Love Lock

Chapter 207 Stop Playing Dumb With Me
Han Lei took care of Li Xiaole for two days. After Li Xiaole's post-operative pain subsided, she personally demonstrated how to change his dressings and bandages, and how to help him move his muscles.

For two consecutive days, Li Sao has fully learned how to take care of Xiao Le after the surgery.

Han Lei left behind a wheelchair, gave instructions on various precautions, and then drove her motorcycle to Ganluo County, Xuzhou, on the other side of the Qulin River.

Fortunately, the road from the Fufeng County Cement Plant to the Qulin River is now a well-connected network of cement roads.

Han Lei's motorcycle ran extremely smoothly, just like riding on a modern country road.

Han Lei drove her motorcycle like the wind along the winding cement road, a sight that the people of Fufeng County who passed by were no longer surprised by.

To increase work efficiency, Han Lei has been frequently traveling between the pig farm, chicken and duck farm, and cement plant by motorcycle these past few days.

The locals were shocked when they first saw the motorcycle, thinking it was some kind of monster, and they screamed and backed away in fright.

Han Lei smiled and reassured them, saying it was just a vehicle, like the three-wheeled motorcycles on the road. Not only was it fast, but it was also convenient.

Having seen it so many times, the people naturally stopped being afraid.

Everyone knows that it is the magical mount of the Princess of Cangzhou. Whenever people hear this peculiar roaring sound passing by, some even come forward to greet the approachable princess warmly.

When Tang Xiaotong heard that Han Lei had gone to Xuzhou, she wanted to ride a horse to catch up with her, but she was afraid of missing her again on the way, so she decided to stay at the Zhao family's house and wait.

Zhao Ling'er knew that Tang Xiaotong was Han Lei's person. Besides helping Li Sao take care of Xiao Le, Zhao Ling'er also took Tang Xiaotong to visit the cement plant project when she had time...

Meanwhile, a large crowd thronged the area in front of the Qingshui County government office, raising clouds of dust. The setting sun was still quite scorching, casting a white glow on the bluestone pavement.

Luo Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the long line stretching for miles in front of him.

Those ragged refugees, supporting the old and carrying the young, with their worn-out bundles on their backs, had hope shining in their eyes.

"Sir, how many people are in your family?" the clerk at the registration office asked in a hoarse voice.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this old man is with his three grandsons..."

The hunched old man spoke in a trembling voice, while three sallow-faced, thin children behind him tightly gripped his clothes, their eyes timidly fixed on the official.

Luo Hai was checking the roster when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats in the distance.

He looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising at the end of the street, with Xiao Zhengfei leading the way, his gray cloak fluttering in the wind.

A dozen or so guards followed closely behind him, their horseshoes clattering on the bluestone slabs, sending sparks flying.

"Uu——"

Upon reaching Luo Hai, Xiao Zhengfei reined in his horse, causing it to rear up.

As he dismounted, the sword at his waist clashed against his armor, producing a crisp ringing sound.

"Commander Xiao!" Luo Hai hurried forward, his boots covered in mud. "You've finally arrived. The number of deserters has been increasing these past two days, and the county government's granaries are almost empty."

Xiao Zhengfei took off his helmet, revealing his sun-darkened face. He looked at the endless line of soldiers, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Your Highness is right, there are indeed no fewer than 20,000 deserters."

As he spoke, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and stuffed it into Luo Hai's hand.

"This is the Prince's order to reorganize the troops in Qingshui County. Don't worry, the grain and fodder provided by the Princess is on its way."

At that moment, the deserters registering nearby suddenly stirred. A one-armed man pushed his way to the front and knelt down in front of Xiao Zhengfei.

"General! We are all peasants who were forcibly conscripted; we simply had no other choice but to..."

Xiao Zhengfei reached out and helped him up, his fingertips touching the man's chapped palm: "Brother, get up and talk."

He turned to the crowd, his voice booming like a bell: "His Highness has ordered that all those who have come are his own brothers! Those who can build walls will join the construction team, those with strength will go to the transport team, and women, children, the elderly and weak will be given other arrangements!"

Luo Hai leaned closer and whispered, "Commander Xiao, with so many people huddled together, what if..."

"It's alright." Xiao Zhengfei untied the water pouch from his waist and took a sip. "His Highness already had a plan. You see..."

He pointed to the west side of the county government office, where refugees and deserters were queuing up to receive porridge.

"Let them have a good meal first. This afternoon I will personally select people to settle down. Apart from those who are truly capable of fighting, the rest can all go to work!"

As they were talking, the sound of a child crying came from afar.

Xiao Zhengfei turned his head and saw a five or six-year-old girl fall into a mud puddle. He immediately strode over to her.

Amidst the clanking of his armor, he had already picked up the child and used his cloak to wipe the dirt off her face.

"Don't cry, sweetie. I'll give you some sweet cake later." The girl stared blankly at the ferocious beast head patterns on his armor, forgetting to cry.

"Commander Xiao!" the guard suddenly pointed ahead, "Another group of deserters has arrived!"

As the sun set, a dark mass of figures crept along the official road. Xiao Zhengfei squinted, his armor gleaming a dark red in the afterglow.

"Pass down the order: set up a few more large cauldrons. Tell the brothers..." He frowned and patted the pistol at his waist, "From now on, they are no longer deserters, but new recruits of Cangzhou!"

As dusk deepened, a row of lanterns in front of the county government office lit up one after another.

The brush at the registration office rustled across the register, solemnly inscribing each name, a name that had been through so much hardship, onto the bamboo slips of Cangzhou…

The next afternoon, the blazing sun was like a pot of red-hot coals turned upside down overhead.

The willows lining the official road drooped listlessly, their leaves curled at the edges, and the cicadas' desperate chirping pierced the stagnant air.

Several luxurious carriages rolled across the scorching bluestone road and slowly came to a stop in front of the Wei residence.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Wei Dabao emerged, holding an oil-paper umbrella. The green bamboo pattern painted on the umbrella had faded under the scorching sun.

Having narrowly escaped death and returned after a long and arduous journey, he was so thin that his cheekbones protruded, and his moon-white silk robe hung loosely on his body, fluttering slightly.

"Third Aunt, Madam, we're home." His voice was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

The third concubine, dressed in her finest attire, helped the young mistress out of the carriage. When they looked up at the plaque above the door, both of them froze on the spot.

The vermilion gate was wide open, and the plaque above the gate that read "Wei Mansion" had disappeared, replaced by a brand new plaque with gold lettering on a black background—"Cangzhou Hospital".

People dressed in coarse cloth came and went, like a marketplace. There was also an old man with a cane, sitting on the steps of his house where orchid pots were usually placed, panting.

"This...this must be the wrong place, right? Where is our home?" Wei Dabao's wife looked completely bewildered.

She remembered that a few days before she left home, the stone lions on the door had just been repainted with gold powder, but now their left eye was missing a piece, as if it had been chiseled away with an iron tool.

Wei Dabao moved the oil-paper umbrella aside, took two steps back, and looked around.

The silk shop's signboard was still in its old spot, and Zhang the Cripple, the candy seller on the street corner, was dozing off at his stall. Everything around him was exactly the same, so why was his shop the only exception...?

His throat tightened, and he turned to stop a woman carrying a medicine bag who came out: "Hey! This is clearly the Wei residence..."

"It's long gone!" The woman wiped her sweat. "The government turned this place into a clinic, saying that it would only cost three coins to treat the poor."

She suddenly widened her eyes and looked Wei Dabao up and down.

"You...you're not Master Wei?"

Mr. Chen, the manager of the tea shop next door, came running over with a teacup in his hand, tea stains splashing onto his clothes and forming a brown patch.

He pulled Wei Dabao into the shadows of the alley, his voice hushed. "Brother Wei, what brings you here? Wasn't it said you plotted against a member of the royal family and were in prison on death row?"

"Uh..." Wei Dabao choked, his face immediately turning into a tearful expression: "Yes, that's true, but it's all a misunderstanding. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine now."

Shopkeeper Chen's mouth was still opening and closing: "Lord Luo personally led the troops to ransack your house. The porcelain, paintings, and valuables filled more than twenty carts. All your family's properties..."

He suddenly fell silent as he spoke, glancing warily at the constables patrolling the street.

Madam Wei swayed and had to grab the wall to keep from falling.

"Ah? Right, there are also properties. Master, let's go take a look at our family's properties!" Third Aunt suddenly shouted.

Wei Dabao suddenly realized what was happening, grabbed the two women, and ran forward.

After turning two streets, he saw in the distance that the banner of his "Yunlai Inn" had been replaced with a wooden sign that read "New Recruit's Quarter," and two soldiers with guns were standing at the entrance.

"Sir," Wei Dabao said, suppressing his anger, as he stepped forward and bowed, "I wonder what the original owner of this inn was like..."

"I don't know, get out of the way!" The soldier held his rifle horizontally. "If you come any closer, you'll be treated as a spy!"

The situation is even worse at the rice shop.

The three connected shops were crammed with soldiers, some moving items inside, others busy making makeshift beds on the floor...

Their inn was occupied by those soldiers, and it wasn't until dusk that they finally found an inn in the west of the city that was at least habitable for Wei Dabao.

The inn's door hinges groaned as they turned, and in the lobby, only a single oil lamp illuminated the wrinkles on the innkeeper's face, making them resemble a dried-up riverbed.

“Three superior rooms.” Wei Dabao took out a silver coin.

"Sir, now only the woodshed is left." The innkeeper licked his fingers and opened the ledger. "Recently, the city has been filled with new recruits from Cangzhou."

Wei Dabao and the two women exchanged a glance and couldn't help but sigh.

Today, they all witnessed the situation in Qingshui County. Now, even a woodshed is enough for them to stay temporarily. The servants who accompanied them can only sleep on the floor in the courtyard for the time being.

In the haystack, the already exhausted Madam Wei finally broke down and cried out, "What sins have we committed? Why has this calamity befallen us?"

Wei Dabao stared at the moonlight filtering through the gaps in the thatched roof, then suddenly slammed his fist on the wall: "Tomorrow, I'm going to find that bastard Luo Hai!"

Wei Dabao was extremely depressed and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of his home being ransacked. He finally managed to fall asleep and slept soundly until dawn.

He tidied himself up hastily, then got into the carriage and hurriedly went to find Luo Hai.

The stone steps in front of the magistrate's office were scorching hot from the sun.

The guard's steel blade was blindingly white in the sunlight. He recognized Wei Dabao and, after hearing Wei Dabao's words, burst out laughing.

"Hmph! Lord Luo is the prefect now, he's very busy. He went out early this morning, how could he have time to see a commoner like you?"

"A commoner?" Wei Dabao trembled with rage. "My Wei family has spanned three generations..."

"Three generations what? Three generations of criminals, is that it?" the guard interrupted impatiently. "Get out of here, or I'll take you back to jail!"

As he spoke, the guard brandished his steel blade, its surface gleaming with a chilling light.

Wei Dabao flinched, not daring to act rashly again, and panting heavily, he got back into his carriage and left.

The streets of Qingshui County were crowded and chaotic. Wei Dabao's carriage rolled over the bluestone road, making a sound as frustrated as he was.

He lifted the carriage curtain and ordered his servants to drive the carriage first to the cloth shop in the east of the city. That was his earliest property and the Wei family's flagship business in Qingshui County.

"Master, the cloth shop is just ahead," the servant whispered a reminder.

Wei Dabao peeked out and saw several burly men standing in front of the cloth shop, talking gruffly.

Although they were dressed in coarse cloth, their straight backs and synchronized movements made it clear to him that they were soldiers.

"Stop! Stop!"

At Wei Dabao's command, before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, he jumped down impatiently.

He stood at the entrance of the cloth shop, staring blankly inside. All those coming and going were burly men like him. Some were carrying bolts of cloth, while others were simply sitting by the counter, resting and talking.

Wei Dabao could see clearly that when one of them rolled up his sleeve to wipe his sweat, the undergarment he revealed was clearly military standard, and bursts of laughter could be heard coming from inside.

"We really made the right choice coming here."

"The King of Cangzhou is so kind; I never expected him to treat us like brothers."

"That's right, they're even willing to use a shop like this, which makes money, to temporarily house us."

"Yes! How much silver will this cost?"

“This…bastard…” When it came to money, Wei Dabao felt a rush of hot blood to his head and his heart ached so much it bled.

He pointed to the cloth shop with trembling hands, but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

If he knew the word "damn it," he would have cursed it countless times by now.

"Sir, look. The tavern over there too..."

The servant cautiously pointed across the street. There, the tavern door was wide open, but there wasn't a single customer in sight. Instead, squads of soldiers were carrying luggage and belongings in and out.

Wei Dabao's face turned from red to white, then from white to green. He gritted his teeth and turned around abruptly, his wide sleeves drawing an arc in the air.

He angrily scrambled onto the carriage. "Let's go, to the magistrate's mansion! Today, I'm going to get to the bottom of this with Luo Hai!"

The carriage sped along the street, with Wei Dabao sitting inside, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

As he passed a tavern, he saw soldiers with knives standing under their signboard; as he passed an inn, he saw military uniforms drying in the windows.

With each place he looked at, his anger grew, until finally his whole body was trembling slightly.

At the gate of the county magistrate's mansion, the guards saw that it was Wei Dabao's carriage again and were about to stop him, but Wei Dabao, who jumped off the carriage, pushed them aside.

He rushed up the steps in three strides, just in time to see Luo Hai coming out from inside.

"Luo Hai!" Wei Dabao's cry was so heart-wrenching that it drew the attention of passersby.

He pointed his finger at Luo Hai's nose, his voice trembling: "You bastard, why did you lead people to ransack my house?"

Luo Hai was clearly not expected to start cursing so blatantly. He was taken aback for a moment, then gave a meaningful smile.

Luo Hai completely ignored Wei Dabao's authority. He straightened his official robes and said slowly, "Oh ho! Isn't this Master Wei? What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Stop playing dumb with me!"

Wei Dabao's face was ashen; he had lost a lot of weight, and his loose, empty robes trembled with his rapid breathing.

"I ask you, what right do you have to lead men to ransack my house? Why are so many soldiers living here? If you don't give me an explanation today, I... I'll..."

As he spoke, he reached out and looked down at his feet, as if searching for a suitable weapon to strike Luo Hai's head hard.

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