Chapter 119: Bandits Enter the Village

Chapter 119: Bandits Enter the Village

Everyone was experienced in building houses, and after a few days of orderly work, the foundation was laid. The sand, gravel, and soil were excavated from the same spot as before, and Wu Zhaodi took charge of this task. Tao Hua couldn't bear to see her overworked and helped carry loads whenever she had a chance.

Zhao Sufen had recovered for two days and now managed all the kitchen chores herself. Apart from stir-frying vegetables, which was Tao Hua's job, she didn't have to worry about cooking or washing clothes. She focused on outdoor tasks instead.

This time, Wei Dahu didn't go quarrying stones. How could Chen Erniu let him do such strenuous work? Wei Dahu couldn't persuade him otherwise and spent his free time chopping trees and sawing wood to help build the house.

Time flew by amidst their busy schedule, and in about six or seven days, another house appeared beside the old one. It looked drab and unkempt from the outside, but Chen Erniu and Wu Zhaodi were moved to tears, overwhelmed with emotion that was beyond words.

Their hearts were finally at ease, their hard work since dawn till dusk these days had paid off. Their skin was rubbed raw, but now they had a home in the mountains.

"Let's kill a chicken! We're having chicken tonight!" Chen Erniu plopped down on the ground, exhausted, eyeing the hens pecking leisurely in the yard. He instructed Wu Zhaodi, "Wife, you catch the chicken, I'll kill it, boil water, and pluck its feathers!"

"What did the chicken do to you? It just laid an egg this morning. Why kill it? There's still cured meat hanging in the kitchen, you haven't even finished what you brought into the mountain. Is that not enough to fill your stomach?" Today, there were only some finishing touches left, so Uncle Da and Uncle Er didn't help. After breakfast, they carried their hoes to clear a path and weed out grass. Even Man Cang was sent to assist. When they returned, they heard Chen Erniu bragging about slaughtering a chicken, and Uncle Da immediately shut him down, "I see you don't care much about those hens. You might as well leave them here in the mountains. Tomorrow we'll go down the mountain, and your Uncle Wei won't come back down this time. Leave them for him to feed. He can collect eggs every day."

Chen Erniu was scolded, but he scratched his head and laughed, not a bit upset: "I was just thinking that everyone has been working hard lately, helping us build the house from dawn till dusk. I wanted to kill a chicken to make soup for you all, to help you recover."

"There’s no need to kill a chicken to nourish the body; a pot of stewed mutton will do." Zhao Sufen emerged from the kitchen with a smile. "Don’t kill the chicken, it can still lay eggs. I’ll fetch some mutton later and simmer it for half a day. We’ll have mutton soup tonight, perfect for warming up after these snowy days. Everyone should get nice and cozy."

"Agreed, mutton soup it is tonight," Uncle Er was quick to agree. He had been craving this for a while. With Peach Blossom busy carrying sand and gravel, and his in-laws handling the cooking, he hadn’t felt right asking.

Peach Blossom was exhausted as well, but she didn’t rest. She fetched a bucket of clean water and helped Wu Zhaodie clean the house. Throughout the afternoon, Chen Erniu made several trips to the stream, barely fetching enough water for their needs.

Time flew by unnoticed amidst their bustling activities. By nightfall, the newly built house had been transformed into a fresh space.

The front room door was tightly shut. In the afternoon, the mountain weather suddenly turned, with sleet and snow pouring down, and strong winds howling. The temperature dropped sharply, leaving Iron Bull and Doggie shivering, repeatedly complaining about the cold.

Indeed, they were experiencing the difference between the depths of the mountains and the village for the first time. Despite being the same season, the same snow and wind made two layers of clothing insufficient in the mountains.

The kerosene lamp cast a dim light, and above the table, steam rose from the bowls. Each person huddled over their bowl, the scalding hot mutton soup instantly soothing their chilled bodies.

"Now that the houses in the mountains are all built, what are we planning? This trip down the mountain, are we continuing to move things or what was it, something about Jing...what change?" Uncle Er tried to sound scholarly, but lacking any education, he curled up, looking at his eldest nephew across from him.

Fortunately, though his eldest nephew was also uneducated, he understood what he meant and laughed. "Why would we build houses if we weren’t going to live in them? For this trip down the mountain, you and Uncle Er should take a break. Let Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother come up to the mountains instead. Bring all the livestock up here and have Father help look after them. Also, gradually move up food supplies and clothes. After making a few trips back and forth, I think it will be about right. Then, we can all move into the mountains." As he spoke, he sighed.

What did moving everyone into the mountains mean? It meant he sensed that something significant was about to happen outside.

As the end of the year drew near, the weather this season brought multiple snowfalls daily, each biting cold to the bone. In the village, it was bearable—every household had stores of food in their cellars. But in the county and town, it was a different story. He thought of the people lying pale-faced with hunger before grain shops, their bodies clinging to the last threads of strength, while their meager resources had long since been depleted.

The price of grain fluctuates daily. When they could afford it, they were willing to endure hardship; but when it became unaffordable, those driven by extreme hunger were no different from wild beasts.

During years of famine, when wolves find no sustenance in the mountains, they descend in packs to prey on humans.

What difference exists between a ravenous person and a starving wolf?

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Unbeknownst to them as they huddled in the cold, cradling their bowls of warm mutton soup to chase away the chill, fate had indeed proven Dahu Wei's words true.

No sooner had Li Dalang and his mother finished attending to the funeral proceedings of Butcher Zhu and returned home than another matter arose from Zhou Miaohua's natal family, his wife's side.

It was the third day since Wei Dahu and his group had ventured into the mountains. The memory of Old Couple Zhou leading their clan in a show of force against the Chen family was still fresh in the minds of the people from Dahewan Village. Their overbearing demeanor left a lasting impression, particularly that of Zhou Pozi, who had thrown herself on the ground, kicking and screaming like a shrew. Her weathered face was known to all, and so when she burst into the village, wailing as if her heart was shattered, her cries echoing the sorrow of a widow who had lost her husband, it startled every villager hibernating within their homes.

On a bitterly cold winter day, there was little entertainment to be had. But when Lady Zhou arrived, it was as if a gust of wind had swept through the entire village, spurring everyone into action. The Chen family in particular rushed to the scene with unmatched speed; there was never a lack of excitement when it came to feasting on the misfortunes of their foes.

In no time, the Li family's residence was surrounded by a crowd.

Zhou Pozi arrived at her daughter and son-in-law's home, barely registering the snow underfoot as she collapsed onto a seat, exhausted. Her weathered face, etched with wrinkles, was streaming with tears as she beat her thighs and wailed, "Miaohua, my dear Miaohua, hurry back to your parent's home to see your father one last time; our family has met with a terrible calamity! Your eldest brother has been beaten to death, and your father and second brother still lie in bed, their lives hanging by a thread — we don't know when they might draw their last breath. Our food stocks have all been plundered by a band of vicious thieves! Our village was raided by bandits, a gang of them, coming from who knows where, slashing at anyone in sight with their knives. Every household has had their grains stolen. Woe is us... Son-in-law, my dear old son-in-law, I am at my wit's end. I beg of you, your elder brother is a capable man and knows the officials in the county. I want to report this to the authorities, I must have these criminals arrested! My firstborn was hacked to death while still breathing!"

The Lis, caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events, were momentarily too stunned to react.

Zhou Miaohua had originally been lying low in her house, pretending to be pregnant for several months, never imagining that she would actually become pregnant later on. When she suddenly heard that her mother had come, she initially didn't take it seriously, thinking that her mother just missed her. But as she put on her shoes and came out to meet her, she was greeted with such a shocking piece of news that it felt like a bolt from the blue. It was so overwhelming that she nearly fainted on the spot.

"What bandits? Murdering and plundering grain? Are you fabricating stories? Our Dinghe Town doesn't harbor bandit nests; who would have the audacity to do such a thing?" With his uncle's demise, Li Dalang immediately felt the loss of his support. He had been treading carefully in the village these days, mindful of his behavior. In his heart, he was particularly concerned about his brothers-in-law from the Yue family, thinking that he should foster a closer relationship with them going forward. Now that he could no longer rely on his mother's family, there was still the Yue family. His father- and mother-in-law were the type who would forcefully intervene on their daughter's behalf, even if it meant knocking on another's door.

No sooner had he started to calculate mentally than the tragic news from the Yue family arrived, stunning him into wide-eyed disbelief. In his alarm, he stumbled, momentarily forgetting his intention to help his mother-in-law to her feet.

"How could I possibly joke about my son's life? Your eldest brother's corpse still lies at home, and this time around, seven or eight people in the village have died, Brother Miaohua being one of them!" Old Lady Zhou sobbed, her tears streaming down her face. "I don't know what happened, I really don't! They suddenly appeared out of nowhere, over a hundred of them, each gaunt and hungry, their eyes filled with malice. They carried clubs and knives in their hands, led by a towering brute. Upon entering the village, they started looting. Anyone who resisted was met with a stab from his blade. They came to our house, your father and brothers couldn't stop them. How could your eldest brother just watch as our food was taken? He stepped forward to intervene, but before he could even touch them, he clutched his stomach and fell to the ground."

As she recalled that scene, her weeping grew more sorrowful, like a nightmare. Her eldest son's blood had soaked the ground, her old man and second son were beaten and rolled on the floor, the whole village was in chaos, with screams and cries coming from every household. It was chaos, complete chaos.

Unaware that Butcher Zhu was already dead, she collapsed in tears. "Please, Mother-in-law, help us. Your brother is a man of great ability; our families are bound by marriage and should look out for each other. Now that my eldest has been wrongfully killed, all our food, oil, money, and even the warm clothes off our backs have been stolen. Those bandits, as ruthless as locusts, kill anyone in their path. We must report this to the authorities and have them captured! Please, help us, ask your brother..."

Mother of Daling Li's face darkened, and she subconsciously shifted away.

"You need to go to the county if you want to report to the authorities, what use is finding Butcher Zhu, he's dead!" someone in the crowd said.

The old woman's wails paused as she lifted her head in confusion. Her daughter-in-law's mother had somehow slipped into the house, leaving only her son-in-law standing in the courtyard.

Old Zhu the Butcher was dead? Dead?

"Your uncle is dead?" With any hope of clearing her son's name now dashed, she suddenly scrambled to her feet and lunged at Li Daren. "He's dead? How could he die? Wasn't he someone with great abilities? How can he be dead?! Then what about my eldest son, what about my son?! Ah! Miao Hua, what are we going to do? We have nothing left in our home. Old Zhu the Butcher is dead, who will help us get our grain back?!"

Zhou Mama couldn't hold herself up any longer. After a final cry, she collapsed straight backward.

We'll leave aside the chaos that ensued within the Li household. Let's focus on the villagers gathered outside their door. They were whispering among themselves, and the more astute ones sensed something amiss. They had already secretly dispatched their sons to gather information.

Zhou Miao Hua's natal family wasn't far from their village, just a few villages away. They had heard everything clearly. A horde of over a hundred bandits had invaded their village, killing people and seizing grain. This wasn't a case of one household offending someone and facing retribution; the entire village had been plundered, with seven or eight people losing their lives!

The people of Big River Village felt a chill run down their spines. Those who knew each other exchanged glances before quietly slipping away from the Li household in twos and threes.

People occasionally ventured out of the village through the snowstorm.

The common folk didn't know what was happening outside, but their instinct for danger was ingrained in their bones. The events Zhou Mama described filled them with unease, as if something major had occurred beyond their knowledge!

No one paid any more attention to Zhou Mama or the Li family. All the children running around the village were rounded up by their parents. The growing sense of unease was carried along with hurried footsteps. Every household had their gates tightly shut, as if that would shield them from all dangers.

Qiu Yan and her aunt-in-law started their stiff journey home before Old Lady Zhou passed out, mother and daughter-in-law gazing at the snow-laden sky with a sense of finality, as if they were thinking in unison, "So it has finally come to this."

"Mother..." Qiu Yan's teeth chattered, uncertain whether from cold or fear.

"Hush." Her aunt-in-law glanced around, her voice barely audible, "Go tell your second aunt to secure the house, we'll wait for Da Hu's return."

Qiu Yan nodded hastily, her heart pounding wildly.