Chapter 012

Chapter 012

To the north of Taohuagou lies the rugged and continuous Longxing Mountain range, a natural barrier that ensures the villagers are not attacked from behind.

Tonight, a family in the southern part of the village lost their chickens. Two thieves each grabbed one and fled southward.

The men from the victim's household had already chased after them, followed by other villagers who came to help upon hearing the news. Although there were many people, whether they could catch the thieves depended on how fast they could run.

The village terrain was uneven, and most people ran along the winding village roads. Tong Gui, relying on his familiarity with the area, leaped down from a high embankment. Xiao Zhen followed closely behind. Because they took a shortcut, despite living far away, they reached the front of the crowd and caught up with the exhausted father and son first.

Father Zheng Dacheng was in his forties, and his only surviving young son, Zheng Teng, was sixteen years old, tall and thin, panting even harder than his father.

Zheng Dacheng looked back while running and recognized the bull-like Tong Gui. He pointed ahead anxiously: "Ah Gui, hurry up! The chickens depend on you!"

Tong Gui and Xiao Zhen passed the father and son like two gusts of wind.

Zheng Dacheng's nearly despairing heart was filled with hope again. After the war, it had been hard for the family to save some money, and they kept the chickens to sell for extra cash during the New Year. There were only nine chickens, and tonight almost half were stolen. If they couldn't be recovered, his wife would cry herself to death.

"Dad, who is the person next to Ah Gui?" Zheng Teng asked, covering his aching chest out of curiosity.

Zheng Dacheng replied, "Probably Aman's husband. They visited today, and I saw him from afar; he's taller than Ah Gui."

Xiao Zhen had already spotted the two thieves. Chasing was tiring, and so was fleeing, especially when holding struggling chickens.

About thirty yards away, the chicken thieves, fearing the pursuers, suddenly split up—one heading southeast and the other southwest.

Xiao Zhen gestured to Tong Gui, and they split up to chase them. "Be careful, they might have knives."

Tong Gui's expression turned serious.

Within a short while, the thief heading southeast panicked as Xiao Zhen approached rapidly and stumbled into a depression, falling face-first. Despite the fall, he still clung tightly to the chickens' wings.

As the thief tried to get up using his elbows, Xiao Zhen arrived and stepped on his arched back.

The thief cried out in pain, falling back to the ground, finally releasing the chickens.

The chickens squawked and flapped, and Xiao Zhen quickly grabbed them before they could escape into the wilderness, ensuring the Zheng family wouldn't lose more.

In the distance, another scream echoed as the other thief was captured by Tong Gui.

Xiao Zhen held the two chickens in one hand and searched the groaning thief with the other, confirming no weapons were present. Then, he lifted the thief by the collar and brought him to the main road to meet Tong Gui.

"This chicken won't make it." Standing on the thief, Tong Gui regretfully placed the chicken on the ground. It immediately fell over, its neck limp from being strangled.

Xiao Zhen examined the two thieves, noting their slender frames, wild hair, and ragged clothes. "Are you refugees or deserters?"

One thief raised his head, his face full of sorrow. "Sir, we're refugees from the west. Our homes suffered from war and famine. We were so hungry we had to steal. Please spare us, we promise never to do it again."

Tong Gui sneered. Everyone who got caught doing something bad had a tragic story.

Just because they were pitiful, did they have the right to steal from others? If everyone thought like that, chaos would ensue.

"Wait until you beg for mercy from the magistrate!" Tong Gui kicked the thief again.

Xiao Zhen glanced at the dark woods in the distance and asked, "If the west is suffering, are you the only two refugees?"

"No, there are waves of refugees on the road. We heard the city is hard to enter, and we didn't dare target large villages, so we came here."

Tong Gui grew angrier. "You didn't dare target large villages, but our small village is easy to bully, is it?"

The thieves cried out in pain from the kicks.

Xiao Zhen watched silently.

After a while, Zheng Dacheng and his son finally arrived with a group of villagers. Seeing the thieves, they became enraged and started beating them. If not for the village leader intervening, they might have beaten them to death.

"How dare you steal chickens that haven't even grown up! You cost me a chicken!"

Seeing one of the chickens was nearly dead, Zheng Dacheng sat on the ground and cried.

Mountain folk cherished every penny, and losing livestock they worked hard to raise was as painful as losing a family member.

The village leader consoled him, "Enough, let's go home now. Tie these two up and decide what to do with them tomorrow morning."

Tong Gui helped Zheng Dacheng up, and the others bound the thieves tightly, leaving only their legs free to walk.

After walking a bit, Zheng Dacheng calmed down and handed the half-dead chicken to Tong Gui. "Ah Gui, you and your brother-in-law caught the thieves for me. Take this chicken and cook it. It's our way of thanking you. I don't have anything else to offer."

Tong Gui refused, but his brother-in-law had also helped. He looked at Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen pressed Zheng Dacheng's hand, saying, "These are troubled times. Anyone could be robbed. We live in the same village, and when such things happen, we should unite against outsiders for the village's peace. We don't seek rewards. If you insist on giving us gifts, you're looking down on us."

Tong Gui agreed, "Yes, yes, everyone came out late at night just to catch the thieves. No one expected anything else, right?"

The villagers loudly agreed.

Zheng Dacheng's eyes welled up with tears. Truthfully, his family had never killed a chicken for meat, and he truly couldn't bear to give one away.

As the group neared the village entrance, someone shouted joyfully, "We caught the thieves! Everyone can sleep peacefully now!"

The loud voice echoed through the quiet night, reaching all corners of Taohuagou.

Tong Sui and her family, gathered in the main room to watch both courtyards, heard the voice carried by the wind.

All four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Qing looked at the bow and arrow her daughter had been holding and smiled. "Put it away. Your father and I will wait here. You two go back to bed."

Tong Shan insisted, "I want to wait too. I want to hear how they caught the thieves."

Tong Sui was about to agree when she suddenly remembered the quilt draped over the window. Her earlobes instantly heated up: "I, I'll go put away the bow first."

She quickly returned to the west room and, while putting away the quilt, secretly rejoiced that everyone had been focused on catching the thief and it was late at night; no one had looked toward the window.

---

The village head's house was in front of the Tong family's, separated by two streets.

Xiao Zhen, Tong Gui, and the village head walked together for a bit.

The village head, being older but still adept at social interactions, walked shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Zhen, thanking him again on behalf of the Zheng family for this new son-in-law of the village.

Xiao Zhen: "You don't have to be so formal. Now, I'm worried about something else. I heard those two thieves mention that many refugees have come from the west. If they targeted Taohuagou today, others might come in the future."

The village head stroked his sparse goatee, looking troubled: "Master Xiao Er, since you've thought of this, do you have any suggestions? Please enlighten me."

Xiao Zhen: "Just call me Xiao Er. In another village, I might not have good strategies, but Taohuagou has geographical advantages. To the north is a large mountain, to the east is a dangerous cliff, and to the west is a ravine leading to hills. Everyone, whether villagers or outsiders, can only enter or leave through the road to the south. Therefore, we should build a shelter at the entrance of the village to protect against wind and rain, and arrange for two people to take turns guarding it every night."

The village head was delighted: "What a good idea! We can hang a lantern outside the shelter. The thieves might give up if they know someone is watching."

Xiao Zhen: "It works with a few people, but not necessarily with many."

The village head smiled bitterly: "With many, they become bandits. At that point, we can only rely on fate. Even if we can't fight them, having a warning will allow some of us to escape into the mountains."

They were approaching the village head's house, and the two groups bid farewell.

Tong Gui then expressed his admiration: "Master, you truly deserve your six years of military experience; your mind is sharper than ours."

Xiao Zhen: "You're a good hunter. Your skills in ambush and prevention should be excellent. It's just that you haven't thought of applying your hunting experience to other matters. With more practice, you'll get better."

Tong Gui: "Really?"

Xiao Zhen: "Yes."

Tong Gui smiled sheepishly.

When they arrived at the Tong family's house, they found the Song family standing next door, unsure if they had just come out or were waiting for news.

Song Lan: "Did you catch the thief? How many were there?"

Seeing that Xiao Zhen didn't intend to speak, Tong Gui enthusiastically recounted the events.

Song Zhishi clenched his fists upon learning that Xiao Zhen had indeed caught the thief.

Song Lan praised Xiao Zhen again and curiously asked: "Do you know who the thieves were? Taohuagou is remote; how did they find it?"

Tong Gui answered again, and as soon as he finished talking about the refugees, Xiao Zhen suddenly said: "My parents-in-law are waiting for news at home. Please excuse us, Master."

Song Lan: "Of course, go ahead."

The sound of the door closing at the Tong family's house could be heard shortly after.

Song Zhishi, displeased, said: "Just some chicken thieves, why are you so concerned, Father? It's a waste of time."

Song Lan looked serious: "If they are refugees, there won't be just one wave."

Song Zhishi wasn't really listening anymore, his thoughts already elsewhere. He stared gloomily at the Tong family's courtyard, burning with anger at the thought of Tong Sui marrying that man. His chest felt like it was on fire, a feeling that wouldn't subside throughout the long night.

Tong Youyu and Zhou Qing weren't thinking as much as Song Lan. Knowing their nephew-in-law had caught the thief, they were proud and urged the younger generation to go to bed.

Tong Sui followed Xiao Zhen back to the west room.

After washing his hands, Xiao Zhen glanced at the open window and asked her: "When did you put away the quilt?"

Tong Sui turned her head, muttering: "No one saw anyway."

Xiao Zhen looked at the embarrassed girl, then at the edge of the bed where she was leaning, and hung the towel on the washstand.

The disturbance caused by the thieves left Tong Sui wide awake. She lay flat, subtly glancing at the other side of the bed, noticing he was also lying flat.

"Scared?" Xiao Zhen turned his head to look at her.

Tong Sui looked back at the window, pausing before saying: "Not really, it's just that we rarely have thieves here."

Thieves usually target wealthy areas; only fools would come to this poor village. Only during wartime would they wreak havoc wherever they went.

Xiao Zhen didn't respond further. He was thinking about the return journey tomorrow, which likely wouldn't be as peaceful as the trip here.

---

During breakfast, Xiao Zhen told Tong Youyu and Zhou Qing about the refugees, reminding them to be prepared for any unexpected changes.

Tong Youyu frowned deeply, while Zhou Qing remained optimistic: "We've survived soldiers and bandits; what's there to fear from refugees? If there are few, the whole village can handle it. If there are many, we'll flee into the mountains."

Of course, she wasn't dismissing her son-in-law's words but was trying to reassure her husband not to worry excessively.

Tong Youyu sighed heavily.

Tong Gui, seeing his sister holding her bowl without eating, tapped her with the other end of his chopsticks: "Don't worry about going back with Master. I'll take care of things here."

Tong Sui managed a small smile.

After breakfast, Tong Sui helped her mother clean up the dishes while Xiao Zhen accompanied Tong Youyu and Tong Gui to the village head's house to see how he planned to deal with the chicken thieves.

The village head barely slept last night.

Taohuagou was too far from the county seat; sending the thieves to the authorities would be pointless. Beating them up and releasing them could lead to retaliation, as desperate people do desperate things. Killing them outright for stealing chickens seemed too harsh.

After tossing and turning, the village head decided to gather the villagers to decide together.

When Xiao Zhen and the others arrived, the son of the village head also sounded the gong.

This time, all the villagers, young and old, men and women, including Tong Sui and her mother, as well as Song Lan and his father, who left their students behind, gathered around.

The village head stood in the open space outside the door and explained his predicament.

The two bound vagrants, tears streaming down their faces, knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the villagers, begging for a chance to live.

The easiest solution was to send them to the authorities, but there was no reward money for doing so, and the journey was too far, with potential dangers along the way. No villager was willing to undertake this task.

Amidst the buzzing discussions, an emaciated old man with gray hair stepped forward. He circled the two vagrants like he was inspecting goods, pinching their arms and legs. Finally, he pointed at the slightly stronger one and said, "All my family members are dead; I am alone. I still have four acres of land, but I can't work it anymore. If you want to settle down and live honestly, I will adopt you as my son. You must diligently farm to support both of us and take care of me until my death. After I die, those four acres will be yours. If you have any ill intentions and cause my death, the villagers will surely hand you over to the authorities to avenge me."

Hearing these words, the chosen vagrant burst into tears and immediately kowtowed loudly to the old man, "Father! From now on, you are my real father. If I ever have any thoughts of being ungrateful, may I be struck by lightning, drowned in water, and die a terrible death!"

With a place to live and land to cultivate, who would want to remain a vagrant!

The old man asked the village head to help draft a document stating that if his death had any suspicious circumstances, this person would not inherit his house or land.

While the village head was drafting the document, the other vagrant saw hope and pleaded with the other villagers to take him in, promising to work tirelessly for them.

After a while, a numb-eyed woman in her thirties approached him, willing to take him as a son-in-law under similar conditions, with a written agreement.

The villagers immediately erupted into a frenzy, some cursing the woman, others loudly opposing.

Tong Sui recognized the woman; she was a widow named Liu. Once, when Tong Sui fled into the mountains and turned back to check on the pursuers, she glimpsed Liu being carried away by a soldier into a nearby courtyard.

Are the villagers in this remote valley truly all simple and honest?

At least Tong Sui had heard women gossiping about Liu behind her back, and men making insulting remarks about her together.

Just as the villagers, filled with righteous indignation, were on the verge of overwhelming Liu with their vitriolic abuse, Liu's mother-in-law, leaning on a walking stick, approached her daughter-in-law and surveyed the crowd with a chilling gaze: "What, are you afraid she might have a legitimate husband and you won't be able to intimidate her anymore? Silence, all of you. This is a matter of our family, none of your concern!"

Men are mostly no good, but in these turbulent times, without a man in the household, they would only face more brazen oppression, with thieves daring to break in even during daylight.

In the end, the village head also drafted a document for Liu to take in a son-in-law, listing several rules for the vagrant.

Having settled this matter, the village head pulled Xiao Zhen aside and sincerely praised him.

The villagers also thought Xiao Zhen's method was good. These two vagrants were taken in out of necessity, but it was best to deter the rest from coming near.

Xiao Zhen briefly exchanged a few polite words and then left with his in-laws.

Song Lan, watching the tall figure depart, belatedly realized that he should never underestimate any villager.