Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 79 Unexpected Situations
In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, gangs were set up all over Northeast China. There were hundreds of gangs of all sizes, and their beards were as numerous as cow hairs.

Except for the large gangs or those with bases in deep mountains and forests, other small and medium-sized gangs active in the plains do not have fixed pavilions (bases) and are in a mobile state.

These gangs would only stay in one place for one or two months at most, and this is what they were called "roving bandits."

This not only prevents encirclement and suppression by officers and soldiers, but also facilitates the replenishment of supplies.

Since the beards are mobile, they cannot avoid going from village to village, eating and resting, and usually at night.

The landlords have their own enclosures and artillery batteries, so they are naturally not afraid, but how could ordinary people have such conditions?
At that time, only a very small number of villages were completely surrounded by the fence. For most villages, when faced with such a thing, they just hoped to send these devils away safely.

As for the loss of some food and daily necessities, that’s no big deal.

Doctor Chen had experienced all these things, and he was a doctor.

Most people don't like to offend doctors. After all, people eat all kinds of grains, and no one can guarantee that they won't have a headache or fever. If they offend the doctor, no one will treat them.

So Doctor Chen was not afraid of the beard, but he was worried about his own daughter.

As the saying goes, those who have money are afraid of being kidnapped, and those who have girls are afraid of being robbed.

My daughter is growing up and becoming more and more beautiful. I am afraid that some unscrupulous bearded man will take a fancy to her, then her life will be ruined.

Doctor Chen had just seen Qu Shaoyang holding a gun in his hand, and he was afraid that Qu Shaoyang, who was young and impetuous, would go out and cause trouble.

So I ask Qu Shaoyang to protect Chen Xiuyun tonight no matter what and not let those bandits see her.

"Uncle Chen, don't worry. Even if I risk my life, I will never let anyone touch Xiuyun."

Qu Shaoyang nodded solemnly, which was considered as his agreement.

There is no way, there are too many bearded people, didn't the people outside just say that there are 20 or 30 of them?

Even if Qu Shaoyang is very capable, it would be difficult for him to deal with it alone.

Besides, I don’t know if these bearded guys have any accomplices.

What if something really happened in the village and other bearded men came to seek revenge? Wouldn't that cause trouble for the village?
Therefore, Qu Shaoyang never showed off his ability.

He didn't ask for anything else, just that no one bothered him and he could spend the night in peace, that was all.

"Okay, I'll leave the house to you. Your aunt and I will go over to take a look."

Doctor Chen nodded, went to the pharmacy in front to get some medicine for treating external injuries, then went out with Li and followed her to where Hu Zi was staying.

At the Chen family's side, Qu Shaoyang turned off the lights and sat on the kang in the east room with Chen Xiuyun.

Qu Shaoyang loaded both rifles with bullets. The magazine of this rifle is right under the barrel, a tubular magazine parallel to the barrel. There is a bullet plug entrance and protective cover on the right side of the gun's receiver.

This gun can hold seven to eight bullets, and if operated skillfully, it can fire an average of thirty bullets per minute.

Of course, this gun also has its disadvantages, which is that it is inconvenient to shoot in a lying position.

At the same time, due to the tubular magazine, the center of gravity shifts during continuous shooting, which can easily cause inaccurate shooting and requires higher marksmanship from the user.

With Qu Shaoyang's marksmanship, he was confident that even if there were ten or eight bearded men, he could knock them down in the shortest time possible.

"Xiuyun, don't be afraid. Didn't your father tell you? These bearded men are just passing by. They just want to get some food.

Don't worry, I'm here. Look, I have two guns. If Hu Zi comes, I'll take care of him."

Qu Shaoyang noticed Chen Xiuyun's nervousness and whispered to comfort her.

"Does this side of Daqinggou often pass through the barren land? Have you experienced this before?"

Qu Shaoyang chatted casually with Chen Xiuyun, trying to ease her tension.

"I can't remember clearly when I was too young, but when I was ten years old, bandits came to the village. My brothers were still at home at that time, and they were called to feed and walk the horses.

My father and mother were also called away to treat the bearded men's injuries and cook for them. It seemed that they were busy all night, and the next day those bearded men left.

However, the villagers were also severely oppressed by the bearded men. A lot of pigs, chickens, etc. were killed and stewed. The bearded men looked like starving ghosts reincarnated.

My mother told me that a group of women cooked, made pancakes, rolled noodles and made dumplings.

It took a lot of hard work to feed the beards." Chen Xiuyun recalled the situation back then.

“Those bearded men only eat the inside of dumplings, not the sides. They bite off the inside of each dumpling, leaving the sides neatly.

When they leave, the villagers have to prepare salt, soybean paste, oil, cakes and other things for them. They have to be entertained.

It seems that they took away a lot of medicine for treating external injuries from my pharmacy that year." Speaking of this, Chen Xiuyun couldn't help but sigh.

"Then why didn't your parents think of moving to the city?"

Qu Shaoyang has actually always been quite curious. Logically, Doctor Chen's family conditions should not be bad.

One of the two sons was studying in the county town, and the other was an apprentice in the Liaoyang Escort Agency. Only Doctor Chen and his wife lived at home with their daughter.

Daqinggou is not a very prosperous place, so why doesn't Doctor Chen want to take his family to live in the city?
“My father said he was used to it in the village.

When my father was not very old, he came here with his family from Guandong. As a result, there was a plague and everyone except my father died.

Thanks to the care of the villagers, my father grew up eating at many people's homes.

Later, he became an apprentice to my grandfather, studied medicine with my grandfather, and married my mother, which led to their current life.

My father said that people should not forget their roots. He is the only doctor in this area. If he moves away, the villagers will have no one to treat their headaches or fevers. "

Speaking of this, Chen Xiuyun knew a lot, and she told Qu Shaoyang all about the family affairs like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.

Qu Shaoyang nodded as he listened. It turned out that the Chen family had such a past.

No wonder Doctor Chen, whose medical skills are so good, did not open a clinic in the city but stayed in this small village.

After the two chatted for a while, Chen Xiuyun was not as nervous as before.

Anyway, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night, so Qu Shaoyang accompanied Chen Xiuyun and chatted about all sorts of things.

As the two chatted, time passed quickly. It was already midnight and Chen Xiuyun felt a little sleepy and began to doze off.

Suddenly, I heard a noise outside, followed by a woman's cry for help.

Qu Shaoyang immediately realized that something was wrong. He stood up and wanted to go out to check, but he was worried about Chen Xiuyun and felt a little embarrassed.

"Brother Qu, the sound seems to be coming from the Tian family next door. Sister-in-law Tian is still pregnant, so don't let anything happen to her."

Chen Xiuyun was anxious and wanted to go out to see, but she didn't dare.

The two were worried and anxious, but didn't know what to do.

"Do you have any cellar or something like that in your house?" Qu Shaoyang asked, suddenly having an idea.

"Yes, it's in my brother's room. There's a cellar where my father stores some precious medicinal herbs. It's OK in there, it's quite big."

Chen Xiuyun nodded and led Qu Shaoyang to the west room. They moved the cabinet against the wall and found the entrance to the cellar underneath.

I’ll update five chapters first tonight and then I’ll go to bed. I’ll add a few more chapters during the day depending on the situation.

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(End of this chapter)