Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 111 My Wife, Play the Pitiful One
It's finally dawn.

A ray of sunlight, as if carefully tailored, slanted in through the narrow window of the woodshed, casting a narrow, dusty band of light across the ground covered with bits of hay.

A moment later, a disheveled head suddenly appeared on the windowsill.

His hair, which looked like a chicken coop, was stuck to his forehead, and his curly beard was tangled up in a ball, with bits of straw stuck to it.

Two clumps of unwiped eye boogers clung to the corners of his eyes; this was Li Youcai, who was locked in the woodshed.

He clung to the window frame, his eyes darting around as he peered outside, looking just like a mouse sneaking around looking for food.

The long gown he was wearing, which was originally quite decent, was now wrinkled like a wrung-out rag after he had spent the night curled up on the woodpile.

Outside the woodshed, two figures stood with their backs to the window.

One was Old Xin, a woodcutter with a limp, and the other was a servant of the Yang family. Both of them had knives at their waists and were responsible for guarding Li Youcai.

When he was defending against Zhang Yunyi and the others' attacks, Xiao Qingmei saw the composure and efficiency hidden in Lao Xin's seemingly clumsy movements.

At this moment, Qingmei was busy cleaning up the mess and didn't have time to investigate how much skill this usually quiet cripple actually possessed.

However, when assigning the task of guarding Li Youcai, Xiao Qingmei still specifically asked him to take charge.

Qingmei even asked him his name and learned that he was called Xin Xian.

Qingmei has already made plans; when the master returns, she will tell him about Xin Xian's affairs.

She always felt that this seemingly ordinary cripple seemed to have some skill.

"Hey, hey! Brother, could you please give me some gas?"

Seeing that Lao Xin was standing by the window, Li Youcai quickly forced a fawning smile that was almost greasy, and lowered his voice, which was full of deliberate intimacy.

"May I ask, Brother Yang... oh, I mean Brother Yang Can, has he returned yet?"

To be honest, my relationship with Brother Yang is excellent!

Old Xin slowly turned his head and glanced at him, as if he hadn't heard him, and simply raised his hand to rub his stomach.

A rumbling sound came from my stomach.

It's time for breakfast. After we finish eating, the shift will probably change.

I stayed up all night, my eyelids were drooping, and I was really exhausted.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Li Youcai wasn't discouraged. Instead, he moved his face even closer and continued with a fawning grin, "Brother, my relationship with your Master Yang is really not just ordinary."

We're like brothers, sharing everything, like brothers in arms! We're practically inseparable!

Old Xin sighed lazily: "Alright, alright, there's no use telling me this, so stop thinking about it."

"You'd better stay put. Our master hasn't returned yet. As for what to do with you, we'll have to wait until he comes back."

Just then, a gentle and melodious voice came from afar: "You two brave warriors have worked hard."

I've prepared some porridge and side dishes, which I originally intended to give to my husband. Why don't you both share some to tide you over?

Upon hearing the voice, Li Youcai's eyes lit up instantly, and he excitedly called out in the direction of the sound, "Wife! Wife! Is that you?"

He was standing in the woodshed, unable to see outside because the window blocked his view. In a hurry, he moved to the side and peered out through the crack in the window.

Sure enough, Pan Xiaowan came over with Lai Xi, who was carrying a heavy food box on her arm.

Old Xin looked towards the sound and saw Pan Xiaowan wink at Lai Xi, who immediately opened the food box with practiced ease.

In an instant, the aroma of rice porridge, the fragrance of wheat from flatbread, and the savory scent of delicate side dishes wafted out.

Old Xin and the guards beside him couldn't help but swallow hard at the aroma; this meal was far more refined than the simple fare they usually ate.

The porridge, rice, and dishes were all served in different earthenware bowls, but they ate from the same bowl as Li Youcai.

Besides, the Yang residence is heavily guarded now, so even if Pan Xiaowan wanted to play any tricks, she wouldn't be able to escape.

Moreover, Pan Xiaowan looks delicate and timid, with a gentle and charming look in her eyes. She doesn't seem to have any ability to harm people at all.

With that, the two of them had no more worries and reluctantly took out two empty bowls and plates from the food box, scooped out most of the porridge, pancakes and side dishes, and left the rest for Pan Xiaowan.

Pan Xiaowan carried the remaining food to the window of the woodshed. Li Youcai was already anxiously waiting by the window.

Upon seeing Xiao Wan, he burst into tears, two tear tracks washing away the grass ash on his face, revealing two faint white marks.

His lips trembled, and his voice trembled with tears as he cried out, "My wife! My wife~~~"

"Alright, alright, stop howling like you're begging for your soul. I'm not dead."

Pan Xiaowan rolled her eyes at him, but her hands were busy as she handed him the porridge, pancakes, and side dishes from the food box one by one.

"Are you hungry? Eat something to fill your stomach."

Although he was still scolded by his wife, Li Youcai felt warm inside, even more so than if he had drunk hot porridge.

He quickly reached out and took the food, placing it on the haystack beside him, but had no appetite to eat it immediately.

Li Youcai peeked out of the woodshed and saw Old Xin and the servants eating with their heads down. He quickly lowered his voice and asked, "Wife, do you think... Yang Can might kill me?"

Pan Xiaowan rolled her eyes playfully, and said angrily with a hint of disappointment, "Look at your pathetic self!"
If they wanted to kill you, they would have done it during the chaos yesterday. Why would they have kept you alive until now?

"Since we're just locking you up, we definitely won't kill you, don't worry."

Is...is that really true?

Li Youcai was still a little worried, but he couldn't help but smile happily. With his wife's words, he felt much more at ease.

Pan Xiaowan urged impatiently, "Alright, stop dawdling and eat something."

I'll go to the manor to inquire about the situation later, and then I'll let you know.

"Hey hey hey! Good, good!"

Li Youcai quickly picked up a flatbread and stuffed it into his mouth, nodding repeatedly as he ate it.

He choked because he ate too fast, his eyes rolled back, and his neck was throbbing back and forth, just like a duck being choked.

……

Pan Xiaowan left and didn't return for the entire morning, nor did she bring any news.

Li Youcai couldn't sit still in the woodshed. He would stand up and pace around the cramped woodshed, then squat on the ground scratching his ears and cheeks, and then peer out the window. He was simply restless.

After finally making it to noon, Pan Xiaowan reappeared with the food box.

Li Youcai quickly leaned out the window, his voice filled with anxiety: "Wife! How is it? Any news? What did Yang Can say?"

Before Pan Xiaowan could answer, she saw several people walking quickly out of the inner courtyard.

She was Xiao Qingmei dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with Kang Zhengyang by her side.

The two walked quickly, their expressions showing some urgency.

Wangcai and several guards from the Yang family followed closely behind, each holding a weapon, seemingly on their way to do something important.

Where are they going?

Li Youcai's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked. After what had happened before, he was now a bit paranoid and felt that everyone he met was suspicious.

Pan Xiaowan was also a little curious, so she turned to Old Xin, who was sunbathing nearby, and asked:

"Brave Xin, where are Qingmei and Kang Quchang going? Why are they in such a hurry?"

Old Xin originally thought he could take a break in the morning, but unexpectedly, the manpower in the manor was really tight, and he was still assigned to guard this place.

Fortunately, Pan Xiaowan brought delicious food for both breakfast and lunch, so it wasn't too bad.

He was happily munching on a piece of braised meat when he heard Pan Xiaowan's question, and answered indistinctly:

"Hmm...where else could we go? Of course, we're going to pick up our lord! He's already back and will be entering the village soon!"

"Brother Yang... Brother Yang is coming back?"

Upon hearing this, Li Youcai's voice instantly rose eight octaves, carrying a trembling sound like a string stretched to its limit; the voice was so shrill it could almost circle the woodshed three times.

Old Xin was startled and almost dropped the braised meat in his hand.

"Madam, madam!"

Li Youcai was so anxious that he stamped his feet. He quickly beckoned to Pan Xiaowan to come closer to the window, then lowered his voice and spoke urgently.

"My dear wife, Yang Can is coming back soon. Look, he should at least call you sister-in-law. Besides, he can't very well make things difficult for you, a woman."

"You...you go and sound him out for me in a bit, beg him to let me go, okay?"

Pan Xiaowan glared at him, annoyed: "What are you thinking?"

Such a big incident just happened at the Yang residence, and he has just returned. I wonder how many important and troublesome matters he needs to handle.

"If we go and plead for them now, won't we just be asking for trouble?"

"What could be more important than your man's life!"

Li Youcai grew anxious, and his voice involuntarily rose slightly. Seeing Pan Xiaowan's pale face, he quickly softened his tone. He pleaded, "Wife, you don't want to become a widow at such a young age, do you?"

Pan Xiaowan looked at him with a half-smile, deliberately teasing him: "That's not necessarily true. If I really become a widow, I'll just remarry. What's the big deal?"

Upon hearing this, Li Youcai quickly put on a fawning face and said, "Wife, you can't think like that!"

If you remarry, where will you find a man as obedient as me?

I'll listen to you from now on. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! My dear wife, please help me..."

Looking at his pitiful appearance, Pan Xiaowan finally softened and sighed, "Alright, alright, I know. I'll see if there's an opportunity later."

Li Youcai said excitedly, "Good wife! Tell him that I am innocent, and that it was Steward He who forced me to do this."

And then there's Zhang Yunyi; he coerced me, and I had no choice but to...

If he doesn't agree, just beg him patiently. You're a woman, and he keeps calling you "sister-in-law," he definitely won't make things difficult for you!

"Okay, okay, stop nagging like an old woman."

Pan Xiaowan waved her hand impatiently, "I'll go back and get dressed first. I can't go to see him looking like this."

"Yes, yes, yes! Dress up nicely!"

Li Youcai quickly chimed in, "Dress up nicely and act pitiful; he definitely won't have the heart to do it!"

Pan Xiaowan ignored him and left with Lai Xi.

Li Youcai, clinging to the window, his chubby face bulging out from under the window frame, stared intently at Pan Xiaowan's back and shouted:
"My lady, dress up beautifully and act pitiful, that's how you'll touch people's hearts!"

……

The dirt road outside Feng'anzhuang was scorching hot under the midday sun. The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, and the dust they kicked up left long trails of gray across the open fields.

A group of nearly thirty people was slowly approaching.

There were nearly thirty riders, with a carriage following in the middle.

When Yang Can and his group returned from Canglang Gorge, there were only about twenty people with them, but now there were a few more in the group.

Not only were the two hunter brothers from the Kang family there, but also several agile Kang family nephews and nieces.

After Kang Zhengyang led his troops back to the Yang residence, he immediately took control of the situation inside and outside the residence and did two important things without stopping.

First, under the guise of transporting vegetables and grains, they secretly transported the armor to Zhang Yunyi's residence using vegetable and grain carts as cover.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to rescue Chen Wan'er, the young mistress of the Zhang family, from Wan Tai by chance.

Secondly, he immediately arranged for his own nephews and nieces to go to the basement of the study to get the bald-headed Junxie, who had been detained for two days without food or water, out of the village. Taking advantage of the chaos in the village, they secretly sent him out of the village.

Those Kang family nephews and nieces, escorting the bald-headed falconer, were waiting on the road that Yang Can would inevitably take back to the village.

As soon as Yang Can arrived with his men, they immediately joined the group and headed back to Feng'an Village together.

At this moment, the bald-headed Falcon Demon, with his hands tied behind his back, sat hunched over on a poor horse.

His mouth was stuffed with a wad of dark, tattered cloth, his cheeks were stretched taut, and he could only make muffled whimpering sounds.

Perhaps due to being locked up for so long, his hair was disheveled and plastered to his face, and his eyes revealed a lingering sense of listlessness.

After leaving Feng'an Village, the Kang family nephews gave him some dry food and water, but the hunger and cold he had suffered for two days could not be relieved in a short time.

He glanced sideways at the men around him, his mind filled with doubt: What exactly is Yang Can up to by secretly smuggling him out and then escorting him back?
But his mouth was stuffed with a rag, so he couldn't even utter a question and could only curse silently in his heart.

As soon as the group arrived at the entrance of Feng'anzhuang Village, they were spotted by a few old men chatting under the old locust tree.

It was midday, and the sun was scorching.

But yesterday, Zhang Yunyi's rebellion broke out in the village, and Yang Can still hasn't returned. The villagers are all worried.

So most people had no interest in working in the fields; they either gathered at the village entrance looking around or sat restlessly in their own yards.

"Master Yang is back!"

An old man with sharp eyes recognized the man at the front of the line and immediately shouted out.

As soon as he said that, the villagers who had been scattered around the village entrance rushed over.

Even the armed guards inside and outside the village gathered towards the direction of the troops.

Upon seeing Yang Can riding on horseback, the villagers' anxieties immediately subsided.

With the lord of the manor back, Feng'an Manor is now secure, and their good days will not be disrupted!

The excited villagers quickly surrounded Yang Can and his group, each with a joyful expression on their face, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony of chatter.

"Master, you're finally back! We were all so worried!"

"Master, you don't know, yesterday that scoundrel Zhang, the deputy master of the manor, tried to rebel against you. He led his men and stormed the Yang residence!"

"Yeah, yeah, can we stand it? We all grabbed our weapons and fought them!"

Manager Wang of the oil mill squeezed to the front, patted his chest proudly, and said, "We all followed Chief Kang to the manor, and we utterly defeated those rebels, driving them all away!"

"Don't just say it's Kang Quchang, it was Li Tieweng who struck first!" A young man's voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

Another young man shouted, "It was Li Tieweng who made the first move! If Li Tieweng hadn't opened the gates of the fortified village, Kang Quchang and the others wouldn't have been able to get in!"

Standing in the crowd, Li the blacksmith listened to his two apprentices' words, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, revealing a smile that concealed his merit and fame.

These two little apprentices are quite clever, knowing how to "take credit" for him. Hmm... I'll have to teach them a few more real skills later.

Yang Can dismounted swiftly and decisively.

He repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks to the villagers who had gathered around him, saying, "Thank you all for your great help. Yang Can is extremely grateful!"

The village head actually thanked us! Upon hearing this, the villagers were even happier.

In their eyes, the fact that the manor lord remembered their kindness was more precious than any gold or silver gift, and their smiles became even brighter.

Amidst the commotion and chaos, a man dressed in ordinary village clothes quietly squeezed next to Bald Falcon Evil's horse while everyone was surrounding Yang Can.

The bald-haired falcon was listlessly drooping his head when he suddenly felt someone gently touch his thigh.

He suddenly raised his head and turned it warily, only to see the man standing beside the horse, his eyes seemingly fixed on Yang Can's direction.

But he secretly slipped a dagger onto the horse's back and then slid it under the horse's arm into its bound hands.

"Quickly, cut the ropes with the dagger and kill Yang Can!"

The man lowered his voice and said very quickly, "Master Shan has sent men to rescue you and get you out of here!"

After saying that, he quickly glanced at the bald-headed Falcon Evil and gestured towards the crowd.

Bald Falcon's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked into the bustling crowd.

Sure enough, he saw several burly men who seemed to be trying to curry favor with Yang Can, but whose eyes were actually darting around.

Some of them had knives at their waists, while others held guns in their hands; their attire suggested they were soldiers from the village's military retinue.

But the glances they kept giving him betrayed their identities; they were clearly spies bribed by Master Shan!

His previously dim eyes lit up instantly, and a surge of joy welled up in the bald-headed Falcon Evil's heart.

He gripped the dagger tightly with his bound hands, the sharp blade rubbing back and forth against the rough hemp rope.

In no time, the rope binding his wrists was cut.

Without the slightest hesitation, Bald Falcon Evil pushed off the saddle with both feet and leaped off the horse.

Before he could even remove the rag from his mouth, Yang Can was right in front of him, exchanging pleasantries with the villagers, his back to him. The opportunity was truly too good to pass up!

The bald-headed Falcon Demon gripped his dagger tightly, his eyes gleaming with ferocity, and only one thought occupied his mind:
Kill Yang Can, then take advantage of the chaos created by Master Shan's men to steal a horse and escape!

But just as he lunged into the air, his body still in the posture of lunging towards Yang Can, those "hidden agents" he thought he knew suddenly moved!
Several gleaming spears that were originally standing upright and carried on his shoulders suddenly turned around and came hurtling towards him.

Before he could even react, the bald-headed Falcon Evil, who was lunging down and focused solely on assassinating Yang Can, had already run right into the cold tip of the spear.

He was completely unable to control his downward momentum while in mid-air, nor could he dodge the sharp spear tips that were right in front of him.

With a few muffled thuds, several spears pierced his chest, ribs, and abdomen.

The sharp spear tip pierced through his skin and flesh, penetrating deep into his body. Intense pain instantly swept through his entire body, causing him to convulse uncontrollably.

Bald Falcon remained poised to pounce with his dagger, but was firmly "fixed" in mid-air by several long spears.

Because of the support of the gun barrel, he didn't even have a chance to land.

Bald-haired Falcon Xie struggled to raise his head. Yang Can had already turned around, his face showing no sign of panic.

It was only at this moment that the bald-headed Falcon suddenly understood.

He stared intently at Yang Can, his eyes filled with resentment and anger, and only one thought remained in his mind:
Yang Can, you scoundrel! He tricked me!

(End of this chapter)