Mo Qingcheng has never been stingy with her own people. Anyone who has worked for the Mo family once will want to do it again.

Even so, when the Liu brothers, San and Si, mentioned going to Nanping Village to collect rice for Madam Mo, their family unanimously agreed. Not only would they eat and drink well, but they would also be paid well.

Shangguan Yichen and Mu Yunchuan brought mugwort ropes to Liu San and the others to repel mosquitoes.

It would be a lie to say they weren't moved. Everyone thanked them repeatedly. Shangguan Yichen's eyes flickered slightly, and Mu Yunchuan nodded in response, telling everyone to contact Guard Long or Li Ergou if they needed anything.

The two brothers turned and left, and the courtyard immediately erupted in chaos.

"Brother Liu, it turns out what you said was true. Madam Mo really treats us like human beings."

“Who says otherwise, Brother Liu? Next time there’s something like this, don’t forget to call the brothers.”

"Hehe, don't worry, Brother Liu San knows what he's doing..." Li Si's eyes darted around, giving Liu San a knowing look that only the two brothers understood.

Everyone: "..."

What's there to brag about?

Liu San glared at Li Si fiercely, "Don't talk nonsense, or I'll beat you up."

Li Si awkwardly touched his nose, almost spitting out a compliment. Fine, I won't tell you then. It's not a secret anyway; I'll just consider it a surprise.

Liu San urged everyone to get some rest, saying that Seventh Brother would give Madam Mo a surprise early tomorrow morning...

Each person was lost in their own thoughts, and soon they were fast asleep. Li Ergou led his men on a tour of the village, but found no one suspicious. He frowned slightly and said, "Brother, this isn't quite right."

Li Dagou frowned: "Ergou, let's not sleep tonight. We must not let anyone with bad intentions sneak in."

"Yes, brother is right!" Li Ergou scratched his head. "Since the madam treats us like human beings, we should act like human beings!"

“I like hearing that, brother.” Li Dagou patted Ergou on the shoulder, and the two brothers, one in the south and one in the north, each led two men to continue their patrol.

After dinner, Mo Qingcheng gave instructions: "Thank you all for your hard work. During the rice harvest, increase patrols. Each of you will receive one tael of silver."

Sure enough, Li Tiezhu from Third Grandma's family also joined the patrol team. His own rice was a bit undergrown, so he could earn some extra money.

Liu Cuihua used a broom handle to shoo her second son to patrol, not for the one or two taels of silver, but to stop the brat from slacking off.

Li Tiezhu and Li Yuanlin, one to the east and one to the west, each led three people to conduct a thorough search, lest any escapees be caught.

Li Yunfang, Li Changsheng, and Sun Chuyuan also joined the patrol. This was not at Mo Qingcheng's behest, but rather as a way of repaying the Madam for providing them with a safe haven, so that they would have no more worries...

Mo Qingcheng and Old Man Bai were drinking tea and playing chess. The two were evenly matched and neither could gain the upper hand. Bai Yueniang watched the two bickering with a smile while doing needlework.

The children tried to slack off, but Shangguan Yichen dragged them back to continue practicing. Whether it's a younger brother or sister, they all need to be able to protect themselves; it's too hard and tiring for their mother to support them all by herself.

Old Man Bai hesitated, his black piece poised for a move: "Girl, I'm getting old, I'm afraid..."

"Father, you're doing this again. Are you happy to fool me and Sister Mo?" Bai Yueniang rolled her eyes. "We're not stupid..."

Old Man Bai was speechless with emotion: "Moon, do you think there will be any uninvited guests tomorrow?"

"An uninvited guest? Father, you mean the county magistrate?" Bai Yueniang raised an eyebrow: "Hehe, Father, your daughter isn't stupid..."

Old Man Bai shook his head: "My Yue'er isn't stupid at all, how could she guess that?"

"That's right, don't you even know who my father is?"

"Madam, something terrible has happened! We've caught a thief!"