Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1160 Picking the Lock and Escaping

They just watched Banggeng with conflicted feelings: they hoped he would succeed and pave the way for everyone, and if he really could escape, they might as well try to go with him; but they were also a little unwilling—why should he be able to escape first? Why should he dare to take this risk?

Banggeng's skills were indeed impressive. He gently fiddled with the wire in the keyhole a few times, his wrist deftly turning, and with a soft "click," the old lock opened. He carefully removed the lock, placed it on the windowsill, and gently pushed open the window. A gust of cold wind rushed in, making him shiver, and the heat on his face instantly subsided. He glanced back at his companions huddled in the corner, raised his chin with a hint of smugness, and deliberately lowered his voice to ask, "Want to go out together? If we leave now, we can hide further away under the moonlight, and find a safe place to hide when it gets light. It'll be perfectly safe."

Banggeng furtively glanced around. A few wisps of wind seeped into the room, chilling his neck. To his left was Erqiang, wearing a blue cloth jacket with three patches, the cuffs worn shiny, clutching a bulging cloth bag, probably filled with dried sweet potatoes his mother had stuffed inside. To his right was Xiaodouzi, always with a runny nose, clear snot hanging from the tip, sniffling occasionally. His cloth bag was deformed from his grip, the edges frayed. Diagonally opposite was Zhang the blacksmith's third son from the alley entrance, as strong as a calf, but now his neck was hunched, his eyes timid. These were all those who had been chosen to go to the countryside with him, their faces uniformly filled with fear, like a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

Bang Geng had already made his plans; Jia Zhangshi's words from last night had been replaying in his mind. He quietly moved closer to Er Qiang, his shoulder almost touching the other's arm, and whispered in a voice barely above a whisper, "Do you want to run away?"

Erqiang suddenly looked up, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. He almost dropped the cloth bag in his hand: "Run? Where can we run? This is the middle of nowhere. If we get caught, we'll definitely get beaten up! My brother tried to run away last year and was beaten so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for half a month!"

“If we don’t run, we’ll really suffer!” Banggeng glanced quickly at the guards, who were all out for a stroll. He lowered his voice, his tone slightly seductive: “When we get to the countryside, we have to be in the fields before dawn, cutting rice, digging potatoes, working from morning till night, eating nothing but thin corn porridge that’s so watery you can see your reflection in it every meal. I heard we’ll get beaten and scolded by the team leader, and if we don’t do something right, we’ll be punished by standing in the corner or having our rations cut. Can our bodies handle that?” He deliberately emphasized the words “beat and scold,” and seeing Erqiang’s eyes clearly waver, he added fuel to the fire: “If we’re going to run, we’ll run together. With more people, they can’t keep up. They’ll catch one and leave another behind, but we’ll still have a way to survive!”

These words were like a pebble thrown into still water. Little Bean and Zhang Laosan also perked up their ears and crowded around, the three of them huddled together. "Really...really can they run away?" Little Bean's voice trembled, and he sniffled rapidly. "My mom said that if they run away, they're deserters, and they'll be paraded through the streets..."

"Listen to me, you won't go wrong!" Banggeng patted his chest, his face showing a confident expression, but in his heart he was making his own little plans—these people were his decoys. As long as they followed him, they could attract the guards' attention, and he could slip away in the chaos and go in the opposite direction.

When Banggeng landed from the window, his knee slammed hard against a sharp rock, making him wince in pain and almost burst into tears. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and shouted, "Run south! There's a main road over there that leads to the county town!" After shouting, he turned and crouched low, disappearing into the dense forest to the north—a dark, oppressive thicket, like ink-stained silk, perfect for hiding.

As expected, Erqiang and his friends didn't think much of it and foolishly followed the shouts southward. Their footsteps pounded in the grass, startling grasshoppers and causing them to hop around in all directions; the sound could be heard from afar. Banggeng disappeared into the woods, secretly chuckling to himself—the silly boys, the road to the south was wide, making it easy for them to be chased by car; the forest to the north was as dense as a maze, with vines entwining the trees and thorns growing everywhere—that was the real way to survive.

There was no path in the woods; the withered branches and leaves were ankle-deep, crunching underfoot. Unidentified vines occasionally snagged his trousers, causing him to stumble. He trudged forward, his back aching from the cornbread in his cloth bag, but the thought of not having to go to the countryside to till the land or have to deal with the team leader's wrath filled him with energy. He knew he absolutely couldn't go back to the courtyard house—the people escorting the cart wouldn't be able to find him and would definitely be waiting for him at home; going back would be like walking into a trap. He needed to find a place where no one knew him and hide there for a few days.

Meanwhile, Liu Di and Li He chased after the car for a while without seeing anyone. Cursing and swearing, they rushed back to the parking spot, only to find the car door wide open, swaying in the wind like a gaping mouth. Liu Di's heart skipped a beat. He rushed over and saw an irregularly shaped hole pried in the window, the lock cylinder hanging crookedly on it—clearly, it had been forcibly pried open. "Those little brats! They've gone too far!" he angrily kicked a tire. "They've even learned to pick locks! They've got guts!"

Li He followed behind, his face pale, rubbing his thighs nervously: "Brother Liu, what... what are we going to do? The person ran away, we can't explain this to the boss! Our bonuses are probably going to be gone..."

"What's the panic!" Liu Di took a deep breath. After all, he had done several escort missions and had seen his share of situations. "They're just kids, they can't go far. There's a main road to the south, they've most likely gone that way—kids don't know any better, they always think that it's easier to run on a wide road and find food there."

Li He scratched his head and pointed into the distance: "How about... we split up? There seems to be a small path to the north. I went hunting with my uncle a few years ago, and it leads to a village outside the mountains..."

"The north?" Liu Di scoffed, spitting on the ground. "Even shepherds don't want to go to that lousy place. It's all rocky forest, and thorns can tear your clothes. Why would they be stupid enough to go there?" He patted Li He on the shoulder, his tone confident. "Drive south, and we'll catch them all! Once we catch these few, we can interrogate them later. We're not afraid of not finding the rest!"

The truck sputtered to life, chasing south along the main road. Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when they saw Erqiang and his gang running wildly by the roadside, their trouser legs torn by thorns, revealing streaks of blood. Liu Di slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the pavement. He and Li He jumped out of the truck, quickly pinning the men down and binding them securely with rope.

"One is missing!" Li He suddenly shouted while counting the people, "Zhang the blacksmith's third son, Erqiang, Xiaodouzi... the only one missing is Banggeng! Where did Jia Banggeng go?"

Liu Di grabbed Erqiang's arm with such force that it felt like he was going to crush the other man's bones, his eyes slicing across Erqiang's face like knives: "Tell me! Where did Jia Banggeng go? Did you plan to hide him?"