Chapter 51: The Tent
Chapter 51
However, it was hard to say whether it was good or bad that they had found spies around them so soon after leaving the capital.
Thinking of this, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye both fell into contemplation.
After a long time, He Zhiran finally spoke her analysis.
"In the matter of Li Hu causing the Eighth Old Zhou to fall into the water, there were several accomplices who helped him.
And when the officials rushed to fish the Eighth Old Zhou out of the river, no one was carrying anyone on their back, and many people were watching.
I believe Li Hu's accomplices must have been able to see this.
And I publicly saved the Eighth Old Zhou, so Li Hu's failure was completely exposed.
There must be someone among them who will report this matter to their superiors and seek ways to deal with the aftermath.
I suspect that as soon as Li Hu's superiors know that something has happened to him, they are very likely to send someone to silence him."
Upon hearing this, Mo Jiuye took a deep breath.
"Do you mean we should follow this lead on Li Hu to find out who is behind him?"
He Zhiran nodded, "That is what I mean, but with our current status, it may not be very convenient to take action."
"Action is not a big problem, I have my own ways, but I have already offended them. Even if we find the person who really wants to harm the Mo family, what can we do?"
He Zhiran could hear that there was some self-abandonment in Mo Jiuye's words.
"With your skills, it shouldn't be difficult to take revenge, right?
Besides, I suspect that Li Hu's backer is very likely to be the same person who sent someone to poison the Mo family."
Reminded this way, Mo Jiuye's mind suddenly became clear, and at the same time, endless hatred and injustice surged in his heart.
"You're right. I'll find a way to follow Li Hu tonight."
Seeing that Mo Jiuye had figured it out, He Zhiran went out to continue making tents with the women.
As soon as she came out of the room, she saw several officials dragging Li Hu, all tied up, and shoving him outside the inn.
Li Hu's mouth was blocked by a piece of cloth so he couldn't shout, he could only look at the officials with pleading eyes.
The officials' feelings for the Eighth Old Zhou were in no way comparable to Li Hu's, who had only been here for half a year.
After seeing the Eighth Old Zhou almost killed by him, they hated Li Hu to the extreme. How could they be merciful to him?
Zhang Qing saw Li Hu struggling and kicked him in the butt.
"Behave yourself. When you see the county magistrate, beg for mercy however you want."
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw He Zhiran.
Unlike before, Zhang Qing did not swagger arrogantly at He Zhiran, but nodded gratefully to her.
He Zhiran also nodded in return.
From her understanding of ancient conditions, she knew that the county magistrate usually heard cases in the morning, and it was already near dusk now.
She guessed that when Li Hu was taken to the county office, he would only be temporarily detained in the prison, and would not be interrogated until tomorrow morning at the earliest.
Therefore, He Zhiran guessed that tonight would be the best time to silence Li Hu.
Thinking of this, she hurried back to the room and told Mo Jiuye again that Li Hu had been taken to the county office by officials, as well as her analysis.
Mo Jiuye said he would grasp the timing.
Although he had never done anything like assassinating and silencing people, after so many years in officialdom, he had heard about some of these nasty things.
Most people who went to prison cells to silence people generally chose between 1-3 AM, because that time was when people were most prone to doze off and the guards would be relatively lax.
But to be on the safe side, Mo Jiuye planned to go before 1 AM.
Now that everything was arranged clearly, He Zhiran was much more at ease while working.
The women were making handicrafts much faster than she had imagined, especially tents which did not require very tight stitches.
When He Zhiran came to the production site, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the women had already made several finished products.
However, they still didn't understand how to use the tents, so they were all neatly placed together.
Seeing He Zhiran come over, Mo Hanyue excitedly said, "Sister-in-law, look, my tent is almost finished!"
As she spoke, Mo Hanyue tied a knot in the thread that had just been pulled through the corner of the oilcloth, then cut it, got up and handed the tent she had made to He Zhiran.
He Zhiran happened to want to see if the tent she had designed herself was successful.
In front of everyone, she unfolded the tent.
The tent was a simple pyramid shape, with bamboo poles as the frame.
A few hemp ropes hung down from the top of the tent, and the other ends of the ropes were tied to thicker bamboo segments, which could be buried in the ground to secure the tent.
Although the tent looked a little crude, it was practical.
Seeing He Zhiran put up the tent, the women were shocked and couldn't believe their eyes.
"Sister-in-law, I was just wondering what this tent you mentioned was for, now I see, isn't this just a little house?"
Mo Hanyue was so excited that she was silly smiling. She had made such a good "house" with her own hands.
Seeing Mo Hanyue smiling foolishly, He Zhiran felt a strong sense of accomplishment bubbling up inside her.
"It's a bit of an exaggeration to call it a house, but it's pretty good for blocking wind and rain."
The women of the Xie and Fang families looked enviously at the Mo family women.
In the future, when sleeping outdoors at night, they would no longer have to lie facing the sky.
Although Miss He behaved indecently, her mind was indeed first-class smart, to even come up with ideas like this.
Zhao held her sister-in-law's hand.
"Aunt Cui, having such a daughter-in-law is really a blessing that your Mo family has cultivated over three lifetimes."
"That's right, our Ninth younger sister is good at a lot of things, not just something as simple as making tents," the second sister-in-law was happy to hear her younger sister being praised.
Faced with praise, He Zhiran humbly said a few words, and at the same time, she also saw the longing for tents in the eyes of the Xie and Fang family women.
"Aunt Fang, Aunt Xie, our three families made this tent together, two people to one tent, there is absolutely no problem."
The Xie and Fang family women were so delighted to hear that their own families also had a share that they did not know how to express themselves.
They thanked He Zhiran profusely.
Zhao looked at He Zhiran gratefully and sincerely said, "When our family was ransacked, we didn't bring anything out. Fortunately, you and the Mo family helped us.
Now I understand too. Since we can no longer live the kind of carefree life we had before, I might as well accept reality.
From now on, my Fang family will look up to the Mo family. I'm saying this today, and anyone who dares to go against it will face family law."
As soon as she finished speaking, the other Fang women also expressed their willingness to do the same.