Xie Ming

Chapter 66: Kidnapping by Bandits
"Oh, sir, it's just as you said, something big happened in the town yesterday!"

"The world is not peaceful now!"

"I heard from neighbors who often go to Yi County and Laishui County outside the mountains that things outside have already become a mess!"

"Our mountain den is better, but it's not any better than in previous years!"

"Jiulong Town is a big town in this area. As big as it is, it will have big disasters."

"There are at least seven or eight bandit dens outside this town!"

"The most powerful gang, the leader's surname is Ma, his name is Ma Dabiao, we all call him Ma Dabangzi!"

"That man is so vicious! He does all kinds of evil things!"

"Just yesterday at noon, the eldest daughter of the town's patriarch was kidnapped from her home by Ma Dabangzi without anyone noticing!"

"The bandits sent a letter this afternoon, demanding a huge ransom. The amount is frighteningly high!"

"Even the clan leader's family doesn't have that much money!"

"So the matter was delayed. Until this morning, we still didn't have enough people. The clan leader brought the prominent clan members to the ancestral hall for a meeting for this very reason!"

The stall owner, an old man named Li, lowered his voice and described the scene vividly.

"Oh? There is such a thing?!" Xiao Jingchuan took a deep breath in cooperation after hearing this.

"Not so good!"

"Look at how richly you are dressed, you must be a wealthy man from the city outside the mountain. You don't often go into the mountains, so you might not know."

"Here, we have dealt with bandits many times!"

"Normally, if a virgin girl is kidnapped by bandits, the ransom must be collected before sunset!"

"After the night, the kidnapped girl is useless!"

"Who's daughter was taken away by bandits for a night, and someone still wanted her when she came back? That family will be ridiculed for the rest of their lives!"

"So, there is a saying that girlfriends should not be kept overnight. If they are kept overnight, even if you don't want the ransom to send them back, the master won't want them! Just treat them as if they are dead!"

Hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan was stunned. He never thought that there were such unwritten rules between the bandits and the mountains.

He didn't know what to say for a moment, so he looked up and looked at Qiu Zhizhong.

"Well, then, since we have already been delayed until this morning, what are we discussing in the ancestral hall?"

Seeing the situation, Qiu Zhizhong interrupted.

"Alas, it must have been instigated by the clan leader's daughter-in-law, Xu Wangshi. This daughter-in-law was not very good at pregnancy, and after a few years, she gave birth to two girls. The older one is called Xu Hongwen, the one who was abducted, and the younger one is called Xu Jingyi."

"On a normal day, I pamper him like my dearest baby. He is the apple of my eye!"

"Right now, the two girls are still married, and the virgin girls have been kidnapped. Xu Wang is unwilling to accept this and insists that the clan leader lead everyone to collect money!"

"Huh! That's really amazing! How much money can we earn after working hard for a whole year? Who would be willing to help?"

"Fortunately, I am not a member of the Xu family, so I cannot enter their ancestral hall. But I do save money!"

The stall owner looked quite dissatisfied and just wanted to watch the fun.

Xiao Jingchuan listened carefully and suddenly felt happy, and a plan came to his mind.

Afterwards, he smiled and agreed a few more words. Coincidentally, a few customers came to the next table, and the old man went to do other things.

Then Xiao Lang raised his eyebrows and spoke in a low voice to his desk mates Qiu and Gu.

"Did you hear that?!"

"Whatever you think comes to you!"

"I was just wondering how to get into the town, and now it's delivered to our doorstep!" Xiao Lang suppressed his excitement and whispered.

"Hehe, yes, yes!"

"We have always wanted to suppress the bandits, and now is the perfect time to do it while the clan leader's daughter is kidnapped. We can also earn a huge favor from the clan leader!" Qiu Zhizhong said. "Yes! With this, we can establish a relationship with the clan leader, and in the future, it will be easier for us to build a base here!"

"Let's go! Let's rush to the ancestral hall now and take over the redemption of that person!"

Xiao Lang didn't want to delay any longer, fearing that such a good thing would slip away from his sight!

"Eh? Um, General, it's not too late to go after we finish eating. I haven't finished half a bowl of wontons yet!" Gu Changting was chewing a sesame cake in a daze and interrupted his own general.

"Eat, eat, eat! Just know how to eat!"

"Why would I bring a good-for-nothing like you out here?"

"Don't make me angry, just go away!"

As he spoke, Xiao Lang stood up, paid for the meal, and the three of them walked towards the streets further inside the town.

After about a quarter of an hour, Xiao Jingchuan, Qiu Zhizhong and Gu Changting asked their way and finally found the gate of the Xu family ancestral hall in the center of the town.

Perhaps it was because the incident happened suddenly, or because there was a lack of safety awareness in the mountains, the front door of the clan's ancestral hall was wide open while they were meeting, and there was no one guarding it.

Xiao Lang and the other two easily entered and went straight into the main hall of the ancestral hall.

At this moment, a man from the tribe with a pipe on his waist was standing in front of the tribute table in the hall, hunching his body and arguing loudly about something. On the left and right sides, several elderly elders from the tribe wearing melon-shaped hats were sitting in a row. They all had their own thoughts and different expressions.

The inner and outer edges of the hall were surrounded by men of the clan in circles in front and behind.

Xiao Jingchuan and the other two entered the hall quietly, hiding at the back of the crowd, beside the door, and no one noticed them for a while.

"Jia Lin, our town has dealt with bandits more than once!"

"You know what kind of person Ma Dabangzi is."

"I have watched Hongwen grow up since she was a child. I am worried about you, too."

"But you can't break the rules, right?"

"Don't keep your girlfriend overnight. It's been a long-standing rule!"

"You can't just look at your own girl and ask everyone to chip in the money. It doesn't make sense for him to do that!"

The hunchbacked middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back and yelled at the head of the Xu family who was sitting in the main seat, using unkind words.

"Carlo, you."

Having said that, the clan leader slapped the table and stood up.

"Okay! Hongwen is my daughter, there is no reason for me to ask everyone to pay for nothing!"

"Today, I, Xu Jialin, am begging all the young and old men of my clan!"

"I'm not asking you to pay for nothing. I'm lending you money, and I won't reduce the interest by a cent."

"If you still recognize me as the clan leader, and feel that I, Xu Jialin, have been fair in this position over the years and have done some practical things for the clan, then please help me this time today!"

"Everyone, can you do this? Please speak up and tell the truth!"

Xu Jialin's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he had suffered a great blow physically and mentally. He must have not slept all night and ended up in this state.

"Jia Lin, it's not that we don't want to help!"

"Brothers, we have to settle accounts clearly."

"He, Ma Dabangzi, asked for five thousand taels of silver right away. Isn't this asking for death?"

"Let's keep things separate. If you have other things to discuss, we can still discuss it."

"But right now, Hongwen's situation is obviously not worth the loss!"

"The old man did leave some assets to your clan leader's family, but no matter how I calculate it, even if you sell all your houses, you still can't pay back the money!" Xu Jialu was scheming and did not show any mercy in his words.

"Jialu, isn't it too hurtful for you to say that?!"

(End of this chapter)