Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 133 Encounter
Jia Chuan frowned as he looked at the door swaying in front of him and asked, "At your age, coming and going freely in men's residences... wouldn't that sound bad if word got out?"

Shunzi shrugged and said, "I guess the magistrate felt he had no other choice."

Dong Yuanyuan happily fiddled with the jewelry on the table, muttering, "This is for Mom, this is for my future siblings, Mom will definitely like this one, and this one too..."

Jia Chuan asked, "Aren't you going to keep a few for yourself?"

Dong Yuanyuan shook her head and said, "I'm not good-looking, so it's pointless for me to wear it."

Shunzi quickly said, "Who said that? If you ask me, keep those heavy-looking items. They'll be good for the children's dowry in the future."

Dong Yuanyuan seemed to suddenly remember: "That's right, besides my mother, I will also have my own children in the future."

Jia Chuan smiled and shook his head as he left the house. Dong Yuanyuan had never resented her mother in her heart. When she had something good, she would always think of her family. It was hard to tell whether Shunzi or Dong Yuanyuan was more fortunate.

As soon as he stepped outside and a cold wind blew, Jia Chuan realized that if Zhao Guang was going to send someone off, he should send Gao Yunduo instead of Dong Yuanyuan.

Just then, Jia Chuan saw Gao Yunduo carrying a plate of steamed buns out of the small kitchen, her face expressionless.

Jia Chuan thought to himself, "That granddaughter might want to get close to Gao Yunduo, but she has to be able to get close to her first."

……

While the group was having breakfast, Jia Chuan talked about the case and his thoughts. He wanted to rest for two days before going to the village temple again. The cellar was indeed strange and might be related to the case. He was afraid that things might change if he waited too long.

Gao Yunduo asked, "Are you very tired? You need to rest for two more days."

Jia Chuan said, "I'm worried you'll get tired."

Dong Yuanyuan quickly swallowed the steamed bun in her mouth, shook her head, and said, "Not tired!"

Gao Yuntian said, "Since we have nothing to do today, we might as well make a trip."

Old Zheng said, "As long as this case remains unsolved, you'll keep it on your mind. Hurry up and investigate. As long as you get back before dark, you'll have time to cook. There's plenty of good food to eat."

"As long as we have wine and meat, and we're together, it's like celebrating the New Year," Gao Yuntian said.

Old Zheng hurriedly said, "We don't usually have the chance to drink like this. It's better during the New Year."

Shunzi said, "Compared to the past, it feels like every day is New Year's Day now."

Dong Yuanyuan nodded emphatically and said, "I've gained weight."

……

On New Year's Day, Jia Chuan was to continue investigating the case, which Zhao Guang had not expected.

He hurried to the entrance of the county government office, just in time to see Jia Chuan and the others mount their horses. The horses that Jia Chuan and Old Zheng were riding belonged to the county government office. Zhao Guang received the news while the yamen runners were preparing the horses.

Zhao Guang ran to the entrance of the county government office, panting, and asked, "May Magistrate Song bring a few yamen runners with you? They can guide you and protect you."

Jia Chuan turned to Old Zheng and asked, "Do you remember the way?"

Old Zheng said, "I thought you remembered."

Jia Chuan sighed and turned to Zhao Guang, saying, "Let's find someone to guide us. Thank you, Magistrate Zhao."

The yamen runners at the gate retreated.

Gao Yuntian looked at Jia Chuan with a puzzled expression. He wanted to say that Jia Chuan remembered the way, but then he thought that having someone lead the way might not be a bad thing, so he kept quiet.

……

Not to mention Zhao Guang's astonishment at Jia Chuan's actions, even the village chief's jaw nearly dropped when he saw Jia Chuan. He couldn't possibly encounter such a diligent official even in several lifetimes.

Jia Chuan brought some food and handed it to the village head, saying, "It's not for you, it's for the family whose child is sick. It's the New Year, so the child can have a treat."

The village chief could only nod, and Jia Chuan turned and led his men to the small temple.

The village chief realized what was happening and saw the food being handed to the villagers behind him. He chased after them and explained, "Today is New Year's Day, so I didn't arrange for anyone to guard the temple."

Jia Chuan said "Oh" and said, "It's alright, I'm just going up to check the cellar."

The village chief said:
“I pondered this for a long time yesterday. Although the small temple is in the village, the two old monks rarely interact with the villagers. The previous monks were the same. The villagers usually only helped carry water and occasionally brought some coarse grains. They never came down the mountain to ask for anything. The other day, Magistrate Song asked how the two of them lived. For example, how did they keep warm in this kind of weather? I never thought about it. Anyway, they lived quite well year after year. How could two old Taoist priests have died after coming here?”

Jia Chuan turned to look at the village head and pressed, "Have you figured out a solution?"

"I just can't figure it out. That day, when we sent someone to report to the authorities, we never expected anyone from the county government to come. In our haste, we could only send Cai Lao Er up the mountain to make arrangements. That's what Magistrate Song saw: four bowls of water and that bundle on the table. Later, I asked Cai Lao Er, and he said he went to the kitchen to get ice. He thought the water vat would be frozen solid, but after a few taps, water started to seep out..."

Jia Chuan stopped and frowned, saying, "That means someone came and even lit a fire, which is why the water tank in the kitchen didn't freeze solid. Gao Yuntian! Quickly go into the temple and see if anyone is inside."

Gao Yuntian immediately started running, and Gao Yunduo followed without Jia Chuan saying a word.

Jia Chuan quickened his pace, with Dong Yuanyuan and the village chief close behind. Shunzi and Old Zheng followed, panting. Old Zheng whispered to Shunzi, "I think we shouldn't have come."

Shunzi said, "I shouldn't have come. You might be useful if there are any corpses."

“He’s better than me, so I’m superfluous. We should go inside and warm up some wine…”

Old Zheng suddenly remembered there was a yamen runner. He turned around and looked at him. The yamen runner was panting heavily, baring his teeth.

"You guys are just too inexperienced. When we get back, I'll order you some good wine."

The constable grinned and asked, "Why are they in such a hurry?"

“They must be worried that there might be people inside the temple,” Shunzi replied.

"How could that be! At this time of year, only Magistrate Song would go out."

No sooner had the constable finished speaking than a shout came from the direction of the small temple: "Yuanyuan! Protect Jia Chuan!"

Dong Yuanyuan immediately tried to pull Jia Chuan down the mountain, but Jia Chuan hurriedly said, "I told you to protect me, not to take me away. If I don't go in, what will they do if they catch someone?"

At this moment, Jia Chuan remained calm and unhurried. In his view, the only ones who could leave the Gao siblings helpless were those few people in Zhu Gaoxu's manor. In Jia Chuan's opinion, the Gao siblings were among the top twenty in the martial arts world, so how could they have encountered a few top-ranked individuals by sheer bad luck? Impossible!
Just as he stepped over the threshold, Jia Chuan realized that it was Gao Yunduo, not Gao Yuntian, who had spoken earlier. If he hadn't been unable to speak, it should have been Gao Yuntian who had spoken.

Since Gao Yuntian hadn't made a sound, he must be unable to! Thinking this, Jia Chuan entered the temple and ran towards the entrance to the cellar at the back, directing as he ran: "Shunzi, Old Zheng, take the village head and his men and find a sheltered spot to wait!"

Shunzi heard this as soon as he arrived at the temple gate and muttered, "Even at a time like this, you still have to consider everything so thoroughly."

Old Zheng hurriedly said, "You can't just take what he says on the surface when he's in a hurry."

Shunzi nodded, hands on his hips, and said, "He means to find a safe and peaceful place, at least so we don't get caught. Village chief! Let's go down the mountain!"

The village chief was obedient, and the constables were even more obedient. The four of them hurriedly went down the mountain.

……

Dong Yuanyuan stayed close to Jia Chuan. After hearing Shunzi's words about going down the mountain, she focused all her attention on Jia Chuan.

Soon, Dong Yuanyuan followed Jia Chuan to the back of the main hall. Gao Yuntian was fighting with three people dressed as Taoists. Before Jia Chuan could say anything, Dong Yuanyuan rushed towards one of them without stopping.

The man heard the commotion and wanted to turn around to see what was going on, but Gao Yuntian's iron ruler didn't give him the chance. Just as he was thinking of taking two steps to the left front, he was sent flying.

Both of his accomplices were startled, but Gao Yuntian remained calm. Dong Yuanyuan's arrival was merely a greeting.

Surrounded by three attackers, Gao Yuntian was barely managing to hold on and had little energy left to shout anything. But now that one of them was missing, the remaining two panicked for a moment. Just as one of them thought of stabbing Dong Yuanyuan, who was rolling on the ground, with his sword, the iron ruler mercilessly struck his shoulder. The man paused, let out a wail, and Dong Yuanyuan had already rolled to the side of the man who had been thrown away. She nimbly got up, picked him up, and threw him out again, this time towards the courtyard wall...

At the same time, Gao Yuntian's iron ruler struck the two men evenly, like raindrops.

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the scene before him, but also looked anxiously towards the outside of the courtyard wall and asked, "Is the person Duoduo is chasing more powerful than these three?"

"I don't know. He was climbing over the wall when we came in. I'll go help her after I've dealt with these three."

……

Outside the small temple, the north wind swept across the ground.

Gao Yunduo raised her sword and stood in front of an old Taoist priest. The old priest's hair was loose, and a few strands of his long, gray hair swayed in the wind. His bulky Taoist robe was so dirty that its original color was no longer visible, and his face, red from the cold, was full of anger.

"Get out of my way! I don't kill women."

Gao Yunduo sneered, flicked the sash of her cloak with her left hand, and the scarlet cape fell like a red cloud onto the snow, revealing a tight-fitting outfit.

Don't think that women are easy to bully!

"Why risk your life during the New Year? If you die, what will become of your husband, the man who just grabbed the iron ruler? How will he survive?"

"Are you stalling for time because you think my brother can't beat those three and someone will come to rescue you soon? Do you have ears? Didn't you hear that there are still people outside the temple?"

The old Taoist priest was startled. He had indeed hoped that the people in the temple would be free to save him, but today was New Year's Day, so why were there so many people at the small temple? They had calculated that they would not be seen during the day. He stared at Gao Yunduo, as if trying to see if Gao Yunduo's words were true or false.

Gao Yunduo smiled, shook the sword in her hand, and asked, "Are you incompetent, or... inconvenient to fight?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Gao Yunduo lightly touched the snow with her toes, her figure swirling like a swallow, her long sword drawing a cold light in the air.

The old Taoist priest retreated repeatedly. Just as Gao Yunduo was about to reach him, the old Taoist priest suddenly raised one hand, and a hidden arrow flew straight towards Gao Yunduo's face with a low whistling sound. Gao Yunduo forcibly twisted her body, and the hidden arrow flew past her cheek.

The old Taoist priest thought this was the perfect opportunity to escape. Without even checking the opponent's condition after landing, he fired the arrow and ran away. But for Gao Yunduo, this little incident was just a matter of falling and getting up.

The old Taoist priest hadn't run two steps when he felt a chill behind him. He had no choice but to draw his long sword, turn around, and deflect Gao Yunduo's sword to continue running down the mountain. But in that turn, his sword and Gao Yunduo's sword clashed. He managed to deflect Gao Yunduo's sword, but Gao Yunduo's sword strike, imbued with internal force, not only made his hand go numb, but also made his whole body tremble.

This was not what he wanted to experience. Knowing that the girl would come again after this, the old Taoist could only subconsciously run down the mountain.

The snow reflected the midday sun, which was a bit dazzling. The old Taoist squinted and saw a figure leap in front of him out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked, and who was it but the pretty girl?

"You can't run away."

It was a male voice, and it came from behind him. The old Taoist priest subconsciously turned his head and saw that it was the same tall and strong man from before.

In the blink of an eye, Gao Yunduo's sword pierced the old Taoist's left shoulder.

The old Taoist priest was ruthless enough; he twisted to the side, enduring the pain to break free from the sword tip, and at the same time raised his knife to block Gao Yunduo's next sword strike. Just then, Gao Yuntian's iron ruler arrived...

"You said you had a chance to send him away directly, so why did you only stab him in the shoulder?" Gao Yuntian asked, panting heavily.

"Do you see if there's any spot on his body I can stab?"

Just now, Gao Yuntian leaped from behind the old Taoist and struck him with an iron ruler. Since there were survivors in the courtyard, Gao Yuntian showed no mercy. The iron ruler struck the old Taoist squarely on the back of the head, and the old Taoist had no chance of survival. At this moment, the blood on the ground was slowly staining the snow.

Gao Yuntian poked the old Taoist's body with an iron ruler; his chest, stomach, and even his thighs were rock hard.

At this moment, Jia Chuan ran over. He couldn't climb over the courtyard wall like Gao Yuntian, so he could only ask Dong Yuanyuan to watch over the three seriously injured survivors while he went around to the temple gate.

“He has something on him,” Gao Yuntian said, turning his head.

Jia Chuan picked up Gao Yunduo's cloak from the snow and handed it to her, saying, "Put it on!" Then he looked at Gao Yuntian and said, "Why don't you take a look at this?"

Gao Yunduo took the cloak and put it on. Gao Yuntian had just squatted down when he roared, "Gold! A clod of dirt?"

The old Taoist priest had several bags of varying lengths and sizes tied to his body with ropes. The bags contained bars of gold, while some of the bags contained clods of earth.

Jia Chuan squinted at it and said, "Take everything, including the ones filled with clods of earth. Come with me to the cellar."

……

The wooden planks at the cellar entrance were left aside at this point.

The village chief and his colleagues had indeed opened the cellar before, but they only peered inside from the entrance and stopped when they didn't see anyone. They didn't even notice whether the size of the cellar was the same as what they had seen before.

At this moment, Jia Chuan was squatting in the cellar. Judging from the firewood that Gao Yuntian had lit, he could tell that the cellar had been widened around. One side was recessed, and inside was a half-open wooden box, which was supported by wooden blocks. Inside the box was a box full of gold.

Opposite the concave side, there was a small mound of earth, probably waste soil that hadn't been taken away in time. Next to it was an earthenware pot containing water, covered with a thin layer of ice. Also piled up there were several bags of gold that Gao Yuntian and Gao Yunduo had brought back from the man outside the temple.

Jia Chuan imagined that to prevent the soil from leaking out, these people would first make clods of soil and put them into bags. How would they deal with the mud on their shoes? Would they wear shoe covers? And then take them off after sitting at the entrance?

Is it that detailed?
(End of this chapter)