Miss and farmhand

It's impossible to rescue Shi Tou using conventional methods. Huang Muyun also made it very clear that Shi Tou believes Shen Jingzong wants to kill him and won't give up until he achieves his goal; it's just a matter of time.

They need to save the stone, and they don't have much time left.

In fact, there weren't many options left for them.

Huang Xingtong was, after all, from a traditional background. No matter how unconventional he was, his methods were still those of a scholar.

"Shen Jingzong is the kind of person who only responds to force, not persuasion. Under his rule, he is the most powerful person, and there is nothing he fears. He only fears his superiors. I can write to some friends I know in the capital and ask them to come... No, no, that's too slow. Shi Tou's condition can't wait that long."

He himself felt powerless, and he would immediately reject any idea he had, and then he started pacing back and forth in the room.

Huang Chu pulled him to sit down and comforted him, saying, "Don't rush, it's not entirely useless. Although Shi Tou can't wait, since Shen Jingzong isn't handling the pirate issue, someone has to come up with a solution. This matter also needs to be reported upwards, along with the situation at the garrison. Writing letters to contact people outside will definitely not be a waste of time."

She still remembered what happened to the Japanese pirates. Although she regretted hurting Shi Tou and felt extremely guilty, she couldn't help but worry about another layer of fear.

In her mind, her hometown had always been a peaceful, tranquil, and prosperous small town. People have their weaknesses; merchants are profit-driven, and officials are lazy. This was because Jiangnan was inherently wealthy, and there were never many things to worry about. In her previous life, she had fallen into such a state, which was a misfortune for her family. Apart from the Japanese pirate raids, the entire region had not experienced any other major upheavals.

But now, she only peeked out a little to observe, and she discovered the strange undercurrents beneath the calm; she had only participated a little, and at first she couldn't even be sure that the Zhou family was colluding with the pirates, but in the end she got this result.

This is only what she, a woman, and Shi Tou, an unknown nobody, could find out. Didn't anyone else discover anything? The facade beneath the truth is so fragile, yet it hasn't been exposed. Who is maintaining this facade?

Huang Chu was extremely uneasy. She began to feel that the Japanese pirate raids of her previous life, which had escalated to the point of besieging the city and cutting off its food supply, must have been more than just a simple bandit uprising; there must be other problems within the city. Therefore, it was crucial to have Huang Xingtong write a letter to spread the news and to find someone capable of correcting the problems. This wasn't just for saving people in the short term, but for saving even more people in the future.

Relieved by her words, Huang Xingtong sighed and said, "Alright, I'll think of something about this. But Shi Tou... I thought about how he might be suffering right now, at this very moment, and I..."

Huang Chu was at a loss. At first, she wondered if she could pay money to redeem the stone, no matter the cost. But after hearing what Huang Muyun said, she knew it was impossible.

She thought for a moment, "...Why don't we go and talk to the Zhou family directly? They're the county magistrate they bribed, and they're the people behind the scenes. If we reach an agreement with them, we can agree to whatever conditions they want and get the stone back first."

Huang Xingtong hesitated. "You investigated their background behind their backs and actually found out everything. You didn't even warn them beforehand, not even give them an ultimatum. Instead, you went straight to the authorities, leaving no room for negotiation. They found out about what you did through Shen Jingzong, but instead of coming to you, they arranged for Shen Jingzong to take action against Shi Tou. The two sides have completely cut off communication; they've already broken off all relations. If we go to them now, will they cooperate?"

From Huang Xingtong's perspective, after all these events, there was no way for the two sides to reconcile, let alone privately plead for peace and rescue them. This would essentially be asking the Zhou family to be lenient and let them go, and it was almost certain that the Zhou family would not agree. Therefore, Huang Xingtong was even less likely to lower himself to the Zhou family for an impossible outcome. He hadn't considered it at all.

Huang Chu's thinking was more flexible. She felt that if she were to step forward, as a woman, she could be very agile and wouldn't feel ashamed of anything. She was also mentally prepared that the Zhou family wouldn't treat her well, but what harm could it do to ask?

She then went to write letters with Huang Xingtong. Huang Xingtong's letters to his friends were more formal, and Huang Chu wrote a short message to Zhou Shitai, which he sent out immediately before the ink was even dry.

While waiting for a reply, Huang Chu couldn't think of any other way. Huang Xingtong was still writing a letter at her desk. She paced around the room, while Huang Muyun sat on an eight-immortal chair at the lower end, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

He was truly helpless; he didn't know anyone and couldn't offer any assistance.

As Huang Chu walked past him, she wanted to say a few words of comfort, but she was also worried and couldn't say anything. She could only remain silent and walk past him.

...I couldn't leave.

Huang Chu felt a very light force gently pulling on her sleeve. Turning around, she saw that the sleeve was being held in Huang Muyun's hand. He didn't look up or raise his hand; the sleeve just hung down in front of him, and he casually extended a finger to hook it, caressing the fabric.

Huang Chu sighed, turned around, and pulled her sleeve out of his hand. Huang Muyun didn't seem surprised; he simply let go and allowed her to take the fabric without lingering. Huang Chu then took a step closer to him, placed her hand in his, and grasped his fingers.

Huang Muyun paused for a moment.

Huang Chu whispered, "Shi Tou will be fine. Let's think of something together. Shi Tou is smarter than us, he'll definitely be alright."

She looked at the top of Huang Muyun's head, an angle she rarely saw him from, and it made him appear very hunched and fragile.

Huang Muyun didn't speak or look up, but slowly turned his hand over and took Huang Chu's hand in his. His hand was so much bigger than hers, with a thick back and a hot palm. Huang Chu's hand felt like a fledgling bird in his palm.

However, in terms of posture, Huang Muyun carefully held her hand and gently stroked the back of her soft hand, as if he were relying on her strength.

Huang Chu felt a little ticklish from his touch, and with a flick of his arm, his sleeve drooped down, covering the two of them, one black and one white, one thick and one thin.

Huang Muyun didn't let go of her, and Huang Chu didn't urge him. The only sound in the room was Huang Xingtong writing furiously at his desk. Right under his nose, they secretly shared their reliance on each other.

After a while, someone came to deliver Zhou Shitai's reply, and Huang Chu and Huang Muyun naturally separated. Huang Chu rolled up his sleeves and went to the door to listen to the message. His sleeve brushed against the back of Huang Muyun's hand, quickly passing by, but the feeling lingered for a long time.

The young man outside said that Manager Zhou said he couldn't help, but if the young lady was willing to show sincerity and talk to him in person, there might still be room for negotiation.