Chapter 62: Moving In

Of course, dinner was eaten in Mr. Liu's small courtyard. Although the utensils in the yard were not complete, it was not far from the Zhang family, so a few steps were enough to bring everything over.

Gu Sufei was busy in Mr. Liu's kitchen. Looking at this small and exquisite room, she felt very envious. It truly lived up to the reputation of a scholar, even the cooking area was so refined, unlike her own home where the stove was placed in the yard, with just a shed to protect it from the wind and rain. Now, thinking about it, it was really quite simple. She decided to find a time to discuss with the old man and have her sons help build a similar small room in their own yard. After all, it wasn't a very expensive thing. This idea led to all the open-air stoves in Gu Village being converted into kitchens within half a year, which was perhaps a trend brought by Mr. Liu.

The population of Gu Village was smaller than that of Balingou, and the village entrance had fewer things for sale. Therefore, even if Mr. Liu wanted to use the first meal to reward everyone, he was powerless to do so. The evening meal was still simple, but there were many people eating. Mr. Liu's spacious hall could not accommodate everyone, so they moved the tables and chairs outside. Farmers did not have the custom of "not talking while eating," so everyone chatted while eating. Mr. Liu, Zhang Cai, and Liu Kai only took a few sips, but they could not resist Mr. Liu the Butcher's frequent toasts, and they all became a bit tipsy. Mr. Liu squinted his eyes, looking at the lively crowd, feeling a special sentiment. He had not participated in such a harmonious scene for a long time. Perhaps his daughter liked such an environment. Suddenly, it seemed to touch his inner softness, and he couldn't help but think of his late wife. Looking at Liu Qian's face, which resembled his late wife, a kind smile appeared on his face. He hoped that his daughter's choice was not wrong, and that he himself, being pulled onto the boat by his daughter, could also change his way of life and spend the rest of his life with them in peace.

After dinner, the night breeze was a bit cool, so everyone went back inside.

Liu Qian boiled water in the kitchen and served everyone tea.

Mr. Liu savored a mouthful of tea, sighing in his heart, "The joy of life is no greater than this. If I could drink this tea every day, I would not mind living in Gu Village forever."

Liu Kai also took a sip of tea, looked at Zhang Xiaolong, and asked with a smile, "Xiaolong, how are your injuries?"

Zhang Xiaolong quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, big brother. My injuries have long healed, and I have no problem working in the fields now."

Mr. Liu the Butcher also spoke up, "Xiaolong, what exactly happened on the day you married Qianqian? You didn't explain it clearly at the time. Tell me now, let me hear about your adventure."

Zhang Xiaolong frowned a bit but still recounted his experience that day. However, he did not mention his name or the name of the Piaomiao Sect, nor did he mention the token given by Xue Qing, as per Lu Yueming's advice.

The story was simple to tell, but the danger of that day was evident.

Mr. Liu the Butcher listened and could not help but fall silent.

Seeing the cold atmosphere, Mr. Liu interjected, "I heard that the bandits on Xicui Mountain have already dispersed. You can rest assured, they probably won't come to trouble you."

Zhang Xiaolong replied, "Yes, at first, we were busy with my grandmother's funeral and forgot about this. Later, when we had some free time, we were afraid that the bandits might follow the wedding trail to find us. But we heard they had dispersed, so we were relieved."

Mr. Liu waved his hand and said, "The bandits on Xicui Mountain are just a mob. Without a leader, they will scatter like leaves in the wind. No one will think of avenging the leader, and you are just ordinary farmers. They won't bother to come after you."

Liu Kai, however, said, "That's not necessarily true. The bandits on Xicui Mountain have been around for a long time. In the past ten years, they have changed many times. This time, they may scatter, but it won't be long before someone raises the flag again."

Mr. Liu the Butcher shouted, "Raise the flag, so what? They won't come to avenge the old bandit leader, will they?"

Mr. Liu looked at Zhang Xiaolong. He knew that the Zhang family had a token from the Piaomiao Sect, and this escape was probably related to the token. In the martial world, people often help the weak and fight against the strong, but more often, they protect themselves. No one would kill the leader of Xicui Mountain for an unrelated person and offend the forces behind Xicui Mountain for no reason. However, since Zhang Xiaolong did not mention this, Mr. Liu would not reveal it. He just said, "The possibility of them coming after us is small. If they want revenge, they will go after the person who killed the leader, but they might come to ask us questions."

Zhang Xiaolong smiled and said, "These are just our speculations. We can't run away because of this. Even if we move, they might still find us. It's better to stay and face the situation, and live our lives in peace."

Liu Kai clapped and said, "Xiaolong, that's a good point. You have insight. By the way, I want to ask you, how did you come up with the poem you recited in Balingou? I can't imagine you could do that."

Zhang Xiaolong blushed, but no one could see it in the oil lamp light. He said awkwardly, "I don't know myself. I've never written a poem before. That day, I was forced, and it just came to my mind, maybe it was a gift from heaven."

Seeing Zhang Xiaolong's expression, Liu Kai did not press further. At this moment, Zhang Xiaohu, who was sitting next to Zhang Xiaolong, suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Liu, do you know where Pingyang City is?"

Mr. Liu smiled and said, "Of course I know. Pingyang City is a large city near Luzhen, about 600 miles northeast of Luzhen. Why do you suddenly mention Pingyang City?"

Zhang Xiaohu looked at Zhang Cai, who was sitting in a chair, drinking tea to sober up.

He said something that surprised everyone, "I want to go to Pingyang City."

Everyone was stunned, and Zhang Cai, who had been squinting his eyes, opened them.

Zhang Xiaohu looked at Zhang Cai again and continued, "I want to go to Pingyang City to see it. I have grown up, and the farthest I've been is to Luzhen. I've only heard the name Pingyang City from others."

Zhang Cai seemed to relax a bit, but Mr. Liu asked, "Just to see it? In a few days, Liu Kai will have some business to attend to. You can go with him to see it."

Zhang Xiaohu bit his lip and said firmly, "No, I want more than just to see it. I want to leave this village and change my current life."

"Ah, Xiaohu wants to leave the village?" Gu Sufei and Liu Qian, who had just finished cleaning the kitchen, came in one after the other. Gu Sufei, hearing Zhang Xiaohu's words, felt very surprised.

Zhang Xiaohu saw his mother come in and quickly stood up to let her sit down.

Gu Sufei sat in the chair Zhang Xiaohu had just been in and looked at him, asking curiously, "Xiaohu, why did you suddenly think of leaving?"

Facing everyone's surprised looks, Zhang Xiaohu organized his thoughts and said, "Father, Mother, I've been thinking a lot lately. If I live like you, I will only face the earth and back to the sky, living off our small piece of land. Every day, I will go from home to the fields and back. In a few years, when I grow up, Mother will find me a wife who also works in the fields, and we will serve this land together, have children, and teach them how to farm. When I grow old, I will be buried in the land behind the village, just like Grandmother. Isn't this life very boring? I want a colorful, interesting life where I can see many people and things. Only then, when I grow old, will I not regret it."

Everyone fell silent, and only Zhang Xiaohua, sitting in the corner, had a glint in her eye.

Mr. Liu coughed, looked at Zhang Cai, and said, "I understand my nephew's thoughts. When I was young, I had the same dream and tried to achieve it. However, when I went out, I realized that the world was not as I imagined. I encountered many setbacks and found that some lives were not what I wanted. So, I returned to Balingou, but it wasn't for nothing. I brought back Qianqian's mother."

Liu Kai also said, "Father is right, but if you don't go out and see, how can you know what the outside world is like? How can you know if it suits you? A few years ago, I had the same idea as Xiaohu. I think Xiaohu should go out and see the world. After he experiences the harshness of the outside world, he might come back."

Mr. Liu the Butcher shouted, "What's so good about Pingyang City? It's just a bigger version of Luzhen. Even finding a place to go to the toilet is difficult. Why go there? I don't suggest Xiaohu go."

Liu Qian, hearing this, understood why Zhang Xiaohu wanted to go to Pingyang City. However, as a member of the Zhang family, she first looked at Zhang Cai and Gu Sufei. Seeing their furrowed brows, she thought for a moment and then said, "Pingyang City is indeed large and far from us, but it is also full of people. Xiaohu will definitely meet many people there. He might even meet a girl he likes and bring her back for us. Here, in this poor village, you can reach the neighboring village in just a few steps. There are only a few girls in the surrounding villages, and you can count them with your eyes closed. It's hard to choose."

Zhang Xiaohu smiled when Liu Qian spoke his mind and did not explain further.

At this moment, Zhang Cai and Gu Sufei's brows relaxed. So, their son had this in mind. Thinking about how far Pingyang City was and that Zhang Xiaohu had not traveled far before, although he was not young, going so far at once was not appropriate. However, thinking about it, when they were looking for a wife for Zhang Xiaolong, they spent a long time and did not find a suitable one. If it weren't for Liu Qian, it would have been difficult to solve. Now, Zhang Xiaohu was also approaching the age to get married, which was a major problem for the family. If Zhang Xiaohu went out and brought back a wife, wouldn't that be a great thing?

Thinking about this, Zhang Cai was about to agree when he heard another voice.

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