Chapter 176 Bandit Threat

Chapter 176: Bandit Threat

All the village heads in the county were called into the county town by Song Tingzhou. At first, they were anxious and fearful, thinking something huge had occurred. Only after hearing him out did they realize it was just a rumor about bandits.

"The neighboring Yulin Prefecture, adjacent to our Xiwu Prefecture, has already suffered village raids. If the bandits from Qinzhou head north to avoid border conflicts, they are highly likely to pass through Xiwu Prefecture." Given how slow news travels, they had already heard of the bandit attacks in Yulin, meaning the incidents had occurred some time ago, and no one knew where those bandits were now.

Some thought the County Magistrate was overreacting, while others held Song Tingzhou in deep respect and did whatever he said without question.

Regardless, under Song Tingzhou's absolute authority, none of these village heads dared to pretend to follow along. No matter how much they complained inwardly, they returned to their villages and followed Song Tingzhou's orders: get the villagers to hide their grain, raise their courtyard walls, reinforce their doors, and so on.

"If you're worried, mark all your grain, carry it to the caves dug halfway up the mountain for storage, and leave only enough for the New Year's rations at home. Hide your silver and money somewhere safe. Uncles, brothers, and extended families should try to live together—strength in numbers acts as a deterrent."

Each village head relayed Song Tingzhou's words one by one to the villagers, and the young men dug storage pits for the grain.

Their county, Heshan, was poor, so it probably wouldn't attract large-scale bandit attacks. But news of the sugar workshops might have spread, so caution was still necessary.

The village head of Hongye Village also told his villagers: "...Keep an eye on the children and don't let them run around. If a stranger tries to talk to them, ignore it and run straight home to find their parents, got it?"

Children were all about play, and with the New Year approaching, they only thought about going to the market to buy sugar and firecrackers. They'd heard the village head's words but quickly forgot, relying on their parents to remind them repeatedly.

Chen Er returned home and told his family about the village head's speech: "I think Lord Song is overthinking it. Qinzhou is so far away—how could bandits come all the way to Heshan to rob us? The other bandits would laugh their heads off, haha!" He even found his own words amusing.

Unlike his carelessness, Cao Geer's mother was cautious and meticulous. She shot Chen Er a glare: "Do you know more than Lord Song? He's telling us to be careful during the New Year for our own good. Even Zhang Da, the most hardworking man in the village, has stopped working to prepare for the New Year, and here Lord Song is still worrying about us getting cleaned out by bandits?"

Chen Er rubbed the back of his head. "You've got a point. So, should we move our grain to the cellar too?"

"Move it. Leave half a sack of coarse rice and half a sack of polished rice at home. Tomorrow, you and Daniu can carry the rest up the mountain." Cao Geer's mother thought for a moment and added, "Tomorrow is the last big market before the New Year. Taking the ox cart would be too conspicuous. Let's walk to town instead—leave early and come back early."

Chen Er glanced at their youngest son, fast asleep in his small bed, and lowered his voice: "It's fine not taking Daniu, but if we don't take our little guy, won't he throw a tantrum when he wakes up?"

Cao Geer's mother was also troubled. "We'll have a lot to buy tomorrow, and we have to keep an eye on him. What if a kidnapper snatches him? Let him throw a tantrum. Sugar is cheap this year; I'll buy half a catty more at the market to make him some sugar water."

The couple chatted a bit more, washed up, and went to bed early. The next morning, before dawn, they grabbed baskets and carrying baskets and left.

When Cao Geer woke up and found only his elder brother at home, he cried in anger: "Father promised to take me! How could he break his word? I don't care—Daniu, take me to the market to find them."

"We still have so much grain at home; someone has to watch it." Daniu, worn down by his brother's fussing, decided to start on his own before their parents returned. He pushed a wheelbarrow full of grain up the mountain.

A neighbor saw his family's cartload of grain and, green with envy, sneered, "Oh, Daniu, didn't go to the market with your parents today? I was hoping to hitch a ride on your ox cart."

"Fourth Uncle, my parents didn't take the cart this morning; they walked," Daniu replied honestly.

Fourth Uncle puffed up his chest. "They must be afraid the neighbors would ride for free. Earning so much money and still so stingy."

Even the honest Daniu could hear the sourness in his words. He said nothing more and pushed the cart up the mountain.

After he left, Fourth Uncle spat at his doorstep. "Dull as a log. What decent girl or boy would marry him?"

His morning mood already sour, he was then knocked sideways by his own little brat, charging like a calf. "Where are you rushing off to? Come back here, Huzi!"

Huzi didn't look back as he ran out. "I'm going to play with Cao Geer!"

Fourth Uncle shouted angrily, "His family has made it big now. When Cao Geer grows up, he'll marry someone from town. You think he'll play with you?" The children were too young to understand the bitterness in his words, but the neighbors heard his shouting.

"Lao Si is getting worse, picking on a child."

"Can't you tell? He's not picking on the child—he's jealous of Chen Er!"

With no one at home, Cao Geer stopped crying. Glumly, he got out of bed, folded all the blankets, and there was a bowl of porridge left in the pot with a boiled egg. He dragged a stool over, took out half a bowl of sliced pickled bamboo shoots from the cupboard, and started eating.

Just as he was halfway through his meal, Huzi from next door led a pack of kids to find Cao Geer. Huzi's family wasn't well-off; eggs were a rare treat, and he stared intently at the half-eaten egg in Cao Geer's hand.

Cao Geer was finding the yolk a bit dry, so he shoved the egg into Huzi's hand. "I'm full; you can have the rest."

Huzi gulped down the half an egg in one go, choked and hiccupped. He downed a large bowl of cold water from Cao Geer's house to recover.

The group of six- or seven-year-olds ran out to play. Remarkably, Cao Geer remembered to close the front door before leaving.

It was the last big market before the New Year. Almost every family in the village had gone to town to shop, and the few men left behind were taking grain up the mountain.

The village was somewhat empty, making the children's happy shouts even more pronounced.

"Sticky rice cakes! Delicious sticky rice cakes!" The sticky rice cake vendor's call was neither loud nor soft, drawing closer.

Sticky rice cakes, a cheap and tasty snack in the Xiwu Prefecture area, were a favorite among children—sticky and chewy.

Huzi and the other kids gathered around. The bolder ones ran up to ask the elderly vendor, "How much are the sticky rice cakes?"

The old man, dressed in tattered clothes and carrying his wares on a pole, smiled. "Two coppers each without filling, four coppers with filling."

Cheaper than at the market! Everyone was tempted, but few could pull out two coppers.

Huzi urged Cao Geer, "Cao Geer, buy one! Buy one, and we'll share it half and half. When the New Year comes and my family stews chicken, I'll steal a drumstick for you."

Cao Geer wasn't as greedy as Huzi. He remembered what the village head and his mother had said—stay away from strangers these days. He instinctively stepped back. "I don't want to buy. Let's go play shoe-flipping on the threshing ground."

His suggestion of playing made the other kids, who had been tempted to buy, hesitate.

Huzi grabbed Cao Geer's arm. "Your family's so rich. I saw your father give you two coppers the other day. Just buy one piece!"

The old vendor smiled. "I'll make it cheaper for you. One copper each?"

Now Huzi wouldn't budge, pulling and tugging, insisting Cao Geer buy.

Cao Geer, young as he was, already understood annoyance. "Wait here; I'll go home and get the money." He brushed it off, went home, bolted the door from the inside, and refused to come out, leaving Huzi bawling his eyes out at his doorstep.

The other kids got bored and ran off to play elsewhere. The sticky rice cake vendor, hearing Huzi's cries, came over and, taking pity on him, gave him one for free, finally stopping his tears.

Facing the closed door, the old man said, "That little boy's family has money, so why wasn't he willing to spend two coppers?"

Huzi, sniffling and rubbing his nose as he ate, said, "His mother won't let him spend. Besides, my father says Cao Geer's family is the richest in the village. They bought several hundred catties of grain and brought it back on an ox cart. We all saw it!"

The old man exclaimed in surprise, "They even have an ox cart? That's rich."

"Huzi, come home! Your second uncle is here." Huzi's mother called from their yard.

Huzi wolfed down the whole sticky rice cake, afraid his mother would find out, then ran back home, leaving the old man behind.

—

The cement project in the outskirts had progressed rapidly since Xu the kiln master arrived. As soon as he came, he identified the most critical issue: "I believe the lime was fired incorrectly..."

Xu the kiln master then reconsidered: "That's not quite right either. The problem is with the current kilns. These two are just ordinary egg-shaped kilns. To produce what Master Meng described, you'd need a vertical lime kiln at the very least."

Meng Wan's eyes lit up. Just what you'd expect from a big-city guy—he knew his stuff. He got straight to the point.

Song Tingzhou said in a deep voice, "Then build a vertical lime kiln."

Building a vertical lime kiln was not something you could build overnight. First, you had to choose a site. The spot they were at was good but not high enough; a flat, wind-sheltered area halfway up the mountain needed to be cleared. Then came digging, masonry, sealing, air-drying in the shade, and firing the kiln—a tedious process with no room for error. Even at the fastest, it would take at least a month.

The kiln building couldn't be rushed, so they first busied themselves with the New Year preparations. A Yan was over a year old now and could already eat some soft steamed rice, but he still hadn't stopped drinking goat's milk.

"Food, food!" A Yan stood at the kitchen door holding a small wooden bowl and spoon, peering in eagerly.

His jade bowl and spoon had already been put away by Meng Wan; if they hadn't been taken away, he would have broken them in a few days.

Chang Jinhua was dropping meatballs into the pot in the kitchen; each tender little meatball floated up as soon as it entered the boiling water. Her movements were quick, and in no time a layer of small meatballs floated on the surface. The aroma of meat wafted out, making A Yan stomp his feet in impatience.

"Grandma, food!"

"Yes, Grandma hears you, don't be impatient, A Yan. There's still a small basin of shrimp balls to put in. Does A Yan want pork balls or shrimp balls?" Chang Jinhua threw a question to A Yan to temporarily distract him.

A Yan actually stopped and stood there thinking for a moment, "Shrimp, A Yan wants shrimp balls!"

"Alright, alright, Grandma will put the shrimp balls in now. A Yan just wait obediently for a while!"

"Okay!" A Yan answered crisply, clutching his bowl and spoon, staring intently at Chang Jinhua busy in the kitchen. Even when Qiuse wanted to take him to play on the slide, he refused.

"A Yan?" Meng Wan had returned home, changed clothes, and came looking for him.

As soon as A Yan heard his voice, he threw down even his bowl and waddled quickly over to Meng Wan. The next moment after opening his arms, he was picked up by his father. He nestled his little head into Meng Wan's neck, rubbing his face up and down, looking both well-behaved and aggrieved.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with Daddy's big treasure?" Meng Wan teased.

If he hadn't spoken, it would have been fine, but as soon as he did, A Yan's tears were about to fall. "Grandma won't let me eat food-food."

Qiuse chuckled from the side, "Grandma is making it. It's the young master who couldn't wait and ran over to urge."

Even at such a young age, A Yan already knew who was calling him out. He lay limply in Meng Wan's arms and glared at Qiuse.

Chang Jinhua also heard their conversation. Carrying a bowl of freshly cooked small shrimp balls, she deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Which little rascal said Grandma doesn't feed him?"

A Yan's finger pointed unhesitatingly at Qiuse. "It's him!"

Chang Jinhua burst out laughing, but still wanted to tease him. "Wan Geer must be hungry after coming back from outside. This bowl of meatballs should go to Daddy first."

A Yan said hastily, "Wan-wan no food! A Yan food!"

Meng Wan set him down and took the bowl from Chang Jinhua's hand. "I know, you're making my ears hurt. Let Daddy blow on it and then feed you."

The small meatballs weren't big, but A Yan's mouth was even smaller, so they had to break each meatball into four small pieces and feed them to A Yan slowly.

This little one could be recognized as a foodie from a young age. He ate four small meatballs before satisfying his craving. He wanted more, but Meng Wan wouldn't give him any. "Later when your father comes back, you'll also eat some noodles. You can't eat too many meatballs. Tomorrow is New Year's and Grandma will make dumplings. Does A Yan like to eat them?"

"Like it, like it!" A Yan affirmed his approval of Chang Jinhua's cooking.

Meng Wan smiled. His son didn't dislike anything.

The Heshan area had abundant rainfall, with small rivers and streams everywhere, so aquatic products were quite plentiful. Chang Jinhua and Song Tingzhou, as true northerners, were fine with fish and shrimp on their table, but they weren't used to various shellfish and river crabs. In the past, only Meng Wan ate them, but he wasn't particularly keen either. Now things were better. A Yan ate everything, especially river clams, snails, and shrimp.

Their family didn't have too many rules, but at the very least, they wouldn't start the meal until everyone was seated. Later, when Song Tingzhou returned, A Yan sat in his woven bamboo baby chair, having already soaked three bibs with drool.

After the family settled down, Chang Jinhua used chopsticks to break up the noodles in A Yan's bowl, making it easier for him to eat with a spoon. "Alright, let's eat."

A Yan buried his head to eat the noodles. Seeing that he was eating well on his own, Meng Wan didn't bother him further and asked Song Tingzhou, "I heard the Guangxi Regional Commander wants to temporarily transfer the two thousand soldiers stationed outside Heshan County? Is Qinzhou really getting that chaotic?" Otherwise, such a small number of troops wouldn't be worth mentioning to a County Magistrate.

These two thousand soldiers were, in name, sent by His Majesty to Lingnan to assist Song Tingzhou in his affairs, supported by government pay and provisions. But in reality, these two thousand were not county troops; they could only be called locally stationed soldiers. Their superior was still the local regional commander. It was just that ordinarily, if there were security issues nearby, Song Tingzhou could also command them.

Now that the Guangxi Regional Commander wanted to deploy them, Song Tingzhou had no reason to refuse. "I'm afraid Qin Jiao will have to go too."

Meng Wan suddenly understood. "No wonder..."

He had wondered why Qin Jiao, the heir to a marquis, would come to Lingnan with them, along with these two thousand soldiers—what was that about? It seemed now that these two thousand were only for the heir to practice on. And they themselves were just decoys used to confuse and mislead others.

The more he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. "People like us, such minor characters, can actually be arranged as chess pieces? They really think highly of you and me."