For the county magistrate, Gao Hu was just his small nephew, a sharp blade that would be a pity to lose but would not cause too much grief.
But for the magistrate's wife, Gao Hu was the brother she had raised like her own son, and the sole heir to pass on the Gao family line that she cared for deeply.
So it was understandable that she hated the siblings who had sent Gao Hu to prison, to the point she was willing to hire killers and even commit murder.
It was just unknown what assassins she had hired, when they would strike, and against which target.
Knowing nothing made them feel awful.
The six siblings lost their appetites, too bothered to eat.
But Pang Dashan was heartily stuffing his face at this time, even sucking the marrow out of bones, making Zheng Ruqian suspect for a moment that he was lying for the sake of extra food.
After seeing Pang Dashan and his brothers off,
Zheng Ruqian shut the door and raced back to the yard, "Xiaosan will stay home these next few days to protect our younger brothers and sister."
"What about eldest brother?" Jiang Sheng asked.
Zheng Ruqian thought for a moment. "We'll all go together to send eldest brother to school, then come back together. That'll be safer."
"What about you, then?" Jiang Sheng asked again.
Zheng Ruqian thumped his chest. "What could happen to me? I've got Pang Dashan with me."
But Pang Dashan was only big and burly, not trained in any martial arts. He was alright in a contest of brute strength, but when facing someone skilled like Fang Heng, he always failed to dodge in time.
"No, I don't want anything to happen to second brother. I don't want to lose you," Jiang Sheng clutched Zheng Ruqian's sleeve with eyes brimming with tears.
During the day, she would search all over town out of worry for fourth brother.
At night, her eyes would also fill with tears fretting over second brother.
The little sister had never played favorites. She had always loved each of her brothers sincerely.
Zheng Ruqian's nose turned sour.
He didn't want anything to happen either, didn't want to leave his family. But he had to go out to earn money. He couldn't give up this ready business over things that hadn't happened yet.
It was at this moment that the siblings realized, although they now had money and food, to properly protect themselves they still needed people, abilities, and access to information.
Xu Mo stood up with his hands behind his back and slowly paced. "When is second brother going to Yunshui County to deliver vegetables?"
"In three days," Zheng Ruqian held up three fingers. "In three days the snow vegetable harvest will be full. I'll have to go to Yunshui County then, otherwise the restaurant Yuanran Ju that I supply every half month won't have enough."
Xu Mo looked towards Fang Heng.
Fang Heng understood his meaning and stood up as well. "Three days of intensive training, though it won't be enough to counter attack, at least they'll be more agile."
Zheng Ruqian was still confused. "Training, training who? Me?"
"Not just you," Fang Heng spat out a few words. "Mainly Pang Dashan and his brothers."
At the same time.
The brothers huddling around the fire in the mountain cave suddenly sneezed in unison.
"Big brother, have we caught a cold?" the first little brother asked.
Pang Dashan pinched his nose. No snot. "Probably someone is cursing us from behind."
Back at the small estate.
Zheng Ruqian was bewildered at first, but on second thought, there really was no other way.
Eldest brother had to prepare for exams, third brother had to protect the family, fourth brother had to go to the clinic for medicine, fifth brother was too young, and Jiang Sheng was a girl.
There really was only Pang Dashan and his brothers left to make use of.
If it came down to it, he could just pay them.
For the first time, Zheng Ruqian acted arrogantly with his newfound wealth.
And so the next day,
six half-grown boys appeared in the yard carrying water vats.
"Old Zheng, are we really doing this?" Pang Dashan said hesitantly. "I'm one thing, but my younger brothers are still so young."
Zheng Ruqian pulled out a stack of copper coins from his pocket. "One hundred wen for all who go."
Without another word, Pang Dashan hoisted the vat onto his head, and even kindly helped his brothers set theirs down too.
Zheng Ruqian: "......"
In the afternoon, the strategy changed to tying sandbags to their legs as they ran ten kilometers (modified).
At first the six were exhausted, but by the end they suddenly felt refreshed and invigorated, as if it were nothing.
Especially after taking off the sandbags, that feeling of lightness made them want to run all the way to Yunshui County.
As for the sore backs and aching waists?
No problem, they could find Wen Xiaosi for easy pain relief.
On the second day, Fang Heng began teaching them how to use concealed weapons.
Which really just meant hiding some sharp rocks and sticks in their sleeves, and as long as they threw them accurately and with force, it would inflict some harm.
Three days of intensive training could not turn ordinary people into martial arts masters.
But it could make them more adept at dodging harm, dealing with danger, and finding the right moment to counterattack.
After three days, the snow vegetable harvest was full.
Zheng Ruqian set off with Pang Dashan and his four brothers, driving a donkey cart.
Jiang Sheng waved tearfully. "Second brother, big brother Pang, if you encounter danger just run. As long as you can come back safely, nothing else matters."
"Keep up the training until they return," Fang Heng also waved.
Pang Dashan was so frightened he whipped the donkey's behind and raced off, thinking to himself that he might just stay in Yunshui County and not come back.
After sending off Zheng Ruqian and the others, they still had to escort Xu Mo to school.
Jiang Sheng was too worried about second brother to be in high spirits, sitting curled up in a daze.
Even when Xu Mo paused his reading, he would lift his head every so often to glance in the direction of Yunshui County.
Chang Yan sighed and looked towards Wen Zhiyun.
These past few days while Zheng Ruqian was put through special training, the two brothers had not been idle either.
After realizing they would always be stuck reacting passively, Chang Yan had started racking his brains for ways to expand their intelligence network.
The simplest method was of course to plant moles.
So-called moles outwardly appeared loyal to their masters, but actually served another master, passing on information from the moment they were planted, and even sacrificing themselves when necessary.
But that was clearly unrealistic.
There was no choice but to gather intel, turn agents, and buy people off.
Chang Yan found Wen Zhiyun. Going to the clinic to fetch medicine wasn't very important work, but he was bound to encounter key figures.
Like the county magistrate's wife's personal maid, or a cleaning servant girl.
The two brothers were already of the same mind about this. Wen Zhiyun was timid, but with Chang Yan's goading, he daringly took a peek at the clinic's patient records and found that the county magistrate's wife's head maid came at the end of each month for medicine, firmly memorizing this.
Waiting for the chance.
On the third day after Zheng Ruqian and Pang Dashan left, the head maid did indeed go to the clinic.
Wen Zhiyun remembered Chang Yan's words, chatting her up amiably while casually probing with "big sister" this and that, sweet as honey. Still he subtly sounded things out.
Of course the head maid would not directly speak of such matters, so he could only make sideways approaches.
First asking how the mistress' mood was lately, he found out she was in good spirits. Then he remarked that the new medicine should avoid extreme emotional ups and downs, and it would be best to avoid taking it for now.
Finally, he asked when she would come for more medicine next month, so he could prepare it ahead of time.
The head maid thought for a moment. "Then make it the twenty-ninth next month."
Today was the twenty-sixth.
Wen Zhiyun's heart jumped. He quickly found Chang Yan and deduced that the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth would be when the county magistrate's wife made her move.
But the last two days, none of the beggars in town had seen Knife Scarface come or go.
So the only possibility was that he had left town.
Chang Yan's heart lurched. He went straight to Fang Heng, "Second brother may be in danger."
Compared to the siblings still in town, Zheng Ruqian outside the city walls was clearly the better target.
Easy, simple, and evidence harder to find too.
Fang Heng turned red with anger. "Should have known not to let second brother make this trip."
"No use saying that now. Hurry and go save them," Chang Yan kept his cool. "Eldest brother should stay at school for now and not go anywhere. Everyone else go rescue them."
Even if they couldn't help, they couldn't leave the little estate empty either, in case the county magistrate's wife took the chance to make her move.
This line of thinking was quite meticulous.
Fang Heng cast an astonished glance at his little fifth brother, but ultimately said nothing.
He leapt onto the fiery red stud, and had his younger siblings board a rented carriage as they raced at top speed towards Yunshui County.
They plunged ahead fully aware of the danger.
The wind whipped their hair and the chill wind stung their faces, but their gazes were steady as they advanced relentlessly.
"Hyah!"
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