ushernet Chapter 152 What's there to hesitate about in something like this?
Chapter 152 What's there to hesitate about in something like this?
"It's Uncle Wu, Mom, it's Uncle Wu!" Gu Xiaolu, her face covered in soot, exclaimed excitedly.
Then, the other kids chimed in excitedly, "Brother Gun, Brother Silang, Brother Li, and the others are back too! Hey, isn't that Little Goldfish? Why is Mr. Wu carrying him?"
As soon as they shouted, the women who were guarding the end of the village with Lin Chang'er all ran over.
Some called him "the child's father," some called him "the head of the household," and some called him "father and mother."
Lin Chang'er's gaze swept over the familiar faces, watching them laughing and embracing, or weeping with joy.
When Wu Qingfeng was finally found in the crowd, he was already holding Qingfeng upside down with one hand and carrying a little goldfish in the other, walking up to her.
The little goldfish, held in one hand, writhed and twisted, seemingly very uncomfortable. Upon seeing Lin Chang'er, it struggled a few more times and cried out, "Mother!"
Lin Chang'er reached out, took him from her, and put him down, asking with a smile, "What's wrong?"
The little goldfish lowered its head and hid behind her without saying a word.
Wu Qingfeng replied with a half-smile, "The little wolf cub has become addicted to killing. He went to fight one-on-one by himself. Fortunately, the little thing is slippery as an eel, otherwise he would have lost all nine of his lives."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'er felt a wave of fear and quickly squatted down to check the little goldfish's body.
Wu Qingfeng said, "They are not injured. I have checked them. The other three are also all intact."
Gu Silang, Xu Gun'er, and Zhou Li all grinned at Lin Chang'er, revealing their bright white teeth.
Lin Chang'er was relieved. "You've all done a great job. I'll cook something delicious for you later."
She then patted the little goldfish's head and said, "Don't be impulsive next time, understand? Otherwise, Mommy will punish you personally."
Upon hearing this, the little goldfish realized that the matter was over and looked up at Lin Chang'er with a grin, saying, "Son will listen to Mother."
"Brother, are you fighting the thief all by yourself?" Gu Xiaolu asked, her face full of admiration.
"Little Goldfish, how many thieves did you kill?" Little Ox, Little Mountain, Little Tree, and Big Head also gathered around.
Lin Chang'er patted the little goldfish on the shoulder, "Go play!"
Then he said to Gu Silang and the other two, "Silang, Gun'er, Li Ge, take good care of the younger ones."
Gu Silang responded with three "Eh"s.
A group of children found an open space by the fire and sat down, chattering away.
Seeing that Lin Chang'er finally had some free time, Wu Qingfeng looked at her, wanting to say something but holding back.
Lin Chang'er asked, "Is something the matter?"
Wu Qingfeng nodded, "A total of 21 bandits were killed in the front. Old Huo and Uncle Hai are still clearing out the details. No one on our side was killed, but several were injured, and some villagers were also awakened from their sleep..."
Lin Chang'er looked up and said, "Go find the old doctor." She was also too busy to attend to the injured. After saying that, she strode towards the old doctor's house.
Wu Qingfeng grabbed her arm. "The old doctor has already gone over there. She wants you to go and help her out."
"Then what are we waiting for? Take me there!" Lin Chang'er looked at him, seemingly not understanding why there was anything to hesitate about.
You know, the last time she went to ask the traditional Chinese medicine doctor to do something for her cow, the doctor flatly refused.
Wu Qingfeng naturally had no idea what she was thinking; he only felt that she had single-handedly organized the villagers at the end of the village to close the door and beat the dog.
I was already exhausted and wanted to ask her if she wanted to rest for a while, but seeing her anxious expression, I figured she was worried about the injuries of the brothers in the coastal defense team, so I didn't say anything.
When Lin Chang'er arrived, all the wounded had already been transferred to the ancestral hall.
Several pots were boiling water under the courtyard. The family members of the injured brother had come looking for him. There was an old mother sitting to the side wiping away tears, and a wife with red eyes helping to boil and carry water.
Lin Chang'er was overwhelmed with emotions. Forgetting her sadness, she washed her hands and went straight to the old doctor.
The old woman doctor readily agreed, tossing her a pair of fish-gut gloves. "Your hands are steady, so come and stitch up the wound. You don't need me to teach you how to sew, do you?"
Lin Chang'er didn't have time to argue with her, so she put on gloves and took over the doctor's work.
The female doctor then excused herself to examine the next patient.
The wounded were not treated until dawn. There were 27 people with minor injuries, mostly to their arms or legs, including 17 members of the coastal defense team and 2 villagers who were awakened by the commotion. There were two seriously injured people, one stabbed in the abdomen and the other stabbed in the chest.
The wounds were properly treated. The two seriously injured men were still unconscious due to excessive blood loss, and the medicine used was specially made by the old woman doctor.
While others might not know, Lin Chang'er was aware that the old doctor possessed some rare and effective medicines.
In this situation, all she could do was silently pray that her brothers were alright.
Although they began preparations after hearing about what was happening in the south, the time was short, and the current situation is already quite good.
After Huo Lao and Zhou Hai finished cleaning up the battlefield, they sat down in the courtyard with Wu Qingfeng and Lin Chang'er to talk.
"Last night we killed a total of 49 bandits, captured one alive, and seized 50 long knives and 35 short knives," Old Huo first recounted the situation outside.
Lin Chang'er continued, "A total of 29 people were injured in the village. 27 were slightly injured, 17 of whom were our coastal defense team members, and the remaining two were seriously injured. All of them have received proper medical treatment. One of the seriously injured brothers is a member of the Zhou clan, and the other is..."
Lin Chang'er looked at Old Master Huo; the one who had been stabbed through the chest was Old Master Huo's own grandson.
Old Master Huo closed his eyes wearily. "When two armies clash, casualties are inevitable. We, the descendants of the Huo family, have never been afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice."
Lin Chang'er greatly admired the Huo family's integrity, but said, "Old Master Huo, the doctor used the best medicine on Brother Huo. Brother Huo is righteous, and Heaven will protect him. He will be alright."
Zhou Hai felt a pang of sorrow as he watched Huo's grandson shield his brother from a knife, and then thought of the child from his own family. But when he heard Lin Chang'er say this, he chimed in, "Uncle Huo, Chang'er is blessed with good fortune. If she says this, the children will be alright."
Old Huo forced a smile, revealing an extremely ugly one. "Last night, it was thanks to Chang'er leading the villagers at the end of the village to guard the entrance, cutting off their reinforcements and closing the gates. Otherwise, we might have followed in the footsteps of the south last night."
Wu Qingfeng had been silent until now, when he slowly spoke, "We were lucky last night, but the village has probably already been targeted by these people's accomplices. We're likely to have a tough battle ahead."
Lin Chang'er nodded in agreement with his statement, and Master Huo did not refute it. "After last night, the men in the village should have realized the importance of the coastal defense team. When it is broad daylight, Hai Zi will beat the gong and call all the men in the village to gather at the threshing ground. As a member of Linshui Village, there is no reason why they cannot do their part."
Wu Qingfeng said, "That's very good."
Lin Chang'er thought of something and said, "Did the village head send someone to report to the authorities? The matter in the south happens to be in a no-man's-land, but we are a legitimate Ninghai County, so the county government can't ignore it. There might even be a reward!"
As she spoke, she looked at Wu Qingfeng. Last night's events should give him plenty of room to maneuver, right?
The seized knives must also be handled openly; handing them over is definitely not an option.
Zhou Hai slapped his forehead. "I hadn't thought of that at all. I'll go to the county government myself right now."
Lin Chang'er quickly said, "Uncle Hai, don't worry, we'll go in my donkey cart in a bit."
Then he looked at Wu Qingfeng, "Brother, you're coming too." That survivor needs to be interrogated, right? Wasn't it said that someone in the county government was colluding with the pirates? It wouldn't be appropriate for him not to go back…