flstandardbreds Chapter 118 Not One Missing
Chapter 118 Not One Missing
At this time, the Qiao family, who had been waiting anxiously, were ready to go to bed. If he didn't come tonight, they would have to wait until tomorrow.
Although everyone was very nervous, there was nothing they could do except wait.
Qiao Jianer planned that if she didn't come tomorrow morning, she would go to the county town to take a look.
The earth fell into a deep sleep, and the sound of insects chirping one after another came from the fields, occasionally mixed with the barking of dogs, making the village seem even quieter.
Old Mrs. Qiao suddenly pricked up her ears and sat up in bed.
"What's wrong?" asked Old Man Qiao.
"I feel the children coming back." Mrs. Qiao put her hand on her heart. "It seems like they are getting closer and closer to me."
"Oh, old woman, you're just too worried. They must have stopped in the county town. We'll set out early tomorrow morning. After a whole day's journey, even if they can get back to the county town today, they'll be exhausted."
"Shh, listen." Old Mrs. Qiao signaled him not to speak.
Old man Qiao had no choice but to cooperate with her and listen, and sure enough he heard some movement.
In the distance, it seemed as if the wheels of a carriage were rolling over the ground. The horse snorted and came closer and closer.
"Could it be that they really have returned? Or are they just traveling at night?" Old Man Qiao's eyes lit up.
The two old people looked at each other, and the room was dark. They threw off the quilt and got down to the ground. By the time Old Man Qiao lit the tung oil lamp, Old Mrs. Qiao had already hurried out of the yard and was leaning on the gate to look out.
"Coming down to the village entrance." Old Mrs. Qiao was old and her eyes were not so clear, but she kept them open as hard as she could.
The Qiao family members ran out one by one.
If it is daytime, the carriage will have bells tied to it, which can be heard clearly from a distance. If it is too late, the coachman will take down the bells to avoid disturbing the villagers.
But now the noise of the carriage was getting louder and louder, and even the sound of it rolling on the ground could be heard.
The Qiao family members, one on top of the other, looked towards the village entrance. In the moonlight, they saw two carriages in front and behind. Each carriage was quite large and was moving crookedly on the village road.
"It's them, it must be them." Someone said with a sob.
Old Mrs. Qiao stared at the two carriages, afraid that they would continue to move forward.
Fortunately, the carriage stopped at the door.
Then the curtain was lifted, and tall men with long arms and legs walked out.
"One, two, three, four—"
Old Mrs. Qiao counted them like she was counting ducklings and chicks, and only when she reached seven did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Not one is missing."
The women were filled with joy and cried for joy. They hugged their husbands and sons. The girls hugged their brothers, their tears wet their clothes.
My heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. After a day of fear, I can finally sleep peacefully tonight.
Seeing the women like this, the men were all confused.
"What happened? Did something happen at home? Someone bullied you?" Boss Qiao subconsciously touched the dagger at his waist, but when he came, the dagger had been confiscated by the two brothers of the Yang family.
Qiao Laoer said angrily, "Seeing how aggrieved they are, someone must have taken advantage of our absence to embarrass them. Now that we're home, we'll pack up our things and go find those people to settle the score."
"Sister, is the Shen family here again?" Qiao Dayong asked Qiao Xier.
Seeing the men's nervous faces, the women of the Qiao family were at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"You're not easy to bully, but the women of our Qiao family are?" Old Mrs. Qiao said, "It's because you haven't come back yet so late. Everyone is worried about you, afraid that something bad might happen to you outside."
Only now did Old Mrs. Qiao dare to say such harsh words.
Qiao Laosan was somewhat speechless and said, "Didn't they say we'd be back tonight at the earliest and tomorrow at the latest? It's a hundred miles round trip, all on foot, and there were all sorts of other delays. We're already rushing back as quickly as possible."
"Yes, when we arrived at the trade port, the person in charge of receiving the goods took quite a while to inspect the goods, not to mention the time for eating and resting." said Qiao Laoer.
When the goods arrived at the border, it was not just a simple inspection. The buyer brought a special appraiser to examine every detail and compare them with various ancient books.
But when the men thought that the women were too worried about them, they felt warm in their hearts.
At this moment, Dacheng's stomach growled, and then the men's stomachs also started to growl.
"You haven't eaten yet." asked Old Man Qiao.
"Uncle Yang asked us to stay at a restaurant in the county town. We wanted to rush back as soon as possible, so we didn't eat. Uncle Yang then gave us two carriages to take us back to the village.
As Qiao Dameng was speaking, he looked at the two carriages again and realized that they had already left while the family was reunited.
"Oh, I haven't paid yet."
"I heard that Brother Yang told them not to ask for money, and they wouldn't take it even if I gave it to them." Qiao Laodao said, "I was just busy talking to my family and didn't thank them properly. Maybe next time."
At this time, the women had already run to the kitchen, some were heating up the rice, some were cooking, and some were stewing bones.
Old Mrs. Qiao said, "Fortunately, I made some extra food tonight in anticipation of you. Just heat it up." She then went to fetch some water for the children.
"Mom, we're not thirsty. We only finished drinking the water Jianer gave us when we were almost home. But we were really tired and hungry."
They discovered that this kind of water is not a panacea. When one is extremely tired, even if one feels refreshed after drinking it, one still feels weak and needs to rest well.
"Yes, a good physical foundation is the fundamental. Replenishment also needs to be based on this. If you are too weak, constantly drinking this kind of water to replenish it will instead destroy your body." Qiao Lianer said.
Everything in this world has two sides, positive and negative. It is impossible for there to be only advantages and no disadvantages.
This is why, at the beginning, she was extremely weak and drinking a little bit of this water was just enough. If she drank too much, she would definitely not be able to bear it. After Qiao Yunni had been recuperating in the Qiao family for a few days and had some foundation, she gave her bowls of this water to drink.
"Uncle, did you have a smooth journey?" asked Qiao Jianer.
The two elders also looked at everyone. Qiao Zhizhi opened her big, curious eyes, and the women busy in the kitchen pricked up their ears.
They returned home safely, and they said that the goods were delivered to the border. This means that even if they encountered something, they would get through it safely. Now, we can listen to their experiences on the escort journey with confidence.
"If it's really unobstructed, then there's no point at all. Besides, we won't get any exercise." Boss Qiao waved his hand.
Then I told my family everything that happened on the way.
It described in great detail how the bandits ambushed them, how they were dealt with when they came out, and how they gritted their teeth and ended the lives of the bandits.
The Qiao family was very surprised. This was a completely cool story.
"You mean, those people are not enough for you to fight?" Old Man Qiao said in surprise.