Chapter 395: 391: In-Law’s Opening Door_1

Days passed, and Sun Licheng ran to Jiang Sanlang every day to tell him about the latest war situations he had heard.

One night, Yingbao suddenly had a dream, dreaming of flames soaring to the sky in Qinchuan County and their shop being set ablaze, leaving her older cousin Jiang Cheng’s and her aunt’s families in pools of blood.

Yingbao was shocked awake, the scenes are still fresh in her mind, as if she had experienced them firsthand.

Thinking of a possibility, she shivered, jumped out of bed, and knocked on her parents’ room, shouting “Dad! Mom!”

Jiang Sanlang and his wife, Chunniang, quickly got dressed and opened the door, asking, “What happened?”

“I need to go to the county town. Dad, you should inform the villagers at home to keep an eye on the village these days. If soldiers come, let the villagers hide immediately.” As Yingbao spoke, she slipped her boots on.

Jiang Sanlang frowned, “What’s the matter? Let me go to the county town.”

Yingbao recounted her dream, and finally said, “I’m worried that something will happen in the county town. I want to notify cousin Jiang Cheng and them to close the shop and find a place to hide.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sanlang’s face changed, and he turned around to get dressed, “I’ll go to the county town; you stay at home.”

“No way!” Yingbao refused.

“Baobao!” Chunniang grabbed Yingbao and angrily said, “You’re a girl, what are you running around for? Your dad can get there faster.”

Yingbao: …

Jiang Sanlang quickly got dressed, put on his shoes and socks, and ran out of the room to saddle his horse.

By this time, it was almost daybreak. Jiang Sanlang leaped onto his horse and told his daughter, “You stay at home and tell your uncles to inform the villagers to stay alert these days.”

“Okay.” Yingbao also knew that they couldn’t delay any longer and gave her dad the nod to leave.

She then took out a bag of wheat and several potions and handed them to her dad, “If the horse gets tired, feed it this.”

Jiang Sanlang took the bag and hung it on his shoulder, put the medicine into the bag, snapped the reins, and left the yard, quickly leaving the village.

A hundred miles away, he arrived in just a few hours.

By now, it was broad daylight. The city gate was wide open, and many people were coming in and out, with no apparent anomalies.

Jiang Sanlang didn’t know what was about to happen, but his daughter’s dreams were usually prophetic, so he didn’t dare to take them lightly.

When he reached the shop, he saw his sister, Jiang Yunniang, selling breakfast.

Seeing him, she was surprised, “Sanlang, what brings you here?”

“Pack up and come back to the village with me.” Jiang Sanlang got off his horse and quickly ran into the shop.

Jiang Cheng, who had just opened the shop, was startled to see his third uncle rushing in.

Jiang Sanlang said, “Quickly close the shop and come back to the village with me.”

Jiang Cheng quickly asked, “Third uncle, what’s happened at home?”

“Don’t ask, hurry back and get your family. I’ll help you saddle the carriage.” As he spoke, Jiang Sanlang went directly to the backyard to saddle the carriage.

Seeing the serious expression on his third uncle’s face, Jiang Cheng thought something major had happened and hurriedly ran home to bring his wife, son, and daughter.

When he returned, he saw his third uncle hiring a carriage on the street and helping his aunt’s family get on it.

“Third Uncle, what actually happened?” Jiang Cheng asked with concern.

Jiang Sanlang didn’t know how to explain, and after thinking for a while, he said, “You’ll know when you get back.”

He glanced at his niece-in-law, wondering whether he should tell her the truth. But since his daughter’s dream seemed to not involve anyone else getting hurt, he decided not to reveal it for now.

However, as the carriage had just driven a short distance away, they came across shopkeeper Chou riding a donkey.

“Huh? Where are you going at this hour?” Shopkeeper Chou asked.

Jiang Cheng quickly stopped the carriage, “There’s some emergency at home, third uncle came specifically to bring us back.”

Jiang Sanlang also stopped his horse, thought for a moment, and said, “My dear relative, it might be turbulent recently, why don’t you leave the city with us?”

Seeing the serious look on Jiang Sanlang’s face, Shopkeeper Chou curiously asked, “Third Brother-in-law, do you know something?”

Jiang Sanlang looked at the sky and said anxiously, “There’s no time to lose, we must leave the city quickly. You should also rush back and bring your family to our village. We must leave the city before noon!”

After speaking, he flicked his whip, urging his horse to leave.

He turned his head to Jiang Cheng and said, “Hurry up!”

Jiang Cheng could only raise his fist and bow to his father-in-law, then drove the carriage away.

Shopkeeper Chou’s daughter, Chou Rong, was terrified. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong and hurriedly lifted the curtain on the carriage and said to her father, “Dad! You should go home now and bring mom and younger brother out of the city. Hurry!”

Shopkeeper Chou didn’t quite understand, but considering the ongoing battles everywhere, he took control of his shaken nerves and rushed home on his donkey.

After returning home, he hooked up their donkey cart, got his son and wife to sit in it, thought for a moment, went back into the house and packed the title deeds, a few promissory notes, and dozens of taels of silver into a bag and handed it to his wife. Only then did he start driving towards the city gate.

Not long after they left the city gate, he turned his head and suddenly saw the city gate slowly closing.

Shopkeeper Chou was shocked and whipped the donkey to make it run faster.

What did they want to do by closing the city gate now?

It must be something bad.

What he didn’t know was that County Magistrate Cao Can, leading seven or eight hundred soldiers, closed the city gate, attacked the county government, killed the county magistrate, and then began a massacre and looting in the county town.

Cao Can first went to the Jiang family’s specialty shop. Finding it empty and not seeing any gold or silver after a search, he set the shop on fire in anger.

One of his subordinates told him that Jiang Cheng’s father-in-law was also wealthy, so they went to his cake shop, but they didn’t find anyone there either. They only found some raw materials for making cakes, and copper coins.

Cao Can interrogated a passerby and learned that they had left early.

“Humph! Where could they have run off to? Chuanhe Town?” Cao Can sneered, “When I take over the county town, I’ll wipe them all out!”

Commandery Prince had promised him that once the task was completed, this county town would be under his control.

···

Meanwhile, when Jiang Sanlang had arrived back at Dongchen Village with two horse carriages, it was almost evening.

Seeing her dad and older cousin Jiang Cheng’s family returned safely, Yingbao breathed a sigh of relief.

Old man Jiang was still puzzled, and he asked his third son, “What happened in the county town?”

“I was worried something would happen, so I brought Dacheng and your older sister back.” Jiang Sanlang unsaddled the horses and gave them a bottle of medicine to drink.

The horse was completely worn out today, having run over two hundred miles with its entire body soaked in sweat.

Old man Jiang disapprovingly glared at his son, “If war was really to reach us, it would still be safer to stay in the county town. You fool!”

Jiang Sanlang smiled and said nothing. He went to fetch water to wash his hands and face, then sat down at the table for a meal.

After finishing his meal, he quickly fell asleep on the kang.

Chunniang cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and whispered to her daughter, “Yingbao, don’t tell others about your dreams. Whether they come true or not, you can’t tell.”

Yingbao nodded and took a cloth to wipe the table.

When everything was put in order, it was completely dark outside.

Suddenly, the family dogs, Dahuang and Xiaohei, started barking furiously in the direction of the main door, startling Chunniang who quickly climbed the fence to check the situation.

She saw a donkey cart stopped at the entrance of the Jiang’s house. A chubby middle-aged man got out of the cart and was knocking on the door.

“Dear relatives! Open the door! It’s me!”