Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Chapter 587 The Legend of the Bandit King

Zhao the rich man shook his head, his body frozen in place as if under a spell.

In the Northwest, there has always been a legend about the Northwest King, also known as the Bandit King, Ma Chenfang.

Some say he was the illegitimate son of a general in Datong, born with a shameful identity and growing up amidst cold stares and humiliation. His childhood was filled with shadows, filled with ridicule and beatings, which taught him to be patient and ruthless at a young age.

After growing up, Ma Chenfang joined the army, starting as a common soldier. With his extraordinary courage and ruthless methods, he climbed the ladder of power step by step, eventually becoming a commander of a thousand men.

After Ma Chenfang seized power, his inherently violent and licentious nature was fully revealed. He even took the wives and daughters of his superiors for himself. Without hesitation, he led his men to escape and headed west, becoming a notorious bandit leader who roamed the Northwest.

He and his men were all like wolves and tigers. Wherever they went, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of wanton acts. Women were forcibly taken, and men were either ripped out of their hearts, buried alive, or used as live targets for shooting practice.

Ma Chenfang's name became a nightmare for the people of Northwest China. When people mentioned him, they felt disgust, fear, and hatred, yet they were helpless to do anything about it.

Legend has it that Ma Chenfang's camp was built on a steep cliff top, like an isolated island, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The imperial court sent troops to besiege it many times, but all ended in failure.

Some say that Ma Chenfang is protected by a larger force, while others say that he has long been colluding with certain officials, and that officials and criminals are in cahoots, with no one caring about the suffering of the people.

However, since General Wudu was stationed in the Northwest, Ma Chenfang has disappeared without a trace. Some say he is dead, killed in a government raid; others say he is still alive, continuing his atrocities in some secret place.

"Dad? Bandits are coming! What do we do?!"

Zhao Yuanbao stumbled into the house, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat. Behind him followed Zhao Chunni, the wealthy man's youngest granddaughter, who clung tightly to his clothes, her eyes filled with fear and unease.

Looking at Zhao Yuanbao, who was still a child, Zhao the rich man felt a pang of pain in his heart. He had lived most of his life, and he was ready to die, but his child was still young and had never seen the wonders of the world. How could he accept such a cruel outcome?

"My child—we're not going to survive!" Zhao the rich man's wife cried as she hugged Zhao Yuanbao tightly.

Zhao the Rich looked at Zhao Yuanbao, then turned to look at his granddaughter Zhao Chunni. His feelings for this granddaughter were complicated. The little girl had grown up under his doting care, but how could he tolerate her parents poisoning Zhao Yuanbao?

When Hu Bingwei escaped, he locked his youngest daughter in a boudoir. Later, his daughter hanged herself, and he felt some heartache and regret. Although his son Yuanbao had everything, his granddaughter had everything too, the feelings were ultimately different.

Now... I wonder if Hu Bingwei will be able to let his daughter go?

Forget it, let's not gamble on people's hearts! Judging from Hu Bingwei's past behavior, he probably doesn't have any humanity!

Suddenly remembering something, Zhao the rich man immediately got up, picked up a chair, and lifted the straw mat in the far corner against the wall. He smashed it repeatedly until the base of the kang in that corner was broken, revealing a dark hole inside. Only then did he turn to Zhao Yuanbao and say, "Yuanbao, bring the oil lamp over!"

"Father?" Although Zhao Yuanbao was terrified of the commotion in the front yard, he still carried the oil lamp from the table over.

Zhao the rich man took the oil lamp, put it into the kang hole, and seeing that the lamp was still lit, he said to Zhao Yuanbao, "This hole was specially dug by your grandfather when he built the kang. The entrance is hidden in the kang hole, just in case we encounter bad things, so that we can protect the Zhao family line."

This cave has never been used, and no one else knows it exists. Take Chunni and climb out of this cave, all the way to the end. That will take you to the corner of that old cliff outside our village, the entrance to the cellar.”

"Father, let's go with Mother!" Zhao Yuanbao said hastily, not even bothering to look at the dark cave entrance.

Zhao the Rich smiled slightly, knocked open a brick in the wall, took out a parchment scroll, and handed it to Zhao Yuanbao, saying, "Yuanbao, this parchment scroll contains the location of all the land deeds and treasures of our Zhao family. If possible, keep it safe. If you encounter danger, you should give up these things to save your life! Do you understand?"

Zhao Yuanbao, puzzled, took the parchment scroll, stuffed it into his chest, and nodded vigorously.

Zhao the Rich patted Zhao Yuanbao's head and said, "Yuanbao, I'm handing over the management of this household to you! From today onwards, you are the head of our Zhao family, the head manager. You must stand up for yourself! If you can protect these things, you will have to share half with Chunni in the future. After all, she also has the surname Zhao and is a member of our Zhao family!"

"You must remember, after you get out, don't go looking for your sisters and brothers-in-law. This world is complicated; even your closest relatives can't always be trusted! Hide in the ditch for a couple of days, and once everything has calmed down, go to Niujiazhuang to find Ji Yongling. I trust her!"

"Father, you and Mother, come with us!" Zhao Yuanbao said, grabbing Zhao the Rich Man's clothes.

Zhao the Rich shook his head slightly, sighed, and looked at Zhao Chunni, saying, "Chunni, the bandits today were brought by your father, Hu Bingwei. This has nothing to do with you. I was blind back then and didn't find a good marriage for your mother! I regret it very much! I'm telling you this only in the hope that you won't recognize a thief as your father in the future!"

Zhao Chunni knelt down with a thud, crying, "Grandpa, I wouldn't! From the moment he tried to harm my uncle, he wasn't my father anymore! My surname is Zhao, I'm a member of the Zhao family, not his Hu family!"

Zhao the Rich was somewhat relieved. He pulled Zhao Yuanbao and Zhao Chunni onto the kang (a heated brick bed), pushed them into the cave entrance, and said, "Hurry up! You must climb as fast as you can, and don't look back! We two old folks will wait here for Hu Bingwei and the bandit king to come. From now on, you two must rely on each other and take good care of each other!"

"Grandpa, I'm not leaving! I'll wait with you. Since the man surnamed Hu came with bandits, with me here, we can definitely buy my uncle some more time!" Zhao Chunni said, holding Zhao the rich man's hand tightly.

A tear flashed in Zhao the Rich's eyes, but he quickly wiped it away, about to say something more. Suddenly, a commotion of footsteps and the sound of things breaking came from outside, followed by a familiar shout: "Father, I'm back! I know you're in there! Come out and see which friends I've invited back for you! Hahahaha!"