After lunch, Evan Zhao discussed all matters with the girl and then stood up to say goodbye.
Elena Wei personally escorted him to the front yard and said, "I will ask the village elder to do what you said. My father once saved his son's life. There is no need to take too much risk in this matter. He will definitely not refuse."
"Human hearts are always unpredictable, sister, you must be careful." Evan Zhao took the reins from the servant and said to the girl.
"I have my own plan." The girl smiled and said, "Sell the cattle and sheep quickly. It is important to open up more fields after the snow melts. Also, don't forget to pay a visit to the governor's mansion. Don't be unfamiliar with the Third Young Master."
"I know."
Evan Zhao stepped on the rope buckle and jumped on the horse. Holding the reins with one hand, the horse stepped forward with its front hooves, took two steps back, and white hot air blew out from its mouth and nose.
"I will come to see you again in five days, and your ten thousand dollars will be safe!"
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for the girl's eyes to widen, he immediately waved the whip, and the horse raised its four hooves and ran away for a distance.
Less than fifty meters away from the gate, two reed chickens suddenly flew out, one in front and one behind. Even though they were flying in mid-air, they were still chirping loudly, their claws facing each other, and the fight was extremely lively.
One of them happened to hit the horse's head, startling the horse and causing it to neigh. Fortunately, Evan Zhao's riding skills were quite skilled, and he controlled the reins steadily, so no accident happened.
The egret chicken flew onto the courtyard wall, and immediately a boy of about eleven or twelve climbed to the top of the wall by stepping on stones and grabbed the target with amazing speed and strength.
The egret chicken was very fierce. It struggled with its wings and claws, turned its head and pecked the boy's hand. Blood soon seeped out of the wound.
The boy sniffed, his eyes not red, and looked at his mother standing at the wall. Seeing the latter nod, he immediately threw a chicken down, grabbed the wing of the other chicken, twisted it with one hand, and with a snap, the chicken, which had just been struggling, had its neck twisted and was no longer as majestic as before.
"To calm my husband down."
The young man jumped down from the wall and brought the chicken to Evan Zhaoma.
Evan Zhao wanted to shake his head, but when he saw the boy's thin linen clothes and the expectation in his expression, he swallowed his words. He signaled the servant to take the chicken, then got off the horse, took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, and handed it directly to the boy. Seeing that the boy didn't move, he simply stuffed it into his arms.
A reed chicken is nothing to him, but it is an important property of a farmer's family. He can't refuse the other party's kindness, but he can't accept it for nothing either.
The boy held the cloth bag, feeling its heavy weight and felt a little overwhelmed.
"I don't see you, but are you here to stay as a relative?" Evan Zhao asked.
Evan Zhao is very familiar with this village.
After leaving Yunzhong City, he was taken care of by Elena Wei's father. Later, he and the girl jointly established a livestock farm. They visited each other frequently and could recognize most of the villagers here.
The boy looked obviously unfamiliar.
"My dear, I was born in Beidi County. My father died in the battle with the Xiongnu. I have no relatives to help me and my family has no means of livelihood. My grandfather was farming in Shaling, so I came here with my mother to live with him." said the young man.
Evan Zhao nodded. In the border counties, similar things were not uncommon. Besides, the matter was easy to find out, so there was no need for the boy to lie.
Looking at the boy's red cheeks from the cold again, Evan Zhao couldn't help but sigh. If it weren't for the land and connections left by Victor Zhao, his situation might not be much better than the boy's.
"Can you read?" Evan Zhao asked.
"I can't read, but I can herd sheep and farm! I'm strong and I once fought off three evil boys!"
"Would you like to come to my house and work?"
The young man was stunned at first, but after he realized what was happening, he began to kneel down on the spot.
"Thank you, my dear!"
Evan Zhao did not stop him. Only by accepting this gift would the mother and son feel at ease.
"I will come back in five days. Come back to me after you have settled your family."
When Evan Zhao whipped the whip again, the young man grabbed the bag and ran a few steps, shouting: "My dear, my name is Gongsun Ao! My dear, I will repay your kindness with all my strength!"
Gongsun Ao?
Evan Zhao suddenly pulled the reins and looked back at the boy standing in the snow.
Is this the Gongsun Ao who saved Wei Qing as recorded in history books?
Gongsun Ao still stood there, sniffed hard, and feeling that it was no use, he simply raised his sleeve to wipe it, then grinned at Evan Zhao.
Evan Zhao’s expression froze.
No, it must be a coincidence.
However, thinking of that idiot Gavin Zhang, Evan Zhao was not completely sure. If that was really the case... Looking at Gongsun Ao, who had two snotty noses and a particularly honest smile, Evan Zhao once again felt that history books could not be trusted.
As I walked out of the gate, it started snowing again.
Evan Zhao pulled his cloak tighter and raised his whip.
The steed neighed, stood up suddenly, and immediately spread its four hooves, galloping back the way it came. Two strong servants followed Evan Zhao closely, and the three horses quickly turned into three black dots and disappeared in the vast snow.
Not long after the three men left, a caravan came from the opposite direction.
The carts, cattle and sheep were arranged in a long line, with slaves wrapped in sheepskin wielding whips on the carts, and strong servants guarding on both sides. The strong servants rode tall horses, with sturdy bodies and short swords on their waists. The two leading men even had bows and arrows on their backs, and full quivers hung on their horses' backs.
Gavin Zhang rode on a horse, wearing a wolfskin cloak, and walked at the front of the team.
After paying the full fine and leaving the temple safely, he did not plan to stay in the land of clouds for long. He counted the cattle and sheep that came to the market, and then set off for Chang'an with his servants and guards.
He had been a thief in his early years, and after much difficulty he had gotten rid of the reputation of a thief, he set out to make a career for himself.
A good man should gallop on the battlefield and build achievements. How can he be a thief with such great abilities?
Thinking of the prefect of the border county who had captured him and then released him, Gavin Zhang held the reins tightly with a determined look. On this trip to Chang'an, he must stand out and become famous!
There were also a large number of traveling merchants following the team.
At first, there were only two or three people, but as the team moved forward, the number of people increased. Gavin Zhang did not ask anyone to drive them away, but only ordered strong servants to guard the carts and cattle and sheep during rest to prevent accidents.
"I'm not afraid of encountering thieves, but I'm afraid of being trapped by wolves."
Gavin Zhang opened his water bag and ate a piece of hard biscuit with cold water. Hearing the wolf's cry getting closer, he ordered his strong servants to guard the cart and drive the cattle and sheep to move forward.
Merchants who could keep up would do so, and those who couldn't could only hope for the best. Merchants traveling in the border counties all knew the dangers of wolves, so they didn't need to be urged, and they all stood up and followed Gavin Zhang's team to speed forward in the wind and snow.
Not long after the team left, a group of wolves followed them.
Without waiting for the leader wolf to issue an order, a crossbow arrow pierced through the wind and snow and accurately pierced its right eye.
The leader wolf let out a howl, and more arrows flew from the air.
The wolves bared their fangs, but it was no use. In a blink of an eye, seven or eight wolves were shot dead. The remaining wolves, driven by hunger and blood, approached the wolf carcasses and started to bite their former companions.
More than a dozen knights jumped out of the snow, their horses crushing the ice and snow, and galloped around the wolf pack. The sound of bowstrings continued, and there was another rain of arrows, and the remaining prairie wolves fell in a pool of blood one after another.
Two or three of them were aroused to ferocity, their eyes were red, but they cunningly hid behind the bodies of their companions. A knight turned over and dismounted, drew out the long sword on the horse's back, licked the scar at the corner of his mouth, and in an instant, the murderous aura filled the air, forcing the evil wolf to whimper.
"Wei Wu, a quick battle and a quick decision."
"promise!"
The knight complied, and with the flash of his sword he split the snow and wind, and even more skillfully chopped off two wolf heads.
The scarlet blood splashed out and solidified in mid-air, forming a large ball of dark red ice flowers.
Liam Wei put away his bow and crossbow, looked at the wolf corpses all over the ground, dismounted, found the wolf king who was shot dead by an arrow, grabbed the wolf king's neck with one hand, lifted him up easily, and put him on the horse's back.
"Less than ten miles away, this is the second group." Wei Wu grabbed a handful of blood and wiped the blood off the knife. The scar on his face looked even more hideous in the light of the knife.
"This year's snowstorm is more severe than in previous years. I'm afraid there is no prey left on the grassland. Otherwise, these animals wouldn't have run so far."
After sheathing the long sword, Wei Wu looked at the wolf king's body and said, "Your archery skills have improved, but unfortunately, although this wolf is big, its fur is a bit mottled, so it's not the best."
After hearing Wei Wu's words, Liam Wei paused for a moment, looked at the wolf that he had previously liked, and suddenly felt dissatisfied. He untied the rope and threw the wolf king's body to Wei Wu, whistling under the latter's surprised gaze.
The knights scattered around immediately sped up their actions, tying the wolf corpses to their war horses. If the corpses were too broken to be cleaned up, they would simply tie them with ropes, drag them behind the war horses' B*tt0cks, and throw them away in places far away from human habitation.
"Search westward."
After the order was given, the knight raised his whip, white air spurted out of the horse's mouth, the horse's belly lay close to the ground, and soon disappeared in the wind and snow.
Liam Wei controlled the reins with one hand, thinking of the young man he met in front of the city gate, and his black eyes were finally no longer cold.
He determined to hunt for a white wolf skin.
The wolf pack that entered the border county from the grassland was destined to suffer a catastrophic disaster.
For the next two days, Evan Zhao stayed at home, searching his mind and telling the old servant how to grow bean sprouts. But he also said in advance that he was not sure if he could succeed in one try, and he would probably have to try a few more times.
Some things seem simple but are difficult to do, like raising wild rabbits. Evan Zhao really has no idea what to do with this group of rabbits that may have carnivorous genes.
Henry Hu took note of it carefully, and called the maid who was preparing the fat sheep in the kitchen to tell her what to do. The maid wiped her hands on her skirt, indicating that it was no problem, and went to pick soybeans immediately.
Henry Hu never had any doubts about Evan Zhao's orders. Once Henry Hu spoke, the servants in the house would never dare to say no. Evan Zhao only needed to move his mouth and wait for the bean sprouts to be delivered to him.
To be honest, he really wants to do it himself so that he will feel more accomplished.
But Henry Hu refused to agree, and the maid also blocked the door.
"Don't worry, my dear, I will definitely do it well!"
Evan Zhao had no choice but to give up. He put on his cloak and went to the front yard. He walked around the stone twice, thinking about how big the stone mill should be. Maybe he could also make a roller as well?
Jian Pu stood aside and saw Evan Zhao circling around the stone, gesturing with his hands and mumbling something from time to time, but he did not make a sound to disturb him.
They had long been accustomed to Evan Zhao's strange behavior. Every time the young man showed up like this, something new would appear in the house and different changes would occur in the village.
"Ji Bao, I remember you can chisel stones..."
Before Evan Zhao could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.
The strong servant went forward to answer the door. A boy of about 17 or 18 years old stood at the door, leaning on his knees with both hands, panting heavily, obviously having run all the way here. After catching his breath, he spoke: "My dear, Mr. He asked me to deliver a letter. The county's assistant historian sent a message that the county magistrate wants to re-measure the land and will send someone in the next few days!"
Measuring the land?
The border counties are vast and sparsely populated. To put it bluntly, there are more wild animals than people. How can we measure the land?
Evan Zhao let the boy into the courtyard and asked, "Any other news?"
"Zhang, the county magistrate, had people look through the books to find out the land that was awarded to Victor Zhao that year. He also went to the three elders and the treasurer in the village to ask whether the land was cultivated and the annual taxes."
The young man finished speaking in one breath, and seeing that Evan Zhao didn't say anything, he added: "Old He said that this matter is strange, and it is obvious that they are targeting you, but they can't figure out what they are going to do. He also said that there are new faces appearing near the livestock farm recently, so you should be prepared. If it doesn't work, go to Yunzhong City to find Wei Taishou. No matter what, we can't let this outsider do whatever he wants in Shaling."
"I understand. Please tell Mr. He that I will go to the city tomorrow. Please ask him to keep an eye out for news about the county magistrate."
Seeing Evan Zhao's serious expression, the young man nodded and quickly left to deliver a letter to He Lao.
Evan Zhao had no intention of studying the millstone anymore. He turned around and went back into the house. He sat in front of a low table and pieced together the information he had received. His brows furrowed more and more.
Login to comment
Be the first one to comment...