Chapter 92: The Bandit's Son

Qin Fang Niang was somewhat panicked: "Those people just now, they were refugees, weren't they? Weren't all the refugees supposed to be stopped? How come there are refugees here?"

Sang shook her head: "I'm not sure. Let's return and ask Manager Xu for help to check the situation. It's too unsafe for us women and children to travel the ten-mile mountain road like this."

Those few, whether refugees or not, looked like they had been wandering for a long time and were extremely starved, reduced to mere skin and bones, almost staggering as they walked.

People who are extremely hungry can be very dangerous. If they really headed back like that, they could easily become targets.

Having just left the city gate, Sang and her group turned back. The gate officer squinted his eyes and, before he could ask, Qin Fang Niang proactively said, "We saw a few people who looked like refugees ahead, and we, being just women and children, decided to return to the town for safety."

The three city guards exchanged a glance. Unusually, they didn’t require the re-entry fee and waved Sang and the group back into the city. One guard quickly left the gate, presumably to report to their superiors, while the other two remained at their post, their sheathed swords at their waists exuding a deterrent presence.

Without delay, Sang led Qin Fang Niang and the others directly to the back door of the Dongfu Building.

By this time, it was past midday and the Dongfu Building's kitchen had mostly closed for the day. However, the young man Sang first met was washing dishes and greeted them with a smile, curiously asking, "Haven’t you returned home yet today?"

Sang managed a forced smile, saying, "We ran into some trouble. I need to find Manager Xu. Could you check if he's available, young man?"

Although she said to 'check,' she was actually asking the young man to convey her request.

Aware of the shopkeeper’s high regard for Sang Luo, the young worker didn’t shirk responsibility. Wiping his hands, he asked her to wait and quickly went to the front to pass a message. In no time, shopkeeper Xu followed the young man back to the kitchen to meet Sang Luo and her group, asking, “I heard you encountered some trouble, what happened? Any difficulties?”

Sang Luo nodded and shared her encounter with a few suspected vagrants outside the city gates, expressing concern about returning the ten-mile journey with a few women and children. She suggested compensating to see if the tavern could provide some staff for escort.

On hearing it was about vagrants, Xu’s expression tightened. Knowing of Sang Luo's previous arrangement with the guards, he offered to help without mentioning payment, inviting them to wait inside the tavern while he arranged to investigate.

……

Xu dispatched two reliable staff. After more than half an hour, they returned – one having checked outside the city and the other having inquired at the yamen.

The staff member who went outside reported no signs of vagrants near the city, nor any traces around the area.

The one who inquired at the yamen learned that the county commandant had also sent people to investigate. When the yamen’s strongmen arrived, the vagrants had vanished. Despite searching the nearby forests, they found no trace of them.

The only certainty was that the area had only a few scattered individuals, not a large group of vagrants.

Sang Luo felt a slight relief, yet couldn't fully relax.

Shopkeeper Xu, noting Sang Luo's concern, offered, "Today, I'll have four or five workers escort you back. I’ll continue to inquire about the situation and if there's any change, we’ll send a message to your village."

With no other option, Sang Luo stood to express her gratitude.

Xu then inquired, "What about the tofu and mock tripe delivery for tomorrow? Can you still manage?"

He was prepared to arrange for workers to pick them up if necessary, not wanting to delay business.

The decision depended on Qin Fangniang and others. After discussion, they unanimously agreed to continue selling tofu, dried soybean paste, and mock tripe, unless the situation worsened.

They couldn't abandon their livelihood just because a few vagrants had been sighted and then disappeared.

Relieved, Xu carefully selected a few tall and sturdy workers for the return escort of Sang Luo and her group.

The journey back was uneventful, without any encounters resembling vagrants. Sang Luo, feeling a bit relieved, gave the workers fifty coins as a token of appreciation for their efforts and to buy some tea.

Fifty coins!

Divided among the five, each would receive ten coins!

The workers were visibly pleased, repeatedly bowing and thanking her.

Sang Luo didn’t consider the amount extravagant; fifty coins might sound significant, but divided among five, it was only ten coins per person. They had risked potential danger to escort them, and any encounter with vagrants would have been problematic.

She saw them off with further caution for their safety and only returned inside after they were out of sight.

Qin Fangniang and others hastily offered ten coins each, but Sang Luo refused them, saying, “No need, it was me who owed the favor. They're just returning it. You don't have to chip in. But we do need to devise a plan for tomorrow's trip to the county; we must earn money but also ensure our safety.”

“Given the situation with the refugees, we also need to inform Village Chief Zhou. The villagers should be more vigilant.”

“Refugees may not enter the county, but that doesn't mean they won't come to our surrounding villages.”

……

Village Chief Zhou took this matter seriously. He was somewhat acquainted with a distant relative of the Wang family and had heard some unsettling news, which left him feeling uneasy.

“The recent tax levies, skyrocketing grain prices, and disasters and epidemics in the north keep me awake at night. The appearance of refugees feels like another shoe dropping.”

“I wonder if more troubles will follow.”

“At present, the young men of our village have all gone to perform their labor service. Since a man is assigned a separate household registration upon marriage and fatherhood, every family's able-bodied men are away, leaving few behind in the village.”

“It's either those like me, whose sons are serving, or bachelors like my third son and Lu's third son. We have very limited manpower for defense.”

In a rare exercise of his authority as the village chief, Zhou Village Chief had his three youngest sons at home notify all the men to come to his house for a discussion.

Meanwhile, in the Chen family courtyard, upon hearing the news brought by her daughter-in-law, Granny Chen's first reaction was worry. After discussing with a few other families, Old Man Chen, Old Man Lu, and Lu Sanlang agreed to accompany and protect the women at their market stalls, and then Granny Chen approached Sang Luo.

"You should come down from the mountain to stay at night. Don't stay in the mountains for now; it's too isolated from the village. If something happens, the villagers might not hear it. Besides, your Uncle Tian is not at home. You and Ah Ning can squeeze in with Fangniang. Xiaoya will sleep with me, and Xiao'an will stay in the same room as Ershan."

Sang Luo naturally had no objections. She truly valued her life; otherwise, she wouldn't have left the county town so swiftly. She thanked them for the inconvenience, quickly packed up at home, and then moved to the Chen's house with her two children.

Zhou Village Chief, on his part, had already organized the village men and youths to take turns keeping watch at night.

While the other village children were still oblivious, Shen An and Shen Ning, having witnessed refugees themselves, were somewhat nervous. This anxiety began to fade only when Xiaoya came asking about their experiences in the county town.

Speaking of their experiences in the county town, Shen Ning remembered the pastries he had brought, and took out two perishable items from his bag, giving one each to Xiaoya and Chen Ershan.

There were still three buns left.

The siblings glanced at each other, chose not to eat themselves, and carefully repackaged the buns in the oiled paper bag.

After Xiaoya had finished eating, Shen Ning pulled her aside to whisper in her ear, and soon after, Xiaoya ran out with the oiled paper package.

……

The riverbank in the village had recently become the favorite spot for Shen Jin and his two younger brothers to play.

Little Xiaoya found the three brothers there, spotting them from a distance and running towards them while calling out, "Shen Jin, Shen Jin!"

Shen Jin glanced over and, seeing it was Chen Xiaoya, pressed his lips together without speaking.

Lately, the village children had taken to teasing them, laughing and calling their parents thieves, which made Shen Jin reluctant to join in the village kids' games.

Erniu and Huzi's group didn’t do this, but they mostly hung around with Shen An and Shen Ning, and Shen Jin didn’t really want to join them either.

Chen Xiaoya ran up to Shen Jin, stopping a couple of steps away and panting as she thrust the oiled paper bag into his hands.

Shen Jin asked, "What’s this?"

As he spoke, his nose involuntarily sniffed the air, detecting a faintly appetizing aroma.

Chen Xiaoya smiled, "Ah Ning brought them back from the county town, buns made in a big restaurant. He told me to give them secretly just to you three."

Shen Jin’s hand, which was about to open the oiled paper bag, paused momentarily.

Chen Xiaoya, seeing his reaction, said, "Shen An and Ah Ning haven't eaten any since they came back. There are only three, and they're all for you."

"It was just Shen Uncle and Shen Aunt who were caught sneaking into Ah Ning's house at midnight. It's not Shen An and Shen Ning's fault, yet it's been awkward for so long."

Chen Xiaoya couldn't quite understand.

Having delivered the items, she patted her behind and ran off.

Shen Jin: …

Shen Yin and Shen Tie came over, "Big brother, is sister giving us buns to eat?"

Shen Jin hummed in affirmation.

The two brothers looked at him eagerly.

He hesitated for a moment, then opened the oiled paper package.

The buns had cooled down and didn't have a strong aroma, but his nose was sensitive, and he could still smell a very pleasant scent.

He divided the buns, one for each, "Eat up, but don't mention it when we get home."

He knew that if their mother found out they had eaten something from Shen Ning, she would surely start a fuss.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie took a small bite of the bun, and the aroma of the food rushed into their nostrils, the taste in their mouths even better.

"This is so delicious!"

Hearing his brothers exclaim how tasty it was, Shen Jin also took a bite.

It was genuinely delicious, something he had never eaten before.

As Shen Yin ate, he asked, "Big brother, why haven't we been to sister's house for a long time?"

Why, indeed?

At first, he was worried their mother would urge him to do something wrong. Then, his parents went and did it themselves, with his father being penalized with two months of labor duty and his mother constantly at home, scolding and beating Big Hall Sister, Shen An, and Shen Ning.

Shen Jin replied, "Dad and Mom don’t like us going there."

He himself also felt somewhat uncomfortable about it.

Most importantly, Shen Jin wasn’t sure if his parents would ask him to do something like last time again. If there was a possibility, it was better to visit less often, at least to thwart any such ideas from his parents.

The word 'thief' didn't sound good at all; he really disliked being called that by the other village children.

These things were hard to explain to his younger brothers, so he picked the only easy thing to say.

Shen Yin pouted, "I really want to go play at sister's house. Shitou and the others go there every day."

"Sister and Shitou wouldn't call them thieves either."