At dusk the next day, after a dusty journey, the carriage finally returned to Horseshoe Lake. By this time, all the villagers from Chen Sheng's gang had moved over.
"Xu Lang!"
Jiang Caiwei couldn't help being happy. She was afraid that Xu Mu would get wet, so she hurriedly held an oil-paper umbrella and took a few steps forward to help cover the rain.
Xu Mu felt extremely comfortable hearing the words "Dong". In any case, after this round of killing the list, they finally had a home in the huge inner city.
"My boss, I went to see it before. In the mountains behind, there are forests of old trees. Building a village is not a big problem."
There are more than 40 villagers who cannot live in thatched huts all the time, not to mention the business of making private liquor.
Xu Mu did the math and found that there was not much time left to make a drink before next month.
"Chen Sheng, we will cut wood tomorrow and build wooden sheds first, and then start surrounding the village."
Unlike the border crossing, here at Horseshoe Lake, the old bandits have just been wiped out, so there shouldn't be any big danger in a short period of time.
Furthermore, Xu Mu actually had other plans for enclosing the village. Simply using wood and tree stumps to enclose the village would have too many disadvantages. The ground near Horseshoe Lake is humid and full of various types of clay. It would be better to tinker with it.
, burn bricks to surround the village.
"Master, I understand."
"Don't be anxious. It's getting late. Let's rest today."
Seven or eight thatched huts, if divided properly, can last for a few days.
"When my boss didn't come back, my wife said you hadn't eaten for a long time, so she took me and others to catch fish!" Sister Lian said with a playful smile.
Xu Mu turned around and saw that Jiang Caiwei was blushing slightly and pretending to tilt her head.
"Sister-in-law Lian, please get two more jars of wine. It's rare to have a peaceful home today, and it's going to be a lot of fun."
"My boss, I want it!"
"I, Sihu, want to drink the Eight Tan alone!"
Whether it was Jiang Caiwei and the village women, big men like Chen Sheng, or the few stick men who joined behind, everyone cheered.
Xu Mu watched quietly, feeling inexplicably relieved in his heart.
He knew that the large group of people in front of him already belonged to Xujiazhuang and cared about "family".
…
The nineteenth day of the melon month.
Summer has come to an end, and the old willows on the edge of Horseshoe Lake and the few summer cicadas that have exerted all their strength can no longer sing their exciting tunes.
Three years of lying dormant in the earth only resulted in one summer of living. Like a passerby, he came in a hurry and then disappeared without a trace.
Standing by the lake, Xu Mu counted the days carefully. From the border gate to the inner city, from Huaiyue to Guayue, it had been more than three months.
Except for the boom in the bootlegging business, all that's left is a piece of chicken feathers.
"Master, the brewery is ready!"
Xu Mu recovered his thoughts, turned his head and looked forward, and found that three or four large houses had been rebuilt next to the seven or eight thatched houses.
According to Xu Mu's design, the largest room has two more attics, setting aside a watchtower that can view all directions.
It is only used as a guard post to facilitate the detection of invading enemies.
"Master, do you want to build the brick kiln?"
"There's no rush, just build more wooden houses."
Burning bricks to surround the village is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, and Xu Mu doesn't expect to do it all at once. There is no danger for the time being around Ma Ti Lake.
Sitting on a chair and letting Chen Sheng get the weapon notarized, Xu Mu turned over it carefully. In this world, weapons are equivalent to a sense of security.
Notarization of common weapons, including swords, horses and lances, there are fifteen pairs in total.
Notarized robes and armor were brought all the way from the border, and there were six pairs in total.
There are eight iron bow notarizations in total.
In addition, there is a notarization of self-made wooden bows, numbering one hundred pairs, also brought from the border.
At first glance, it doesn't look like much, but in reality, it's only enough to protect the village.
The notarization of weapons obtained from Weicheng is also included, and you will need to go to the iron workshop to purchase weapons.
"Caiwei, how much money do you still have in your account?"
"Xu Lang, a total of four thousand two hundred taels."
In the last round of the wine market, the orders received totaled fifteen thousand taels. Of course, the prerequisite for this is that the wine must be delivered on time.
Thinking of the Tangjiang Wine Market next month, Xujiazhuang will definitely not be able to participate. If there are no new customers, it will really be a waste of money.
Xu Mu wanted to tinker with other things, such as soap and fine salt, but after thinking about it, he decided not to do it. If he took too big a step, he would end up damaging his eggs.
In troubled times, just making illegal liquor can cause a lot of trouble. If it were for other things, maybe it would be to grab food, and six or eight big families would pop up.
"Master, come and see!" At this time, Zhou Zun's voice rang.
Xu Mu paused, stood up hurriedly, and walked toward the thatched house following the sound.
"My boss, I was sorting things out earlier and found another hiding place in the cellar."
In the thatched house, Zhou Zun followed Xu Mu's instructions and led people to clean up the messy objects left behind by the old gangsters. Unexpectedly, he discovered a hidden hiding cellar.
“There was originally a broken table blocking it, but after we moved it away, we discovered it.”
"What's in it?"
"A skeletal corpse."
It takes a year and a half for a corpse to turn into bones in a closed cellar like this.
Xu Mu frowned and couldn't figure out why these old bandits hid people in the cellar. According to the temperament of the old bandits, they would kill when they saw fit and usually wouldn't talk too much.
After taking a torch to dispel the rotten smell, Xu Mucai took Zhou Zun and continued walking deeper into the cellar.
As Zhou Zun said, not far in front of the cellar, he saw a tattered earth wall and a skeletal corpse, tied with hemp ropes in four or five places, keeping his body hanging and hanging his head.
At first glance it seems a bit desolate.
He was not wearing a shirt, his robes and trousers were in tatters, and one of his shoes was rotten.
Three or four hurried gophers, seeing someone coming, wanted to flee in all directions.
Zhou Zun stepped forward and trampled his head to death in anger.
"Master, this man's actions are a bit rich and noble."
Ordinary people would not have shoes with such silver carvings. It is estimated that one of them was rotten and was not put together, so it was not taken off by the old gangsters.
Xu Mu approached with a serious look on his face and took a few more glances, unable to hide the shock in his heart.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"He is wearing a pair of tiger and Kui silver shoes."
Thinking of the Tiger Kui silver armor, Xu Mu could vaguely conclude that the identity of the skeletal corpse in front of him was not simple. However, for some unknown reason, it was robbed by old bandits.
"Zhou Zun, don't mention this matter to outsiders. Tomorrow we will find some old wood and seal this cellar."
The hidden dangers left by the old bandits gave Xu Mu a slight headache. If the one in Hu Kui's silver armor had a really extraordinary identity, Xujiazhuang would probably be angered.
If I had known this, I should have left him alive and questioned him properly.
So far, more than thirty old bandits have been killed. Except for the three or four who escaped from the back road, they have all been killed.