Patrol battalion.

"General, we've found out the whereabouts of the young general," Liu Yun said to Ji Chengkang.

Ji Chengkang asked with some delight, "Where did it run off to?"

Liu Yun said somewhat awkwardly, "I sneaked into the new county magistrate's office in the middle of the night."

Ji Chengkang frowned, somewhat impatiently asking, "What are you doing there?"

Liu Yun smiled wryly and said, "Maybe he's going to scout the location." Since ancient times, civil and military officials have been at odds. Ji Chengkang should have been serving in the capital, but he was squeezed out by the civil officials in the court. Ji Yun'an had followed Ji Chengkang since childhood and looked down on those civil officials who only knew classical Chinese.

Liu Yun inquired in the army and found that a few days ago, some people in the camp had talked about the newly arrived county magistrate. Some soldiers said that the new magistrate's position was bought and he would probably have to make up for it by exploiting the people. Ji Yun'an was indignant when he heard this and immediately said that he would go and test the new magistrate's worth.

In fact, Ji Yun'an had previously expressed to Liu Yun that he wanted to investigate the background of the new county magistrate, but Liu Yun thought it was just a childish impulse and didn't take it seriously. Unexpectedly, Ji Yun'an actually went to investigate secretly.

Ji Chengkang frowned and said, "This is getting more and more outrageous. How is the person?"

Liu Yun frowned and said, "The young general broke into a girl's room and was detained. He'll be forced to do hard labor."

"Nonsense," Ji Chengkang said with a dark face.

Liu Yun gave a wry smile and said, "The young general probably didn't understand the situation; it wasn't intentional."

"Is he alright?" Ji Chengkang asked.

Liu Yun shook her head and said, "It should be fine."

Ji Chengkang nodded and said, "If there's nothing else, let's leave him there for now. This kid is getting more and more unruly. It'll be good to give him a chance to temper his temper."

Liu Yun nodded and said, "Okay, I heard that he was being bossed around by a little Shuang'er, but nothing else."

"Is there any news from the new magistrate?" Ji Chengkang asked.

"He found a few carpenters and blacksmiths, I don't know what their purpose was, maybe they wanted to make some furniture and tables and chairs. After the previous magistrate left, the people and things in the county government office were almost all moved out," Liu Yun said.

Ji Chengkang gave a wry smile and said, "This guy, he didn't even bother to do some research before buying his way into office. Being an official in Sha County isn't easy!"

Chen Xiaomai, munching on a steamed bun, looked at Ji Yun'an and said, "Kid, you've been missing for five days, and it seems like no one has come looking for you. Do they not want you anymore?"

Ji Yun'an said with dissatisfaction, "That's not true."

Chen Xiaomai pouted and said, "It must be because you have a bad reputation that your family doesn't want you anymore. If you were as well-behaved as me, no one would abandon you."

Ji Yun'an looked at Chen Xiaomai and thought to himself: This little devil is not well-behaved at all. He doesn't seem like a twin at all. But the magistrate's family is worried that he will take advantage of this twin.

“If your family doesn’t want you anymore, it’s good that you’re here grinding grain for me every day.” Chen Xiaomai said happily. Ji Yun’an frowned and thought to himself: This little Shuang’er is really hateful. She actually wants me to do free labor here every day. Ji Yun’an suddenly had an urge to be straightforward. His uncle is a lieutenant general in the patrol battalion. He is not afraid of a county magistrate.

Ji Yun'an thought about it again and felt that being so frank was too embarrassing, embarrassing himself and his uncle.

Ji Yun'an was somewhat confused. He had been away from the camp for several days, and his uncle still hadn't come looking for him. Could it be that he hadn't realized he was missing? Ji Yun'an gritted his teeth, feeling a little disappointed.

Chen Xiaomai sat in a rocking chair, playing with a tiger plush toy.

Ji Yun'an rubbed his sore arms, a bitter look on his face.

This milling work is physically demanding, and Ji Yun'an felt pain in his hands, feet, and his whole body.

Chen Xiaomai tossed the tiger plush toy into the air and caught it back, having a great time playing with it. When Lu Lin sold the shop, he also sold the plush toys in the shop. Chen Xiaomai had developed a bond with the tiger plush toy and couldn't bear to part with it, so Lu Lin took it with him.

Ji Yun'an looked at the doll in Chen Xiaomai's hand and said, "Your doll is nice."

Chen Xiaomai hugged the doll, glared at Ji Yun'an, bared her teeth, and said possessively, "Mine."

Ji Yun'an pursed his lips and said, "What's yours is yours, I'm not going to fight you for it."

Chen Xiaomai said with some pride, "Big brother, I've killed a tiger."

"The magistrate?" Ji Yun'an thought to himself: Does a magistrate who only knows about gold and silver have this ability? Could it be that appearances can be deceiving?

Chen Xiaomai shook her head and said, "No, it's my older brother."

Ji Yun'an realized what was going on and thought to himself: Is it the magistrate's husband? I've heard that the magistrate is henpecked.

"Big brother is very powerful. Everyone in the village is afraid of him. I want to become like him," Chen Xiaomai said with some pride.

Ji Yun'an: "..." There's nothing to be proud of about being feared by someone who is a bisexual.

Yuanbao wobbled over carrying a small wooden bucket filled with soy milk. The bucket was exquisitely made, looking like a toy. It could only hold a limited amount of soy milk, and the little devil spilled quite a bit as he wobbled along.

"Uncle, the soy milk in the kitchen is ready, you can drink it now."

Chen Xiaomai stood up and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go right away."

Yuanbao sat down in the chair, looked at Ji Yun'an, and said in a childish voice, "You look like a decent person, but you're just a novice who doesn't know what's what."

Yuanbao smacked his lips and said in a rhythmic tone. Yuanbao was still young, and these words were not his own thoughts, but rather something he overheard while Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin were talking. Yuanbao only half understood what he heard, but that did not stop him from repeating what he heard.

Ji Yun'an was embarrassed by being scolded by a little kid. He wasn't there to visit someone empty-handed; he was there to see what kind of person the new county magistrate was.

"You're so young and you're already learning bad things," Yuanbao said, shaking his head.

Ji Yun'an: "..." This little brat, so small, actually has the nerve to complain about his age.

Chen Xiaomai came out in a hurry, carrying a large wooden bucket filled with soy milk.

Chen Xiaomai scooped a bowl of soy milk for Ji Yun'an and said, "Eat up."

Ji Yun'an glanced at Chen Xiaomai, who took out a spoonful of sugar from her purse and put it into the soy milk. Ji Yun'an pursed his lips. He had drunk soy milk quite a few times in the past few days.

The soy milk tasted pretty good. Ji Yun'an could imagine that it would taste even better with added sugar. However, Chen Xiaomai, that unreasonable little Shuang'er, was very stingy. She added too much sugar to her own soy milk and wouldn't share any with him.

However, he was just a prisoner, so it was only natural that the other party wouldn't share any candy with him.

Yuanbao hugged the round bucket, drinking soy milk until his mouth was covered in milk whiskers.

Chen Xiaomai took out a handkerchief and wiped Yuanbao's mouth.

Ji Yun'an looked at Chen Xiaomai and thought to himself: This little Shuang'er is quite good-natured with this brat, but she's fierce and menacing towards him.

Ji Yun'an frowned as he looked at the carpenters working in the courtyard. They had been busy since being summoned by Lu Lin, and he didn't know what they were doing. Among the carpenters, Ji Yun'an saw Tian Zheng. Tian Zheng had originally been a soldier under his uncle, but he left the army after losing an eye.

Ji Yun'an wasn't sure if the other party had recognized him or not. Ji Yun'an felt that the other party should be able to recognize him, but if the other party had recognized him, they shouldn't have left him alone.

Ji Yun'an glanced at Chen Xiaomai and asked, "Do you have any steamed buns?"

Chen Xiaomai pointed to the bucket of soy milk, and Ji Yun'an couldn't help but show a bitter look on his face. Although the soy milk tasted good, it wasn't filling, and drinking too much of it always made him feel a bit greasy.

Ji Yun'an glanced at Chen Xiaomai helplessly and said, "Eating this won't fill you up."

Chen Xiaomai glared at Ji Yun'an, who muttered, "If you don't have enough to eat, you can't push the millstone."

Chen Xiaomai puffed out her cheeks, glared at Ji Yun'an for a while with dissatisfaction, then went to the kitchen, grabbed a rice ball, and tossed it to Ji Yun'an.

Ji Yun'an looked at the rice ball in his hand, took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rice ball contained cured meat, pickled radish strips, and some kind of sauce. It tasted very good.

During his few days at the county government office, Ji Yun'an saw many unusual foods and thought to himself: This new county magistrate really knows how to enjoy himself in this remote and impoverished place, constantly inventing all sorts of food.

Ji Yun'an took a break during the meal.

Chen Xiaomai started spinning the millstone with a whooshing sound. Ji Yun'an frowned as he watched the little supervisor Chen Xiaomai display his prowess.

Ji Yun'an had been pushing the stone mill for the past few days, so he naturally knew how heavy it was.

Ji Yun'an originally thought that he was strong enough among his peers, but he didn't expect to be outdone by Xiao Shuang'er. Chen Xiaomai pushed the millstone and spun it dozens of times before finally running out of strength and sitting down to the side.

Yuanbao clapped his hands and said, "Uncle is the best, Uncle is the greatest."

Chen Xiaomai scratched her head and gave a shy smile.

Ji Yun'an looked at Chen Xiaomai, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

When Ji Yun'an arrived, he thought the county magistrate was a wealthy merchant whose family members were mostly pampered. But after arriving, he couldn't quite understand him.

Around noon, Qin Lang arranged for the workers at his home to have lunch.

The county government office now has a lot of tofu, and tofu with soy sauce is very appetizing.

Lu Lin plans to open a tofu shop and give the tofu to a few people to taste, hoping to increase its popularity.

A few days later, several workers approached Qin Yi and suggested that they use tofu as payment for their wages.

Qin Yi nodded in agreement; a piece of tofu would be worth one coin.

Qin Yi agreed to accept his wages as payment. That day, a carpenter named Sun Zhengyi took twenty-five pieces of tofu without asking for a single penny, which startled Qin Yi. He even reminded him that tofu does not keep well and should be eaten as soon as possible. The carpenter didn't take it seriously and said that he would definitely be able to finish it.

"Zhengyi, you're back!"

Sun Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, I'm back. I also brought back some tofu."

"The tofu, is it the tofu made by the new county magistrate's family? Is it really as delicious as you say?"

Sun Zheng nodded and said, "Of course."

A few days ago, Sun Zhengyi went to work at the county government office. After returning, he couldn't help but talk to people about how good the food was at the county government office. The villagers thought he had been bribed by the new county magistrate and didn't believe him. Sun Zhengyi was furious.

Having no other option, Sun Zhengyi discussed with Qin Yi the possibility of paying his wages in tofu. Qin Yi agreed, and Sun Zhengyi exchanged all his wages for tofu.

Sun Zhengyi had his wife cook most of the tofu according to the way Lu Lin's family made tofu, and then invited a few friends over to eat it. Everyone who ate it said it was delicious.

Lu Lin had Chen Xiaocai open a tofu shop next to the county government office, specializing in tofu and soy milk.

Chen Xiaolai was originally feeling unaccustomed to having nothing to do all day, but once the tofu shop opened, Chen Xiaocai became more energetic.

The profit margin on selling tofu is very low, but it's still a business, and Chen Xiaocai is very motivated to do it.

"This piece of tofu sells for one copper coin; it's not easy to get rich this year," Chen Chi said. Back when Chen Chi followed Chen Xiaolai, a large doll could sell for tens of taels of silver. Now, the price has plummeted, and Chen Chi couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Chen Xiaocai scratched his head and said, "Brother Lin said that the main purpose of our shop is not to make money."

Chen Chi looked at Chen Xiaocai with a puzzled expression and asked, "If not for making money, then why?"

Chen Xiaocai said helplessly, "Brother Lin said it was to improve people's livelihoods."

Chen Chi asked with some surprise, "Improve people's livelihood?"

Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "Brother Lin said that now that he's an official, he wants to benefit the people."

Chen Chi asked, puzzled, "Opening a tofu shop improves people's lives..."

Chen Xiaocai shook his head and said, "He said he wanted to liberate and develop productive forces, but I don't really understand it."

Chen Xiaocai's shop not only accepts copper coins, but also accepts barter. If you don't have copper coins, you can exchange eggs for tofu. Villagers often bring eggs to exchange. Although the profit is small, there are a lot of people coming and going.