Chapter 187:

Chapter 187:

After Pei Yan and Gu Lanyu left, the crowd gradually dispersed from the doorway. Most of these people were men, but alas, the Lou brothers were no saints, so much so that even their fellow villagers dared not provoke them. Today, as they faced their comeuppance, those who had been bullied by them in the past couldn't help but secretly rejoice.

As for the men who had intentions to side with Lou Wu, upon seeing his brothers beaten to a pulp and Lou Wu himself so terrified he wet his pants, they felt a surge of fear and dared not stand up for Lou Wu. Everyone knew that Pei Yan and Lou Wu were at odds; being mistaken as allies could only lead to misfortune.

In the courtyard, Lou Wu's wife was terrified, her face pale. Seeing the injured and unconscious bodies on the ground, she turned to look at Lou Wu at the entrance of the main room, paralyzed on the ground with a large wet patch on his pants. As her wits slowly returned, she wiped away her tears and got up from the ground. She walked towards Lou Wu, crying and scolding him, "I told you to do good deeds, but you wouldn't listen. You only knew how to cause trouble. Now look what happened, you've invited someone to beat us up at our doorstep."

Lou Wu usually had the final say at home. If he heard such words in the past, he would have pointed his finger at his wife's nose and cursed her out. Not laying a hand on her was considered lenient. A woman meddling in a man's affairs? Unthinkable.

But now, his legs were weak, and his lower body felt icy cold. He vividly remembered the scene where Pei Yan almost split Lou Qi's head open with an axe. His head buzzed, his spine chilled, and he didn't even hear his wife's scolding.

His wife wiped her tears, seeing his pitiful state, feeling both hatred and fear, yet also a bit relieved. Lou Qi had his leg broken, but Lou Wu was fine, not even beaten, without a single scratch.

She helped up the utterly humiliated Lou Wu, only to find that he was as if he had lost his mind, his eyes blank and dazed. In panic, she burst into tears.

When the families of Lou Qi, Lou Ba, and others arrived, the courtyard became even more chaotic, filled with curses, cries, and mutual accusations.

After Lou Wu regained some composure, his sluggish eyes moved slightly, gradually regaining consciousness. He got up from the ground, ignoring the need to change his pants. His heart was filled with resentment towards Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan. If it weren't for them, how could Pei Yan have been provoked!

"Bastards! Inciting Old Seventh to cause trouble, even leaving his leg here. Lou Wu, if you don't give me an explanation today, we're not done!"

Lou Qi's mother, seeing her son's broken leg, was seething with anger, almost wanting to devour the person who led her son astray.

Lou Wu gnashed his teeth at the two surnamed Liu, his expression twisted with hatred. After being scolded, he glared back viciously.

Lou Qi's mother was startled, frightened by the bloodshot eyes and ferocious expression on his face. She muttered curses and turned to support her son.

Seeing Lou Qi awake, still looking terrified, she couldn't bear it anymore. Seeing Lou Wu's wife over there, she started yelling at her again.

Lou Wu's wife, annoyed by the noise in the courtyard and being scolded by multiple people, her anger flared up, and she jumped up to curse back.

Among this group of people, there were the weak ones who only dared to carry their husbands or sons back home, not daring to utter a word.

But more like Lou Wu's wife and Lou Qi's mother, when Lou Wu and Lou Qi did evil, they would scold them, sometimes even trying to persuade them, especially after seeing the fate of Lou Jin.

But once Lou Wu and Lou Qi brought back money and food from unknown sources, they all kept quiet, silently accepting the items. They knew what was going on but never asked where the things came from.

Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan each had a finger chopped off. They fainted at the sight of blood and were only awakened by Lou Wu slapping them.

Liu Shuan woke up first, tremblingly lifting his painful right hand. His eyes widened instantly as he saw his familiar finger, covered in blood, rolling alone on the ground. He wailed, "My hand! My hand!"

Liu Qingzi was even more cowardly. Seeing the blood on his hand, he felt dizzy again, his head heavy, his eyes rolling upwards, ready to faint once more.

Lou Wu couldn't contain his anger and slapped Liu Qingzi across the face, cursing, "Bastard! You caused me harm!"

He cursed and beat him, raining down punches and kicks, but he wasn't as intimidating as usual. Just having been frightened, his strength was greatly diminished.

Liu Qingzi curled up on the ground, covered in dirt, not moving for a long time.

Lou Wu stopped panting heavily, seeing Liu Shuan trying to run. He was furious and straddled Liu Shuan, raining down punches. Even so, it was hard to quench the hatred in his heart.

The fear Pei Yan had instilled was slowly dissipating, and his life was getting better. But today, he suffered a setback. The group he had painstakingly gathered had fallen apart, and probably no one would dare to follow him in the future.

This hatred, he didn't dare to attribute to Pei Yan, not even daring to think about it. Besides, this time he was indeed wronged. He had avoided trouble, but he never expected to fall victim to Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan, two bastards. If he had known they were coming to avoid trouble, he would have driven them away long ago, not even allowing them to step through the gate.

Seeing Lou Wu's intent to kill him, Liu Qingzi barely used his arm to protect his head, shouting through the gaps to Liu Shuan, "If I die, you won't live either! Neither of us will survive!"

Liu Shuan was originally lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Because his hand wound hadn't been treated and was still bleeding, he was terrified, always feeling like he was dying. After being yelled at by Liu Qingzi, he came to his senses.

The two looked at each other, and suddenly, Liu Shuan got up, directly colliding with Lou Wu, knocking him off Liu Qingzi.

Liu Qingzi was also struggling. Together, they pushed Lou Wu aside and then ran away.

"Don't let me catch you!" Lou Wu raged, roaring his threat.

Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan rushed out, shivering at the threat behind them. They both knew that their days ahead would be tough.

They didn't even dare to return to Clearwater Village. Lou Wu knew where they lived, and if he came to their doorsteps, it would be even worse. They could only flee aimlessly out of Lou Village like headless flies.

In the eastern room, Gu Lanshi opened a chest and took out clean clothes.

Pei Yan slowly took off his outerwear, which was stained with a little blood and dust, his brows still furrowed.

Initially, he didn't want to see blood, but thinking about it, he felt a bit fearful. If he had gone to town alone today and left Gu Lanshi at home, even with the dog, he would have felt uneasy.

*

There were two thieves.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had been too lenient. When dealing with thieves, beating them half to death wouldn't draw any criticism.

"The cuts aren't big, I'll sew them up." Gu Lanshi checked the clothes Pei Yan had taken off. Seeing the tears in the sleeves and hem, he immediately took out needle and thread and sat by the bed to start sewing.

He had heard of Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan's thieving reputation years ago. He never thought it was actually them. Thankfully, the dog was fine, and nothing was stolen from the house.

As for Pei Yan fighting again, he didn't blame him. Thieves were different from others; catching them warranted a good beating. This was common practice throughout the countryside, and he didn't think it was wrong. Even if Pei Yan had another fight with the Lou family today, he didn't think it was Pei Yan's fault.

He had heard Dog tell him that Pei Yan initially only wanted to deal with Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan, but the Lou family insisted on getting involved, even drawing knives.

Dog narrated it calmly, but hearing about the knives, his heart skipped a beat. He knew the danger well. Thankfully, Pei Yan was skilled and didn't suffer any losses.

When they first returned, Dog and Pei Yan didn't want to tell him everything, but he noticed the blood on Pei Yan's sleeve and pressed them for answers. Only then did they tell him the truth.

Realizing they couldn't hide it, Pei Yan also told him about the two thieves casing the place, not hiding anything.

After finishing the sewing, Gu Lanshi noticed Pei Yan sitting beside him with a furrowed brow in deep thought. He put away the needle and thread, his own concerns making him somewhat uneasy. He spoke up, "From looking down the cliff, can everything in the yard be seen clearly? What's inside the house is fine, but what about outside?"

Pei Yan hadn't overlooked this either, nodding in agreement, "Yes, it should be like that."

Neither of them felt at ease. Pei Yan, after some consideration, realized it was still early in the day, and he rose to his feet, saying, "I'll go for a walk up the mountain first."

Gu Lanshi set aside the clothes on his lap, quickly responding, "I'll come too."

They locked both the courtyard gate and the fence gate, leaving the dog to guard the home. Together, they headed west, needing to circle around the slope as there was no other path unless they climbed the cliff face.

The snow was deep underfoot, and where the terrain was difficult, they would pull each other along, helping one another up the mountain.

Moving further east from the mountain, there might be areas near the cliff edge prone to collapse, so Pei Yan was cautious. It wasn't until they reached a recess in the cliffside that they approached the edge.

Pushing aside the dead branches and leaves at the cliff's edge, the vast expanse below came into full view. The entire open area was enclosed by a long fence wall, revealing the courtyard within in clear detail, except for those parts sheltered by eaves.

The three large dogs were scattered across the large vegetable field, patrolling. From this height, their imposing figures lost all sense of threat.

The dogs were alert, however, and soon all lifted their heads to look in their direction. Huīhuī and Huīzai barked incessantly towards the cliff top, unable to recognize them due to the height of the cliff.

As they moved closer, a patch of snow and loose soil suddenly gave way beneath them. Pei Yan immediately pulled Gu Lanshi back.

"It's so high up here; if you wanted to jump, you'd surely die," Gu Lanshi said, still shaken, pulling Pei Yan back a few more steps.

"Yes, no one would dare to jump, and climbing down wouldn't be easy either," Pei Yan agreed. Seeing this, he felt reassured. Even if someone did attempt to climb down the cliff face, the rear wall of the courtyard was a distance away from the cliff, making it impossible to directly enter the backyard.

When the houses were built here years ago, the families chose this spot because the recessed cliff was solid rock, not earth, which could have been washed away during heavy rain.

There were some loose soil patches at the cliff's top, but intertwined grasses and trees with their roots firmly anchored meant there were no major issues, only the possibility of small rocks falling.

However, the cliffside was covered in weeds and wild trees, with no fruit-bearing trees. Generally, no one would come up here. At most, people would gather wild vegetables nearby during spring and summer, but no one would approach the cliff's edge lightly out of concern for their safety.

"Even if someone tried to climb, the noise would definitely alert the dogs," Gu Lanshi said, regaining his composure.

"Mm-hmm," Pei Yan nodded, then added, "Let's go. I doubt anyone will dare to spy again."

Liu Qingzi and Liu Shuan had run to Lou Wu's house, likely not telling the truth. Otherwise, Lou Wu wouldn't have taken them in. Even if Pei Yan had let those two go, it would have been an unwarranted disaster for Lou Wu, who would surely take out his anger on the Lius.

After Lou Jin's death, Pei Yan once went to town and saw Lou Wu from afar. The latter immediately ran off without even acknowledging him. Today, when leaving, Pei Yan observed that Lou Wu couldn't even muster any resentment, his eyes filled only with fear.

Upon returning, Pei Yan didn't rush to enter the house. Instead, he wandered around the large vegetable field. When they had originally built the fence wall, they considered that it needed to be tall enough not to be easily scaled. However, compared to a mud wall, it was still thin, allowing vague glimpses of shadows from outside through its gaps.

Gu Lanshi shared similar concerns. Walking up to the fence wall, he pushed it, testing its stability. Finding it firm, he clapped his hands and said, "It's still good, not loose at all."

He then thought for a moment and continued, "No matter how sturdy the fence is, after three to five years of exposure to wind and sun, it will gradually rot. We need to replace it with new sections and check it frequently to reinforce it early for peace of mind."

"Mm-hmm," Pei Yan nodded in agreement. Indeed, that was necessary. After some contemplation, he said, "After the spring thaw next year, we should hire a long-term laborer, raise more pigs, and work hard to earn money for two more years. Then, we can find a place to build a new house, perhaps closer to the village."

Gu Lanshi was taken aback. They had just saved up some money, and this place was still habitable, so he hadn't considered building a new house. He asked instinctively, "Are we going to abandon this place then?"

Pei Yan smiled, saying, "No, we've already obtained the land and house deeds. Why would we abandon it? In the future, we'll continue raising pigs and growing vegetables here. If we have a new house, the laborer can stay here at night."

Over the past couple of years, they had frequently traveled to town, entrusting Xu Cheng'an to measure the land, pay the deed taxes, and obtain the updated land and house deeds. Money had been spent.

Gu Lanshi nodded, pursing his lips in thought for a moment before saying, "We're only two people, so manpower is indeed limited."

Now that they had money, he had no objections to hiring someone. Today's incident occurred because both of them had been out, leaving the house unattended, giving thieves an opportunity.

Pei Yan said, "Hiring a laborer to do the work, our fields are small, so there isn't much work to be done in them. Hiring someone to collect pig and chicken feed will give you a break."

"What about the wages?" Gu Lanshi asked.

Pei Yan thought for a moment before replying, "Generally, the first two years are 150 wén. Managing two meals a day shouldn't be a problem. However, since we don't have enough rooms, we need to find someone from a nearby village or make space in one of the rooms."

Gu Lanshi suggested, "Next year, when the ground thaws, weren't we planning to build a room for raising chickens? Why not build an extra room instead? Move the items currently stored in the west room into the new room. That way, the west room will be free for the laborer to live in."

Currently, the items from the west room were either in the main room or the utility room, piled together, making the rooms seem even smaller. With additional rooms, organizing and storing things would be more convenient.

He often swept, dusted, and wiped, trying to keep everything in the house neat and clean. However, with only a few rooms, it was challenging to arrange things properly when they had slightly more belongings. He had long thought that if they had an extra utility room, items like grain jars and wooden cabinets would be easier to store.

Suddenly remembering something else, Gu Lanshi said, "Oh, right! There's also the loom that Xu Mùtóu is making. Once it's delivered, we'll need to find a place for such a large item. If we want to place it in the main room for weaving convenience, we'll have to move the grain jars and rice jars. Otherwise, we can fit it in, but there will be too many things."

Pei Yan listened attentively to his words, nodding in agreement. "In that case, we really do need to build an extra room."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Although we have money now, building a new courtyard requires buying land, obtaining deeds, finding craftsmen, purchasing timber, and spending money in many areas. Although fifty taels may be sufficient, we shouldn't rush. Let's follow your suggestion and build two rooms between the granary and the woodshed first. After earning more money over the next two years, we'll have enough funds to build a new courtyard when the time comes."

Gu Lanshi agreed with this line of thinking. They couldn't leave themselves without any savings. Thus, the decision regarding the house was settled. As for hiring a laborer, they would need to deliberate further, aiming to find a trustworthy and diligent person.