Chapter 057

Chapter 057

After the training ended, the villagers each carried their sticks and headed back to their homes.

The Xiao brothers weren't in a hurry; they gathered by the riverbank to discuss the villagers' performance over the past half-hour, praising the good ones and criticizing the clumsy ones.

Xiao Ye: "Take Uncle Liu from the Liu family, he often can't tell left from right. Luckily, I put him at the edge, otherwise he'd keep bumping into others."

Xiao Yan: "What's up with Sun Dian? When Second Brother punished him earlier, I thought he would argue back, but he went along quietly."

Xiao Ye scoffed: "He saw Big Sister-in-Law smiling, didn't he? If jumping in the water could make Third Sister-in-Law smile at you, would you do it?"

Xiao Yan: "..."

Xiao She: "It's so hot. I'm going for a bath in the river."

With that, Xiao She took a few steps to the riverbank, stripped off his clothes, and sat down in the water to scrub himself.

Suddenly, Xiao Ye shouted: "Hey, there's still a girl hiding over there!"

Xiao She turned around abruptly, realizing Fourth Brother was teasing him, and splashed water angrily towards the shore.

Xiao Ye ran to the other side, also stripping and jumping into the water, ordering his brother: "Second Brother, watch out for us. Warn us if any women come."

Xiao Zhen shook his head and returned to the top of the slope.

Xiao Yan glanced at the water, then at Second Brother, and started undressing as well.

Xiao Ye: "Third Brother, you can't do this. You have a wife now. If another woman sees you, Third Sister-in-Law won't be happy."

Xiao Yan: "She wouldn't care at all. Even if I slept with another woman, she wouldn't even frown."

Soon, the three brothers were sitting in a row in the water, exposing their muscular backs.

Xiao Zhen had no interest in watching his brothers bathe. He looked south towards their courtyard, then west, where the sky had darkened much faster than the day before.

During dinner, the old man mentioned the weather: "Looks like it might rain tomorrow."

Madam He: "Rain is good. It'll water the crops in the fields."

Spring rain is as precious as oil, and this year, there had only been two light showers at night. The villagers were all hoping for a heavy rain.

Xiao Mu didn't explain further, as if it was just idle talk.

In the middle of the night, Tong Sui was awakened by the sound of rain. Drowsily, she looked towards the window and was startled by a shadow sitting there.

Xiao Zhen heard her intake of breath and lay down: "It's me."

Tong Sui had already recognized him and asked, still shaken: "When did you wake up?"

Xiao Zhen: "There was a distant thunder earlier. It started raining soon after."

A man who had spent six years on the battlefield was definitely more alert than her. But why did he seem troubled by just a bit of rain?

Tong Sui recalled the old man's tone when he mentioned the possibility of rain and understood: "Are you worried about the logging on the mountain and the training being delayed by the rain?"

Xiao Zhen remained silent.

Tong Sui suddenly sensed something was amiss. Whether it was logging, making guns, or teaching the villagers, these were all precautions. A rainstorm lasting a couple of days shouldn't be too concerning. Unless... they knew trouble was coming soon and time was running out.

Recalling how Xiao Zhen had been working tirelessly in Taohuagou, always rushing from one task to another, Tong Sui grew increasingly anxious. She propped herself up, placing a hand on the corner of his blanket: "Is there something that can't be delayed even for a couple of days?"

Xiao Zhen knew how intelligent she was. Just like last time, when he mentioned making guns, she immediately understood that choosing Taohuagou for logging was to avoid drawing attention.

Now that she had suspicions, keeping them hidden would only make her worry more.

Xiao Zhen pulled her into his bed and began explaining their concerns about the Prison Dragon Ridge Gang.

"They may not come, but we must prepare for any eventuality."

"The gang values food. If they do come to the village, it will likely be after the wheat harvest, both to regain face and to take away some grain. So we only have a month to prepare."

Guns were essential weapons, but if it rained, the mountain roads would become impassable, and wet wood would be difficult to dry. The delay would be more than just a couple of days.

Now, Tong Sui was also worried about the ruthless gang.

Xiao Zhen felt her slight trembling and patted her shoulder: "Don't be afraid. Before the wheat harvest, I'll find an excuse to send you to your parents' place for a few days. Once everything is clear, I'll bring you back. The Prison Dragon Ridge is to the west, and the gang will only come to Lingshui Village for revenge, not to cause trouble in Taohuagou."

Listening to him, Tong Sui thought deeply.

If she went back to Taohuagou, she would be safe, but what about Liu Chu, Lin Ningfang, and Madam He's daughters?

Everyone else was staying here to share hardships with the Xiao men. How could she hide while they faced danger? How could she look them in the eye afterward?

Could she somehow bring the Xiao women to Taohuagou as well?

Her parents wouldn't mind hosting them, but if the Xiao women fled, the villagers of Lingshui would surely know. If the gang didn't come, they would mock the Xaos for being cowards. If the gang did come and killed women in other families but none in the Xiao household, the villagers would accuse them of selfishness and hiding information about the danger.

If the Xiao family revealed their preparations against the Prison Dragon Ridge Gang, Lingshui Village would panic, and the news would reach the gang. Knowing Lingshui Village was prepared, the gang might either not come or prepare thoroughly to strike hard.

"I'm not leaving."

Tong Sui said, clinging to him.

Xiao Zhen paused, stroking her hair: "Why? Don't say you're not afraid."

Tong Sui: "I am afraid, but I don't want to be a deserter."

Not wanting to be the deserter who abandons her family and friends, not wanting to be the deserter when the whole village is working hard to cope with the unforeseen, while she runs away.

She had only been married into the Xiao family for a month, but she had become like sisters with Liu Chu and Lin Ningfang. Xiao Zhen treated her well, and the old patriarch had taken care of her multiple times. It was a harmonious relationship. If she ran away, she would lose everything. Even if she could return, these people would no longer genuinely accept her. Even if she broke off the marriage and hid at her parents' home, the burden on her conscience would never be shaken off.

Xiao Zhen chuckled, "So you see yourself as a soldier. I thought you'd say you couldn't bear to leave me, that you wanted to live and die with me."

Tong Sui: "..."

She couldn't utter such cringe-worthy words.

Xiao Zhen cupped her face, "Really not going?"

Tong Sui bit her lip, "No, I'm not leaving. You and Grandfather have thought of everything. I trust you."

Xiao Zhen: "What if we can't defeat the bandits?"

Tong Sui thought that if it came to that, the women and children in the village would definitely run. She would take the women of the Xiao family and run together. If the bandits chased them, she would kill as many as she could, save whoever she could. If she tried her best but still failed, she would run herself, back to Taohuagou. Although she would grieve for those who died, she could continue living with a clear conscience.

If even she couldn't escape, then it was fate, and she would accept it.

She didn't say any of this out loud, and Xiao Zhen didn't press further. He pulled her back into his embrace and whispered, "Don't worry, just three hundred mountain bandits."

---

The rain lasted for two days. After it cleared up, Xiao Zhen rode a donkey to Taohuagou.

The logs that had already been stripped of their bark were stored under tarps in a shed, not a single drop of rain had touched them.

Zhou Qing said to her son-in-law, "Some people saw that the rain wasn't heavy and wanted to go up the mountain to cut trees in the rain. They dared to earn that hard-earned money, but I didn't dare to take that risk. What if they slipped and rolled down? How much money would we have to pay in compensation? So I stopped them and told them to wait another two days until the ground in the mountains dried up before entering. Would this delay your affairs?"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "It won't delay anything. Grandfather also instructed me the same way. Mother-in-law is truly wise."

Zhou Qing felt a bit embarrassed by her son-in-law's praise, "What wisdom? I just didn't want to lose money; I didn't think that much about it."

Tong Youyu: "Fortunately, it cleared up. With plenty of sunshine, we can go up the mountain the day after tomorrow. This will give everyone a chance to catch their breath and rest properly, which will make the work faster."

Xiao Zhen: "Father-in-law is right. Sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood. Then please continue overseeing things here with Mother-in-law. I'll come back early on the ninth."

On the ninth, before dawn, Xiao Zhen drove the donkey cart to Master Wang's house in town.

The blacksmith shop had finished making the saws and planing knives. Master Wang and his son moved all the tools onto the donkey cart. After loading everything, he asked his son to lock the door and then looked at Xiao Zhen with slightly cloudy eyes, "Where exactly are you taking us? Let me say this first: my son and I won't do anything illegal. At that time, we'd rather return the wages and walk back."

Xiao Zhen: "Rest assured, our Xiao family are upright people. We won't make things difficult for you."

Taking advantage of most of the townspeople still being asleep, Xiao Zhen set off with the donkey cart, deliberately avoiding Lingshui Village and heading straight for Taohuagou.

By noon, they arrived at Taohuagou.

Master Wang saw the two hundred logs stacked in the backyards of the Tong and Song families.

Xiao Zhen: "These logs are for you to dry. How many days will it take?"

Master Wang: "After drying, they need to be made into objects. Is it urgent?"

Xiao Zhen: "Yes, once they're dry, tell me what to make."

Master Wang trusted the character of the Tong family. Besides, what illegal things could be made from a pile of logs? He patted the logs and said to Xiao Zhen and Tong Youyu, "Clear out four rooms and move these logs inside, stacking them layer by layer on the ground. Keep a big fire burning in the stoves for five days, and it should be enough."

The Tong family had two main rooms and two side rooms, each with a stove, which was sufficient. In the evening, Tong Youyu and his nephew could stay with the Song family father and son, while Zhou Qing could stay alone. Given the character of the Song family father and son, they wouldn't mind. After all, it was still the Tong family's courtyard.

"Ah Gui, go to the private school and ask Mr. Song if this arrangement is acceptable."

Tong Gui ran off and returned shortly, "Mr. Song said it's fine. Go ahead and arrange it!"

Zhou Qing clapped her hands, "Then let's start moving things. First, move all the cabinets out of the rooms."

Once the four rooms were emptied, Tong Gui went to the village and called over a dozen young men. Two men carried one log, stacking them layer by layer according to Master Wang's instructions. Including the lunch break, it took more than three hours to finish moving everything.

Master Wang closed the windows of the four rooms and punctured the paper on the top row of windows to allow ventilation and remove moisture.

The old carpenter worked without thinking about anything else, puncturing the paper as if playing a game.

In the courtyard, Xiao Zhen looked at the row of window paper holes and quickly said to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, "Next time, I'll bring new window paper and ensure it's all pasted properly."