Han Qiuniang, Zheng Yulan, and Cheng Su’e exchanged glances, confused. They thought Lu Qing must have lost his mind and was just talking nonsense. No one would willingly give up their house for no reason.
“Really?” Zheng Yulan, however, seemed to believe Lu Qing. She thought Lu Qing was amazing, so if he said it, it must be true.
“Really,” Lu Qing smiled.
“Aunt Zhang!” he called.
“Yes?” Aunt Zhang walked up with a cheerful smile.
“Aunt Zhang, as you can see, my house is gone. Could you let Qiuniang and the others rest at your place for a while?” Lu Qing wanted to find them a place to stay first.
“Lu Qing, it’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s just that my house is already crowded. They might not fit,” Aunt Zhang said awkwardly.
A brief visit was one thing, but taking them home to live there? She didn’t dare. Ever since the three women married Lu Qing, he’d either gone missing in the mountains or his house had caught fire. What if that misfortune came to her home?
“It’s fine. I’ll find another place tonight. It’s just temporary,” Lu Qing said calmly, taking out ten copper coins and slipping them into Aunt Zhang’s hand. “I’ll trouble you for now.”
“Oh dear, how could I accept this?” Aunt Zhang’s expression changed the moment she saw the money. Clearly, Lu Qing had really come into wealth—handing out ten copper coins just like that.
“This is just a token of appreciation,” Lu Qing explained with a smile.
“Alright, alright!” Aunt Zhang immediately agreed. Ten copper coins—that was more than her family could scrape together in a whole month.
“By the way, could you ask Wu He and Wu Hai to help me with something?”
“Of course!” Aunt Zhang agreed without hesitation. With money, everything was easy.
“Xiao He, Xiao Hai!” she called.
“Yes, Mother? What is it?” the two brothers walked over.
They were both a year younger than Lu Qing. If they didn’t marry next year, the government would assign them wives. According to Lu Qing’s memory, both brothers were decent people. More importantly, their father Wu Facai had once been a soldier and taught them martial arts since they were young. They were considered martial leaders in Manglong Village.
Manglong Village sat in the Luliang region. Due to its location near many border passes, it was a hotspot for battles between the Great Yong Empire and the Jurchens, Turks, and Xiongnu. It was chaotic, which led to rampant banditry.
To protect themselves, each village had a militia. Ten households made a platoon, ten platoons a squad, and ten squads a village guard under the chief. The chief of Manglong Village was Liu Xicai. Wu He and Wu Hai were martial leaders and perfect for helping Lu Qing.
“Xiao Qing needs your help,” Aunt Zhang said to the two brothers.
“Huh?” Wu He looked at Lu Qing. “What do you need?”
“Can’t say yet,” Lu Qing smiled.
As the villagers dispersed, Aunt Zhang led Han Qiuniang, Zheng Yulan, and Cheng Su’e home. The three women wanted to stay behind and help, but Lu Qing persuaded them to go.
“Brother Qing, what exactly do you need us to do?” The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Catch a thief,” Lu Qing said.
“A thief?” Wu Hai was stunned. What thief? Everyone in Manglong Village knew each other. Even if a thief came, they’d run crying from this place.
“I checked earlier—the wheelbarrow was left inside the house. But I didn’t find a single trace of it in the burned ruins,” Lu Qing said calmly.
That wheelbarrow was like a Rolls-Royce in this world. After bringing it back, Han Qiuniang had placed it in the house to protect it from wind and sun. Now that the courtyard was empty and the house was burned, if the wheelbarrow had burned, there should’ve been remnants—like metal nails. But there was nothing.
“You’re saying someone stole the wheelbarrow?” Wu Hai quickly understood.
“Exactly,” Lu Qing nodded. “That person didn’t just steal the wheelbarrow. They probably took other items too, and then set fire to the house to destroy all the evidence.”
He laid out the full scenario as he deduced it.
“That bastard. Who the hell would do something so vile?” Wu He was furious. The thief clearly wanted to destroy Lu Qing.
“Do you know who it was?” Wu Hai asked.
“I have a suspect, but we need to catch them in the act. We must be patient.” Lu Qing was eighty percent sure the culprit was Sun Magan—because they already had a grudge.
“Who?” Wu He asked.
“Sun Magan,” Lu Qing said, clenching his fists.
“Let’s go!”
He led Wu He and Wu Hai, not to confront Sun Magan directly, but to a hidden spot near the village entrance where they sat down.
“Brother Qing, why not confront him directly?” Wu He asked.
“We can’t risk alerting him. If he really stole it, he wouldn’t keep it at home. If we show up now, we’ll find nothing and he’ll be on guard. It’ll be hard to catch him after that,” Lu Qing explained.
“So you’re saying we wait here for him to slip up?” Wu Hai asked.
Lu Qing nodded.
As night fell, Manglong Village grew quiet, though a few families were still busy working in the fields.
“Brother Qing, why is there still no movement?” Wu Hai asked, growing impatient.
“Stay calm,” Lu Qing remained composed.
“Hey!” Wu He suddenly whispered. The three of them looked up and saw Sun Magan and his wife sneaking out of the village, heading toward the woods to the east.
“Let’s go,” Lu Qing signaled.
The three of them followed silently into the forest.
“Husband, are you sure this is okay?”
“What could go wrong?” Sun Magan scoffed at his wife. “That fire burned everything clean. No one knows I stole their stuff. Once we sell this in Luliang County, you’ll eat and drink like a queen.”
His face was full of smugness. He wanted revenge for Lu Qing crossing him.
“I still feel like this isn’t right…”
“You damn woman, are you Lu Qing’s wife or mine? Say one more word and I’ll sell you to Madam Luo in Luliang County’s red-light district!” Sun Magan’s face turned savage, scaring his wife into silence.
Even if she hated it, she didn’t dare speak up. He’d beat her to death if she resisted.
They quickened their pace, rounded a hill, and Sun Magan uncovered the stash—there was the wheelbarrow, sacks of white flour, wheat, and clothes. Everything Lu Qing had bought in Luliang County.
“This much?” Even his wife was stunned.
“That brat Lu Qing must’ve found something valuable in the mountains. One day, I’ll make him spit it out,” Sun Magan said viciously.
“Sun Magan!” a furious voice shouted.
“Who’s there?!” Sun Magan turned, only to be punched hard in the face by Wu He.
“Wu He?!” Sun Magan stared in disbelief.
“You really did steal Brother Qing’s stuff and set his house on fire!” Wu He said sternly.
“Wu He, stay out of this. Just because others are scared of you doesn’t mean I am. I’ll kill you here, sell this stuff in town, and never come back. I’ll live just fine.”
As he spoke, Sun Magan pulled out a dagger, clearly ready to fight.
“You think you’ll get away tonight, Sun Magan?” Lu Qing’s voice rang out.
He and Wu Hai stepped into the clearing.
Seeing all three of them, Sun Magan’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected Wu Hai and Lu Qing to be here too. Facing the three of them, his confidence shattered—especially with how different Lu Qing seemed now, something about him made Sun Magan hesitate.