Chapter 80: A Boulder Crashes Down~
On the other side, Madam Yao was frantically chasing after the villagers. She was furious!
Those wedding candies and lucky money had cost her two hundred taels in total!
One hundred taels for lucky money, and one hundred taels for wedding candies!
Not only that, but in preparation for this imperial decree, their family had paved the road in the village and even hired people to thoroughly clean the bluestone paved road in the city. They had bought many lanterns and hung them up in every household in both the village and the city, and had donated countless oil-saving lamps. They had also spent a fortune to exchange for high-yield grain from the people of other counties.
In order to welcome this imperial decree, they had spent over a thousand taels of silver to create a grand spectacle. This did not even include Shen Mingzhu’s attire, which was also worth a thousand taels.
But the imperial decree was not for their family!
All the silver had gone down the drain~
She couldn’t catch up to anyone. Running back, she saw Shen Mingzhu running away like a madwoman and quickly chased after her in fright: “Mingzhu! Mingzhu! Where are you going? Come back quickly! You’re injured! Where are you running off to?”
Shen Mingzhu was frantically running towards the county city.
Zhang Ruohua was riding her horse at full speed.
Two guards were also following behind her.
The horse’s speed was extremely fast!
She had just come down from the mountain. This morning, she had spent another hour challenging the formations. Suddenly, she thought of a crucial point and was now going down the mountain to return to the inn for research.
From afar, Zhang Ruohua saw a luxuriously dressed woman running on the road, with a woman and a maid chasing after her.
The woman rushed forward and grabbed her: “Mingzhu, where are you going?”
“I’m going to find Assistant Magistrate and ask him why that bastard stole my credit and received the emperor’s reward! It was clearly mine! My reward can’t be given to her! I want to go to the capital! I want to participate in the imperial selection! My future can’t be ruined.” Shen Mingzhu struggled forcefully.
Madam Yao and the maid pulled her back with all their might, “Mingzhu, Mingzhu, calm down.”
Zhang Ruohua hadn’t intended to pay attention to them, but as she approached on horseback, she happened to hear these words. Moreover, she recognized this mother and daughter duo from the yamen that day.
“Whoa~” She pulled on the reins, and the horse neighed, raising its two front hooves high before coming to a stop.
The two guards behind her also pulled on their reins, and their horses similarly neighed, raising their hooves high before stopping!
It was quite a show!
Zhang Ruohua loved this feeling of being dashing and unrestrained. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do this in the capital, so she could only indulge herself in this small county city.
Shen Mingzhu and Madam Yao were startled.
Shen Mingzhu immediately quieted down.
Sitting on her red Precious Horse, Zhang Ruohua looked down at Shen Mingzhu from her elevated position.
She wanted to participate in the imperial selection, to enter the palace?
The bastard she mentioned, was she referring to the disciple Old Master Tang had taken in? The lowly commoner who had inexplicably become the Crown Prince’s Junior Sister?
“Just now, you said someone stole your credit and received the emperor’s reward? Perhaps I can help you…”
~
Peach Blossom Village
The villagers happily divided the basket of lucky money and candies.
The lucky money in the basket was mixed with red dates, longans, and other things. It wasn’t all copper coins.
But it added up to twenty thousand copper coins, which was twenty taels of silver.
The villagers divided these copper coins into eighteen portions, one for each family. Each family received one thousand one hundred and eleven copper coins!
That was more than one tael of silver!
Everyone was overjoyed!
The village chief said happily, “Let’s go! Let’s go cook at Xingnong’s house! Let’s drink until we drop tonight! I’ll provide the wine!”
Gu Yuxia: “I still have an old hen and a jar of wine that Gu Ping brought back home last time. I’ll bring them over!”
Gu Yudong: “I have an old duck at home. I’ll bring it over!”
He Yong: “I just happened to hunt a roe deer. I’ll bring it over.”
He had gone into the deep mountains to hunt a while ago and had only returned yesterday. That was when he found out she had moved to Peach Blossom Village.
Seeing her calm demeanor today, and that so many people hadn’t fallen ill, did that mean her illness was cured?
Others also chimed in, saying what they would bring over.
The village chief happily swung the bag of copper coins and candies he had specifically set aside. This was for Xingnong’s family. He announced loudly, “Let’s go, let’s go eat meat and drink at Xingnong’s house~!”
It was the first time that the people of their Peach Blossom Village had received the emperor’s reward. Or rather, it was the first time for the entire Futai County. This joyous occasion naturally called for a grand celebration.
Thus, Xingnong’s home, after the hustle and bustle of moving a few days ago, became lively once again.
✿✿✿
~
Early the next morning
By the stream at the foot of the mountain, the village chief and more than a dozen villagers were collecting stones together.
Yesterday, he had discussed with the villagers and decided to help build Xingnong’s courtyard wall with stones before the autumn harvest.
After winter, there would be nothing to eat on the mountain, and wild boars would come down. It was dangerous for their family of old, weak, women, and children to live at the end of the village.
Xingnong only learned that the villagers were collecting stones by the stream to help her family build a wall because her cousins Gu Xijiang and Gu Xihe had pushed a cartload of stones to her house.
She couldn’t let others do all the work for her family, so she came too.
Arriving at the stream, she saw many people carrying stones onto the carts parked by the roadside. Some were even using large iron hammers to break the larger stones in half.
There had been a heavy rainstorm a while ago, washing down many stones of various sizes from the mountain.
Xingnong silently joined the stone-collecting team, picking up a stone and carrying it to the cart.
Only then did everyone notice that Xingnong had arrived.
Village Chief Gu: “Xingnong, what are you doing here? These stones are very heavy, go back quickly! We can handle it!”
“You girl, this is not a place for girls to be. Go back!”
Other villagers also chimed in:
“Xingnong, this is not work for girls, go back!”
“Yes, Xingnong, the stones are heavy, don’t drop them on your feet! Go quickly!”
“It’s fine, I’m strong.” After putting down the stone, Xingnong returned to the riverbank and effortlessly lifted a large stone, turning back.
Seeing that they couldn’t persuade her, and that she was indeed strong, carrying the stones even more effortlessly than them, they all reminded her, “Be careful, don’t drop them on your feet, and don’t carry them if you’re tired,” and let her be.
~
Cartload after cartload of stones were transported back to the village, and the stones suitable for building a wall near the river gradually dwindled.
“Alright, there aren’t many suitable stones left here. Let’s fill this cart and go further ahead to find some more,” said Village Chief Gu.
“Okay.” Everyone responded.
Anyway, they could find many stones that had washed down from the mountain all along this mountain stream.
At this moment, Gu Xijiang was using all his strength to pry a stone stuck in a crevice.
“Cousin, don’t!” Xingnong saw it and immediately shouted to stop him, rushing over.
But it was too late. With a forceful pull, Gu Xijiang pried the stone loose from the crevice.
The boulder above suddenly shifted!
Everyone’s faces changed!
“Run!”
“Run!”
Gu Xijiang felt mud falling from above. He instinctively looked up, and his face turned pale. Just as the boulder was about to crush him, a hand grabbed his clothes, and his entire body was flung away!
Then he saw a petite figure holding up the giant boulder with both hands: “Xingnong~!”
As Gu Xijiang fell into the arms of Village Chief Gu and Gu Yuxia, he cried out in a heart-wrenching voice.
“Xingnong!”
“Girl!”
Countless amounts of mud cascaded down.
At this moment, a dark figure flew past.
“Heavens! Who was that?”
“I think I saw someone fly in?!”
