mesbooks Chapter 173 Wang Changbo's Farewell
Chapter 173 Wang Changbo's Farewell
The villagers took the dumplings from the Luo family and expressed their gratitude.
"It's my duty. We are all from the same village. It's my duty to help find people."
"Pork and corn filling? I've never heard of this way of eating it. I'm in for a treat this time. Thank you, Miss Luo."
"My family has been farming with Miss Luo this year. We are so grateful to her for taking care of us. Now she is giving us dumplings. I am really sorry."
……
Boss Sun also ran around with Uncle Niu that day. He was sweating in the cold weather and was very dedicated.
"My young lady specifically asked me to send you a double portion, to thank you for helping to find Kongqing all over the village." Uncle Xiang said happily.
Boss Sun didn't hesitate to take the dumplings. "It's my duty. Miss Luo is so polite!"
Sun Lao Da’s neighbor Zhu Neng is a military household who loves to join in the fun.
Seeing Luo Xiaoran's family delivering dumplings door to door with such a grand ceremony, Zhu Neng thought that everyone in Hexi Village was going to get a share.
As a result, Uncle Xiang just passed him by and went to the next house.
Zhu Neng's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, then he retracted it in dismay, curling his lips:
"Bah! Not everyone gets a share? You're pretending to be so generous!"
Uncle Xiang paused, and before he could explain, Boss Sun started yelling:
"Were your ears deafened by the firecrackers during the New Year? I said it was to thank you for helping to find Du Kongqing, did you help find him?"
Zhu Neng was a well-known military household in the village. However, Boss Sun disliked him because he not only loved to take advantage of others but also liked to gossip.
It was New Year's Day, but Zhu Neng was only wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, which was so old and thin that he was shivering with cold.
After listening to Boss Sun's words, Zhu Neng sniffed his blocked nose, sneered, and repeated what he had said many times:
"Du Shimu killed the imperial envoy and then turned to the northern barbarians. He is a traitor. And you are helping him find his daughter. How despicable!"
When Uncle Xiang heard this, he was shocked. Their young lady had taken in Du Shimu before. What should he do now?
Uncle Xiang quickly distributed the dumplings in the food box in his hand, then rushed home to tell Luo Xiaoran about this.
Unexpectedly, Du Kongqing had already woken up, Luo Xiaoran was talking to her, and Du Kang was also with them.
Uncle Xiang received Luo Xiaoran's instructions to hide the fact that her father had returned from Du Kongqing, so he pretended to have something else to do and called Luo Xiaoran out.
The two of them walked to a secluded place. Uncle Xiang stopped and looked around. When he saw that there was no one else, he lowered his voice and spoke slowly:
"Boss Sun's neighbor is a military householder named Zhu Neng. He said that Kong Qing's father killed the imperial envoy and then turned around and defected to the northern barbarians. He is a traitor!"
Execute the imperial envoy?
Take refuge with the Northern Barbarians?
This was similar to the information she had heard from Zhao Cuilan. It seemed that some of the rumors about Du Shimu in the village in the past two years came from the mouth of this man named Zhu Neng.
Luo Xiaoran thought of Du Shimu's appearance again, thin, silent, and with superb medical skills. Would he be a man who would ignore his wife and daughter and betray his homeland in order to save his life?
Although Luo Xiaoran had never seen the Northern Barbarians, she had heard from others about the brutal methods they used when they repeatedly invaded the border, looting property, burning cities, killing useless people, and taking the useful ones back to the Northern Barbarians as slaves.
With Du Shimu's medical skills, he would not be killed if he really defected to the Northern Barbarians, but as a slave, there was almost no possibility for him to escape.
But if he was really wronged, why didn't he explain it clearly to his family and just left in a hurry?
The weirdest thing is that he also dealt with An Luhai, the highest administrative chief of Fuyuan County, a local tyrant with considerable means, and a madman who lost his son in middle age...
Luo Xiaoran pressed her temples and felt a headache. Each of them was a worry!
"Uncle Xiang, I have known about the rumors about Du Shimu for a long time. Kong Qing suffered a lot because of these rumors in the past. You must not mention this matter again. If you hear it outside in the future, just pretend you didn't hear it." Luo Xiaoran ordered.
Although Uncle Xiang felt that Luo Xiaoran's reaction was too indifferent, he had always been unconditionally obedient and trusting of this young lady who had provided a stable life for their family of three, so he quickly agreed.
……
The winter in the north is so cold that it makes people want to hibernate. It snowed again last night. The floor in the house was hot from the heating. Luo Xiaoran huddled in the house and didn't want to go out. Unexpectedly, a guest came to the door.
Wang Changbo was wearing a snow-white fox fur coat, which made his handsome face look even more striking. A jade pendant with a yellow tassel hung around his waist as an embellishment. Mo Zhu was waiting behind him, holding the cloak that Wang Changbo had just taken off. Both of them had solemn expressions.
"Young Master Wang is coming?" Luo Xiaoran blinked, her tone unusually cautious.
To bring an army to punish the culprit?
It was she who brought Du Kongqing and Sun Qingyuan out of the prison. Wang Changbo helped her to take care of the jailers outside the prison without her knowledge.
Although she didn't know what method Du Shimu used to make An Luhai temporarily suppress the matter, Wang Changbo should be safe compared to her, Du Kongqing and Sun Qingyuan.
After all, Wang Changbo was deceived by Luo Xiaoran and was involved in the prison break. Moreover, as a juren and the son of the richest man in Fuyuan County, An Luhai should not touch him easily.
"Miss Luo, you are joking. If you hadn't made a prompt decision that day, Sun Qingyuan would probably not be able to get out now, and your Kong Qing's life would also be ruined. In the final analysis, it was my indecision." Wang Changbo said with a wry smile.
Luo Xiaoran breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they were not here to call for punishment.
"Qingyuan is with you, right? I came here today to say goodbye to you. My father ordered me to rush to Kyoto as soon as possible to settle down and concentrate on preparing for the imperial examination in the spring." Wang Changbo continued.
Luo Xiaoran was stunned. Why was he going out in such bad weather? And he was going far away.
It seems that the Wang family was still afraid that An Luhai would take revenge, so they urged Wang Changbo to leave home early to avoid disaster, but in the end it still implicated Wang Changbo.
Thinking of this, Luo Xiaoran said solemnly: "For the prison break, I owe you a favor. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay you."
Wang Changbo didn't say anything. A cold wind blew outside, bringing the snow accumulated on the trees to the ground where Uncle Xiang had swept the snow. The world was silent for a few breaths.
After a long while, Wang Changbo's voice sounded again, slowly recounting the distant memory:
"It was also a snowy day, and the surface of Half Moon Lake was frozen. Qingyuan and I dug holes in the ice to fish.
At this time of year, Half Moon Lake is covered with thick ice, and many people go skating or fishing on the ice, and nothing has ever happened.”
"But something happened to you guys that time?" Luo Xiaoran interrupted, "Could it be that he saved your life?"
Wang Changbo: ...the sadness that has just been brewing in me!