The wind blows across the river and the rain darkens the village; the sound from the four mountains resembles rolling sea waves.
Zhu Ping'an had already returned from Fengyong Reservoir on time, but it was raining and dark, and it got dark faster than usual. When Zhu Ping'an and his party returned to about halfway up the mountain, it was already dark. When they were still one-fifth of the way to the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark.
Because it was raining, we couldn't hold torches to illuminate the way, so we had to grope in the dark. It was dark and rainy, and the mountain road was difficult to travel. Fortunately, the guide was experienced and often took this road when he went into the mountains to chop firewood. He could find the way even with his eyes closed. In this extreme weather, the guide still found the way back accurately and led Zhu Ping'an and his party down the mountain.
The rain in the mountains seemed heavier than outside, and the wind in the mountains was more violent than outside. A gust of night wind blew through the mountains and forests, passing through the Jiuqu Valley, making a humming sound, like the surging waves of the sea.
After a safe journey, they returned to the foot of the mountain. Zhu Ping'an took out one or two taels of silver as a reward to thank the guide for leading the way.
"Mr. Magistrate, you went into the mountains in the rain to survey the reservoir for the sake of us ordinary people. If I ask for more money, I will not be a human being. If my father finds out, he will break my legs." The guide waved his hands repeatedly.
"What? Do you think it's too little?" Zhu Ping'an smiled and said deliberately.
"How can that be possible? This tael of silver is enough for me to chop firewood for three months." The guide blushed and explained hurriedly.
"Then take it. Thanks to you today, otherwise we wouldn't be able to go up the mountain and see the reservoir. Even if we went up, we wouldn't be able to come down." Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and stuffed the silver into the guide's hand without saying a word.
The guide was about to refuse, but Liu Mu patted him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "My fellow villager, the county magistrate loves the people like his own children, so how could he use their labor in vain? It's already dark now, and we have to go back in the dark. The county magistrate asked you to take it, so you take it. If you keep pushing it, it will get even darker, and it's not safe to walk at night, right?"
Seeing that Zhu Ping'an was very persistent and hearing what Liu Mu said, the guide finally accepted the silver.
After bidding farewell to the guide, Zhu Ping'an and his party hurried back to the county government office in the dark. After more than 20 miles, it was not until midnight that Zhu Ping'an and his party arrived at Jingnan County. The sound of dogs barking at the wooden door was heard, and people returned home in the stormy night. I don't know how many loyal guard dogs were startled along the way.
When they arrived at the backyard of the county government office, Liu Dadao went to the side room to rest, while Zhu Ping'an went to the main room.
After dealing with the local tyrants in Jingnan, such as Zhang Xiancheng, Yao Zhubu, and Li Dianshi, Liu Dadao and others also settled in the backyard to better protect Zhu Ping'an and prevent Zhang Xiancheng and others from taking revenge. The six people were divided into three shifts, always on guard, and at the same time, they arranged yamen runners to patrol the front and back yards of the county yamen every night to prevent assassinations and other secret means against Zhu Ping'an. This was also a lesson learned from the murder of the previous county magistrate.
At midnight, the night was dark and everyone was asleep. The lights were still on in the main room at the backyard of the county government office.
When Zhu Ping'an walked into the main room, he saw the little maid Baozi, who was leaning her head against the table and dozing off.
When Zhu Ping'an entered the room, he brought a gust of wind, waking up the dozing little maid Hua'er.
"Uncle, uncle is back..."
When the chubby little maid Hua'er saw Zhu Ping'an come in, she instantly perked up. Her heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. As if a spring had been put in place, she stood up in a flash, and ran over to help Zhu Ping'an take off his raincoat and bamboo hat.
The chubby little maid Hua'er helped Zhu Ping'an take off his straw raincoat and bamboo hat. She saw that Zhu Ping'an was wet all over, like a drowned chicken. His clothes were torn in many places, and the flesh inside was also scratched with several shallow scars. He looked as if he had been robbed. He was in a very miserable state.
My son-in-law went outside to check the water situation. How did it become like this? He must have suffered a lot.
My brother-in-law was the top scholar in the imperial examination. Even though he was banished from the capital, he was still a county magistrate. He was promoted to the fifth rank the day before yesterday, which was one level higher than before he was demoted. What a rich man... ... Even when I was a child in Xiahe Village, I had never seen my brother-in-law suffer such a punishment.
In an instant, the chubby little maid Hua'er couldn't stop shedding tears, like a string of beads that had broken off.
"Hua'er, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying? Did someone bully you? Tell me and I'll help you."
When Zhu Ping'an saw Hua'er crying, he couldn't help but ask with concern.
Since being demoted to Jingnan, thanks to Hua'er taking care of my life, I can devote myself to work wholeheartedly. Hua'er is very attentive, which can be seen from the improvement of her cooking skills; Hua'er is also very hard-working. I get up early and go to bed late, and Hua gets up earlier and goes to bed later than me.
Although Hua'er is a few years older than him, Zhu Ping'an usually treats this silly girl as his younger sister. He rarely sees this silly girl cry. But when Hua'er cried today, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help feeling distressed.
"Son-in-law, does it hurt? I want to go find Liu Dadao and the others to see how they are protecting you. They ignored what the young lady told them when she came here. I want to ask them."
Hua'er wiped her tears with her chubby little hands and gently touched the scratches on Zhu Ping'an, crying and sobbing. As she spoke, her chubby little face puffed up and she turned around and was about to walk out.
My goodness, he looks like he is going to find Liu Dadao and the others to hold them accountable.
Huaer usually calls Liu Dadao "Brother Dadao", but now she doesn't even call him brother anymore and just calls him by his name.
Zhu Ping'an then realized that Hua'er was crying because she felt sorry for him. He couldn't help but shook his head in amusement, grabbed Hua'er who was about to blame him, and said to her with a smile, "Calm down, stupid girl. These are just scratches. They were scratched by branches and bushes when we entered the mountains. They are not as bad as your young lady's scratches at night. Dadao and the others are in a much more miserable state than me. They were leading the way in front, and there is no intact place on their bodies."
Ah? Miss, are you still scratching yourself at night
"Why did the young lady tickle you at night?" The chubby little maid Hua'er looked at Zhu Ping'an with a confused look on her face.
Did you catch the wrong point?!
Zhu Pingan pulled the corner of his mouth speechlessly, "Anyway, Dadao and the others are very responsible, and these scratches on my body are not worth anything."
Baozi's maid Huaer checked carefully again and found that it was exactly as Zhu Ping'an said, there were only some minor scratches, the clothes were just torn, and there was grass and mud, which made it look scary.
After confirming that her uncle was fine and had returned safely, Huaer finally burst into tears and said to Zhu Ping'an as if she was presenting a treasure: "Uncle, I have cooked a pot of chicken soup and have been simmering it over low heat. Drink a bowl of chicken soup to fill your stomach first, and then take a hot bath to relieve your fatigue."
After saying that, Huaer ran to the kitchen, scooped a bowl of steaming chicken soup and brought it to Zhu Pingan.
Zhu Ping'an couldn't refuse the kindness, so he took a bite and thought it tasted good. After being tired, he drank a mouthful of chicken soup and all the fatigue in his body went away, which was wonderful.
"How much is left in the pot?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"There is still a lot left, just drink it with confidence, as much as you can." Seeing that her son-in-law liked it, Huaer's proud little face almost turned up to the sky.
"Very good. Let's send it to Dadao and the others to try. They have been tired all day." Zhu Ping'an said.
Send them...
Hua'er looked reluctant.
"Forget it, I'll go. I guess they are also changing clothes." Zhu Pingan continued.
After saying that, Zhu Ping'an went to the kitchen, filled a pot of chicken soup, and brought it to Liu Dadao and the others.
"Son-in-law, why did you give it all to them? Please leave one more bowl for them." Hua'er felt very distressed.
Soon, Hua'er heard laughter and voices of thanks coming from the side room. She couldn't help but pout and mutter, "You guys are lucky."