It was completely dark, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. The moon was above the willow trees, and the stars filled the night sky. The birds had long returned to their nests, and most of the lights in the houses had been turned off. The ancient people, who did not have much entertainment, had fallen asleep. On their way back, Zhu Ping'an and his party even heard the sounds of several people making babies.
Zhu Ping'an has watched so many modern short films that he has become immune to them. However, Liu Mu and the others are not so good at it and their faces turn red.
"Ahem, it's such a loud noise, aren't you embarrassed..." Liu Dadao coughed and said with an embarrassed face.
"Haha, this is the sound of sowing hope, which shows that the people have confidence in getting through this flood."
Zhu Ping'an remained calm and steady, even seeing the essence through the phenomenon and making a comment.
Unmoved by wind and rain! Steady as a rock!
The young master is worthy of being a young master.
We only heard embarrassment, but the young master heard hope. Liu Mu and the others couldn't help but admire Zhu Ping'an even more.
In the dead of night, Zhu Ping'an and his party returned to the county government office under the stars and covered in mud, exhausted.
As I walked into the backyard of the county government office, the fragrant smell of chicken soup hit me in the face. One sniff at it and all the pores on my body opened up.
"It smells so good, this chicken soup smells so good. Miss Huaer's cooking skills have improved again. Young master is so lucky." Liu Dadao walked into the back house, sniffed a few times like a dog, and praised sincerely.
"Well, you're right, it's true. The chicken soup that Huaer stewed today is much more fragrant than the previous few days. I'm lucky, and you're lucky too. I'll give you half the pot later." Zhu Ping'an said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir. But we don't need the chicken soup. We just had some bread when we came back, so we are full now."
Liu Mu and others thanked him repeatedly and declined.
"Why are you being so polite to me? There's a big pot of chicken soup here. Even if Hua'er and I had two more stomachs, we wouldn't be able to finish it."
Zhu Pingan smiled.
"Haha, then we won't be polite. Thank you, sir." Liu Dadao and the others smiled, touching the back of their heads.
"Alas, we originally came here to repay you, but we didn't expect that we would only enjoy the good things with you. The debt we owe you has increased. Our ancestors for eighteen generations ago were all poor farmers. Thanks to you, we have been awarded a small flag and become officials for our merits. This has brought honor to our Liu family."
Liu Dadao and others said with emotion.
"Haha, if I really count them, I owe you. You saved my life in the capital, and helped me defend the city when the Japanese pirates attacked. If it weren't for you, I would have been in great danger. You got the rank of flag officer by fighting bloody battles with the Japanese pirates. Because you helped me kill the Japanese pirates, I have been promoted several levels... ... Not to mention how much you helped me on a daily basis."
Zhu Ping'an smiled and shook his head, patted Liu Dadao and others on the shoulders, and said with gratitude.
"Master, you not only saved our lives, but also helped our parents, children, and fellow villagers to avenge their hatred... Let alone this life, even in the next life or the next, we will never be able to repay your kindness..."
Liu Dadao and the others said excitedly.
"Haha, forget it. If we continue to calculate, I'm afraid we won't be able to figure it out by dawn. Today, everyone has been busy all day long. Go back and change your clothes and rest. I'll bring you some chicken soup later."
Zhu Ping'an waved his hand and interrupted them with a smile. He didn't expect that Huaer's chicken soup would lead to so much.
"Thank you, sir." Liu Dadao and the others thanked him again, "You should also go to bed early."
Zhu Ping'an smiled and waved his hand, then walked towards the main house. Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others went back to the side rooms.
"Hua'er, the chicken soup today is very well cooked..." Zhu Ping'an praised as he pushed the door open and walked into the main house.
"Hey, Hua'er?"
Zhu Ping'an walked into the main house but didn't see Hua'er. He was a little surprised. Usually when he walked into the house, Hua'er would be waiting at the door. She would rush up to help him get things and bring him warm water for him to wash his hands and change his clothes.
"Ahem, uncle, I'm in the inner room..."
Soon, Huaer's voice came from the inner room. Her voice was a little hoarse and different from her usual tone.
The oil lamp in the outer room is very bright, while the oil lamp in the inner room is dimmer, and the difference in light between the two is quite large.
Zhu Ping'an couldn't see the inner room clearly from the outer room.
"Hua'er, what's wrong with your throat?" Zhu Ping'an asked in surprise as he walked into the inner room.
Zhu Ping'an was very familiar with Hua'er's voice, especially after spending so much time with her in Jingnan. He knew Hua'er's voice better than ever. At this moment, he felt something was wrong with it, but he didn't think much about it.
"I... I might have caught a cold when I went out to buy groceries. I have a fever and a stuffy nose..." Hua'er explained in a hoarse voice in the inner room.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ping'an, who had already stepped into the inner room, suddenly stopped.
"Ah, you caught a cold from the wind, that's not good. There's some antipyretic powder in the study, I'll get it for you..."
Zhu Ping'an said this with concern and did not allow Hua'er to refuse, and quickly stepped back.
However, before Zhu Ping'an's legs retreated half a step, a slender hand covered his mouth, and then a cold dagger appeared on his neck, followed by a giggle, "Haha, cunning guy, you still want to run!"
It is true!
Zhu Ping'an was not surprised at all after being held hostage. He had already sensed something was wrong just now, so he stopped in his tracks. In fact, Zhu Ping'an felt something was wrong when he didn't see Hua'er as soon as he entered the room. In the past, Hua'er would wait for him at the door regardless of rain or shine, but he didn't take it seriously. When he heard Hua'er's hoarse voice, Zhu Ping'an also felt something was wrong, but he didn't think much about it until Hua'er explained that she had a fever and stuffy nose due to the cold wind, then Zhu Ping'an became alert. Something was wrong, very wrong. Although Hua'er's voice was hoarse, it was not the kind of hoarseness caused by a stuffy nose, but a deliberate hoarseness. Moreover, with Hua'er's personality, let alone a minor fever and stuffy nose, even if she was seriously ill, Hua'er would drag her body to serve him. She would never stay in the inner room like she is now, waiting for him to come.
Once he became alert, Zhu Ping'an discovered one thing wrong after another. One thing wrong was understandable, but so many things were not. How could there be so many coincidences in the world? This painting was not that painting.
Someone is pretending to be a painting!
Thinking of this, Zhu Ping'an knew that the situation was not good.
However, although Zhu Ping'an had already realized that something was wrong, he remained calm. A plan to escape instantly came to his mind. He used the excuse of going to the study to get medicine to escape. As long as he stepped back three steps to have a safe buffer distance, he could shout and Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others would come to protect him. However, he did not expect that the opponent was so alert, as if he had already expected that he would see through his plan and escape.