Chapter 122: The Youth Comes of Age 57

Chapter 122: The Youth Comes of Age 57

Xu Zebo looked at the two pieces of silk that were torn to shreds, his heart aching. These pieces of silk had cost him almost 50 taels, and now they were ruined just like that.

Xu Zeping dug out the already crushed headpiece, patted the tearful Xu Zebo on the shoulder and said, "Pick it up, at least we can still make a few handkerchiefs. Soft silk handkerchiefs should be quite popular in Qingshui Town."

The more Xu Zeping tried to console him, the worse Xu Zebo felt. How much were these handkerchiefs worth? Besides, he didn’t buy them to sell, did he?

Turning to look at the crushed headpiece in Xu Zeping's hand, Xu Zebo took it with a pout and continued to whimper. His silver!

Xu Zeping looked at the pile of debris behind him and felt relieved. At least he had a reason to explain it to his elder sister.

As for the crushed bracelet and silver hairpin? He could ask their mother to send them to a jewelry workshop to be remade when they got back. At most, they’d have to add a little more silver.

"Cousin, don't be so upset." Xu Zeping tried to suppress the corner of his mouth, "When we get back, have sister-in-law take them to the gold and silver workshop in town for some repairs. They can be fixed."

"Really?" Xu Zebo's tearful eyes showed how truly upset he was.

Xu Zeping thought that if it were his hundred taels gone to waste, he'd probably feel even worse.

"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"

The one who suffered the most losses, apart from Xu Zebo, was Jiangdong. He wasn’t as reserved as Xu Zebo and wailed outright.

——Oh, my silk!

——How am I going to face the tigress at home?!

.....

Listening to Jiangdong's loud cries, Xu Zebo didn’t feel as bad. At least his wife was a reasonable person.

As for Liu Wenran and Gao Yan, they exchanged glances, wanting to laugh but feeling embarrassed to do so. Who said that a grand and imposing figure wouldn’t fear the inner quarters? Who said they were just buying small souvenirs to commemorate their trip to Prefecture City?

Excluding the escort guards, the one who suffered the least losses was Gao Yan. Since he had limited silver, he only bought some food in Prefecture City. It was heartbreaking that it was ruined, but he could still bear it.

After digging out the salvageable items, Xu Zeping and the others helped the Ding family escorts remove the giant stones from the passage. By the time they finished cleaning everything up, they were all breathless from exhaustion.

Xu Zeping collapsed onto the carriage that Ding Yiqiang had driven over, muttering that he couldn’t go on and that he definitely needed to start exercising when he got back.

By this time, Xu Zeli was already distributing the dry rations they had brought.

The sky was growing dark as Chen Kaixuan and the others dragged the half-dead third leader and his men over.

Xu Zeli looked at Chen Kaixuan, who gave a slight nod, and Xu Zeli understood the meaning.

Xu Zeli stepped into the carriage and handed a steamed bun to Xu Zeping. "It's getting dark, it's not safe here. Later, you all should return with Uncle Ding and the others."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zeping sat up straight. "Brother, what about you?"

"I still have some matters to attend to and need to stay behind." Xu Zeli's gaze was steady, his tone not allowing any argument. "Do as I say and don't worry about me."

Xu Zeping was silent for a moment. "Brother, come back safely."

Xu Zeli patted his head. "When you get back, just tell everyone that I'm still at your second sister's husband's place, discussing literature with him. Don't let our mother worry."

"I understand."

"This trip with Squad Leader Chen and the others, just tell them that Squad Leader Chen needed someone to guide them while eliminating bandits. Don't let anything slip about the ambush."

When Xu Zeli said this, Xu Zeping understood everything. Their mother and the others didn’t know that they had been ambushed by bandits.

He was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Did you tell second sister’s husband?"

"I instructed him. At least for now, they don't know."

Xu Zeli's implication was clear to Xu Zeping. Right now, they were attacking the bandits, and their mother and the others definitely didn’t know that it was actually his brother leading the charge... And by the time they found out, they would have already won a great victory.

"Thank you, Uncle Ding."

After helping Xu Zeping onto the carriage, Xu Zeli bowed his hands to Ding Bahu.

Since the rolling boulders had injured Ding Bahu and the others to some extent, Ding Yiqiang had ordered them to return to Qingshui Town first.

Ding Bahu waved his hand. "There you go with the pleasantries again."

After the two groups exchanged greetings, Ding Bahu cracked his whip, and they disappeared into the twilight.

"We got it out of the third leader. There are only two routes in and out of Yingou Village, but there's a hidden cellar where the bandits can hide. Through this cellar, they can secretly observe the officers raiding Yingou Village." Chen Kaixuan's eyes were cold. "When the officers raided the village in the past, the bandits didn’t actually leave...

They just received advance notice and hid in the cellar. That’s why they seemed to vanish without a trace, leaving the officers unable to find them!"

"Did you find out where the entrance to the cellar is?"

Chen Kaixuan's teeth ground together audibly. "We killed one of the bandits, and they still wouldn’t talk. They won’t speak even if we torture them to death unless we promise to let them live."

Xu Zeli glanced at the third leader, whose hands and feet had been crippled, and gave a cold laugh. "So, he’s come to his senses. A real tough guy?"

The third leader struggled to lift his head and looked at Xu Zeli with disdain. "If you've got the guts, just kill me!"

Xu Zeli stood up, gently patting the third leader's face with a mocking smile. "You think you're the tough one here?"

As the third leader looked confused, Xu Zeli stood up and looked at Chen Kaixuan. "Squad Leader Chen, we’ll attack from two sides and burn down the mountain at Yingou Village!"

Chen Kaixuan was taken aback and casually gave Xu Zeli a thumbs-up. "You’re truly a born ruthless character!"

Ding Yiqiang followed behind them, shivering. He was definitely here to gain experience.

After a day and night, Xu Zeping and the others finally reached Qingshui Town. Upon arriving, Gao Yan and the others were already eager to return to their own homes.

Since Xu Zeping lived in Qingshui Town, there was no rush. He and Jixiang first saw off Doctor Chen back to her place.

Xu Zebo, equally anxious to return home, couldn't wait any longer. He asked Xu Zeping to help apologize to Second Uncle and the others on his behalf, and then he hired a carriage to return to Jiangping Village.

After seeing Doctor Chen back to her clinic, Xu Zeping and Jixiang leisurely made their way home.

The reason for their leisurely pace was that they were rehearsing their statements to ensure there were no mistakes.

As for the destroyed carriage, they both firmly insisted it was at Xu Zeli's place. As for how Xu Zeli would cover it up, that was his problem.

Xu Zeping could only guarantee that he wouldn't let the lie be exposed before his elder brother returned.

Well, the clothes were also hastily left behind in the carriage.

"Pingping?"

Cheng Ge Er looked at the familiar back with a moment of hesitation, but after careful recognition, he hurriedly jogged to catch up: "Pingping!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Zeping immediately turned around and, as expected, saw Cheng Ge Er dressed in men's clothing. A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his eye, and he was about to reach out to hold Cheng Ge Er's hand, but instinctively pulled back: "Cheng Ge Er, what are you doing here?"

Cheng Ge Er, dressed in men's clothing, showed no hesitation. He grabbed Xu Zeping's hand that was trying to withdraw and blinked: "Guess?"