nucmednet Chapter 36 Seizing Land (3)
Chapter 36 Seizing Land (3)
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Gou Dafu was really anxious: "This...this...you've worked in the yamen for so many years, and he's just a clerk, not an official, so what gives him the right?"
"Why? Because he can now relay messages on behalf of the county magistrate. With the county magistrate's name, he can easily find a reason to force me, a mere lowly official, to pack my bags and leave."
Gou Dafu was now completely panicked, pacing back and forth anxiously. His family's rise to wealth was entirely due to Gou Ergui's support; he could never have built such a fortune on his own. With Gou Ergui gone, the Gou family's path to riches would be over. However, he didn't have much idea about official matters, so he tentatively suggested, "How about we send the clerk a generous gift?"
In fact, this was exactly what Gou Ergui had in mind, and he was waiting for his elder brother to say: "There is no other way. Although it is a bit abrupt to give a gift, it is better than kicking someone out and then trying to make amends. It's just that it will cost you a lot of money, elder brother."
Although Gou Dafu was heartbroken, he could still tell the priorities: "It's alright, brothers don't hold grudges. Besides, without you, I wouldn't have been able to build this business."
Just as the two brothers finished discussing their plan, the steward knocked on the door. "Master, Master, something terrible has happened! I heard that the neighboring Longyin Village was robbed, and our relative, Master Huang, not only had his property taken but also lost his life!"
The two were terrified. Longyin Village was only a few dozen miles from Hefeng Village, and Master Huang was a distant relative of the Gou family and a prominent figure in the area. If he had died at the hands of evildoers, their own fate would likely be grim. Gou Ergui opened the door: "Is the news true?"
The steward replied, "Second Master, this is what the villagers who fled from Longyin Village said. Someone is targeting wealthy families, not only robbing them of their money but also taking their lives."
Normally, the two brothers might have held onto a sliver of hope, hoping that no one would come here. But now, Gou Ergui was a frightened bird and dared not harbor any more illusions. He quickly said to Gou Dafu, "Brother, quickly pack your valuables, call the whole family, and come with me to the county town. The county town is now guarded by local militia, so it's safer than the countryside. Let's leave tonight, or it might be too late."
Gou Dafu cried, "Our family's silver is all in the cellar. We can't take it with us in a short time. This is all our wealth. If the Li people rob us, our family will be ruined!"
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. These Li people can only take their wealth with them; they can't take their land with them. As long as the land remains, they can always earn the money back."
However, Gou Dafu was greedy and loved money more than anything. Asking him to give up all his possessions was worse than killing him. No matter how Gou Ergui tried to persuade him, he insisted on taking the silver with him.
However, there weren't enough carriages available. Once everything was ready, plus the time needed to move the silver, they definitely wouldn't be able to leave before dark. It wasn't safe for families to travel at night, so they couldn't set off until the next morning at the earliest.
Gou Ergui pointed at his elder brother with exasperation: "You're short-sighted. Once you lose your life, it will be too late for regrets."
Even so, they are brothers after all, and it would be good for me to keep the money. After thinking it over, I decided to stay, hoping they wouldn't come too soon.
Logically speaking, one cannot march and fight at night. They are just bandits who haven't even washed the mud off their feet. They are just a motley crew. They are still robbing dozens of miles away. It is impossible for them to arrive so quickly. Even counting and transporting the valuables would probably take a lot of time.
With this hopeful expectation, the Gou brothers gathered enough carriages before nightfall and directed their servants to load the silver into the carriages overnight. Before dawn the next day, they urged the women to board the carriages as well. After everything was prepared, the east was just beginning to lighten.
Gou Dafu said smugly, "Second brother, you see, we were really overthinking it. A bunch of peasants robbing and looting, they probably wouldn't even be able to walk away if they saw the money. How could they come so fast? It's better for us to take the silver with us than to let these peasants get it for free."
Gou Ergui forced a smile, said nothing, and only urged them to hurry up. He still felt uneasy.
He took all the silver, and Gou Dafu didn't want to leave behind any valuables either, thinking it wouldn't matter for a while. So he loaded the cart with silk fabrics, rosewood furniture, porcelain he bought in Guangdong, and so on. In the end, he looked at the house and sighed, "What a pity for this newly renovated house. I just hope those guys don't ruin it."
Gou Ergui finally lost his temper and shouted, "Enough! We've already wasted so much time. You're not going to take the house with you, are you? If you don't leave now, I'm leaving. I don't care if you live or die!"
Gou Dafu smiled apologetically and said, "Second brother, please don't be offended. It was my fault. We'll be leaving now. Once we've settled down in the county town, we'll go and give gifts to the clerk to keep your job. From now on, we'll continue to work together as brothers, and money will be a piece of cake."
Seeing his listless appearance, Gou Ergui was at a loss. He snorted, turned around, and got into the car. Gou Dafu also got into the car and ordered, "Let's go!"
As the convoy drove through the village, some villagers pointed and discussed it behind it.
"I heard that the Gou family moved to the county town to escape evil people."
"Yes, Dragon Roar Village suffered a calamity. But I heard that these villains target wealthy families, so we poor folks should be alright, right?"
"Who knows? But we don't have anything to be stolen, and we have nowhere to run. Let's just leave it to fate."
"I hope Heaven will have mercy and let them rob the Gou family, so they can stop harming the village."
"That's right, that's right. The Gou family has been seizing our land for a long time. Everyone knows they bully us honest people by relying on their brothers who work in the county. But there's nothing we can do about them. If they really rob us, it will be a way to vent our anger."
The Gou brothers wouldn't hear these words, and even if they did, they wouldn't care; after all, a few complaints wouldn't hurt them in the slightest.
Leaving the village and heading north, it's only about 20 li to reach the county town. Longyin Village is to the east, so as long as you're not trapped in the village, you won't encounter any villains coming from Longyin Village after walking a few li.
Just as the Gou brothers were celebrating their narrow escape, faint footsteps came from the woods to the east, sounding like a large number of people.
Gou Ergui's expression changed. The sudden appearance of a large group of people at this critical moment was definitely not a good thing. He urged the coachman, "Hurry up and move forward!"
Gou Dafu was a little slow to react. Before he could react, a group of people walked out of the woods. Judging from their attire, it was indeed this group of guys.
Just as he feared, Gou Dafu realized what was happening, grabbed Gou Ergui's arm tremblingly, and muttered, "They're here, what do we do, what do we do?"
The people over there spotted the convoy, and a burly leader at the head shouted, causing the group to switch from walking to jogging and quickly approach.