The worried gazes of Liu Laoshi and He Xiaoling flickered like two faint lanterns in the dim thatched hut.
Yet Liu Xiaoman showed no trace of concern. Instead, a confident smile curved at the corner of her lips.
She leaned in slightly, her voice carrying a hint of mystery and assurance. “Third Uncle, if the authorities want to investigate, then we’ll give them a reason to find nothing wrong.”
Liu Laoshi looked puzzled, lowering his voice as if afraid of being overheard. “A reason to find nothing? Xiaoman, this is no joke. If we’re accused of privately forging weapons, that’s a crime punishable by execution!”
His palms were damp with nervous sweat, his rough fingers unconsciously clenching.
Liu Xiaoman gently patted the back of his hand, her warmth calming him a little.
“Third Uncle, we’re not stealing or robbing—we’re buying openly and honestly. On what grounds would the authorities arrest us?” The light in her eyes shone brighter than the oil lamp on the table. “We just need a convincing enough pretext.”
Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Liu Xiaoman and Liu Laoshi boarded the first ox cart from the village to town.
The streets of Qingshi Town were noisier than usual. Liu Xiaoman keenly noticed that the rice price sign hanging outside Fukang Grain Shop had risen slightly compared to her last visit.
A subtle tension hung in the air, like the heaviness before a storm.
Instead of going to any shop immediately, Liu Xiaoman led Liu Laoshi to a quiet corner of an inconspicuous teahouse.
From her robes, she pulled out a rough sheet of paper with a simple map sketched on it. Marked in charcoal were all the blacksmith shops, cloth stores, and apothecaries in town.
Her finger tapped the largest blacksmith shop on the map as she began outlining her purchasing strategy.
“Third Uncle, there are three blacksmith shops in this town. Zhang’s is the largest, with the best craftsmanship—and the most likely to attract the authorities’ attention.”
She pushed a heavy pouch of coins toward him, the clinking sound crisp and clear.
“Find a few of the most honest and reliable villagers. Say that several neighboring villages have joined forces, with the support of a benefactor, to reclaim the back mountain—so we need a large number of farming tools. With more people involved, the reason becomes more convincing.”
She paused, her tone firm. “Remember—pay a substantial deposit. It will show confidence and make it seem like we’re not afraid of inspection. I’ll handle the other two smaller blacksmith shops. Same reason, but we’ll buy different items from each—so it won’t raise suspicion.”
As Liu Laoshi listened to his niece’s meticulous and airtight plan, his heart churned with astonishment.
This was no ordinary fifteen-year-old girl—she was like a seasoned strategist, calm and calculating, far beyond him.
At this point, he believed almost completely in her claim of having received guidance from some mysterious expert.
They split up to act.
Following her instructions, Liu Laoshi gathered a few simple and honest villagers at the town entrance, posing as representatives from neighboring villages, and confidently headed toward Zhang’s Blacksmith Shop.
Though their clothes were worn, their demeanor was upright and assured.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoman went to a cloth store.
She did not act timid like a young girl. Instead, she went straight to the shopkeeper and asked, “Shopkeeper, if one were to make winter clothing for a large household—say, over a hundred people—how much cotton and coarse cloth would be needed? Could you estimate the cost?”
With that one question, she cleverly reframed a bulk purchase as a reasonable custom order. Hearing of such a big deal, the shopkeeper beamed and eagerly invited her inside for tea.
While Liu Laoshi was negotiating animatedly with the owner of Zhang’s Blacksmith Shop, a sharp-looking man in silk robes walked in.
He was the steward of Fukang Grain Shop, there to order some iron fittings for carriages.
His gaze swept over Liu Laoshi’s group, then casually drifted outside—just in time to see Liu Xiaoman stepping out of the cloth store alone.
A hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes. The pairing of a rustic villager and a frail young girl seemed odd.
Liu Xiaoman immediately sensed the scrutinizing gaze. Her heart tightened slightly, but she did not avoid it.
Instead, she calmly nodded in the steward’s direction, then turned back to discuss fabric colors with the shopkeeper—perfectly playing the role of a servant girl sent on an errand, concealing her vigilance flawlessly.
After securing the cloth, she went to the apothecaries.
She deliberately avoided Shopkeeper Qian’s Huichun Hall and instead visited three smaller, less noticeable shops. At each, she bought only a few common but bulk-needed herbs—dried ginger for colds, coptis for diarrhea, and notoginseng powder for stopping bleeding.
Her explanation was the same each time: “I’m buying on behalf of the villagers. It’s getting cold, so we’re preparing for winter.”
It was a perfectly reasonable excuse, raising no suspicion.
By evening, the setting sun bathed Qingshi Town in a warm orange glow.
Liu Xiaoman and Liu Laoshi met at the agreed ox-cart station.
Liu Laoshi was visibly excited, his voice trembling as he grabbed her arm. “Xiaoman, everything’s settled! Zhang’s agreed right away—we can pick up the goods in three days! The other two shops are also arranged.”
Looking at his calm and composed niece, admiration filled his weathered face.
“Xiaoman, I’ve lived more than half my life and met many people, but none as sharp as you. Your Third Uncle is convinced—completely convinced.”
This heartfelt respect deepened their familial trust into an unbreakable alliance.
Meanwhile, after returning to Fukang Grain Shop, the steward immediately instructed one of his assistants:
“Go investigate. Besides Magistrate Wang’s daughter’s wedding, see if any other large households are hosting events or reclaiming land. Pay special attention to any activity around Liu Family Village.”
He had already connected Liu Xiaoman and Liu Laoshi’s seemingly unrelated actions.
Night fell.
All the purchased goods—including cloth, medicinal herbs, and additional grain—were loaded onto two hired ox carts.
The wheels creaked under the heavy weight, as if groaning.
The town gates were about to close, the heavy iron doors slowly shutting under the soldiers’ push.
They had to depart immediately, transporting the supplies back to Liu Family Village overnight without anyone noticing. They would avoid the main road and deliver everything directly to the hidden rocky area in the back mountain.
Looking at the pitch-dark road ahead, Liu Laoshi hesitated. “Xiaoman, how about we stay the night in town and leave at dawn? It’s dangerous traveling in the dark.”
“No.” Liu Xiaoman refused without hesitation, her eyes resolute in the darkness. “Third Uncle, delay invites trouble. The moment these goods leave our sight, the risk increases. We must move them tonight.”
The two heavily loaded ox carts creaked forward under the drivers’ rough shouts, passing through the nearly closed western gate of Qingshi Town and disappearing into the deepening night.
The road ahead was pitch black, like a gaping mouth ready to swallow everything whole.
Would this nighttime transport go smoothly?