Chapter 156: My Dear, I’m Going to Punish You!

Resolving the refugee crisis, Xu Mo used only three jar bombs, and none of the villagers were harmed.

At this moment, Niu Da asked, “Master, what should we do with the injured refugees?”

Xu Mo thought for a moment, sighed lightly, and said, “Those people probably had no choice. We should help those we can, give them some food, and then let them leave... But you must tell them, if they dare to have such wicked intentions again or come to steal from our village, we won’t show any mercy!”

Niu Da nodded in agreement. “Understood, Master.”

Then Niu Da led his men to clean up the battlefield.

As Niu Da and his men walked away, the village chief and some villagers gathered around.

They all cupped their hands and bowed to Xu Mo, thanking him for protecting the village.

Xu Mo waved his hands repeatedly, modestly saying, “Don’t be like this. Gushan Village is my home too. Isn’t protecting one’s own home an unshirkable responsibility?”

After speaking, Xu Mo smiled, and seeing this, the village chief and others also smiled.

While they were talking, Xu Tieshu and Xu Ping’an arrived from a distance, leading a group of male villagers, all holding bamboo spears with serious and urgent expressions.

Just now, upon hearing about the refugee attack, Xu Tieshu and Xu Ping’an immediately called all the men from the workshop, grabbed their bamboo spears, and rushed over.

Unfortunately, they arrived a bit late; the battle was already over, and the crisis had been resolved.

Although Xu Tieshu was a little disappointed they were late, he felt more relieved not to have to fight the refugees.

Then Xu Tieshu and Xu Ping’an saw the bloody scene outside.

Xu Tieshu frowned, feeling a bit uneasy.

Xu Ping’an reacted strongly, immediately feeling nauseous and turning aside to vomit.

This was different from the last time they killed bandits; although there was blood everywhere then, at least the bodies were intact.

But now? Broken arms and legs were one thing, but some had their chests and skulls blown apart, with intestines and brain matter spilled everywhere—something no ordinary person could bear.

To be honest, Xu Mo himself felt a bit sick and nauseous, but for the sake of his dignity and image, he forced himself to endure it.

Just as Xu Mo and Qin Mutou were about to head back, Niu Da suddenly ran over.

“Master, I want to discuss something with you,” Niu Da said.

Xu Mo asked, “What is it?”

Niu Da pointed to the jar bombs in the basket Qin Mutou was carrying and smiled. “Master, could you spare some of these jar bombs for me?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for many, just a few. I’m mainly worried those guys might come back, so I want to use these jar bombs to send them off for good!”

Xu Mo said, “Captain Niu, wait a bit. Let me improve the jar bombs first, then I’ll give them to you.”

“Improve? How can they be improved? They’re already so powerful!” Niu Da was puzzled.

Xu Mo explained, “Captain Niu, these jars are made of pottery, so they easily break when thrown and hit the ground. Once broken, the bomb’s power decreases significantly. So I need to figure out how to make the jars less likely to break when thrown.”

Niu Da immediately nodded in understanding and then turned and ran off.

Xu Mo and Qin Mutou then headed home.

On the way, Qin Mutou suddenly had an idea and exclaimed excitedly, “Master, we could use wooden boxes instead!”

Xu Mo shook his head. “No! Using wooden boxes will reduce the power a lot.”

“Why, Master?” Qin Mutou didn’t understand. They were using black powder; how could the power decrease?

Xu Mo explained, “The lethal force of the jar bomb doesn’t come only from the explosion’s shockwave, but also from the pottery shards flying around after the jar breaks.”

In the three explosions just now, many injured refugees had wounds or scratches caused by pottery shards.

If it were wooden box bombs, the shrapnel injuries would be greatly reduced.

After understanding this, Qin Mutou nodded, then continued pondering.

Not far outside the courtyard, Chen Miaoyi and Xu Hui ran out of the house.

“Husband!” “Mutou!”

They called out in unison.

After calling, they looked at each other.

Chen Miaoyi smiled, and Xu Hui not only smiled but also blushed instantly.

Xu Mo immediately smiled and then teasingly said, “Oh! My Huihui knows how to blush?”

At these words, Xu Hui’s face turned even redder, and her neck grew hot. She was too embarrassed to speak.

Xu Mo said, “Mutou, put the jar bombs back.”

Qin Mutou nodded and walked toward the cellar behind the house.

Xu Hui hurriedly followed behind. Once they were a bit away, they began laughing and chatting.

Chen Miaoyi came over to Xu Mo and eagerly asked about what had just happened.

Xu Mo vividly recounted the jar bombs’ dramatic performance.

When Chen Miaoyi heard that many refugees were killed or injured by the explosions, she felt a bit guilty, thinking her husband’s actions were too cruel.

Xu Mo gently held Chen Miaoyi’s hand. “Miaoyi, why do you keep falling into this good-hearted trap?”

He patiently said, “Being kind is good, but you have to distinguish the situation. It’s fine to be kind to friends and family, but kindness to enemies is cruelty to yourself.”

“If I hadn’t used the jar bombs just now, we wouldn’t have been able to stop those refugees. Our villagers would have suffered heavy casualties, and the elderly, women, and children in the village would have been harmed too!”

Chen Miaoyi thought carefully and realized he was right. She obediently lowered her head and admitted, “Husband, I was wrong. I didn’t think it through. Please don’t be angry.”

Seeing her so obedient, a sly smile appeared at the corner of Xu Mo’s mouth, and he said, “Wife, I’m going to punish you!”

“Punish me? How?” Chen Miaoyi looked puzzled.

Xu Mo pulled Chen Miaoyi close and whispered in her ear, “Wife, how about we review that new position tonight?”

Chen Miaoyi’s ears immediately flushed bright red.

She shook her head repeatedly and whispered, “No, no. That... that position is too embarrassing and very tiring. Last time it made my waist hurt all day...”

Xu Mo solemnly said, “No worries! Practice makes perfect!”

“Last time we were both inexperienced. This time is different—I’ve thought about how to use finesse. As long as you follow my lead and we coordinate well, it won’t be so tiring!”

But Chen Miaoyi refused no matter what. In the end, she shyly ran back inside and hid.

Xu Mo stood there helplessly shaking his head, muttering to himself, “Not even willing to cooperate with the only bit of entertainment I have—life is too hard!”

He then prepared to enter the house.

At that moment, three children ran by outside, picking up stones from the ground and playfully throwing them at each other.

One child was hit by a stone and cried out in pain.

The other two immediately stopped and ran over to apologize and comfort him.

Soon, the three children made up and happily ran away.

At this moment, Xu Mo was beaming because he had been inspired—he had figured out how to improve the jar bombs!