the sixth episode
1 County Head Jiang's Home
The county head and his wife were having dinner at home.
County Head Jiang: " Bring me the red wine I brought from Chengdu. I want to drink a glass. Foreigners like to drink this stuff, but I say it's not strong."
The county head's wife: Why are you drinking for no reason? Is it worth your joy to shoot two bandits to death?
County Head Jiang: " It's not as simple as shooting the two bandits to death. The blind bear wanted to give me a lesson during the trial, but it didn't go as he wished."
The county head's wife said," I don't think any of these Guizhou soldiers are good people. You still have to guard against them."
County Head Jiang: I know. If it weren't for the school teachers and classmates, and the villagers who were robbed in Youfang Village changed their minds, I wouldn't have stepped down. Eh, isn't Xiaolei back? Why aren't you eating?
The county head's wife replied," Yes, I'm back, but I've been sleeping since I came back."
County Head Jiang: Are you sick? Should he call a doctor?
The county head's wife: What illness does she have? It's just that I saw a male classmate from their school send her home today.
County Head Jiang: What's so strange about that? Yay, is it because Xiaolei has taken a fancy to a classmate? The county head's wife: " You're really good at making connections. I don't think Xiaolei's expression is like that."
County Chief Jiang: Xiao Lei is not very old, let fate take its course.
The county head's wife said," Xiaolei isn't old, but she's not young either. If it weren't for the new society advocating equality between men and women, she would have gotten married long ago."
County Head Jiang: I forgot about it. Where's the wine you brought me?
Early Morning at Zheng Dongchen's Home
Zheng Xiaohong's family gathered around to eat breakfast.
Zheng Xiaohong: Mom, don't you want breakfast? Eat less.
Xiaohong's wife: Mom doesn't eat. She says she can't digest too much.
Zheng Xiaohong: " Why are you eating so fast? No one is snatching it from you."
Zheng Dongjiao: " Mom, I saw my brother putting dry food in his bag. He told me not to tell you."
Xiaohong's wife: " Doesn't the school have lunch?" He also had to bring dry rations.
Zheng Xiaohong: I won't be back for lunch today. I'm going to Youfang Village. The bandits have ransacked Oil Workshop Village. I want to go and take a look. Dongchen, is your school organizing you to go too? Are you worried that you won't have food to eat?
Zheng Dongchen: Yes. You government officials are just there to join in the fun. What's the use?
[Zheng Xiaohong: The children are just making sarcastic remarks at the side. Everyone will donate a load of grain.]
Zheng Dongchen,"Or is it the one that's too little?"
Zheng Xiaohong:
Zheng Dongchen,"A little stingy."
Zheng Xiaohong: " Aren't the teachers and students in your school not idle? How about it? Tell me what you know."
Zheng Dongchen: " It's too shabby. I can't bring myself to say it. Our class only has two yuan. I can't do it."
Zheng Xiaohong: " Stop pretending to be rich. How much did you donate?"
Zheng Dongchen,"Don't mention it. It's more than ten copper coins."
Zheng Xiaohong: Heartache?
Zheng Dongchen,"It's not heartache, it's heartache." Think about it, if there weren't any bandits, I wouldn't have lost anything. I would be a rich man in my class. Now, he was poor.
Zheng Xiaohong: How did you become a money-grubber?
Zheng Dongchen: " But who am I going to find to make up for my loss? That kid Wang Guowei lost a large sum of money. However, that kid is too wicked. He put the money in your shoes. It stinks so much that I don't even have an appetite for dinner today."
Zheng Xiaohong: Wang Guowei is Wang Jin's son? Donations are voluntary. Don't donate if you can't bear to.
Zheng Dongchen: " I don't mind. I don't have many stones anyway." Wang Guowei, that brat, was extremely unhappy. He was so slow and unwilling to take it out, and we were the ones who did it.
Zheng Xiaohong: " All your classmates are going to Youfang Village?"
Zheng Dongchen: " Not all of them. Those who are willing to go, and those who are not, we won't force them."
Zheng Dongjiao: " Brother, I want to go too. Take me there."
Zheng Dongchen: " You're a spy. You tell everyone everything. I'm not taking you there."
Zheng Dongjiao: " Brother, if you don't take me, I won't tell you. Your classmates are waiting for you outside."
Zheng Dongchen: Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm leaving. I'm not eating.
Xiaohong's wife: Don't you know to eat before going?
4. White Tea House by the Road
The students were tired from walking and rested in the teahouse by the roadside.
Mr. Chen: What a good roadside teahouse. It's a good place to rest.
Teahouse Owner: You must be a school teacher. To tell you the truth, our road is the only main road from Guang 'an to Linshui.
Teacher Chen: Are there many people coming and going?
Teahouse Owner: " Not many people left. I heard that there are bandits on the mountain. Few people go to Linshui to do business." Where are you going?
Teacher Chen: " How far is it before we reach Youfang Village?"
The owner of the teahouse said," It's not far. It's just in the small village by the river." However, I heard that you were robbed by bandits on the mountain not long ago. Are you visiting relatives?
Teacher Chen: " One of our students is from Youfang Village. He was kidnapped by bandits and hasn't returned yet. Let's go and take a look."
The teahouse owner said," You still have a long way to go. Drink some tea and quench your thirst. You're not busy at the moment." The tea today is free.
Teacher Chen: Alright. Students, have some tea first. We'll continue our journey later.
Wang Guowei said,"Waiter, hurry up and pour me some tea. I'm dying of thirst."
Zheng Dongchen: " This small shop is on the main road. There are many people coming and going. It's very convenient to get some information."
Jiang Fengyun,"Are you asking about the bandits?" Waiter, come here. Have you heard of bandits?
Waiter: " Please don't joke around."
Wang Guowei,"What the hell are you two doing? Why are you asking about bandits?"
Jiang Fengyun thought,"Maybe they are bandits?"
Wang Guowei: (The tea in his mouth spurted out) Don't scare me. I'm very timid. I'll get someone to arrest them.
Jiang Fengyun: " What are you grabbing them for? Are there words written on their faces?"。
Wang Guowei thought,"You made me panic." What right do you have to call them bandits?
Zheng Dongchen said," You don't say. This restaurant is most likely related to bandits. However, there are so many groups of bandits on Huaying Mountain. I don't know which group they are from."
Xie Yuhan said,"Don't gossip and badmouth others."
Wang Guowei thought,"They're talking about bandits?"
[Jiang Lei: Are you guys so paranoid that you think everyone is a bandit?]
Xie Yuhan,"Who's a bandit? Where are they?"
[Jiang Lei: You're like a bandit.]
Zheng Dongchen asked,"Go and ask the two waiters who they are to the teahouse owner." I'll know when he says it clearly.
Xie Yuhan said,"I don't believe it."
Jiang Lei: " Go ask him and see what he has to say. Won't it be clear then?"
White Tea House
The teahouse owner said,"Teacher, take your time. It's fine."
Mr. Chen: No thanks, boss. Here's the money for the tea. Students, drink your tea and get ready to go.
The owner of the teahouse said," Sir, you're such a polite person. I'll treat you to tea when you come back. I won't charge you."
Teacher Chen: Boss, you're too polite.
Xie Yuhan said,"I'll follow your method and ask why the boss 'wife isn't here. The waiter said that the boss' wife is sick and went home to take care of her." I say, Second Brother, didn't your boss tell me that his wife died a few years ago? Why did you lie to me and say that you went home? The waiter was very angry and ignored me. I'll ask the boss. You two are so clumsy that you don't even know how to pour tea. I'll find him two more agile ones later. Guess what he said?
Jiang Fengyun,"No."
Xie Yuhan said,"He said that these two waiters are his distant relatives. If he quits them, where will they live?" If they didn't starve to death, taking them in would be a show of kindness.
Mr. Chen: What are you guys talking about?
Zheng Dongchen: " We'll talk about it later. Let's go, students."
White Tea House
Waiter: " What kind of students are these? They're asking all sorts of questions. It's so strange."
Teahouse Owner: " How is it strange? Did you expose yourself?"
Waiter: No way. However, they were talking about bandits and asked me if I knew. How could I say that I knew?
Teahouse Owner: What else did you ask?
Waiter: They asked why they didn't see the lady boss. I told them that the lady boss went home to take care of the boss's wife. The boss's wife was sick. In the end, the woman said that the lady boss was already dead.
Teahouse Owner: What else did you ask?
Waiter: No more.
Teahouse owner: " That's strange. The two female students told me that the two of you were too careless. She introduced two waiters to me and fired the two of you."
Waiter: Will they suspect us?
Teahouse owner: " A few students. Even if you suspect, it's not worth making a fuss about. However, you have to be careful in the future. Your acting skills are too bad."
Waiter: Maybe they were scared out of their wits by the bandits and said it randomly. He was really worried, so he sent someone to kill them.
Teahouse Owner: " What are you going to do? There are dozens of students. How are you going to do that?" What a retard.
White Outside the Teahouse
Mr. Chen,"What is it that you're so secretive about that you can't say?"
Wang Guowei: They insisted that the teahouse was run by bandits.
Teacher Chen: Do you have any evidence?
Zheng Dongchen: No. Everyone thought that teahouses were relatively light jobs and did not require strong physical strength. However, the two waiters who did odd jobs in the teahouse were strong and strong, which was one of the things that was worth suspecting. Secondly, the teahouse owner is not here. We are just using words to deceive the waiter. The waiter will not be able to justify himself. He could basically conclude that they were bandits. If they were not bandits, they had a lot to do with them.
Xie Yuhan said,[Isn't that dangerous? Hurry up and leave.]
Zheng Dongchen: " There's no danger at the moment. They're just passing the message. Whatever they want to do, it's up to the people who came down from the mountain."
Mr. Chen: We'd better be careful. Should we inform the police?
Zheng Dongchen: " It's no use. That would alert the enemy. It's not good."
White Outside the Oil Workshop Village
In front of Zheng Xiaofan's grandfather's grave.
Teacher Chen and Zheng Dongchen silently burned joss money in front of the grave.
Zheng Chao said,"Old man, have a safe journey." Your grandson, Zheng Xiaofan, didn't get to see you for the last time, but Teacher Chen and many other students came to see you. You should be satisfied.
9 Zheng Chao's White House
Zheng Chao brought Teacher Chen and his classmates to the village to explain the situation of the bandits 'robbery.
Teacher Chen: Do bandits often go down the mountain to rob?
Zheng Qigui: " We're at the foot of Huaying Mountain. Bandits often come down to rob."
Teacher Chen: " Don't you usually take precautions?"
Zheng Qigui: " In terms of defense, our Youfang Village has done a good job. Look, there are only two roads into the village. If the bandits want to attack the village by force, it won't be that easy."
Zheng Dongchen: " Yes, the construction of the village has a certain military defense function."
Zheng Qigui: " If you want to blame someone, blame Village Head Du. At that time, he was bringing people to recruit able-bodied men from all over the village." The bandits are here, and we're stuck in the square.
Teacher Chen: " The able-bodied men are usually caught at night. In broad daylight, wouldn't the young people run away when they see the able-bodied men?"
Zheng Chao: " It's all because of that Head Guard Wang. He knows the situation in our village very well. As long as we block the east and west sides of the village during the day, we'll be able to catch them." In order to hide from the able-bodied men, the young men of our Oil Mill Village hide during the day and at night. Xiaofan's second uncle was also captured and given 50 yuan before being released by Head Guard Wang and Head Du.
Teacher Chen: " This is too dark. Zheng Xiaofan was captured by the bandits. Is there any news now?"
Zheng Chao: " Where's the news? We've been busy with the old man's funeral these few days and can't take care of him."
Teacher Chen: " I think the purpose of the bandits capturing Zheng Xiaofan is nothing more than money. If there is news about him, we should think of a way as soon as possible."
Zheng Dongchen: " Master Zheng, this is a little gift from Teacher Chen and everyone else. Please accept it."
Zheng Chao: " Thank you, Teacher Chen, and all the students. The Zheng family has suffered such a great disaster. Zheng Xiaofan was unable to thank everyone in person. I, Zheng Chao, thank everyone on behalf of Zheng Xiaofan."
Daytime in Youfang Village
The county head Jiang Zhongxiong brought a group of people to deliver grain to the villagers.
Villager: Thank you, county head.
Villager: County Chief Jiang, you are really our parent officer.
Ding Ermao sat at the square beside the village.
Ding Ermao: " Birds of a feather flock together. None of them are good. The bandits stole my big fat pig that I used to marry my wife. That son of a b * tch, Village Head Du, captured my able-bodied men and caused me to lose two fingers for nothing."
Villager: Ding Ermao, come and get the grain back to pound the rice. Your mother hasn't eaten for days.
Ding Ermao thought,"The bandits made it impossible for me to get a wife. I don't even have a home. What's the point?"
Zheng Chao's House During the Day
Villager: The head of the Zheng family, ask your family to send someone to the village square to collect the grain.
Zheng Qigui,"Got it."
Villager: The county head said that if you go late, there might not be any. Your family suffered a lot of losses this time, so you should go early.
Zheng Qigui,"We'll be there in a while."
Villager: "(Enter) Zheng family's eldest son, someone outside the village sent you a letter and asked me to give it to you. I'm illiterate, so I don't know what it's written."
Zheng Chao,"Where's the messenger?"
Villager: Someone, give me the letter and leave.
Zheng Qigui said,"Brother, open it and take a look."
Zheng Chao: (Opening the letter and reading it for a long time) Ah, ah. (Spitting blood, falling backwards)
Zheng Qigui,"Big Brother, Big Brother, what's wrong?"
Night in the Bandit Prison
The little monkey brought food to Zheng Xiaofan.
Little Monkey: " I advise you to eat something. Even if your family bails you out, you'll still have the strength to walk."
Zheng Xiaofan: " I'm not eating, little monkey. You saw it. How can I eat?"
Little Monkey: " But you're lucky. You survived. Boss wanted to kill you, but he changed his mind and took the ransom."
Zheng Xiaofan: Kill me? What benefits did Scarface have?
Little Monkey: " It's better to live a bad life than to die a good death. Life is more important than money. Your family is rich, so we'll let you go once we give you money. Our boss is very trustworthy in this regard."
[Zheng Xiaofan: You bandits keep your word. Isn't that a joke?] I'm just a lousy life, worth a few dollars.
Little Monkey: " Normally, I would have charged you 100 or 200 for your life. But this time, we lost a few brothers in kidnapping you. Boss is furious. He'll definitely raise the price. It'll be at least 300 to 500."
Zheng Xiaofan: Even if you kill me, you can't sell me for so much money.
Zheng Chao's House During the Day
Everyone helped Zheng Chao onto the recliner.
Zheng Qigui: " Big Brother, what's wrong? What's written in the letter?"
Zheng Chao: Damn it, look.
Zheng Dongchen said,"I'll do it." Zheng Chao, your son Zheng Xiaofan is in the hands of our Huaying Mountain National Revolutionary Army. I give you ten days to prepare 500 yuan and send it to the Huaying Mountain National Revolutionary Army station in exchange for Zheng Xiaofan. If you don't, please send someone to Eagle Beak Rock to collect the corpse. In order to confirm the truth of the situation, I have sent Zheng Xiaofan's finger to you. Huaying Mountain National Revolutionary Army Commander Zhang Bangan.
Mr. Chen: " Who is Zhang Bangan, the commander of the Huaying Mountain National Revolutionary Army?"
Zheng Chao: The first generation of Eagle Beak Rock is the bandit Scarface. It should be him.
Wang Guowei: What are you waiting for? Hurry up and send the money over.
Zheng Chao: " 500 dollars? This is killing us."
Zheng Dongchen thought,"This is too hateful. This bandit is too arrogant."
Mr. Chen: (Patting Zheng Dongchen on the shoulder) Let's go.
Zheng Dongchen: What about the Zheng family?
Teacher Chen: What can we do if we don't leave? Could it be that he had to cry with them?
Zheng Dongchen: Does the Zheng family have the money to save Zheng Xiaofan?
Teacher Chen: " I don't think so. Even if we raise the ransom, the Zheng family will be penniless."
Outside the Village
The students stood outside the village and looked back at the lifeless village.
Mr. Chen: Everyone, please go back.
Zheng Dongchen said,"Teacher, I want to stay for a while."
Mr. Chen: " We'll wait in front. Hurry up and catch up."
Wang Guowei asked,"Why aren't you happy?"
Zheng Dongchen: Happy? What's there to be happy about?
Jiang Lei: " Coward Wang, do you think everyone is like you? You're so rich that 500 yuan is nothing."
Wang Guowei: Did I say something wrong?
Jiang Lei: You didn't say anything wrong. Dongchen, what are you doing?
Zheng Dongchen: " My brain is in a mess. When will these bandits who exterminated Tianliang be exterminated?"
Xie Yuhan said,"Every dynasty and every generation has bandits."
[Jiang Lei: Bandits seem to be a malignant tumor attached to every dynasty.]
The Principal's Office is White
Director Dong: " Principal, the student discovered this thing?"
Principal Wang: New youth? A lousy magazine.
[School Affairs: Principal, you don't have to say that many students are looking at this.] It was said that the person who wrote this was a university professor called Chen Duxiu.
Principal Wang: " It's not strange. Scholars nowadays like heresy. It's nothing more than a gimmick to attract attention."
School Affairs: You're right. In the past, scholars and imperial examinations were called old masters. They could also be officials when they studied. What's the point of studying now? They were new students, but they were just joining in the fun.
Principal: Are the young teachers back?
[School Affairs: Back.] However, they were the ones who brought these books to the campus. They often gathered together and read these books. I was worried that they didn't teach them well and led the students astray.
Principal: What do you think we should do?
[School affairs: These books will be confiscated as forbidden books, and students are not allowed to circulate them.] You can talk to Director Tan of the Education Bureau and ask them to ban it.
Principal: " Old Tan is not satisfied with the new school, but it is difficult to ban his books."
Zheng Chao's Evening
The family sat together and worried about the ransom.
Mother: Wife, go get my jewelry box.
Wife: Mom, you should keep it.
Mother: What time is it? If you can think of a way, why are you still sitting here with a sad face? The sooner I save Xiaofan, the sooner I can be at ease.
Zheng Chao,"Mom, aren't we thinking of a way?"
The old maid: " This is all the money my paternal family gave me as compensation. You daughters-in-law, take out all the jewelry you have. Go to the pawnshop and see if you can sell it for a hundred taels of silver." However, it was still far from enough to pay the ransom. Qigui, come here. Mom has something to ask you.
Zheng Qigui said,"Mom, tell me. I heard you."
Mother: I'll tell you then. Qigui, you and your elder brother both have a share of this family, but you don't have a family, and you haven't had time to divide the property. Now that you have to pay the ransom, your elder brother can't do anything about it. Right now, the most valuable things in the Zheng family are the 200-odd dan of land and the house left behind by the Zheng family's ancestors. In order to save the people, you have used it as collateral. It's more important to borrow money to save the people first.
Zheng Chao: " Mom, that's Second Brother's property. How can we mortgage it to save Xiaofan?"
Zheng Qigui said," Brother, don't say anymore. Just do as Mom says. Actually, even if Mom doesn't say it, I will say it. Saving Xiaofan is more important. If we delay it by one day, I don't know what he will suffer in there."
Head Guard Wang's Family Bai
Mr. Wang was counting money at home.
Mr. Wang's wife: " Mr. Wang, you only know how to climb the locust tree when you were still in school. You've been counting for half a day, but you still haven't figured it out."
Mr. Wang: Go, go, go. You interrupt me when I count. How can I count clearly?
Wang's wife: You can't count clearly. Don't you know to ask the accountant to help you?
Mr. Wang: " What do you know? Why do you always look for the accountant? Didn't he know everything about me?"
The king's wife said," The Zheng brothers are here. They're wearing mourning clothes. It's bad luck for me to see them."
Mr. Wang: " What do you know? They're here to send money."
The king's wife: They are all empty-handed, how can they give money? Borrowing money was more like it.
Mr. Wang: Brother Zheng, has the old man's funeral been taken care of?
Zheng Chao: " It's all done. Head Guard Wang, Uncle Wang, we're here today to trouble you with something."
Mrs. Wang: Our Head Guard Wang is not an idle person. He has endless work to do all day. If it's not a big deal, it's better not to look for him.
Zheng Chao: " Of course I don't dare to trouble Head Guard Wang for such a small matter. This matter has to be handled by Head Guard Wang."
Mrs. Wang,"Our Head Guard Wang usually runs errands for you for nothing. He hasn't even drunk a cup of tea from you."
Zheng Chao,"We naturally can't let Uncle Wang run away for nothing this time."
Mr. Wang: " You're just a woman. What are you getting involved in? Go to the back. Those who know know will know that you're doing this for your husband's good. Those who don't know will think that you're not abiding by your womanly principles." Zheng brothers, you seem to be burning down the house. What's the emergency?
Zheng Chao: We want to borrow money.
Mr. Wang: How?
Zheng Cao: " I'll mortgage my house and land to the Xie and Wang families. I'll borrow money from them to pay the ransom to save my son, Xiaofan."
Mr. Wang: Will the Xie family and the Wang family borrow it?
Zheng Chao thought,"I'll have to ask you to help me think of a way."
Garrison Ground White
The blind bear sat on a chair.
Blind Bear: Do you think the rocking chair and sliding pole invented by the Sichuanese are more comfortable to sit on?
Soldier Squad Leader: " Captain, I've never sat on either of them. I don't know."
Blind Bear: " You're a blockhead. You can't even imagine."
Soldier Squad Leader: I can't imagine.
Blind Bear thought, Forget it, don't think about it. How's the county head, Jiang Zhongxiong?
Captain, you mean the county government? It wasn't very good.
Blind Bear,"Do you not understand human language?"
Soldier Squad Leader: I understand. It was said that they had given a load of grain to each villager who had been robbed. Captain, if County Chief Jiang doesn't execute those four bandits, you shouldn't be angry. What's in our way?
Blind Bear: " I want to put the blame of the bandits being shot on them. When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman will benefit. We are the fisherman." You must keep an eye on them and report to me at any time. Remember, they are our parents. If we don't extort them, who else can we extort?
Soldier Squad Leader: Then why did you change your mind and not shoot them?
Blind Bear: " Justice is Jiang Zhongxiong's business. The teachers, students, and villagers of Youfang Village don't agree to be executed. I don't want to offend them. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Of course, the captain wasn't stupid.
[Blind Bear: How much money did you get from donating?]
"Nothing much," said the squad leader."I only received 2000 dollars and some wood and cloth."
Oil Workshop Village White
Mr. Wang: " My fellow villagers, the Zheng family was in trouble some time ago and urgently needed a sum of money. The two brothers of the Zheng family came to me and asked me to be the middleman and also the guarantor. They used the 200 catties of land that the Zheng family rented as collateral to borrow 200 yuan from the Xie family. They used the Zheng family's ancestral house as collateral to borrow 200 yuan from the Wang family. They would return the borrowed yuan in January." One cent per month. Everyone was from the same village and could be a witness. Now, both parties signed.
Villager: I didn't expect the Zheng family to come to this point today. I don't know what sins their ancestors committed.
Villager: " During the famine that year, my grandfather borrowed a bushel of rice from the Zheng family. He returned two bushels of rice when he harvested it. I didn't expect the Zheng family to have such a day."
Villager: If the year is good, the Zheng family might be able to pay it back, but if there is a slight accident, most likely they won't be able to pay it.
Mr. Wang's Home
Zheng Chao and his brother came to Mr. Wang's house.
Mr. Wang: Brother Zheng, did you get the money?
Zheng Chao: " I've borrowed it. Thank you, Mr. Wang. Thank you for your trouble."
Mr. Wang: The Xie family and the Wang family refused to lend you money at first. It was only after I persuaded them and asked them to sign my name as the guarantor that they agreed to lend you money. I'm also responsible for this money.
Zheng Chao said,"We will remember your great kindness for the rest of our lives." We came here today to ask you for something. We thought about it for a long time. In the entire village, only you, Mr. Wang, have the ability to do so.
Mr. Wang,"What's the matter? It's none other than me."
Zheng Chao: " We would like to invite Head Guard Wang to bring money to the mountain to redeem the people. Think about it, we are all mountain villagers who have not seen the world. If we rush up the mountain, we might be able to save the people without them. We might end up losing our lives." This is for your hard work.
Mr. Wang: " I'll send you the ransom. No, no. Bandits are not so easy to talk to. They'll turn on you just like that. You'd better ask someone else for help."
[Zheng Chao: There's no one more suitable than you.] We also heard that Scarface is a man of his word. As long as we give him money, he will let us go.
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