Chapter 92: Someone Snuck In
The group hurried the mule carts away from the area.
Sure enough, there was a well at the end of the street. Gu Qing lowered a bucket and pulled up more than half a bucket of water.
Uncle Ma, knife in hand, scouted the area with Gu Sanlang, Tie Niu, and the village chief’s eldest son, Gu Jinsheng. They soon found a house.
The main building had three rooms. It would be a tight squeeze, but it was enough for everyone to sleep.
Uncle Ma had a few of the young men remove the door panels between the rooms, crudely combining the three main rooms into one.
Next, the group brought the mule carts inside.
Everyone hurried to prepare a meal.
The house had an existing stove, but it was only large enough for one family to use. The moment Aunt Liu planted herself there, spatula in hand, no one else went near it.
Everyone was quieter than usual today.
Only the oblivious children—Hu Zi, Bao’er, Shanyao, Lianqiao, and Donglai—were still running around the courtyard.
Bao’er, in her running, bumped into Xing’er. Xing’er shrieked and violently shoved her away. "Don’t touch me!"
Ms. Qian glanced in their direction, looking as if she wanted to say something but ultimately holding her tongue.
Gu Zhong remained silent as well.
Lan Zhi sat where she was, still trembling uncontrollably.
Just then, the great-aunt’s husband came over. "Uncle Ma," he asked, "are we still standing guard tonight?"
Uncle Ma’s voice was heavy. "The mules are staying in the courtyard overnight. We absolutely have to post a guard."
"That man might have had accomplices."
The great-aunt’s husband nodded. ’In times as chaotic as these, sticking together is the only way to survive.’
After dinner, Uncle Ma directed everyone to unload their belongings from the carts and move them into the house. Once he had arranged the guard shifts, the group went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Gu Fei was jolted awake by the CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! of a gong, followed by Gu Qing’s shout. "Intruders! Everybody, get up!"
Gu Fei scrambled out of bed, hastily threw on her clothes, and saw that Gu Qing and the great-aunt’s husband had already retreated to the doorway.
Standing behind Gu Qing, Gu Fei peered outside. A bonfire burned in the center of the courtyard, and behind it stood seven or eight men. If not for the cleavers, kitchen knives, and axes in their hands, they would have looked no different from ordinary farmers.
Gu Fei recognized the man who had been selling meat buns earlier that evening among them.
Their leader, a short but powerfully built man, spoke in a voice devoid of any inflection. "Hand over your grain, and we won’t kill you."
Gu Fei’s eyes narrowed, and a dagger appeared in her hand.
Just then, Uncle Ma came out and stood in front of Gu Qing and the great-aunt’s husband. He said calmly, "We need that grain to survive. We can’t give it to you."
"You may have numbers, but we’re not lacking either. I advise you to leave now."
The burly leader brandished the cleaver in his hand. "Then there’s nothing left to say! Brothers, go—!"
He didn’t get to finish. A black shadow shot out from inside the house. Before the burly man could react, he felt a sudden chill on his neck, like a cold breeze.
The man’s open mouth would never close again as a jet of blood erupted from his throat.
Her strike successful, Gu Fei swiftly retreated.
Clutching his neck, the burly man staggered for a moment before slowly collapsing.
The remaining men stood frozen in shock. The burly man had been the strongest among them. ’And he’s dead? Just like that?’
Dagger in hand, Gu Fei stood in the middle of the courtyard and stared coldly at the men. "Get out now. Otherwise, not a single one of you is leaving here alive."
Some of the men began to back away, but others held their ground.
The man who had sold the meat buns suddenly said in a sinister voice, "What are you afraid of? She’s just a little girl."
Someone else muttered, "That’s exactly why she’s terrifying—"