfortune is a blessing in disguise, misfortune is a blessing in disguise."

It was also the New Year, but this year's Guozhuang House was far less lively than before. Under the curtain of the night, only children were playing and playing with lanterns. Only they didn't know the dangers of the world and let their nature run wild.

Most of the farmers were like Zhang Cai's family. After eating a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, tidying up the hard work of the past year, and looking forward to the sweet happiness of the New Year, there was a trace of gloom in their hearts. When they thought about Mr. Wu's experience and thought about this world where the strong preyed on the weak, it was inevitable that they would have the idea that they were fish on the chopping block. Looking at the vast world, they didn't know how to protect their family's safety.

The New Year's Eve, which was supposed to be lively and noisy, passed quietly just like that.

She didn't know whether the dreams of the other villagers contained happiness, joy, harvest, and sweetness, but Zhang Xiaohua only had a twinkle in her eyes. That twinkle seemed to have a trace of clarity.

The New Year's Eve for farmers was actually very simple. Other than the New Year's greetings, there was only the faraway market in Lu Town.

Every year, starting from the third day of the New Year, there was a street in Lu Town where the eight neighboring villages gathered and bustled. Everyone wore new clothes, brought their families, and brought a slightly full purse around their waists to feel the New Year's atmosphere.

In Zhang Cai's family, except for Guo Sufei, who had to stay at home to take care of Zhang Xiaohua's grandmother, Zhang Cai brought his three children to the Lu Town market.

Lu Town was south of the Guozhuang House and was about 85 li away from the Guozhuang House.

There weren't many streets in Lu Town, so there wasn't much excitement to share on weekdays.

It wasn't easy to catch up with the New Year's gathering. Everyone took out the energy they had accumulated for a year and squeezed out a street in Lu Town.

This was a street facing north and south. It was relatively wide and seemed to be the main street of Lu Town. There were many shops on both sides of the street. No matter what kind of business they were doing, the business was very good. The doors were wide open and many people came in and out. The shop assistants stood inside and outside the shop, greeting the customers coming and going. Many peddlers picked their own small livelihood and placed it on the street. They kept shouting loudly to attract the people in front of them.

Usually, if the shop assistants in the shop saw someone blocking the door, they would definitely greet them and drive them away. But today was an exception. They all came out to find a way to make a living. In order to win the first prize of the New Year, they wouldn't be angry and hurt the harmony. They even wished each other good luck when they met.

As a result, the street, which was not very spacious, became more crowded.

Zhang Xiaohua, who came to the market with her father and brother, didn't even know where to look.