Mrs. Min and Grandma Min both loved the pickled cucumbers, saying they went well with rice and helped to reduce greasiness. Grandma Min, in particular, ate half a bowl by herself.

Seeing that they liked it, Xu Lanyin said she would make more cucumbers and send them to them next year when the cucumbers were ripe.

After the meal, Xu Lanyin said goodbye and the Min government sent a return gift, a piece of fine cloth, a set of fine porcelain bowls and plates, and five pounds of brown sugar. They also sent a carriage to take them back to the shop.

The driver was Uncle Feng. Although he was a coachman for the county government, he often served the Min family.

Xu Lanzhou sat in the front and chatted with him. Now Lao Feng was very nice to the Xu siblings.

When the carriage circled in front of the county government office, it met several constables in black robes who had just come out of the county government office. One of them was Zhao Wu.

Zhao Wu also saw Xu Lanzhou and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xu Lanzhou smiled and said, "We just went to deliver New Year gifts to the home of Master Min." He couldn't say Master Min, so he had to say Master Min.

Zhao Wu asked again, "Sister is here too?"

Xu Lanzhou said, "Yes, in the car."

Several other constables also knew Lao Feng and greeted him.

Zhao Wu came to the carriage window and called out softly, "Sister."

Xu Lanyin lifted the car curtain a little and looked out. Zhao Wu's hair was disheveled and his clothes were dirty and wrinkled. It was obvious that he was a man who was busy solving cases day and night.

She smiled and said, "Are you tired? I'll make you some pig's trotter soup tonight."

Zhao Wu nodded and couldn't wait to report softly, "We solved a big case, I made a contribution and got a reward..." He held back the words of buying good things for his sister.

The carriage rolled away, and Constable He withdrew his gaze from the carriage. He patted Zhao Wu on the shoulder and said, "You're great, boy. No wonder you can become a constable right after you arrive..." His expression said everything.

Zhao Wumang smiled and said, "I'm new here, so I need Uncle He's guidance and support."

Constable He said, "No problem. I'll teach you everything I know. Learn more."

A tall constable squinted his eyes and smiled, "Let's go there and relax later. Uncle He must teach that unique skill to Brother Zhao. He's still a rookie, hahahaha..."

A short constable said again, "If Brother Zhao can't learn that trick, Uncle He won't play with him anymore. Hahahaha..."

Zhao Wu scratched his head embarrassedly, and several constables walked forward with laughter.

Xu Lanyin and her brother arrived at the dim sum shop. Xu Dashi invited Lao Feng into the shop for tea and gave him a bag of dim sum.

Qin and Xu Lanting were also here. In the morning, Qin went to the silver shop and bought a silver hairpin and a pair of silver cloves for Xu Lanyin. She also bought a silver hairpin for Old Lady Xu. She felt that she was a widow and did not buy anything for herself.

They went to buy preserved fruits, candies, fireworks, red paper, wine, bird chess and other things before they hired an ox cart to go home.

They didn't buy pork. Many families in the village are slaughtering pigs for the New Year. His family just bought four pig's feet and a piece of pork ribs yesterday, waiting for Xu Lanzhou and Zhao Wu to come back to replenish their bodies.

Last night, I made soybean sprout and pork rib soup, and tonight I'll make soybean and pork trotter soup. The Xu family's eldest son raised two pigs, but they hadn't slaughtered them yet. They were waiting until Xu Lanzhou and Zhao Wu were both home.

Back home, Xu Lanyin started cooking. Pig's trotter soup, pickled cabbage and tofu stew, boiled dried vegetables, and a pot of simmered rice. She'd wait for someone to come back, then stir-fry some pickled pork with garlic sprouts and stir-fry some mung bean sprouts.

Xu Lanyin opened the door to the west wing again and boiled a large pot of water inside so that Zhao Wu could take a bath when he came back.

The water boiled, she turned down the heat, and when she was about to go home, Zhao Wu came back.

Zhao Wu held a jar of wine and a braised pork head wrapped in oil paper in his right hand, and a heavy package in his left hand.

Seeing Xu Lanyin here, he grinned and said, "Sister, I have done a good deed today, received a reward, and also shared the spoils. I bought wine and meat for the family, and gifts for sister and aunt."

The word "divide the spoils" is extremely harsh.

Xu Lanyin frowned and asked, "What do you mean by dividing the spoils?"

Zhao Wuxian didn't answer her. He opened the package, revealing several strings of large coins, some loose change, and a brocade box. He said, "Zhang Sanlang, a foot trader from Liuhe Village, had just returned home five days ago when he lost a hundred taels of silver during the night. He'd worked hard for three years out there, and when he came to report the crime, he was so upset he banged his head on the ground..."

Stealing more than one hundred taels of silver is considered a major case. After receiving the report, Constable He led them to Liuhe Village to investigate and collect evidence.

He, the detective, discovered that the owner had a dog, but the dog hadn't barked, leading him to believe the perpetrator must be a family member or an acquaintance who frequently visited the owner's home. A local informant in the village also revealed a key point: while the foot merchant was away, his wife, Li Sanniang, had a mistress...

Captain He took them to the mistress's house and searched it thoroughly but found nothing. He then arrested Zhang Sanniang and her mistress, interrogated them, and beat them until their skin was torn and flesh was bruised. Unable to bear the torture, they confessed, but they could not produce the money.

In ancient times, solving cases also required evidence.

Constable He changed his mindset and asked the new recruit Zhao Wu to disguise himself as a peddler and go to Liulu Village for two days. He actually found that Zhang Sanlang and his parents were not sad at all, and they bought meat and wine every day.

Yesterday, Constable He led his men to arrest Zhang Sanlang and his parents for separate questioning. It turned out that Zhang Sanlang, upon returning home to learn that his wife had been having an affair, was furious. To exact revenge on the two, he devised this scheme of embezzlement. He buried the silver under a tree in the backyard, ran to the county government office to report the case, and warned his parents not to disclose Zhang Sanniang's lover. It wasn't a secret, so naturally, people would tell.

Captain He and his men actually fell into the trap at first, pinning the blame on Zhang Sanniang and her mistress...

Xu Lanyin exclaimed, "That Constable He does have some real skills. You should learn from him in the future." Then he asked, "How did you deal with those people?"

Zhao Wudao said, "Zhang Sanlang committed embezzlement and reported a false case. The 100 taels of silver were confiscated, and he received 50 strokes of the cane and a year in jail. His parents knew about the crime but did not report it, harboring the criminal. Considering their age, they received 20 strokes of the cane. Zhang Sanniang and her lover were convicted of adultery, and each received 50 strokes of the cane and two years in jail."

The embezzlement and false reporting of a crime resulted in a one-year sentence, while adulterer Zhang Sanniang and her mistress received two years. This is the stark difference between ancient and modern times. In modern times, Zhang Sanniang would have committed a genuine crime and would have been sentenced to prison. However, Zhang Sanniang and her mistress committed a moral offense and would have been acquitted after reprimand and education.

Xu Lanyin couldn't help but say, "Zhang Sanniang and her adulterer were wronged. How could they have received a heavier sentence than Zhang Sanlang?"

Zhao Wu, with an air of expert knowledge, said, "Adultery is certainly more serious than embezzlement. When Zhang Sanniang is released from prison, she might even be thrown into a pond. Sister, please don't speak for them; it will only damage your reputation if it gets out."

Well, as a modern person, I really don’t understand ancient laws very well.

Xu Lanyin asked again, "What's the deal with dividing the spoils?"