Chapter 474: The Unsettled Small Town

"Big Boss, there is a convoy, fifteen brand-new large trucks, all carrying extremely valuable supplies... There are only ten armed personnel escorting them. If you help us take this haul, you can name your own terms!" An Daiyuan said.

Xie Zhuqing had been able to feel lately that an invisible net seemed to be slowly tightening from all directions. Perhaps her days of being carefree were truly coming to an end.

An Daiyuan observed her expression, and seeing her look slightly wavered, he immediately goaded her: "However, there is a young man in that group who uses dual pistols, fast as lightning! Over fifty of Commander Guo's men were dealt with almost entirely by him alone, and even... Commander Guo himself was shot in the head by him!"

"Oh?" Xie Zhuqing's eyes suddenly lit up. In her life, she loved nothing more than to compete with men, and the dual pistols in her hands had made countless men feel ashamed. "There is such a person? Then I really do want to compare skills with him!"

An Daiyuan was secretly pleased, but fearing this female bandit would act on impulse, he hurriedly advised: "I naturally know the Big Boss's abilities. But why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? Don't you have some clever female soldiers under your command? I have an idea: let them disguise themselves as refugees or beggars and wait for an opportunity..."

"No!" Xie Zhuqing frowned. "Although I, Xie Zhuqing, am a woman, I am also a person of the jianghu, and I must follow the rules in my actions! This kind of backstabbing business is too petty; I won't do it!"

"Big Boss Xie, it's not that I look down on you, it's just that the kid is truly wicked..."

After listening to An Daiyuan describe everything he had seen that night, Xie Zhuqing fell silent. After a long while, she finally let out a breath: "Let me think about it."

After another full day of bumpy travel, the convoy led by He Yuzhu finally arrived at a small town nestled against the mountains and by the water at three o'clock in the afternoon.

The town was not large, with only two main streets.

The bluestone road shimmered with a damp luster; because of the continuous overcast rain, the town appeared desolate, with only a few peddlers selling vegetables and fish.

The roar of the convoy's engines broke the tranquility, drawing many curious gazes.

Children poked their heads out from door cracks and behind window ledges, and the bold boys chased and shouted excitedly behind the trucks barefoot.

He Yuzhu parked the truck in front of a courtyard hanging a wooden sign that read "Reshui Town People's Government."

Just as he got out of the truck with the letter of introduction, Town Mayor Shao Lin heard the news and hurried out to meet him.

He was a man in his forties with a thick, honest face, his trouser cuffs still stained with mud.

Shao Lin took the letter, read it carefully, and a smile immediately piled up on his face: "So it's comrades from Beijing! You've had a hard journey! If you need anything, just ask! Come to the town government canteen for dinner tonight; we don't have anything fancy to treat you with, but there's no problem with keeping you full!"

He Yuzhu shook hands with him and immediately got to the point: "Mayor Shao, could I trouble you to help arrange some lodging? We have over fifty people in total, and we haven't had a proper rest in days, let alone a place to bathe."

Shao Lin rubbed his hands and pondered: "There is an inn in town, but it only has twelve rooms, so I'm afraid it won't fit everyone. How about this: our town government still has six rooms for guests. Although they are simple, if we find some wooden boards to set up shared sleeping platforms, it should suffice. As for bathing, that's easy to handle; there is a wild hot spring at the foot of the mountain at the east end of the town, and the water is excellent!"

"A hot spring? That's great!" He Yuzhu's face lit up with a smile upon hearing this.

Under Shao Lin's arrangements, the group soon settled in.

He Yuzhu handed over all five fat pigs to the town government canteen.

"Besides what we eat over these two days, use some to improve the lives of the town staff as well. If there's really too much left, help us trade it for some cured meat..."

Shao Lin's eyes lit up as he looked at the pigs: "Comrade He, don't worry, I'll go arrange it right away! How many days do you plan to stay?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment: "We will stay for two nights."

"Done!" Shao Lin left in a flurry.

He Yuzhu turned and called Liu Erhei over, whispering instructions: "Take two clever ones and go immediately to watch the entrances at both ends of the town. Keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiciously or in a hurry to report news."

Liu Erhei scratched his head: "Captain, this... how do we judge who is reporting news?"

He Yuzhu took a large handful of fruit candies out of his satchel: "Go ask the older children; they know everyone and have loose lips."

Liu Erhei's eyes lit up, and he took the candy with a grin: "Got it! You still have the best ways, Captain!"

Once everything was arranged, He Yuzhu walked out of the town government courtyard.

He saw at a glance that Kajia was surrounded by a group of children, looking at a loss.

The children had never seen a foreign woman with blonde hair and blue eyes; they were both curious and excited, chattering around her. Some bold ones even reached out to touch her, and some children called her "foreign woman."

Kajia was like a frightened rabbit, and seeing He Yuzhu was like seeing a savior; she walked over quickly: "Teacher He, these children... they call me 'foreign woman,' this name doesn't sound very friendly."

"They are just curious, they mean no harm," He Yuzhu comforted her, then turned to the group of children and grabbed another handful of candy from his bag, placing it on a clean stone stool nearby. "Do you want some candy?"

"Yes!" The children's eyes lit up in unison.

"Then tell me, from yesterday until today, have any strangers come to our town?"

"No!" The children shouted without even thinking.

"You aren't being honest!" He Yuzhu shook his head, pretending to take the candy back.

The children quieted down, tilting their heads to think back.

A boy missing a few teeth giggled: "Ma Gua Fu's cousin came again! He comes every month for a few days!"

The children all laughed out loud.

He Yuzhu nodded and gave him a handful of candy.

A little fat boy said: "Old Man Ma from the county who breeds pigs came over, does that count?"

"It counts!" He Yuzhu grabbed a handful of candy for him.

"Think carefully again, see if anyone else has come to town? If you don't say, the candy will be gone soon," He Yuzhu said.

For a moment, several other children started making things up, which He Yuzhu could tell from their eyes.

However, to win them over, he gave them candy as well.

At this time, a thin, small girl wearing patched old clothes didn't speak, but walked up to He Yuzhu and blinked at him.

He Yuzhu bent down and leaned into her ear to ask: "Do you know something?"

The little girl nodded.

He Yuzhu led the little girl into the courtyard.

The little girl was a bit nervous, keeping her head down and not speaking.

He Yuzhu unwrapped a piece of candy and stuffed it into her mouth.

The little girl's eyes lit up as she ate the candy.

"Little girl, what is your name?" He Yuzhu didn't ask directly about what she wanted to say.

"My name is Man Yatou!"

"That's a nice name!" He Yuzhu said.

"Next door to my house, at Li Sigou's place... two women came yesterday, and they said they were his cousins, but I've never seen them before," Man Yatou whispered.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu knew that what was meant to come had finally arrived.

Those children said so much, and basically all of them come to the town often; only these two might be uninvited guests, perhaps here to scout for information.

"Man Yatou, will you take me to your home to have a look later?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Okay. But... but what if they see us?" Man Yatou hesitated.

He Yuzhu was startled; this little girl was too clever, could she have already seen through his intentions? Upon second thought, he understood; families that could survive in times of war were never simple.

"Brother, my mother is sick, can you help me treat her?" Man Yatou said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"What illness does your mother have?" He Yuzhu asked.

"A perforated stomach. My family has no money for treatment. If you help me cure my mother, Brother, I... I am willing to..." Man Yatou ultimately did not say the words about selling herself to He Yuzhu.