Who Says Men Don't Cry?

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Isn't this our mountain stronghold? How did our stronghold become like this?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, when suddenly the bandit leader cried out, "My stronghold... my house... Oh no, my silver... Waaah! It's all gone!"

Who says men don't cry?

But the moment of grief hadn't arrived yet. This bandit leader, who was obsessed with money, was now watching his entire stronghold crumble. How could he possibly remain calm?

He was like a cat on a hot tin roof all day, and went straight to Jiang Wu Wudao:

"Lord Jiang, last night, my entire stronghold was wiped out. I really want to ask you, is it because I offended you?"

So you had someone move my bandit camp away?"

Jiang Wu looked at him, blinked, and said:

"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm on your side, and I'll need your help a lot in the future! How could I possibly move your stronghold?"

Besides, your stronghold is located on a mountain; how exactly was it moved away?

The leader began to sob softly:

"How would I know? We drank too much last night and we all passed out."

When they woke up in the morning, the entire mountain stronghold was gone.

Jiang Wu frowned and said:

"This whole thing... it feels so familiar. Isn't it just like the theft at the county government office?"

Who exactly is watching us? I have a bad feeling about this; there's some mysterious force at play.

Even the head of the gang was completely baffled:

"I always felt something was strange about this. You might say it's normal for ordinary bandits to carry food and silver."

But these people just moved all their homes away overnight. How did they manage that?

Jiang Wu thought calmly for a moment and said, "I need to have a proper talk with the county magistrate about this, and we also need to keep our money safe."

After saying that, Jiang Wu left.

The three leaders were left behind, heartbroken and speechless.

Cheng Xiao was beaming with joy; it felt so good to be rich.

He had just finished dressing when he heard that Jiang Wu was coming, so he went straight out. Jiang Wu was now his right-hand man.

When Jiang Wu told Cheng Xiao about it, she was completely stunned:

"You mean those thieves moved the entire mountain stronghold? That's a bandit's den!"

There must be thousands of people in that bandit den, right? How did they manage to do that?

Jiang Wu shook his head and said:

"Nobody knows where these people come from, but there must be at least several thousand of them."

I'm wondering if they might be from another country.

Cheng Xiao's heart pounded. "Then... what should we do?"

Jiang Wu shook his head and said:

There's really no good solution. All we can do now is avoid offending others easily, so they won't bother us.

I heard that these thieves have recently set their sights on the Xie Family. If they get lured away by the Xie Family, our lives will be a little easier from now on.

Cheng Xiao angrily said:

"These people are like knives hanging over my head; how can I live well with them around?"

"Can't we find a way to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

Jiang Wu sighed and said:

"If we knew who these people came from, would we be so worried?"

Isn't that because these people come and go without a trace?

Moreover, these people are probably more terrifying than the army; we'd better not provoke them easily.

Cheng Xiao nodded and said:

"Yes, yes, we really can't afford to mess with them. They might be some powerful figure. If we can't afford to offend them, can't we at least avoid them?"

I plan to convert all that silver into grain and hide it in various places.

Jiang Wu nodded and said:

"I think we can continue doing this."

But this time, let's not choose here; let's choose a wealthy household in another county.

Cheng Xiao nodded and said:

"It's not a good idea to do this kind of thing in your own county. If the higher-ups ask about it later, it will be difficult to handle."

So, who should we choose this time?

Jiang Wu laughed and said, "Then we'll have to ask the fortune teller."

The fortune teller was quickly invited over. Old Madam Zhou was very happy recently because she received a box of silver yesterday, which contained a total of thirty silver Yuanbao and twenty silver cakes.

She was so happy she couldn't sleep all night. The next morning, she took out the silver Yuanbao and silver cakes and exchanged them for grain.

Old Madam Zhou is very clever; now she is the person in charge of Zhou Family Village, and everyone in the village listens to her.

Moreover, she has now established a connection with the county magistrate, making her a powerful figure in the village.

Old Madam Zhou was in the limelight for a moment, and she looked at the village chief and said:

"Tell them to find a way to buy more grain. Make sure they don't try anything sneaky; I can predict the future."

If they don't do as I say, or if they try to steal my money, I will expel them from the village.

"There are so many people out there who can't get enough to eat, unlike our village, which has stockpiled so much grain."

The village chief quickly nodded and said, "I know, I know, we absolutely won't take your money. Our village is counting on you to make a fortune!"

Old Madam Zhou nodded and said:

"Once our village makes money, we can build big houses and then repair the ancestral hall."

You can buy a house in the city then and enjoy your retirement. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

The village chief's eyes gleamed:

"That's right! Now all three of your sons are working in the county government, which is something not everyone can achieve."

That fourth brother was just unlucky; who knows where he's hiding now!

Old Madam Zhou snorted coldly and said:

"A child who isn't your own is no good; they're an ungrateful wretch who can't be raised."

They always think they're so great. Look at them, what have they become after they went abroad?

"If I were at home, life would be tough, but at least I wouldn't starve! Now I'm a wanted criminal, tsk tsk tsk..."

The village chief quickly chimed in, "That's right! This fourth son is just being immature; he'll probably regret it later."

Old Madam Zhou nodded and said:

"Look at you, not only are you unlucky, but you've also brought bad luck to Liu Family Village."

Thinking about this makes me laugh; they'd probably still be hiding in the mountains eating dirt!

Zhou Wanwan had no idea what she was saying; if she had, she would have laughed until her stomach hurt.

Liu Su'e smiled and said:

"Eight-treasure duck, stir-fried shrimp with broccoli, and steamed sea bass—these were all made by the Zheng Family's daughter."

These Zheng Family girls are indeed very efficient.

Eldest Miss Zheng walked straight out of the house and said, "I also made tofu soup. I don't know if you'll like it."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said, "It's quite delicious."

Zhou Wanwan looked at her and said:

"Today I'll take you to your fiancé's house so you can see what they're really like."

If they are willing to accept you, then let them marry you according to the proper rites and betrothal customs.

"If they don't want to, then you'll go back up the mountain?"

Eldest Miss Zheng smiled faintly and said:

"I don't think they would agree. You know my parents are both dead, and there's still a period of mourning in my family."

If they really want to marry us, they'll have to wait another three years. Besides, the news that we were taken away by bandits has spread throughout the entire Qingshui County.

They won't want us anymore.