Chapter 82

Chapter 82

After removing fifty bags of grain, the other end of the wooden plank came into view.

Curious, Old Man Zhao crouched down and moved the plank aside. Without the obstruction, he could see even better. The entrance to the grain cellar was sealed tight, with stacks upon stacks of grain bags piled together, too many to count, stretching down into the darkness... How wide and deep was it below? Old Man Zhao tried to lift a couple of bags to peer underneath, but he still couldn't see the bottom. The moonlight didn't penetrate that deep, and he didn't dare light a torch, so in the end, he had to let it be.

Honestly, no matter how deep it was or how much was hidden below, it had nothing to do with him. Things he couldn't take, things he shouldn't take—what use were they, no matter how plentiful? At most, they'd just be something to gawk at, utterly useless.

Time was getting on. If they dawdled any longer, dawn would break.

Carelessly moving the wooden plank back into place, Old Man Zhao glanced at the small cleared space in the granary. This place was like a cattle shed, with two rows of cattle tethered inside. The eighty-three bags of grain they had taken tonight were like eighty-three hairs from one of those cattle. All of it combined might not even amount to the grain the officials kicked out when measuring the hu.

He felt he still hadn't been ruthless enough. He hadn't even accounted for all the grain kicked out over these many years—that grain had all ended up in the pockets of the officials!

Thinking was one thing, but he didn't ask Xiaobao to move any more grain. Losing nearly ten thousand jin of new grain this time meant neither the granary keepers nor the officials would get off easy. All the benefits they had swallowed over the years, they'd have to vomit them all up this time.

Old Man Zhao clenched the wooden stick in his hand, turned, and gently pushed the granary door open.

Hearing the thunderous snoring from ahead, the night breeze dispelled the lingering agitation in his heart. After his daughter came out, he followed closely behind, gently closing the granary door just as before and carefully inserting the wooden stick back into its original spot.

They still hugged the wall as they walked, not even letting their shadows show. Reaching the previous dog hole, just like when they arrived, Zhao Xiaobao placed her father into the wooden hut, then huffed and puffed as she crawled through the dog hole herself. Once outside, she let her father out again.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Old Man Zhao scooped up his daughter. Not daring to take the small path they came by, nor the road the officials used to return, he headed straight into the mountains.

...

After walking for a good half day, Old Man Zhao finally emerged from the mountains.

He was familiar with the small path before him. Going straight led to his third son's wife's maternal home in Luoshi Village, while the other direction led to Qinghe Town.

Regarding the county's conscription notice, he should, by rights, inform his in-laws. But from the time the refugees entered the village until now, his family simply hadn't found the time. Now, being "missing persons," it was even less appropriate to show their faces.

Old Man Zhao looked towards the direction of Luoshi Village and hesitated. His three in-laws were all honest folk; or they never would've become in-laws in the first place. They were all ordinary farming families. Because of the distance and being in a neighboring town, apart from the autumn harvest these past few months, there hadn't been any other major occasions. There hadn't been much interaction usually, so they probably still didn't know that Wanxia Village had been looted by refugees. Otherwise, based on his understanding of his in-laws, they would've definitely come to the village to inquire.

Even if they weren't concerned about the in-laws, they'd be concerned about their daughters and grandsons.

But he figured they probably couldn't sit still for much longer either. In previous years after the autumn harvest, his sons would finish harvesting their own rice and immediately take their wives back to their maternal homes to help. They never missed a year. Only this year they hadn't gone. He reckoned his in-laws would be bringing their wives to visit within the next few days.

The grain tax collection had been delayed for half a month. During that time, they hadn't come, probably because it wasn't appropriate to visit immediately. Now the autumn harvest was over, the grain tax was paid, and the busy period had passed. If the daughters and sons-in-law weren't returning to their maternal homes, then the only option was for the in-laws to take the initiative to visit their daughters' marital homes.

Thinking of the corpses at the village entrance, Old Man Zhao grew even more hesitant. Should he move them? Better not scare his daughters' mothers-in-law into fainting.

"Dad, are we home yet?" The drowsy Zhao Xiaobao opened one eye, the jostling having suddenly stopped.

"Not yet, Xiaobao. Go back to sleep." Old Man Zhao adjusted his hold, trying to make her more comfortable.

But Zhao Xiaobao seemed to think of something. Her previously sleepy eyes flew open "whoosh." She struggled to get down, looked around, then suddenly grabbed her father's pant leg, saying mysteriously, "Dad, what should we do? Xiaobao just remembered, I hid Long Legs in the magic place and didn't let him out. Dad, should I let him out now? Can he find his way home?"

"..."

No wonder! No wonder he kept feeling he'd forgotten something!

Old Man Zhao slapped his thigh. His daughter hadn't mentioned it, so he hadn't remembered until now—that vicious hunting dog that went for them was still in the wooden hut's courtyard! Earlier, they were only focused on fleeing, their minds full of getting away from the scene of trouble, and they had completely forgotten about that hunting dog.

"Even if he could find his way home, we can't let him go back." Old Man Zhao thought for a moment, then simply picked up his daughter and headed towards Qinghe Town. "This hunting dog looks exceptional at first glance. What kind of useless dog would be kept in a place like that? Who knows how clever it is. It has smelled our scent and definitely remembers it. Dad is worried those people might lead it around searching for us. If it really finds its way to our home, then we're done for."

At this point, this hunting dog only had two paths: either kill it, or take it back.

Letting it go was out of the question. Even though the dog looked stupid enough to be lured away with a bowl of dog food, what if? That was nearly ten thousand jin of grain! Take their village for example: over thirty households, calculating one bag per household, that's still less than four thousand jin.

What they took this time was equivalent to the grain tax of two Wanxia Villages. Although combined, it might not even be as much as one Taoli Village, the officials all had their ledgers. Something recorded in the ledger is missing. If the granary keepers don't want to be charged with a major crime of negligence, they have to find a way to balance the books.

Nearly ten thousand jin of grain—even if they had the means to wipe the ledger clean, the anger in their hearts wouldn't be soothed. They would definitely search everywhere for the culprit.

How to search? They don't know if it's tall, short, male, or female. So, can't they only rely on the hunting dog?

Old Man Zhao couldn't afford to gamble, nor did he want to. Why bother with all that trouble? This dog had tried to bite him several times; he didn't fancy it. It wasn't their family's dog anyway. So he said, "It's simpler to just kill it."

"No! Killing is not simpler!" Zhao Xiaobao widened her eyes, not expecting her father to be like this. She performed a carp leap right in his arms, resisting fiercely. "Dad, you're bad! Xiaobao even took you through Long Legs' dog hole. How can you still want to kill him? You're too bad! Xiaobao doesn't like a bad dad! You use Long Legs and then want to kill him. You're a bad dad!"

"If we don't kill it, we have to raise it. Our family already has Xiao Heizi. We don't have extra dog food to feed it." Old Man Zhao quickly used his arms to restrain her. "My little ancestor, be careful not to fall! Do you really think your dad is still a young lad? I can't handle you acting up like this."

"Xiaobao will raise him!" Even angry, she didn't forget to feel sorry for her elderly father. Zhao Xiaobao stopped leaping and switched to wheedling. "Xiaobao doesn't want it to be simpler, Dad. There is extra dog food. Xiaobao just moved a few extra bags, hehe. Xiaobao secretly brought back the grain from Chunya's family, Xiaohua and Xiaocao's family, Huaihua's family, Da Luo Bo's family... from all the families who came to our house for the pig-slaughtering feast." She wore a pleading smile. Her dad only told her to take their own family's grain. It was her who disobeyed, taking advantage of her dad not knowing, and brought back grain from several households.

Hearing this, Old Man Zhao was dumbfounded. "Xiaobao, what did you say? You didn't just take our family's??? You also brought back your Uncle Da He's family's grain?!"

Zhao Xiaobao huffed righteously. "Dad said it himself: those invited to the house for the pig-slaughtering feast are our own people. How can Dad only think of himself and not think of Brother Dazhu and the others? Hmph, you forgot, but Xiaobao didn't. I brought it all back!"

The bag of grain from Chunya's family was for Chunya and Chunmiao; she definitely wouldn't give it to Old Lady Zhou.

"..."

So the granary didn't lose "nearly ten thousand jin of grain," but a solid ten thousand jin.

Seeing her father staring at her, Zhao Xiaobao suddenly felt a bit guilty. She lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. "Xiaobao worked hard moving the grain too... Xiaobao just conveniently moved a couple extra bags... Dad, Xiaobao is not a thief. Xiaobao didn't take other people's grain. Xiaobao also has great-grandpas and great-grandmas. They paid grain tax their whole lives too. Xiaobao didn't take fifty bags, only took two bags..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller, finally fading into silence, afraid her father would scold her.

But Old Man Zhao slapped his thigh, filled with regret!

Why hadn't he thought of that? He had grandparents too! If you counted the share of eighteen generations of ancestors, moving half a granary wouldn't be excessive! Deposits, all of it was deposits—grain deposited generation after generation by the old Zhao family with the imperial court. Now it should be taken back by him and his daughter, the descendants of these two generations!

A loss, a huge loss!

"Xiaobao did well! Truly our family's number one clever one. Your brain works so well!" He laughed heartily, tossing his daughter in the air a few times, making Zhao Xiaobao giggle with delight.

"Dad, you're not scolding me?"

"Why would Dad scold you? Dad scolds himself! This stupid brain of mine, ah, suffered a loss, a huge loss!" Old Man Zhao sighed and lamented. This stupid brain, why did it fail at the critical moment!

The hunting dog lying in the wooden hut courtyard, staring blankly at the sky, still didn't know its little life had almost been lost. It was very puzzled. It had just eaten a bowl of dog food, so why couldn't it go back?

Ah.

Qinghe Town hadn't changed much; it was still that same shabby and desolate place. It might also be related to the current autumn harvest; no one had time to come to town. After all, grain delivery had to go to Tongjiang Town, so all the bustle gathered there.

Under his daughter's guidance, Old Man Zhao didn't take any detours and smoothly arrived at Ping'an Clinic.

The clinic assistant recognized Zhao Xiaobao at a glance and had some impression of Old Man Zhao too. Back when he was at the Ping'an Clinic in Tongjiang Town, this old man came every winter to buy medicine for colds. Tall and big, he was easy to remember.

"What do you need to buy this time?" the assistant greeted them familiarly.

"That green ointment my eldest son bought last time, hehe. Works really well on mosquito bites. My daughter attracts mosquitoes. That bottle is used up, so I thought of buying a few more bottles to keep at home." Old Man Zhao was also the sociable type, able to chat with anyone. The assistant had a good attitude, so he was all smiles too.

The assistant nodded, took out five bottles of green ointment from the cabinet, and said to him, "The last few bottles. If you want them, I'll sell them all to you." Glancing at the well-behaved chubby girl in the old man's arms, he kindly added, "This stuff is in high demand. After autumn comes winter. It won't be sold again until next year."

"Want them, want them. I'll take them all." Old Man Zhao said hurriedly. Good stuff wasn't hard to sell. The man's extra remark was out of kindness. "Still the same price as last time?" As he spoke, he had already taken out his money pouch.

"Still twenty-three wen per bottle." Seeing they weren't carrying a basket, the assistant took a small woven basket made during idle times, placed the five bottles of green ointment inside, and handed it to the little girl who was staring at him. "Your family certainly raises your daughter well. Tender and fresh. Mosquitoes know how to pick who to bite."

He joked a couple of sentences. Seeing the old man had already counted out the copper coins and placed them on the counter, he took them, counted them himself, nodded, and smiled. "One hundred and fifteen wen, exactly right."

"Thank you, Xiao Ge." Old Man Zhao's smile grew even more sincere upon seeing the basket. The basket itself wasn't worth much, but the thoughtful gesture was priceless.

Just then, someone came in with a prescription to have medicine prepared. Not wanting to disturb Xiao Ge, Old Man Zhao thanked him once more and left.

Next, they went to buy green salt and a tooth-cleaning brush. Country folk usually cleaned their teeth with willow twigs; only wealthy families used such items. They weren't cheap, but Old Man Zhao bought them anyway. A box of green salt and a brush cost nearly two hundred wen—a pretty penny.

But the expense wasn't in vain. The brush's bristles were made from horsehair; another type used pig bristles. While his family couldn't afford a horse, they could certainly afford a horsehair toothbrush. Without hesitation, Old Man Zhao chose the more expensive one—his little Bao deserved only the best.

After gathering all the necessary items, the father and daughter didn't linger in Qinghe Town. They set off for home under the afternoon sun.

They'd only been gone two days, but they were already homesick.