After becoming a widow

151-160

Chapter 151

Even if Gu Lin did not have the title of scholar, the county magistrate would not pursue such a trivial matter as whether he knelt down to him or not.

The days when he fled from the town were the most uncomfortable days in his life. He had to use the sky as a blanket and the ground as a mat, eat poorly and sleep poorly, and he had to worry about the refugee army that appeared out of nowhere. The county magistrate could not sleep all night.

When the refugee army appeared just now, the county magistrate's heart sank. His whole life flashed through his mind, and he was completely limp.

Who would have thought that Gu Lin would appear with his men in a sudden turn of events.

"Come here, come here, no need to be polite." The county magistrate patted the seat next to him affectionately and asked Gu Lin to come over.

Gu Lin did not go over, but just said: "Sir, the refugee army has been completely wiped out by the officers and soldiers from the imperial court. Anyuan Town is out of danger. You can go back to Anyuan Town to take charge of the situation."

"Imperial officers and soldiers?" The county magistrate did not react for a while. When they fled into the mountains, they did not see any imperial officers and soldiers. Anyuan Town could only use three or four hundred people from three guards. He was mentally prepared for Anyuan Town to be occupied by the refugee army and for him to go north to the capital.

Gu Lin continued, "It was the commander-in-chief from Kyoto, who led the troops from the provincial capital to pursue the refugee army. Our subordinates followed the order issued by Inspector Lu to notify all villages and towns that the imperial officers and soldiers were going to wipe out the refugee army, and to search more places in the mountains to find the people in the town."

Gu Lin mentioned several times that the imperial officers and soldiers were going to wipe out the refugee army. The county magistrate was not stupid. He noticed something and said to Gu Lin, "Come with me."

"The rest of you wait here. Don't come closer without my order."

"Yes." The county servants who were brought with him said in unison, and those yamen runners who retreated with him also obeyed his orders.

The county magistrate took Gu Lin to a deserted place near the foot of the mountain and asked, "What happened? When did the imperial soldiers come?"

Gu Lin answered honestly, "Three days ago, my subordinates and others returned to the town after suppressing the refugee army. In the afternoon, the commander-in-chief arrived with his men."

"So he came to pick fruit!" If the county magistrate didn't understand, he would have served in office for nothing all these years. It was clearly this commander-in-chief who came to steal the credit and took the credit of the three guards in Anyuan Town.

"Do you remember his name?" the county magistrate asked.

Gu Lin said, "Song, Bing."

The county magistrate showed a trace of surprise on his face, and then he said, "I didn't expect it to be him."

"On the second day after the commander-in-chief came, he called the only person who could take charge, Lu Xunjian, and ordered us to come to the village to inform the news and send the task. On the second day, he left Anyuan Town and returned to Beijing to report." Gu Lin stood beside the county magistrate and told him everything that happened that day and the next day. During the period, he also mentioned that the commander-in-chief asked the county magistrate where he was, and Lu Xunjian said that the county magistrate led the people to retreat together.

Whether he retreated with the people, and what happened before, Gu Lin didn't say a word. The county

magistrate looked at Gu Lin with satisfaction. When he was forced to stay, he thought that this kid was inflexible and annoying, but now he liked him more and more.

He instantly thought that Anyuan Town had not had any unrest so far, and so many refugee troops had been wiped out. What an important opportunity it was for him.

If he worked hard, he would leave Anyuan Town and be promoted to other wealthy places.

As for Song Bing.

The county magistrate sneered. This was just right. The Song family and their family had been mortal enemies for decades. As long as he wrote the report, the relatives in Kyoto would naturally help him.

The most important thing now was to return to the county government as soon as possible to take charge of the overall situation and let everyone know that he, the county magistrate, was still there and had done

so many things. An irrepressible smile appeared on the sallow face of the county magistrate. He looked at Gu Lin lovingly: "We will set off for Anyuan Town immediately. Don't worry, even if Song Bing is the commander-in-chief, there are many people watching him."

"Sir, since we met you here, there should be other people around. I will send a few people to send you and these people back, and I will continue the search with the rest of the people."

The county magistrate frowned slightly. He had witnessed Gu Lin's archery and martial arts. He cared about his life very much and naturally wanted to bring Gu Lin with him. If he met the refugee army again, he would not have to worry.

But after thinking about it, he sighed: "Go, it's a good thing to find more people. Life outside is really not a good life for human beings, not even one ten-thousandth of it in the town."

"Yes." Gu Lin was pulled by the county magistrate to talk for a while, and then turned back to find Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, and Zhang Tie.

The news that the refugee army had been completely wiped out quickly spread among the more than 200 people. Everyone couldn't help laughing loudly and immediately packed up and prepared to follow the county magistrate back to the town.

That was their home, where they had lived for many years and their hometown that they couldn't give up. If they hadn't really had no choice, they wouldn't have left it.

Now that they can go back, no one is unhappy.

As soon as Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen came down, they looked for their parents in the crowd. The Wang family and the Huang family were among the richest families in the town. Even if they fled in a hurry, there should be a lot of people, and the probability of following the county magistrate is very high.

After all, they have dealt with the county magistrate a lot, at least they are acquaintances.

Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen looked at everyone eagerly, trying to find a familiar face in them, but there was no one.

The two of them eagerly pulled over people who looked like their family members, and then repeatedly said sorry, I recognized the wrong person.

Suddenly, just when Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were about to look at all these people, a voice called them: "Qin'er! Qin'er, is it really you?! And Yuwen!"

Wang Qin, who had looked at many faces and pulled many people's shoulders, heard the voice from the side and trembled all over. He looked at the place where the voice came from, and tears flowed down: "Mom..."

Wang Qin ran over quickly and threw himself on his haggard mother: "Mom, I am worried about you to death. I think about you every day."

Mrs. Wang is a bright woman with an oval face. She gave birth to two sons and three daughters. Wang Qin is her youngest son and has been spoiled since he was a child.

Since the drought, her heart has almost fallen on Wang Qin, who is far away in the capital. She also thought that a big place like the capital should not have any problems, so she reported good news but not bad news in the letter to Wang Qin, asking him to stay in the capital and hoping that he will be fine there. But

she was still worried in her heart, and it was almost a disease.

She hugged Wang Qin tightly: "Why are you here? Didn't mother tell you and Yuwen to stay in the city and not come back in the letter?"

Wang Qin didn't want to talk about what he encountered when he came out of the city at this moment. He just hugged Mrs. Wang tightly.

Mr. Wang, Wang's brother and sister-in-law, and the two unmarried daughters who were with Mrs. Wang all looked at Wang Qin and were very happy.

Huang Yuwen had already seen his parents and sister.

The Huang family had few descendants. In his generation, he was the only boy with two older sisters and five younger sisters. What

Huang Yuwen heard most since he was a child was that he was the pillar of the Huang family. He had to stand up and support his sisters and sisters, so that they would not be bullied by their in-laws.

So Huang Yuwen was pressed on a stool to listen to the teacher reading at the age of three, and was taken to Master Xu to learn to read at the age of six.

Fortunately, he was smart and passed the exam from a student to a scholar. Although he was not as good as the evil Gu Lin, his father and mother were satisfied.

What they hoped was that he could pass the exam and become a seventh-rank official, so that the Huang family could change their status.

Huang Yuwen's mother was the granddaughter of a poor fifth-rank Tongzhi. She had learned some poetry and books since she was a child. She was gentle and dignified, and her round face looked a bit like Huang Yuwen.

Seeing Huang Yuwen appear in front of her, Huang's mother thought that she missed her son too much and had hallucinations. She turned around and asked her husband: "I seem to see Yuwen again, it's really..."

"Mother," Huang Yuwen, who had not acted like a spoiled child in front of her since he went to study with Master Xu, hugged her and rubbed his face on her shoulder, "Mother, it's Yuwen, Yuwen is back."

Huang Yuwen has always been soft and cute, with a round face and fair skin. In the past few years, he went to the capital city to study and only came back once or twice a year. In Mrs. Huang's eyes, he was like a small bamboo in spring, changing every year. In the blink of an eye, the child who was only up to his chest was taller than her.

Huang's mother suddenly cried and patted his back gently: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Mother regrets asking you to go to such a far place as the prefectural city. It doesn't matter if my son lives a mediocre life, as long as he is safe."

...

Gu Lin went to Zhang Tie and asked Zhang Tie to take four people to escort the county magistrate and the two hundred people back. He took the rest of the people to continue searching around.

Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, who had already reminisced with their families, had red eyes and noses. They walked up to Gu Lin: "Gu Lin, the two of us will go with you."

Gu Lin looked at their parents over there and said: "You and your uncle and aunt go back to the town, and I will take the rest of the people."

Wang Qin put his arm around Gu Lin's shoulders: "It's a beginning and an end. Yuwen and I came out with you just to search for people from the town in the mountains. Although we are very happy to find our parents, how can we leave before the work is done?"

"Don't you think so, Yuwen?"

"Yeah." Huang Yuwen blinked his big eyes, as obedient as a rabbit.

If the meat is raised back, it will be more like it.

Huang Yuwen said, "Wang Qin and I have already talked to them, and they also think this is a good idea."

Seeing the two of them like this, Gu Lin nodded, "Okay, wait until Zhang Tie and his men leave, and then we'll leave."

More than two hundred people is not a lot, but the refugees all brought large and small bags. Originally, they planned to rest here for a while, and put down their things. Some people even spread out their pots and pans, preparing to start a fire and cook. It would take some time to pack up.

But now they can go back to the town, and everyone is happily packing up their things, a happy scene.