"I know you're worried about me, but several days have passed peacefully, and nothing will happen. If I were to leave abruptly now, the other party would definitely become suspicious, and they would change their plan to a surprise attack from somewhere else, which would be truly dangerous!"
"Husband, only by me keeping him occupied here, preventing him from being on guard, and making him think their plan hasn't been discovered, can you achieve a surprise attack, do you understand?"
Fan Zehao shook his head resolutely, still insisting on his own opinion: "I understand, but I won't gamble with your life."
Old pig's kidneys are tough. Zhao Jiaqi didn't have much time to waste with him.
She picked out the most important points and explained, "I'll go to town tomorrow to sell the watermelon sauce. You find someone to meet me so we can pass messages."
"Secondly, A Shi and Xiao Ba keep going into the mountains. Jun Jun said they went to the mountaintop, and from there, they can see very far. I suspect they might use the Iron Armored Army for a surprise attack. Aren't these people said to be good at disguising themselves? So you need to pay more attention to changes in the nearby mountains!"
"Third, take the initiative to seize the highest points on the mountains. That way, even in a small-scale battle, we'll have the advantage of terrain. Prepare plenty of stones; we'll smash them to death, and if we can't smash them, we'll burn them."
"Fourth, investigate if there are any cliffs nearby. If there are, you must defend them well and be careful they don't climb up from the cliffs."
"Oh, and if bandits have appeared in the vicinity and have recently disappeared, it's possible the Iron Armored Army has occupied the mountains. Proceed with extreme caution, or... you could use the arrival of the new Emperor of Zongsheng Kingdom to welcome him and ensure his safety during the bandit suppression. Conduct a small-scale on-site reconnaissance!"
In such a short time, she had thought of so much.
Fan Zehao committed everything she said to memory. The next second, he was about to strike her neck with his hand, intending to knock her out and take her away, but she dodged him.
She smiled playfully, "I trained you, so I know your little thoughts perfectly. But I really can't leave now. Rest assured, for you and the children, I will be fine. What I've said needs to be done sooner rather than later!"
With that, she quickly ran out of the kitchen. Just as they had eaten two steamed buns, they returned.
Looking at the two people who entered, she smiled and, without betraying her emotions, beckoned them over to eat, treating them even more warmly than her own brothers.
But in her heart, she hated these people to the core!
The next day, in the morning, she had the village chief pull a cart of watermelon sauce to town to sell. As the saying goes, every little bit counts.
She met up with Xu Dong, who was disguised as a rich merchant. He bought the entire cart and asked Wei Damao to deliver it to the restaurant. While Wei Damao was working, he had a private chat with his sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, my elder brother led ten thousand men to suppress bandits on the mountain last night. They have all been captured and are now in prison. Based on their fighting style, it's unlikely to be the Iron Armored Army."
The uncle and sister-in-law, upon meeting, skipped any pleasantries and got straight to the point.
Zhao Jiaqi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good!"
"What about the cliffs? Is there any mountain connected to Zongsheng Kingdom?"
Xu Dong relayed the intelligence he had gathered last night, "According to information from the old hunter, there is a cliff with a deep valley below it, near Xikou Village. My brother has already crossed another mountain this morning to scout it alone."
"You... your brother... your brother went alone?" Was he risking his life!
Xu Dong nodded, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. My brother is a hunter. Climbing mountains and crossing ridges is a common occurrence for him. Even if he encountered them, it wouldn't arouse their suspicion."
"Oh, right. My elder brother asked me to tell you that this is 'fighting fire with fire'!"
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and rubbed his nose. His elder brother was trying to assert his dominance and retaliate.
However, in his opinion, at most, his sister-in-law would just smile at him, and he would transform from a tiger into a kitten. Although she might bare her fangs at her master, a single slap would make her obedient.
Zhao Jiaqi was so angry her nose seemed to point crookedly, "Go back and tell him he's prepared to sleep in the study for a year!"
He didn't believe it and leaned closer to his sister-in-law, whispering, "Can you bear to?"
"Don't push your luck! I'm telling you, even if you were a general now, I could still break off your engagement with Pingtian, hmph!"
Zhao Jiaqi was furious. None of them gave her any peace. This young man dared to tease her; it was clear he needed a good thrashing.
As she walked away, Xu Dong chased after her, "Don't, sister-in-law, I support you, I agree with you, let my elder brother sleep in the study."
Zhao Jiaqi stopped and turned, shouting, "You forget your brother for a woman, and I'll ruin your wedding!"
This time, Xu Dong was stunned. He stood rooted to the spot, pulling at his hair, on the verge of tears.
Whether he agreed with her or not, it was wrong. How could this woman be so difficult to please!
Especially a woman like his sister-in-law, a female bandit leader. In the future, he absolutely couldn't let Pingtian learn from her; it was best to meet her as little as possible.
After selling her goods, she symbolically collected some silver shards. When Zhao Jiaqi returned to the village, she bought some meat to improve their meal.
At noon, they had dumplings with pork and napa cabbage filling. The dumplings were plump and white, looking very appealing.
"Wow, dumplings! I want to eat them!"
The little one then went to wash his hands. In contrast, the two people who had sent Jun Jun home had very unpleasant expressions, with veins bulging on their foreheads.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi guessed that her husband had disrupted their plans, otherwise, they wouldn't be so angry, their faces having changed color.
Zhao Jiaqi's smile widened. "What are you standing there for? Wash your hands and eat. The village chief will be here soon too."
Xiao Ba was already full of anger and had no appetite for food. He just said he wasn't hungry and left. Ah Shi, his shadow, also left without a word.
After the two left, little Jun Jun immediately whispered, "I ran into Father. They asked Father where he hunted. Father said Qinglong Mountain. The expressions of those two changed immediately, and they kept asking Father about Qinglong Mountain."
Zhao Jiaqi stroked her head. This girl had the potential to be a spy. "Eat."
Just as she had expected, the Iron Armored Army was similar to some modern military units, adept at surprise attacks and winning with fewer men.
It seemed that a surprise attack from the mountains was out of the question. The only remaining possibility was the cliffs. As long as they held their ground, they would catch the enemy off guard.
Even if they couldn't annihilate them, they would at least inflict some casualties.
Entering October, the remaining five mu of sweet potatoes in the fields had ripened. Because they were planted late, they were harvested relatively late as well.
The next day, the village was buzzing with activity as people began working in the fields. The pay remained fifteen wen per person, without meals included, yet villagers were scrambling for the work at this price.
Five mu of land yielded an average of 5,500 jin per mu, which was more than double the previous yield.
Wei Damao stared with his mouth agape, "My heavens, it can produce so much! If we planted just one mu, it would be enough for the whole family to eat for a year, and the rest could be sold for a good profit!"
Zhao Jiaqi had never shied away from farming. She said proudly, "Of course! And these sweet potatoes can be made into food that can be stored for half a year to a year without spoiling. If our entire village planted sweet potatoes, we could completely create a complete industrial chain. Then, with the products sold all over the country, wouldn't money come pouring in? Would you still worry about not finding a wife?"