From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 717: Chapter 719: Tukeng County

Everyone was exceptionally careful with their personal weapons. Even though Gu Letian had already sharpened them once, they still meticulously inspected the blades themselves.

"If you guys are so worried, sharpen them yourselves," Mu Xi sneered, unable to stand their behavior. "Don’t just bully Le Tian because he’s honest.

"He’s been sitting here sharpening your knives for half the day, and you’re still finding faults. If you’re not satisfied, grab your weapons and get lost."

"Mu Xi, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? What’s with the huge temper?" Tian Laimi, who had a blade of grass dangling from his lips, pulled it out. "I found some fish mint over there. Do you want me to pull up a few roots for you to chew on?"

Mu Xi snorted. "If you found some, why didn’t you dig up more and bring it back? We could have tossed it into a salad and had an extra dish today.

"You guys have strolled around enough. Can’t you see that Le Tian and I have been stuck here sharpening blades all day? You guys are handling dinner tonight."

"You’re the only one who always stands up for this idiot," He Lu said dismissively. "He hasn’t even said anything himself, yet here you are, jumping up and down.

"Besides, he has nothing better to do anyway. What’s wrong with helping everyone out?

"We actually wanted to invite him to go out for some fresh air, but with his clueless look, are you sure he wouldn’t get lost on the mountain?"

Mu Xi carefully glanced at Gu Letian, who was sitting nearby. Seeing that his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest upon hearing these malicious words, Mu Xi couldn’t help but frown. With a personality like this, it was no wonder he was bullied by everyone.

These men were already ostracizing him because Yu Laoda valued him so highly. However, since Gu Letian refused to fight for himself, Mu Xi felt like he was just wasting his breath trying to play the good guy.

"We’re all brothers here. You’re taking your words a bit too far."

"Alright, alright, it’s just making dinner," He Lu said, realizing his words had been a bit out of line. He sheepishly called out to a few of the men. "Let’s go. Come forage for wild vegetables with me. I remember seeing some wild celery not too far ahead. It’s a bit tough, but it’ll be edible once we chop it up and boil it down."

As for the prey caught in their traps, no one would dare touch them. They were counting on selling the game for extra silver, as it was their hope for a better life in the future.

Once the others had dispersed, Mu Xi turned to Gu Letian. "Don’t be too honest. If you give these guys an inch, they’ll take a mile."

Gu Letian smiled at him and replied in stiff local dialect, "It’s fine. They aren’t wrong; my personality isn’t very likable."

Fleeing all the way here, he had panicked and chosen a random path, only to end up wandering further and further away. Throughout that long journey, without any family or friends by his side, he had gradually grown unaccustomed to speaking. Furthermore, it had taken him a long time just to understand the local dialect, so keeping his mouth shut had simply become a habit.

Seeing him sitting there blankly again, Mu Xi felt a sense of helplessness. Perhaps it was exactly because of this personality that the kid had earned Yu Laoda’s heavy reliance. There were pros and cons to everything!

For men accustomed to living in the mountains year-round, staying up there for ten days to half a month at a stretch was completely normal. However, since they didn’t know when the restaurants in the county town would stop buying wild game at premium prices, they had been carrying their catches down the mountain every other day.

After two or three consecutive deliveries, they noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces upon entering the city this time. The commoners in the county town were speaking much more mildly; they knew that a VIP had arrived.

Yu Laoda led their group cautiously toward the side door of the restaurant. When they saw the same waiter greeting people there, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief, having truly feared that the restaurant was no longer accepting game.

"If you guys can hunt more over the next few days, do it. Our restaurant will buy as much as you can catch," the waiter said, clearly dissatisfied with the meager amount of game they had brought today. "If worse comes to worst, you can even bring over any chickens or ducks you might be raising."

Yu Laoda put on a subservient smile. "Are there a lot of people coming into town?"

"Don’t go poking your nose into things you shouldn’t know. Either way, our restaurant is swamped for all three meals," the waiter replied curtly. He settled the bill for the day and didn’t forget to add one last instruction. "Our boss said that if you manage to hunt any rare game, we’ll double the price."

Yu Laoda and the others secretly clicked their tongues in shock. Sure enough, the lavish lifestyles of the nobility were beyond their imagination.

However, the atmosphere in the county town today made them afraid to linger. After receiving their silver, they bought some coarse grains and hurried out of the city. Even if Gu Letian had wanted to ask around for information, he couldn’t find an excuse to slip away. Since they were former mountain bandits, even though they now possessed household registrations and land to live openly, they still couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear whenever they heard about the official family.

At the city gates, Gu Letian frequently glanced back, wondering if he would have the chance to investigate further the next time they came to town.

Gu Wenheng’s expression was exceptionally gloomy. The first two counties had been acceptable, but the subsequent county towns they passed through had clearly made deliberate preparations for his arrival.

From the moment he entered the county town to his arrival at the county government, the entire route had been far too contrived. The freshly cleared weeds along both sides of the road, coupled with the specially swept streets—all of it felt like they had mobilized too many people and made far too great a fuss. He had already sent word ahead for everyone to keep things simple, yet he hadn’t expected them to put on such a massive display anyway.

"My lords," County Magistrate Kuang said with an obsequious smile. Not daring to look Inspection Commissioner Gu directly in the eye, he cast a pleading glance toward Wu Haicong and the others. "You must have had a grueling journey. This subordinate has prepared a banquet in the backyard. Please, my lords, have a meal first."

He had previously visited Yongchang County and had met Mr. Wu once before. Now, he could only hope that the other party would put in a few good words for him. The Lord Inspection Officer’s dark expression left him trembling with fear.

Wu Haicong licked his lips. Under County Magistrate Kuang’s pleading gaze, he finally spoke up. "Mr. Gu, everyone is exhausted from the journey. Let’s allow everyone to fill their stomachs before discussing anything else."

"Let’s go eat first," Gu Wenheng said.

County Magistrate Kuang let out a long sigh of relief. With an enthusiastic expression, he led the way, not forgetting to order the steward beside him to attend to the accompanying guards.

Tukeng County was not large; the county town only had one main street, but there were quite a few surrounding villages and plenty of mountainous terrain.

Gu Wenheng flipped through the records of County Magistrate Kuang’s recent achievements. Surprisingly, by the second page, he spotted several entries detailing mountain bandits transitioning into law-abiding citizens.

After turning a few more pages, his expression finally softened. He looked up at County Magistrate Kuang. "I have traveled to many places, but your jurisdiction has taken in the highest number of former bandits. Not bad at all."

This was considered the greatest praise he could receive today, and County Magistrate Kuang quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had worked diligently to manage this county, not seeking praise, only hoping to avoid mistakes. Being commended now, all because of those bandits, was something entirely beyond his expectations.

He immediately replied with deep humility, "These are all things this subordinate ought to do.

"They have already formed a new village, and the crops they planted on the land will yield a harvest in due time."

Gu Wenheng nodded. "That is how it should be. With fewer bandits in the mountains, the local populace can live in greater peace."