Compared to the village chief's excitement, Fan Zehao was far from happy.
"Uncle, this is not a good thing!"
The village chief, mid-laugh, heard this and sputtered, "What's wrong!"
"I can't quite say, but this Miss Chu always gives me a feeling of being sinister and cunning. We should be cautious!"
The village chief, clutching the silver notes, thought about what he said. It did make sense, but with the money in hand, as long as they got home safely, nothing else mattered.
That evening, they reached the town and found an inn nearby to stay.
In the dead of night, the village chief secretly handed the silver notes to Fan Zehao: "You're young and strong, take these silver notes. I'm old, and I'm afraid I might be asleep and have them stolen. I trust you with them!"
Whether they said it or not, someone did indeed pay them a visit that night.
But before the intruders could even reach their room, they were dealt with by Twelve outside.
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi looked at the unconscious man in black at their feet. They looked up at Twelve, who explained, "This person came from the Chu residence and tracked us all the way here. I suspect he might be trying to gather information about Master!"
"As expected, another troublesome residence!" Fan Zehao sighed to the heavens and waved to Twelve, "Let him keep following. Without giving him some bait, who knows what tricks the Chu residence is planning!"
Zhao Jiaqi felt the same way: "Let's cast a long line to catch a big fish. Let's see what happens next before making a decision."
Twelve dragged the unconscious man away. Without the bothersome intruder in sight, the couple returned to their room to continue their sweet dreams.
At dawn, after breakfast, the village chief grew anxious. Fan Zehao fed the horses, and they immediately set off at full speed.
By dusk, the carriage had reached the village.
As they got off the carriage, the village chief's heart finally settled. Seeing Granny Li emerge from her house, he shouted, "Sister Li, hurry up and make us something to eat! We've been hungry for half the day!"
Looking at the three of them, two were listless, while Fan Da seemed a bit better.
"You three go inside and rest quickly. I'll make something to eat, it'll be ready soon!"
The room was kept very clean by Granny Li. The kàng and the heated wall were warm. It was clear someone had stoked the fire the night before, otherwise the room would have been freezing!
Drinking some hot water to ward off the cold, Granny Li's meal was soon ready: three large bowls of dough drop soup, served with some pickled vegetables, it was delicious.
They weren't exactly wolfing down their food, but they ate heartily. Granny Li watched them, feeling puzzled. Based on the time, their return was either incredibly fast because everything was sold, or nothing was sold, or something happened on the way, which brought them back.
Otherwise, why would they return so hungry?
As she was lost in thought, several sheets of paper appeared on the table. Looking closely, they were silver notes.
Granny Li recognized them as silver notes. If it were someone else, they might not have been able to identify them, as ordinary households didn't use them!
After finishing a bowl of dough drop soup, the village chief's stomach was filled, his body regained strength, and his spirits improved. Seeing Granny Li holding the silver notes, he began to speak with great animation!
"Sister Li, let me tell you, this trip to the prefecture went quite smoothly..."
As he chattered on, Granny Li's eyes almost bulged out.
"Oh my, I thought one hundred and twenty taels was expensive! And now they've sold for one hundred and fifty taels each! That's an exorbitant price!"
Granny Li's palms began to sweat. She excitedly praised the two children for being so capable and quick-witted!
The village chief didn't deny this at all: "Yes, this time we can earn at least three thousand one hundred taels. Think about it, let alone you women, even the entire village working for a full year couldn't earn a tenth of that!"
Granny Li nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the village chief: "That's true, not a single word of that is wrong!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at their excited faces: "Uncle, these silver notes are too large, and we can't divide them easily. I was thinking, tomorrow you and my husband can go to town to exchange the silver notes for smaller denominations, and then get some silver coins!"
The village chief waved his hand and took charge: "No problem, I'll be there before dawn tomorrow!"
He then got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and said, "You all get some rest early. I need to go home quickly and report that we're safe. Your aunt must be worried sick at home!"
Having bragged enough, it was time for him to leave.
Granny Li, being observant, saw the village chief out and didn't return to their room.
Deep in the night, someone crept into their room. Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi, though lying on the kàng, were both awake.
Hearing the soft rustling sounds, the two under the quilt held hands tightly. After about fifteen minutes, the man in black left.
Shortly after he left, the kerosene lamp in the room was lit. When Twelve entered, he saw the Prince and Princess already sitting up and talking.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, that man headed towards the village!"
Fan Zehao nodded slightly and turned to his wife: "Wife, what do you think!"
"Just now, he was rummaging around. I think he was looking for blueprints, or perhaps seeing if there were any other design drafts. As for him going to the village now..."
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the sky and chuckled, "It's already past midnight. He's probably looking for a place to sleep now, waiting until tomorrow to gather information about us. Let him go!"
This made Fan Zehao a little troubled: "I'm going to town early tomorrow. Why don't you come with me? I really can't rest easy if you're not under my watch!"
What if after Bai Likai left, another scoundrel like him appeared? Even though he was burly, his heart couldn't take it!
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and shook her head: "If I say I'm the one designing the blueprints, how could they easily make a move against me? At least, they won't act until they've gained some benefit!"
Fan Zehao dared not think so. Even a rabbit bites when cornered, and a cornered dog will jump over the wall. No, they should go together, and buy some things on the way back.
What else to buy? She hadn't planned to stay here for the New Year, but if he was worried, it wouldn't hurt to go with him!
"I'll listen to you, we'll go together, and buy some grain on the way back!"
They had pork and vegetables at home, and plenty of chickens and ducks. The only thing they lacked was some coarse grains.
They had only been in bed for a short while when they heard the village chief calling from outside. Fan Zehao went out to see. Good heavens, three aunts had arrived, followed by three uncles, all with smiles on their faces. He guessed the village chief must have found them last night.
The village chief had been so happy he hadn't slept all night. He was still full of energy this morning, and he called out to Fan Zehao: "Aren't you going to wash up quickly? I'll feed the horses first, so we can leave early and come back early. We've been poor for too long, and we want to get the money distributed as soon as possible to buy New Year's goods!"
The village chief spoke the honest truth, without a hint of shyness. His eagerness was as if their house were on fire!