CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 182: SAFETY MEASURES

182 Security Measures

Zhao Zhitong, holding a flashlight, rushed over shouting. Raising her little foot, with a THUMP, she stomped on the thief’s leg. "Hmph, how dare you steal from my family! I’ll beat you to death!"

Wang Mazi and Mr. Zhao, completely caught off guard, were trapped in a sack and severely beaten. At this point, they had no way to fight back and could only lie on the ground, crying out for mercy.

Once they were sufficiently battered, Zhao Dong had Sun Mei bring some rope and then tightly bound the two thieves. Now, all the two could do was beg for mercy.

Wang Mazi was in tears. "I was wrong! I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again! Please spare me!" Of course, the tears streaming down his face weren’t from remorse, but from pain.

Mr. Zhao, not a fluent speaker and extremely anxious, just kept stuttering, "I... I... I..." He stammered for a long time without managing to say anything coherent.

Zhao Dong had no desire to listen to their pleas in the middle of the night. He dragged them to the woodshed, planning to lock them up there and take them to the County Government Office the next day.

Hearing they would be taken to the County Government Office, the two were terrified out of their wits, screeching and wailing as they begged for mercy.

At this moment, Zhao Zhitong, worried their shouting would disturb the neighbors, thoughtfully brought two pairs of smelly socks to Zhao Dong. "Daddy, gag them with these! Their shouting is horrible!"

Seeing Zhao Zhitong holding her nose and presenting the two pairs of smelly socks, Zhao Dong couldn’t help but pinch his own. Where did this girl find such stinky socks?

He then turned and gagged the two men with them.

Finally, he locked the woodshed door, and the family went to sleep, their minds at ease.

Early the next morning, Zhao Dong took the tightly bound Wang Mazi and Mr. Zhao to the County Government Office. Magistrate Li, owing to his connection with Prince Liang, Pei Yuanqing, was very courteous to Zhao Dong. After listening to Zhao Dong’s account, he immediately ordered the two thieves to be given twenty heavy strokes of the cane and then thrown into prison. With the thieves dealt with, Zhao Dong didn’t linger and went straight home.

After this incident, news of the attempted burglary at Zhao Dong’s residence spread through the village like wildfire. Within half a day, almost every household knew that thieves had targeted Zhao Dong’s residence the previous night.

"Good heavens, is it true? Did thieves really go to their house?"

"It’s absolutely true! This morning, I saw Brother Dong himself dragging the bound thieves to the County Government Office!"

"Wow, he took them straight to the County Government Office!"

"Serves them right! Those two were unlucky. I heard they’d barely jumped into the courtyard when Zhao Dong caught them in a sack. He gave them a sound thrashing, and they were crying for their mothers!"

"Haha, I say they deserved it! Of all people, why mess with Zhao Dong’s family? Everyone in the village knows Zhao Dong even won that lawsuit against Landlord Qin. The County Magistrate himself attended Zhao Dong’s Housewarming Banquet! They picked the wrong house to rob. The County Magistrate won’t let them off lightly."

At this time, wherever villagers gathered—at the village entrance, the far end of the village, or by the well—everyone was discussing the attempted theft at Zhao Dong’s residence. Soon, not only the villagers but also people from outside the village had heard about it. Those who harbored ill intentions became more cautious, and the more timid ones abandoned their plans altogether.

However, this theft incident also made Zhao Dong focus on his home’s security. No matter how high the courtyard walls were, vulnerabilities still existed. So, upon returning from the County Government Office that day, he immediately hired two temporary laborers from the village. He had them coat the tops of all four courtyard walls with a thick layer of mud and then embed sharpened bamboo spikes all over it. Now, anyone attempting to climb the wall would be thoroughly pierced by these sharp bamboo pieces. Using broken glass would be even more effective, Zhao Dong mused, but unfortunately, glass doesn’t exist in this era.

With the courtyard walls secured, he next turned to improving the latches on all the room doors. From the television dramas he’d watched in his previous life, he knew villains often slipped a knife into the door crack to gradually slide the latch open. That wasn’t secure. So, Zhao Dong drilled a small hole through each door and a corresponding hole in the door’s hasp on the frame. This way, after bolting the door, an iron nail could be inserted through both holes, fixing the latch firmly in place. Even if someone tried to pry it open with a knife from outside, they wouldn’t be able to move the latch.

By the time he finished all this, it was nearly dark. Zhao Dong checked the backyard wall again to ensure there were no other security risks, then finally ate dinner and went to bed.

After the Laba Festival, the New Year seemed to approach even faster.

"Malt candy for the Kitchen God, the New Year is here!

Girls want flowers, boys want firecrackers.

Old men want new felt hats, old women new padded coats."

Amidst the joyful folk songs of children in the streets, the festive New Year atmosphere grew ever stronger.

The countdown to the New Year had begun. Every household started preparing according to ancestral customs. The Zhao Family also plunged into the New Year bustle.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month was known locally as Kitchen God Day, a day for offering malt candy melons to the Kitchen God. One belief was that on this day, the Kitchen God ascended to the Heavenly Court to report the family’s deeds, good and bad, over the past year. To ensure he spoke favorably, people fed him sweet Kitchen God candy. A sweetened mouth would lead to kind words. Another belief was that the malt candy melons were very sticky. If the Kitchen God ate them, his teeth would be stuck together, preventing him from opening his mouth to report any misdeeds to the Jade Emperor.

Regardless of the belief, children loved this day because they all got to eat the sweet malt candy melons.

The twenty-fourth was for "sweeping away the dust." Since the word "dust" has the same pronunciation as "old" in Chinese, the New Year’s cleaning symbolized "sweeping out the old to bring in the new." This custom embodied people’s hopes for a fresh start and their prayers for renewal. Although their house was newly built, everyone in the family pitched in on this day. Even the young children, armed with small brooms and cloths, bustled about eagerly. Though they weren’t much help, Sun Mei didn’t stop them; instead, she would smile and praise them. When children proactively help with chores, it’s crucial not to discourage them with negative comments like, "What a mess you’re making! Stop it and go play." Doing so consistently can foster a rebellious child.

On the twenty-fifth, Sun Mei began frying foods. She made fried tofu slices, tofu balls, radish balls, and crispy small fish. The delicious aroma made the neighbors’ children’s mouths water.

On the twenty-sixth, Sun Mei stewed a large pot of mutton soup. On the twenty-seventh, they slaughtered the rooster they had bought.

On the twenty-eighth, Sun Mei prepared a large basin full of leavened dough. On the twenty-ninth, she steamed two large steamer baskets full of buns and mantou. Sun Mei also shaped some dough into beautiful date-flower mantou, which were to be used as offerings during the New Year worship.

After several days of busy preparations, New Year’s Eve finally arrived!