Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

"Seeing the dragon in the field", Hu Bugui repeated these four words with a frown, "What on earth does Master mean?" Wu Tao also fell into deep thought. What mystery is hidden in these four words left by the Master?

Suddenly, a burst of arrogant laughter broke the silence of the night. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao rushed out upon hearing the sound, and saw a burly man with a fleshy face standing in front of the ruins of the clinic with a jar of wine in his hand. He was the bandit leader who had robbed yesterday.

"Hey, isn't this our great philanthropist Doctor Hu and his beautiful wife?" The bandit leader glanced at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, his tone full of sarcasm, "Why, your clinic has been burned down by us, and you don't want to pack up and get out quickly? Do you want to stay here and rebuild the clinic? You really overestimate your own abilities!"

Hu Bugui clenched his fists, burning with rage, wishing he could rush up and tear the villain in front of him into pieces, but he was held back by Wu Tao.

"What? You want to fight? Just the two of you?" The bandit leader glanced at them with contempt. "I advise you to save your energy and get out of this village. Otherwise..."

The bandit leader deliberately dragged out the last word, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes, which made people shudder.

Wu Tao felt Hu Bugui's hand trembling slightly, and understood the anger in his heart at the moment. She shook her head gently, signaling him not to be impulsive. The bandit leader was extremely rampant, but they were not yet fully grown, and a head-on confrontation would only lead to losses. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

"Let's go." Wu Tao pulled Hu Bugui and turned away, ignoring the bandit leader's shouting.

When he returned to his residence, Hu Bugui was still indignant: "Are we just going to let these evil thieves go unpunished?"

Wu Tao understood his feelings and comforted him softly, "Bugui, we can't act on impulse. The most important thing now is to rebuild the clinic. Only in this way can we help more people and make sure those bandits have nowhere to hide."

Hu Bugui was silent, he knew Wu Tao was right. The master's last words echoed in his ears again, "Seeing the dragon in the field..." Could it be that the master wanted to tell him to be like a hidden dragon in the field, biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity?

Thinking of this, Hu Bugui's heart gradually calmed down. He held Wu Tao's hand and said firmly: "Tao Tao, you are right, we can't give up. We must rebuild the clinic and make those robbers pay the price!"

The next morning, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao began to organize the villagers to rebuild the clinic. They visited every household and told the villagers the significance of rebuilding the clinic and what they wanted to do for the villagers.

The villagers were moved by their sincerity and determination and expressed their willingness to help. However, rebuilding the clinic required a lot of money and manpower, and the strength of just the two of them was far from enough.

In order to raise funds, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao sold all their valuables, even pawning Wu Tao's beloved jade pendant. They also asked around for the whereabouts of the robbers, hoping to find their lair and take back the stolen property.

The reconstruction work did not go smoothly, and they encountered various difficulties. Shortage of funds, lack of manpower, lack of materials... But no matter what difficulties they encountered, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao did not give up. They encouraged and supported each other, and infected everyone around them with practical actions. The villagers were not enthusiastic about rebuilding the clinic at first, after all, no one's money came from the wind. But when they saw the young couple Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, selling all their belongings, even the silver hairpin on Wu Tao's head, which was usually very precious, disappeared and was replaced by the roughest wooden hairpin, they all felt sympathy.

"Boys from the Hu family, it's not easy for you either. Please use my lumber shop to provide the wood for rebuilding the clinic. It'll be considered as my little contribution as an old man!" Uncle Wang from the west end of the village spoke first and patted Hu Bugui's shoulder with his rough big hand.

"And me, my wife is good at sewing, let her make some quilts and sheets for you, the clinic should be in good shape when it reopens."

"Although my boy is not very strong, he can still carry things. Let him help you!"

……

With each conversation, the originally empty ruins of the clinic gradually became lively. Some people contributed their labor, some contributed money, although not much, but it gathered into a warm current, warming the hearts of Hu Bugui and Wu Tao. They looked at each other and saw the light of hope in each other's eyes.

The reconstruction work was in full swing, and Hu Bugui did not relax his pursuit of the bandits. He used the alias "Agui" and mingled in the streets to gather information. Wu Tao, relying on his knowledge of herbs, went to the nearby mountains to collect herbs, hoping to find some rare herbs to raise funds for the reconstruction of the clinic.

One day, when Wu Tao was collecting herbs in the mountains, she accidentally discovered a hidden cave. There was someone guarding the entrance of the cave. Judging from their attire, they were the robbers who robbed the clinic that day! She suppressed her excitement, quietly returned to the village, and told Hu Bugui about it.

"After searching everywhere for something, I finally found it! Taotao, you have done a great deed!" Hu Bugui excitedly held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes sparkling. They carefully studied the environment around the cave and made a thorough plan to catch the gang of robbers in one fell swoop!

Under the pitch-black night, only a few stars were shining, and the forest was silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao led the villagers, crouching and tiptoeing towards the cave. Everyone had a tool in their hands, some were hoes, some were shoulder poles, and some were even holding firewood sticks. Although simple, they revealed a spirit of fearlessness.

Wu Tao held the dagger tightly in her hand, her palms full of sweat. This dagger was specially made for her by Hu Bugui, saying that it was for her to use for self-defense. Although she was afraid, she gradually calmed down when she saw the determined eyes of the villagers around her and Hu Bugui's calm back.

At the entrance of the cave, two robbers were yawning in boredom, not realizing the danger was coming. Hu Bugui winked at the villagers behind him, and several strong villagers immediately rushed forward and hit the robbers on the head with their sticks. The robbers fell down limply without even a groan.

After dealing with the guards, Hu Bugui kicked open the cave door and rushed in with the villagers. In the cave, a group of robbers were sitting around a fire, drinking and eating meat, and there were several tied villagers lying on the ground, who were the victims of their robbery.

"Who is it?!" The bandit leader stood up suddenly, drew the scimitar from his waist, and stared fiercely at the person who broke in.

"Here comes the man who wants your life!" Hu Bugui shouted, and rushed forward to fight with the bandit leader. The villagers also waved their weapons and fought desperately with the bandits.

Although Wu Tao did not go to the front line, she always paid close attention to the war situation. Once someone was injured, she would immediately go forward to treat him. Her medical skills were unanimously recognized by the villagers, and everyone affectionately called her "Doctor Wu".

After a fierce battle, the bandits were outnumbered and were subdued by Hu Bugui and the villagers. The imprisoned villagers were also successfully rescued, and they hugged each other excitedly and cried with joy.

Hu Bugui ordered his men to tie up the robbers and collect all the stolen property, ready to send them back to the village early the next morning. Seeing the lost property recovered, the villagers smiled with satisfaction, and they were full of gratitude to Hu Bugui and Wu Tao.

On the day the clinic reopened, firecrackers blasted, gongs and drums roared, and the atmosphere was very lively. The villagers came to help spontaneously, helping to set up tables and chairs and post couplets. The whole village was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Wu Tao, wearing a simple and elegant skirt, stood at the entrance of the clinic, smiling and welcoming the villagers who came to congratulate her. Hu Bugui, on the other hand, helped to maintain order, also with a pleased smile on his face.

"Doctor Wu, Brother Hu, you are really the great benefactors of our village! If it weren't for you, we don't know how long we would have been bullied by those robbers!"

"Yes, yes, you are really kind-hearted, you deserve to be rewarded for your kindness!"

The villagers thanked them one after another, their words full of gratitude and admiration.

"My fellow villagers, thank you for your praise. This is what we should do." Wu Tao said modestly, "In the future, if you have any illness, please come to the clinic to find me. I will do my best to help you."

"Yes, fellow villagers, from now on we will help each other and no longer be afraid of those monsters!" Hu Bugui added.

A discordant voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Humph, you talk better than you sing, who do you think you are? You still want to help each other, but I think you are overestimating your own abilities!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly man with a fleshy face standing behind the crowd, looking at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao with disdain.

"Who are you?" Hu Bugui asked with a frown.

"Who am I?" The man sneered, "I'm the second in command of the Black Wind Village. You can call me Second Master!"

"Black Wind Village?" The villagers were immediately shocked. Black Wind Village was the most ferocious bandit gang within a hundred miles, committing all kinds of evil, such as burning, killing, looting, and so on. They didn't expect that there were still some bandits who escaped!

Erye looked at the villagers' terrified expressions and laughed triumphantly: "What? Are you scared? If you are, get out of here right away, or don't blame me for being rude!"

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, and saw a trace of solemnity in each other's eyes. It seemed that their peaceful life was about to be disrupted again...