Chapter 340

“Fortunately, those bandits weren’t after lives, just food and money. Otherwise, young Changlin wouldn’t be alive now,” Li Wu said with lingering fear.

Li Dani asked worriedly, “Weren’t the bandits caught? Why are there still more?”

“Judging by the attitude of the yamen officers last time, they probably thought that was the only batch!” Hong Mancang said angrily.

And that batch was even caught by them, not the yamen officers.

“The world is in chaos, and bandits can’t all be captured. There will always be more people turning to banditry,” Qin Yilin sighed, also worried.

In times of war, they have to deal with not only bandits but also rogue soldiers.

Bandits are like combs, and soldiers like fine combs; soldiers are more dangerous than bandits.

Especially with only three people in her family, what if they are conscripted into the army?

The old village chief furrowed his brows deeply, looking at the crowd of villagers in the yard, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Life had finally improved. They survived the flood safely, and just recently had their first village feast. They thought life would get better, but then the regional lord rebelled, throwing the world into chaos.

Natural disasters are hard enough to endure, but man-made disasters are even harder. Now with both, the emperor, princes, and the court nobles really don’t care about the common people’s lives.

His gaze paused on Hong Mancang, remembering what he had said last time. Seeing that Shuiqing was also present, he confirmed again, “Mancang, tell us what the bandit said last time.”

Last time, Hong Mancang had taken the time to tell him what the bandit had said, which he found odd but couldn’t pinpoint why.

Now, with Hu Shuiqing present, someone experienced and knowledgeable from the Ding family, it was a good opportunity to listen together.

Hong Mancang, upon being asked by the old village chief, cleared his throat and said, “The bandit said someone came to him, telling him our cart had rabbit meat and lots of silver. I asked what that person looked like, and he said the person was masked, so he didn’t know the appearance, but the accent wasn’t like mine, though it was like the men in our village.”

“Mancang is from Nanning Prefecture, so it’s normal for the informer to have a different accent. But if the accent was like the men in our village, then it must be someone from Guangning Prefecture. But there are so many people in Guangning Prefecture, and if he was masked, how can we know who it is?” Li Wu scratched his head, feeling a headache.

“Yes, many people know we sell rabbits, so it’s hard to find out who it was.” Li Qiang was also troubled. Shuiqing, recalling old cases, thought that strangers giving tips usually don’t hide their appearance since they aren’t known anyway. In this era, finding someone in the entire prefectural city based on a verbal description is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Those who hide their appearance are often not strangers but acquaintances!

Analyzing the cases wasn’t appropriate to mention, so she asked in a different way, “Saying our cart had rabbit meat and lots of silver means they were determined to rob us! Could the mask be to prevent us from recognizing a familiar face?

The accents in Guangning Prefecture also vary by region, but it’s a pity we don’t know how similar the bandit said it was.”

The old village chief, Qin Yilin, and the quick-witted among them had a sudden realization.

Outsiders might know they sell rabbits but not the frequency and amount. They’d assume it’s wild rabbit meat and wouldn’t expect much silver, certainly not enough to be envious. In the city, there are bigger businesses making more money.

The envy likely came from someone familiar!

“Most of the villagers sell rabbits, except for Fan Qian, Zhang Tuzi, and Wang Mazi,” Li Qiang quickly said.

Wang Mazi and his sons live separately; the elderly couple, even if envious, wouldn’t go to the city; Zhang Tuzi, who can lie down instead of sitting, wouldn’t go either. Moreover, these two families live in the village, so even if envious, it’s unlikely they’d risk their lives to go to the city alone.

He looked at his father: “Fan Qian and the two brothers?”

Li Wu shook his head: “Not them. Their fear that day wasn’t fake. Besides, they didn’t have knives. According to the bandit, if they came to rob and weren’t recognized, wouldn’t they still be cut down?”

They shouldn’t be that foolish.

“So, not acquaintances?”

The old village chief’s gaze was heavy as he pondered for a while before speaking: “We have another acquaintance in the prefectural city, someone who used to be from our village.”

Someone who left with a belly full of resentment after having conflicts with the villagers.

Everyone in the room, except for Shuiqing, was taken aback.

“Fan Damu!” Li Wu immediately said. “Last time we went to the yamen to see the announcements, we happened to see Fan Qian and his three sons going to find Fan Damu. It’s normal for him to know we sell rabbits, but would he also know we have a lot of silver because we sold a large batch of medicinal herbs this time?”

Otherwise, why did nothing happen during previous trips when we only sold rabbits, but trouble arose just when Fan Jin and Uncle Ding were selling medicinal herbs for more silver?

“This is just a guess, with no concrete evidence yet. However, if it’s an acquaintance like Fan Damu or another familiar person, we’re in real danger,” Shuiqing said after everyone had made their speculations.

Li Wu, Li Dani, and the others were still processing this, looking at Shuiqing in unison.

Shuiqing explained, “It’s a fact that we’ve been targeted, but strangers don’t know where we live. After the last batch of bandits were caught, the risk is mainly during our trips to the city. But if it’s a familiar person, our village itself could be in danger.”

After all, a familiar person would know the location of the village.

A collective gasp was heard in the room.

Li Qiang panicked, “Dad, even the small amount of grain from the official school was targeted. Every household in our village has grain and savings.”

“What do we do?” Hong Mancang’s palms were sweating with anxiety.

After enduring over ten years of hardship, they had finally reached a point where they had enough food and clothing. They couldn’t just let their grain, clothes, and possessions be taken away.

He was unwilling and could not agree to such a fate.

The old village chief lowered his head, thinking for a long time. Then he looked up and instructed, “We don’t have any evidence about Damu or any other familiar person, so let’s keep this to ourselves for now. Everyone here should just be aware and vigilant.

“Now that Changlin is back injured and brought news of Yan Wang’s rebellion, let’s use this as a pretext to strengthen our village patrol team!”

This was exactly what Shuiqing had been waiting for.

In chaotic times, the whole village must work together!

Her family, including the 23 servants, totaled just over 30 people. With many young children, they couldn’t fend off dozens or even hundreds of bandits alone. But with over 400 people in Shanshui Village, if they organized well, the bandits might not even be able to enter the village!

Qin Yilin let out a long sigh of relief.

This was her biggest concern as well. With the smallest family in the village, they needed to band together more than anyone else. Strengthening the patrol team was of utmost importance!