Clara received a sack of golden, top-grade millet—10kg in total. At market value, that was worth nearly half a tael of silver.
Lester Liew and his four children's eyes lit up at once. Clara handed over the grain, and Lester eagerly took it with both hands, grinning as he flattered her, "Darling, what would this family ever do without someone as kind and beautiful as you?"
Clara didn't even bother to roll her eyes at him. She just gestured for the four children to follow her and continued walking.
Brandon and Logan Liew each carried a sack of rice, 10kg apiece—altogether 20kg. Even after dehusking, there would be plenty left. Their haul made others green with envy.
The brothers jogged to catch up, but with sacks on their backs, they couldn't move fast. They could only shout, "Sister-in-law, wait up!"
Since their homes were in the same direction, they naturally walked together.
Clara paused. Lester did too. He'd heard that both his elder brother Brandon and youngest brother Logan had helped fight off the bandits with weapons today. He raised his brows and eyed them curiously before teasing, "Well, well, Big Brother, didn't expect to see your heroic side. I always thought Second Brother was the hot-blooded one—never thought he'd turn coward today."
Brandon knew his brother's nature and didn't take offense.
Logan, however, wasn't about to let it slide. He snorted, "If it weren't for my third sister-in-law, you, Lester, would've pissed your pants in fear! And you dare mock my Second Brother? Shameless!"
"What do you mean 'your Second Brother'? Isn't he my Second Brother too? We're all one family," Lester replied smoothly, flashing Clara a smile as if to say he wouldn't stoop to argue with kids.
As he spoke, he edged closer to Logan and gave the sack on his shoulder a tap. Discovering it was rice, he grew even more smug.
He patted the sack on his own shoulder. "Millet. Golden, polished, ready to cook."
Logan couldn't handle the taunting. Fuming, he turned to Brandon and shouted, "Big Brother, aren't you going to do something about this guy?!"
"Enough!" Brandon was annoyed too. "All of you, shut it!"
Only then did Lester pick up the pace and put some distance between himself and Logan.
Clara asked, "Did you manage to get back all the grain that was stolen?"
Brandon nodded. "Everything was recovered—except for one of the hens. We don't know if the bandits took it or someone picked it up and ate it."
"Mother said the remaining three hens are so scared they might not lay any eggs."
"Oh, right. Father and Mother said to tell you: come to our place for breakfast tomorrow. Mother's planning to cook one of the hens."
They were joking that scaring the other two with the death of one might make them lay out of fear.
Clara agreed.
When they reached the old ancestral house, Clara's family didn't enter. They continued on home.
The red lantern, which was meant to hang cheerfully from the eaves, was instead clutched in Clara's hand to light the way. From afar, its lonely glow in the pitch black looked a little eerie.
The four children walked hand-in-hand between their parents. Together, the family of six stepped through the slushy snow in front of their gate and finally returned home.
Lester set the sack of millet beside the kitchen storage, then instinctively got to work. He lit a fire and boiled a big pot of hot water.
The family huddled around the stove, sipping the warm water. Once they were thawed through, they each returned to their rooms to rest.
It had been a long, draining day. Everyone collapsed into sleep the moment their heads hit the pillow.
Before dawn, a battalion of uniformed constables on tall horses entered the valley, torches in hand. The winding trail lit up like a fiery dragon.
Clara woke briefly at the sound of hooves. When she heard movement from the ancestral hall, she figured the constables had arrived and went back to sleep.
By the time she woke up, the officers had already left, leaving behind two junior constables to question the villagers and gather testimonies.
Lester roused the children, dressed them in warm cotton coats, and got them all washed up. Then he rushed Clara out the door.
He was eager to join the excitement—and even more eager to get to the old house for some chicken soup.
The five of them—father and children—sprinted along the snow-melted paths, now slick with ice. Clara watched as they each slipped and landed on their backsides one after another. She felt no sympathy at all. In fact, she nearly laughed out loud.
Ben blamed Chad. Chad weakly pointed at Adam. Adam turned and glared furiously at their father—the true culprit behind it all.
Deb shouted, "I'm not playing with you all anymore!"
She stood up, dusted herself off, and waited by the side of the road, pitifully looking at Clara. She'd rather walk with her mother.
The bandits' horses and corpses had all been taken away by the constables.
At the ancestral hall, Clara and the others learned that before hitting Liew Clan Village, the bandits had already sacked a nearby village called Wang Clan Village.
That village was about the same size as theirs but hadn't had a Clara to take the lead. There had been no resistance. The bandits took everything—grain, livestock, silver, women, and children.
Before leaving, they even set the ancestral hall on fire and burned it down.
The horror sent chills down everyone's spine.
But what made their blood run colder was what came next: the bandits who attacked Liew Clan Village were just a small scouting party.
The whole gang numbered over a hundred and operated like a professional raiding force.
The main force had finished plundering Wang Clan Village and returned to their mountain lair to celebrate. The group that attacked the Liews was left behind to continue sweeping the surrounding villages.
Lester broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing that.
Everyone was silently grateful. If the full bandit force had shown up yesterday, Liew Clan Village would've suffered the same fate as Wang Clan Village.
The two junior constables reassured the villagers that the county magistrate and his deputy had immediately issued public notices last night warning nearby villages to stay alert.
They also reported the matter to the governor, requesting that the garrison stationed near the state be mobilized for a full-scale crackdown on the bandits.
It sounded somewhat comforting, at least—it meant the authorities weren't ignoring the problem.
And they couldn't afford to. This wasn't some petty band of escaped convicts. This was a full-fledged bandit stronghold, and that changed everything.
The Sheng Dynasty had only recently been established. Imperial authority was at its peak. If word reached the emperor that local officials couldn't even handle one bandit gang, there would be hell to pay.
Once their duties were done, the two constables declined Frank Liew's offer to stay for lunch, accepting only a pair of white steamed buns from the village chief's wife.
Before leaving, they glanced at Clara. She didn't look like someone with three heads and six arms, yet they still gave her a respectful nod before mounting their horses and riding off with a crisp "Hyah!"
"All right, that's that! Everyone go on home," the village chief announced from the hall's entrance, waving a hand. "The snow's melting—we've got spring planting to prepare for!"
The mention of spring planting jolted Clara like a slap.
She suddenly remembered her two acres of wheat fields. Who knew what state they were in? Even the fragrant chicken soup Martha had spent the morning simmering tasted bland to her now.
Seeing she hadn't touched her bowl, Lester leaned over with a shameless grin, "You want me to help you finish? I don't mind."
"Get lost," Clara snapped coldly.
Lester: "Right away~"
Over the next month or so, the constables came by two or three more times. Each time, they asked the same things: how many bandits were there, what did they look like, any clues to where they went?
The village chief always answered seriously.
And with each visit, the villagers felt a little safer. Slowly, their nerves settled, and they turned their full attention to the new planting season.
(End of Chapter)
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