Chapter 38

Hearing that Wu Shan had woken up, Zhou Chong, without even bothering to eat, hurried to the front courtyard. Upon arrival, he found Wu Shan already half-lying, leaning against the bed. Although his face was still pale, his lips had regained some color.

"Old Wu, what exactly happened yesterday? Who injured you so badly?" Zhou Chong asked as soon as he entered, unable to contain his urgency. Wu Shan was a butcher, strong and powerful, and usually three or four young men were no match for him. Therefore, Zhou Chong was very puzzled about who could have injured him so severely.

Wu Shan, hearing Zhou Chong's question, revealed a helpless and bitter smile on his pale face: "To be honest, Mr. Zhou, this time it was all because I was too careless. I always thought that with my strong and robust body, no one would dare to harm me. But I didn't expect that a moment of carelessness would allow a group of bandits to take advantage of me..."

As Wu Shan narrated, Zhou Chong finally understood the details of the attack. It turned out that this incident was related to the disaster victims outside the city. In any group of people, there are both good and bad, and the disaster victims were no exception. Some of the victims, driven by hunger, began to show their cruel nature, resorting to robbery and murder to get more food. Because of these people, all cities refused to let the disaster victims enter, for fear of what kind of heinous crimes might occur.

Now, the disaster victims were settled outside the city, and Governor Xu was doing his best to distribute food and porridge. However, due to limited resources, the food given to the victims was minimal, just enough to keep them from starving to death, but they still had to endure hunger most of the time.

Ordinary victims were content as long as they had something to eat, and they would stay outside the city, waiting for the next spring to find ways to support their families. However, a small number of the most vicious victims, who were accustomed to the comfortable life of robbery, were unwilling to endure hunger and cold.

At first, these bandits would queue up multiple times for porridge or forcibly take food from other victims. However, after this was discovered, Governor Xu arranged for many constables to maintain order, and issued identity cards to the victims, allowing each one to receive only their own portion. Most victims would eat their food on the spot, making it impossible for others to steal it.

With Governor Xu's governance, the security among the victims improved significantly. However, the bandits, unable to find much to steal among the victims, turned their attention to the city and its surroundings. They began to rob and kill people outside the city, and some even disguised themselves as ordinary citizens to enter the city, where they committed all sorts of crimes, including robbery and extortion.

The government severely cracked down on these bandits, almost killing them as soon as they were discovered. However, the bandits who survived were cunning and cruel, and while some were caught and killed, others remained at large, causing the security in Songjiang to deteriorate.

Because of these bandits, many Songjiang residents reduced their frequency of leaving the city and were even cautious within the city, fearing that they might attract the attention of the bandits.

Wu Shan was also aware of the existence of these bandits, but as a butcher, he was naturally braver than others. He was strong and powerful, and had learned martial arts from a village martial arts teacher when he was young. Ordinary young men were no match for him, so he didn't take the bandits seriously and continued to go out alone to transport meat every afternoon.

Wu Shan clearly underestimated the madness of these bandits. Because he was transporting a cart full of meat, he soon attracted the attention of many bandits. For example, two days ago, three bandits intercepted him outside the city, demanding that he leave his cart and go away. Wu Shan, of course, was not intimidated and beat them to the ground with a few punches and kicks. To prevent them from doing more evil, he broke their legs.

When Zhou Chong heard this, he was also greatly relieved. In recent days, he had heard many stories about the bandits' crimes, all of which were intolerable. At the time, Zhou Chong thought that if he encountered these bandits, he would break their limbs. He didn't expect that Wu Shan had beaten him to it.

However, while Wu Shan's actions were satisfying, they also brought him trouble. Last night, he pushed his cart back into the city, thinking that he would be safe inside. With the snow about to fall, he pushed his cart into a small alley to get home faster.

But as he passed through an empty alley, he was suddenly surrounded by more than ten bandits, some of whom were armed with knives. The knife wounds on his body were inflicted by these people.

Although Wu Shan was strong and skilled in martial arts, he was alone, and as the saying goes, "Two fists cannot fight four hands." Especially with more than ten opponents, he could not defend himself. In the chaos, he was severely injured, and he heard the bandits shouting as they cut him, saying they would break his legs to avenge the three bandits he had injured.

If an ordinary person had been surrounded by ten bandits, they would have been killed. However, Wu Shan was a brave man. After being severely injured, he was driven to a frenzy and snatched a knife from one of the bandits, fighting his way out like a madman. His mind was blank at the time, and he didn't know if he had killed anyone. He only remembered running to the Zhou family's door and knocking, then losing consciousness.

After hearing Wu Shan's story, Zhou Chong cursed the bandits while also marveling at Wu Shan's good fortune. If not for his extraordinary strength and martial arts training, he would have been killed by the bandits.

A while later, Manager Xu returned from the teahouse, furious after hearing about Wu Shan's ordeal. After discussing with Wu Shan, they decided to report the incident to the authorities, as dealing with the bandits required the power of the government.

Manager Xu went to report the incident, while Zhou Chong stayed at home to take care of Wu Shan. Since Wu Shan had been unconscious for a day and a night, he must have been hungry. Zhou Chong let Wu Shan rest in bed and went to the kitchen to cook some porridge. When he brought the porridge, Wu Shan, the brave man, was moved to tears and could not speak.

Wu Shan was a butcher, earning a decent income but belonging to a lowly profession, often discriminated against. When he first rented a courtyard from the Zhou family, he had to muster all his courage to approach Manager Xu. In his view, the Zhou family, though fallen, was still a prominent family, and Zhou Chong was a scholar, so he, a butcher, had no right to speak.

However, the subsequent events surprised Wu Shan. Although Manager Xu occasionally showed the pride of a prominent family, he was also very kind to Wu Shan. They often drank together and could be considered close friends. Zhou Chong, even more so, had no airs of a scholar. On their first meeting, he called Wu Shan a brother, and they continued to treat each other as equals, showing no contempt. This was the first time Wu Shan felt respected. Now, Zhou Chong, a respected scholar, had cooked for him, which made Wu Shan extremely grateful!

Although Wu Shan was grateful to Zhou Chong, he was a rough and unarticulate man and did not say much in thanks. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, then drank the hot porridge in a few gulps, resolving to repay Zhou Chong's kindness with his life if he ever needed help.

Just as Wu Shan finished the porridge, Manager Xu returned from reporting the incident. However, in addition to a few constables, there were two people who surprised Zhou Chong.

"Brother Minglun, why are you here with Manager Xu? And who is this?" Zhou Chong asked, surprised, looking at Zheng Jing, who was smiling. Next to Zheng Jing was a young official, wearing a blue official robe and a silver belt, about thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance that made him blend into a crowd. He had a smooth and slick demeanor typical of officials, and it was hard to imagine how he could be friends with the upright Zheng Jing.

"Wen Da, let me introduce you. This is Magistrate Huang Qi of Huating County, a close friend of mine. I was visiting him when I unexpectedly saw Manager Xu reporting the incident, so I came with Brother Huang," Zheng Jing introduced the young official and explained his presence.

Songjiang Prefecture was divided into Huating and Shanghai counties. The Huating County government and the Songjiang Prefecture government were both in Songjiang City, and the city's security was generally managed by the Huating County government. Only when the county government could not handle it would it be reported to the prefecture government. Therefore, Manager Xu reported the incident to the Huating County government.

Upon learning the identity of the young official, Zhou Chong bowed and said, "Magistrate Huang, I, Zhou Chong, did not know you would come in person, and I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me!"

Seeing Zhou Chong's humility, Magistrate Huang quickly came forward to support him and smiled, "Wen Da, you are too polite. I consider myself a friend of Minglun, and since you are Minglun's friend, you are also my friend. Besides, we are not in the courtroom, so please don't call me 'Magistrate.' Just call me Brother Huang, like Minglun does!"

Magistrate Huang's smile was radiant. In the past, he might not have taken Zhou Chong, a fallen scholar, seriously. However, in recent days, Zhou Chong's "Journey to the West" had caused a huge sensation, even earning praise from the governor. It was even said that the governor's son had humbly befriended Zhou Chong. Therefore, Magistrate Huang now placed great importance on Zhou Chong and personally came to inquire about the incident at the Zhou family, hoping to use this opportunity to get to know him.

Zhou Chong, of course, did not refuse the goodwill of Magistrate Huang. Although the county magistrate and the governor were in the same city, the county magistrate was still his nominal superior, and he might need his help in the future. Therefore, Zhou Chong was willing to build a relationship with Magistrate Huang.

After the pleasantries, Zhou Chong did not forget the main issue and recounted Wu Shan's story to Magistrate Huang. Upon hearing it, Magistrate Huang was shocked and exclaimed, "So the people who committed the crime in the small alley in the south of the city were here! This case can finally be closed!"