12dz Chapter 97 Backhand Strike
Chapter 97 Backhand Strike
"That's a bit difficult."
Chen Da shook his head and said that the breeding speed of white-feathered chickens is far slower than that of yellow-feathered chickens. Although Chen Da's family has quite a few white-feathered chickens and occasionally brings in some new gray-feathered chickens to raise, the output is ultimately limited. Wu Han comes over every ten days or so and can bring out 20 white-feathered chickens, which is already Chen Da's limit. Any more than that would affect the breeding of white-feathered chickens at home.
"That's it!"
Disappointment showed on Wu Han's face. He had been hoping that Chen Daneng would give him more white-feathered chickens so that he could earn more money each time he came. But now it seemed that it wouldn't work.
"Brother Wu, don't be disappointed."
At this moment, Chen Dao suddenly spoke up: "In a while, there might be even better breeds of chickens. I guarantee you'll make a fortune then!"
"Is it true?"
Wu Han's eyes lit up.
"of course."
Chen Dao nodded. With the increasing number of yellow-feathered chickens, Chen Dao estimated that he would be able to start selling a small number of them in a while.
In fact, a small number of yellow-feathered hens are getting old and no longer laying eggs every day, thus losing their value as pets. However, Chen Dao does not choose to sell these hens but kills them for meat to ensure his family's meat supply and help them become stronger.
"That's great!"
Wu Han said with a big smile, "Then I'll wait for Brother Chen's good news."
"Easy to say."
Chen Dao nodded and then said, "Brother Wu has come all this way, you must come and sit at my house today."
"no problem."
Upon receiving the good news, Wu Han readily agreed. He first went outside and asked Zhang Ming and the others to move the grain to Chen Dao's kitchen. Then, everyone sat together in Chen Dao's living room and chatted.
It's worth mentioning that each person also had a few steamed buns and a cup of hot water beside them, treating the steamed buns as dessert and the hot water as tea, which could be considered a morning tea.
"The food at Chen Dao's house is really good!"
One of the young men Wu Han brought looked at the steamed bun in his hand and couldn't help but sigh to the people around him. They, who worked for Wu Han, were able to eat better at Wu Han's house. Usually, they ate mostly rice porridge made of rice bran flour.
At Chen Dao's home, guests were served steamed buns and were allowed to eat as much as they wanted...
This made the young man extremely envious. He could eat his fill of steamed buns every meal. Even the lives of landlords and rich people couldn't be better than this.
"Isn't that right? It's not just Chen Dao's family; many villagers in Chenjia Village can eat steamed buns every day."
"When we arrived just now, weren't those villagers lining up outside to get steamed buns?"
“I’m thinking of moving to Chenjia Village! I can earn enough steamed buns to eat every day by doing manual labor. You can’t find such a good job in the county town.”
"Yes!"
"..."
The young men Wu Han brought expressed their envy in hushed tones, while Chen Dao chatted with Wu Han, learning about the situation in the county town. For a moment, the entire living room was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.
…………
…………
In the afternoon, Wu Han and the others set off to leave Chenjia Village.
At the outer gate of Taiping County, Zhang He stood in front of a dilapidated house, squinting as he examined the city gate guarded by soldiers.
"Brother Zhang."
The skinny monkey stood beside Zhang He and said, "It's already late afternoon, and in less than an hour, the soldiers at the city gate will be changing shifts!"
"Ah."
Zhang He nodded slightly and asked, "Are the brothers all ready?"
"Ready!"
Skinny Monkey solemnly said, "The brothers are already lying in ambush near the city gate. As long as we shout the slogan of 'Let's do this great thing together,' the brothers will charge out together!"
"very good!"
Zhang He turned to look at the setting sun, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
As the sun gradually set, it was finally time for the soldiers guarding the city to change shifts.
A soldier in armor, with a standard-issue saber at his waist, stamped his foot and said impatiently, "It's so cold today, why isn't the shift change here yet?"
"No hurries."
Another soldier said, "The brothers guarding the city gate at night don't get any extra money, so it's understandable that they might be a little lax."
Taiping County has a total of 20 soldiers guarding the city. These 20 soldiers constitute the entire military force of Taiping County. Among them, 10 are responsible for guarding the city gate during the day, 2 are responsible for guarding the gate, and 8 are responsible for providing support on the city wall.
Another group of 10 people were responsible for guarding the city gates at night. Compared to the night shift, the daytime shift was obviously easier, and there was also extra money to be made!
The 10 copper coins required to enter the city were not given to the county government, but actually ended up in the hands of the city guards. Therefore, guarding the city gate during the day was a very lucrative job for these guards.
Of course, the money didn't just belong to the two soldiers guarding the city gate; they also needed to share some with the brothers providing support on the city wall. In addition, the brothers on night duty also got a share.
Even so, the lion's share still belonged to the two of them; the daily entrance fees they collected were enough to make the two brothers a fortune.
This is why the soldiers on night duty often feel resentful and tend to arrive late each time their shift changes.
"coming!"
Just then, the soldier who had complained first saw his brother who had come to relieve him and immediately smiled. He had earned quite a bit of money in the city entrance fee that day, and after his shift, he planned to go to a brothel in the city to have some fun.
Thinking of the beautiful figures of the courtesans, the soldier was about to step forward to hand over his duties to the soldiers changing shifts when a dozen or so ragged refugees surrounded him.
"Please have mercy, sir, and give us some food."
"Sir, I'm starving! Could you give me something to eat?"
"Sir, please! Give me some food!"
"..."
Zhang He, along with a dozen or so young men including the skinny monkey, pretended to be weak and harmless as they slowly approached the city guards who were about to change shifts, pleading with the soldiers for some food.
"Go away!"
The soldier waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies. These refugees were covered in mud and smelled terrible, instantly extinguishing the lust that had just risen in his lower abdomen.
"Sir, please have mercy!"
Zhang He approached the soldier slowly but firmly, praying as he drew nearer.
However, the soldier remained unmoved and even cursed, "You filthy beggars, get out of my way and don't touch me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier felt a sudden emptiness at his waist.
But Zhang He had already drawn the knife from his waist with lightning speed.
"What are you going to do?"
The soldier's pupils contracted, and before he could react, Zhang He swung his sword back and slashed at his neck.
The sharp blade sliced through the flesh, and a line of blood instantly appeared on the soldier's neck. He couldn't even let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, clutching his throat.