Chapter 162 Death List
Oh, Qin Yao doesn't count.
She didn't feel heavy at all because she had just come to terms with it.
There is a 99% chance that the civilians who have not returned by this time are dead, and their buried place is unknown.
Worse still, some of them were not even buried, but were left to rot somewhere, eaten by wild beasts until only a few bones were left.
Liu Qi is tall and capable, and Qin Yao likes this young man very much.
But the dead cannot be resurrected, so we can only pat the old village chief on the shoulder to comfort him and express our condolences.
The village chief was confused, "Madam Qin, you don't seem to be worried about your Liu Ji at all?"
The old man suddenly remembered that when the laborers were being recruited, Qin Yao was the only person in the village who took the initiative to come forward and fill in his name.
As for the others, he either urged them to do it or they looked helpless and didn't want to do the corvée at all.
Qin Yao still has to stay in the village, how can she bear the suspicion of murdering her husband?
She immediately explained: "I am worried, but it is useless to worry. I just comfort myself and think in a positive direction."
The village chief's doubts were finally dispelled, and he sighed, "You are also a miserable person."
Qin Yao secretly raised her eyebrows. How could she be miserable?
Ever since she gave up on that useless Liu Ji, her waist and legs no longer hurt. She could eat anything and eat five bowls of rice in one meal. She could sleep until dawn!
If I could stop farming and become a landlord, my life would be complete.
Qin Yao rode in front, and the village chief and everyone else followed in ox carts. They walked from noon to evening and arrived at Kaiyang County before sunset.
The last time she came, Qin Yao felt that it was not lively enough because there were not enough people.
This time when I went into the city, maybe because there were more people coming back, the feeling was very different.
What is the specific difference? It should be that there are more sounds of crying and laughing.
Those who come back naturally smile.
Those who could not return all gathered at the gate of the yamen, waiting for the death list to be posted.
The village chief arranged the five villagers in a teahouse and called Qin Yao, and the two went to the small courtyard next to the county government office.
A young officer opened the door, let the two men in, and then immediately closed the door.
The officer recognized Qin Yao and called her "Madam Qin" in surprise.
However, Qin Yao had no memory of this person at all. She looked at him suspiciously, "Who are you?"
The officer smiled bitterly and said that his name was Zhou Zheng and that he had previously followed Qin Yao to Yuhua Mountain to suppress bandits.
Qin Yao looked as if she had suddenly realized something, but in fact she didn't remember anything at all.
Zhou Zheng didn't care about these details. He knew why the village chief came here. He invited the two to sit down in the house, poured two cups of hot tea, and then said:
"I have arranged for Liu Qi to work under Shangguan Lie. He is a veteran with plenty of experience and strong martial arts skills. In the past, the grain transport teams that followed him were able to escape danger, so he should still be on the way."
"Besides, I haven't received Liu Qi's name yet. Don't worry, uncle. Maybe the boy will come back in a few days."
When Qin Yao heard the word "uncle", she thought to herself that it turned out that the village chief had a nephew who worked in the government.
Zhou Zheng looked at Qin Yao again, "Did anyone from Madam Qin's family also go to the grain transport team?"
Qin Yao nodded and glanced at the village chief. Seeing that the village chief indicated that she could ask boldly, she said, "My husband's name is Liu Ji. He also left with the grain transport team, but he has not returned yet."
"Huh?" Zhou Zheng thought the name sounded familiar. After thinking for a while, he said in surprise, "What a coincidence. I've seen this person before. Isn't he a very handsome scholar who is a little younger than me?"
Qin Yao looked at him in surprise and nodded, "Yes, the face is pretty good."
Zhou Zheng immediately showed Qin Yao a reassuring expression, "He is in the same team with Liu Qi, and they are both under Shangguan Lie. Maybe they will come back together, and they are still on the way."
There is one more thing Zhou Zheng didn't say.
That is, the reason why he arranged the person to work under Shangguan Lie was because he took a bribe of five cents from him.
Since we are paid for the work, and since they are all from Liujia Village, of course we have to take care of them.
"I didn't expect that he is your husband, Madam Qin." Zhou Zheng was even more surprised than Qin Yao. He thought that a female hero who fought bandits like Qin Yao should be matched with a man who is stronger than her to be able to suppress her.
Who would have thought that her husband was actually a weak scholar.
The village chief asked about the other five people, and Zhou Zheng's expression darkened. "It's on the list. I checked the list of people from our Liujia Village. There are exactly eight names."
The village chief sighed, not knowing how to tell the five families the bad news.
But knowing that his grandson might be fine, he was still relieved and asked Zhou Zheng to keep an eye on him in the yamen. If he saw Liu Qi returning to the city, or if he saw him on the list, he should tell him immediately.
Zhou Zheng comforted him, "Uncle, you're overthinking it. Liu Qi is a tall and strong guy, he will be fine."
"Just go back and wait, they will be back in a few days!"
He smiled faintly at Qin Yao, signaling her not to worry. He felt that Liu Ji was a very smart man and most likely would not die.
It would have been fine if he hadn't said the last sentence, but after he said it, Qin Yao felt very uncomfortable.
The two village chiefs just thought she was worried and looked at her with sympathy.
When we left Zhou Zheng's house, it was already completely dark.
Zhou Zheng originally wanted to let the two of them stay at his home for a night, but the village chief refused because there were five villagers staying in the teahouse.
Qin Yao followed the village chief, and the two of them returned to the teahouse with solemn expressions. Before they opened their mouths, the five people had already got the answer from their expressions. They lowered their heads, silent with red eyes.
The city gate was closed and they couldn't go back today, so Qin Yao took them to the restaurant owned by Manager Fan and rented a large bunk bed and two single rooms.
Five villagers slept in a dormitory, while she and the village chief each had a single room.
The villagers said that they would give the rent money to Qin Yao when they returned to the village. Qin Yao waved her hand and said, forget it, she would treat everyone today.
They are all from the same village, and their wives and sons all work in her waterwheel factory. As a boss, Qin Yao is never vague when it comes to being generous.
So they thanked him, ate something quickly to fill their stomachs, and then went back to their room to rest in a depressed mood.
The village chief felt bad because they were all children he had watched grow up. Plus, there was still no news about Liu Qi, so he sat in the corner of the lobby with Qin Yao and insisted on asking her to analyze where Liu Qi and Liu Ji were at the moment.
It would be fine if he didn't analyze it, but once he started analyzing it, Qin Yao had a bad feeling - Liu Ji was probably not dead.
He was well prepared when he left. He brought warm clothes, thick-soled shoes, and even a straw raincoat and hat.
If nothing unexpected happens, there will be no problems along the way from Kaiyang County to Xuanyue Pass.
The only place where he could possibly die is outside Xuanyue Pass.
Liu Ji had no martial arts skills, but he had a pretty good IQ. He took her dagger, but if he just hid and defended himself, the probability of being stabbed to death by the enemy was at most 50%.
There is another point that gives Qin Yao a headache. Liu Ji's dodging skills have been perfected through her daily beatings.