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

Chapter 590 Eight Inch Plain

"Cluck cluck cluck—" The village roosters crowed, and the sky gradually began to lighten. The early risers in the village had already gotten off their kang (heated brick bed) and were sweeping the yard, fetching water, feeding the chickens, cutting grass, cleaning manure... beginning their busy day.

However, some people noticed that the Zhao family estate, which should have been bustling with activity by this time of day, was unusually quiet today. The estate's gates were wide open, but not a single person was seen entering or leaving. Not even the pigs, cattle, sheep, or chickens made a sound; it was strangely quiet.

So an old man who was cutting grass tried to go and find out what was going on, but before he even entered the yard, he was terrified by a mass of blood and flesh lying across the doorway.

"Oh no! Oh no! The Zhao family's estate has been ravaged by bandits!" A cry of alarm shattered the tranquility of Zhao Family Estate and the peace that Ningping County had enjoyed for the past few years.

What people didn't know was that Ma Chenfang had already looted Bacunyuan a few days before looting Zhao Caizhu's manor.

Bacunyuan, also known as Bacunbao, is a relatively small plateau, slightly higher than the large plateau in Ningping County. It resembles a large pipa (a Chinese lute) extending from the large plateau. Geographically, Bacunyuan is easily defensible and difficult to attack, making it suitable for resisting external enemies.

Apart from one road connecting it to the outside world, the other three sides of Bacunyuan are steep ravines and fissures. So unless you come to Bacunyuan specifically or leave from Bacunyuan, you would not know that this place has actually changed hands.

Originally, Bacunyuan did not belong to the Li family. That year, Li Guaizi's ancestors migrated here with a huge amount of wealth, bought this land, and built a yellow earthen wall more than three zhang high and more than eight chi wide around Bacunyuan, enclosing the land inside, and built houses and courtyards inside.

Over time, this place developed into a small, castle-like town, with farmland and houses. However, all of this belonged to the Li family.

Liu Lu once said that the terrain of Bacunyuan, viewed from high above, should resemble a phoenix. Because it is surrounded by cliffs on three sides and has water at the bottom of the ravine, the mountains and water are interdependent, the dragon vein is excellent, and it is a feng shui treasure land. It's just a pity that Li Guaizi committed too many evil deeds, damaging the energy of this land, so the Li family's fate is coming to an end.

Little did anyone know, his words would come true. The Li family was indeed destroyed by Li the Cripple.

When Hu Bingwei approached Ma Chenfang, Ma Chenfang was hiding and fleeing from the search by General Wudu's men. His life had indeed become increasingly difficult over the past two years.

After Hu Bingwei joined Ma Chenfang's forces, he repeatedly took the opportunity to advise Ma Chenfang to move his operations to Qingzhou Prefecture and establish his base there. This was because Qingzhou Prefecture was different from the barren mountains and Gobi deserts of Ganzhou and Suzhou. The area around Qingzhou Prefecture had several large plateaus with flat terrain, where crops grew better.

Compared to the barren Gobi Desert of Ganzhou and Suzhou, Qingzhou Prefecture is much more prosperous, especially Ningping County, where grain production has been increasing in the past two years. People are no longer short of food and will not go hungry.

Hu Bingwei's words tempted Ma Chenfang.

He originally operated in the Ganzhou and Suzhou areas, which, although strategically important, offered easy cover. However, the disadvantages were also obvious: resources were scarce, food was in short supply, and his brothers often went hungry. Moreover, since General Wudu took office, his life had become increasingly difficult.

If Qingzhou Prefecture had fertile land and abundant grain, it would indeed be an excellent choice. However, he knew nothing about Qingzhou Prefecture, and going there rashly might lead him to fall into someone's trap...

However, he was ultimately moved by a person and a place that Hu Bingwei mentioned.

The place was undoubtedly easy to defend and difficult to attack, even the imperial army would find it hard to breach the Bacunyuan pass easily. It had water, fields, and grain, with abundant food reserves, making it self-sufficient and capable of holding out for a long time without fear of the imperial army besieging it. Moreover, the city walls there were sturdy and tall, and there were even arrow towers. With a little repair, it could form a complete defensive fortification, making it indeed a good place to hold out.

One person... is a doctor.

Hu Bingwei said that there was a girl in Ningping County who was very skilled in medicine, especially for some difficult diseases that other doctors were helpless to treat or could not cure.

This made Ma Chenfang extremely excited. Outsiders said that Ma Chenfang was a strong man with a body as strong as a dog, but in fact he also had his own unspeakable secrets.

He had a lump on his lower back, which he hadn't paid much attention to in previous years, occasionally picking at it. At first, he had shrunk and flattened the lump by picking at it, but in the past year, the lump has started to grow again, and at a rapid pace.

That's not a big deal. The real problem is that lately he's been experiencing frequent lower back pain, and sometimes his thighs even feel very painful and numb. He's consulted doctors in Ganzhou City, and they all say it's because a lump on his back is pressing on a tendon.

He wanted the doctor to cut off the lump, but several doctors said that the root of the lump was too deep and that cutting it would definitely hit the tendon, which could be life-threatening.

Of course, he couldn't tell his brothers these things. These brothers were all like wolves and tigers. If he, the leader, had any health problems, they would surely pull him down first and take over as the leader themselves!

To be on the safe side when he came to Ningping County, he specially sent his confidant to Ningping County to confirm that what Hu Bingwei said about Bacunyuan and the girl surnamed Ji was true before he prepared to set off.

In fact, besides needing to treat his own illness, he also needed to have his sworn brother, Ma Anliang, examined by that girl surnamed Ji.

Ma Anliang was his brother who had risked his life for him, saving his life several times. Two years ago, during a confrontation with the imperial court, Ma Anliang was injured in the hands. After his injuries healed, both hands became completely numb and immobile; he couldn't even bend his fingers. While he could be cared for in daily life, for those who wield weapons, being unable to move their hands meant they were essentially crippled.

Seeing his younger brother growing increasingly depressed, he, as the eldest brother, certainly couldn't stand idly by. So, he came here this time to have the girl from the Ji family give Ma Anhao a proper medical treatment, hoping to help his younger brother recover his hand. Presumably, if his hand could move, his younger brother would naturally come back to life.

Of course, on a deeper level, this trip to Ningping County was ostensibly a change of territory and a trip to treat Ma Anliang's illness, but in reality, he also had his own plans.

Seizing Bacunyuan and robbing Zhao the rich manor were merely temporary moves. Over the years, he had been thinking that as he grew older, continuing to be a bandit who plundered everywhere was not a long-term solution. Not to mention the constant risk of losing his head, the constant exposure to the wind and sand was also extremely tiresome for him.

He also wanted to retire from the underworld and live a normal life.

Earlier, he had already moved some treasure to Xi'an Prefecture. Ningping County wasn't far from Xi'an Prefecture; it was only a dozen days' walk, and even faster on horseback. Therefore, he planned to wait until he recovered from his illness, then slip away unnoticed and leave everything to his brothers.