Chapter 30: Wang Lao Hu's Bride
Chapter 30: Wang Lao Hu's Bride
The old Lu family in Luzhuang was once very prosperous and built a very large ancestral hall.
Later, the world changed dramatically and most of the Lu family moved away. There were not many people with the surname Lu in Zhuangzi anymore. Zhuangzi was still called Luzhuang, and the old Song family had already become the head of the village.
Boss Song is in his forties and almost fifty, with wrinkles all over his face. In this day and age, he is considered a grandfather.
The Song family has three brothers. The second and third brothers are both enterprising, while the eldest is an honest farmer.
Boss Song brought two old men who were older than him and pushed a wheelbarrow into the Lu family ancestral hall.
The three old men were panting with exhaustion. The bandit leader Wang Lao Hu came over with a few bandits, swinging their arms and looking at them. "Why did you only send so little rice this time?"
"Reporting to my good friend, you have been eating here for so many days, and there is really no extra rice in the village. If we need more, we will have to go to Guazhou to find Hou Batian to borrow money at interest and sell our children."
"We don't care. I think you guys deserve a beating again, right?"
Wang Lao Hu looked at the age and physique of the three men who were delivering the food and thought that if he hit them, they would fall to the ground and be unable to get up, so he held back and did not take action.
"Hurry up and borrow money to buy food—"
"My dear, it would take several days to go to Guazhou and borrow money to buy food. These days, everyone can only eat grass roots and tree bark.
Even if you beat us three brothers to death, you won't be able to produce any food.
Yesterday I went to the Zhenwu Temple Village next door and learned that my relative Pan Youde's family will hold a wedding tomorrow to marry off their second son. His family is very rich, so they will hold more than ten tables with plenty of fish and meat.
It's a pity that there are hundreds of households in Zhenwu Temple Village, and you heroes may not dare to go to the banquet..."
"What? We don't dare to go? You little brat, these peasants are so cowardly. If forty-eight of us go there with knives in hand, who wouldn't be scared?"
"Brother, this Lu Village is too small. The old man is right. We can't squeeze out much money. Why don't we stay at the Zhenwu Temple tomorrow, have a feast first, and then ask for food."
"Brother, I agree with my second brother's idea. Let's see what Pan Youde's new daughter-in-law looks like then—"
"Hey hey hey-"
The forty-eight heroes quickly made a plan and decided to move to Zhenwu Temple tomorrow to eat at the wealthy man Pan Youde's house.
…………
Pan Youde of Zhenwu Temple Village could only be considered a local rich man. He was wealthier than ordinary people. While hiring long-term workers, his own family also had to work in the fields. He did not even meet the standards of a gentry.
The Wen family took the lead in donating to the militia, but no one looked for his family.
The truly wealthy people in Taizhou all own houses in Hailing City, and there are hundreds of them.
When Yangzhou was besieged by the Taiping Army, the gentry in the city took out 400,000 taels of silver and asked the Taiping Army to withdraw.
The gentry in Taizhou were not as wealthy as those in Yangzhou, so it was quite easy for them to earn fifty or eighty thousand yuan.
Now they have only donated 10,000 taels to the militia, because the militia has not yet achieved any military success. Once there is military success, there is great potential for this group of gentry to donate to the militia.
That is the right way for militia to make money. Shao Quanzhong planned to achieve some results and then reap the money from the pockets of the gentry.
Why could Yang Yong only bully the common people? He couldn't win any military achievements. He could only appease the small bandits, and he had no way to deal with the Taiping Army and the Nianzi.
The gentry were not stupid. What they feared was the Taiping Army and the Nian Rebellion. Giving them money still had no guarantee of safety. Wouldn't that be a waste of money?
Pan Youde's family is really planning to hold a wedding tomorrow, and they have been very busy the day before.
He was directing the farmhands to help stick wedding characters on the wall when he looked up and saw Shao Quanzhong leading Song Laosan over, followed by seven fully armed and impressive personal soldiers.
Zhenwu Miao Village and Lu Village are two miles apart. They often intermarry and their rice fields are adjacent, so they basically know each other.
When he saw Shao Quanzhong coming, Pan Youde's first reaction was not the joy of meeting a fellow villager after a long separation, but a sinking feeling in his heart: It's over, the eldest brother of the Shao family is here to solicit donations.
Pan Youde was familiar with the foreign rifles. The pistols carried by Shao Quanzhong's men looked very valuable. The military uniforms were very stylish, and the big leather boots were all made of cowhide. Boss Shao must have made a lot of money.
"Well, nephew, Uncle Pan, I have spent all my money on marrying my second son..."
Shao Quanzhong laughed, "Uncle Pan, I'm not here to ask for money.
I have some bad news to tell you. Your village has been targeted by a group of bandits. Tomorrow, forty-eight heroes from Qinhu Lake will come to your house for a banquet.
Third brother, come over and tell Uncle Pan what happened in Luzhuang."
After listening to Song Laosan's story, Pan Youde stared blankly and sat down on the ground.
"It's over, it's over! Who was the ungrateful person who informed the bandits about my family marrying a daughter-in-law?" Shao Quanzhong was as thick-skinned as a city wall, and looked at Pan Youde with a smile, "Uncle Pan, since Shao has formed a militia, it is his responsibility to protect his hometown. We are from the same village, and I am here to help you fight the bandits."
Pan Youde shook his head like a rattle, "No, nephew. You have a gun, and I believe you can kill a few bandits and drive them away.
But once you leave, we ordinary people will suffer. We will have no way to go to heaven or to the earth."
Pan Youde stood up and said, "Well, stop posting it now. We won't have this wedding tomorrow..."
Song Lao San was furious and stamped his feet in anger, "Uncle Pan, the bandits will definitely come tomorrow. Do you think they will leave if you don't hold a wedding? They will definitely stay at your house until they bankrupt you."
Pan Youde was filled with sorrow, "What a miserable world..."
Shao Quanzhong said quietly, "In this world, you can't rely on anyone but yourself!
Uncle Pan, I have a way to prevent any of these bandits from escaping.
You can rest assured and hold your wedding. From now on, Panzhuang will no longer have to worry about bandits, and the people will be able to live in peace. "
Pan Youde suddenly jumped up and grabbed Shao Quanzhong by the collar, "Tell me what to do! I, Pan Youde, will risk everything to fight these bandits!"
…………
“Bang! Bang—”
The village head Pan Youde struck the gong, and within two quarters of an hour, all the men from several hundred households in the village gathered at the threshing ground.
"Tomorrow, bandits from Qinhu Lake will come to our village to rob food and drink. If any girl or wife is pretty, she will be in danger.
There are only 48 bandits. We have hundreds of strong men in our village. We are not so easy to bully! Get your weapons ready and fight the bandits tomorrow!"
The young people responded one after another, "Okay!"
Several older people quickly reminded Lao Pan, "Chief, it's easy to drive them away. If a large group of bandits come to retaliate, we won't be able to resist."
Pan Youde patted his chest and said, "The Shao family leader who is in charge of the militia is here to help us. We rely on them to fight the bandits.
The people in our village are responsible for enclosing the village and not letting anyone escape.
In this way, within two or three months, the bandits in Qinhu Lake will not know that this group of bandits has been killed by us.
My nephew Shao promised me that within three months, he would be able to defeat Qinhu Lake, and we won't have to suffer from bandits anymore!
"Everyone in the village knows that the ancestors of the Shao family are honest people and have never told a lie. I, Old Pan, will bet my life today to trust my nephew Shao for once!"
Well, Shao Quanzhong was probably benefiting from the influence of his ancestors. He did not inherit the honesty and kindness of the Shao family at all. His thick skin actually blushed slightly.
"If any young man gets injured during this fight against the bandits, I, Old Pan, will pay for his medical treatment.
If anyone is unfortunately beaten to death by bandits, I, Old Pan, will buy his family ten acres of good paddy fields as compensation. If I don't keep my promise, everyone in the village will spit in my face!"
"Roar! Kill the bandits!"
These days, poor people are willing to risk their lives for ten acres of paddy fields.
…………
The next afternoon, forty-eight heroes from Qinhu Lake, armed with swords, guns, sticks and clubs, came to Zhenwu Temple in a swaggering manner.
The well-known Zhenwu Temple is right at the entrance of the village. It has enough space inside and the bandits are very satisfied with their new hideout.
In the distance came the sound of drums and firecrackers. The bandits were eager to get up and said, "Let's go! Let's have a feast!"
The old Pan family in the third courtyard was getting married. When the bandits arrived, they saw the bride, wearing a phoenix coronet and a red wedding dress, a veil, and being supported by a tall woman, walking into the courtyard.
When the bandits arrived, the aunts and uncles who were watching the fun screamed and ran away, the trumpeters and drummers fled in a panic, and the gongs and drums fell to the ground.
Wang Lao Hu laughed loudly and came to the bride majestically, "Girl, let me see if you are pretty."
The bride seemed to be trembling, and Wang Lao Hu was even more proud, "Grandpa, I love to see pretty girls get scared."
He walked forward and tore off the bride's veil.
(End of this chapter)