HBWnovel Chapter 178 During the Ancient Escape, Do Not Disturb 3
Chapter 178 During the Ancient Escape, Do Not Disturb 3
It got dark in Wangshan Village.
To maintain his semi-literate persona, Zhou Fengping pretended not to recognize all the characters on the letters.
He could only secretly seek Zhou Shusheng's help with a letter, a simple map, a bamboo tube of water, and a bundle of wild vegetables.
This water was brought back from the mountains; it's clearer than the water they fetch from the river at the village entrance.
Similar to Zhou Fengping's family, Zhou Shusheng's family also had no neighbors.
However, the scholar's house is doing quite well this week.
Was this house occupied by the village head's son-in-law in a past life?
A knocking sound came from the door.
The Zhou family stopped packing their luggage.
Zhou Shusheng stopped his mother and younger sister to see who the stranger was.
"Mr. Zhou...? I am Zhou Fengping. Could you please help me recognize a few characters?"
Judging from the voice, it's Zhou Erge from the village. If we have no grudge, I can help him.
However, Zhou Shusheng did nothing unnecessary. He stood in the courtyard under the scattered moonlight, reading the letter and relaying its contents to Zhou Fengping.
But this...
The two sisters-in-law of the Zhou family were actually working together.
They also set off with their master to Hope City.
They even had someone send back a simple map.
Zhou Shusheng felt like this was a windfall, making it impossible for him to remain calm.
The semi-literate Zhou Fengping pretended not to understand, and kept asking Zhou Shusheng questions while flipping through the map. After several times, the other man had memorized it perfectly.
Only then did he feel relieved enough to say goodbye, and he even stuffed the water and wild vegetables from the bamboo tube directly into Zhou Shusheng's hands.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Zhou Shusheng called out to Zhou Fengping.
"Brother Zhou, wait at the door."
"Alright, I'll just stand here and not move."
It turned out that Zhou Shusheng wanted to give him the old clothes and quilts that he couldn't take with him from home. In addition to these, there was also an elementary literacy book and a bag of white sugar cakes bought in the county.
Consider it a reward for having seen and used the map.
This map was much more detailed than what his classmate had described, and he was forced to memorize the route; he was certainly grateful for this favor.
As for traveling together? Zhou Shusheng said he would never dare to.
He only reminded Zhou Fengping once as he turned to leave.
"Brother Zhou, you'd better leave soon, or the county magistrate will arrest you."
Zhou Fengping nodded hurriedly after hearing this.
"Alright, alright, Zhou Shusheng, you should leave early too. We might even run into you on the way. Hehehe."
After saying that, he happily went home, clutching his old clothes.
Zhou Shusheng shook his head as he watched Zhou Fengping's retreating figure.
Back inside, I took out my pen and ink and drew the map that I had been forced to memorize on paper. Now I felt much more at ease.
...
He walked into the courtyard carrying a bunch of things.
Zhou Tian, Zhou Gu, and Zhou Mai were dozing off at the doorway, propping themselves up on their arms.
Hearing the noise, Zhou Mai's head jerked, nearly hitting himself.
It startled the two people drooling next to it awake.
It seems farming is really tiring; the kids don't have the energy to think about anything else and can fall asleep as soon as they close their eyes.
Several people wiped their drool and got up to help move things.
"Second Uncle, have we struck it rich?"
Zhou Gu spoke softly, but he couldn't hide his excitement; this was the first time he had ever been so eager.
I guess the adults in the family have been wearing the same old old clothes for too long, so they got a little excited when they suddenly saw this whole piece.
They couldn't bear to use the reward given by that benefactor last time to buy fabric or new clothes.
I always think that I still have old clothes at home that I can continue to wear.
Zhou Gu had heard his mother say that in some places, a family's children only had one pair of pants to share.
"Isn't that right? This was given to us by Scholar Zhou. What's the difference between this and getting rich?"
After Zhou Fengping finished speaking, he handed the snacks in his hand to Zhou Mai.
"Go and share with your brothers. Don't eat anything that will cause indigestion..."
He even nudged the two boys next to him into the house to eat.
He also has to announce later that the Zhou family is moving.
The memorial tablets of one's parents and elder brothers must also be carried along and not forgotten.
It's best to make your home look like it's been ransacked.
*
Tongzi listed all the things for him one by one.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if its middle-aged, demented host forgot anything.
"Tongzi, you're really asking for it. If you really have nothing to do, come out and babysit my kid."
"Ping~ I heard your prayer~ I'll come as soon as you leave the village~ Hahaha, how did I become a 'Tongzi' with an accent~ This~ isn't~ good."
"You have Big Ice, really."
Zhou Fengping ignored Tongzi and gathered the children, who had eaten and drunk their fill, around the dining table.
They began announcing the Zhou family's relocation plan.
And everyone's mother is still alive. This bundle of things was brought back by someone they pooled their money to get. Perhaps we can meet again in Hope City if we are destined to.
Upon hearing the news about their mother, all three children immediately lost their appetite.
Zhou Tian and Zhou Mai also reacted unusually calmly.
"Father, was Mother on that carriage that gave out reward money...?"
Thanks to the fact that the original owner did not brainwash the children with phrases like "your mother is not faithful" or "your mother is promiscuous."
The two children harbored no hatred towards Lin Qiuniang, and suddenly they made a connection to the golden melon seeds.
The golden melon seeds are still hidden by the stove.
Zhou Fengping hesitated for a moment, then just nodded blankly and gave a vague response.
"We can find someone in Hope City to get the details."
Not getting the answer he wanted, the little boy looked a bit dejected and wrinkled.
He could only add a few words.
"Maybe so, after all, who gets so much money for just a drink of water?"
"Looks like your mother's doing pretty well. You've inherited her genes; you'll definitely make a name for yourselves in Hope City."
...
Once a person has a goal, time begins to accelerate.
Sure enough, not long after Zhou Shusheng left with his family, Zhou Fengping also ran away with three others.
Because of the tragic death of Zhou Shusheng in his previous life, Zhou Fengping's family had to wait until they had no water or food before leaving, all thanks to the Niu family.
Now that those who were supposed to leave have left, it's time for the Niu family to make their appearance.
So, under the influence of psychological suggestion, the family pushed and shoved each other to the county government office. They accused each other of going to Hope City and of spreading rumors and inciting the villagers...
Chen, the village head who had just arrived, was completely baffled by what he heard.
Weren't they going to falsely accuse Zhou Shusheng? How did they start fighting amongst themselves?
Will he still be able to seize Zhou Shusheng's wealth?
There's also Zhou Shusheng's big house, which his daughter has been eyeing for a long time.
Can't think about it.
Chen Lizheng clutched his chest, feeling as if his heart was about to break.
Little did he know that an even greater shock awaited him.
It turned out that the several Niu family men who were kneeling in front of the hall suddenly stood up and pounced on the official like hungry wolves seeing meat.
The officers, exhausted from working overtime that night, couldn't stop him in time, and by the time they tried to reach out, it was too late.
Their boss, who was a ruthless bully and tyrannical man, was actually being embraced and kissed by several men.
That scene was truly an eyesore, indecent, and morally corrupting...
Anyway, thanks to the talisman props, the whole thing turned into a soap opera and even spread to the prefectural city.
In the end, the official lost his official hat.
The guy who filed the lawsuit against Niu in his previous life was identified by his family and incited the villagers to go to Hope City, where he was burned to death.
The rest of the Niu family members survived.
But it's no better than death. After the beating, they'll be sent to hard labor, and it's hard to say how many days they'll live.
In the city, people kept talking about "those rough men and officials in front of the hall that day..."
As for the one who was burned to death?
What does this have to do with those gossipy old men?
They weren't the ones who died, nor were they the ones who lost their heads and hats, nor were they the ones who went to Hope City.
Their impression of Hope City was that the food, drinks, and entertainment were quite good.
It's a pity they don't do prostitution...
What a waste of so many beautiful and fresh-faced women.