Chapter 36: Eating Pretty Well
Liu Cheng, the eldest of the Liu Family, put down his chopsticks and stood up, calling four sturdy men to take torches and go check.
“Sis, is that Shi Tou back?” Xiao Huan came over and asked Shang Wan in a low voice.
Shang Wan nodded. “Besides him, there are two more people. From the footsteps, they all sound like men.”
Lu Chengjing was surprised in his heart. She could hear the movement at the village entrance from here? Was this woman gifted with super hearing?
The light from the torches gradually moved away, paused for a moment not far from the village entrance, then began moving toward the village, gradually approaching the group’s location.
The men in the village had basically all put down their chopsticks and were vigilantly watching the direction of the torches.
“Everyone, don’t panic. It’s two constables from the yamen and brother Shi Tou.” Liu Cheng had a loud voice, and everyone heard him clearly.
Everyone’s worried hearts eased a bit. Someone asked in confusion, “So late at night, what are the officials doing in our village?”
Someone looked around. “No one in our village has committed a crime, right?”
“Don’t just stand there.” Old Man Luo stood up and called out. “Quickly bring out two stools.”
Luo Da and Luo Er immediately stood up and gave up the bench they were sitting on.
Li Dashan also picked up Li Xiaoshan and gave up the bench.
Li Xiaoshan still had meat in his mouth. His little body twisted in protest, glaring at his brother with eyes wide open, demanding to be put down.
Liu Cheng led the people over. By the light of the surrounding torches, everyone got a clear look at the two officials’ appearances.
Shang Wan took a glance. Oh, there was an acquaintance.
Wasn’t the one on the left the guard by Lord An’s side? Was he called Shen Liu or Shen Qi?
Old Man Luo trembled forward, bowed with clasped hands. “Two officers, what brings you here so late at night?”
After experiencing the earthquake during the day, Shen Qi had thought Elm Tree Village would be like Willow Tree Village, with the village in chaos, many casualties, and everyone terrified.
Who would have thought this group was actually having a meal together? Looking at that table full of plates of meat, they were eating quite well.
Shen Qi said, “On Lord An’s orders to patrol the villages, count the number of casualties, and by the way, send this little brother back.”
The little brother he mentioned was naturally Shi Tou.
The county town had also been affected by the earthquake. To prevent chaos, Lord An ordered the city gates temporarily sealed, gathering everyone in the city in open areas. They would check one by one and release them after the earthquake passed, to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.
Shen Qi had been assigned by Lord An, leading people to check the situations in Willow Tree Village and Elm Tree Village, counting casualties. Halfway, they ran into Shi Tou running breathlessly. Learning he was from Elm Tree Village, they gave him a ride along the way.
Shi Tou saw that all his family members were there, and the heart he had been worrying with all the way finally settled. He quickly ran to his family and asked about the situation at home.
Xiao Huan told him in a low voice.
Shen Qi saw Shang Wan and hadn’t expected Shi Tou to be Shang Wan’s brother. He nodded to her as a greeting.
The villagers all looked at Shang Wan in surprise, thinking that people from the city were different. Lady Shang even knew constables from the yamen.
Old Man Luo observed the expressions of Shen Qi and the other, and with great tact invited the two to sit at the table and eat. Worried they might not want to sit with them, he even had villagers help set up a small table separately.
“We’ll just eat a bit with you.” Shen Qi waved his hand to stop the villagers from busying themselves, pulling his colleague Dan Dajun to sit in the empty spots.
There were still many people in Willow Tree Village not rescued, and quite a few missing. The constables had all stayed to help, only he and the other came to Elm Tree Village first.
On the way here, they had even planned to send a signal to ask Lord An to dispatch more manpower. They hadn’t expected Elm Tree Village’s situation to be several times better than anticipated.
Aunt Zhou quickly brought two sets of clean bowls and chopsticks, filling the bowls with full bowls of rice.
Shen Qi and Dan Dajun were truly hungry. They greeted the villagers and then buried their heads in eating voraciously.
At first, the villagers were reserved and didn’t dare to pick up their chopsticks. Later, seeing Shen Qi and the other’s chopsticks moving like they had eyes, targeting the meat in the dishes, everyone stopped holding back. Those who hadn’t eaten their fill resumed their original rice-eating speed, their chopstick skills masterful.
A large table of dishes, with solid portions in each basin, and in the end, only some dish sauce remained.
If the rice hadn’t run out, even that bit of dish sauce wouldn’t have been left; it would have been mixed with rice and eaten long ago.
Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang served each a bowl of fish soup. Everyone held their fish soup, slurping it up, letting out satisfied sighs.
After eating and drinking their fill, it was time for business.
Shen Qi and Dan Dajun asked about Elm Tree Village’s disaster situation. With the rapport from just now’s rice-grabbing, the villagers were no longer as reserved as at first. Several elders answered clearly and to the point.
Hearing that everyone in Elm Tree Village had been rescued, Shen Qi and the other were truly shocked.
Willow Tree Village and Elm Tree Village weren’t far apart. Judging just by the damage to houses and ground, the two villages should be similar. Why was the casualty situation so different?
“Thanks to Lady Shang.” Old Man Liu sighed. “If not for Lady Shang’s timely help, my little grandson would be gone.”
The Liu Family had only one grandchild, named Liu Yang.
During the earthquake, Liu Yang was feeding pigs in the pigsty when a log fell and knocked him unconscious.
The pigsty collapsed, and the pile of firewood stacked above all came crashing down, burying this side completely.
The Liu family shouted themselves hoarse with no response, thinking Liu Yang had gone to another house.
If not for Shang Wan smelling the blood and digging him out, Liu Yang, a child of only ten, having lost so much blood, might really have died inside.
The villagers had finished their tasks and gathered around, ears perked listening to the officials. As soon as Old Man Liu finished speaking, the villagers eagerly chimed in to praise Shang Wan.
“My dad was also saved by Lady Shang.”
“My daughter has to thank Lady Shang too. Without her, this girl’s leg wouldn’t have been saved.”
“If Lady Shang hadn’t pulled me on her way by, I would have fallen into the crevice that opened up.”
……
The villagers chimed in one after another. Only then did they realize Shang Wan had saved so many people in the village; calling her the village’s great benefactor was no exaggeration.
Shen Qi knew Shang Wan’s abilities and remained steady, but Dan Dajun couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “Where is Lady Shang? Why not invite her over to chat?”
Yuan Yuan had gone to sleep, and Shang Wan was bored teasing her own vase. Hearing the villagers say the officer was looking for her, she simply picked up Lu Chengjing and carried him over.
Lu Chengjing, princess-carried by his wife again: “…”
He’d already lost all face during the day; there was no face left to lose at night, so he stayed calm.
The villagers were also forced to get used to the young couple’s upside-down antics. Knowing Lu Chengjing had a leg injury and couldn’t stand, they even cleared a spot for him.
After generously thanking them, Shang Wan set Lu Chengjing down, casually tucking his black hair behind his ear. Seeing the red ear root, she silently pulled it back, then sat properly at the spot beside him.
A faint grassy woody fragrance wafted into his nose from beside him. Lu Chengjing watched the gentle smile on Shang Wan’s face as she spoke with others, and the embarrassment and anger from being teased in his heart actually dissipated bit by bit, replaced by a trace of peace of mind that he couldn’t quite explain.
As everyone was talking, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the pitch-black night sky, followed closely by muffled thunder exploding beside their ears.
“Boom—”
Torrential rain poured down in an instant.
