Chapter 10: Capturing the Bandits

That night, the Gu family went to bed early. Gu Wenran lay in the west room with her eyes closed, listening intently to the noises outside.

Several men, carrying machetes, climbed over the wall and slipped into the yard.

“Brother won’t let anyone find out, right?”

“Keep your voice down. Yang Wencai said there’s only one old man here; the rest are women. If this works out, he’ll give us two hundred yuan.”

“That’s a lot of grain to buy—our brothers in the mountains haven’t eaten well for a long time.”

“Hurry up. You set fire to the kitchen; I’ll deal with that woman inside.”

“Brother, you’re thinking about that now? Don’t forget to call the others when you’re done.”

Yang Wencai dared not take action himself but couldn’t swallow the insult. He hired bandits from Mount Weihu, notorious fugitives who had taken control of the mountain, to deal with Gu Wenran’s family. They were the perfect tool for his scheme.

The bandits entered the kitchen, preparing to set it on fire, when they noticed a pair of eyes staring at them in the darkness.

“Who’s there?”

“Your great-aunt,” a voice said as a machete flew through the air, embedding itself in the doorframe.

“A ghost!” The bandit was so frightened he fled the kitchen.

“Keep your voice down! What if we wake the villagers?”

“The boss says there’s a ghost in the kitchen.”

“What ghost? You’re crazy,” another scoffed.

Just then, a kitchen knife clattered onto the floor.

“I heard you wanted to meet me,” Gu Wenran said as she emerged from the kitchen.

“So it’s just a fat woman. What’s there to fear? Let me show you how your brother plays,” one man sneered, reaching out toward her.

Gu Wenran lifted her foot and kicked him, then twisted his arm free from his grip.

“Ah! What are you staring at?”

The bandits swung their knives at her, but Gu Wenran tore the machete from the doorframe and fought back with ease, cutting through them as if they were zombies. Soon, all of them lay on the ground.

“That’s all you’ve got?”

Seeing all his men down, the bandit leader collapsed in despair.

The commotion roused the neighbors, who gathered to find the bandits all tied up.

“Old Gu’s girl, what happened here?”

“Ma’am, bandits tried to rob us, but my brother took them down.”

“How’s Zhuzi? Is he hurt?”

“He’s a bit injured, lying inside. We won’t trouble you to come in—we need to report to the police tomorrow.”

“If you caught bandits, you should get a reward.”

“I haven’t heard anyone got hurt. We can’t profit from bloodshed.”

“Everyone, head home.”

Yang Wencai hid in the crowd, watching his plan fail. He knew Gu Wenran was no ordinary woman and decided to rethink his next move at home.

After the neighbors left, Gu Wenran dumped the bandits in the kitchen, intending to take them to the police station the next day.

Early the next morning, Gu Tiezhu woke, rubbing his head, and called his wife.

“Did you hear anything last night? I thought I heard voices.”

“No idea. I slept so deeply I barely remember. My head still hurts.”

Gu Tiezhu got up to cook. Opening the kitchen door, he was startled.

“Wife, come quick! Something big happened.”

Liu Lili hurried out of bed and rushed into the kitchen to see a group of people tied up.

“What happened, Zhuzi? Go find the team leader quickly.”

Gu Tiezhu was about to leave when Gu Wenran stopped him.

“These are bandits from Mount Weihu. Why they’re here must mean someone hired them. I made enemies, you don’t even know. I’ll take them to the police station. If anyone asks, say you caught them, okay, big brother?”

Gu Tiezhu was confused but trusted his sister wouldn’t betray him.

After breakfast, Gu Wenran set off for town. This time, it took only half an hour.

“Officer, help!” Li An had just started work when a woman came running toward him, pleading for help.

“Ma’am, calm down. What happened?”

Through tears and sniffles, Gu Wenran recounted everything.

“What? I’ll send someone to your home right now. Wait here.”

Li An called the chief to report. These bandits had long been targets, and now appearing in the village endangered everyone. The chief ordered immediate action.

Within ten minutes, three police cars raced toward Yangshu Village.

On the way, the chief questioned Gu Wenran about the details.

She explained she was a medical student who had developed a sleep aid incense. When she spotted the bandits, she lit the incense; it overwhelmed them, causing them to faint.

She portrayed Gu Tiezhu as the hero, crediting him with all the glory.

Chief Wang Shouyi looked at Gu Wenran silently. It seemed strange that a villager could singlehandedly subdue such vicious bandits.

The police arrived at the village, where workers gathered around.

“Look, police cars. Whose house are they headed to? What’s going on?”

“Don’t you know? Bandits broke into Gu Tiezhu’s house last night. There was bloodshed.”

“Really? Those bandits have terrorized so many villages. Didn’t expect them to get taken down here.”

“Let’s go see.”

The crowd pressed forward.

“Where’s your team leader? Such a big incident and he’s nowhere to be found.”

“He’s working in the field. I’ll get him.”

In the field, Yang Wencai sat under a tree, nervously smoking, terrified the bandits would give him up.

“Husband, what’s wrong? You seem distracted this morning.”

“Mind your own business. Go work, and make something nice for your son tonight. Have you seen he can’t even get out of bed?”

Thinking of her son, Yang’s mother was heartbroken. “That little bastard hit my boy. When I get home, I’ll tear that woman apart.”

“Enough. Get back to work and don’t cause trouble.”

“Team leader, the police are here. They want you.”

Yang Wencai knew he couldn’t hide anymore. He stood, dusted himself off, and walked toward Gu Tiezhu’s house.

“Team leader’s coming.”

Everyone stepped aside.

“Officer, I’m Yang Wencai, team leader of Yangshu Village.”

“Yang, why didn’t you come out to manage the situation?”

The chief’s words made Yang sweat nervously.

“I was working in the fields with the others.”

“Bandits attacked Gu Tiezhu’s home. As team leader, you failed to calm the villagers and wasted time. That’s negligence.”

“I understand. I’ll fix it.”

“Take them away. You and Gu Tiezhu come with us to give statements.”

Gu Tiezhu and Yang Wencai were taken to the police station.

That afternoon, Gu Tiezhu was released, but Yang Wencai was detained.

“Sis, do you know who ordered the hit? It was Yang Wencai. This time, he’s done for.”

The next day, police returned to Yangshu Village and posted a notice.

Yang Wencai was demoted and sent to the southern camp team of Hongqi Town in Hei Province for hiring assassins.

Because of this, Yang Dayong and his mother dared not leave home for a long time.

With the matter resolved, Gu Wenran prepared to return to the Toyota team.