Chapter Fourteen: Return to Xinfeng County

  The care of the older generation always warms people's hearts. Wu Ji looked at the sincerity and concern on Wu Qing's old face, and couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart. In the Wu family, although there were prodigal sons like Wu Liang, there were more kind-hearted people who cared for and protected themselves, and Wu Qing was one of them.

  "Third Uncle, nephew remembered." Wu Jie's face was filled with a warm smile.

  "Remember? Keep it in mind!" Wu Qing still wasn't at ease, and once again reminded him: "You are a big shot of the Wu family line, can't afford to be injured, got it?"

  A young junior high school student, turned out to be a big shot, so respected, Wu Ji was speechless, and had to follow Wu Qing's words to agree with him. Only then was Wu Qing satisfied, and let go of Wu Ji.

  The next thing was much simpler, Wu Qing gathered the strong men in Zhuangzi and carried Xiong back.

  Bears, tigers and leopards were the most feared beasts of ancient people, with frequent reports of them biting humans and livestock. This bear, although it had not yet entered the village, posed a huge threat to the villagers, who did not know when it would come to bite people or their domestic animals. Wu Ji's elimination of the bear was a major event for the entire village.

  The news spread like wildfire, the whole village was in an uproar, everyone dropped their work and rushed over, each face beaming with joy, even more festive than during holidays.

  Correspondingly, Wu Jie, this meritorious minister, became the hero of Wujiazhuang Village and was deeply loved and respected by the villagers. Wu Jie was still a scholar, and being both a scholar and a hero made the villagers' respect for him reach an unprecedented level.

  The happiest one was Wu Qiang's sister, Wu Xiaoniang. Wu Qiang died under the bear's sharp claws, and she had been waiting for revenge day and night. Now that she has finally avenged her brother, she is both sad and happy, and keeps kowtowing to Wu Jie, saying: "Brother Showzhai, thank you! Thank you! Thank you for avenging my brother!"

  Listening to the villagers' joyful words, Yang Xiuxiu felt especially proud. Wu Ji not only was a scholar but also had such clever methods, his knowledge was extraordinary, and she had married such a husband, what more could she ask for?

  She is particularly satisfied!

  Although Wu Ji was very poor, with an empty house, she had suffered a lot after marriage. However, at this moment, she thought that heaven had not treated her badly, and she had married such a good husband!

  The villagers slaughtered chickens and ducks to celebrate, until the middle of the night before gradually calming down. If it weren't for the late hour, Wu Qing would have liked to immediately lead his men to bring the bear to the county, to ask the county magistrate for a reward, and to proclaim Wu's meritorious service.

  Tonight, the villagers spared no expense in treating Wu Jie to a sumptuous feast. The delicious food and drink were endless, and Wu Jie indulged in a big meal, feeling that the flavor was beyond description. It was the most satisfying meal he had ever had in his two lifetimes.

  "Xiu Xiu, tomorrow we'll go into town, collect the reward and then leave this place to make our fortune elsewhere!" As soon as they got home, Wu Jie couldn't hold back anymore and excitedly discussed it with Yang Xiu Xiu.

  This mountain village has too few people, even if Wu Ji had great skills, he wouldn't be able to show them off here. Leaving the mountain pass and searching for a broader stage is an inevitable thing.

  Before this, Wu Jia's family was too poor and had too many restrictions. Now that the bear has been hunted down and the reward is about to be received, it's time to plan for a better future.

  "Are you going out?"

  Yang Xiuxiu has grown up to be this big, but she has never left the mountain valley. The farthest place she has been is Cao Shi. Cao Shi refers to a rural market in the Song Dynasty. The nearest Cao Shi from Wu Jia Zhuang is not far away, about 10 miles, which is the farthest place Yang Xiuxiu has been.

  "Yes! The closest to us is Guishen County, but Guishen County is not big. If we say the most suitable one, it should be Xiong State. This matter is settled, let's go to Xiong State! There, we should be able to make a lot of money." Wu Jie's mind was racing, starting to think about ways to get rich.

  Xiong State is the largest city in this region and an important military town, it is also the most fiercely defended city against the Liao State's invasion during the Song Dynasty. There are many Song troops stationed here, Wu Ji wants to make a big explosion, going to Xiong State has great prospects, that is falling into a pile of money, with many benefits.

  "Ah! To Xiong Zhou?" Yang Xiuxiu was even more surprised. For a girl who had never left the mountain village, being able to go to Guixin County was already very good, it was great luck, let alone Xiong Zhou.

  "Wu Lang, wherever you go, I'll follow. Just don't say anything bad about me." After a brief moment of surprise, Yang Xiuxiu followed Wu Jia closely.

  This matter was settled, Wu Ji was especially delighted and went to bed with a happy heart.

  This sleep, Wu Ji slept particularly sweetly, had a big beautiful dream, that the bomb he made blew up the Liao army's blood flowing like rivers, corpses piled up like mountains, was especially popular, earned a lot of money, almost as much as a mountain of gold.

  The next morning, Wu Ji called Wu Qing up from bed early. Wu Qing had already found Ding Zhuang, and their task was to carry Xiong to Guishen County.

  According to Wu Jie's meaning, there is no need to carry the bear away, just peel off the skin and take the bear skin. For this kind of thing, it only needs to provide a certificate to the government office to prove that the bear was really hunted down, and this bear is particularly large, the bear skin can fully prove this point.

  Wu Qing refused to give in, and according to him, this was a great opportunity for Wu Ji to show off. Although Guishen County was a small place, it also had several xiucai (cultivated scholars), but none of them had the same skills as Wu Ji, who could use such clever methods to hunt bears, and they had to let Wu Ji show off.

  Wu Jie is a big shot in Wujiacun, the only scholar, the higher Wu Jie's status, the greater his reputation, the more face the people of Wujiacun have, and the more respect they receive when they go out.

  This proposal was met with a unanimous response from the people of Wujiacun, and it was settled in this way. Wu Jia couldn't persuade them otherwise, so he had to give in to them.

  Another task for Ding Zhuang was to carry Wu Jie. As a big shot, Wu Jie deserved respect and it was already low-key enough not to use a sedan chair, let alone the fact that Wu Jie's body was so weak that he couldn't walk all the way to the county town, so he had to be carried by Ding Zhuang and others. The Ding Zhuangs were particularly happy about this, as it was a rare opportunity to get close to Wu Daixiucai!

  They hastily finished their breakfast and set off towards Guishen County with a crowd of people carrying the bear and Wu Ji on their backs.

  Wu Ji originally wanted Yang Xiuxiu to go with him, but Yang Xiuxiu was unwilling and stayed at home, Wu Ji could only let her be.

  Along the way, everyone was chatting and laughing, using their limited vocabulary to praise Wu Jie. Unfortunately, they were simple farmers who didn't know many words, so after a while, they just kept repeating the same few sentences, such as "Wu Jie is awesome" or "He's really something", and that was all they could say.

  When one encounters a joyful event, their spirit is refreshed. Walking feels like flying, and the dozens of miles of mountain roads seem insignificant. After two hours, they arrived at Guixian County.

  Wu Jia took a look and found that Guixin County was not big, with a circumference of only a few miles, and there were only a few hundred households in the city, adding up to only three or four thousand people. This kind of city, on the border, belonged to a small town, with a small population, few households, and not prosperous enough.

  The only highlight is that the city wall is built high and thick, extremely strong, and can withstand the impact of thousands of troops. This is a border town, which often suffers from the Liao army's attack, and solidity is the first priority for a border town.

  There are many scars of swords and arrows on the city wall, and there are also many marks of impact. The color is slightly darkened, emitting a faint smell of blood. It should be the remains of a great war. It can be seen that this city has experienced a bloody battle.

  "What a great place for arms dealing!" Wu Ji's eyes lit up with excitement.

  The arms trade is most prosperous during times of frequent warfare!

  Where is arms trafficking most popular? Of course it's in places where wars frequently occur!

  A border town like Guishen County, which has been ravaged by war and frequently attacked by the Liao army, would certainly welcome Wu Ji's bombs.

  A group of people passed through the city and arrived at the county government office. The county government office was located in the center of the city, occupying a small area with over ten houses forming a small courtyard. A county government office like this in a small county town could not be luxurious and grand, nor could it occupy an extremely large area.

  At the entrance of the county government office, there were several attendants on guard. When they saw Wu Ji and his companions approaching, they couldn't help but be greatly surprised. One attendant asked: "Where are you people from? What brings you here?"

  "This noble sir, we are from Wu Family Village. Our village was recently plagued by a bear disaster, which bit my nephew to death. Fortunately, the great figure of our Wu Family Village, Wu Xiucan, heroically used an extraordinary method to hunt down and kill the bear!" Wu Qing spoke with a smile on his face, being careful with his words, but not forgetting to boast about Wu Qian: "Lord Zheng has offered a reward of 50 taels of silver, which Wu Xiucan has come to collect."

  "Are you from Wu's village? Lord Zheng is recruiting hunters to go bear hunting. Who would have thought that you've already hunted one down? Which one of you is Wu Xiuciai?" Another bailiff asked, full of surprise.

  "This is Wu Xiuciai!" Wu Qing pointed at Wu Jie, his body bent in a deep bow, almost ninety degrees, showing great respect for this scholar.

  Although Wu Jie is his nephew, in front of outsiders, he dare not mention this matter and can only pretend to be a proud scholar.

  "Are you Wu Xiuciai?" Several runners looked at him with surprise, their eyes wide open, constantly moving back and forth on Wu Ji's body, as if Wu Ji was a Western-style mirror, very attractive.