Chapter 618: Chapter 618: Arrival at Linzhang Village

If anyone dared to discuss this private matter in front of her or any member of her family, there would be hell to pay.

Now, being wealthy and powerful, if she declared that Zhuang Lühe went out to work, then that was just what it was.

Otherwise, she would make sure the one who said otherwise regretted it deeply.

Upon hearing Qiao Xiaomai’s words, everyone tactfully agreed, wishing her a smooth journey and a peaceful return with her family.

Having bid farewell to everyone, Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang each drove an ox cart, embarking on the journey with three adults and one child.

Qiao Changshun was groggy and unfit to drive the cart, so Qiao Xiaomai let him sleep on the cart.

Last night, she had asked Tong Sanlang to modify the ox cart. They had attached four poles to the sides of the cart with cloth strips, and pulled a thick piece of woven hemp cloth over the poles to create a rudimentary, open-top ox cart.

The woven hemp shielded them from the blazing sun rather effectively.

The road was smooth, and the ox cart did not travel swiftly. The swaying motion put Qiao Changshun to sleep.

They did not stop in Bailu Town, heading straight onwards until they reached County Town by noon.

After having lunch in the County Town, the four travelers continued their journey.

The roads from here on were tough, like the dirt roads elsewhere. Besides being narrow, they were full of potholes.

The open-top ox cart jolted heavily on the road, slowing down their speed.

Luckily, the village where Zhuang Lühe lived was still within Beiyang County, at the border between Beiyang County and Huai’an County. Although the ox cart was slow, they were able to reach her village by dusk.

The village was named Linzhang Village, and all the villagers had the last name Zhan.

The man who bought Zhuang Lühe’s hand in marriage was named Zhan Jin. As Zhan Jin originally knew a bit of hunting, and given that he owned some farmland, leven was quite alright.

However, during a hunting excursion several years ago, he was pecked in the eye by a wild chicken. Since then, he had become one-eyed and could not hunt.

He vented his frustration on his wife, to the point where he once beat her to death in a fit of drunken rage.

In the countryside, such matters were often ignored if no one raised a complaint. As it happened, his wife was an orphan with neither family nor relatives, and this incident was thereby quietly buried.

Zhan Jin realized that he could not manage without a woman in the house, but his reputation for domestic violence deterred people from introducing any women to him, and none dared to marry him. So, he decided to buy a wife.

That was when Zhuang Lühe came into the picture.

As they were near the village, Tong Sanlang halted the ox cart, “Xiaomai, you and Dami should wait here. Dad and I will handle it.”

It was evening, and though it was not dark yet, having Xiaomai wait at an unfamiliar place could be handled with her level of martial arts skills.

“I will return with dad as soon as possible. If anything comes up, shout out loud.” He drew out his soft sword wrapped around his waist and placed it on Xiaomai’s ox cart.

Linzhang Village was quite small with only a few dozen families. As such, Xiaomai would be clearly audible from the entrance of the village.

“Alright,” Xiaomai nodded, holding Dami in her arms. “You and dad go on, we’ll be fine.”

Given the villagers’ martial art skills, she could handle ten of them single-handedly.

Tong Sanlang gave further instructions before setting off into the village with his cart.

The dozens of families were split into two streets. Zhan Jin’s house was in the middle of the village. At dusk, every household was cooking dinner, with the sunset providing a peaceful backdrop to the scene.

Yet, the apparent tranquility hid a grotesque reality. Remembering Zhan Jin’s deeds, Xiaomai lost interest in the scenery.

She unwrapped the wax paper holding the Scallion Pancake and poured a bowl of water from the clay pot, offering Dami his dinner.