The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 178 Heirloom Lost in the River

Because he was worried that people from Shanyang Village would cause trouble at the steamed bun shop, Wang Dalang stayed there for two days.

Old Wang was still worried, so he went to the county town, only to find that Lord Zhang had already left, and the county magistrate, Cao, was now in charge of the county government, and a new magistrate had not yet been appointed.

They waited for three days but no one from Shanyang Village came. Later, some people who came to buy steamed buns talked about how a village had suffered a great disaster.

"That's terrible. I heard that several people had their hands and feet chopped off."

"In my opinion, that's retribution!"

"Even so, I heard that their village hasn't been exempted from corvée labor. If this continues, that village will probably be gone soon, won't it?"

"I heard that their village is supposed to be relocated to another place because the feng shui of their ancestral graves is said to be problematic..."

While handing steamed buns to the guests, Wang Chuanyuan asked, "What are you talking about?"

One guest casually replied, "It's about a village. Apparently, during a snowstorm, people resorted to cannibalism, which drove one of the wives crazy. Now she's gone back to seek revenge."

"It was really tragic. The woman took a machete and killed her husband. Several people who tried to break up the fight were also killed. Later, I heard that she escaped, shouting about what happened in her village as she fled. Everyone in the surrounding area knows about it now."

Someone else chimed in, "That's nothing. I heard that their village's ancestral graves have been disturbed, and it's said to have become an ominous place, so the whole village has to be moved."

As everyone spoke, their eyes were filled with sighs: "When the disaster was severe before, I did hear about people exchanging children to eat, but that was a last resort. But the people in that village seemed to be possessed. More than ten children disappeared from the entire village. How could a human being do such a thing!"

"They're just getting their comeuppance. It's not some evil place at all, but it's good that they moved away. Otherwise, the surrounding villages would probably be living in fear."

"Once they move to a new place, they'll have to keep a low profile."

Wang Chuanyuan listened with great interest, but Xiao Zhangshi secretly pinched him when no one was looking.

"Ouch—why are you pinching me? It really hurts!" Wang Chuanyuan winced in pain.

"Why are you listening to such disgusting things?" Little Zhang rolled her eyes at him. "Get back to work!"

Now, whenever she hears someone mention the practice of exchanging children for food, Xiao Zhang will think of Shanyang Village.

She hated the people of Shanyang Village more than anyone else; the knife wound she received back then had caused her considerable pain for many days.

It just so happened that her family was improving their meals at that time, so she didn't get to eat much.

Isn't that infuriating?!

The people of Hujia Village were disgusted by Shanyang Village. They didn't bother to inquire about their affairs at all, but simply formed a patrol team in the village to prevent them from resorting to desperate measures.

Much later, the people of Hujia Village learned that Shanyang Village had been collectively relocated.

That village was also designated as an ominous place and completely sealed off, with no one allowed to approach it.

Even if some people secretly stayed and blended into other villages, they didn't dare to tell others that they used to be from Shanyang Village, and they only dared to keep a low profile.

The news of what happened in Shanyang Village quickly spread to other places. Many villages that had previously practiced cannibalism swiftly dealt with those who had eaten children, without waiting for the authorities to intervene.

This story spread like wildfire, and even when famine struck, the people remained steadfast in their resolve to prevent it from happening again.

In a way, Shanyang Village taught everyone a lesson with its entire village.

Of course, the Wang family doesn't know any of this yet.

Wang Chuangui was already feeling a bit tired from studying. But ever since Old Wang went to the county town and couldn't find Lord Zhang, he realized that he couldn't rely on others and that the only thing he could do was to stand on his own two feet.

Therefore, he studied even harder.

Compared to children, Wang Chuangui's reading lacks the same spark, but he has an adult's way of thinking and knows better how to use techniques to improve.

So his learning progress was quite fast. In addition, Xiao Ayu would occasionally feed the family members the magic potion, which made the Wang family members increasingly sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, and each of them became a master of photographic memory.

Even Wang Liulang and Wang Qilang, who didn't like studying much and spent their days idly, learned quite a bit of poetry and prose, and performed quite well when the teacher tested them.

The scholars couldn't help but think to themselves, "The Wang family members are truly scholarly."

Having a good memory doesn't mean you're talented, but just having a good memory already puts you way ahead of others, making learning much easier and more efficient.

Finally, the children's long-awaited ten-day holiday arrived, and Wang Wulang couldn't wait. He took Xiao Ayu to Nanhe.

Nanhe Town originates from the Nanhe River. Although it is called a river, it is as wide as a river in some places, and at its widest point, it is said to be 2 li (approximately 1 kilometer) wide. The Nanhe River is clear and contains fish, and people often fish along its banks year-round.

Wang Wulang wanted to take Xiao Ayu out to play, and Wang Liulang and Wang Qilang followed along.

Xiao Ayu naturally invited Qin Huai.

"Big brother, why don't you come along too?" Little Ayu wanted to invite the other brothers to come along as well.

Wang Dalang said, "I won't go. You guys have fun. I'll help out at the shop."

Little Ayu said, "Then I won't go either. I'll help out at the shop!"

"No need, I'm not usually that busy, and today isn't a market day. You guys go have fun, I don't really want to."

In the end, Wang Dalang didn't go. He had finished helping out in the morning and was going back to the village in the afternoon.

We can't let our parents be the only ones busy in the village.

Wang Erlang said he still wanted to study. Recently, he had made some progress in his mathematics and planned to become an accountant after he finished his studies.

Wang Sanlang and Wang Silang were quite happy, but they were even more eager to practice martial arts, and they were currently engrossed in it.

It was still quite a distance from the town to the river, a journey that would take half an hour. So Qin Huai simply asked Chi Jia to find a way to buy a carriage and put all the children inside.

"Wow, this carriage is so spacious! It's even faster than a donkey cart!" Wang Wulang exclaimed excitedly. "Next time I go back to the village, I'll borrow your carriage; it'll definitely get me there much faster."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Okay."

"Good buddy, you're a true friend. When I make money in the future, I'll buy you nice things too!" Wang Wulang patted Qin Huai on the shoulder.

With the carriage, they arrived at the river in less than fifteen minutes.

At this time, there were many women washing clothes by the river, children playing nearby, and, of course, elderly men fishing.

Seeing them jump down from the carriage one by one, they all turned their heads to look.

Not long after they arrived, the little lamb came, and the Spirit-Testing Rat squatted on the little lamb's back.

"Could it be that the little lamb has been tamed by the rat?" Wang Wulang laughed heartily.

As a result, the little lamb shook its back, and the Spirit Rat fell down, bowing and scraping to the little lamb.

The little lamb raised its chin and exclaimed, "Baa!"

Wang Wulang sensed the provocation in its furry face.

Wang Wulang: "...Alright then."

Someone recognized Xiao Ayu and said with a smile, "Isn't this Ayu from Wang's Steamed Bun Shop? Out playing with your brothers? Don't get too close to the riverbank, or you might fall in. The water is still a bit cold in this weather."

"Grandpa Liu, my brothers and I are here to catch fish." Little Ayu is good at recognizing people, and she called out to everyone she knew, which quickly made everyone laugh.

At that moment, they saw someone paddling a small boat across the river.

Before Xiao Ayu could get a good look, she saw the man plunge into the river.

Little Ayu asked Qin Huai, "Brother Ayou, was that person going to catch fish?"

The one who answered him was not Qin Huai, but an old man fishing nearby.

"Sigh, the Bai family's kids haven't given up yet! You can't find something that fell into the river!"

"Grandpa Liu, what is he looking for?"

"Who knows? They say it's a family heirloom, but they've been looking for it for a month or two and haven't found anything."

Upon hearing this, the children of the Wang family exchanged glances and, without prior arrangement, turned their gazes toward the Spirit-Testing Rat.

The Spirit-Testing Rat suddenly shuddered.

(End of this chapter)