Chapter Fifty-One: Night Investigation
When Zhang Jinquan rushed back to Zhangzhuang, the horseback riders had already set up three tents on the drying field. It seemed that they were going to spend the night in Zhangzhuang. The hunters of Zhangzhuang also used tents, but those were small ones made of their own fake cloth and animal skin, which could only hold one person. They were used by the hunters when they kept watch at night in the mountains. The horseback riders brought large tents, each of which could accommodate 5 or 6 people. Such large tents were unseen to the hunters of Zhangzhuang. According to Village Chief Zhang Dapao, these were military tents, which he had seen in the county town's security team.
Zhang Jinqian didn't follow the other young people to join in the fun, but instead first delivered the letter to the village chief's house. Old Ma had given him a big bundle of vegetables, and after taking the things from his house, he quickly settled the matter. If not, next time when meeting the village chief, he would scold himself. After delivering the letter and returning home, Zhang Jinqian passed by the drying field and glanced over at the tent several times before hurrying back home. At this moment, nothing was more important than eating, especially his sister-in-law's cooking.
After a busy day, Zhang Jinqian ate his fill and began to feel drowsy. However, the medicinal herbs his brother had collected during the day still needed to be processed, and if he waited until tomorrow, they would spoil. Suppressing his sleepiness, Zhang Jinqian sent his brother back to their room to rest and took the backpack of herbs to the small river by the village entrance to sort them out. As the sun set in the west, there were many villagers washing clothes and selecting herbs by the river. Along the way, Zhang Jinqian exchanged greetings with familiar villagers, hoping to finish sorting the herbs quickly so he could go back to sleep.
"Hey, do you know? The people who came to our village today have roped off the drying field with a rope and won't let anyone approach their tents. What's going on? That drying field is ours in Zhang Village, they're just guests of the village head, how can they be so domineering?" Big Mouth Auntie in Zhang Village said while washing clothes with several other women.
"Big-mouthed Aunt, aren't you eyeing one of them? Are you planning to recruit a son-in-law for your family's Xiulan?" The young daughter-in-law who was washing clothes burst out laughing. Although Big-mouthed Aunt liked to snoop on other people's family affairs, she was actually a kind and helpful person, and her relationship with the aunties and daughters-in-law in the village was quite good, often joking around without any malice.
"Die Ni Zi, be careful or I'll tell your husband, and you won't be allowed to get on the kang at night." Da Kou Sao casually threw the clothes she was holding in her hand over there, splashing water onto the faces of those few young wives. "My daughter Xiulan is only 13 years old, not to mention that she's still young, even when she grows up, we must find a husband who will come into our family." Since they all live in the same village, Da Kou Sao didn't care about being tactful and openly talked about her own daughter's marriage, causing a group of women to laugh and chatter.
Zhang Jinquan and a few familiar partners chose a place with slower water to pick herbs. The herbs picked from the mountain need to be washed clean of floating soil and impurities on the same day, and the branches, leaves, and stems need to be tidied up before being dried in the sun. If they are messy, they can't be sold for a good price. The drying field is near the small river, and from Zhang Jinquan's place, you can see the three tents on the drying field, and hear the women's gossip. Zhang Jinquan couldn't help but look up at the tents on the drying field several times.
"Jinquan brother, what do those people do? I heard the village chief even let them stay in his own house, but they brought their own tents and occupied our drying field. They even gave the village chief two big silver coins." Zhang Jinchao, who was sitting next to Zhang Jinquan, said with a mischievous tone while splashing water with his feet. The two had been close since childhood and grew even closer as they often went hunting and collecting herbs together in the mountains.
"Jinquan brother, why don't we sneak out tonight and take a look at that tent? I've never seen such a big one before. If I had a tent like that, I wouldn't have to live at home." Zhang Jinchao gazed enviously at the tent on the drying field, his eyes shining with envy. The Zhang family had many people but only three rooms in their house. Zhang Jinchao was already 15 years old and still shared a small earthen room with his two younger sisters.
Seeing his little friend's envious eyes, Zhang Jinquan unexpectedly nodded in agreement to accompany him to touch the tent at night. In his opinion, it was just a tent, and touching it wouldn't hurt anything. Even if they were discovered, what could happen? This was Zhang Zhuang, and they were just guests of the village head. He was a member of the Zhang family, so the worst that could happen was being chased out of the drying field.
But things are not as Zhang Jinquan thought, if he knew what would happen when sneaking into the drying field at night, even if he was beaten to death, he wouldn't dare go. There is no regret medicine in the world, and as long as it can be bought, Zhang Jinquan will probably be the first person to rush to buy regret medicine.
The cool breeze of the night swept across the drying field, and except for a few bonfires lit in front of the tents, all the people from Zhang Village who were cooling off outside at night had gone home to sleep. Zhang Jinquan led Zhang Jinchao quietly along the riverbank towards the drying field, they knew that they had to lift their legs high and tread lightly so as to minimize the sound of their footsteps. Although this tent was set up on the border of Zhang Village, it was still a sneaky affair, so it's best to be careful.
Zhang Jinquan listened carefully and it seemed that those people were already asleep. Zhang Jinchao even heard the sound of snoring coming from inside the tent. Zhang Jinquan nodded, and the two young men stealthily crossed over the ropes surrounding the drying field, making their way to the west side where the largest tent was located. The west side of the drying field was a blind spot for the fires, and it was absolutely impossible for anyone to be discovered sneaking past from here.
Just as Zhang Jinzhao's hand was about to touch the tent, a sudden change occurred. A rope suddenly appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Zhang Jinzhao's neck. Zhang Jinqian reacted quickly, trying to pull Zhang Jinzhao back with his hand, but another rope sprang up like a snake and wrapped itself around Zhang Jinqian's arm. Before he could free himself from the rope, he felt a surge of force transmitted through it, and he was dragged directly into the tent.
"Ah!" Zhang Jinquan's exclamation had not yet fully escaped his lips when a black cloth hood was pulled over his head. "Don't you dare move, my knife is at your throat, if you dare to move, be careful, or I'll slaughter you," a hoarse voice sounded in Zhang Jinquan's ear. With the darkness in front of him and the pain on his neck, Zhang Jinquan closed his mouth and stood still in the tent, not wanting to take any risks.
