Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

Chapter 238 Departure

Last night, she was just walking around out of boredom because she was worried about Fan Yanmu's situation, but she unexpectedly embarked on this extraordinary journey.

It happened that the mayor of Lianhua Town was critically ill. If she hadn't happened to pass by, how could she have learned the news in time?

As the heavy burden on her heart gradually fell to the ground, Xiao Zhixue felt unprecedented ease and relief.

The two men's footsteps quickly brought them back to the mayor's mansion, where they saw lights and decorations all over the house, with a festive atmosphere, all celebrating the mayor's improved condition.

When the servants saw Zou Ping leading Xiao Zhixue in, they immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.

Especially the two servants who had the honor of meeting and helping Xiao Zhixue last night were so excited that they could hardly control themselves. Their faces were filled with irrepressible joy and they danced with joy. Because they were rewarded for introducing the miracle doctor, Mayor Yang generously gave them twenty cents each. This unexpected fortune was undoubtedly a huge surprise for them.

Zou Ping led Xiao Zhixue through the corridor with carved beams and painted buildings and into the exquisitely decorated living room.

Mayor Yang and his son Yang Shang were sitting leisurely around the tea table, sipping tea and chatting.

Seeing Xiao Zhixue coming, the two of them immediately stood up, smiling and welcoming her warmly.

Xiao Zhixue looked at Mayor Yang. Although his complexion was much rosier than before, his body still looked a little thin. It was obvious that it would take some time of careful nursing to fully recover.

"Miss, you are finally here. I have been waiting for a long time. Please take a seat."

Mayor Yang's voice was filled with joy as he ordered his servant to serve hot tea to Xiao Zhixue.

After Xiao Zhixue sat down, she gently raised the cup. The tea had a light fragrance, but it didn't taste top-notch when she first drank it.

But she didn't care about it because the purpose of her trip was not to taste the fine tea.

Mayor Yang said a little embarrassedly: "My home is simple and I don't have any high-quality tea for you to enjoy. I hope you will forgive me, young lady."

Xiao Zhixue responded with an understanding smile and nodded gently: "Mayor, you are too polite. In fact, my appreciation of tea is limited. As long as it can warm people's hearts, it is already beautiful to me."

Her thoughtfulness made Mayor Yang like her even more.

He hinted to Zou Ping to step down with a subtle look, and then openly mentioned to Yang Shang his plan to assign someone to carry out an important task.

Xiao Zhixue's heart tightened. According to the original plan, this matter should be kept secret. Why did Mayor Yang discuss this matter in front of Yang Shang? Mayor Yang seemed to see through her doubts. He gently cleared his throat and explained: "In fact, most of the things we did before dealing with the bandits in Longfei Village were participated by my son Yang Shang. Now that my health is not as good as before, I have gradually entrusted these important tasks to him."

Xiao Zhixue nodded slightly, asked no more questions, and waited for the next step.

Mayor Yang continued, "I also want Yang Shang to be fully responsible for this operation. What do you think, Miss Xiao?"

Xiao Zhixue blew gently on the surface of the tea, her eyes swept across the teacup, and met Yang Shang's steady gaze.

It was dark last night and she was unable to get a close look at Yang Shang's face.

But when I saw him today, I found that Yang Shang had a slender figure. Although he could not be called handsome, his eyes were clear and bright, revealing an air of integrity.

Judging from his appearance alone, Xiao Zhixue felt that Yang Shang was a sincere and reliable young man, and did not seem like someone who would play power games.

Since Mayor Yang was willing to entrust such an important task to Yang Shang and made it clear to him in person, she naturally had no objection.

She gently put down the teacup, turned to Yang Shang, and asked politely, "May I ask your name, sir?"

Yang Shang was slightly surprised when he first heard it, but then he reacted and replied, "I am Yang Shang."

Xiao Zhixue didn't want to delay any longer, so she stood up and said, "Young Master Yang, let's set off immediately. The journey is long, and we shouldn't delay any longer."

Yang Shang originally had this idea, but when he saw Xiao Zhixue took the initiative to propose it, he readily agreed and stood up and left.

He called over twenty servants to the mansion to wait for orders.

Xiao Zhixue examined the group of servants and thought to herself that their numbers seemed a little too small.

It would probably take a lot of time and energy for these twenty people to complete that arduous task.

"Are these the only people the manpower in the palace has right now?"

Xiao Zhixue directly asked about her concerns.

Yang Shang's fingers gently stroked the back of his head, with a subtle embarrassment and helplessness in his movements. He said with a heavy voice, "To tell you the truth, there are only a few loyal servants left in the mansion. The other poor people have unfortunately become the souls of the dead under the knives of the bandits in Longfei Village."

Xiao Zhixue couldn't help but feel emotional when she heard this. You know, even in a small mayor's mansion, the number of servants would never be less than dozens.

Now, there are only about twenty people left in the mansion, and this decline is really sad.

No wonder Mayor Yang was frowning all day long. It was not until he heard that the threat to Longfei Village had been lifted by her that he smiled sincerely, as warm and rare as the first sunshine after the clouds have dispersed.

"Without further delay, we will set off immediately."

As soon as Xiao Zhixue finished speaking, she strode towards the gate of the mansion with firm steps.

Seeing this, Yang Shang hurriedly followed behind them. The group of people quickly passed through the stone pavement in the mansion, and the servants quickly and orderly prepared the horses. The process was tense but efficient.

After everyone stepped out of the mansion, they mounted their saddles swiftly. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the early morning air, raising clouds of dust. The team they formed rushed straight to Longfei Village like an arrow from a bow.

Thanks to the galloping of the mount, it only took a short while for the sinful village to come into view.

However, just as they approached the village, a shocking scene suddenly appeared - there was a team of government troops in the village who were busy with their work. There was no relaxation on their faces. On the contrary, their serious and dignified expressions, as well as the ongoing corpse counting, all told of the fierce battle that had taken place here.

Xiao Zhixue's heart sank suddenly. She had never expected that the government troops would arrive here so quickly.

The tire tracks on the road were clearly visible, and since there was no snow last night, the three tracks leading to this place were particularly glaring and difficult to conceal.

This situation forced her to re-evaluate the current situation.

Once these soldiers follow the clues and search for Lianhua Town, she, her family and fellow villagers will probably instantly become the focus of investigation.

Fortunately, she successfully cured Mayor Yang's chronic illness last night. Otherwise, once the government troops arrived, the innkeeper would inevitably reveal their whereabouts.

By then, even if she was eloquent, she would not be able to explain the whole story and would be unable to defend herself.

The leading soldier saw more than 20 people riding horses approaching, and almost as a conditioned reflex, he drew his sword from his waist and looked at the group of people vigilantly, his eyes full of vigilance and questioning: "Who are you?"