Chapter 56

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Chapter 56: Bad News

     

Zhang Xiaolong quickly and carefully tucked the life-saving token into his chest. Before Zhang Xiaolong could speak, Lu Yueming instructed: “You four should ride your original horse and leave quickly. Don’t touch the belongings of these bandits, leave the corpses and horses where they are. I’ve heard that West Cui Mountain had three leaders, and it seems I’ve killed them all. It’s likely that West Cui Mountain will fall apart now, so you don’t need to worry about their revenge. Also, there’s no need to hide the fact that I saved you, but remember not to mention my name or the name of the Piaomiao Sect. Do you understand?”

     

Zhang Xiaolong didn’t fully understand, but he nodded deeply. Then, the four of them rode on one horse and rode away.

     

Lu Yueming also mounted his horse, ready to leave, but upon seeing the mess by the roadside, he frowned and thought for a moment. He then dismounted and placed the seven corpses on the remaining seven horses, released the reins, and let the horses run off on their own. Only then did he remount his horse and gallop away, restoring silence to the road once more.

     

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the people hiding nearby cautiously sneaked over. Seeing that the bandits were gone from the roadside, they began to collect the bridal sedan chair and other belongings. They assumed that the bride, groom, and their party had been killed. While feeling sorry for them, they also felt fortunate for their own safety. Slowly, they made their way back to Guo Village.

     

Meanwhile, at the Zhang family’s small courtyard in Guo Village, ever since Zhang Xiaolong led the wedding procession out the door, the household had been bustling non-stop. They were not only welcoming close neighbors from the village and seeing to their seating but also preparing all the necessary items for the wedding ceremony as per village customs. Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei were running in and out constantly, their feet barely touching the ground. They muttered continuously, glancing here and there, afraid of missing anything.

     

By the time the sun was high in the sky, the couple finally allowed themselves a small sigh of relief and sat down, feeling somewhat exhausted. In this poor household, arranging a wedding was so tiring, how much worse must it be for wealthy families? They seemed to forget that those families had servants to handle everything, so how could they do it themselves?

     

Everything at home was well-prepared, and they had entrusted familiar villagers with the necessary ceremonies, confident that nothing would go wrong. Seeing that it was still early, the two went to the head cook to get some food, quickly eating to fill their stomachs.

     

After a brief rest, sensing that the wedding procession was approaching, Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei hurried to the Grandmother’s small room. Grandmother had also risen early. Guo Sufei had prepared a brand new outfit for her mother a few days prior, and today she was finally wearing it. When Grandmother heard someone come in, she asked: “Is that you, Sufei? Xiaolong and the others have returned, haven’t they?”

     

Guo Sufei smiled and said: “Mother, not yet, but they should be arriving soon. Why don’t you come with us to the main hall and wait?”

     

Grandmother was also very happy and agreed eagerly.

     

The husband and wife carefully supported Grandmother into the main hall, where they helped her sit on a chair. Grandmother’s health was now very frail, usually confined to her bed. However, on Zhang Xiaolong’s wedding day, she mustered all her strength. She eagerly awaited the moment when her grandson and his bride would come to pay their respects. This was the fulfillment of a lifelong wish for her.

     

However, despite waiting for a long time, they did not hear the sound of firecrackers and musical instruments from the village entrance. As the auspicious hour approached, rural weddings were conducted with meticulous timing. Missing the appointed hour meant that the couple’s future life together might not be smooth and harmonious, which was considered inauspicious. Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei couldn’t help but feel anxious, and even Grandmother seemed unable to hold on any longer.

     

Just as everyone was speculating anxiously, suddenly, someone shouted: “Look, that’s Liu Er who plays the suona! Why is he running back?”

     

Sure enough, beyond the low walls of the Zhang family courtyard, from a distance, they could see a person stumbling towards them. It was indeed someone from the wedding procession!

     

Zhang Cai’s heart tightened involuntarily, thinking that something was wrong. He immediately rushed out of the main hall. Before he even reached the courtyard, he heard Liu Er’s hoarse shout: “It’s bad! Xiaolong and his wife have encountered bandits from West Cui Mountain!”

     

Upon hearing this news, it was as if a spoonful of water had dropped into a hot pan, the Zhang family courtyard immediately erupted into chaos. Some of the more timid individuals immediately slapped their buttocks and fled as if the bandits were right before their eyes. Most people started talking to each other, some showing clear schadenfreude on their faces, others expressing sympathy or regret, unsure whether it was for Zhang Xiaolong or for Liu Qian. The predominant sentiment, however, was sympathy.

     

Zhang Cai hadn’t even reached the courtyard gate when he heard a cry from behind: “Mother~”

     

Zhang Cai’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned back and ran to the main hall. Sure enough, he saw Grandmother’s face pale, lying motionless on the ground, having fainted. Guo Sufei was crying and frantically massaging her grandmother’s chest, trying to help her clear the thick phlegm stuck in her throat. Zhang Cai hurried forward and began tapping his grandmother’s back. After a while, her throat convulsed, and she managed to cough out a mouthful of thick phlegm, followed by a mouthful of blood. Gasping, she uttered: “Xiaolong~” Her breath was now as fragile as a thread.

     

At this moment, Guo Sufei was too preoccupied with her grandmother to think about Zhang Xiaolong. She cried as Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaohu helped lift their grandmother onto the bed in the small house. Finally, the couple had a moment to exchange glances. They were truly at a loss, they couldn’t understand how a joyous occasion could turn into mourning in the blink of an eye.

     

The husband and wife looked at their grandmother, whose face was pale as gold, and their hearts were twisted with pain. Zhang Xiaolong’s life and death were uncertain, and now their mother at home was slipping away. How could they possibly cope with this?

     

Zhang Cai left Guo Sufei to care for Grandmother and he with Zhang Xiaohu entered the main hall. Some of the people from the courtyard had already left, while many had gathered inside, listening intently to Liu Er’s account. When Zhang Cai entered, Liu Er started his story from the beginning again. Liu Er was eloquent, vividly describing everything from Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohua, from their archery skills to their problem-solving abilities. He even recited the “poem” Zhang Xiaolong had composed without missing a word. The listeners praised Zhang Cai for having two outstanding sons while expressing deep regret. They feared that these two promising young individuals were now in grave danger.

     

Zhang Cai felt even more distressed upon hearing this. He urgently wanted to know the details of the encounter with the bandits, but Liu Er’s narration was so detailed that he wished he could silence him and extract the crucial information he needed.

     

Liu Er paused after saying: “Four fierce bandits wielding weapons chased us away.” Everyone was stunned and asked: “And then?”

     

Innocently, Liu Er replied: “That’s all. I don’t know where they went after that. But I was worried about Old Brother Zhang, so I hurried over to report the news.”

     

Zhang Cai seized upon this information eagerly, asking: “So, you didn’t see how the bandits dealt with Xiaolong and the others?”

     

Liu Er shook his head: “No, the bandits just drove us away. Xiaolong, Xiaohua, and the two girls in the sedan chair were left behind.”

     

Zhang Cai, clinging to a glimmer of hope, said: “Maybe Xiaolong and the others haven’t died yet.”

     

Everyone nodded in agreement, as though they all shared the same thoughts as Zhang Cai. The bandits had singled them out, and the chances of survival were slim. Even if Zhang Xiaolong and the others survived, the delicate bride and bridesmaid had likely fallen into the hands of the bandits. Regardless, today’s wedding at the Zhang household was undoubtedly ruined. It was a pity that despite the Zhang family’s daily acts of kindness and virtue, they still met with such a tragic fate. Truly, fate was playing a cruel joke on them.

     

Zhang Xiaohu couldn’t sit still after hearing all this. He said: “Father, I’m going to see how Big Brother and Third Brother are doing!” With that, he started to head out. Before Zhang Cai could respond, the others quickly held him back, saying: “Xiaohu, you’re the only able-bodied man left in the family. You can’t take any risks. Wait a bit, and we’ll organize the village’s strong men and arm ourselves before going.”

     

The people in the courtyard quickly went out to mobilize the young men of Guo Village. Armed with hoes and other tools, they prepared to head to the site of the incident to find out what had happened.

     

Just as this loose group of villagers was about to leave the village entrance, they saw a horse in the distance, carrying four people, galloping towards them.

     

A sharp-eyed person immediately recognized them and shouted: “It’s Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohua! They’re back, they’re still alive~”

     

The crowd erupted in cheers and rushed forward, with Zhang Xiaohu leading the way.

     

When the crowd reached Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohua, they saw the brothers’ tattered clothes and bloodstains. A few people carefully lifted Zhang Xiaolong off the horse, while Zhang Xiaohu gently carried Zhang Xiaohua down, his heart aching at the sight of the lash marks on his shoulder. Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue remained on the horse, their legs were still soft and unable to walk. Someone led the horse forward slowly, while the faster runners had already rushed back to the Zhang household to deliver the news.

     

Before the crowd could reach the center of the village, Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei, who had received the news, came running. Seeing their sons and daughter-in-law alive and well, they couldn’t hold back their tears, gently touching their sons’ wounds and repeatedly saying: “Good, good.” It wasn’t until they reached the entrance of the Zhang family’s courtyard that Guo Sufei seemed to snap out of a dream and said: “Xiaolong, Qianqian, come quickly and see Grandmother.”

     

At this point, there was no time to worry about whether Liu Qian could walk. They helped her down from the horse and supported her into Grandmother’s small room. Grandmother, who had been somewhat disoriented, brightened up upon hearing that her grandson had returned alive. Her face flushed slightly, and her dull eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of her beloved grandson and granddaughter-in-law. She murmured: “The wedding ceremony, the wedding ceremony.”

     

Hearing her mother’s words, Guo Sufei remembered that in rural customs, a joyous occasion had to be postponed in the event of a senior family member’s passing. Her mother did not want her own passing to delay Zhang Xiaolong’s wedding.

     

Guo Sufei gritted her teeth and quickly asked Zhang Cai to prepare for the wedding ceremony. Her mother, now revitalized, insisted on being taken to the main hall to receive the bows from her new granddaughter-in-law and grandson.

     

Guo Sufei and Zhang Cai, with no other choice, supported their mother to the main hall.