Cure the cold-faced general by solving crimes

Chapter 36 I have to meet my husband-in-law first

Jiang Xihe's trip out of the city went smoothly.

When walking on the main road in the west of the city, Jiang Xihe looked in the direction of his home. In just half a day, most of the floodwaters had fallen. Many places that could only be crossed by wading yesterday had fallen back to his feet.

It seems that Yang Guangkun and others have succeeded.

The situation was improving, Jiang Xihe couldn't help but feel happy in his heart, but when he thought about this trip, he felt disappointed again.

What happened to Mr. Pei?

The two hundred taels of silver notes were pressed against his heart, and Jiang Xihe's heart began to beat rapidly again.

During a tea break, she walked onto the official road. After a rain, the trees on both sides of the road became more lush and lush. The soil was washed very soft by the rain. Jiang Xihe's embroidered shoes soon became muddy.

She actually didn't know where Qingfeng Village was.

However, in recent years, robbers have appeared in the mountains and forests, and they often rob people passing by on official roads. Jiang Xihe has long heard about it.

Besides, the robber reported the letter to her, so how could he wait for her to send him the money?

Jiang Xihe looked up at the sun. At worst, he could always succeed if he walked on the official road a few more times.

The road was muddy. When Jiang Xihe walked towards the third fork of the official road, she was immersed in her thoughts. Suddenly a man jumped out of the woods and shouted at her, "What are you doing? Stop!"

Jiang Xihe looked at the person who came. He was in his thirties, his clothes were full of patches, his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and his cheeks were tanned. He was holding a long knife in his hand and stared, looking like he wanted to eat someone.

Just looking at the attire, this man undoubtedly looked like an ordinary farmer, but this man was carrying a knife, waving his arms, and had tattoos on his forearms. Jiang Xihe was shocked. This man was undoubtedly a gangster from Qingfeng Village.

Jiang Xihe also discovered a detail. This man also had a red thread tied to the patch on his clothes, which was actually the same as the boy who just sent the letter.

Doesn't this explain the problem?

Are this man and the boy who delivered the message father and son? Or is it the rule of Qingfeng Village to wear red lines on patches?
  Jiang Xihe thought of the little boy's alert eyes, and suddenly he was no longer afraid. There were actually children in Qingfeng Village, so there were many people living here, both old and young, with a clear division of labor.

Jiang Xihe still had a vague idea in his heart that Pei Zhizhao would not harm her. If he could let her come, he would be absolutely sure that nothing would happen to her.

"Who are you?" Jiang Xihe straightened his hair and asked with his head held high.

The man snorted coldly, "If you want to pass by here, leave money to buy it."

Jiang Xihe softened his voice and said with a hint of fear, "Brother, I received a letter. My husband-in-law is trapped here. I am here to redeem him."

The man didn't quite believe it and looked Jiang Xihe up and down. He clearly looked like a little girl.

"Are you here to redeem someone?" the man shouted sternly, "If you dare to lie, I will kill you with a knife."

Jiang Xihe smiled and pointed at her muddy embroidered shoes, "I won't go out in this kind of weather for no reason. The city is flooded, the roads are not easy to walk, and I have no luggage. Brother, you still don't believe me?"

It was close to noon, and the sky was still gray. Two consecutive days of heavy rain had cast a layer of cloud over Qingfeng Mountain.

The man was bluffing, waving his sword, knocking down many leaves, and looked at Jiang Xihe doubtfully.

"An hour ago, a seven or eight-year-old boy in your village sent me a letter. Brother, would you like to read it?"

The man's expression froze.

Jiang Xihe said, "The boy is eight or nine years old, and he is so tall." Jiang Xihe compared his size below his heart, "The patches on the child's clothes are the same as those of the elder brother."

The man looked down at his clothes and was shocked that Jiang Xihe could discover this detail. The Huzi who sent the letter was indeed his son.

"Did you get the money?" The man pretended.

"Here you go." Looking at the man's expression, Jiang Xihe calmly took out the letter, opened it and showed it to the man. The man took the letter, glanced at her, glared at her dissatisfied, and said fiercely, "Follow me."

When Jiang Xihe saw that he had taken the letter backwards, he later realized that he was illiterate.

But the little boy who delivered the letter was literate and recognized her name Jiang Xihe at that time. If these two people were really father and son, Jiang Xihe was full of doubts in his heart. What kind of place is this Qingfeng Village?
  The two people walked all the way into the mountains. The man opened a path with a long knife and quickly passed through the dense forest. After about a quarter of an hour, a mountain road wide for one person appeared in front of them.

Jiang Xihe secretly calculated in his mind, no wonder the robbers have been able to survive in Ping'an County for so many years. They are not familiar with the roads, and people who go up the mountain can't even find their hometown.

The two people walked along the road. At the end of the road, dozens of tall wooden shelves appeared. Thatch and trees were scattered on the shelves. From time to time, some figures appeared in the simple houses, including men and women.

There are all kinds of clothes on the wooden board outside the shelf, and there are even children's clothes inside.

Jiang Xihe was secretly surprised that a small village had formed here.

If these people want to survive and just rely on robbery for a living, how much do they need to rob?

The man led Jiang Xihe inside and quickly attracted onlookers. Many people put down their tools and stood up straight to stare at Jiang Xihe.

Jiang Xihe looked around and found a little boy sitting on the firewood pile not far away, playing with the branches in his hand. He was the child who delivered the letter.

Jiang Xihe stared at the boy as she walked. The boy was not timid and stared back at her.

Jiang Xihe looked elsewhere. In addition to the wooden shelves, there were also some thatched houses and wooden sheds scattered in the corners. He didn't know where Mr. Pei was being held now.

Jiang Xihe followed the man to a tent in the center of the village. The man turned around and yelled, "Stand here and wait." He opened the curtain and entered the tent. Jiang Xihe heard a respectful voice coming from inside, "Master, here comes a woman. He said he came to redeem people."

"Bring it in." The person who spoke was confident, and there was a gloominess in his voice.

Jiang Xihe took a deep breath, opened the tent curtain, and stepped into the tent.

There are vents on the top and four corners of the tent, so it's not dark inside and is very bright.

There is a table on one side, which is piled with kettles, food, pens and ink, as well as swords, daggers and other weapons. Sitting behind the table is a dark-faced man. His strong and burly body takes up the entire chair. He must be quite tall.

"Who are you?" the black-faced man said, his voice very fierce.

Jiang Xihe took out the letter and bowed his head respectfully.

Her face was very intimidating. Her plain white dress had long been stained with mud and rainwater, and her little face was also darkened and had a soft beauty. She looked very pitiful.

The black-faced man took the letter and scanned it quickly, then looked at Jiang Xihe again, "You came alone? Didn't you report to the official?"

Jiang Xihe shook his head and pointed to the man who had been standing in the corner after entering the door and brought her here, "He can testify."

The black-faced man asked, "You really didn't report it to the official?"

The man nodded, "She is the only one, so she can see clearly."

The black-faced man sneered, "Then take the silver."

Jiang Xihe raised his head and asked deliberately aggrievedly, "Master, what do you say this?"

The black-faced man slapped the table impatiently, and there was a banging sound in the tent. The timid person must be scared out of his wits.

Jiang Xihe was not afraid and pretended to discuss it softly, "Master, I will definitely give you the money. I have to meet my husband-in-law first."

The black-faced man looked Jiang Xihe up and down, and said in a fierce voice, "Since you brought the money, I will kill you once and for all. Do you think you can walk out of Qingfeng Village alive?"

(End of this chapter)