The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 247 Mountain Bandits Appear
"Missing?!" Before Shang Wan could react, Shi Tou jumped up in shock.

Shang Wan glanced at him: "I'm here. You can go to the study to study whenever you have free time. There's a small test at the academy tomorrow. If you don't do well, be careful the teacher will punish you."

Stone immediately covered his mouth, indicating that he would not shout or yell anymore, and asked to listen in.

Shang Wan: "Read for an extra hour tonight."

Stone:"……"

Woo!
After tidying up her younger brother, Shang Wan poured Shu Niangzi a cup of cold tea. "Don't rush, tell me slowly."

"How can I not be anxious?" With her hand touching the teacup, Madam Shu had no appetite for the cold tea at the moment.

"Half a month ago, Qin Zhang sent a message saying that the caravan had entered the territory of Fengxiang Prefecture. They bought some good goods in the south and planned to stay in Fengxiang Prefecture for a few days to sell some goods before continuing north."

Judging by the days, the caravan should have moved on by now. Having received no news from them, I sent a message to inquire. But to my dismay, it vanished without a trace.

Several more days have passed, and there's still no news from the caravan. That's when I couldn't sit still any longer and came to discuss it with you.

As she spoke, Madam Shu's expression, which had eased somewhat, turned grim again, and worry returned to her brows.

They invested a lot of money in this caravan trip. If they lose everything and even the caravan itself, Shang Wan doesn't know what will happen, but their Lancang Society will probably have to disband.

After listening to Madam Shu's words, Shang Wan's brows furrowed slightly. But she knew that being anxious wouldn't solve anything.

She asked, "Have you sent someone to Fengxiang Prefecture to inquire?"

“Of course.” Madam Shu nodded, frowning as she said, “However, we haven’t heard much. Some people saw the caravan leave Yimen Town, and they said it was heading to Baoji County, but no one saw the caravan enter Baoji County.”

"They must have gone missing on the way to Baoji County." Shang Wan tapped the table with her fingers, wondering if the caravan had run away on its own or been robbed.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and waved in front of Shang Wan. Shang Wan looked up and saw Shi Tou winking at her.

This is so offensive!
Shang Wan's eye twitched: "Speak your mind, I didn't ask you to be mute."

Shi Tou immediately took his hand down from his mouth. "Sister, there's a bandit problem in Baoji County. Our caravan might get robbed by them."

"How did you know?" Shang Wan and Madam Shu asked almost simultaneously, both looking at the stone.

Shi Tou blinked. "It's all over the academy. I have a classmate who came from Fengxiang Prefecture. His family is in Baoji County. His family sent him a message telling him not to go home recently, lest he be robbed by bandits."

Madam Shu frowned: "The government doesn't care about bandits causing trouble in the mountains?"

Shi Tou shrugged: "We managed it, but the government troops couldn't find the bandit stronghold. The government could only post notices to warn travelers to be careful of bandits and to travel in groups, and not to carry too much valuables, so as not to attract the attention of bandits."

His classmate was so scared that he dared not go home, and said that he would treat the academy as his home until the government caught the bandits.

With both people and goods, the caravan was nothing more than a flock of fat sheep in the eyes of the bandits.

"There are quite a few guards in the caravan," Madam Shu said, clinging to a sliver of hope. "They won't be that easy to rob, will they?"

Mountain bandits are all vicious and ruthless. If the caravan were to be robbed by these bandits, the casualties would likely be heavy, and it would be difficult to say whether they could continue trading in the future.

If that's the case, all the investment will be wasted.

"I heard that bandits are numerous and powerful! Can the guards outnumber them?" Stone ruthlessly shattered Madam Shu's hopes. "Besides, the guards have to protect those in the caravan who don't know martial arts, so they're tied up. The bandits don't have that problem."

Madam Shu: "..."

Must we force her to accept the reality that the caravan was robbed by bandits right now?
Believe it or not, I'll cry for you!

"We need to find them alive or dead. Whether they were robbed by bandits or not, we have to find the caravan," Shang Wan said. "I'll go find the county magistrate later to get a travel permit to go to Baoji County."

Those bandits who dared to rob her caravan must be tired of living.

Of course, if the caravan hadn't been robbed but had instead taken the opportunity to run away... Shang Wan sneered, she would make the entire caravan regret this choice for the rest of their lives.

"I'll go too!" Shi Tou and Shu Niangzi said at the same time.

Shang Wan looked at Madam Shu: "You know martial arts?"

Madam Shu shook her head.

Shang Wan: "If you don't know martial arts, just stay put and wait for news."

Lady Shu: "..." "Sister, I know martial arts!" Stone eagerly raised his hand.

After the New Year, her sister invited two martial arts instructors from the martial arts school in the prefectural city to teach him and Xiao Huan martial arts. Even Lu Chengjing learned a couple of moves from them.

Stone felt confident that he now had the ability to fight the bandits.

Shang Wan posed the crucial question: "Isn't there a minor exam tomorrow?"

Stone:"……"

Shang Wan patted his head, "Focus on your studies, I can handle your sister."

Stone flat-mouthed, could he say he just had an itchy hand and wanted to fight?
·
An hour later, Shang Wan led a chestnut horse out of the manor.

Less than three zhang behind them, a man and a dog followed, the dog and the two figures sneaking around.

Shang Wan: "..."

She is not deaf.

She turned to look at the little baby who was hiding his chubby little body behind the black dog, "His legs are showing."

Yuan Yuan, carrying a small floral bundle, tucked her chubby cheeks and looked down at her short legs.

Oh no, I forgot to lift my legs.

The little girl patted the big black dog in front of her, "Little Black, didn't you remind me?"

Xiao Hei: "..."

It forgot too.

The big black dog nuzzled the little baby with its head in a fawning manner, as if to say, "We've been discovered, let's go back."
Having already packed her little bundle, Yuanyuan was naturally unwilling to go back just like that.

She's going to help her mother!

"Mommy, Yuanyuan wants to go!" The little baby decisively gave up following, rushed over, hugged his mother's leg, and acted cute and adorable.

The big black dog also ran over, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail at Shang Wan.

Shang Wan looked down at the two of them and asked, "Are you really going?"

Both the man and the dog nodded in agreement.

"Help me, Mom!" Yuanyuan waved her short arms.

"It's to help." Shang Wan bent down and picked the person up, pinching their cheeks. "Only one of you, you or Xiao Hei, can go."

Yuanyuan immediately waved to the big black dog, "Go back."

Xiao Hei: "..."

No, what happened to our promise to go fight together?
"Hurry up," Yuan Yuan urged, her little voice filled with impatience.

Little Black whimpered sadly and walked away, turning back every few steps.

Shang Wan thinks that if Xiao Hei were a person, he would have to bury his head and cry his heart out for making such a bad friend.

"Let's go!" Yuanyuan, who had been carried by her mother to sit on the jujube horse, waved her little arm with great momentum, as if she were commanding a thousand troops to set off.

Shang Wan patted her little head with amusement and, following the markings on the map, rode her horse toward Baoji County.

Fifteen minutes later, two furtive figures emerged from the woods leading horses.

Xiao Huan craned her neck to look into the distance and said confidently, "Sister didn't notice us and walked away with Yuan Yuan."

"Hurry up and keep up, don't lose them." Stone mounted his horse and urged him on, gripping the reins.

"We won't get lost, we'll follow the hoofprints." Despite saying that, Xiao Huan immediately mounted her horse, cracked her whip, and galloped off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Stone called out in a low voice, and rode his horse after him.