She went from house to house and distributed the banknotes in her suitcase to the businessmen who had worked hard and ran the dry market with her.
Every time she gave out a portion, she felt more relieved and calm.
"Mrs. Liu, what are you..."
The businessmen who received the banknotes all looked surprised and grateful. They didn't understand why Mrs. Liu did this.
"This is the compensation I should give you."
Mrs. Liu said lightly.
"The drought market is going to change. If you take this money and want to leave, just leave..."
When the businessmen heard this, they all showed expressions of shock and reluctance.
They knew that what Mrs. Liu said was true, and that the drought market was really about to change.
But how many people are willing to leave this place that once made them feel warm and secure?
"Mrs. Liu, we are not leaving!"
a businessman said excitedly.
Others also echoed and said:
"Yes, Mrs. Liu, we are not afraid of changes, we are only afraid of you leaving!"
Mrs. Liu looked at the firm eyes of these businessmen, and a warmth surged in her heart.
"I accept your wishes."
Mrs. Liu said gratefully.
"But I can't let you take risks with me. You can take the money and leave, and you can come back when the storm is over."
The businessmen wanted to say something else, but were stopped by Mrs. Liu's firm eyes.
Mrs. Liu's decision would not change, and they had no choice but to accept this arrangement.
After dividing the banknotes, Mrs. Liu was about to leave this place of right and wrong.
Boss Hu's men have been waiting at the entrance of the alley for a long time.
Mrs. Liu's heart sank. She knew very well what Boss Hu was like and knew that he would not let her go easily.
"Mrs. Liu, don't toast and you'll be fined if you don't eat!"
One of his men said viciously.
"Boss Hu said, if you don't know how to show appreciation, don't blame us for being rude!"
When Mrs. Liu heard this, a cold light flashed in her eyes.
She knew that things couldn't go well today... so she stopped talking and took action directly!
Her figure was like lightning, and she was in front of the subordinate in an instant.
Then he slapped his chest with a palm!
Just listen to a muffled sound of "Bang!"
The subordinate was slapped by Mrs. Liu and flew backwards. He hit the wall hard and spat out a mouthful of blood!
When the other men saw this, they did not flinch. Instead, they drew their weapons and surrounded Mrs. Liu.
Madam Liu showed no fear and stepped forward to meet the enemy!
She has a strong body, and her fists and feet are like the wind. Every time she strikes, one of her men will be knocked backwards!
But these subordinates seem to be endless, and they are still coming in a steady stream...
This is not the way to go...
No one can bear such a huge consumption.
But these men had seen through her intentions and surrounded her tightly, not giving any chance.
Mrs. Liu was extremely anxious... If she couldn't break out of the encirclement as soon as possible, the consequences would be disastrous!
At this moment, a cold black light suddenly fell from the sky, killing several of his men in an instant!
Mrs. Liu was overjoyed when she saw this!
This is Zhao Rang coming!
Although Boss Hu’s men are powerful, they should not be Zhao Rang’s opponents!
Soon, Zhao Rang fought a bloody path and came to Mrs. Liu's side.
"Mrs. Liu, after you got the money, why don't you leave quickly?! Now is not the time to reminisce about the past!"
Zhao Rang grabbed Mrs. Liu's wrist and prepared to lead her out!
As soon as he jumped out of the alley, he ran into Boss Hu.
Boss Hu said coldly:
"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"
After that, he slapped Zhao Rang with one palm!
Zhao Rang didn't expect that Boss Hu would take action himself!
He dodged Boss Hu's fist in a flash.
Then he made a fist with the handle of the knife and punched him in the chest!
"boom!"
There was a loud bang.
Boss Hu only dusted off his energetic clothes, with a look of surprise on his face.
He didn't expect Zhao Rang to be able to dodge his attack and quickly counterattack!
Seeing that the opponent's offensive was blocked, Zhao Rang took the opportunity to pull Mrs. Liu and rushed out in one go!
Boss Hu's men all looked horrified.
They didn't expect Zhao Rang to be so powerful that even the boss suffered a small loss.
Zhao Rang pulled Mrs. Liu through the alley. If he wanted to get rid of those men, he could only run forward without stopping.
They must leave as soon as possible and rush to the city gate to leave this place!
When I arrived at the city gate, I found that the city gate had been closed for a quarter of an hour...
"We can't get out!"
Mrs. Liu said anxiously.
Zhao Rang's heart sank when he heard this. He knew that Boss Hu did this deliberately.
But he did not show any panic, but said calmly:
"It doesn't matter, there is more than just this door in Zhenhai City!"
After saying that, he took Mrs. Liu to a remote corner.
"Hide here and don't come out!"
Zhao Rang whispered, asking her to commit herself and hide in the corner.
Looking up, I saw that this place happened to be under the wall of the City Lord's Mansion.
Zhao Rang stretched out his arms, bent his legs, and used the ladder-like movement to reach the courtyard wall in an instant, and then jumped down!
It landed lightly and made almost no sound.
Then he took out the token of the City Lord's Mansion from his arms, stood up straight, and walked out of the bushes at the base of the wall with long strides, and also stopped a pair of patrolling soldiers.
"Don't you even know there's such a big thing going on outside?"
Zhao Rang deliberately pretended to be angry and asked.
The pair of soldiers looked at each other. They didn't know who Zhao Rang was, but they recognized the token in Zhao Rang's hand.
There are only two pieces of this token in the city lord's palace, and one is with the city lord, working day and night.
The other piece...the holder of the other piece has become a taboo in the City Lord's Mansion, and no one dares to mention that person or name openly.
But when they saw this token, and what Zhao Rang said before, the soldiers patrolling the team also knew that there must be some trouble outside.
So they immediately mobilized more soldiers, opened the gate of the city lord's palace, and conducted a thorough inspection of the main street and all the alleys in front of the gate.
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Rang hurriedly came to where Madam Liu was hiding just now, took her out, and the two of them quietly entered the city lord's mansion!
In the city lord's palace, Zhao Rang and Madam Liu were temporarily safe.
They found a secluded room to hide, and then began to discuss their next plan.
"Mr. Zhao, thank you!"
Mrs. Liu said gratefully.
"If it's just me, it's gone. But what's left in the box is my son's lifelong protection!"
"Ma'am, you are serious!"
Zhao Rang said.
While the two were talking, suddenly there was a noise outside.
Zhao Rang's heart tightened, knowing that someone from Boss Hu was here! He quickly pulled Mrs. Liu and hid under the bed.
The two of them held their breath, not daring to make any sound.
Sure enough, after a while there were knocks and shouts outside.
"Open the door quickly! We know you are inside!"
"If you don't open the door, we'll break in!"
At this moment, a very majestic voice suddenly came:
"What are you arguing about? This is the city lord's palace! Do you want to rebel?"
Boss Hu's subordinates were startled when they heard this and quickly explained:
"Don't dare! We are just looking for someone!"
"Find someone?"
The commanding voice continued.
"Who else can I find in the city lord's mansion?"
"this……"
Boss Hu’s men hesitated and said:
"We are just following orders."
"On orders? On whose orders?"
The majestic voice asked again.
"Yes...it's Boss Hu's life..."
One of his men whispered.
"Boss Hu?"
"Who is he? He dares to act wild in the City Lord's Mansion? Tell him that if something really happens, he can come to the concierge and hand over the name card honestly. The City Lord will see him when he is free!"
After saying that, the majestic voice fell silent.
Boss Hu's men all looked horrified when they heard this... This time they really kicked the iron plate!
He quickly left the city lord's mansion in despair.
Zhao Rang and Mrs. Liu who were under the bed were relieved when they heard all this... quickly crawled out from under the bed, and then looked at each other and smiled.
"Do you know who spoke just now and scared Boss Hu's people away?"
Zhao Rang shook his head.
From the moment he arrived in Zhenhai City, he knew that he would have a relationship with the local city lord's mansion.
But he didn't expect it to be in this way...
Although the two of them had no way out at the time and were forced by the current situation, they finally entered the city lord's mansion.
If we talk about right or wrong, they are both wrong.
"This token is still very useful!"
Zhao Rang joked.
Mrs. Liu did not answer the question.
The place where the two of them were hiding just now was too cramped... and their shoulders and waist were extremely awkward. After finally standing up, before relaxing, I saw a figure walking slowly outside the house.
"Mrs. Red Begonia Liu and Mr. Zhao of the Zhao family, both of them are well-known figures. How come they have learned the skills of such a gentleman?"
Not only did this person know the identities of Madam Liu and Zhao Rang, but he was also very dissatisfied with them for climbing over the wall and entering the house quietly without telling anyone.
Zhao Rang was just about to step forward to reason, but was held down by Mrs. Liu.
The person who opened the door and walked in was a middle-aged man in brocade clothes. He had a calm face and sharp eyes. He was obviously an important figure in the city lord's palace.
Mrs. Liu took the lead, opened the door, turned sideways, and gestured for the middle-aged man to come in with her right hand.
The middle-aged man nodded slightly, responding to Mrs. Liu's invitation, then turned his eyes to Zhao Rang, looked up and down, and said:
"Master Zhao, long time no see."
Zhao Rang was stunned. He didn't know this middle-aged man, but judging by his tone, he seemed to know something about him.
"May I ask your Excellency?"
Zhao Rang asked.
"I am the nursing director of the City Lord's Mansion, and I used to work in the Investigation Department. I have heard about your work in the Western Regions, and I admire you very much! Mr. Zhao just calls me Brother Xu, and there is no need for all the red tape!"
The middle-aged man said.
"Commander Xu, nice to meet you!"
Zhao Rang said with cupped fists.
"I wonder what Commander Xu wants from us?"
"I'm not looking for you, but the City Lord is looking for you."
"The City Lord knows that you broke into the City Lord's Mansion without permission, but he is not angry. Instead, he wants to chat with you. He is valeting for guests now. Let me invite you over first."
"Valet?"
Zhao Rang and Madam Liu were both stunned.
"The Lord of the City has invited Mr. Zhenhai Academy to the dinner tonight. The banquet is not over yet."
Commander Xu explained.
"I see."
Zhao Rang nodded and said.
"So please two of you come with me."
After that, he turned around and walked out.
Zhao Rang and Mrs. Liu looked at each other and followed.
They followed Commander Xu through the corridors and came to a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard is filled with various flowers and plants, making it look full of vitality.
"Please wait a moment, I'll go make an announcement."
Commander Xu said.
After a while, he came out and said to Zhao Rang and Mrs. Liu:
"Lord City Lord, please invite Mr. Zhao in. Madam Liu, please wait outside."
Zhao Rang was stunned. He didn't expect that the city lord would only invite him in alone...
He glanced at Madam Liu and saw Madam Liu nodded slightly to him, indicating that he didn't need to worry.
Zhao Rang took a deep breath and walked into the room.
The dim light and afterglow shine through the exquisite lattice windows and mottled on the bluestone floor, adding a bit of warmth to this quiet space.
The four walls of the study room are lined with towering bookshelves, with various classics densely arranged on them.
From the collection of classics and history to poems and songs, all reveal the owner's profound knowledge and elegant taste.
A large mahogany desk is placed in the center of the study.
The desk study room is equipped with four treasures:
There is an inkstone on one end, and there are several pieces of deep Huizhou ink piled beside it. The fragrance of the ink mixed with the old fragrance of the pages slowly fills the air.
Several Hu pens, with full brush strokes, lie quietly on the pen holder, waiting for the owner's sway.
A stack of rice paper, as white as snow, was gently pressed under the paperweight, and the corners of the paper were slightly curled.
The most eye-catching thing is an unfinished portrait in the corner of the desk.
On the canvas, a graceful outline has begun to take shape, but the face and clothing lines have yet to be delicately outlined.
The paintbrushes lay aside and the colors in the paint box were bright and rich.
The entire study is filled with an atmosphere of tranquility and harmony, as if time has become slow and long here.
The figure of the owner occasionally shuttles between the pages of the book, or pauses and meditates in front of the portrait. Everything seems so natural and harmonious, as if this is the most ideal retreat for ancient scribes.
"Master Zhao is here! Please take a seat!"
The middle-aged scribe pointed to the chair opposite and said.
Zhao Rang clasped his fists in a salute and sat down.
He felt a little uneasy and didn't know what the city lord wanted to do with him.
"Master Zhao, don't be nervous, I don't mean any harm."
The middle-aged scribe seemed to notice Zhao Rang's nervousness and said with a smile,
"I came to you just to have a chat with you."
"Let's talk?"
Zhao Rang was stunned.
"Yeah let's talk."
The middle-aged scribe nodded and said.
"I am very interested in Mr. Zhao. I want to know why Mr. Zhao came to Zhenhai City, why he was with Mrs. Liu, and why he was chased by Boss Hu.
Zhao Rang knew that the city lord must have investigated the backgrounds of himself and others.
After pondering for a while, he briefly explained his purpose of coming to Zhenhai City and how he met and helped Mrs. Liu.
The middle-aged scribe listened with great interest and nodded in agreement from time to time.
After Zhao Rang finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and then said:
"Master Zhao is indeed a kind and righteous man. No wonder they trust you so much."
Zhao Rang said modestly:
"Your Majesty, City Lord, I'm sorry. I just did what I should do."
"Master Zhao is too humble."
The middle-aged scribe smiled and said,
"I think Mr. Zhao has extraordinary magnanimity. He will definitely stand out in the future. I will have to rely on you more in the future!"
"Your Majesty, City Lord, you are exaggerating! I came to Zhenhai City to find someone and solve a problem. I have no other plans for the time being."
"Oh? Looking for someone?"
The middle-aged scribe raised his eyebrows and asked:
"I wonder who Mr. Zhao is looking for?"
"It's a friend of mine."
Zhao Rang said.
"I don't know what the name of Mr. Zhao's friend is or where he is from, so I can help Mr. Zhao pay more attention!"
